Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Phase 1b Safety Study of SER-287, a Spore-Based Microbiome Therapeutic, for Active Mild to Moderate Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract Background & Aims Firmicutes bacteria produce metabolites that maintain the intestinal barrier and mucosal immunity. Firmicutes are reduced in the intestinal microbiota of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). In a phase 1b trial of patients with UC, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of SER-287, an oral formulation of Firmicutes spores, and the effects of vancomycin preconditioning on expansion (engraftment) of SER-287 species in the colon. Methods We conducted a double-blind trial of SER-287 in 58 adults with active mild-to-moderate UC (modified Mayo scores 4–10, endoscopic subscores ≥1). Participants received 6 days of preconditioning with oral vancomycin (125 mg, 4 times daily) or placebo followed by 8 weeks of oral SER-287 or placebo. Patients were randomly assigned (2:3:3:3) to groups that received placebo followed by either placebo or SER-287 once weekly, or vancomycin followed by SER-287 once weekly or SER-287 once daily. Clinical endpoints included safety and clinical remission (modified Mayo score ≤ 2; endoscopic subscores 0 or 1). Microbiome endpoints included SER-287 engraftment (dose species detected in stool after, but not before, SER-287 administration). Engraftment of SER-287 and changes in microbiome composition and associated metabolites were measured by analyses of stool specimens collected at baseline, after preconditioning, and during and 4 weeks after administration of SER-287 or placebo. Results Proportions of patients with adverse events did not differ significantly among groups. A higher proportion of patients in the vancomycin/SER-287 daily group (40%) achieved clinical remission at week 8 than patients in the placebo/placebo group (0), placebo/SER-287 weekly group (13.3%), or vancomycin/SER-287 weekly group (17.7%) (P=.024 for vancomycin/SER-287 daily vs placebo/placebo). By day 7, higher numbers of SER-287 dose species were detected in stool samples from all SER-287 groups compared with the placebo group (P<.05), but this difference was not maintained beyond day 7 in the placebo/SER-287 weekly group. In the vancomycin groups, a greater number of dose species were detected in stool collected on day 10 and all subsequent time points, through 4 weeks post-dosing, compared with the placebo group (P<.05). A higher number of SER-287 dose species were detected in stool samples on days 7 and 10 from subjects who received daily vs weekly SER-287 doses (P<.05). Changes in fecal microbiome composition and metabolites were associated with both vancomycin/SER-287 groups. Conclusions In this small phase 1b trial of limited duration, the safety and tolerability of SER-287 were similar to placebo. SER-287 following vancomycin was significantly more effective than placebo for induction of remission in patients with active mild-to-moderate UC. Engraftment of dose species was facilitated by vancomycin preconditioning and daily dosing of SER-287.
The Effect of x Mole Ratio on Crystal Structure and Characteristic of Microwave Absorption of ZnLaxFe(2-x)O4 System

The effect of x mole ratio on crystal structure and characteristic of microwave absorption of ZnLaxFe(2-x)O4 system (x = 0.0; 0.01and 0.02) synthesized by solid state reaction method has been studied. The series of ZnLaxFe(2-x)O4 samples were prepared using ZnO (99.99%) and Fe2O3 (99.99 %) powders (Merck product), while La2O3 (local production) powders in mole ratio. The identification result of the XRD shows that all of samples are single phase in this stage, it has cubic spinel structure with space group F d-3 m. The SEM image of ZnLaxFe(2-x)O4 samples appear that the increase of mole ratio, the particle size of the compound powder rapidly becomes bigger, homogeneous and not uniform powder with spherical in shape and particle size of 200-500 nm. The results of the VNA characterization shows that the increasing of mole ratio (x = 0.0; 0.01 and 0.02) will enhance the ability to absorb microwave from 90.35% upto 97.69%. Thus. the composition of x=0.02 (ZnLa0.02Fe1.98O4) possess to be the best composition for microwave absorbing material.
Improvement of Flexibility of Keratin Film by Zinc Acetate

