Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Food insecurity and risk of poor health among US-born children of immigrants.

OBJECTIVES We investigated the risk of household food insecurity and reported fair or poor health among very young children who were US citizens and whose mothers were immigrants compared with those whose mothers had been born in the United States. METHODS Data were obtained from 19,275 mothers (7216 of whom were immigrants) who were interviewed in hospital-based settings between 1998 and 2005 as part of the Children's Sentinel Nutrition Assessment Program. We examined whether food insecurity mediated the association between immigrant status and child health in relation to length of stay in the United States. RESULTS The risk of fair or poor health was higher among children of recent immigrants than among children of US-born mothers (odds ratio [OR] = 1.26; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02, 1.55; P < .03). Immigrant households were at higher risk of food insecurity than were households with US-born mothers. Newly arrived immigrants were at the highest risk of food insecurity (OR = 2.45; 95% CI = 2.16, 2.77; P < .001). Overall, household food insecurity increased the risk of fair or poor child health (OR = 1.74; 95% CI = 1.57, 1.93; P < .001) and mediated the association between immigrant status and poor child health. CONCLUSIONS Children of immigrant mothers are at increased risk of fair or poor health and household food insecurity. Policy interventions addressing food insecurity in immigrant households may promote child health.
Wildland Fire Smoke Health Effects on Wildland Firefighters and the Public JFSP PROJECT ID : 13-1-0214 June 2017

1 Objectives . 2 Aim 1 Review of the Health Effects of Wildland Fire Smoke on Wildland Firefighters and the Public . 2 Aim 2 – Smoke Exposure Among Wildland Firefighters . 2 Aim 3 – Wildland Fire Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes. 2 Aim 1 Review of the health effects of wildland fire smoke on wildland firefighters and the public . 2 Introduction . 2 Methods . 3 Results and Discussion . 4 Conclusions . 10 Aim 2 Smoke Exposure Among Wildland Firefighters . 12 Introduction . 12 Methods . 13 Results and Discussion . 16 Conclusions . 22 Aim 3 Wildland Fire Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes . 23 Introduction . 23 Methods . 23 Results and Discussion . 26 Conclusions . 28 Recommendations . 28 Acronyms . 30 References . 31
Intensive diabetes therapy and ocular surgery in type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) showed a beneficial effect of 6.5 years of intensive glycemic control on retinopathy in patients with type 1 diabetes. METHODS Between 1983 and 1989, a total of 1441 patients with type 1 diabetes in the DCCT were randomly assigned to receive either intensive diabetes therapy or conventional therapy aimed at preventing hyperglycemic symptoms. They were treated and followed until 1993. Subsequently, 1375 of these patients were followed in the observational Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC) study. The self-reported history of ocular surgical procedures was obtained annually. We evaluated the effect of intensive therapy as compared with conventional therapy on the incidence and cost of ocular surgery during these two studies. RESULTS Over a median follow-up of 23 years, 130 ocular operations were performed in 63 of 711 patients assigned to intensive therapy (8.9%) and 189 ocular operations in 98 of 730 patients assigned to conventional therapy (13.4%) (P<0.001). After adjustment for DCCT baseline factors, intensive therapy was associated with a reduction in the risk of any diabetes-related ocular surgery by 48% (95% confidence interval [CI], 29 to 63; P<0.001) and a reduction in the risk of all such ocular procedures by 37% (95% CI, 12 to 55; P=0.01). Forty-two patients who received intensive therapy and 61 who received conventional therapy underwent cataract extraction (adjusted risk reduction with intensive therapy, 48%; 95% CI, 23 to 65; P=0.002); 29 patients who received intensive therapy and 50 who received conventional therapy underwent vitrectomy, retinal-detachment surgery, or both (adjusted risk reduction, 45%; 95% CI, 12 to 66; P=0.01). The costs of surgery were 32% lower in the intensive-therapy group. The beneficial effects of intensive therapy were fully attenuated after adjustment for mean glycated hemoglobin levels over the entire follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Intensive therapy in patients with type 1 diabetes was associated with a substantial reduction in the long-term risk of ocular surgery. (Funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and others; DCCT/EDIC ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT00360893 and NCT00360815.).
Manufacturing of micro-textures on metals by nanosecond laser micromachining

