Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gliotoxin Aggravates Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis by Triggering Neuroinflammation

Gliotoxin (GTX) is the major and the most potent mycotoxin that is secreted by Aspergillus fumigatus, which is capable of injuring and killing microglial cells, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. During the last years, studies with patients and experimental models of multiple sclerosis (MS), which is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS), suggested that fungal infections are among the possible initiators or aggravators of this pathology. The deleterious effect can occur through a direct interaction of the fungus with the CNS or by the toxin release from a non-neurological site. In the present work, we investigated the effect of GTX on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) development. Female C57BL/6 mice were immunized with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein and then intraperitoneally injected with three doses of GTX (1 mg/kg b.w., each) on days 4, 7, and 10. GTX aggravated clinical symptoms of the disease in a dose-dependent way and this outcome was concomitant with an increased neuroinflammation. CNS analyses revealed that GTX locally increased the relative expression of inflammatory genes and the cytokine production. Our results indicate that GTX administered in a non-neuronal site was able to increase neuroinflammation in EAE. Other mycotoxins could also be deleterious to many neurological diseases by similar mechanisms.
Cardioprotective Effect of a Virgin Olive Oil Enriched with Bioactive Compounds in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Olive oil and its derivatives have been described to exert beneficial effects on hypertensive states and cardiovascular disease prevention. We studied the effects of chronic consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), enriched in bioactive compounds from olive fruit and leaves, on blood pressure, endothelial function, oxidative and inflammatory status, and circulating cholesterol levels, in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Thirty SHR were randomly assigned to three groups: a control untreated SHR group, an SHR group (1 mL/rat/day) of a control olive oil (17.6 mg/kg of phenolic compounds), and an SHR group (1 mL/rat/day) of the enriched EVOO (750 mg/kg of phenolic compounds) for eight weeks. Ten Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) were included as healthy controls. Long-term administration of the enriched EVOO decreased systolic blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy, and improved the ex vivo aortic endothelial dysfunction measured in SHR. Moreover, enriched oil supplementation reduced the plasma levels of Angiotensin II and total cholesterol, and the urinary levels of endothelin-1 and oxidative stress biomarkers, while pro-inflammatory cytokines were unaffected. In conclusion, sustained treatment with EVOO, enriched in bioactive compounds from the olive fruit and leaves, may be an effective tool for reducing blood pressure and cholesterol levels alone or in combination with pharmacological anti-hypertensive treatment.
Online health community experiences of sexual minority women with cancer

OBJECTIVE The study sought to explore online health communities (OHCs) for sexual minority women (SMW) with cancer by conducting computational text analysis on posts. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eight moderated OHCs were hosted by the National LGBT Cancer Network from 2013 to 2015. Forty-six SMW wrote a total of 885 posts across the OHCs, which were analyzed using Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count and latent Dirichlet allocation. Pearson correlation was calculated between Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count word categories and participant engagement in the OHCs. Latent Dirichlet allocation was used to derive main topics. RESULTS Participants (average age 46 years; 89% white/non-Hispanic) who used more sadness, female-reference, drives, and religion-related words were more likely to post in the OHCs. Ten topics emerged: coping, holidays and vacation, cancer diagnosis and treatment, structure of day-to-day life, self-care, loved ones, physical recovery, support systems, body image, and symptom management. Coping was the most common topic; symptom management was the least common topic. DISCUSSION Highly engaged SMW in the OHCs connected to others via their shared female gender identity. Topics discussed in these OHCs were similar to OHCs for heterosexual women, and sexual identity was not a dominant topic. The presence of OHC moderators may have driven participation. Formal comparison between sexual minority and heterosexual women's OHCs are needed. CONCLUSIONS Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the experiences of SMW cancer survivors and can inform the development of tailored OHC-based interventions for SMW who are survivors of cancer.
LC-MS/MS analysis of bisphenol S and five other bisphenols in total diet food samples

