Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of blood flow restriction exercises on bone metabolism: a systematic review

This study analysed the effect of low‐intensity (LI) exercises with blood flow restriction (BFR) on bone metabolism compared with high‐intensity (HI) exercises without BFR. The following databases were searched using the keywords therapeutic occlusion training OR BFR training OR vascular occlusion training OR KAATSU training OR ischaemia training AND osteogenesis OR bone biomarkers OR bone metabolic marker OR bone mass OR bone turnover OR osteoporosis OR osteopenia: PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, Science Direct, Cochrane and Google Scholar. Two researchers, independently and blindly, selected the studies based on established inclusion and exclusion criteria. Electronic and manual searches located 170 articles published in English; after screening, only four studies showed that BFR training increases the expression of bone formation markers (e.g. bone‐specific alkaline phosphatase) and decreases bone resorption markers (e.g. the amino‐terminal telopeptides of type I collagen) after both aerobic and anaerobic exercise across several populations. The results of this study show that few studies have confirmed the positive effect of exercise with BFR on bone metabolism, formation and resorption. Furthermore, no methodological standardization of the samples, exercise type, intervention frequency or duration was observed.
Effect of early nutrition on abdominal fat in broilers.

Experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of isocaloric diets varying in protein and fat content or diluted with a combination of cellulose and sand during the 1st wk of life on subsequent abdominal fat pad size in male broiler chicks. In the first experiment chicks were fed diets containing 2,850 kcal metabolizable energy (ME)/kg with 23% protein and low or high total fat (23/LF) or 28% protein with low fat (28/LF) for the 1st 7 days and diets with varying protein and fat levels during the next 19 days. Abdominal fat was significantly higher in chicks fed 28/LF for 7 days followed by 23/HF than for the other treatments. In a second experiment chicks in battery brooders were fed diets with 18, 23, or 28% protein with or without added fat. They were then intermingled and placed in floor pens where they were fed corn-soy starter grower and finisher diets to 7 wk. Body weight at 4 and 7 wk and abdominal fat at 4 wk were not significantly different among treatments, but abdominal fat at 7 wk was significantly higher for chicks fed the 28/LF or 28/HF diets. Effects of feeding the same 18/LF, 23/LF, and 28/LF diets or practical diets containing 3,150 kcal ME/kg with various protein levels during the first week were examined in another experiment. Chicks all received the same diets from 7 to 49 days. No significant differences in size of abdominal fat pad was observed within each diet series. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Anti-degenerative effect of Apigenin, Luteolin and Quercetin on human keratinocyte and chondrocyte cultures: SAR evaluation

Abstract Background Inflammation is a dynamic process that occur on vascularized tissue in response to different stimuli causing cell injury and tissue degeneration. Reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS) and advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have a key mediatory role in the development and progression of degenerative tissue process. The bioflavonoids possess a broad-spectrum of pharmacological activities. Their capability is related to their chemical structure. Methods In this study we evaluated and compare antioxidant, anti-glycative and anti-degenerative actions of two flavones apigenin and luteolin and a flavonol quercetin, in function of their hydroxyl groups arrangement. Moreover we assay, on NCTC 2544 and chondrocytes cultures, the flavonoids capacity to modulate NO and glycosamminoglycans levels, index of antidegenerative capacity. Results All tested flavonoids act as free radicals scavengers (ROO• and NO•) and advanced glycation end products inhibitors, in agreement with their BDE, IP and molecular planarity. Quercetin showed a high ORAC value (2.70±0.12 ORAC Units), according to a low BDE (74.54 Kcal/mol) and IP (174.44 Kcal/mol) values. Luteolin is the most active compound in the NO (48.19±0.18%) and AGEs (60.06±0.52%) inhibition, in function of a low torsion angle (16.3°) between the 3-OH moiety and C’6 carbon atom. Conclusion All tested flavonoids posses a protective role on degenerative tissue events. They acts in different manner depending on the functional groups, the biological substrate and the concentration used. In any case, it can be considered a suitable product preventing a degenerative processes.
Infective Larvae of Brugia malayi Induce Polarization of Host Macrophages that Helps in Immune Evasion