Abstract The advantages and disadvantages between ‘single pulse one time repeating at intervals’ (SPI) and ‘single pulse multiple times continuous’ laser micromachining technology on surface textures were experimentally investigated. The micromachining of 45 steel, GCr15 steel and grey cast iron materials were also studied using the interval manufacturing technology. The efficiency of the laser processing technologies and quality of the ablated micro-dimples such as the diameter and depth were systematically analysed. The experimental results showed that, the ‘single pulse one time repeating at intervals’ (SPI) micromachining technology produced high quality dimples with less heat affected zone, smooth dimples with little slags due to its ability to effectively alleviate the negative heat accumulation effect to produce quality dimples as compared to the ‘single pulse multiple times continuous’ micromachining technology process. The diameter and depth of the micro-dimples increased generally with an increase in the laser fluence for all materials. The grey cast iron has the smaller ablation threshold with the largest dimple geometry due to its high laser absorption rate and the presence of more sulfur (S) and phosphorus (P) in the chemical composition, while GCr15 steel exhibited the smaller geometry due to its hardness.
WASP deficiency leads to global defects of directed leukocyte migration in vitro and in vivo

Intact cellular migration is critically important for the induction and regulation of the immune response. The Wiskott‐Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) regulates surface receptor signaling to the actin cytoskeleton in hematopoietic cells and thus plays a pivotal role in cellular locomotion. WASP deficiency causes the Wiskott‐Aldrich syndrome (WAS), characterized by immunodeficiency, thrombocytopenia, and eczema. Cell migration defects may contribute to the pathophysiology of WAS. In this study, we used a variety of in vitro and in vivo assays to comprehensively analyze migration properties of lymphocytes, dendritic cells (DC), and neutrophils from WASP‐deficient mice. We provide evidence that WASP‐deficient lymphocytes show a marked reduction in tethering in an in vitro flow chamber assay as well as decreased migration of T cells in response to the CC chemokine ligand 19 (CCL19). In vivo, compared with wild‐type lymphocytes, WASP‐deficient lymphocytes showed significantly impaired homing to Peyer’s patches upon adoptive transfer into recipient mice. In addition, bone marrow‐derived DC migrated less efficiently in response to CCL19. In vivo studies showed decreased migration of DC from skin to draining lymph nodes in WASP‐deficient animals. Finally, we also document decreased neutrophil migration in vitro and in vivo. In summary, our studies suggest that WASP plays an important role in the locomotion of lymphocytes, DC, and granulocytes in vitro and in vivo and thus, reveal a crucial role of WASP in physiological trafficking of various hematopoietic cell lineages. These results further delineate immunological abnormalities in WASP‐deficient mice, which will be useful to assess preclinical gene therapy studies.
Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii – Probiotic Yeast

The discovery and study of the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii (Sb) is strictly related to the concept of health promoting microorganisms from food. The first most well-known and popularized throughout Europe assumption of health promoting food containing living microorganisms was yogurt. Appointed in 1888 by Louis Pasteur, Ilya Ilyich Metchnikov working in Paris developed a theory that aging is caused by toxic bacteria in the gut and that lactic acid could prolong life which resulted in popularization of yogurt consumption. Metchnikov received with Paul Ehrlich the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1908 for his previous work on phagocytosis, which probably promoted his idea of today’s so called functional food further and triggered subsequent research on this subject. Scientists started to look for traditional, regional food products considered good for health. One of them was French scientist Henri Boulard who was in IndoChina in 1920 during cholera outbreak. He observed that some people chewing the skin of lychee and mangosteen or preparing special tea did not develop the symptoms of cholera. This observation lead Henri Boulard to the isolation of a tropical strain of yeast named Saccharomyces boulardii (Sb) from lychee and mangosteen fruit, which is nowadays the only commercialized probiotic yeast.
Simulation of protein diffusion: a sensitive probe of protein–solvent interactions

