Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parity and risk of metabolic syndrome among Chinese women.

BACKGROUND Studies regarding the effects of parity on metabolic syndrome in later life have produced conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to explore the association between parity and the risk of metabolic syndrome and its components in a population of Chinese women. METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed in a total of 13,358 women (mean age 61.5 years) with at least one live birth from the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort study. Each woman completed baseline questionnaires and received baseline examination, including a physical examination and laboratory tests. Participants were categorized into four groups according to parity (one, two, three, four or more live births). The metabolic syndrome was defined according to the International Diabetes Foundation criteria. Logistic regression was conducted to examine the association between parity and metabolic syndrome, with adjustment of potential confounders. RESULTS In this study sample, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 38.6% (5,156 of 13,358). After adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and reproduction-related factors, women with two, three, or four or more live births had 1.18 times (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.32), 1.44 times (95% CI, 1.24-1.67), and 1.52 times (95% CI, 1.26-1.83), respectively, higher odds of having metabolic syndrome compared with those with one live birth. Furthermore, parity showed a positive association with waist circumference and a negative association with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS Multiparity was associated with increasing risk of metabolic syndrome independent of main covariates in this population of Chinese women. The findings suggested that multiparity may be a risk factor for metabolic syndrome.
Diversity in receptor-like kinase genes is a major determinant of quantitative resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. matthioli.

Resistance to wilt fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. matthioli (FOM) is a polygenic trait in Arabidopsis thaliana. RFO3 is one of six quantitative trait loci accounting for the complete resistance of accession Columbia-0 (Col-0) and susceptibility of accession Taynuilt-0 (Ty-0). We find that Col-0 and Ty-0 alleles of RFO3 are representative of two common variants in wild Arabidopsis accessions, that resistance and susceptibility to FOM are ancestral features of the two variants and that resistance from RFO3 is unrivalled by other genes in a genome-wide survey of diversity in accessions. A single receptor-like kinase (RLK) gene in Col-0 is responsible for the resistance of RFO3, although the susceptible Ty-0 allele codes for two RLK homologs. Expression of RFO3 is highest in vascular tissue, which F. oxysporum infects, and root-expressed RFO3 restricts FOM infection of the vascular system. RFO3 confers specific resistance to FOM and provides no resistance to two other crucifer-infecting F. oxysporum pathogens. RFO3's identity, expression and specificity suggest that RFO3 represents diversity in pattern-recognition receptor (PRR) genes. The characteristics of RFO3 and the previously published RFO1 suggest that diversity in RLK PRRs is a major determinant of quantitative resistance in wild plant populations.
Expansion and differentiation of neural progenitors derived from the human adult enteric nervous system.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Neural stem and progenitor cells from the enteric nervous system have been proposed for use in cell-based therapies against specific neurogastrointestinal disorders. Recently, enteric neural progenitors were generated from human neonatal and early postnatal (until 5 years after birth) gastrointestinal tract tissues. We investigated the proliferation and differentiation of enteric nervous system progenitors isolated from human adult gastrointestinal tract. METHODS Human enteric spheroids were generated from adult small and large intestine tissues and then expanded and differentiated, depending on the applied cell culture conditions. For implantation studies, spheres were grafted into fetal slice cultures and embryonic aganglionic hindgut explants from mice. Differentiating enteric neural progenitors were characterized by 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine labeling, in situ hybridization, immunocytochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and electrophysiological studies. RESULTS The yield of human neurosphere-like bodies was increased by culture in conditional medium derived from fetal mouse enteric progenitors. We were able to generate proliferating enterospheres from adult human small or large intestine tissues; these enterospheres could be subcultured and maintained for several weeks in vitro. Spheroid-derived cells could be differentiated into a variety of neuronal subtypes and glial cells with characteristics of the enteric nervous system. Experiments involving implantation into organotypic intestinal cultures showed the differentiation capacity of neural progenitors in a 3-dimensional environment. CONCLUSIONS It is feasible to isolate and expand enteric progenitor cells from human adult tissue. These findings offer new strategies for enteric stem cell research and future cell-based therapies.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Women's Experiences of Reproductive Coercion, Intimate Partner Violence, and Unintended Pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE To explore racial/ethnic differences in reproductive coercion (RC), intimate partner violence (IPV), and unintended pregnancy (UIP). MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed cross-sectional, baseline data from an intervention that was conducted between August 2008 and March 2009 in five family planning clinics in the San Francisco, California area, to examine the association of race/ethnicity with RC, IPV, and UIP among female patients aged 16-29 (n = 1234). RESULTS RC was significantly associated with race/ethnicity, p < 0.001, [prevalence estimates: Black (37.1%), multiracial (29.2%), White (18.0%), Hispanic/Latina (24.0%), and Asian/Pacific Islander/other (API/other) (18.4%)]. Race/ethnicity was not associated with IPV. UIP was more prevalent among Black (50.3%) and multiracial (47.2%) women, with an overall range of 37.1%-50.3% among all racial/ethnic groups (p < 0.001). In adjusted analyses, factors associated with UIP were RC [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.59, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 1.26-2.01] and Black (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.02-2.60) and API/other (AOR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.15-1.73) race/ethnicity, which remained significant in the presence of RC. Race-stratified models revealed that RC increased odds of UIP for White (AOR = 2.06, 95% CI = 1.45-2.93) and Black women (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.14-2.60). CONCLUSIONS Black and multiracial women seeking care in family planning clinics have a disproportionately high prevalence of RC and UIP. RC may partially explain differences in UIP prevalence, with the effect of race/ethnicity slightly attenuated in RC-adjusted models. However, the impact of RC on risk for UIP was similar for White and Black women. Findings from this study support the need to understand and prevent RC, particularly among women of color. Results are foundational in understanding disparities in RC and UIP that may have implications for refinement of clinical care.
Are reports of the death of taxonomy an exaggeration?

