Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Micro‐environment and intracellular metabolism modulation of adipose tissue macrophage polarization in relation to chronic inflammatory diseases

The accumulation and pro‐inflammatory polarization of immune cells, mainly macrophages, in adipose tissue (AT) are considered crucial factors for obesity‐induced chronic inflammatory diseases. In this review, we highlighted the role of adipose tissue macrophage (ATM) polarization on AT function in the obese state and the effect of the micro‐environment and intracellular metabolism on the dynamic switch of ATMs into their pro‐inflammatory or anti‐inflammatory phenotypes, which may have distinct influences on obesity‐related chronic inflammatory diseases. Obesity‐associated metabolic dysfunctions, including those of glucose, fatty acid, cholesterol, and other nutrient substrates such as vitamin D and iron in AT, promote the pro‐inflammatory polarization of ATMs and AT inflammation via regulating the interaction between ATMs and adipocytes and intracellular metabolic pathways, including glycolysis, fatty acid oxidation, and reverse cholesterol transportation. Focusing on the regulation of ATM metabolism will provide a novel target for the treatment of obesity‐related chronic inflammatory diseases, including insulin resistance, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers.
Longitudinal study of muscle strength, quality, and adipose tissue infiltration.

BACKGROUND Sarcopenia is thought to be accompanied by increased muscle fat infiltration. However, no longitudinal studies have examined concomitant changes in muscle mass, strength, or fat infiltration in older adults. OBJECTIVE We present longitudinal data on age-related changes in leg composition, strength, and muscle quality (MQ) in ambulatory, well-functioning men and women. We hypothesized that muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) and strength would decrease and muscular fat infiltration would increase over 5 y. DESIGN Midthigh muscle, subcutaneous fat (SF), and intermuscular fat (IMF) CSAs and isokinetic leg muscle torque (MT) and MQ (MT/quadriceps CSA) were examined over 5 y in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study cohort (n = 1678). RESULTS Men experienced a 16.1% loss of MT, whereas women experienced a 13.4% loss. Adjusted annualized decreases in MT were 2-5 times greater than the loss of muscle CSA in those who lost weight and in those who remained weight-stable. Weight gain did not prevent the loss of MT, despite a small increase in muscle CSA. Only those who gained weight had an increase in SF (P < 0.001), whereas those who lost weight also lost SF (P < 0.001). There was an age-related increase in IMF in men and women (P < 0.001), and IMF increased in those who lost weight, gained weight, or remained weight-stable (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Loss of leg MT in older adults is greater than muscle CSA loss, which suggests a decrease in MQ. Additionally, aging is associated with an increase in IMF regardless of changes in weight or SF.
Effect of alcoholic beverages on postprandial glycemia and insulinemia in lean, young, healthy adults.

BACKGROUND Ethanol's ability to inhibit gluconeogenesis might reduce postprandial glycemia in realistic meal settings. OBJECTIVE The objective was to explore the effect of 3 types of alcoholic beverages consumed alone, with a meal, or 1 h before a meal on postprandial glycemia in healthy subjects. DESIGN In study 1, isoenergetic (1000 kJ) servings of beer, white wine, and gin were compared with a 1000-kJ portion of white bread. In study 2, the same servings were compared with water as an accompaniment to a bread meal. In study 3, 20-g alcohol portions were served as a premeal drink. Fingertip capillary blood samples were taken at regular intervals over 2-3 h. RESULTS In study 1, the mean (+/-SE) glucose scores for beer (58 +/- 11), wine (7 +/- 3), and gin (10 +/- 5) were significantly lower (P < 0.001) than those for bread (= 100). In study 2, meals consumed with beer (84 +/- 11; P = 0.03), wine (63 +/- 6; P < 0.001), and gin (80 +/- 12; P = 0.007) produced less glycemia than did the meal consumed with water (= 100). In study 3, all 3 beverages reduced the postprandial glycemic response to the subsequent meal (67 +/- 5, 75 +/- 6, and 78 +/- 4 with the beer, wine, and gin trials, respectively; P < 0.003). CONCLUSION In realistic settings, alcoholic beverage consumption lowers postprandial glycemia by 16-37%, which represents an unrecognized mechanism by which alcohol may reduce the risk of chronic disease.
Gastrointestinal absorption of vitamin B-6 in the chicken (Gallus domesticus).