This work aimed to improve the flexibility of keratin film by blending with zinc acetate. Films were prepared by casting methods before the characterization of their morphology, structure, and crystallinity. The keratin film with zinc acetate had a rougher texture than the native keratin film and changed absorption peaks appeared in the FTIR spectrum. Blending with zinc acetate (Zn(Ac)2) helped to reduce the β-sheet structure as well as the crystallinity of the keratin film. This result clarified that Zn(Ac)2 could improve the flexibility and properties of the brittle and fragile films.
Blocking Temperature of Magnetite Nanoparticles Fe3O4 Encapsulated Silicon Dioxide SiO2

One of the important characteristics of magnetic materials is the measurement of magnetic characteristics through Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) especially magnetization temperature dependence M(T)ZFC and MTFC measurement. In this work, we reported magnetization temperature dependence measurements of magnetite nanoparticles without SiO2 encapsulation (Fe3O4) and magnetite nanoparticles with SiO2 encapsulation (Fe3O4.SiO2) at the application of magnetic fields of 100 Oe. The nanoparticles magnetite was synthesized by co-precipitation method. It was calculated that the blocking temperature of magnetite nanoparticles Fe3O4 without and with SiO2 encapsulation is 118.38 K and 209.03 K, respectively. The blocking temperatures of magnetic nanoparticles increase by SiO2 encapsulation.
A Novel Hybrid Clustering Algorithm for Topic Detection on Chinese Microblogging

The hot topics discussed on microblogs mirror public opinion, so the topic detection on microblogs is of great significance for the detection and management of public opinion. However, it is difficult for traditional clustering algorithms to handle the large-scale microblogging data with various topics and high noise. Therefore, we propose a three-layer hybrid algorithm to tackle this problem. In the first layer, we use the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-means algorithm, in which the initial center selection optimized to group the microblog texts efficiently. We then subdivide big clusters and isolate noise text to get purer clusters. In the second layer, we adopt the agglomerative nesting (AGNES) algorithm to merge the small clusters referring to the same topic. Then, we exclude most noise, reducing their further impact on the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-means in the third layer which corrects the erroneous merging occurring in AGNES. Experiments show that our algorithm outperforms some related traditional algorithms on the clustering of real microblogging data set and performs well in the topic detection.
Role of miRNA in HIV-1 latency

Postintegration latency of HIV-1 is achieved when host cells contain integrated provirus but viral particles are not being produced. When the cells are activated, infectious viruses can be produced from the cells. Latent infection is one of the important characteristics for all HIV-1 strains to survive in vivo. To avoid exposing itself to immune recognition, HIV-1 has evolved various strategies to prevent the expression of viral antigens. The resting CD4+ T lymphocytes infected with HIV-1 in a state of latency are the major reservoir for viral relapse after termination of highly active antiretroviral therapy. It has been demonstrated that the latency could be due to the transcriptional inefficiency and post-transcriptional suppression. Recent studies have also found that the cellular miRNAs inhibit HIV-1 expression in primary resting CD4+ T cells by interactions with the 3´-termini of HIV-1 RNA, and therefore contribute to viral latency. It is known that almost all spliced or unspliced HIV-1 mRNAs share t.
Surface Hardening of AlMg5Si2Mn Alloy through Multi-Axis Compression Using Max Strain

Severe plastic deformation (SPD) processing techniques are applied to polycrystalline metallic materials in order to refine the grain size up to the sub-micrometre or nanometer level. The decrease in grain size to a sub-micrometre level is related to beneficial mechanical properties such as very high strength. The most widely applied SPD method is equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP). In distinction to traditional cold rolling or drawing, SPD techniques frequently employ cyclic strain paths that can lead to an essentially unchanged shape of the material sample after processing. In this paper, multi-axis compression is applied by using the MAXStrain (R) unit to impose cyclic compression in two mutually orthogonal directions. This study is aimed to realize the evolution of microstructure and mechanical properties of AlMg5Si2Mn aluminium cast alloy subjected to multi-axis compression. The microstructure of the alloy in the as-cast and as deformed state was characterized by light and scanning electron microscopy. The results reveal that multi-axis compression has a great influence on the evolution of microstructure and final mechanical properties. The enhanced mechanical properties are associated with the progressive formation of refined microstructure which is heterogeneously distributed across the sample.
Pulmonary Vascular Disease and Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is of great interest and utility for clinicians dealing Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) in several ways, including: helping with differential diagnosis, evaluating exercise intolerance and its underpinning mechanisms, accurately assessing exertional dyspnea and unmasking its underlying often non-straightforward mechanisms, generating prognostic indicators. Pathophysiologic anomalies in PH can range from reduced cardiac output and aerobic capacity, to inefficient ventilation, dyspnea, dynamic hyperinflation, and locomotor muscle dysfunction. CPET can magnify the PH-related pathophysiologic anomalies and has a major role in the management of PH patients.
Anthropogenic Contaminants and Histopathological Findings in Stranded Cetaceans in the Southeastern United States, 2012–2018

