Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolite-Sensing G Protein-Coupled Receptors Connect the Diet-Microbiota-Metabolites Axis to Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Increasing evidence has indicated that diet and metabolites, including bacteria- and host-derived metabolites, orchestrate host pathophysiology by regulating metabolism, immune system and inflammation. Indeed, autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are associated with the modulation of host response to diets. One crucial mechanism by which the microbiota affects the host is signaling through G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) termed metabolite-sensing GPCRs. In the gut, both immune and nonimmune cells express GPCRs and their activation generally provide anti-inflammatory signals through regulation of both the immune system functions and the epithelial integrity. Members of GPCR family serve as a link between microbiota, immune system and intestinal epithelium by which all these components crucially participate to maintain the gut homeostasis. Conversely, impaired GPCR signaling is associated with IBD and other diseases, including hepatic steatosis, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and asthma. In this review, we first outline the signaling, function, expression and the physiological role of several groups of metabolite-sensing GPCRs. We then discuss recent findings on their role in the regulation of the inflammation, their existing endogenous and synthetic ligands and innovative approaches to therapeutically target inflammatory bowel disease.
Dihydromyricetin affect the pharmacokinetics of triptolide in rats

Abstract 1. Dihydromyricetin (DMY) has anti-tumor and hepatoprotective activities and inhibits the activity of CYP enzymes and P-gp. In this research, we explored the effect of DMY on the pharmacokinetics of triptolide (TP), an anti-tumor Chinese medicine that is mainly metabolized by CYP enzymes and is the substrate of P-gp. 2. Rats were administrated TP (1.2 mg/kg) with and without DMY in different dosage regimens, then a sensitive and reliable LC–MS/MS method was developed and applied to assess the pharmacokinetics of TP. The blood samples for TP were collected from each rat up to 120 min after administration of TP. 3. When co-administrated with single dose of DMY (100 mg/kg), the AUC, Cmax and T1/2 of TP were significantly enhanced by 98, 83 and 66%, respectively. The T1/2 of TP was significantly prolonged from 23.6 ± 6.4 to 70.5 ± 12.5 min with 14-doses pretreatment of DMY (500 mg/kg), conversely, the Cmax was decreased by 30% and the AUC was enhanced by 24%. 4. These results hinted that administration of DMY with TP did alter the pharmacokinetics of TP, and provided the theoretical pharmacokinetic basis to study on the protective effects of DMY against acute liver injury caused by TP.
Does the evidence support a survival benefit of albumin infusion in patients with cirrhosis undergoing large-volume paracentesis?

Ascites is a major complication of cirrhosis and is associated with poor prognosis [1]. Large-volume paracentesis (LVP) has become first-line treatment for patients with tense (grade 3) or refractory ascites [2–4]. However, LVP markedly influences systemic hemodynamics and, in the absence of concomitant plasma volume expansion, >70% of patients undergoing LVP may develop paracentesis-induced circulatory dysfunction (PICD) [5]. This is associated with ascites recurrence, hepatic encephalopathy, hepatorenal syndrome, hyponatremia, and reduced survival [5]. Human albumin is a physiological plasma expander used for LVP and can significantly reduce incidence of PICD [4]. Albumin was also shown to be favorable versus alternative treatments (such as plasma expanders or vasoconstrictors) in minimizing PICD, hyponatremia, and mortality among patients with cirrhosis and ascites undergoing LVP in a meta-analysis conducted by our group in 2012 [6]. However, these results have been questioned by a recent meta-analysis investigating the effect of albumin on morbidity, performed by Kütting et al. [7]. Here, we critically analyze the evidence from Kütting et al. and other recent metaanalyses assessing use of albumin in LVP.
Expression analysis of circulating plasma long noncoding RNAs in colorectal cancer: The relevance of lncRNAs ATB and CCAT1 as potential clinical hallmarks

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been demonstrated to regulate a variety of cell processes and involve in the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). Recently, the circulating lncRNAs have emerged as minimally invasive biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and prognosis. We aimed to examine the plasma expression level of long noncoding RNAs lnc‐ATB, lnc‐CCAT1, and lnc‐OCC‐1 in CRC patients and evaluate the clinical values. A total of 74 pretreatment CRC and 74 healthy blood biopsies were subjected to differentially evaluate the expression levels of three lncRNAs (OCC‐1, CCAT1, and ATB). Briefly, after plasma separation and total RNA extraction, RNAs were reversely transcribed to complementary DNA followed by amplification using a quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction technique for lncRNA expression analysis. The results showed that the expression levels of lnc‐ATB (p < 0.001) and CCAT1 (p = 0.024), but not OCC‐1 (p = 0.24), were significantly upregulated in the CRC compared with the healthy group. The calculated AUC of ROC was 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.811–0.94) for lnc‐ATB and 0.64 (95% CI: 0.811–0.94) for CCAT1, which were indicative of a high discriminatory power (p < 0.001). The highest accuracy for lncRNA‐ATB was obtained at a cutoff point of 2.5, which corresponded to sensitivity and specificity of 82% and 75%, respectively. Our results suggested a significant accuracy of lncRNA‐ATB and lncRNA‐CCAT1 in distinguishing CRC patients from healthy individuals.
Effect of Baicalin-Aluminum Complexes on Fecal Microbiome in Piglets

