Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of oligofructose on appetite profile, glucagon-like peptide 1 and peptide YY3-36 concentrations and energy intake

In rats, oligofructose has been shown to stimulate satiety hormone secretion, reduce energy intake and promote weight loss. The present study aimed to examine the effect of oligofructose supplementation on appetite profiles, satiety hormone concentrations and energy intake in human subjects. A total of thirty-one healthy subjects (ten men and twenty-one women) aged 28 (sem 3) years with a BMI of 24·8 (sem 0·3) kg/m2 were included in a randomised double-blind, cross-over study. The subjects received 10 g oligofructose, 16 g oligofructose or 16 g placebo (maltodextrin) daily for 13 d, with a 2-week washout period between treatments. Appetite profile, active glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY3-36 (PYY) concentrations and energy intake were assessed on days 0 and 13 of the treatment period. Time × treatment interaction revealed a trend of reduction in energy intake over days 0–13 by oligofructose (P = 0·068). Energy intake was significantly reduced (11 %) over time on day 13 compared with day 0 with 16 g/d oligofructose (2801 (sem 301) v. 3217 (sem 320) kJ, P < 0·05). Moreover, energy intake was significantly lower with 16 g/d oligofructose compared with 10 g/d oligofructose on day 13 (2801 (sem 301) v. 3177 (sem 276) kJ, P < 0·05). Area under the curve (AUC) for GLP-1 on day 13 was significantly higher with 16 g/d oligofructose compared with 10 g/d oligofructose (45 (sem 4) v. 41 (sem 3) pmol/l × h, P < 0·05). In the morning until lunch, AUC0–230 min for PYY on day 13 was significantly higher with 16 g/d oligofructose compared with 10 g/d oligofructose and placebo (409 (sem 35) v. 222 (sem 19) and 211 (sem 20) pg/ml × h, P < 0·01). In conclusion, 16 g/d and not 10 g/d oligofructose may be an effective dose to reduce energy intake, possibly supported by higher GLP-1 and PYY concentrations.
A cascade of multiple proteins and lipids catalyzes membrane fusion

Recent studies suggest revisions to the SNARE paradigm of membrane fusion. Membrane tethers and/or SNAREs recruit proteins of the Sec 1/Munc18 family to catalyze SNARE assembly into trans-complexes. SNARE-domain zippering draws the bilayers into immediate apposition and provides a platform to position fusion triggers such as Sec 17/α-SNAP and/or synaptotagmin, which insert their apolar “wedge” domains into the bilayers, initiating the lipid rearrangements of fusion.
Influence of grass pellet production on pyrrolizidine alkaloids occurring in Senecio aquaticus-infested grassland

ABSTRACT 1,2-Dehydro-pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA) and their N-oxides (PANO) exhibit acute and chronic toxic effects on the liver and other organs and therefore are a hazard for animal and human health. In certain regions of Germany, an increasing spread of Senecio spp. (ragwort) on grassland and farmland areas has been observed during the last years leading to a PA/PANO-contamination of feed and food of animal and plant origin. This project was carried out to elucidate whether the process of grass pellet production applying hot air drying influences the content of PA and PANO. Samples of hay (n = 22) and grass pellets (n = 28) originated from naturally infested grassland (around 10% and 30% dominance of Senecio aquaticus) and from a trial plot with around 50% dominance. Grass pellets were prepared from grass originating from exactly the same plots as the hay samples. The samples were analysed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry for PA/PANO typically produced by this weed. The results of the study revealed that PA/PANO levels (predominantly sum of senecionine, seneciphylline, erucifoline and their N-oxides) in hay ranged between 2.1 and 12.6 mg kg−1 dry matter in samples with 10% and 30% dominance of S. aquaticus, respectively. Samples from the trial plot (50% dominance) had levels of up to 52.9 mg kg−1. Notably, the hot air drying process during the production of grass pellets did not lead to a reduction of PA/PANO levels. Instead, the levels in grass pellets with 10% and 30% S. aquaticus ranged from 3.1 to 55.1 mg kg−1. Grass pellets from the trial plot contained up to 96.8 mg kg−1. In conclusion, hot air drying and grass pellet production did not affect PA/PANO contents in plant material and therefore, heat-dried products cannot be regarded as safe in view of the toxic potential of 1,2-dehydro-pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
Nonlinear analysis of EEG sleep states.