Anthropogenic contaminants in the marine environment often biodegrade slowly, bioaccumulate in organisms, and can have deleterious effects on wildlife immunity, health, reproduction, and development. In this study, we evaluated tissue toxicant concentrations and pathology data from 83 odontocetes that stranded in the southeastern United States during 2012–2018. Mass spectrometry was used to analyze blubber samples for five organic toxicants (atrazine, bisphenol-A, diethyl phthalates, nonylphenol monoethoxylate [NPE], triclosan), and liver samples were analyzed for five non-essential elements (arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, thallium), six essential elements (cobalt, copper, manganese, iron, selenium, zinc) and one toxicant mixture class (Aroclor1268). Resultant data considerably improve upon the existing knowledge base regarding toxicant concentrations in stranded odontocetes. Toxicant and element concentrations varied based on animal demographic factors including species, sex, age, and location. Samples from bottlenose dolphins had significantly higher average concentrations of lead, manganese, mercury, selenium, thallium, and zinc, and lower average concentrations of NPE, arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, and iron than samples from pygmy sperm whales. In adult female bottlenose dolphins, average arsenic concentrations were significantly higher and iron concentrations were significantly lower than in adult males. Adult bottlenose dolphins had significantly higher average concentrations of lead, mercury, and selenium, and significantly lower average manganese concentrations compared to juveniles. Dolphins that stranded in Florida had significantly higher average concentrations of lead, mercury, and selenium, and lower concentrations of iron than dolphins that stranded in North Carolina. Histopathological data are presented for 72 animals, including microscopic evidence of Campula spp. and Sarcocystis spp. infections, and results of Morbillivirus and Brucella spp. molecular diagnostic testing. Sublethal cellular changes related to toxicant exposure in free-ranging odontocetes may lead to health declines and, in combination with other factors, may contribute to stranding.
Continuous Anaerobic Digestion of Wood Vinegar Wastewater From Pyrolysis: Microbial Diversity and Functional Genes Prediction

Wood vinegar wastewater (WVWW) is the main by-product of biomass pyrolysis process, which is more suitable to use anaerobic digestion (AD) to achieve energy recovery due to its large amount of organic matter. In this study, the up-flow anaerobic sludge bed (UASB) reactor was used to investigate the continuous anaerobic transformation of WVWW with gradient concentrations (0.3, 0.675, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 g COD/L). Then, the changes of microbial community, diversity index and functional gene were analyzed in detail. The results revealed that WVWW showed good AD performance in continuous fermentation. WVWW of organic loading rate (OLR) of >8.58 g COD/L⋅d showed severe inhibition on biodegradability and methane production, which is mainly due to the toxic substances as compared with the control group. The bacterial communities were dominated by phyla of Chloroflexi, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Synergistetes, and Actinobacteria. The gene abundances related to energy production, carbohydrate transport and metabolism were relatively high, which are mainly responsible for carbon forms conversion and carbohydrate degradation. This study will provide a basis for the screening and enrichment of functional bacteria and genes.
Increased Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations of Likely Viral Etiology Follow Elevated Ambient Nitrogen Oxides

