Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Current trends in chemical modifications of magnetic nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery in cancer chemotherapy

Abstract Nowadays, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been rapidly investigated and attracted worldwide attention due to their great potential as mediators of heat for treating hyperthermia and their possibility to deliver drugs at specific locations, which can thereby limit systematic effects. Cancer therapy via MNPs proposes novel properties rather than normal methods such as almost zero side effects and a high-efficiency rate of effectiveness. The key aim of targeted drug delivery is to reduce side effects of the main cancer treatment that other usual chemotherapies will attend to the body, and thus controlling the effectiveness of the drug on a specific location that tumoral tissue exist. Herein, the high potential of MNPs has been studied, and different examples of their effectiveness on drug delivery and hypothermia therapy have been provided.
Secreted autotransporter toxin (Sat) induces cell damage during enteroaggregative Escherichia coli infection

Secreted autotransporter toxin (Sat) is a 107-kDa serine protease autotransporter of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATE) presenting cytotoxic activity in renal and bladder cells. Further studies have detected the Sat-encoding gene (sat) in enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAEC) and in E. coli strains isolated from neonatal septicemia and meningitis. Here, we investigated the role of Sat as a cytotoxin of EAEC. Sat was purified from a strain of E. coli harboring sat (DEC/Sat+, O126:H2) and used to raise antibodies in rabbit. The presence of Sat was detected by ELISA in the supernatant of 93.7% of EAEC strains harboring sat and in none lacking the gene. The effect of Sat during infection was investigated in polarized Caco-2 cells infected with Sat-producing EAEC (CV323/77, O125ab:H21). This strain induced intense cell detachment, which was inhibited by PMSF or Sat antiserum. Also, sat transcription and Sat production were detected during infection. Here we demonstrate that Sat is internalized in polarized cells leading to F-actin disruption which preceded cell detachment. A comparative study of the toxin action in cell lines corresponding to the infection sites in which bacteria carrying the sat gene have been isolated was performed. Cells originating from the gastrointestinal tract (Caco-2), urinary (LLC-PK1) and endothelium (HUVEC) were incubated with purified Sat. The time required for observation of cell damage differed according to the cell line. HUVEC cells were more sensitive to Sat than cells derived from urinary and intestinal tracts. The intense activity of Sat on the endothelial cells suggests that Sat could also be a virulence factor for the bacteria in the bloodstream. In addition, this is the first work demonstrating that Sat induces cytotoxic effect during EAEC infection in vitro. The cell damage observed during infection indicates that Sat may be another toxin with cytotoxic role in the EAEC pathogenesis.
The Time Course of Changes in Neuromuscular Responses During the Performance of Leg Extension Repetitions to Failure Below and Above Critical Resistance in Women

Abstract Dinyer, TK, Byrd, MT, Succi, PJ, and Bergstrom, HC. The time course of changes in neuromuscular responses during the performance of leg extension repetitions to failure below and above critical resistance in women. J Strength Cond Res 36(3): 608–614, 2022—Critical resistance (CR) is the highest sustainable resistance that can be completed for an extended number of repetitions. Exercise performed below (CR−15%) and above (CR+15%) CR may represent 2 distinct intensities that demonstrate separate mechanisms of fatigue. Electromyography (EMG) and mechanomyography (MMG) have been used to examine the mechanism of fatigue during resistance exercise. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to (a) compare the patterns of responses and time course of changes in neuromuscular parameters (EMG and MMG amplitude [AMP] and mean power frequency [MPF]) during the performance of repetitions to failure at CR−15% and CR+15% and (b) identify the motor unit activation strategy that best describes the fatigue-induced changes in the EMG and MMG signals at CR−15% and CR+15%. Ten women completed one repetition maximum (1RM) testing and repetitions to failure at 50, 60, 70, and 80% 1RM (to determine CR), and at CR−15% and CR+15% on the leg extension. During all visits, EMG and MMG signals were measured from the vastus lateralis. There were similar patterns of responses in the neuromuscular parameters, and time-dependent changes in EMG AMP and EMG MPF, but not MMG AMP or MMG MPF, during resistance exercise performed at CR−15% and CR+15% (p < 0.05). The onset of fatigue occurred earlier for EMG AMP, but later for EMG MPF, during repetitions performed at CR+15% compared with those performed at CR−15%. Thus, resistance exercise performed below and above CR represented 2 distinct intensities that were defined by different neuromuscular fatigue mechanisms but followed similar motor unit activation strategies.
A multi-center randomized prospective study on the treatment of infant bronchiolitis with interferon α1b nebulization