Filarial parasites suppress, divert, or polarize the host immune response to aid their survival. However, mechanisms that govern the polarization of host MΦs during early filarial infection are not completely understood. In this study, we infected BALB/c mice with infective larvae stage-3 of Brugia malayi (Bm-L3) and studied their effect on the polarization of splenic MΦs. Results showed that MΦs displayed M2-phenotype by day 3 p.i. characterized by upregulated IL-4, but reduced IL-12 and Prostaglandin-D2 secretion. Increased arginase activity, higher arginase-1 but reduced NOS2 expression and poor phagocytic and antigen processing capacity was also observed. M2 MΦs supported T-cell proliferation and characteristically upregulated p-ERK but downregulated NF-κB-p65 and NF-κB-p50/105. Notably, Bm-L3 synergized with host regulatory T-cells (Tregs) and polarized M2 MΦs to regulatory MΦs (Mregs) by day 7 p.i. , which secreted copious amounts of IL-10 and prostaglandin-E2. Mregs also showed upregulated expression levels of MHC-II, CD80, and CD86 and exhibited increased antigen-processing capacity but displayed impaired activation of NF-κB-p65 and NF-κB-p50/105. Neutralization of Tregs by anti-GITR + anti-CD25 antibodies checked the polarization of M2 MΦs to Mregs, decreased accumulation of regulatory B cells and inflammatory monocytes, and reduced secretion of IL-10, but enhanced IL-4 production and percentages of eosinophils, which led to Bm-L3 killing. In summary, we report hitherto undocumented effects of early Bm-L3 infection on the polarization of splenic MΦs and show how infective larvae deftly utilize the functional plasticity of host MΦs to establish themselves inside the host.
Mechanistic modeling of sulfur-deprived photosynthesis and hydrogen production in suspensions of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The ability of unicellular green algal species such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to produce hydrogen gas via iron‐hydrogenase is well known. However, the oxygen‐sensitive hydrogenase is closely linked to the photosynthetic chain in such a way that hydrogen and oxygen production need to be separated temporally for sustained photo‐production. Under illumination, sulfur‐deprivation has been shown to accommodate the production of hydrogen gas by partially‐deactivating O2 evolution activity, leading to anaerobiosis in a sealed culture. As these facets are coupled, and the system complex, mathematical approaches potentially are of significant value since they may reveal improved or even optimal schemes for maximizing hydrogen production. Here, a mechanistic model of the system is constructed from consideration of the essential pathways and processes. The role of sulfur in photosynthesis (via PSII) and the storage and catabolism of endogenous substrate, and thus growth and decay of culture density, are explicitly modeled in order to describe and explore the complex interactions that lead to H2 production during sulfur‐deprivation. As far as possible, functional forms and parameter values are determined or estimated from experimental data. The model is compared with published experimental studies and, encouragingly, qualitative agreement for trends in hydrogen yield and initiation time are found. It is then employed to probe optimal external sulfur and illumination conditions for hydrogen production, which are found to differ depending on whether a maximum yield of gas or initial production rate is required. The model constitutes a powerful theoretical tool for investigating novel sulfur cycling regimes that may ultimately be used to improve the commercial viability of hydrogen gas production from microorganisms. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 320–335. © 2013 The Authors. Biotechnology and Bioengineering Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
“The trouble with QALYs…”

Abstract This paper summarises the use of QALYs in evaluating changes in mental health states, highlighting the benefits and challenges of their use in this field. The general principles underlying the QALY measure and the most common methods of measuring QALYs are discussed briefly. Evidence of the usefulness and problems of using this generic measure of health-related quality of life are provided from a sample of recent studies relating to depression, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dementia. In each case, attempts were made to use QALYs to measure changes in health states. While in principle, the QALY is enormously attractive, its suitability for measuring changes in many mental health conditions remains open to doubt as existing tools for generating QALY scores such as the EQ-5D have tended not to perform sufficiently well in reflecting changes in many mental health states. New developmental work is needed to construct better QALY-measuring tools for use in the mental health field. Both the conceptualisation and measurement of QALYs need to be built on a valid, comprehensive model of quality of life specific to a mental health disorder, to ensure that the resultant tool is sensitive enough to pick up changes that would be expected and seen as relevant in the course of the illness.
The increased dipeptidyl peptidase‐4 activity is not counteracted by optimized glucose control in type 2 diabetes, but is lower in metformin‐treated patients

Aim: Dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)‐4 in responsible for incretin degradation and some observations suggest that DPP‐4 activity is increased in type 2 diabetes (T2D). We aimed to assess the effect of T2D and glucose control on DPP‐4 activity.
Ascites in growing broilers: a research model.