The absorption of vitamin B-6 from the gastrointestinal tract of the chicken (Gallus domesticus) was studied by using ligated segments in vivo, everted jejunal sacs in vitro, and in intact birds. [3H]Pyridoxine hydrochloride ([3H]PN . HCl) was absorbed from all sections of the small intestine, from the cecum and the crop, although absorption from the latter two segments was minimal. Absorption was independent of fasting and the vitamin B-6 concentration in the rearing diet. Concentration-dependence was demonstrated for absorption from ligated jejunal segments (24 microM-24 mM) and for 4-min uptake of [3H]PN . HCl by everted sacs (0.01-10,000 microM). Unidirectional flux of 2 microM PN . HCl was reduced by ouabain, iodoacetate and Na+-free media but not by 4-deoxy PN . HCl, D- and DL-penicillamine, anoxia or glucose-free media. Absorption of vitamin B-6 from the lumen to the intestinal epithelium of the chicken occurs by simple diffusion. Free, added vitamin B-6 was almost completely absorbed. In contrast, vitamin B-6 in food ingredients became available only as digestion proceeded and was in no case completely available. The vitamin B-6 concentrations in the contents of the cecum, lower ileum and rectum were similar. Incomplete absorption of dietary vitamin B-6 could explain the presence of the vitamin in the cecum. An enterohepatic route accounting for the recycling of approximately 1% of normal daily vitamin B-6 intake was identified, and the vitamin B-6 concentration in bile increased with vitamin B-6 in the diet. Pyridoxal, pyridoxamine (and their phosphate esters), pyridoxine, and 4-pyridoxic acid were measured in blood, but only the pyridoxal concentration in blood responded noticeably to increases in dietary vitamin B-6.
Conditioning of Leaf Detritus Modulates Density-Dependent Growth of Aedes triseriatus Larvae (Diptera: Culicidae)

Abstract Ration of food per capita of larval population is widely thought to limit mosquito production from container habitats, directly reflecting resource limitation. In this study, the importance of density-dependent resource limitation on larval Aedes triseriatus (Say) (Diptera: Culicidae) depended on the degree of microbial conditioning of senescent leaf detritus in surrogate tree holes. Density and ration strongly affected emergence, total female mass, and mean female mass of populations grown on leaves that had conditioned for 3 d, but had less impact when larval populations were grown on leaves that had conditioned for 1 mo. Ration per capita was a stronger predictor (50–94% of the variance) of all growth parameters measured for populations grown on leaves conditioned for 3 d compared with 1 mo (2–66% of variance), with the exception of development time. Larvae grew faster and to a larger body size on leaves conditioned for 3 d at low densities of larvae and a higher ration per capita. However, populations grown on leaves conditioned for 1 mo produced equal or more total mass and individuals of higher average mass than when grown on leaves conditioned for 3 d in treatments with low ration per capita. Well-conditioned detritus, representing the degree of microbial colonization of the organic material, must reflect the typical condition in tree holes with unconditioned leaves atypical. Therefore, results of this study suggest that experiments using well-conditioned leaves better estimate growth responses, including moderated density dependence and less importance of ration per capita, than experiments using unconditioned detritus.
Effects of separate delivery of zinc or zinc and vitamin A on hemoglobin response, growth, and diarrhea in young Peruvian children receiving iron therapy for anemia.

