Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Airborne medicine - bacterial volatiles and their influence on plant health.

Like most other eukaryotes, plants do not live alone but in close association with a diverse microflora. These plant-associated microbes contribute to plant health in many different ways ranging from modulation of hormonal pathways to direct antibiosis of plant pathogens. Over the last fifteen years, the importance of volatile organic compounds as mediators of mutualistic interactions between plant-associated bacteria and their hosts has become evident. This review summarizes current knowledge concerning bacterial volatile-mediated plant protection against abiotic and biotic stresses. It then discusses the translational potential of such metabolites or of their emitters for sustainable crop protection, the possible ways to harness this potential and the major challenges still preventing us from doing so. Finally, the review concludes with highlighting the most pressing scientific gaps that need to be filled in order to enable a better understanding of i) the molecular mechanisms underlying the biosynthesis of bacterial volatiles, ii) the complex regulation of bacterial volatile emission in natural communities, iii) the perception of bacterial volatiles by plants, and iv) the modes of actions of bacterial volatiles on their host.
What do General Practitioners Think About an Online Tailored Self-regulation Programme for Primary Prevention

Background: General practitioners (GP’s) can positively affect patients’ behavioural choices. But often GP’s report a lack of time and of standarized approaches which may hamper preventive counselling. Therefore a tablet based eHealth programme based on self regulation was developed for general practitioners (GP’s). In order to adjust this programme to the needs of GP’s, focus group interviews were conducted. Methods: Focus group interviews were conducted in which the determinants for the use of the proposed eHealth programme were discussed. Data were collected from a sample of eight local consultation groups of GP’s. In total, 50 GP’s participated in the focus group interviews. After the researcher gave a short presentation of the new programme, open-ended questions were used to address the opinion of the GP’s to the content and to the use of the proposed programme. The focus groups interviews were audio-taped and transcripted. These transcripts were thematically analysed via NVivo software. Findings: GP’s reported the need for a primary prevention method that people can use to effectively change their health behaviour. The majority of GP’s were positive about the use of self-regulation in a programme. However they also had some concerns about the delivery method in general practice. The majority of GP’s wanted different ways of delivery. The use of ehealth tools was considered as a good method, but not for all patients. According to the participating GP’s, the programme is not suitable for people with low education or for older people. Discussion: Self-regulation is a preferred method for ehealth programmes in general practice. The delivery method should exist of a combination of approaches (tablets, flyers and a website). In order to know if the intervention is also suitable for low SES and older people, a piloottest is needed.
The longitudinal course of schizophrenia: testosterone and progression of the negative symptoms

Abstract Background: The longitudinal course of schizophrenia shows a high level of heterogeneity with testosterone as a possible factor in the variety of clinical outcomes. Aim: Evaluation of the course of schizophrenia in male patients over an eight-year period and of the possible testosterone effects on changes in clinical features. Subjects and methods: The initial study population consisted of 120 male schizophrenic patients (aged 18–40) hospitalized in the University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapce in 2009. Patients were classified into nonaggressive (control, n = 60) and aggressive (n = 60) groups. In 2017, we reassessed 85 patients (67,5%) from the initial sample. Symptoms of schizophrenia were determined using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and compared with the total serum testosterone level taken at the inclusion in the study. The distribution of values for individual variables was determined using the Smirnov–Kolmogorov test; for all further analyses, the appropriate non-parametric test was used. Results: The control group showed a statistically significant negative correlation between testosterone and negative PANSS. The initial PANSS scores, compared to those at the follow-up, showed a statistically significant reduction in positive and general symptoms in all groups, with the greatest reduction in the control group. Conclusion: We found a reduction in positive and general symptoms of schizophrenia among all patients and no changes in negative symptoms. Inverse correlation between testosterone and negative symptoms was found only in the control group, but there was no testosterone influence on the progression of any PANSS subscales.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis Programs Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Establish Dormancy and Persistence.

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major infectious disease worldwide. TB treatment displays a bi-phasic bacterial clearance, in which the majority of bacteria clear within the first month of treatment, but residual bacteria remains non-responsive to treatment and eventually may become resistant. Here, we have shown that Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb) is taken up by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), where it established dormancy and became highly non-responsive to isoniazid, a major constituent of Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS). Dormant M.tb induced quiescence in MSCs and promoted their long-term survival. Unlike macrophages, where M.tb resides in early-phagosomal compartments, in MSCs the majority of bacilli were found in the cytosol, where they promoted rapid lipid-synthesis, hiding within lipid-droplets. Inhibition of lipid-synthesis prevented dormancy and sensitized the organisms to isoniazid. Thus, we have established that M.tb gains dormancy in MSCs, which thus serve as a long-term natural-reservoir of dormant M.tb. Interestingly, in the murine-model of TB, induction of autophagy eliminated M.tb from MSCs and consequently, the addition of rapamycin to an isoniazid treatment regimen successfully attained sterile clearance and prevented disease reactivation.
Hydrogen sulfide signaling in mitochondria and disease