Recent advances in the field of nonlinear dynamics have provided new conceptual models as well as novel analytical techniques applicable to neuropsychopharmacologic studies. One measurement technique that has been recently developed in an attempt to characterize nonlinear systems in physics and biology is the estimation of dimension. Dimension may be seen as a measure of the information required to describe the current behavior of a system. We have applied these techniques to the analysis of the sleep EEG, and have found that the dimension of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is significantly higher than non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep. These data support a preliminary hypothesis that EEG dimension may represent the number of nonlinear modes activated in the brain. Thus, sleep states of low arousal or low input would be envisioned as having low dimension (e.g., slow-wave sleep) whereas increased arousal (REM) would activate more nonlinear modes. Although more investigations will be needed to explore this hypothesis, these studies suggest that further development of nonlinear approaches to the analysis of brain systems are likely to generate new clinical measures as well as new ways of viewing brain electrical function.
Clinical Use of Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Adults with Type 1 Diabetes

With the emphasis on intensive management of type 1 diabetes, data from studies support frequent monitoring of glucose levels to improve glycemic control and reduce glucose variability, which can be related to an increase in macro and microvascular complications. However, few perform capillary blood glucose that frequently. There are currently two available alternatives that this review will discuss, continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and flash glucose monitoring. CGM has become an important diagnostic and therapeutic option in optimizing diabetes management. CGM systems are now more accurate, smaller, and easier to use compared to original models. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have demonstrated that CGM can improve Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C) and reduce glucose variability in both continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion and multiple daily injection users. When used in an automated "insulin-suspend" system, reduced frequency of hypoglycemia and shorter time spent in hypoglycemic range have been demonstrated. Despite the potential benefits CGM has to offer in clinical practice, concerns exist on the accuracy of these devices and patient compliance with therapy, which may prevent the true clinical benefit of CGM being achieved, as observed in RCTs. Flash glucose monitoring systems FreeStyle® Libre™ (Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda, CA) are as accurate as many CGM systems available and have the added benefit of being factory calibrated. Studies have shown that flash glucose monitoring systems are very well tolerated by patients and effectively reduce glucose variability, increasing time in range.
Rational solvent selection strategies to combat striation formation during spin coating of thin films

Striation defects in spin-coated thin films are a result of unfavorable capillary forces that develop due to the physical processes commonly involved in the spin-coating technique. Solvent evaporation during spinning causes depletion at the surface of the more volatile solution components while simultaneous viscous out-flow occurs providing the main source of solution thickness reduction during any typical spinning run. The composition changes in the surface layer can either stabilize or destabilize the surface with respect to convective motions within the coating solution. Destabilization (and therefore possible striation formation) happens when the surface composition changes so that a larger surface tension will develop. Thus, a careful cross-referencing of solvent volatility with surface tension effects can help establish solution conditions that will prevent this instability from arising. A plot of solvent vapor pressure ( P _v) versus solvent surface tension (σ) is introduced and utilized to help discuss the impact of solvent choice when making coatings via spin coating. One important result is that when desiring to deposit a coating having a surface tension of σ_solid, then it is favorable to use a fully miscible solvent that has a higher surface tension (i.e., σ_liquid > σ_solid). More complicated solution mixtures were also examined, including dual-solvent systems and water-containing systems.
Development of a 3D Coupled Physical-Biogeochemical Model for the Marseille Coastal Area (NW Mediterranean Sea): What Complexity Is Required in the Coastal Zone?

Terrestrial inputs (natural and anthropogenic) from rivers, the atmosphere and physical processes strongly impact the functioning of coastal pelagic ecosystems. The objective of this study was to develop a tool for the examination of these impacts on the Marseille coastal area, which experiences inputs from the Rhone River and high rates of atmospheric deposition. Therefore, a new 3D coupled physical/biogeochemical model was developed. Two versions of the biogeochemical model were tested, one model considering only the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles and a second model that also considers the phosphorus (P) cycle. Realistic simulations were performed for a period of 5 years (2007–2011). The model accuracy assessment showed that both versions of the model were able of capturing the seasonal changes and spatial characteristics of the ecosystem. The model also reproduced upwelling events and the intrusion of Rhone River water into the Bay of Marseille well. Those processes appeared to greatly impact this coastal oligotrophic area because they induced strong increases in chlorophyll-a concentrations in the surface layer. The model with the C, N and P cycles better reproduced the chlorophyll-a concentrations at the surface than did the model without the P cycle, especially for the Rhone River water. Nevertheless, the chlorophyll-a concentrations at depth were better represented by the model without the P cycle. Therefore, the complexity of the biogeochemical model introduced errors into the model results, but it also improved model results during specific events. Finally, this study suggested that in coastal oligotrophic areas, improvements in the description and quantification of the hydrodynamics and the terrestrial inputs should be preferred over increasing the complexity of the biogeochemical model.
Avelumab: combining immune checkpoint inhibition and antibody-dependent cytotoxicity