Background The respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the main cause of bronchiolitis in infants and interferon (IFN) α is a commercial antiviral drug. The nebulization of IFN α1b could be a viable treatment method. In this study, the therapeutic effects and safety of IFN α1b delivery via nebulization in infant bronchiolitis were investigated in this multi-center prospective study. Methods and findings Bronchiolitis patients admitted to 22 hospitals who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled and randomly allocated to four groups: control, IFN Intramuscular Injection, IFN Nebulization 1 (1 μg/kg), and IFN Nebulization 2 (2 μg/kg) groups. All patients were observed for 7 days. The therapeutic effects and safety of different IFN delivery doses and delivery modes were evaluated. Coughing severity change, as scored by the researchers and parents, between days 1 and 3 was significantly different between the IFN Nebulization 2 and control groups. Lowell wheezing score change between days 3 and 5 was significantly different between IFN Nebulization 1 and control groups. There were no significant differences among the four groups regarding the number of consecutive days with fever, three-concave sign, fatigue and sleepiness, and loss of appetite. There were no cases of severe complications, no recurrence of fever, and no regression of mental status. Conclusions IFN-α1b could more effectively alleviate coughing and wheezing in bronchiolitis. IFN-α1b nebulization had significant advantages in shortening the duration of wheezing and alleviating coughing.
Pollen Protein: Lipid Macronutrient Ratios May Guide Broad Patterns of Bee Species Floral Preferences

Pollinator nutritional ecology provides insights into plant–pollinator interactions, coevolution, and the restoration of declining pollinator populations. Bees obtain their protein and lipid nutrient intake from pollen, which is essential for larval growth and development as well as adult health and reproduction. Our previous research revealed that pollen protein to lipid ratios (P:L) shape bumble bee foraging preferences among pollen host-plant species, and these preferred ratios link to bumble bee colony health and fitness. Yet, we are still in the early stages of integrating data on P:L ratios across plant and bee species. Here, using a standard laboratory protocol, we present over 80 plant species’ protein and lipid concentrations and P:L values, and we evaluate the P:L ratios of pollen collected by three bee species. We discuss the general phylogenetic, phenotypic, behavioral, and ecological trends observed in these P:L ratios that may drive plant–pollinator interactions; we also present future research questions to further strengthen the field of pollination nutritional ecology. This dataset provides a foundation for researchers studying the nutritional drivers of plant–pollinator interactions as well as for stakeholders developing planting schemes to best support pollinators.
CD38 in Neurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by neuronal degeneration as well as neuroinflammation. While CD38 is strongly expressed in brain cells including neurons, astrocytes as well as microglial cells, the role played by CD38 in neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation remains elusive. Yet, CD38 expression increases as a consequence of aging which is otherwise the primary risk associated with neurodegenerative diseases, and several experimental data demonstrated that CD38 knockout mice are protected from neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory insults. Moreover, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, whose levels are tightly controlled by CD38, is a recognized and potent neuroprotective agent, and NAD supplementation was found to be beneficial against neurodegenerative diseases. The aims of this review are to summarize the physiological role played by CD38 in the brain, present the arguments indicating the involvement of CD38 in neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation, and to discuss these observations in light of CD38 complex biology.
Ultrasound Stimulation of Periaqueductal Gray Induces Defensive Behaviors