A method was developed to experimentally produce ascites in broiler chickens. High-altitude simulation (treatment group) was conducted to study the development of ascites in broiler chickens. In each of three experiments, 15 male broiler chicks (1 wk old) were placed in a hypobaric chamber (principal groups) for 5 wk and 15 other chicks were reared in batteries (control groups). Ascites occurred among chicks in the principal groups recorded at 13, 27, and 80% at simulated altitudes of 1,980, 2,438, and 2,896 m, respectively. No ascites were observed in the controls at 100 m (the altitude at College Station, Texas). Body weight was significantly (P less than .05) reduced for broilers in the principal groups versus the controls-especially at 2,896 m, where the principals weighed 500 g less than the controls. The counts for hematocrit, hemoglobin, and red blood cells were significantly (P less than .05) increased in all treatment groups; while at 2,438 and 2,896 m, corticosterone was significantly reduced. Histopathology indicated consistent, mild, cardiopulmonary lesions similar to those observed in the spontaneous ascites of broiler chickens. The high-altitude simulation model will be useful in studying the etiological factors and interactions causing ascites.
Antioxidant power as a quality control marker for completeness of amotosalen and ultraviolet A photochemical treatments in platelet concentrates and plasma units

Pathogen inactivation treatments such as INTERCEPT aim to make sure blood and blood‐derived products are free of pathogens before using them for transfusion purposes. At present, there is no established quality control assay that assesses the completeness of the treatment. As INTERCEPT is a photochemical treatment known to generate reactive oxygen species we sought to use the antioxidant power (AOP) of the blood product as a marker of treatment execution. In this perspective, we evaluated an electrochemically based miniaturized system, the EDEL technology, for measuring the AOP in both platelet concentrates (PCs) and plasma.
A real-time crosstalk canceller on a notebook GPU

Crosstalk cancellation is one of the main applications in multichannel acoustic signal processing. This field has experienced a major development in recent years because of the increase in the number of sound sources used in playback applications available to users. Developing these applications requires high computing capabilities because of its high number of operations. Graphics Processor Unit (GPU), a high parallel commodity programmable co-processors, offer the possibility of parallelizing these operations. This allows to obtain the results in a much shorter time and also to free up CPU resources which can be used for other tasks. One important aspect lies in the possibility to overlap the data transfer from CPU to GPU and vice versa with the computation, in order to carry out real-time applications. Thus, this work focuses on two main points: to describe an efficient implementation of a crosstalk cancellation on GPU and to incorporate it into a real-time application.
An Interdigital Electrode Probe for Detection, Localization and Evaluation of Surface Notch-Type Damage in Metals

Available microwave notch-type damage detection sensors are typically based on monitoring frequency shift or magnitude changes. However, frequency shift testing needs sweep-frequency data that make scanning detection becomes difficult and time-consuming. This work presents a microwave near-field nondestructive testing sensor for detecting sub-millimeter notch-type damage detection in metallic surfaces. The sensor is loaded with an interdigital electrode element in an open-ended coaxial. It is simple to fabricate and inexpensive, as it is etched on the RC4003 patch by using printed circuit board technology. The detection is achieved by monitoring changes in reflection amplitude, which is caused by perturbing the electromagnetic field around the interdigital structure. The proposed sensor was tested on a metallic plate with different defects, and the experimental results indicated that the interdigital electrode probe can determine the orientation, localization and dimension of surface notch-type damage.
A biochemo-mechano coupled, computational model combining membrane transport and pericellular proteolysis in tissue mechanics

We present a computational model for the interaction of surface- and volume-bound scalar transport and reaction processes with a deformable porous medium. The application in mind is pericellular proteolysis, i.e. the dissolution of the solid phase of the extracellular matrix (ECM) as a response to the activation of certain chemical species at the cell membrane and in the vicinity of the cell. A poroelastic medium model represents the extra cellular scaffold and the interstitial fluid flow, while a surface-bound transport model accounts for the diffusion and reaction of membrane-bound chemical species. By further modelling the volume-bound transport, we consider the advection, diffusion and reaction of sequestered chemical species within the extracellular scaffold. The chemo-mechanical coupling is established by introducing a continuum formulation for the interplay of reaction rates and the mechanical state of the ECM. It is based on known experimental insights and theoretical work on the thermodynamics of porous media and degradation kinetics of collagen fibres on the one hand and a damage-like effect of the fibre dissolution on the mechanical integrity of the ECM on the other hand. The resulting system of partial differential equations is solved via the finite-element method. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first computational model including contemporaneously the coupling between (i) advection–diffusion–reaction processes, (ii) interstitial flow and deformation of a porous medium, and (iii) the chemo-mechanical interaction impelled by the dissolution of the ECM. Our numerical examples show good agreement with experimental data. Furthermore, we outline the capability of the methodology to extend existing numerical approaches towards a more comprehensive model for cellular biochemo-mechanics.
Increased Partner Risk Characteristic Among Adolescents Using Alcohol In the Moment