Aqueous solutions of Candida antarctica lipase B (CALB) were simulated considering three different water models (SPC/E, TIP3P, TIP4P) by a series of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of three different box sizes (L = 9, 14, and 19 nm) to determine the diffusion coefficient, the water viscosity and the protein density. The protein–water systems were equilibrated for 500 ns, followed by 100 ns production runs which were analysed. The diffusional properties of CALB were characterized by the Stokes radius (RS), which was derived from the diffusion coefficient and the viscosity. RS was compared to the geometric radius (RG) of CALB, which was derived from the protein density. RS and RG differed by 0.27 nm for SPC/E and by 0.40 and 0.39 nm for TIP3P and TIP4P, respectively, which characterizes the thickness of the diffusive hydration layer on the protein surface. The simulated hydration layer of CALB resulted in agreement with those experimentally determined for other seven different proteins of comparable size. By avoiding the most common pitfalls, protein diffusion can be reliably simulated: simulating different box sizes to account for the finite size effect, equilibrating the protein–water system sufficiently, and using the complete production run for the determination of the diffusion coefficient.
Contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (CECT) attenuation is associated with stiffness of intact knee cartilage

Contrast‐enhanced computed tomography (CECT) using charged contrast‐agents enables quantification of cartilage glycosaminoglycan content. Since glycosaminoglycan content is a key determinant of cartilage compressive stiffness, CECT measurements have the potential to non‐invasively assess cartilage stiffness. The objective of this study was to determine whether CECT attenuation, using a cationic contrast‐agent (CA4+), correlates with the stiffness of intact cartilage. Six fresh femoral and six fresh tibial compartments with intact cartilage were obtained from patients undergoing total knee replacement surgery. The instantaneous stiffness was determined for 25–50 points on the surface of each compartment using an established indentation technique. The samples were then immersed in CA4+ solution for 48 h, scanned in a micro‐CT scanner, and the average CECT attenuation at each indentation site was found for the superficial cartilage. A significant (p < 0.01) and positive correlation was observed between stiffness and CECT attenuation for sites from each individual cartilage surface, with correlation coefficients ranging from r = 0.37–0.57 and r = 0.48–0.69 (p < 0.01) for the tibia and femur, respectively. When data for each type of cartilage surface were pooled together, the correlation coefficients were r = 0.73 for femoral condyle data points and r = 0.49 for tibial plateau data points. CECT provided a map of cartilage stiffness across each surface, which allows regions of low stiffness to be identified. These findings support continued evaluation and development of quantitative imaging techniques to assess the functional properties of cartilage. © 2018 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:2641–2647, 2018.
Recurrent Airway Obstruction ( Heaves )

Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO) is an inflammatory, obstructive airway disease that becomes clinically evident in middle-aged horses. Attacks of airway obstruction are induced by exposure of susceptible animals to organic dust (typically hay dust). Following dust exposure, there is massive influx of neutrophils into the airways. This is accompanied by bronchospasm and mucus accumulation. The obstruction and inflammation resolve when dust exposure is eliminated. Affected horses are susceptible to recurrent bouts of obstruction throughout their lives and therefore need to be carefully managed. RAO-affected horses must be maintained in a low-dust environment, fed low-dust feeds and bedded on low-dust bedding. Administration of corticosteroids, either sytemically or by inhalation, will reduce inflammation and airway obstruction. Bronchodilator drugs should be used as needed to relieve respiratory distress.
Sucrose assists selection of high‐quality oocytes in pigs