Low-intensity focused ultrasound stimulation (LIFUS) has the potential to noninvasively penetrate the intact skull and to modulate neural activity in the cortex and deep brain nuclei. The midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG) is associated with the generation of defensive behaviors. The aim of this study was to examine whether LIFUS of the PAG induced defensive behaviors in mice. A 3.8-MHz head-mounted ultrasound transducer with a small focus size (0.5 mm $\,\,\times $ 0.5 mm) was fabricated in house to precisely stimulate the free-moving mice. The corresponding behaviors were recorded in real time. Avoidance, flight, and freezing were used to assess ultrasound-induced defensive responses. The safety of LIFUS was examined via hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and Nissl staining. Ultrasound stimulation of the PAG induced multiple defensive behaviors, including location-specific passive avoidance behavior, flight, and freezing. In addition, H&E and Nissl staining verified that LIFUS did not cause any injury to the brain tissue. These findings demonstrate that LIFUS may have neuromodulatory effects on the innate defensive behaviors in mice. LIFUS may be used as a novel neuromodulatory tool for the treatment of psychological diseases associated with defensive behaviors.
Utilization of archived neonatal dried blood spots for genome-wide genotyping

Introduction Heel pricks are performed on newborns for diagnostic screenings of various pre-symptomatic metabolic and genetic diseases. Excess blood is spotted on Guthrie cards and archived by many states in biobanks for follow-up diagnoses and public health research. However, storage environment may vary across biobanks and across time within biobanks. With increased applications of DNA extracted from spots for genetic studies, identifying factors associated with genotyping success is critical to maximize DNA quality for future studies. Method We evaluated 399 blood spots, which were part of a genome-wide association study of childhood leukemia risk in children with Down syndrome, archived at the Michigan Neonatal Biobank between 1992 and 2008. High quality DNA was defined as having post-quality control call rate ≥ 99.0% based on the Illumina GenomeStudio 2.0 GenCall algorithm after processing the samples on the Illumina Infinium Global Screening Array. Bivariate analyses and multivariable logistic regression models were applied to evaluate effects of storage environment and storage duration on DNA genotyping quality. Results Both storage environment and duration were associated with sample genotyping call rates (p-values < 0.001). Sample call rates were associated with storage duration independent of storage environment (p-trend = 0.006 for DBS archived in an uncontrolled environment and p-trend = 0.002 in a controlled environment). However, 95% of the total sample had high genotyping quality with a call rate ≥ 95.0%, a standard threshold for acceptable sample quality in many genetic studies. Conclusion Blood spot DNA quality was lower in samples archived in uncontrolled storage environments and for samples archived for longer durations. Still, regardless of storage environment or duration, neonatal biobanks including the Michigan Neonatal Biobanks can provide access to large collections of spots with DNA quality acceptable for most genotyping studies.
Mutilating Arthritis: A Typical Manifestation of a Rare Disease.

A 48-year-old Spanish man recently diagnosed with a cavum lymphoepithelioma (T4N2M1) was referred to our hospital. He had a 1-year history of disabling and progressive polyarthralgia that included deformity and pain of the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints of both hands. He complained of tenderness of the hands, elbows, hips, and knees. He also presented a diffuse nodulopapular cutaneous erythema affecting predominantly the hands and elbows. Laboratory tests were normal. Follow-up FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography image showed abnormal uptake of FDG in both humeral heads, the rest of the upper limb joints, left ribs, in femoral heads, latissimus dorsi muscle, and gluteal and iliac muscles. The corresponding slice of computed tomography showed large bone erosions, especially in humeral and femoral heads, as well as thickening of muscle planes (Fig. 1). X-ray films of both hands showed bilateral deformities of fingers and severe destruction of metacarpophalangeals and interphalangeals joints (Fig. 2). Periarticular osteopenia and marked erosion with punched-out resorptive lesions were seen in all metarcarpals and some phalanges. Collapse and subluxation of the carpal bones of both hands were also observed. A skin biopsy specimen from the arm revealed a proliferation of multinucleated cells with eosinophilic cytoplasm in the dermis, stain PAS positive. Immunohistochemical staining for CD68 was positive but negative for S100 andCD1A. The findings corresponded to a non-Langerhans histiocytosis. Based on these results, the patient was diagnosed with multicentric reticulohistiocytosis and treated with metrotrexate 20 mg/wk combined with prednisone, with only improvement of the skin involvement. The patient finally died due to his advanced neoplastic disease. Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis is a rare inflammatory entity with only about 300 cases reported in the literature. It is characterized by aggressive polyarthritis and papulocutaneous lesions. As in our case, it usually begins in the fourth decade of life, with polyartralgias being the first clinical manifestation in up to
An Oleanolic Acid Derivative Inhibits Hemagglutinin-Mediated Entry of Influenza A Virus