ABSTRACT It is already known that bisphenol S (BPS) has been used as a substitute for BPA in thermal papers in recent years. It is not clear, however, if BPS has also been used to replace BPA in can coatings as currently being speculated due to a lack of credible studies on migration of BPS from can coatings and occurrence data of BPS in foods. In this study, an LC-MS/MS method was developed for the analysis of BPS, along with several other bisphenols, and method detection limits for BPS varied from 0.0017 to 3.1 ng/g depending on the type of sample matrix and the amount of sample analysed. This method was used to analyse 159 different food composite samples from a recent Canadian total diet study. Bisphenol E (BPE), bisphenol B (BPB), and bisphenol AF (BPAF) were not detected in any of the 159 food composite samples, bisphenol F (BPF) was detected in only three samples (25–2360 ng/g), and bisphenol A (BPA) was detected in 10 samples (5.3–41 ng/g) which were all prepared from canned foods. BPS was not detected in any of the canned food composite samples but was detected in nine food composite samples prepared from meat and meat products (1.2–35 ng/g), indicating sources for BPS other than can coatings may be possible, which will be investigated in future studies.
Structure and dynamics of interacting Brownian particles in one-dimensional periodic substrates

We study both the structural and dynamic properties of charged colloids in one-dimensional periodic substrates. The dependence of the static structure and diffusion properties on the density and substrate parameters is investigated by means of Brownian dynamics simulations. We find that the competition between both particle–particle and particle–substrate interactions leads to a rich variety of adsorbate phases or particle distributions. We also demonstrate that the mean-square displacement, W(t), at long times shows the typical non-Fickian behaviour, , even for periodic substrates. Moreover, we show that the depinning of the particles can be directly quantified through a loss of correlations in the structure or an enhancement of the particle mobility factor.
Computational Modeling of the Photon Transport, Tissue Heating, and Cytochrome C Oxidase Absorption during Transcranial Near-Infrared Stimulation

Transcranial near-infrared stimulation (tNIRS) has been proposed as a tool to modulate cortical excitability. However, the underlying mechanisms are not clear where the heating effects on the brain tissue needs investigation due to increased near-infrared (NIR) absorption by water and fat. Moreover, the risk of localized heating of tissues (including the skin) during optical stimulation of the brain tissue is a concern. The challenge in estimating localized tissue heating is due to the light interaction with the tissues’ constituents, which is dependent on the combination ratio of the scattering and absorption properties of the constituent. Here, apart from tissue heating that can modulate the cortical excitability (“photothermal effects”); the other mechanism reported in the literature is the stimulation of the mitochondria in the cells which are active in the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthesis. In the mitochondrial respiratory chain, the complex IV, also named as the cytochrome c oxidase(CCO), is the unit four with three copper atoms. The absorption peaks of CCO are in the visible (420-450nm and 600-700nm) and the near-infrared (760-980nm) spectral region which have been shown to be promising for low level light therapy (LLLT), also known as “photobiomodulation”. While much higher CCO absorption peaks in the visible spectrum can be used for the photobiomodulation of the skin, 810nm has been proposed for the non-invasive brain stimulation (using tNIRS) due to the optical window in the NIR spectral region. In this article, we applied a computational approach to delineate the “photothermal effects” from the “photobiomodulation,” i.e., to estimate the amount of light absorbed individually by each chromophore in the brain tissue (with constant scattering) and the related tissue heating. Photon migration simulations were performed for motor cortex tNIRS based on a prior work that used a 500mW cm−2 light source placed on the scalp. We simulated photon migration at 630nm and 700nm (red spectral region) and 810nm (near-infrared spectral region). We found a temperature increase in the scalp below 0.25 ° C and a minimal temperature increase in the gray matter less than 0.04 ° C at 810nm. Similar heating was found for 630nm and 700nm used for LLLT, so photothermal effects are postulated to be unlikely in the brain tissue.
Proteomic Advances in Glial Tumors through Mass Spectrometry Approaches