Rationale: Epidemiologic research strongly supports an association between air pollution and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations. Numerous mechanisms may underlie any association because pollutants are toxic to pulmonary cells and may increase susceptibility to respiratory infections. The relationship between ambient pollution and exacerbation etiology has not been studied. Objectives: To evaluate the characteristics of pollution‐associated exacerbations and whether the association is specific to exacerbations of infective or noninfective etiology. Methods: We analyzed the effect of preceding ambient particulate matter less than or equal to 10 &mgr;m in aerodynamic diameter, oxides of nitrogen (NOx), and ozone on characterized chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations in a regression model adjusted for temperature, seasonality, and long‐term trend. We specifically examined associations with exacerbations of suspected viral and/or bacterial, or noninfective etiology. For the associations identified we further examined the characteristics of pollution‐associated exacerbations. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 4,173 exacerbations occurred over the 20‐year study period. Higher ambient NOx was consistently associated with increased viral‐type exacerbations at 2‐4 days lag (P = 0.010). Recovery for viral‐type exacerbations after higher ambient NOx was significantly prolonged. These findings were consistent in the subset of 2,841 exacerbations treated with oral corticosteroids or antibiotics, with recovery 1.29 (95% confidence interval, 1.17‐1.42; P < 0.001) times longer with viral‐type exacerbations of onset 3 days after above‐ versus below‐median ambient NOx. A likely bimodal association of particulate matter less than or equal to 10 &mgr;m in aerodynamic diameter with infective exacerbations was also evident and supported by a daily time‐series analysis. Conclusions: Higher levels of ambient NOx are associated with prolonged exacerbations of likely viral etiology, supporting toxicologic effects of air pollution that increase susceptibility to, and severity of, infection.
Identification of Potential Allelochemicals From Donor Plants and Their Synergistic Effects on the Metabolome of Aegilops geniculata

The need for plants to defend themselves, communicate, and somehow contribute to the social life in their ecosystems has triggered the evolution of an astonishing number of diverse chemicals, some of which involved in plant–plant interactions. In the present study, specific aspects of allelopathy are investigated. A combination of bioassays and metabolomics was used in order to study the chemical interactions occurring between three donor species of Mediterranean area (Arbutus unedo, Medicago minima, Myrtus communis) and a receiving species (Aegilops geniculata). The biochemical changes occurring in the receiving plant upon the treatments with the donor extracts were studied. Oxidative stress and altered water balance were found to be the major changes in the receiving plant. Putative allelochemicals synthesized by the donor plants were also identified and it was shown that their activity was enhanced by co-occurring metabolites. This study provides evidence that metabolite mixtures are to be taken into consideration for allelopathic activity. Furthermore, not only it reports the chemicals responsible for the activity in the specific system, but it also shows that the response of the receiving plant to the treatment with extracts from donor plants is comparable to the response to other stresses.
Murine Thigh Microdialysis to Evaluate the Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Integration of Cefquinome Against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae

This study aimed to explore the application of microdialysis in pharmacokinetic (PK)/pharmacodynamic (PD) integration of cefquinome against Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae. After the A. pleuropneumoniae population reached 106 CFU/thigh, the mice received 0.04, 0.16, 0.63, 2.5, and 10 mg/kg cefquinome by subcutaneous injection. Plasma samples were collected by retro-orbital puncture for 4 h, and thigh dialysate was obtained by microdialysis at a flow rate of 1.5 μL/min for 6 h for the PK study. For the PD experiment, the infected mice were treated with a 4-fold-increase in the total cefquinome dose, ranging from 0.01 to 10 mg/kg/24 h, divided into one, two, three, four, and eight doses. The number of bacteria was determined and an inhibitory sigmoid maximum effect (Emax) model was used to analyse the relationships between PK/PD parameters and efficacy. The mean penetration of cefquinome from plasma to the thigh was 0.591. The PK data for PK/PD integration were obtained by extrapolation. The fittest PK/PD parameter for efficacy evaluation was %fT>MIC (the percentage of time that free drug concentrations exceed the MIC). The magnitudes of %fT>MIC to achieve net bacterial stasis, 1-log10 CFU reduction, 2-log10 CFU reduction, and 3-log10 CFU reduction were 19.56, 28.65, 41.59, and 67.07 % in plasma and 21.74, 36.11, 52.96, and 82.68% in murine thigh, respectively. Microdialysis was first applied to evaluate the PK/PD integration of cefquinome against A. pleuropneumoniae. These results would provide valuable references when we apply microdialysis to study the PK/PD integration model and use cefquinome to treat animal diseases caused by A. pleuropneumoniae.
When Anger Motivates: Approach States Selectively Influence Running Performance