ABSTRACT Introduction: Immune checkpoint inhibition holds great promise for selected tumors. The human monoclonal antibody (mAB) avelumab is directed to programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and is supposed to inhibit the immunosuppressive PD-L1/PD-1 interaction and, furthermore, effect antibody-dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC) lysis of tumor cells. Areas covered: This article presents an overview of the current means to activate the antitumor immune defense by targeting PD-1 or PD-L1 with mABs and their possible role in ADCC-mediated tumor cell elimination. Expert opinion: Avelumab contains a Fc region which can bind cognate receptors on immune effector cells and induce ADCC-mediated tumor cell lysis, in contrast to other mABs directed to PD-1/PD-L1 which lack the ability to trigger ADCC due to belonging to the IgG4 subclass or possessing a mutated Fc region. Preclinical and clinical data indicate that avelumab can be safely administered to cancer patients with a toxicity profile comparable to other mABs and without lysis of PD-L1-positive activated immune cells. This antibody yielded durable responses in a phase II trial in advanced Merkel cell carcinoma patients. Tumor cell lysis by avelumab prevents cells from resorting to alternative checkpoints as shown by targeting PD-1 and the upregulation of TIM-3.
Prospects and progress of atezolizumab in non-small cell lung cancer

ABSTRACT Introduction: Immunotherapy has recently come to the forefront of oncology treatment as a potential means of combating cancer by restoring the body’s adaptive cancer-immunity cycle. Atezolizumab is a monoclonal antibody agent that specifically targets programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), a key molecule in the cancer-immunity pathway, to block binding to its receptors PD-1 and B7.1. Areas covered: This review covers the role of atezolizumab in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several studies have reported promising efficacy in this indication. The phase II FIR and BIRCH studies evaluated atezolizumab monotherapy across different lines of therapy in NSCLC selected by PD-L1 expression status. The randomized POPLAR and OAK trials of atezolizumab versus docetaxel in previously treated NSCLC reported improved efficacy in the atezolizumab arm. Several ongoing studies yet to report data are also described and treatment-related adverse events are discussed. Expert opinion: Clinical trials have shown that atezolizumab has a favorable risk-benefit ratio compared with standard chemotherapy in second-line treatment of non-oncogene-driven advanced NSCLC. Promising response rates and survival over 2 years has been reported in the first-line setting; however, more research is needed in this setting and in evaluating combinatorial strategies to treat NSCLC.
Computer aided analysis of prostate histopathology images Gleason grading especially for Gleason score 7

Clinically, prostate adenocarcinoma is diagnosed by recognizing certain morphology on histology. While the Gleason grading system has been shown to be the strongest prognostic factor for men with prostrate adenocarcinoma, there is a significant intra and interobserver variability between pathologists in assigning this grading system. In this study, we present a new method for prostate gland segmentation from which we then utilize to develop a computer aided Gleason grading. The novelty of our method is a region-based nuclei segmentation to get individual gland without using lumen as prior information. Because each gland region is surrounded by nuclei, individual gland can be segmented by using the structure features and Delaunay Triangulation. The precision, recal and F1 of this approach are 0.94±0.11, 0.60±0.23 and 0.70±0.19 respectively. Our method achieves a high accuracy for prostate gland segmentation with less computation time.
Effects of losartan on left ventricular mass: a three-year follow-up in elderly hypertensives with myocardial hypertrophy despite successful conventional antihypertensive treatment.

OBJECTIVE Reversal of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertensive patients appears to be a desirable goal to the reduction cardiac risk. The Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) seems to play a major role in the establishment and maintenance of LVH through the activated systemic RAS and the Intracardiac Angiotensin System (IAS). We focused on the effects of a three-year treatment with losartan supplement in hypertensive patients with LVH not responding to eight years of an effective previous antihypertensive pharmacological treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two groups of 28 sex-, age- and therapy-matched subjects with essential hypertension and LVH were taken into consideration. The two groups were in effective pharmacological treatment (BP < 140/90) for eight years previous to their enrollment. Patients of Group A were treated for three years with a losartan (100 mg/die) on-top treatment, whereas patients of Group B continued the follow-up of the previous conventional therapy. Both groups were submitted to an echocardiographic follow-up. RESULTS Group A, showed a significant reduction of the mean LVH since the first step at six months with a further significant trend during the whole period (variance analysis: p < 0.001). Group B showed a non-significant trend toward LVH reduction during the three-year follow-up. No significant further reduction of systolic or diastolic blood pressure values was observed in both groups. CONCLUSIONS The effects of losartan in hypertensive and hypertrophic patients are in agreement with the results of LIFE Trial. However, the reduction of left ventricular hypertrophy in our patients seems to be related to changes inducted by losartan on the IAS, since no further hemodynamic effects were observed. Losartan induced both a significant reduction of LVH and an improvement of LV diastolic function with a subsequent expected beneficial shift on the prognosis.
Improving parametric trajectory modeling by integration of pitch and tone information

This paper presents the application of pitch/tone information to improve Parametric Trajectory Modeling (PTM). To simulate the trajectory of pitch in a segment in PTM recognizer, we in fact get its corresponding tone information. From another point of view, tone is a segmental feature and PTM has the excellent framework to incorporate it. So we here introduce the “soft” and “hard” integration methods to combine them with the base modeling. In the experiment of Mandarin digit classification, they get 22.87% and 33.54% error reduction respectively, and integration of both them together obtains 38.72% error reduction.
Antineutrophil cytoplasm autoantibodies against bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein in inflammatory bowel disease.