Influenza A viruses (IAV) have been a major public health threat worldwide, and options for antiviral therapy become increasingly limited with the emergence of drug-resisting virus strains. New and effective anti-IAV drugs, especially for highly pathogenic influenza, with different modes of action, are urgently needed. The influenza virus glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) plays critical roles in the early stage of virus infection, including receptor binding and membrane fusion, making it a potential target for the development of anti-influenza drugs. In this study, we show that OA-10, a newly synthesized triterpene out of 11 oleanane-type derivatives, exhibited significant antiviral activity against four different subtypes of IAV (H1N1, H5N1, H9N2 and H3N2) replications in A549 cell cultures with EC50 ranging from 6.7 to 19.6 μM and a negligible cytotoxicity (CC50 > 640 μM). It inhibited acid-induced hemolysis in a dose-dependent manner, with an IC50 of 26 µM, and had a weak inhibition on the adsorption of H5 HA to chicken erythrocytes at higher concentrations (≥40 µM). Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis showed that OA-10 interacted with HA in a dose-dependent manner with the equilibrium dissociation constants (KD) of the interaction of 2.98 × 10−12 M. Computer-aided molecular docking analysis suggested that OA-10 might bind to the cavity in HA stem region which is known to undergo significant rearrangement during membrane fusion. Our results demonstrate that OA-10 inhibits H5N1 IAV replication mainly by blocking the conformational changes of HA2 subunit required for virus fusion with endosomal membrane. These findings suggest that OA-10 could serve as a lead for further development of novel virus entry inhibitors to prevent and treat IAV infections.
Prevalence of human papillomavirus (HPV) in Brazil: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of genital, anal and oral HPV infection in Brazil through systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods We searched EMBASE, LILACS, MEDLINE, Web of Science and SciELO from inception to December 2018. Original research articles that assessed the prevalence of genital (i.e., cervical, penile), anal and oral HPV infection in Brazil were selected in pairs by independent authors. No sex, age, HPV vaccination, language or date restrictions were applied. HPV prevalence was estimated and stratified according to risk factors population and by geographic area throughout the country. The study prevalence was pooled using a random effects model. Analysis was performed using R (version 3.5.2), packages meta version 4.9–4 and metaphor 2.0–0. This review is registered on PROSPERO under protocol number CRD42016032751. Results We identified 3,351 references. After the screening process, 139 of them were eligible for this systematic review (57,513 total participants). Prevalence of cervical HPV was 25.41% (95% CI 22.71–28.32). Additionally, prevalence was 36.21% (95% CI 23.40, 51.33) in the penile region, 25.68% (95%CI 14.64, 41.04) in the anal region, and 11.89% (95%CI 6.26, 21.43) in the oral region. Subgroup analysis showed prevalence in each anatomic site was higher in high-risk populations. Conclusion The prevalence of HPV is high in the Brazilian population and varies by population risk and anatomic body site, with lower rates in the oral cavity compared to that in the cervical, penile and anal region. Studies on HPV have primarily been developed to evaluate infection and cancer in the cervical region. There is a profound lack of HPV data in many geographic regions of Brazil and for different anatomic sites.
Metagenomic Insights of the Root Colonizing Microbiome Associated with Symptomatic and Non-Symptomatic Bananas in Fusarium Wilt Infected Fields