The gut microbiome has important effects on gastrointestinal diseases. Diarrhea attenuation functions of baicalin (BA) is not clear. Baicalin–aluminum complexes (BBA) were synthesized from BA, but the BBA’s efficacy on the diarrhea of piglets and the gut microbiomes have not been explored and the mechanism remains unclear. This study has explored whether BBA could modulate the composition of the gut microbiomes of piglets during diarrhea. The results showed that the diarrhea rate reduced significantly after treatment with BBA. BBA altered the overall structure of the gut microbiomes. In addition, the Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis indicated that the functional differentially expressed genes, which were involved in the top 30 GO enrichments, were associated with hydrogenase (acceptor) activity, nicotinamide-nucleotide adenylyltransferase activity, and isocitrate lyase activity, belong to the molecular function. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis showed that flagellar assembly, bacterial chemotaxis, lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis, ATP-binding cassette transporters (ABC) transporters, biosynthesis of amino acids, and phosphotransferase system (PTS) were the most enriched during BBA treatment process. Taken together, our results first demonstrated that BBA treatment could modulate the gut microbiomes composition of piglets with diarrhea, which may provide new potential insights on the mechanisms of gut microbiomes associated underlying the antimicrobial efficacy of BBA.
MICAN-SQ: a sequential protein structure alignment program that is applicable to monomers and all types of oligomers

Motivation Protein structure alignment is a significant tool to understand evolutionary processes and physicochemical properties of proteins. Important targets of structure alignment are not only monomeric but also oligomeric proteins that sometimes include domain swapping or fusions. Although various protein structural alignment programs have been developed, no method is applicable to any protein pair regardless of the number of chain components and oligomeric states with retaining sequential restrictions: structurally equivalent regions must be aligned in the same order along protein sequences. Results In this paper, we introduced a new sequential protein structural alignment algorithm MICAN-SQ, which is applicable to protein structures in all oligomeric states. In particular, MICAN-SQ allows the complicated structural alignments of proteins with domain swapping or fusion regions. To validate MICAN-SQ, alignment accuracies were evaluated using curated alignments of monomers and examples of domain swapping, and compared with those of pre-existing protein structural alignment programs. The results of this study show that MICAN-SQ has superior accuracy and robustness in comparison with previous programs and offers limited computational times. We also demonstrate that MICAN-SQ correctly aligns very large complexes and fused proteins. The present computations warrant the consideration of MICAN-SQ for studies of evolutionary and physicochemical properties of monomeric structures and all oligomer types. Availability and implementation The MICAN program was implemented in C. The source code and executable file can be freely downloaded from http://www.tbp. cse.nagoya-u.ac. jp/MICAN/. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
EULAR recommendations for the management of antiphospholipid syndrome in adults

The objective was to develop evidence-based recommendations for the management of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in adults. Based on evidence from a systematic literature review and expert opinion, overarching principles and recommendations were formulated and voted. High-risk antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) profile is associated with greater risk for thrombotic and obstetric APS. Risk modification includes screening for and management of cardiovascular and venous thrombosis risk factors, patient education about treatment adherence, and lifestyle counselling. Low-dose aspirin (LDA) is recommended for asymptomatic aPL carriers, patients with systemic lupus erythematosus without prior thrombotic or obstetric APS, and non-pregnant women with a history of obstetric APS only, all with high-risk aPL profiles. Patients with APS and first unprovoked venous thrombosis should receive long-term treatment with vitamin K antagonists (VKA) with a target international normalised ratio (INR) of 2–3. In patients with APS with first arterial thrombosis, treatment with VKA with INR 2–3 or INR 3–4 is recommended, considering the individual’s bleeding/thrombosis risk. Rivaroxaban should not be used in patients with APS with triple aPL positivity. For patients with recurrent arterial or venous thrombosis despite adequate treatment, addition of LDA, increase of INR target to 3–4 or switch to low molecular weight heparin may be considered. In women with prior obstetric APS, combination treatment with LDA and prophylactic dosage heparin during pregnancy is recommended. In patients with recurrent pregnancy complications, increase of heparin to therapeutic dose, addition of hydroxychloroquine or addition of low-dose prednisolone in the first trimester may be considered. These recommendations aim to guide treatment in adults with APS. High-quality evidence is limited, indicating a need for more research.
Lymph vascular system of the interstitial tissue of the testis as revealed by electron microscopy.