BACKGROUND: Bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), a constituent of primary neutrophil granules, is a potent natural antibiotic and an antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA) antigen in cases of vasculitis in which the target antigen is neither myeloperoxidase (MPO) nor proteinase-3 (PR3). AIM: To investigate BPI as a possible target antigen for ANCAs in inflammatory bowel disease. METHODS: ANCAs were detected by routine immunofluorescence (IIF) and solid phase enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) performed for antibodies to the purified neutrophil granule proteins; MPO, PR3, cathepsin-G, lactoferrin, and BPI in serum samples from 88 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (36 with Crohn's disease, 52 with ulcerative colitis). Thirty patients with bacterial enteritis acted as controls. RESULTS: Significantly more patients with ulcerative colitis were ANCA positive by IIF (60%) than patients with Crohn's disease (28%) or infectious enteritis (23%) (p < 0.001). IgG anti-BPI antibodies were present in 29% of patients with ulcerative colitis, 14% of patients with Crohn's disease, and 23% of patients with infectious enteritis, occurring in 44% of those patients with inflammatory bowel disease who were ANCA positive by IIF. Antibodies to other ANCA antigens were rare. The presence of ANCAs was not related to either disease activity or extent; presence of anti-BPI antibodies was significantly related to both a lower serum albumin concentration (p = 0.001) and a higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p = 0.02) in patients with ulcerative colitis, and to colonic involvement in patients with Crohn's disease (p = 0.01). CONCLUSION: BPI is a significant minority target antigen for ANCAs in inflammatory bowel disease that seems related to colonic Crohn's disease and disease activity in ulcerative colitis. Anti-BPI antibodies occur in infectious enteritis.
Cybersecurity Teaching through Gamification: Aligning Training Resources to our Syllabus

A shortage in Cybersecurity professionals is happening. Uni-versities that oﬀer IT related courses had implemented at least one class related with information security or cybersecurity, we believe that the training and experience gained by students during the term could be improved by using gamiﬁcation. Gamiﬁcation was deﬁned as the use of game design elements in non-game contexts, in this context we use game design elements to help the learning process. Gamiﬁcation has gained attention recently because it had shown that it can achieve positive results most of the time. In this work we oﬀer a classiﬁcation taxonomy for cybersecurity training resources based on gamiﬁcation, then we collect and classify a list of training resources that can be used in cybersecurity lecturing. Finally we align some of these resources to the content of our syllabus in Polytechnic Universities system, so instructors and lecturers could improve the learning process for students. We also expect to raise interest on cybersecurity ﬁeld from students, so we can help to minimize the professional shortage.
The Effect of Dietary Adaption on Cranial Morphological Integration in Capuchins (Order Primates, Genus Cebus)

A fundamental challenge of morphology is to identify the underlying evolutionary and developmental mechanisms leading to correlated phenotypic characters. Patterns and magnitudes of morphological integration and their association with environmental variables are essential for understanding the evolution of complex phenotypes, yet the nature of the relevant selective pressures remains poorly understood. In this study, the adaptive significance of morphological integration was evaluated through the association between feeding mechanics, ingestive behavior and craniofacial variation. Five capuchin species were examined, Cebus apella sensu stricto, Cebus libidinosus, Cebus nigritus, Cebus olivaceus and Cebus albifrons. Twenty three-dimensional landmarks were chosen to sample facial regions experiencing high strains during feeding, characteristics affecting muscular mechanical advantage and basicranial regions. Integration structure and magnitude between and within the oral and zygomatic subunits, between and within blocks maximizing modularity and within the face, the basicranium and the cranium were examined using partial-least squares, eigenvalue variance, integration indices compared inter-specifically at a common level of sampled population variance and cluster analyses. Results are consistent with previous findings reporting a relative constancy of facial and cranial correlation patterns across mammals, while covariance magnitudes vary. Results further suggest that food material properties structure integration among functionally-linked facial elements and possibly integration between the face and the basicranium. Hard-object-feeding capuchins, especially C.apella s.s. , whose faces experience particularly high biomechanical loads are characterized by higher facial and cranial integration especially compared to C.albifrons, likely because morphotypes compromising feeding performance are selected against in species relying on obdurate fallback foods. This is the first study to report a link between food material properties and facial and cranial integration. Furthermore, results do not identify the consistent presence of cranial modules yielding support to suggestions that despite the distinct embryological imprints of its elements the cranium of placental mammals is not characterized by a modular architecture.