Opinions about the state of taxonomy are many, whereas reliable facts are few. The latest controversy arises from a conclusion that an increase in the number of authors of papers describing new species is evidence that taxonomy is doing well (Costello et al., 2012, 2013a,b), a claim that could be reinforced if the rate of plant discoveries has really been accelerating (Joppa et al., 2011). As a taxonomist who has witnessed the steady hemorrhaging of prestige, funding and positions from taxonomy for more than three decades, I find this claim preposterous, dangerous and complacent: preposterous, because adverts seeking to hire taxonomists to do taxonomy and grants to do taxonomy for its own sake are essentially nonexistent; dangerous, because unless we acknowledge that an independent and curiosity-driven taxonomy is in crisis, we are unlikely to make the investments and changes required to revive it; complacent, because taxonomic knowledge is essential to effectively confront the wholesale loss of biodiversity and the first serious threat of a mass extinction event in 65 million yr (Barnosky et al., 2011). Thus, the paper by Bebber et al. in this issue of New Phytologist (pp. 700–706), tapping one of the most complete taxonomic databases to determine what actual trends exist and what they might mean, is a timely and welcomed introduction of facts, critical analysis and common sense to the argument.
Immunosuppression in pediatric liver transplant recipients: Unique aspects

Pediatric liver transplantation has experienced improved outcomes over the last 50 years. This can be attributed in part to establishing optimal use of immunosuppressive agents to achieve a balance between minimizing the risks of allograft rejection and infection. The management of immunosuppression in children is generally more complex and can be challenging when compared with the use of these agents in adult liver transplant patients. Physiologic differences in children alter the pharmacokinetics of immunosuppressive agents, which affects absorption, distribution, metabolism, and drug excretion. Children also have a longer expected period of exposure to immunosuppression, which can impact growth, risk of infection (bacterial, viral, and fungal), carcinogenesis, and likelihood of nonadherence. This review discusses immunosuppressive options for pediatric liver transplant recipients and the unique issues that must be addressed when managing this population. Further advances in the field of tolerance and accommodation are needed to relieve the acute and cumulative burden of chronic immunosuppression in children. Liver Transplantation 23 244–256 2017 AASLD
The ion channel TRPA1 is required for normal mechanosensation and is modulated by algesic stimuli.