Summary. Testes from guinea-pig and chinchilla were studied with the electron microscope after vascular perfusion of glutaraldehyde or acrolein. The improved preservation achieved by this method of fixation permitted the demonstration of an extensive system of very thin-walled lymphatic sinusoids in the interstitial tissue. The lymphatic endothelium is closely applied to the lamina propria of the seminiferous tubules on the one side and to the clusters of interstitial cells on the other. It is suggested that these lymphatics may have an important function in the distribution of androgens within the testis, in addition to their role in returning to the general circulation the large amount of serum protein that escapes from the highly permeable blood capillaries of the interstitium.
A time interleaved DAC sharing SAR Pipeline ADC for ultra-low power camera front ends

The growing need for ultra-low power cameras for sensors, surveillance and consumer applications has resulted in significant advances in compressed domain data acquisition from pixel arrays. In this paper we present a novel 64-input Successive Approximation (SAR) Pipeline analog-to-digital converter (ADC) suitable for compressed domain data acquisition in camera front-ends. The proposed architecture features a time interleaved capacitive digital-to-analog converter (DAC) shared between column parallel ADCs for area savings (2.28X); and a shared amplifier stage for power savings (60%). Simulations on a 130nm foundry process shows that the proposed SAR Pipeline ADC draws 31μW at 2MS/s having a target Figure-of-Merit (FOM) of 87fJ/conv. per step at Nyquist rate.
Impact of assumptions – the example of the Welch-analysis of mammography screening effectiveness

Impact of assumptions Lynge, Elsebeth; Beau, Anna-Belle; Lophaven, Søren Nymand Published in: Acta Oncologica DOI: 10.1080/0284186X.2017. 1288921 Publication date: 2017 Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Citation for published version (APA): Lynge, E. , Beau, A-B. , & Lophaven, S. (2017). Impact of assumptions: the example of the Welch-analysis of mammography screening effectiveness. DOI: 10.1080/0284186X.2017. 1288921
Women’s Cancer Care in Iran

Breast cancer (BC) and cervical cancer (CC) are the first and fifth common cancers in Iranian women. Although age-standardized incidence rate of BC and CC in Iran is low, the mortality to incidence ratio is high due to late diagnosis. Except an old and a quite comprehensive cancer registry, women’s cancer care encounter many challenges in Iran. Lack of a customized national and inclusive protocol to control cancer care along with the fragmented health system is the first and foremost cancer care challenge. Many high-risk women miss the opportunity of early diagnosis and treatment because of poor knowledge, low accessibility, or affordability to health care, stigma, and spouse negligence. Although the most effective BC screening method is mammography, it is not equally available for all Iranian women. Furthermore, the cost of BC is very high and screening is accompanied by stigmatized sociocultural beliefs. Unfortunately, while Iran has a good primary care system, low coverage of clinical breast examination and poor knowledge of women indicate that this system has not operated effective. Also due to the limited resources, the Pap smear test has not been applied to the majority of Iranian women. Despite the high basic health insurance coverage in Iran, it does not cover diagnostic test and full treatment of cancers which intensified underutilization of cancer care. In conclusion, developing a national policy and guideline for full coverage of early diagnosis of BC or CC should be prioritized. In this regard, health insurance companies should be committed to including BC and CC screening and care for their basic service packages. The second strategy could be training skillful, responsible, and motivated health-care providers. They are able to decrease the stigmatized view of doing mammography. Survivorship care including follow-up care, posttreatment issues, and psychosocial support should also be considered.
A 36 Gbps 16.9 mW/Gbps transceiver in 20-nm CMOS with 1-tap DFE and quarter-rate clock distribution

A 36-Gbps transceiver with a continuous-time linear equalizer and a 1-tap DFE in 20-nm CMOS is demonstrated. The transceiver uses a quarter-rate (i.e., 9-GHz) differential-clock distribution to reduce the clock-delivery power. Multi-phase half-rate clock signals that drive the transceiver front-ends are generated by a delay-locked loop and frequency doublers that systematically reduce the impact of skew and jitter. The transceiver occupies 0.55 mm2 and consumes 609.9 mW of power from a 0.9-V supply.
Sedentary Behavior and Health: Update from the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee

Purpose To provide an overview of relationships between sedentary behavior and mortality as well as incidence of several noncommunicable diseases and weight status reported in the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report (2018 PAGAC Scientific Report), and to update the evidence from recent studies. Methods Evidence related to sedentary behavior in the 2018 PAGAC Scientific Report was summarized, and a systematic review was undertaken to identify original studies published between January 2017 and February 2018. Results The 2018 PAGAC Scientific Report concluded there was strong evidence that high amounts of sedentary behavior increase the risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality and incident CVD and type 2 diabetes. Moderate evidence indicated sedentary behavior is associated with incident endometrial, colon and lung cancer. Limited evidence suggested sedentary behavior is associated with cancer mortality and weight status. There was strong evidence that the hazardous effects of sedentary behavior are more pronounced in physically inactive people. Evidence was insufficient to determine if bout length or breaks in sedentary behavior are associated with health outcomes. The new literature search yielded seven new studies for all-cause mortality, two for CVD mortality, two for cancer mortality, four for type 2 diabetes, one for weight status, and four for cancer; no new studies were identified for CVD incidence. Results of the new studies supported the conclusions in the 2018 PAGAC Scientific Report. Conclusions The results of the updated search add further evidence on the association between sedentary behavior and health. Further research is required on how sex, age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and weight status may modify associations between sedentary behavior and health outcomes.
Psoas muscle fluorine‐18‐labelled fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐d‐glucose uptake associated with the incidence of existing and incipient metabolic derangement

Skeletal muscle glucose utilization is an important component of whole‐body glucose consumption in normal humans. Fluorine‐18‐labelled fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐d‐glucose (18F‐FDG) is a non‐invasive molecular imaging probe for evaluating tissue glucose utilization. It remains unclear whether or not 18F‐FDG uptake by skeletal muscle has utility as a biomarker for metabolic derangement. We investigated the utility of measurement of muscle 18F‐FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography uptake as a surrogate marker for existing and incipient metabolic abnormalities.
The Validity of Skin Conductance For Assessing Acute Pain in Infants

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objectives: Measuring pain in infants is important but challenging, as there is no “gold standard. ” The measurement of skin conductance (SC) is considered to be a measure of stress and as a surrogate indicator of pain. The objectives of this study were to identify the extent of research conducted and to synthesize the validity evidence of SC for assessing acute pain in infants. Methods: The Arksey and O’Malley framework for scoping reviews was followed, and 9 electronic databases were searched. Data were analyzed thematically and presented descriptively including the following main categories: study information/details, sampling information, characteristics of participants and settings, SC outcome measures, and validity evidence. Results: Twenty-eight studies with 1061 infants were included, including 23 cross-sectional observation studies and 5 interventional studies. The most studied infants were those with mild severity of illness (n=13) or healthy infants (n=12). The validity evidence of SC was tested in relation to referent pain measures (13 variables), stimuli (13 variables), age (2 variables), and other contextual variables (11 variables). SC was not significantly correlated with vital signs, except for heart rate in 2 of the 8 studies. SC was significantly correlated with the unidimensional behavioral pain assessment scales and crying time rather than with multidimensional measurements. Fourteen of 15 studies (93.3%) showed that SC increased significantly during painful procedures. Conclusions: Inconsistent findings on validity of SC exist. Future research should aim to identify the diagnostic test accuracy of SC compared with well-accepted referent pain measures in infants, study the validity evidence of SC in critically ill infants, and utilize rigorous research design and transparent reporting.
Assessing the Impact of Lifestyle Interventions on Diabetes Prevention in China: A Modeling Approach

China’s diabetes epidemic is getting worse. People with diabetes in China usually have a lower body weight and a different lifestyle profile compared to their counterparts in the United States (US). More and more evidence show that certain lifestyles can possibly be spread from person to person, leading some to propose considering social influence when establishing preventive policies. This study developed an innovative agent-based model of the diabetes epidemic for the Chinese population. Based on the risk factors and related complications of diabetes, the model captured individual health progression, quantitatively described the peer influence of certain lifestyles, and projected population health outcomes over a specific time period. We simulated several hypothetical interventions (i.e., improving diet, controlling smoking, improving physical activity) and assessed their impact on diabetes rates. We validated the model by comparing simulation results with external datasets. Our results showed that improving physical activity could result in the most significant decrease in diabetes prevalence compared to improving diet and controlling smoking. Our model can be used to inform policymakers on how the diabetes epidemic develops and help them compare different diabetes prevention programs in practice.
Animal Faux Pas: Two Legs Good Four Legs Bad for Theory of Mind, but Not in the Broad Autism Spectrum

Abstract Research shows that the general population varies with regard to both autistic traits and theory of mind (ToM) ability. Other work has shown that autistic individuals may not underperform on ToM tests when the agent of evaluation is anthropomorphic rather than typically human. Two studies examined the relation between ToM and autistic trait profiles in over 650 adults using either the standard Faux Pas Recognition Test (FPT) or an anthropomorphized version of the FPT (FPTa). Results showed that autistic trait profiles were related to faux pas detection ability in the FPT but not the FPTa. Furthermore, while those with the broad autism phenotype scored significantly worse than those who were typically developed on the FPT, scores did not significantly differ on the FPTa. These findings add to a growing body of work suggesting that ToM ability is not at a global deficit in those on the autistic spectrum, but may relate to the mindreading of specifically human agents.