Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of short-term mechanical stimulation on the salivary concentrations of vitamin C, vitamin E, total antioxidant capacity and total oxidant status

Abstract Oxidative stress biomarkers of oral and systemic diseases can be found in saliva. However, there is no uniformity for the saliva collection time in these kinds of analyses and saliva composition may change because of mechanical stimulation. Therefore, the aim of this work was to determine the effect of mechanical stimulation for 10 min on the concentrations of vitamin C, vitamin E, total antioxidants and total oxidants in saliva. Saliva samples from individuals of both sexes, aged between 18 and 38 years, were collected for 10 min at 2 minintervals. Saliva flow rate in each 2 min period was measured, as well the total oxidant state, the total antioxidant capacity, vitamin C and vitamin E concentrations. All analyses were performed in triplicate and were determined using colorimetric tests. The results were analysed using t-test, Friedman’s test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures. Mauchly’s sphericity test was applied and, if necessary, technical corrections were made using the Greenhouse–Geisser test. We found no significant difference between the amounts of saliva produced across the collection times. Total oxidant status, total antioxidant capacity, vitamin C and vitamin E concentrations remained stable. Based on our findings, saliva can be collected for 10 min or less with masticatory stimulation without any variations in the concentration of the variables analysed. However, we suggest using saliva samples after two minutes of mechanical stimulation.
Clinical evidence on haemodiafiltration

Abstract Haemodiafiltration (HDF) combines diffusive and convective solute removal in a single treatment session. HDF provides a greater removal of higher molecular weight uraemic retention solutes than conventional high-flux haemodialysis (HD). Recently completed randomized clinical trials suggest better patient survival with online HDF. The treatment is mainly used in Europe and Japan. This review gives a brief overview of the presently available evidence of the effects of HDF on clinical end points, it speculates on possible mechanisms of a beneficial effect of HDF as compared with standard HD and ends with some perspectives for the future.
Unravelling the role and mechanism of adipokine and gastrointestinal signals in animal models in the nonhomeostatic control of energy homeostasis: Implications for binge eating disorder

Central and peripheral signals regulating energy homeostasis interact tightly with neuronal pathways to modulate the hedonic component of food intake. Dysregulation of these interactions could explain the development of binge eating disorder (BED) and/or obesity and the increasing incidence of food addiction. In this review, we have highlighted the crucial role of peripheral hormones, such as leptin and ghrelin, among others, in these nonhomeostatic pathways. We have also emphasised the relevance of central cannabinoid pathway and lateral hypothalamus, with orexin and melanin-concentrating hormone neurons, as the critical hub controlling motivation and reward. Throughout the manuscript, we have focused on mechanisms learned from animal models of BED/food addiction in order to understand how these peripheral signals can modulate the motivation to eat. Understanding these mechanisms could help us to develop new treatment options for BED and/or obesity.
Ways to Improve Students’ Decision for Academic Studies

Student population in Romanian higher education has been decreasing in the last years. The dropout is quite high. Such data force the universities to look for concrete solutions to widen the participation, the retention and the completion rate. Informed decision about academic studies, clear academic and career goals are prerequisite for study success. Thus, at the West University of Timisoara (WUT) was carried out a pilot study, on 900 students enrolling for higher education, to find out about the way they have chosen their academic studies and about their expectations. Their views and suggestions for easier and clearer options are ground for tailored policy measures within our university and beyond. The initial evaluation on the new students is a basis for a better focused interaction with them during their first year of studies. Also, the data suggests possible specific measures to improve retention rates, such as: diversified student services, covering academic guidance services, not only career guidance services, as well as a stronger collaboration between universities and highschools, for a better orientation and guidance of the pupils for their possible academic studies.
miR‐191 modulates B‐cell development and targets transcription factors E2A, Foxp1, and Egr1

The interdependence of posttranscriptional gene regulation via miRNA and transcriptional regulatory networks in lymphocyte development is poorly understood. Here, we identified miR‐191 as direct upstream modulator of a transcriptional module comprising the transcription factors Foxp1, E2A, and Egr1. Deletion as well as ectopic expression of miR‐191 resulted in developmental arrest in B lineage cells, indicating that fine tuning of the combined expression levels of Foxp1, E2A, and Egr1, which in turn control somatic recombination and cytokine‐driven expansion, constitutes a prerequisite for efficient B‐cell development. In conclusion, we propose that miR‐191 acts as a rheostat in B‐cell development by fine tuning a key transcriptional program.
Internet Access Influences Community Clinic Portal Use