Abstract We investigated whether high‐quality in vitro matured (IVM) oocytes can be distinguished from poor ones based on the morphological changes after treatment with hyperosmotic medium containing 0.2 mol/L sucrose in pigs. We hypothesize that IVM oocytes maintaining round shape have higher quality than mis‐shapened oocytes following dehydration. Oocyte quality was verified by determining embryonic developmental competence using in vitro fertilization, nuclear transfer and parthenogenetic activation. In all cases, the round oocytes had greater (p < .05) developmental competence than that of mis‐shapened oocytes in terms of blastocyst rate and total cell number in blastocysts obtained after 6 days of in vitro culture. We also confirm that round aged oocytes are higher in quality than mis‐shapened aged oocytes. In an attempt to find out why high‐quality oocytes maintain a round shape whereas poorer oocytes become mis‐shapened following sucrose treatment, we examined the arrangement of actin microfilaments and microtubules. Abnormal organization of these cytoskeletal components was higher (p < .05) in mis‐shapened oocytes compared to round oocytes after 52 hr of IVM. In conclusion, sucrose treatment helps selection of high‐quality oocytes, including aged oocytes, in pigs. Abnormal cytoskeleton arrangements partly explain for low developmental competence of mis‐shapened oocytes.
Surface Properties and Permeability to Calcium Chloride of Fagus sylvatica and Quercus petraea Leaves of Different Canopy Heights

Plant surfaces have a considerable degree of chemical and physical variability also in relation to different environmental conditions, organs and state of development. The potential changes on plant surface properties in association with environmental variations have been little explored so far. Using two model tree species (i.e., Quercus petraea, sessile oak and Fagus sylvatica, beech) growing in ‘Montejo de la Sierra Forest,’ we examined various traits of the abaxial and adaxial surface of leaves of both species collected at a height of approximately 15 m (top canopy), versus 3.5–5.5 m for beech and sessile oak, lower canopy leaves. Leaf surface ultra-structure was analyzed by scanning and transmission electron microscopy, and the surface free energy and related parameter were estimated after measuring drops of 3 liquids with different degrees of polarity and apolarity. The permeability of the adaxial and abaxial surface of top and bottom canopy leaves to CaCl2 was estimated by depositing 2 drops of 3–4 μl per cm2 and comparing the concentration of Ca in leaf tissues 24 h after treatment, and also Ca and Cl concentrations in the washing liquid. Higher Ca concentrations were recorded after the application of CaCl2 drops onto the veins and adaxial blade of top canopy beech leaves, while no significant evidence for foliar Ca absorption was gained with sessile oak leaves. Surprisingly, high amounts of Cl were recovered after washing untreated, top canopy beach and sessile oak leaves with deionised water, a phenomenon which was not traced to occur on lower canopy leaves of both species. It is concluded that the surface of the two species analyzed is heterogeneous in nature and may have areas favoring the absorption of water and solutes as observed for the veins of beech leaves.
A systematic review of the research evidence for the benefits of teledentistry

Objective This review is designed to inform future decisions about the benefits of integrating teledentistry into routine health services, by presenting an overview of the evidence for the effectiveness and economic impact of teledentistry. Methods Two reviewers searched PubMed, EMBASE and CINAHL databases through November 2016 to identify published peer-reviewed studies in English. Teledentistry studies were included if they were; (a) controlled (randomised or non-randomised) assessment studies; and (b) compared outcomes of a teledentistry intervention in terms of clinical or economic evaluation with the outcomes of traditional clinical alternatives. The quality of the studies was evaluated using a quality appraisal tool that considered study performance and design. Results This review identified 385 publications, of which 217 full-text articles were retrieved for further inspection. Of these, only 11 articles met the inclusion criteria. Nine of the included articles showed some clinical outcomes; the other two were primarily economic analyses. The balance of these studies assesed the efficacy of teledentistry interventions rather than their effectiveness. Four studies (36%) achieved higher quality scores and have greater potential to influence health-care decision-making. To date, the most convincing published evidence regarding the efficacy of teledentistry was provided by studies on paediatric dentistry, orthodontics and oral medicine. The economic analysis referred only to cost-minimisation, suggesting that the use of teleconsultation in dentistry can be cost-saving when compared to a conventional consultation. However, high-quality economic studies on teledentistry are rare. Conclusion There is emerging evidence supporting the efficacy of teledentistry. However, there is not yet enough conclusive evidence, particularly for its effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and long-term use, to make evidence-based policy decisions on teledentistry.
Chemical Sensors: Fundamentals of Sensing Materials Volume 2: Nanostructured Materials

Nanomaterials and nanotechnology are new fields of science and technology. Nanotechnology is still in its infancy, because nanotechnology has become a hot area globally since a few years ago. However, it is expected that nanotechnology will dramatically change operating characteristics of chemical sensors and will probably gain in importance in all fields of sensor application over the next ten to twenty years. It was found that with reduction in size, novel electrical, mechanical, chemical, catalytic and optical properties can be introduced.
Non-linear pharmacokinetics of MDMA ('ecstasy') in humans.