Background Alcohol is a recognized risk factor for sexually transmitted diseases acquisition, but the mechanism is unclear. Potentially, adolescents using alcohol in the 2 hours before sex (in-the-moment use) have riskier sexual partners. Methods We used multivariable logistic regression to examine the association between in-the-moment alcohol use and partner risk characteristics reported for the most recent sex among primarily 17- to 18-year-old adolescents originally recruited from a representative sample of Chicago public elementary schools. We created 3 composite partner risk profiles: partner familiarity risk (casual and unexpected), partner context risk (age discordance and met in public), and overall risk using all measures except partner alcohol use. Results Teens who reported any in-the-moment alcohol use were more likely than nondrinking teens to report casual (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 3.2; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.1–4.9), unexpected (AOR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0–2.5), age discordant (AOR, 3.0; 95% CI, 2.0–4.6), or met in public partners (AOR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.1). For each composite measure, the number of partner risk characteristics reported increased linearly with the percent of teens drinking in the moment (Cochran-Armitage trend, P < 0.0001). Compared with zero characteristics, in-the-moment alcohol use was associated with increased odds of reporting 1 (AOR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.7–4.5), 2 (AOR, 4.6; 95% CI, 2.7, 7.6), or 3 to 4 characteristics (AOR, 7.1; 95% CI, 3.3–15.3). Conclusions Our findings expand the link between in-the-moment alcohol use and partner risk reported in prior studies to encompass adolescents' general sexual experiences and additional partner characteristics including the highly associated composite characteristics.
Abdominal and carcass fat in five broiler strains.

Ten males and 10 females from each of five commercial broiler strains were weighed and slaughtered at 55 days of age. Over all, mean live body weight was 2112 g for males and 1702 g for females and abdominal fat was 2.9% (males) and 3.3% (females). Mean total fat in whole bird was 13.4% (males) and 15.1% (females). There were no statistically significant differences between strains at the 5% level. Correlation coefficients with percent abdominal fat were . 29 for body weight (males) and . 36 (females), for percent carcass fat . 51 (males) and . 77 (females), and for fat free carcass . 26 (males) and . 07 (females). Abdominal fat represented 22% of the total fat for males and females. The results obtained were similar to those found previously in this laboratory with one strain of broilers.
Flexibility of feeding movements in pigs: effects of changes in food toughness and stiffness on the timing of jaw movements

ABSTRACT In mammals, chewing movements can be modified, or flexible, in response to changes in food properties. Variability between and within food in the temporal characteristics of chewing movements can impact chewing frequency and rhythmicity, which in turn may affect food breakdown, energy expenditure and tooth wear. Here, we compared total chewing cycle duration and intra-cycle phase durations in pigs chewing on three foods varying in toughness and stiffness: apples (low toughness, low stiffness), carrots (high toughness, low stiffness), and almonds (high toughness, high stiffness). We also determined whether within-food variability in timing parameters is modified in response to changes in food properties. X-ray Reconstruction Of Moving Morphology (XROMM) demonstrates that the timing of jaw movements are flexible in response to changes in food properties. Within each food, pigs also exhibited flexibility in their ability to vary cycle parameters. The timing of jaw movements during processing of high-toughness foods is more variable, potentially decreasing chewing rhythmicity. In contrast, low-toughness foods result in jaw movements that are more stereotyped in their timing parameters. In addition, the duration of tooth–food–tooth contact is more variable during the processing of low-stiffness foods compared with tough or stiff foods. Increased toughness is suggested to alter the timing of the movements impacting food fracture whereas increased stiffness may require a more cautious control of jaw movements. This study emphasizes that flexibility in biological movements in response to changes in conditions may not only be observed in timing but also in the variability of their timing within each condition. Summary: In pigs, changes in food toughness impact chewing cycle duration and thus chewing frequency whereas changes in food stiffness alter phase duration within each cycle, with little effect on cycle duration.
Effective polyploidy causes phenotypic delay and influences bacterial evolvability

Whether mutations in bacteria exhibit a noticeable delay before expressing their corresponding mutant phenotype was discussed intensively in the 1940s-50s, but the discussion eventually waned for lack of supportive evidence and perceived incompatibility with observed mutant distributions in fluctuation tests. Phenotypic delay in bacteria is widely assumed to be negligible, despite lack of direct evidence. Here we revisited the question using recombineering to introduce antibiotic resistance mutations into E. coli at defined time points and then tracking expression of the corresponding mutant phenotype over time. Contrary to previous assumptions, we found a substantial median phenotypic delay of 3-4 generations. We provided evidence that the primary source of this delay is multifork replication causing cells to be effectively polyploid, whereby the presence of wild-type gene copies transiently masks the mutant phenotype in the same cell. Using mathematical models, we showed that this multigenerational delay has profound consequences for mutation rate estimation by fluctuation tests, standing genetic variation and evolutionary adaptation to rapidly shifting selection pressure such as antibiotic treatment. Overall, we have identified phenotypic delay and effective polyploidy as previously overlooked but essential components in bacterial evolvability, including antibiotic resistance evolution.