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The transient receptor potential (TRP) channel family includes transducers of mechanical and chemical stimuli for visceral sensory neurons. TRP ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) is implicated in inflammatory pain; it interacts with G-protein-coupled receptors, but little is known about its role in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Sensory information from the GI tract is conducted via 5 afferent subtypes along 3 pathways. METHODS Nodose and dorsal root ganglia whose neurons innnervate 3 different regions of the GI tract were analyzed from wild-type and TRPA1(-/-) mice using quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, retrograde labeling, and in situ hybridization. Distal colon sections were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. In vitro electrophysiology and pharmacology studies were performed, and colorectal distension and visceromotor responses were measured. Colitis was induced by administration of trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid. RESULTS TRPA1 is required for normal mechano- and chemosensory function in specific subsets of vagal, splanchnic, and pelvic afferents. The behavioral responses to noxious colonic distension were substantially reduced in TRPA1(-/-) mice. TRPA1 agonists caused mechanical hypersensitivity, which increased in mice with colitis. Colonic afferents were activated by bradykinin and capsaicin, which mimic effects of tissue damage; wild-type and TRPA1(-/-) mice had similar direct responses to these 2 stimuli. After activation by bradykinin, wild-type afferents had increased mechanosensitivity, whereas, after capsaicin exposure, mechanosensitivity was reduced: these changes were absent in TRPA1(-/-) mice. No interaction between protease-activated receptor-2 and TRPA1 was evident. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate a previously unrecognized role for TRPA1 in normal and inflamed mechanosensory function and nociception within the viscera.
Factors Influencing Post Rehabilitation Outcomes of Cerebrovascular Accident Patients with Lower than 90 Points on the FIM in a Convalescence Rehabilitation Ward

［目的］ADL（Activities of Daily Living）が介助レベルにある脳血管障害者が，自宅へ退院するための要件を検討する。 ［対象］回復期リハビリテーション病棟に入院し，退院時FIM（Functional Independence Measure）総得点が90点以下の脳血管障害者51名。 ［方法］対象を自宅へ退院した群（自宅退院群）と，施設等，自宅以外へ退院した群（非自宅退院群）との2群にわけ，FIMの各得点，その他転帰に影響をおよぼすと考えられた変数について比較を行う。 ［結果］単変量解析の結果，自宅退院群では移動様式が歩行の者が有意に多く，入院期間も自宅退院群で長かった。 また，FIMのセルフケア，排泄コントロール，移動，移乗，コミュニケーション及び社会的認知の6項目では移動を除く5項目で有意差が認められた。 FIM下位項目では歩行・車椅子，階段，理解，記憶を除く14項目で有意差が認められた。 ロジスティックモデルでは退院前外泊の有無（オッズ比5. 8），移動様式（オッズ比4. 9），FIM総得点（オッズ比1. 1）の3因子が有意な変数として選択された。 ［結語］ADL能力の低い脳血管障害者が自宅へ退院するには，ADL能力が高いことに加え，移動様式が歩行であることと，自宅への退院前外泊が可能な状況にあることが大きな要因となっていることが示唆された。
Unraveling smooth muscle contraction: the TRP link.

Parasympathetic signaling via muscarinic receptors regulates gastrointestinal smooth muscle function. Stimulation of muscarinic receptors leads to the activation of mICAT, which is central and essential in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. The identity of the components of this critical channel has now been established in a study reported in this issue of Gastroenterology by Tsvilovskyy et al.1 This study clarifies the relative contributions of M2 and M3 receptors, as well as their respective mechanisms, in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. The findings are potentially useful for designing clinical strategies utilizing TRP channel modulators for treating intestinal and gastric disorders.
Nutrition and the transplant candidate