Hydrogen sulfide can signal through 3 distinct mechanisms: 1) reduction and/or direct binding of metalloprotein heme centers, 2) serving as a potent antioxidant through reactive oxygen species/reactive nitrogen species scavenging, or 3) post‐translational modification of proteins by addition of a thiol (‐SH) group onto reactive cysteine residues: a process known as persulfidation. Below toxic levels, hydrogen sulfide promotes mitochondrial biogenesis and function, thereby conferring protection against cellular stress. For these reasons, increases in hydrogen sulfide and hydrogen sulfide‐producing enzymes have been implicated in several human disease states. This review will first summarize our current understanding of hydrogen sulfide production and metabolism, as well as its signaling mechanisms; second, this work will detail the known mechanisms of hydrogen sulfide in the mitochondria and the implications of its mitochondrial‐specific impacts in several pathologic conditions. —Murphy, B. , Bhattacharya, R. , Mukherjee, P. Hydrogen sulfide signaling in mitochondria and disease. FASEB J. 33, 13098–13125 (2019). www.fasebj. org
Solid fuels for cooking and tobacco use and risk of major chronic liver disease mortality: a prospective cohort study of 0.5 million Chinese adults

Abstract Background Harmful substances in solid fuel and tobacco smoke are believed to enter the bloodstream via inhalation and to be metabolized in the liver, leading to chronic liver damage. However, little is known about the independent and joint effects of solid fuel use and smoking on risks of chronic liver disease (CLD) mortality. Methods During 2004–08, ∼0.5 million adults aged 30–79 years were recruited from 10 areas across China. During a 10-year median follow-up, 2461 CLD deaths were recorded. Multivariable Cox regression yielded adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the individual associations of self-reported long-term cooking fuel and tobacco use with major CLD death. Results Overall, 49% reported solid fuel use and 26% smoked regularly. Long-term solid fuel use for cooking and current smoking were associated with higher risks of CLD deaths, with adjusted HRs of 1.26 (95% CI, 1.02–1.56) and 1.28 (1.13–1.44), respectively. Compared with never-smoking clean fuel users, the HRs were 1.41 (1.10–1.82) in never-smoking solid fuel users, 1.55 (1.17–2.06) in regular-smoking clean fuel users and 1.71 (1.32–2.20) in regular-smoking solid fuels users. Individuals who had switched from solid to clean fuels (1.07, 0.90–1.29; for median 14 years) and ex-regular smokers who stopped for non-medical reasons (1.16, 0.95–1.43; for median 10 years) had no evidence of excess risk of CLD deaths compared with clean fuel users and never-regular smokers, respectively. Conclusions Among Chinese adults, long-term solid fuel use for cooking and smoking were each independently associated with higher risks of CLD deaths. Individuals who had stopped using solid fuels or smoking had lower risks.
On the valid publication of names of mycobacteria

We are grateful to A. Oren and M.E. Trujillo for their precise clarifications. I admit that my knowledge about the complex rules governing the nomenclature of prokaryotes is very limited and dates back to no more than an year ago when, in reply to a manuscript of mine, a reviewer for the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology invited me to read the papers of B.J. Tindall and co-workers [1, 2]. The complex taxonomic rules do not affect the legitimacy of using the conventional nomenclature of mycobacteria based on the single genus Mycobacterium http://bit.ly/2L3mpKi
Comparison of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane block, quadratus lumborum block, and caudal epidural block for perioperative analgesia in pediatric lower abdominal surgery

Background/aim Despite different regional anesthesia techniques used to provide intraoperative and postoperative analgesia in pediatric patients, the analgesic effectiveness of peripheral nerve blockades with minimal side effect profiles have not yet been fully determined.We aimed to compare the efficacy of ultrasound-guided transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block, quadratus lumborum (QL) block, and caudal epidural block on perioperative analgesia in pediatric patients aged between 6 months and 14 years who underwent elective unilateral lower abdominal wall surgery. Materials and methods Ninety-four patients classified under the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification system as ASA I or ASA II were randomly divided into 3 equal groups to perform TAP, QL or Caudal epidural block using 0.25% of bupivacaine solution (0.5 ml kg−1). Results Postoperative analgesic consumption was highest in the TAP block group (P < 0.05). In the QL block group, Pediatric Objective Pain Scale (POAS) scores were statistically significantly lower after 2 and 4 h (P < 0.05). The length of hospital stay was significantly longer in the caudal block group than the QL block group (P < 0.05). Conclusion We suggest that analgesia with ultrasound-guided QL block should be considered as an option for perioperative analgesia in pediatric patients undergoing lower abdominal surgery if the expertise and equipment are available.
Using the Negative Exponential Model to Describe Changes in Risk of Smoking-Related Diseases following Changes in Exposure to Tobacco

