Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Er,Cr:YSGG Laser-Activated Irrigation and Passive Ultrasonic Irrigation: Comparison of Two Strategies for Root Canal Disinfection.

Objective: To compare the antibacterial effectiveness of 0.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) activated by the Er,Cr:YSGG laser-activated irrigation (LAI) and passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) against a 10-day-old intracanal Enterococcus faecalis biofilm. Background: LAI and PUI are regarded as alternative methods to release the irrigant in the inner regions of the root canal system achieving enhanced cleaning ability. Nevertheless, little evidence regarding the activation of low concentrations of NaOCl has been reported. Materials and methods: Seventy-two single-rooted teeth were instrumented, inoculated (E. faecalis ATCC 29212), and incubated for 10 days to allow biofilm formation. Specimens were randomly divided into six groups (n = 12 each): (1) 0.5% NaOCl+Er,Cr:YSGG LAI, (2) saline+Er,Cr:YSGG LAI, (3) 0.5% NaOCl+PUI, (4) saline+PUI, (5) positive control (no treatment), and (6) negative control (no bacteria). The activation time was distributed as follows: 30 sec of activation, followed by a rest phase of 30 sec, and ending with 30 sec of activation. The number of bacterial survivors was determined by plate counting. Results: Both irrigation regimens LAI and PUI reduced the number of colony-forming unit. Moreover, LAI +0.5% NaOCl and the rest of groups significantly differ (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). Conclusions: Er,Cr:YSGG LAI proved to be more effective than PUI in enhancing the antimicrobial activity of 0.5% NaOCl against 10-day-old intracanal E. faecalis biofilms.
Matrix Metalloproteinase in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and Aortic Dissection

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) affects 4–5% of men over 65, and Aortic Dissection (AD) is a life-threatening aortic pathology associated with high morbidity and mortality. Initiators of AAA and AD include smoking and arterial hypertension, whilst key pathophysiological features of AAA and AD include chronic inflammation, hypoxia, and large modifications to the extra cellular matrix (ECM). As it stands, only surgical methods are available for preventing aortic rupture in patients, which often presents difficulties for recovery. No pharmacological treatment is available, as such researchers are attempting to understand the cellular and molecular pathophysiology of AAA and AD. Upregulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs), particularly MMP-2 and MMP-9, has been identified as a key event occurring during aneurysmal growth. As such, several animal models of AAA and AD have been used to investigate the therapeutic potential of suppressing MMP-2 and MMP-9 activity as well as modulating the activity of other MMPs, and TIMPs involved in the pathology. Whilst several studies have offered promising results, targeted delivery of MMP inhibition still needs to be developed in order to avoid surgery in high risk patients.
Two New Flavonoids from the Nuts of Areca catechu

Two new flavonoids, calquiquelignan M (1), calquiquelignan N (2), along with nine known compounds (3–11), were isolated from the nuts of Areca catechu (Palmae). The new structures, including absolute configurations, were established by a combination of spectroscopic data and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) calculation. The known compounds were identified by comparing their spectroscopic data with reported in the literature. The flavonoids compounds (1–8) were evaluated for their cytotoxicity activities against three human cancer cell lines. Compounds 1 and 2 exhibited a moderate cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cell lines with IC50 values of 49.8 and 53.6 μM, respectively.
Futures of digital death: Past, present and charting emerging research agenda

Abstract This special issue entitled “Futures of Digital Death: Mobilities of Loss and Commemoration” explores the topic of digital death and how technologies are reconfigured by and reconfiguring social relationships with the deceased and dying loved ones as well as the larger ecosystem supporting such relationships. This Introduction article starts with an overview of the past research on digital death intended to provide a relevant context for the five papers included in this issue. Then, we reflect on how the current papers, or the present research, build on the past and can be used to address existing gaps and to inform future new research directions in order to move the field forward.
Design, synthesis, and biological activity evaluation of BACE1 inhibitors with antioxidant activity

The proteolytic enzyme β‐secretase (BACE1) plays a central role in the synthesis of the pathogenic β‐amyloid peptides (Aβ) in Alzheimer's disease (AD), antioxidants could attenuate the AD syndrome and prevent the disease progression. In this study, BACE1 inhibitors (D1–D18) with free radical‐scavenging activities were synthesized by molecular hybridization of 2‐aminopyridine with natural antioxidants. The biological activity evaluation showed that D1 had obvious inhibitory activity against BACE1, and strong antioxidant activity in 1,1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2′‐azinobis‐(3‐ethylbenzthiazoline‐6‐sulphonate) (ABTS+•) assay, which could be used as a lead compound for further study.
The Role of the Anabolic Properties of Plant- versus Animal-Based Protein Sources in Supporting Muscle Mass Maintenance: A Critical Review