Cirrhosis is the most common indication for liver transplantation (LT) worldwide. Malnutrition is present in at least two‐thirds of patients with cirrhosis awaiting LT. It negatively impacts survival, quality of life, and the ability to respond to stressors, such as infection and surgery. Muscle wasting or sarcopenia is the most objective feature of chronic protein malnutrition in cirrhosis, and this condition is associated with increased morbidity and mortality before and after LT. In addition to its objectivity, muscularity assessment with cross‐sectional imaging studies is a useful marker of nutritional status in LT candidates, as sarcopenia reflects a chronic decline in the general physical condition, rather than acute severity of the liver disease. Despite the high prevalence and important prognostic role, malnutrition and sarcopenia are frequently overlooked because standards for nutritional assessment are lacking and challenges such as fluid retention and obesity are prevalent. In this review, current diagnostic methods to evaluate malnutrition, including muscle abnormalities in cirrhosis, are discussed and current knowledge regarding the incidence and clinical impact of malnutrition in cirrhosis and its impact after LT are presented. Existing and potential novel therapeutic strategies for malnutrition in cirrhosis are also discussed, emphasizing the treatment of muscle wasting in the LT candidate in an effort to improve survival while waiting for LT and to reduce morbidity and mortality after LT.Liver Transplantation 23 1451–1464 2017 AASLD.
A review of factors that influence the use of community pharmacies as a primary health care resource

This review paper provides an analysis of a range of pharmacy practice, health services and sociological literature relevant to understanding how the public in the United Kingdom use and view community pharmacies as a primary health care resource. Papers published between 1980 and 1997 inclusive were identified, based on on‐line searches of databases, and hand searches of a published literature index, relevant journals, and bibliographies of published papers. Papers included in the review are those which report findings on any aspect of consumers' views and use of community pharmacies. No attempt is made to evaluate the adequacy of the findings since the level of reporting in most short papers does not allow for this type of evaluation. Instead, the review paper “maps out” what is currently known about pharmacy utilisation. Key variables that have been used to explain pharmacy use, including a number of demographic and organisational factors, are identified, as well as factors associated with need and demand issues. The paper summarises the main empirical findings, and provides a view of where further work could add to a greater understanding of the relationship between the delivery of pharmaceutical services and primary health care. Potential strategies that could positively influence consumer demand for community pharmacy services are discussed.
The impact of domestication on resistance to two generalist herbivores across 29 independent domestication events.

The domestication of crops is among the most important innovations in human history. Here, we test the hypothesis that cultivation and artificial selection for increased productivity of crops reduced plant defenses against herbivores. We compared the performance of two economically important generalist herbivores - the leaf-chewing beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua) and the phloem-feeding green peach aphid (Myzus persicae) - across 29 crop species and their closely related wild relatives. We also measured putative morphological and chemical defensive traits and correlated them with herbivore performance. We show that, on average, domestication significantly reduced resistance to S. exigua, but not M. persicae, and that most independent domestication events did not cause differences in resistance to either herbivore. In addition, we found that multiple plant traits predicted resistance to S. exigua and M. persicae, and that domestication frequently altered the strength and direction of correlations between these traits and herbivore performance. Our results show that domestication can alter plant defenses, but does not cause strong allocation tradeoffs as predicted by plant defense theory. These results have important implications for understanding the evolutionary ecology of species interactions and for the search for potential resistance traits to be targeted in crop breeding.
Alcohol-related mortality by age and sex and its impact on life expectancy

The level of alcohol-related mortality has been estimated for several populations, but few studies have reported plausible results on the connection between alcohol-related mortality and age and sex. The Finnish death register includes information on both the underlying and contributory causes of death and it yields an individual-level estimate of the contribution of alcohol in mortality. The data for 1987–1993 are used to examine alcohol-related mortality by cause of death, age and sex and to estimate the impact of excessive alcohol use on life expectancy by sex. According to the results, 6% of all deaths were alcohol related. These deaths were responsible for a 2 year loss in life expectancy at age 15 years among men and 0.4 years among women, which explains at least one-fifth of the difference in life expectancies between the sexes. In the age group of 15–49 years, over 40% of all deaths among men and 15% among women were alcohol related. In this age group, over 50% of the mortality difference between the sexes results from alcohol-related deaths. The use of data on contributory causes of death, the organization of the Finnish death certification system and the relatively high proportion of alcohol-related deaths suggest that these data do not underestimate alcohol-related deaths to such an extent as has been the case in earlier studies using data from death certificates. This study shows that alcohol consumption is an important public health issue in Finland and a significant determinant of male premature mortality.
Back to the future for plant phenology research.