AIMS 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, commonly called ecstasy) is a synthetic compound increasingly popular as a recreational drug. Little is known about its pharmacology, including its metabolism and pharmacokinetics, in humans in controlled settings. A clinical trial was designed for the evaluation of MDMA pharmacological effects and pharmacokinetics in healthy volunteers. METHODS A total of 14 subjects were included. In the pilot phase six received MDMA at 50 (n=2), 100 (n=2), and 150 mg (n=2). In the second phase eight received MDMA at both 75 and 125 mg (n=8). Subjects were phenotyped for CYP2D6 activity and were classified as extensive metabolizers for substrates, such as MDMA, whose hepatic metabolism is regulated by this enzyme. Plasma and urine samples were collected throughout the study for the evaluation of MDMA pharmacokinetics. Body fluids were analysed for the determination of MDMA and its main metabolites 3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-methamphetamine (HMMA) and 4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-amphetamine (HMA). RESULTS As the dose of MDMA administered was increased, volunteers showed rises in MDMA concentrations that did not follow the same proportionality which could be indicative of nonlinearity. In the full range of doses tested the constant recovery of HMMA in the urine combined with the increasing MDMA recovery seems to point towards a saturation or an inhibition of MDMA metabolism (the demethylenation step). These observations are further supported by the fact that urinary clearance was rather constant while nonrenal clearance was dose dependent. CONCLUSIONS It has previously been postulated that individuals genetically deficient for the hepatic enzyme CYP2D6 (about 10% of the Caucasian people) were at risk of developing acute toxicity at moderate doses of MDMA because the drug would accumulate in the body instead of being metabolized and inactivated. The lack of linearity of MDMA pharmacokinetics (in a window of doses compatible with its recreational use) is a more general phenomenon as it concerns the whole population independent of their CYP2D6 genotype. It implies that relatively small increases in the dose of MDMA ingested are translated to disproportionate rises in MDMA plasma concentrations and hence subjects are more prone to develop acute toxicity.
Stable miRNA overexpression in human CAP cells: Engineering alternative production systems for advanced manufacturing of biologics using miR‐136 and miR‐3074

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells still represent the major production host for therapeutic proteins. However, multiple limitations have been acknowledged leading to the search for alternative expression systems. CEVEC's amniocyte production (CAP) cells are human production cells demonstrated to enable efficient overexpression of recombinant proteins with human glycosylation pattern. However, CAP cells have not yet undergone any engineering approaches to optimize process parameters for a cheaper and more sustainable production of biopharmaceuticals. Thus, we assessed the possibility to enhance CAP cell production capacity via cell engineering using miRNA technology. Based on a previous high‐content miRNA screen in CHO‐SEAP cells, selected pro‐productive miRNAs including, miR‐99b‐3p, 30a‐5p, 329‐3p, 483‐3p, 370‐3p, 219‐1‐3p, 3074‐5p, 136‐3p, 30e‐5p, 1a‐3p, and 484‐5p, were shown to act pro‐productive and product independent upon transient transfection in CAP and CHO antibody expressing cell lines. Stable expression of miRNAs established seven CAP cell pools with an overexpression of the pro‐productive miRNA strand. Subsequent small‐scale screening as well as upscaling batch experiments identified miR‐136 and miR‐3074 to significantly increase final mAb concentration in CAP‐mAb cells. Transcriptomic changes analyzed by microarrays identified several lncRNAs as well as growth and apoptosis‐related miRNAs to be differentially regulated in CAP‐mAb‐miR‐136 and ‐miR‐3074. This study presents the first engineering approach to optimize the alternative human expression system of CAP‐cells.