Plant-sourced proteins offer environmental and health benefits, and research increasingly includes them in study formulas. However, plant-based proteins have less of an anabolic effect than animal proteins due to their lower digestibility, lower essential amino acid content (especially leucine), and deficiency in other essential amino acids, such as sulfur amino acids or lysine. Thus, plant amino acids are directed toward oxidation rather than used for muscle protein synthesis. In this review, we evaluate the ability of plant- versus animal-based proteins to help maintain skeletal muscle mass in healthy and especially older people and examine different nutritional strategies for improving the anabolic properties of plant-based proteins. Among these strategies, increasing protein intake has led to a positive acute postprandial muscle protein synthesis response and even positive long-term improvement in lean mass. Increasing the quality of protein intake by improving amino acid composition could also compensate for the lower anabolic potential of plant-based proteins. We evaluated and discussed four nutritional strategies for improving the amino acid composition of plant-based proteins: fortifying plant-based proteins with specific essential amino acids, selective breeding, blending several plant protein sources, and blending plant with animal-based protein sources. These nutritional approaches need to be profoundly examined in older individuals in order to optimize protein intake for this population who require a high-quality food protein intake to mitigate age-related muscle loss.
Exploring the potential effect of Methanolic extract of Salvia officinalis against UV exposed skin aging: In vivo and In vitro model.

CONTEXT The medicinal plants have enormous pharmacological properties and having fewer side effects. Today there is increasing demand of medicinal plants as an anti-aging and anti-wrinkle agent. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to evaluate antioxidant, anti-aging and anti-wrinkle potential of Salvia officinalis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Salvia officinalis (Lamiaceae) is folk medicine of Asia and Latin America. Powdered crude drug 100 g were successively extracted in a soxhlet apparatus with petroleum ether (60-80ºC), chloroform and methanol. After successive solvents extraction methanolic extract was used for testing of antioxidant potential using DPPH assay. Further, antiaging potential of extract was investigated by inhibitory effect of various enzymatic estimations i.e. Col-I, Ela-I and Hya-I inhibitory assays on early aging human skin fibroblasts. Antiwrinkle potential of plant Salvia officinalis was done by using UV light induced photo aging model. RESULTS Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of glycosides, alkaloids flavonoids, and triterpenoids, saponins and Phenolic compounds in high level. Extract showed inhibitory concentration (IC50:24.65) and ascorbic acid the standard antioxidant showed inhibitory concentration (IC50:20.10). In enzymatic estimations assay, the Col-I, Ela-I and Hya-I of extract were assessed showing inhibitory concentration as Col-I (IC50:21.36), Ela-I (IC50:35.05) and Hya-I (IC50:23.44) respectively. Thus, MeOH extract of Salvia officinalis able to inhibit 50% of the activity of aging related enzymes Col-I, Ela-I and Hya-I. The wrinkle score of negative control i.e. UV treated group was 2.83±0.408 and MeOH extract of Salvia officinalis treated group is 1.83 ±0.753. CONCLUSION This study concluded that MeOH extract of Salvia officinalis has confirmed the high antioxidant potential and In vitro and In vivo inhibitory potential of antiaging enzymes assessed, thus they could be used for further development of cosmetic products and nutraceuticals.
NFVis : um ambiente para visualização de virtualização de funções de rede

Network Function Virtualization (NFV) is a recent paradigm designed to decouple network functions (e.g., load balancing and firewall) from the physical proprietary devices on which they run, allowing software instances of these functions to be performed on commodity hardware. In order to instantiate Virtual Network Functions (VNFs), Network Points-of-Presence (N-PoPs) must be selected in such way they satisfy capacity and performance constraints defined by the functions. The set of VNFs, as well as the order in which they must be applied in certain data flows, is defined as a Service Function Chaining (SFC). A problem associated with such environment is the difficulty in obtaining an adequate understanding of the network infrastructure. As the infrastructure grows to meet the demands of new services, it is difficult to clearly visualize the network due to its large number of elements. In addition, the visualization of SFCs aggravates this problem, by the need to analyze multiple chainings at the same time, each one concerning a subset of the network elements. In this context, there are related works that propose visualization mechanisms with the aim of facilitating the performance analysis of these networks. In contrast, the development of visualization tools that facilitate the understanding of how the elements are instantiated is still scarce in the literature. In this work we investigate, design and prototype a visualization environment for networks with virtualized functions. This environment is materialized in the prototype of a system that, taking advantage of element clustering, allows to observe the infrastructure by an appropriate level of abstraction in different situations, as well as revealing/hiding important elements for understanding SFCs of interest.
Geometry Coding for Dynamic Voxelized Point Clouds Using Octrees and Multiple Contexts