INTRODUCTION Anemia is the most prevalent nutritional deficiency in the world. Attempts to improve iron indexes are affected by deficiency of and interaction between other micronutrients. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to assess whether zinc added to iron treatment alone or with vitamin A improves iron indexes and affects diarrheal episodes. DESIGN This was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial conducted in Peru. Anemic children aged 6-35 mo were assigned to 3 treatment groups: ferrous sulfate (FS; n = 104), ferrous sulfate and zinc sulfate (FSZn; n = 109), and ferrous sulfate, zinc sulfate, and vitamin A (FSZnA; n = 110). Vitamin A or its placebo was supplied only once; iron and zinc were provided under supervision >/=1 h apart 6 d/wk for 18 wk. RESULTS The prevalence of anemia was 42.97%. The increase in hemoglobin in the FS group (19.5 g/L) was significantly less than that in the other 2 groups (24.0 and 23.8 g/L in the FSZn and FSZnA groups, respectively). The increase in serum ferritin in the FS group (24.5 mug/L) was significantly less than that in the other 2 groups (33.0 and 30.8 mug/L in the FSZn and FSZnA groups, respectively). The median duration of diarrhea and the mean number of stools per day was significantly higher in the FS group than in other 2 groups (P < 0.005). CONCLUSION Adding zinc to iron treatment increases hemoglobin response, improves iron indexes, and has positive effects on diarrhea. No additional effect of vitamin A was found.
Axial and cellular heterogeneity in electrolyte transport pathways along the thick ascending limb

The thick ascending limb (TAL) extends from the border of the inner medulla to the renal cortex, thus ascending through regions with wide differences in tissue solute and electrolyte concentrations. Structural and functional differences between TAL cells in the medulla (mTAL) and the cortex (cTAL) would therefore be useful to adapt TAL transport function to a changing external fluid composition. While mechanisms common to all TAL cells play a central role in the reclamation of about 25% of the NaCl filtered by the kidney, morphological features, Na+/ K+‐ATPase activity, NKCC2 splicing and phosphorylation do vary between segments and cells. The TAL contributes to K+ homeostasis and TAL cells with high or low basolateral K+ conductances have been identified which may be involved in K+ reabsorption and secretion respectively. Although transport rates for HCO3− do not differ between mTAL and cTAL, divergent axial and cellular expression of H+ transport proteins in TAL have been documented. The reabsorption of the divalent cations Ca2+ and Mg2+ is highest in cTAL and paralleled by differences in divalent cation permeability and the expression of select claudins. Morphologically, two cell types with different cell surface phenotypes have been described that still need to be linked to specific functional characteristics. The unique external environment and its change along the longitudinal axis require an axial functional heterogeneity for the TAL to optimally participate in conserving electrolyte homeostasis. Despite substantial progress in understanding TAL function, there are still considerable knowledge gaps that are just beginning to become bridged.
Deep 360 Pilot: Learning a Deep Agent for Piloting through 360° Sports Videos

Watching a 360&#xb0; sports video requires a viewer to continuously select a viewing angle, either through a sequence of mouse clicks or head movements. To relieve the viewer from this 360 piloting task, we propose deep 360 pilot - a deep learning-based agent for piloting through 360&#xb0; sports videos automatically. At each frame, the agent observes a panoramic image and has the knowledge of previously selected viewing angles. The task of the agent is to shift the current viewing angle (i.e. action) to the next preferred one (i.e., goal). We propose to directly learn an online policy of the agent from data. Specifically, we leverage a state-of-the-art object detector to propose a few candidate objects of interest (yellow boxes in Fig. 1). Then, a recurrent neural network is used to select the main object (green dash boxes in Fig. 1). Given the main object and previously selected viewing angles, our method regresses a shift in viewing angle to move to the next one. We use the policy gradient technique to jointly train our pipeline, by minimizing: (1) a regression loss measuring the distance between the selected and ground truth viewing angles, (2) a smoothness loss encouraging smooth transition in viewing angle, and (3) maximizing an expected reward of focusing on a foreground object. To evaluate our method, we built a new 360-Sports video dataset consisting of five sports domains. We trained domain-specific agents and achieved the best performance on viewing angle selection accuracy and users preference compared to [53] and other baselines.
Effect of zinc supplementation between 1 and 6 mo of life on growth and morbidity of Bangladeshi infants in urban slums.