Recently published analyses for four smoking-related diseases show that the declining excess relative risk by time quit is well fitted by the negative exponential model. These analyses estimated the half-life of this excess, that is, the time after quitting when the excess relative risk reaches half that for continuing smokers. We describe extensions of the simple model. One quantifies the decline following an exposure reduction. We show that this extension satisfactorily predicts results from studies investigating the effect of reducing cigarette consumption. It may also be relevant to exposure reductions following product-switching. Another extension predicts changes in excess relative risk occurring following multiple exposure changes over time. Suitable published epidemiological data are unavailable to test this, and we recommend its validity to be investigated using large studies with data recorded on smoking habits at multiple time points in life. The basic formulae described assume that the excess relative risk for a continuing smoker is linearly related to exposure and that the half-life is invariant of age. We describe model adaptations to allow for nonlinear dose-response and for age-dependence of the half-life. The negative exponential model, though relatively simple, appears to have many potential uses in epidemiological research for summarizing variations in risk with exposure changes.
Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells towards Neuronal Lineage: Clinical Trials in Nervous System Disorders

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been proposed as an alternative therapy to be applied into several pathologies of the nervous system. These cells can be obtained from adipose tissue, umbilical cord blood and bone marrow, among other tissues, and have remarkable therapeutic properties. MSCs can be isolated with high yield, which adds to their ability to differentiate into non-mesodermal cell types including neuronal lineage both in vivo and in vitro. They are able to restore damaged neural tissue, thus being suitable for the treatment of neural injuries, and possess immunosuppressive activity, which may be useful for the treatment of neurological disorders of inflammatory etiology. Although the long-term safety of MSC-based therapies remains unclear, a large amount of both pre-clinical and clinical trials have shown functional improvements in animal models of nervous system diseases following transplantation of MSCs. In fact, there are several ongoing clinical trials evaluating the possible benefits this cell-based therapy could provide to patients with neurological damage, as well as their clinical limitations. In this review we focus on the potential of MSCs as a therapeutic tool to treat neurological disorders, summarizing the state of the art of this topic and the most recent clinical studies.
The effect of complex cognitive training on subsequent night sleep

Using a nap design, we have recently shown that training at a complex cognitive task at bedtime improves objective sleep quality by reducing sleep fragmentation. In order to extend our findings to nighttime sleep, here we assess the impact of a multi‐componential cognitive task at bedtime on the subsequent sleep episode of subjects reporting habitual bad sleep, allegedly characterized by high sleep fragmentation. In a within‐subjects design, 20 subjective bad sleepers underwent polysomnographic recording in three conditions: (a) baseline sleep (BL); (b) post‐training sleep (TR), preceded by a complex ecological task, i.e. a modified version of the word game Ruzzle; (c) post‐active control sleep (AC), preceded by a control task. Sleep in TR was more organized (higher number of cycles and longer time spent in cycles) and showed lower microarousal frequency than in AC and BL. As for sleep continuity (total and brief awakening frequency) and other stability measures (state transition and functional uncertainty period frequency, time in functional uncertainty), both TR and AC showed significant improvements compared with BL. Arousal frequency was also reduced in TR relative to BL. Our results show a clear impact of cognitive training on subsequent night sleep, basically consisting of an increase in sleep continuity, stability and organization. In our sample of bad sleepers, these post‐training changes end up representing a notable sleep improvement, also consistently reflected in subjective sleep quality perception. Therefore, ecological pre‐sleep cognitive training should be further studied as an easily accessible complementary approach in standard therapies for sleep‐disordered populations.
rs3851179G>A in PICALM is protective against Alzheimer's disease in five different countries surrounding the Mediterranean.

BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a multifactorial disease affected by various factors including genetics. Although APOE is considered the major and strongest genetic risk factor, other genetic factors such as rs3851179G>A in PICALM have been reported despite that not being fully clear. OBJECTIVE We first aimed to investigate the correlation between rs3851179G>A in PICALM and AD in Lebanese individuals affected with AD. Then, we further investigated its overall effect in five different populations from the Mediterranean region (Turkey, Italy, Spain, France and ours) through performing a meta-analysis. METHOD We investigated the relation between the rs3851179G>A and AD in 109 Lebanese individuals (54% affected with AD) using allele-specific PCR. Sanger Sequencing was also used to verify genotyping. RESULTS Using a multiple logistic regression model adjusted for many covariates, only rs3851179G>A showed a negative correlation with AD (O.R=0.28, P=0.04 and O.R=0.07, P=0.01 for GA and AA respectively). To go further, a meta-analysis was conducted using studies on 3,619 participants from five different populations that belong to countries surrounding the Mediterranean (Turkey, Italy, Spain, France and ours). Sensitivity test showed no genetic heterogeneity for rs3851179G>A in the pooled analysis (P=0.44 and I2=0%) and in each individual study (P>0.05). Using an additive model, our results showed significant association between rs3851179G>A and AD (Pmeta=0.003, OR=0.91). The funnel plot was symmetrical inverted funnel and no significant publication bias was found for our model (P=0.46). CONCLUSION rs3851179A allele in PICALM tends to have a protective factor against AD in the Mediterranean region.
Incidence of second primary malignancies in patients with thyroid cancer in the Turkish population