Being the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death, glial tumors are highly diverse tumor entities characterized by important heterogeneity regarding tumor malignancy and prognosis. However, despite the identification of important alterations in the genome of the glial tumors, there remains a gap in understanding the mechanisms involved in glioma malignancy. Previous research focused on decoding the genomic alterations in these tumors, but due to intricate cellular mechanisms, the genomic findings do not correlate with the functional proteins expressed at the cellular level. The development of mass spectrometry (MS) based proteomics allowed researchers to study proteins expressed at the cellular level or in serum that may provide new insights on the proteins involved in the proliferation, invasiveness, metastasis and resistance to therapy in glial tumors. The integration of data provided by genomic and proteomic approaches into clinical practice could allow for the identification of new predictive, diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers that will improve the clinical management of patients with glial tumors. This paper aims to provide an updated review of the recent proteomic findings, possible clinical applications, and future research perspectives in diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors, pilocytic astrocytomas, and ependymomas.
A Design of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Scheme based on FlexRay used for Smart Hybrid Powerpack

FlexRay is an automotive communication protocol, which is developed by core members of the FlexRay consortium (BMW, Bosch, DaimlerChrysler, Freescale, GM, NXP Semiconductors and Volkswagen). Nowadays, it is set to become widely used in the automotive industry where it will replace traditional networking schemes such as Controller Area Network (CAN). However, in the FlexRay, it just uses the Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) code to detect the errors. In this paper, we design of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) scheme which combines the CRC code with ReedSolomon (RS) code. Smart Hybrid Powerpack (SHPP) is an electro-hydraulic system, which is combined with advanced technology like fault tolerant, intelligent control, smart phone remote control and monitoring. This paper will apply the FlexRay into the SHPP system using the HARQ scheme. Simulation result shows good performance by using HARQ scheme comparing with CRC code only. Keywords-FlexRay; HARQ; SHPP
Bio-Insecticidal Potential of Nucleopolyhedrovirus and Granulovirus Mixtures to Control the Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The ability of the isolate VG008 of S. frugiperda granulovirus (SpfrGV) to enhance the infectivity of the isolate SfCOL of S. frugiperda multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpfrMNPV) was evaluated on S. frugiperda larvae. Bioassays were performed with mixtures by using different proportions 90%:10% (M1), 95%:5% (M2) and 97.5%:2.5% (M3) of SfCOL:VG008, respectively. All mixtures showed higher insecticidal activity that SfCOL. The mixture M3 showed the highest enhancement of SfCOL reducing 11.40 times the Mean Lethal Concentration and 96 h in the Mean Time to Death. The enhancer activity of proteins derived from VG008 (GVPs) were also evaluated in mixture with SfCOL. The GVPs increased 27% larval mortality caused by SfCOL and damaged the peritrophic membrane of S. litura larvae, suggesting that the key point in this enhancing activity is the initial step of the larva colonization, the midgut infection. M3 was formulated and evaluated under greenhouse conditions in maize plants using different doses. The highest efficacy was obtained with the highest dose of M3 (8 × 1011 OBs/ha), which was similar to that found when formulated SfCOL was applied using an approximately twofold higher dose. The viral mixture M3 was selected as the active ingredient for developing a new biopesticide for a more efficient management of the pest in the field.
Use of mobile apps and technologies in child and adolescent mental health: a systematic review

Question This review will aim to critically evaluate the currently available literature concerning the use of online mobile-based applications and interventions in the detection, management and maintenance of children and young people’s mental health and well-being. Study selection and analysis A systematic literature search of six electronic databases was conducted for relevant publications until May 2019, with keywords pertaining to mental health, well-being and problems, mobile or internet apps or interventions and age of the study population. The resulting titles were screened and the remaining 92 articles were assessed against the inclusion and exclusion criteria with a total of 4 studies included in the final review. Findings In general, young people seem to engage very well with this type of tools, and they demonstrate some positive effects in emotional self-awareness. There have been some studies about this issue and many of the outcomes were notstatistically significant. However, it is still a sparsely documented area, and more research is needed in order to prove these effects. Conclusions Mental health apps directed at young people have the potential to be important assessment, management and treatment tools, therefore creating easier access to health services, helping in the prevention of mental health issues and capacitating to self-help in case of need. However, a limited number of studies are currently available, and further assessments should be made in order to determine the outcomes of this type of interventions.
High Frequency Electrotherapy for the Treatment of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.