We present a method to compress geometry information of point clouds that explores redundancies across consecutive frames of a sequence. It uses octrees and works by progressively increasing the resolution of the octree. At each branch of the tree, we generate an approximation of the child nodes by a number of methods which are used as contexts to drive an arithmetic coder. The best approximation, i.e., the context that yields the least amount of encoding bits, is selected and the chosen method is indicated as side information for replication at the decoder. The core of our method is a context-based arithmetic coder in which a reference octree is used as a reference to encode the current octree, thus providing 255 contexts for each output octet. The $255\times 255$ frequency histogram is viewed as a discrete 3D surface and is conveyed to the decoder using another octree. We present two methods to generate the predictions (contexts) which use adjacent frames in the sequence (inter-frame) and one method that works purely intra-frame. The encoder continuously switches the best mode among the three and conveys such information to the decoder. Since an intra-frame prediction is present, our coder can also work in purely intra-frame mode, as well. Extensive results are presented to show the method’s potential against many compression alternatives for the geometry information in dynamic voxelized point clouds.
Outpatient Breastfeeding Champion Program: Breastfeeding Support in Primary Care.

Background: Breastfeeding support offered by trained professionals can increase breastfeeding success. The Outpatient Breastfeeding Champion (OBC) program creates a network of Breastfeeding Champions (typically nurses) who are trained to identify and resolve common breastfeeding issues and refer to lactation professionals as needed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact the OBC program on nurses' attitudes toward breastfeeding and self-confidence in providing breastfeeding care. Materials and Methods: The OBC program was implemented in 11 medical offices within a health care system. Nurses were surveyed before (n = 9) and immediately after (n = 9) participating in OBC training sessions, and 6 months following the implementation of the OBC training (n = 15). Data were collected on their breastfeeding attitude and self-confidence in providing breastfeeding care, and the responses at the different time points were compared using Wilcoxon Rank-Sum tests. Results: Nurses' attitudes toward breastfeeding (p = 0.049) and self-confidence in managing breastfeeding position and attachment (p = 0.09) were higher immediately after completion of the OBC training than they were before training. There was no significant difference in either response between immediately after completion and 6 months following training. Conclusion: This study presents a model of breastfeeding care that extends the reach of an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant to improve breastfeeding support in the primary care setting. Nurses' more positive breastfeeding attitudes and self-confidence in providing breastfeeding care following training suggest that the use of a breastfeeding training program may improve the breastfeeding support provided by nurses, which could be sustained over time.
Frequency of latent equine herpesvirus type-1 infection among a sample of horses in the central North Island of New Zealand

ABSTRACT Aim: To estimate the frequency of infection with equine herpesvirus type-1 (EHV-1) among horses from the central North Island of New Zealand, including the frequency of detection of the D752 genotype. Methods: Samples of retropharyngeal lymph nodes (RLN) and submandibular lymph nodes (SLN) were dissected from the heads of 63 horses that were humanely killed for various unrelated reasons between March and November 2015. DNA extracted from these tissues was subjected to enrichment for EHV-1 sequences by hybridisation with biotin-labelled EHV-1 specific probe, followed by recovery of EHV-1 sequences on streptavidin-coated magnetic beads. Enriched samples were tested for the presence of EHV-1 using nested quantitative real-time PCR. The EHV-1 amplicons were sequenced to determine the genotype of the virus. Results: The median age of the horses was 6 (min 2, max 30) years, and 47/63 (75%) were Thoroughbreds. EHV-1 DNA was detected in RLN samples from 6/63 (10%) horses, and three of these horses were also positive for EHV-1 DNA in SLN. The remaining horses were negative for EHV-1 DNA in both RLN and SLN samples. The N752 genotype was detected in all positive samples and the D752 genotype was not detected in any of the samples. Conclusions: EHV-1 continues to circulate among horses in New Zealand. The frequency of latent EHV-1 infection among sampled horses may have been underestimated due to the sensitivity limit of the assay or because of the limited anatomical sites sampled in the study. Lack of detection of the D752 genotype suggests that infection with this genotype is not common in horses in New Zealand. Clinical Relevance: If live animals are tested for EHV-1 using SLN biopsy it should be kept in mind that negative results do not rule out the presence of latent EHV-1 infection at other sites inaccessible for testing. The RLN appear to be the preferred sample for detection of EHV-1 DNA in horses following recent euthanasia.
Long noncoding RNA CASC15 predicts unfavorable prognosis and exerts oncogenic functions in non-small cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND Aberrant expression of long non-coding RNA cancer susceptibility 15 (lncRNA CASC15) has been documented in various human tumors, and upregulation of CASC15 is closely correlated with cancer progression. However, the expression profile and potential biological functions of lncRNA CASC15 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have not been fully characterized. METHODS The expression levels of CASC15 were assessed by qRT-PCR in human NSCLC tissues and by in situ hybridization in NSCLC tissue microarray. The relationship between CASC15 expression and clinical parameters, as well as prognosis were analyzed and validated in TCGA NSCLC datasets. The biological functions of CASC15 were analyzed by CCK-8 assay, cell migration and invasion assay in NSCLC cell lines in vitro. In addition, a mouse xenograft model was established to evaluate the effect of CASC15 knockdown on NSCLC tumor growth in vivo. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) related molecules were examined by western blot and immunohistochemistry staining. RESULTS We found that CASC15 was upregulated in NSCLC tissues and cell lines. High expression levels of CASC15 were correlated with malignancies and poor survival rate in NSCLC patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that CASC15 was an independent risk factor of prognosis. In addition, we demonstrated that CASC15 knockdown inhibited NSCLC cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. Xenograft model showed CASC15 knockdown significantly suppressed NSCLC tumor growth. Mechanistically, we revealed that CASC15 regulated EMT-related molecules and promoted the NSCLC progression and metastasis. CONCLUSION In summary, our findings suggest CASC15 exhibits an oncogenic role in promoting NSCLC tumorigenesis via regulating EMT.
A phylogenomic perspective on diversity, hybridization and evolutionary affinities in the stickleback genus Pungitius