BACKGROUND Evidence for an effect of zinc supplementation on growth and morbidity in very young infants in developing countries is scarce and inconsistent. OBJECTIVE We assessed the effect of zinc supplementation on growth and morbidity in poor Bangladeshi infants aged 4-24 wk. DESIGN Infants from Dhaka slums were enrolled at 4 wk of age and randomly assigned to receive 5 mg elemental Zn/d (n = 152) or placebo (n = 149) until 24 wk of age. They were followed weekly for information on compliance and morbidity; anthropometric measurements were performed monthly. Serum zinc was assessed at baseline and at 24 wk of age. RESULTS At 24 wk of age, serum zinc concentrations were higher in the zinc than in the placebo group (13.3 +/- 3.8 and 10.7 +/- 2.9 micro mol/L, respectively; P < 0.001). Significantly greater weight gains were observed in the zinc than in the placebo group for 43 infants who were zinc deficient (< 9.18 micro mol/L) at baseline (3.15 +/- 0.77 and 2.66 +/- 0.80 kg, respectively; P < 0.04). In the other infants, no significant differences were observed in mean weight and length gains during the study period. Zinc-deficient infants showed a reduced risk of incidence of acute lower respiratory infection after zinc supplementation (relative risk: 0.30; 95% CI: 0.10, 0.92); among the non-zinc-deficient infants there were no significant differences between treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS Zinc-deficient Bangladeshi infants showed improvements in growth rate and a reduced incidence of acute lower respiratory infection after zinc supplementation. In infants with serum zinc concentrations > 9.18 micro mol/L, supplementation improved only biochemical zinc status.
Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Longevity and Differential Emergence of Dengue Fever in Two Cities in Sonora, Mexico

Abstract Dengue virus, primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquito, has rapidly expanded in geographic extent over the past several decades. In some areas, however, dengue fever has not emerged despite established Ae. aegypti populations. The reasons for this are unclear and have sometimes been attributed to socioeconomic differences. In 2013 we compared Ae. aegypti adult density and population age structure between two cities in Sonora, Mexico: Hermosillo, which has regular seasonal dengue virus transmission, and Nogales, which has minimal transmission. Larval and pupal abundance was greater in Nogales, and adult density was only higher in Hermosillo during September. Population age structure, however, was consistently older in Hermosillo. This difference in longevity may have been one factor that limited dengue virus transmission in Nogales in 2013, as a smaller proportion of Ae. aegypti females survived past the extrinsic incubation period.
Which Frail Older People Are Dehydrated? The UK DRIE Study.

BACKGROUND Water-loss dehydration in older people is associated with increased mortality and disability. We aimed to assess the prevalence of dehydration in older people living in UK long-term care and associated cognitive, functional, and health characteristics. METHODS The Dehydration Recognition In our Elders (DRIE) cohort study included people aged 65 or older living in long-term care without heart or renal failure. In a cross-sectional baseline analysis, we assessed serum osmolality, previously suggested dehydration risk factors, general health, markers of continence, cognitive and functional health, nutrition status, and medications. Univariate linear regression was used to assess relationships between participant characteristics and serum osmolality, then associated characteristics entered into stepwise backwards multivariate linear regression. RESULTS DRIE included 188 residents (mean age 86 years, 66% women) of whom 20% were dehydrated (serum osmolality >300 mOsm/kg). Linear and logistic regression suggested that renal, cognitive, and diabetic status were consistently associated with serum osmolality and odds of dehydration, while potassium-sparing diuretics, sex, number of recent health contacts, and bladder incontinence were sometimes associated. Thirst was not associated with hydration status. CONCLUSIONS DRIE found high prevalence of dehydration in older people living in UK long-term care, reinforcing the proposed association between cognitive and renal function and hydration. Dehydration is associated with increased mortality and disability in older people, but trials to assess effects of interventions to support healthy fluid intakes in older people living in residential care are needed to enable us to formally assess causal direction and any health benefits of increasing fluid intakes.
Causes, Patterns, and Severity of Androgen Excess in 1205 Consecutively Recruited Women