PURPOSE To test the safety and efficacy of high frequency electrotherapy (ET) on the clinical signs and symptoms of patients affected by dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). METHODS Twenty-five patients affected by MGD were enrolled. Quantum Molecular Resonance ET was administered by means of the Rexon-Eye device 4 times, once per week for 4 weeks. Patients were reexamined 1 month after the last treatment. The primary endpoint was reduction in corneal fluorescein staining. Additional endpoints were tear break-up time, Ocular Surface Disease Index score, meibomian gland secretion score, and the number of expressible meibomian glands. Safety endpoints were Logarithm of the Minimum Angle of Resolution (LogMar) best spectacle-corrected visual acuity and intraocular pressure. RESULTS Corneal fluorescein staining improved by 62.5% (P < 0.0001), tear breakup time increased by 30.9% (P < 0.0001), and the Ocular Surface Disease Index score improved by 37% (P < 0.001). The meibum quality and the number of expressible meibomian glands also increased (35.7% and 12%, P < 0.001 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Schirmer test scores increased after treatment by 16.5% (P = 0.01). No adverse events were observed. CONCLUSIONS Quantum Molecular Resonance ET appears to be safe and significantly reduces symptoms and signs associated with MGD. It may have a relevant role in the treatment of evaporative dry eye disease.
Effect of Short-Term Contact with C1–C4 Monohydric Alcohols on the Water Permeance of MPD-TMC Thin-Film Composite Reverse Osmosis Membranes

In this paper, we discuss the effect of alcohol contact on the transport properties of thin-film composite reverse osmosis membranes. Five commercial membranes were studied to quantify the changes in water permeance and sodium chloride rejection from contact with five C1-C4 monohydric, linear alcohols. Water permeance generally increased without decreasing rejection after short-term contact. The extent of these changes depends on the membrane and alcohol used. Young's modulus measurements showed decreased stiffness of the active layer after contacting the membranes with alcohol, suggesting plasticization. Data analysis using a dual-mode sorption model identified positive correlations of the initial water permeance, as well as the change in free energy of mixing between water and the alcohols, with the increase in water permeance after alcohol contact. We suggest that the mixing of water with the alcohols facilitates alcohol penetration into the active layer, likely by disrupting inter-chain hydrogen bonds, thus increasing the free volume for water permeation. Our studies provide a modeling framework to estimate the changes in transport properties after short-term contact with C1-C4 alcohols.
Lactobacillus pingfangensis sp. nov., Lactobacillus daoliensis sp. nov., Lactobacillus nangangensis sp. nov., Lactobacillus daowaiensis sp. nov., Lactobacillus dongliensis sp. nov., Lactobacillus songbeiensis sp. nov. and Lactobacillus kaifaensis sp. nov., isolated from traditional Chinese pickle.

Seven novel lactic acid bacterial strains, isolated from traditional Chinese pickle, were characterized using a polyphasic approach, including 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, pheS gene sequence analysis, rpoA gene sequence analysis, determination of DNA G+C content, determination of average nucleotide identity (ANI), in silico DNA-DNA hybridization (isDDH), fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) analysis and an analysis of phenotypic features. Strains 382-1T, 116-1AT, 381-7T, 203-3T, 218-3T and 398-2T were phylogenetically related to the type strains of Lactobacillus plantarumsubsp. plantarum, Lactobacillus plantarumsubsp. argentoratensis, Lactobacillus pentosus, Lactobacillus paraplantarum, Lactobacillus fabifermentans, Lactobacillus herbarum, Lactobacillus mudanjiangensis, Lactobacillus xiangfangensis, Lactobacillus plajomi and Lactobacillus modestisalitolerans, having 97.1-99.9 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, less than 89.9 % pheS gene sequence similarities, less than 98.0 % rpoA gene sequence similarities, less than 91.2 % ANI values and less than 43.3 % isDDH values. Strain 778-3T was phylogenetically related to the type strains of Lactobacillus hokkaidonensis, Lactobacillus wasatchensis, Lactobacillus oligofermentans, Lactobacillus nenjiangensis, Lactobacillus vaccinostercus and Lactobacillus suebicus, exhibiting 97.0-99.4 % 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, 78.2-82.1 % pheS gene sequence similarities, 80.0-91.5 % rpoA gene sequence similarities, less than 78.6 % ANI values and less than 22.9 % isDDH values. Based upon the data of polyphasic characterization obtained in the present study, seven novel species, Lactobacillus pingfangensis sp. nov., Lactobacillus daoliensis sp. nov., Lactobacillus nangangensis sp. nov., Lactobacillus daowaiensis sp. nov., Lactobacillus dongliensis sp. nov., Lactobacillus songbeiensis sp. nov. and Lactobacillus kaifaensis sp. nov., are proposed and the type strains are 382-1T (=NCIMB 15187T=CCM 8935T=LMG 31176T), 116-1AT (=NCIMB 15181T=CCM 8934T=LMG 31171T), 381-7T (=NCIMB 15186T=CCM 8930T), 203-3T (=NCIMB 15183T=CCM 8933T=LMG 31172T), 218-3T (=NCIMB 15184T=CCM 8932T=LMG 31173T), 398-2T (=NCIMB 15189T=CCM 8931T=LMG 31174T) and 778-3T (=NCIMB 15191T=CCM 8929T=LMG 31177T), respectively.
Thermoresponsive Protein-Engineered Coiled-coil Hydrogel for Sustained Small Molecule Release.