Emotional states are thought to influence athletic performance. Emotions characterized by high arousal enhance exercise performance. Extant research has focused on the valence and arousal dimensions of emotions, but not whether the motivational dimension (the extent to which the emotion engenders approach or avoidance behaviors) influences exercise performance. Two studies aimed to determine whether films and music chosen to induce approach- (i.e., anger), avoidance- (i.e., fear), and neutral-oriented emotions would successfully induce their intended emotional states (Study 1) and whether anger and fear emotion inductions would influence 2-mile time trial performance (Study 2). In Study 1, the films and music successfully induced their intended emotions. In Study 2, run time and perceived level of exertion did not differ between emotions across all participants or among faster running participants per a median split. However, among slower running participants, the anger induction increased the 2-mile running speed relative to the neutral induction. These findings suggest that emotions eliciting approach-related motivational states may improve exercise performance, particularly in slower runners.
Prevalence of Nasal Carriers of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus among Health Care Workers

Background and objectives: Staphylococcal infections occur regularly in hospitalized patients and have severe consequences. Due to an increasing number of infections caused by Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) strains, which are now most often multiresistant, these strains impose an alarming threat to medical science. This study attempts to find out the prevalence of nasal carriers of MRSA in health care workers of Janamaitri Hospital and nursing students of JFIHS/LACHS, Kathmandu, Nepal. Material and methods: A total of 154 nasal swabs were collected from the anterior nares of the nursing students (118) and hospital staffs (36) of JFIHS. These swabs were inoculated onto blood agar and mannitol salt agar. After overnight incubation the agar plates were analyzed for bacterial isolates and antibiogram was produced. MRSA detection was done by Cefoxitin disk test method. Results: Out of 154 nasal swabs, 34(22.07%) of them had Staphylococcus aureus, 102(66.23%) of them had Coagulase Negative Staphylococcus (CoNS), and 18(11.68%) of them had no growth. Out of 34 Staphylococcus aureus, 11 of them were MRSA. Conclusion: The present study indicates high nasal carriage rate of MRSA (32.35%) among the nursing students and the hospital staffs. The carriage rate was higher in case of nursing students than the other hospital staffs. Resistance to drugs of other classes was also seen in Staphylococcus aureus.
Punishment Feedback Impairs Memory and Changes Cortical Feedback-Related Potentials During Motor Learning

Reward and punishment have demonstrated dissociable effects on motor learning and memory, which suggests that these reinforcers are differently processed by the brain. To test this possibility, we use electroencephalography to record cortical neural activity after the presentation of reward and punishment feedback during a visuomotor rotation task. Participants were randomly placed into Reward, Punishment, or Control groups and performed the task under different conditions to assess the adaptation (learning) and retention (memory) of the motor task. These conditions featured an incongruent position between the cursor and the target, with the cursor trajectory, rotated 30° counterclockwise, requiring the participant to adapt their movement to hit the target. Feedback based on error magnitude was provided during the Adaptation condition in the form of a positive number (Reward) or negative number (Punishment), each representing a monetary gain or loss, respectively. No reinforcement or visual feedback was provided during the No Vision condition (retention). Performance error and event-related potentials (ERPs) time-locked to feedback presentation were calculated for each participant during both conditions. Punishment feedback reduced performance error and promoted faster learning during the Adaptation condition. In contrast, punishment feedback increased performance error during the No Vision condition compared to Control and Reward groups, which suggests a diminished motor memory. Moreover, the Punishment group showed a significant decrease in the amplitude of ERPs during the No Vision condition compared to the Adaptation condition. The amplitude of ERPs did not change in the other two groups. These results suggest that punishment feedback impairs motor retention by altering the neural processing involved in memory encoding. This study provides a neurophysiological underpinning for the dissociative effects of punishment feedback on motor learning.