Abstract Context Androgen excess in women is predominantly due to underlying polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, there is a lack of clarity regarding patterns and severity of androgen excess that should be considered predictive of non-PCOS pathology. Objective We examined the diagnostic utility of simultaneous measurement of serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione (A4), and testosterone (T) to delineate biochemical signatures and cutoffs predictive of non-PCOS disorders in women with androgen excess. Design Retrospective review of all women undergoing serum androgen measurement at a large tertiary referral center between 2012 and 2016. Serum A4 and T were measured by tandem mass spectrometry and DHEAS by immunoassay. Patients with at least one increased serum androgen underwent phenotyping by clinical notes review. Results In 1205 women, DHEAS, A4, and T were measured simultaneously. PCOS was the most common diagnosis in premenopausal (89%) and postmenopausal women (29%). A4 was increased in all adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) cases (n = 15) and T in all ovarian hyperthecosis (OHT) cases (n = 7); all but one case of congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH; n = 18) were identified by increased levels of A4 and/or T. In premenopausal women, CAH was a prevalent cause of severe A4 (59%) and T (43%) excess; severe DHEAS excess was predominantly due to PCOS (80%). In postmenopausal women, all cases of severe DHEAS and A4 excess were caused by ACC and severe T excess equally by ACC and OHT. Conclusions Pattern and severity of androgen excess are important predictors of non-PCOS pathology and may be used to guide further investigations as appropriate.
Positive association between resting energy expenditure and weight gain in a lean adult population.

BACKGROUND Weight gain in adulthood is common, from modest gains in developing countries to substantial increases in Western societies. Evidence of the importance of energy expenditure in adult weight change has been limited to studies conducted in Pima Indians, in whom resting energy expenditure (REE) was found to be inversely associated with weight gain. OBJECTIVE The aim was to determine whether REE was predictive of weight change in lean Nigerian adults. DESIGN Weight was measured in 744 adults on 2-4 occasions over 5.5 y. REE was measured in the second follow-up examination. Sex-specific, mixed-effects models with REE, fat-free mass, and age as fixed effects were used to test the association between REE and weight change. RESULTS Adults aged >19 y (n = 352 men and 392 women) were included in these analyses. At baseline, the mean (+/-SD) age was 45.9 +/- 16.1 y for the whole population; the mean weight was 61.4 +/- 10.7 and 58.1 +/- 12.1 kg and body mass index (in kg/m(2)) was 21.4 +/- 3.2 and 23.1 +/- 4.0 for men and women, respectively. Over a mean 5.5 y of follow-up, the age-adjusted weight gain was 0.42 kg/y for the men and 0.59 kg/y for the women. In mixed-effects models, REE was positively associated with weight gain in both men and women (P < 0.001). No significant association was observed in participants who lost weight. CONCLUSIONS In contrast with observations in overweight Pima Indians, REE adjusted for body size and composition was positively associated with weight gain in lean Nigerian adults. This suggests either that the potential for differential regulation of body weight in lean compared with overweight populations exists or that the increased REE in this population was the result, rather than cause, of weight gain.
Historical concepts of interactions, synergism and antagonism between nutrition and infection.

In the 1950s textbooks of nutrition made little or no mention of a relation to infection. The same was true for treatises on infectious disease. Relevant studies in experimental animals and a number of classical clinical observations were available pointing out the role of infection in precipitating nutritional disorders. However, clinicians and nutritionists did not recognize the importance of the relationship. The field and metabolic studies of the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama (INCAP) in the 1950s demonstrated that malnutrition and infection in humans are generally synergistic. These studies stimulated the review of available evidence that resulted in the 1968 WHO monograph on "Interactions of Nutrition and Infection. " It provided extensive evidence for the role of infections in precipitating clinical malnutrition and for the impact of malnutrition on morbidity and mortality from infection. The high frequency of diarrhea in underprivileged young children led to intensive studies in many countries of its effect on nutritional status and to recognition of the high prevalence of "weanling diarrhea. " The effects of infection on nutritional status were then extensively and elegantly investigated at Fort Detrick, MD, and hormonal and cytokine mechanisms identified. The subsequent explosion in knowledge of cell-mediated immune mechanisms has led to an understanding of how malnutrition lowers this resistance. Today, recognition of the synergistic relationship between nutrition and infection influences most public health interventions to prevent malnutrition.