Blockbusterfilmserials–of the typeoftenreleasedaround this timeof year – sometimes recharge a popular, but somewhat dragging, franchise by a time-travel trip to the past. Such trips can invigorate by providing important background on characters and storylines, making the return to the current plot more compelling and rich. In this issue of New Phytologist, Panchen et al. in their article ‘Leaf out times in temperate woody plants are related to phylogeny, deciduousness, growth habit andwood anatomy’ (pp. 1208–1219) attempt a similar – and welcome – recharge to the current field of plant phenology research.
Silymarin inhibits in vitro T-cell proliferation and cytokine production in hepatitis C virus infection.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Silymarin, an extract from the seeds of the milk thistle plant Silybum marianum, has been used for centuries for the treatment of chronic liver diseases. Despite common use by patients with hepatitis C in the United States, its clinical efficacy remains uncertain. The goal of this study was to determine whether silymarin has in vitro effects on immune function that might have implications for its potential effect on hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced liver disease. METHODS Freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and T cells from HCV-infected and uninfected subjects were tested in vitro for responses to nonspecific and antigenic stimulation in the presence and absence of a standardized preparation of silymarin (MK001). RESULTS Minimal MK001 toxicity on PBMC was found at concentrations between 5 and 40 microg/mL. MK001 dose dependently inhibited the proliferation and secretion of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, interferon (IFN)-gamma, and interleukin (IL)-2 by PBMC stimulated with anti-CD3. In addition, MK001 inhibited proliferation by CD4(+) T cells to HCV, Candida, and tetanus protein antigens and by HLA-A2/HCV 1406-1415-specific CD8(+) T cells to allogeneic stimulation. MK001 inhibited T-cell TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma cytokine secretion to tetanus and Candida protein antigens. Finally, MK001 inhibited nuclear factor-kappaB transcriptional activation after T-cell receptor-mediated stimulation of Jurkat T cells, consistent with its ability to inhibit Jurkat T-cell proliferation and secretion of IL-2. CONCLUSIONS Silymarin's ability to inhibit the proliferation and proinflammatory cytokine secretion of T cells, combined with its previously described antiviral effect, suggests a possible mechanism of action that could lead to clinical benefit during HCV infection.
A non-inflammatory form of immune competence prevails in acute pre-pubescent malnutrition: new evidence based on critical mRNA transcripts in the mouse

The declining inflammatory immune competence of acute (i.e. wasting) pre-pubescent protein–energy malnutrition has been regarded as reflecting an unregulated immunological disintegration. Recent evidence, however, suggests that malnutrition stimulates a regulated immunological reconfiguration to achieve a non-inflammatory form of competence, perhaps offering protection against autoimmune reactions – the ‘Tolerance Model’. Our objective was to determine the influence of acute pre-pubescent malnutrition on the expression of genes critical to tolerogenic regulation. Male and female C57BL/6J mice, initially 19 d old, consumed a complete purified diet either ad libitum (age-matched controls) or in restricted daily quantities (mimicking marasmus), or consumed an isoenergetic low-protein diet ad libitum (mimicking incipient kwashiorkor) for 14 d (six animals per dietary group). Gene expression in the spleen, typically an inflammatory organ, and in the small intestine, a site designed for non-inflammatory defence, was assessed by real-time quantitative RT-PCR, and normalised to β-actin. In the spleen of the malnourished groups, both IL-10 and transforming growth factor-β1 mRNA expression increased compared with controls (P < 0·05), whereas mRNA expression of IL-12p40 decreased (P < 0·05). Conversely, malnutrition exerted no influence on the expression of mRNA for these cytokines in the small intestine (P>0·05). Moreover, forkhead box P3 mRNA expression, indicative of cell-based tolerogenic potential, was sustained in both the spleen and intestine of the malnourished groups (P>0·05). Thus, despite limited supplies of energy and substrates, the spleen shifted towards a non-inflammatory character and the intestine was sustained in this mode in advanced pre-pubescent weight loss. These findings provide the first support for the Tolerance Model at the level of mRNA transcript expression.