Hybridization and convergent evolution are phenomena of broad interest in evolutionary biology, but their occurrence poses challenges for reconstructing evolutionary affinities among affected taxa. Sticklebacks in the genus Pungitius are a case in point: evolutionary relationships and taxonomic validity of different species and populations in this circumpolarly distributed species complex remain contentious due to convergent evolution of traits regarded as diagnostic in their taxonomy, and possibly also due to frequent hybridization among taxa. To clarify the evolutionary relationships among different Pungitius species and populations globally, as well as to study the prevalence and extent of introgression among recognized species, genomic data sets of both reference genome‐anchored single nucleotide polymorphisms and de novo assembled RAD‐tag loci were constructed with RAD‐seq data. Both data sets yielded topologically identical and well‐supported species trees. Incongruence between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA‐based trees was found and suggested possibly frequent hybridization and mitogenome capture during the evolution of Pungitius sticklebacks. Further analyses revealed evidence for frequent nuclear genetic introgression among Pungitius species, although the estimated proportions of autosomal introgression were low. Apart from providing evidence for frequent hybridization, the results challenge earlier mitochondrial and morphology‐based hypotheses regarding the number of species and their affinities in this genus: at least seven extant species can be recognized on the basis of genetic data. The results also shed new light on the biogeographical history of the Pungitius‐complex, including suggestion of several trans‐Arctic invasions of Europe from the Northern Pacific. The well‐resolved phylogeny should facilitate the utility of this genus as a model system for future comparative evolutionary studies.
Short-term stress from high light and high temperature triggers transcriptomic changes in the local lesions 1 rice mutant

ABSTRACT High light and high temperature (HLHT) stress induces the production of damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS) in many plants. Recently, we described a HLHT-sensitive rice (Oryza sativa) mutant, local lesions (ls1), that exhibits local lesions under HLHT, due to DNA damage and excess ROS accumulation. Here, we determined that an HLHT treatment induced the local lesion phenotype in ls1 within 6 h. Corroborating this result, we found that transient HLHT treatment influenced the expression of many genes in the ls1 mutant, while affecting the growth and development of young leaves.
Beneficial Effects of Inspiratory Muscle Training Combined With Multicomponent Training in Elderly Active Women

ABSTRACT Purpose: This study aims to analyze changes in Maximum Inspiratory Pressure (MIP), lung function, cardiorespiratory fitness, and blood pressure, in 10 healthy active elderly women, following 7 weeks of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) combined with a multicomponent training program (MCTP). The association among these health parameters, their changes after training (deltas), and the influence of MIP at baseline (MIPpre) are also considered. Methods: IMT involved 30 inspirations at 50% of the MIP, twice daily, 7 days a week, while MCTP was 1 hr, twice a week. MIP, lung function (FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FEF25-75%, PEF), 6MWT, and blood pressure (SBP, DBP), jointly with body composition, were assessed before and after the intervention. Results: Seven weeks were enough to improved MIP (p = .019; d = 1.397), 6MWT (p = .012; d = .832), SBP (p = .003; d = 1.035) and DBP (p = .024; d = .848). Despite the high physical fitness (VO2 peak: M = 23.38, SD = 3.39 ml·min·Kg−1), MIPpre was low (M = 39.00, SD = 7.63 cmH2O) and displayed a significant negative correlation with ΔMIPpre-post (r = −.821; p < .004), showing that women who started the intervention with lower MIP achieved higher improvements in inspiratory muscle strength after training. Conclusions: No significant changes in spirometric parameters may signal that lung function is independent of early improvements in inspiratory muscles and cardiorespiratory fitness. Absence of correlation between physical fitness and respiratory outcomes suggests that being fit does not ensure cardiorespiratory health in active elderly women, so IMT might be beneficial and should supplement the MCTP in this population.