Plants tissues are colonized by diverse communities of microorganisms called endophytes. They are key determinants of plant production and health, for example by facilitating nutrient exchanges or limiting disease development. Endophytic communities of banana plants have not been studied until very recently, and their potential role in disease development has not been explored so far. Roots from symptomatic and non-symptomatic banana plants were sampled from fields infected by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense race 1. The goal was to compare the endophytic microbiota between symptomatic and non-symptomatic plants through high throughput sequencing of 16s rDNA and shotgun metagenome sequencing. The results revealed that the endophytic root microbiome in bananas is dominated by Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes followed to a lesser extent by Actinobacteria. The development of disease greatly impacted the endophytic microbial communities. For example, Flavobacteriales abundance was correlated with symptom development.
Extracellular Traps: An Ancient Weapon of Multiple Kingdoms

The discovery, in 2004, of extracellular traps released by neutrophils has extended our understanding of the mode of action of various innate immune cells. This fascinating discovery demonstrated the extracellular trapping and killing of various pathogens by neutrophils. During the last decade, evidence has accumulated showing that extracellular traps play a crucial role in the defence mechanisms of various cell types present in vertebrates, invertebrates, and plants. The aim of this review is to summarise the relevant literature on the evolutionary history of extracellular traps used as a weapon in various kingdoms of life.
Biomarkers in Community-Acquired Pneumonia (Cardiac and Non-Cardiac)

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains the first cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide due to infection. Several aspects such as severity and host response are related to its clinical course and outcome. Beyond the acute implications that the infection provokes in the host, pneumonia also has long-term negative consequences. Among them, cardiovascular complications and mortality are the most outstanding. Therefore, an adequate recognition and stratification of the risk of complications and mortality is crucial. Many biomarkers have been studied for these reasons, considering that each biomarker mirrors a different aspect. Moreover, the clinical application of many of them is still being deliberated because of their limitations and the heterogeneity of the disease. In this review, we examine some of the most relevant biomarkers that we have classified as cardiac and non-cardiac. We discuss some classic biomarkers and others that are considered novel biomarkers, which are mainly involved in cardiovascular risk.
A Review on Sources and Pharmacological Aspects of Sakuranetin

Sakuranetin belongs to the group of methoxylated flavanones. It is widely distributed in Polyomnia fruticosa and rice, where it acts as a phytoalexin. Other natural sources of this compound are, among others, grass trees, shrubs, flowering plants, cheery, and some herbal drugs, where it has been found in the form of glycosides (mainly sakuranin). Sakuranetin has antiproliferative activity against human cell lines typical for B16BL6 melanoma, esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and colon cancer (Colo 320). Moreover, sakuranetin shows antiviral activity towards human rhinovirus 3 and influenza B virus and was reported to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiinflammatory, antiparasitic, antimutagenic, and antiallergic properties. The aim of this review is to present the current status of knowledge of pro-health properties of sakuranetin.
Estimating Functional Connectivity by Integration of Inherent Brain Function Activity Pattern Priors

Brain functional connectivity (FC) has shown great potential in becoming biomarkers of brain status. However, the problem of accurately estimating FC from complex-noisy fMRI time series remains unsolved. Usually, a regularization function is more appropriate in fitting the real inherent properties of the brain function activity pattern, which can further limit noise interference to improve the accuracy of the estimated result. Recently, the neuroscientists widely suggested that the inherent brain function activity pattern indicates sparse, modular and overlapping topology. However, previous studies have never considered this factual characteristic. Thus, we propose a novel method by integration of these inherent brain function activity pattern priors to estimate FC. Extensive experiments on synthetic data demonstrate that our method can more accurately estimate the FC than previous. Then, we applied the estimated FC to predict the symptom severity of depressed patients, the symptom severity is related to subtle abnormal changes in the brain function activity, a more accurate FC can more effectively capture the subtle abnormal brain function activity changes. As results, our method better than others with a higher correlation coefficient of 0.4201. Moreover, the overlapping probability of each brain region can be further explored by the proposed method.