Background/aim Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy. Recently the incidence has been increasing faster compared to other malignancies. Different studies have shown that the incidence of breast cancer in patients followed due to thyroid cancer has increased, and vice versa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of second primary cancers in the follow-up of patients with thyroid cancer. Materials and methods In this study, 1196 patients with thyroid cancer were evaluated in the Necmettin Erbakan University Meram Medical School’s Department of Endocrinology between 2004 and 2018. Demographic characteristics and radiological and pathological results of the patients were recorded. The presence of accompanying second malignancies in patients with thyroid cancer was investigated. Results In our study, 985 (82.4%) women (mean age: 46.1 ± 13.3 years) and 211 (17.6%) men (mean age: 49.9 ± 14.2 years) were evaluated. The median follow-up was 63 months (2–164 months). Of the 1196 patients, 1126 (94.1%) had no additional cancer and 70 (5.9%) patients had a second malignancy. The accompanying second malignancies were breast cancer in 24 (2%) patients, skin cancer in 8 (0.7%) patients, renal cell cancer in 5 (0.4%) patients, lung cancer in 5 (0.4%) patients, colon cancer in 5 (0.4%) patients, lymphoma in 5 (0.4%) patients, endometrial cancer in 4 (0.3%) patients, and 14 cases of other rare types of cancer. Conclusion In our study, it was found that the most common second primary malignancy in patients with thyroid cancer was breast cancer. However, other cancers (skin cancer, renal cell cancer, lymphoma, and colon, lung, or endometrial cancer) may occur in patients with thyroid cancer.
Downregulation of microRNA‐103a reduces microvascular endothelial cell injury in a rat model of cerebral ischemia by targeting AXIN2

Multiple microRNAs (miRNAs) have been found to be linked with cerebral ischemia. Thus, this study was employed to characterize the capabilities of miRNA‐103a (miR‐103a) on the brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) injury in rat models of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) by regulating AXIN2. The MCAO rat model was developed by the suture method, where normal saline, miR‐103a inhibitors, or its negative control were separately injected into the lateral ventricle to assess the function of miR‐103a inhibitors in BMECs apoptosis, microvessel density, as well as angiogenesis. In addition, the oxygen‐glucose deprivation model was induced in primarily cultured BMECs to unearth the functions of miR‐103a inhibitors on cell viability and apoptosis, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and tube formation ability. Furthermore, the relationship between miR‐103a and AXIN2 was verified. The modeled rats of MCAO showed robustly expressed miR‐103a, poorly expressed AXIN2, severe neurological deficits, accelerated apoptosis and reduced angiogenesis. miR‐103a expression had a negative correlation with AXIN2 messenger RNA expression (r = −0.799; p < .05). In response to the treatment of miR‐103a inhibitors, the BMECs apoptosis was suppressed and angiogenesis was restored, corresponding to upregulated Bcl‐2, VEGF, and Ang‐1, in addition to downregulated caspase‐3 and Bax. Meanwhile, AXIN2 was verified to be the miR‐103a's target gene. More important, miR‐103a inhibitors led to promoted BMEC viability and tube formation and suppressed apoptosis and LDH release rate. This study highlights that miR‐103a targets and negatively regulates AXIN2, whereby reducing BMEC injury in cerebral ischemia.
Social Media in Public Health: Strategies to Distill, Package, and Disseminate Public Health Research

The worldwide expansion of users on the Internet has popularized the access of individuals to information that may not be obtained otherwise. Social media has fostered interactions between individuals and health organizations by changing the nature and speed of engagement. While it is known that many public health organizations use social media to engage their audiences, little is known about effective strategies and best practices for the dissemination of knowledge and audience engagement. Many barriers exist in the dissemination of public health messages, including limited funds to support information sharing. Blogs and social media networking sites can be dynamic, cost-effective communication tools with the potential to reach scientific, practitioner, and public audiences who may be missed through traditional outlets. This article describes rudimentary processes of developing a blog and using social media to disseminate public health information and potential applications in the day-to-day activities for other public health organizations. With the growing demand for instant communication and concise information, a strong Internet presence could help organizations maximize their reach and impact.