Thermoresponsive hydrogels are used for an array of biomedical applications. Lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type hydrogels have been observed in nature and extensively studied in comparison to upper critical solution temperature (UCST)-type hydrogels. Of the limited protein-based UCST-type hydrogels reported, none have been composed of a single coiled-coil domain. Here we describe a biosynthesized homopentameric coiled-coil protein capable of demonstrating a UCST. Microscopy and structural analysis reveal that the hydrogel is stabilized by molecular entanglement of protein nanofibers, creating a porous matrix capable of binding the small hydrophobic molecule, curcumin. Curcumin binding increases the α-helical structure, fiber entanglement, mechanical integrity, and thermostability, resulting in sustained drug release at physiological temperature. This work provides the first example of a thermoresponsive hydrogel comprised of a single coiled-coil protein domain that can be used as a vehicle for sustained release and, by demonstrating UCST-type behavior, shows promise in forging a relationship between coiled-coil protein phase behavior and that of synthetic polymer systems.
The Effect of Hip Extension and Nordic Hamstring Exercise Protocols on Hamstring Strength: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Abstract Whyte, EF, Heneghan, B, Feely, K, Moran, KA, and O'Connor, S. The effect of hip extension and Nordic hamstring exercise protocols on hamstring strength: A randomized controlled trial. J Strength Cond Res 35(10): 2682–2689, 2021—Lower and between-limb asymmetrical eccentric hamstring isokinetic strength may be associated with hamstring injuries, which mainly affect the biceps femoris. The 45° hip extension exercise (HEE) strengthens the hamstrings in the lengthened position where the biceps femoris experiences greatest loading during high-speed running. However, the effect of an HEE program on eccentric hamstring isokinetic strength has not been investigated or compared with the Nordic Hamstring Exercise (NHE) program. Twenty-four male, varsity, Gaelic footballers (22.4 ± 2.7 years; 182.1 ± 6.0 cm; 84.4 ± 7.9 kg) were randomly allocated to an HEE or NHE 4-week program. Isokinetic (60°·s−1) eccentric peak torque, functional hamstring-to-quadriceps ratio, and between-limb eccentric strength (absolute and percentage) asymmetries were recorded before and after intervention. Muscle soreness scores were reported after exercise using a visual analogue scale. A mixed between-within analysis of variance investigated group (HEE vs. NHE) by time (pre vs. post) interaction effects, and any main effects. An independent-samples t-test compared muscle soreness scores between the NHE and HEE groups. No interaction or group main effects were found. Main effects for time were observed on dominant and nondominant limbs for eccentric peak torque (p < 0.001, η2 = 0.21, p = 0.01, η2 = 0.51, respectively) and functional hamstring quadriceps ratio (p = 0.03, η2 = 0.59, p < 0.0001, η2 = 0.26, respectively). There were no main effects for time between-limb eccentric peak torque or percentage asymmetries (p = 0.41, η2 = 0.03, p = 0.20, η2 = 0.07, respectively), or differences in muscle soreness scores (p > 0.05). A 4-week HEE program increases eccentric hamstring isokinetic strength similar to a NHE program, which may be useful as part of a hamstring injury prevention program.