Abstract Purpose: To assess whether individuals attending a community clinic had the necessary Internet access and experience to use the patient portal, while examining covariates of education, income, and self-perception of health with past and anticipated portal use. Methods: Adults attending an urban, community primary care clinic were invited to participate in a brief survey assessing current Internet access and use, past portal use, and anticipated future portal use. Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate statistics. Results: One hundred fifteen participants ranging in age from 18 to 84 years (mean 42.1, standard deviation 17.1) completed the survey; 6 (5%) in Spanish. Thirty-five (30%) self-identified as Latino; 12 (10%) as Asian; and 20 (17%) as other. Almost 80% reported their health as good or better. Although 38% reported some college and 47% reported being college graduates, 60% reported household incomes were <$50,000. Most (87%) used the Internet for >1 year. Fewer than half (42%) had past portal use, with significant differences associated with weekly Internet use (Fisher's exact=9.59; p=0.02) and smart phone access (Fisher's exact=6.15; p=0.02). Computer Internet access was significantly associated with income (Fisher's exact=16.91; p<0.001). Logistic regression identified that computer Internet access was a significant predictor (odds ratio 9.9 (95% confidence interval: 1.7–58.8) of future portal use, controlling for smart phone use, health status, gender, and age. Conclusions: Among this highly educated but lower economic sample, computer Internet access and smart phone access were associated with past portal use and anticipated future use.
High-Sugar, High-Saturated-Fat Dietary Patterns Are Not Associated with Depressive Symptoms in Middle-Aged Adults in a Prospective Study.

Background The consumption of unhealthy "Western" dietary patterns has been previously associated with depressive symptoms in different populations. Objective We examined whether high-sugar and high-saturated-fat dietary patterns are associated with depressive symptoms over 5 y in a British cohort of men and women. Methods We used data from the Whitehall II study in 5044 individuals (aged 35-55 y). Diet was assessed at phase 7 (2003-2004) using a validated food-frequency questionnaire. Dietary patterns were derived by using reduced rank regression with sugar, saturated fat, and total fat as response variables. The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale was used to assess depressive symptoms (CES-D sum score ≥16 and/or use of antidepressant medication) at phase 7 and at phase 9 (2008-2009). We applied logistic regression analyses to test the association between dietary patterns and depressive symptoms. All analyses were stratified by sex. Results In total, 398 cases of recurrent and 295 cases of incident depressive symptoms were observed. We identified 2 dietary patterns: a combined high-sugar and high-saturated-fat (HSHF) and a high-sugar dietary pattern. No association was observed between the dietary patterns and either incidence of or recurrent depressive symptoms in men or women. For example, higher consumption of the HSHF dietary pattern was not associated with recurrent depressive symptoms in men (model 3, quartile 4: OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.36, 1.23; P-trend = 0.13) or in women (model 3, quartile 4: OR: 1.26; 95% CI: 0.58, 2.77; P-trend = 0.97). Conclusion Among middle-aged men and women living in the United Kingdom, dietary patterns containing high amounts of sugar and saturated fat are not associated with new onset or recurrence of depressive symptoms.
Transition in a Cold Climate: Management Regimes and Rural Marginalisation in Northwest Russia

This paper examines why and how the development of the forestry and fishery sectors in Northwest Russia have taken very different trajectories during the transition period and examines the impacts of these trajectories on the rural areas concerned. The drive to establish natural resources as “resources” in an economic sense during the transition period acts as the starting point for the analysis. However, the success of this drive has depended on the adaptation of formerly Soviet institutions to the new circumstances. These include the privatisation of Soviet production units (lespromkhozes and fishery kolkhozes) and the introduction of new systems for the distribution of fish and forest resources (auctions and quotas). From the analysis of data collected from four types of actors in Murmansk Oblast (a collective fishing farm, State owned logging companies in forestry villages, fishery management units and local forest management structures), the paper seeks to present these actors’ adaptations, changes, opportunities and ultimately destiny during the 1990s.
Towards increasing shelf life and haemostatic potency of stored platelet concentrates

Purpose of review Platelet transfusion is a widely used therapy in treating or preventing bleeding and haemorrhage in patients with thrombocytopenia or trauma. Compared with the relative ease of platelet transfusion, current practice for the storage of platelets is inefficient, costly and relatively unsafe, with platelets stored at room temperature (RT) for upto 5–7 days. Recent findings During storage, especially at cold temperatures, platelets undergo progressive and deleterious changes, collectively termed the ‘platelet storage lesion’, which decrease their haemostatic function and posttransfusion survival. Recent progress in understanding platelet activation and host clearance mechanisms is leading to the consideration of both old and novel storage conditions that use refrigeration and/or cryopreservation to overcome various storage lesions and significantly extend platelet shelf-life with a reduced risk of pathogen contamination. Summary A review of the advantages and disadvantages of alternative methods for platelet storage is presented from both a clinical and biological perspective. It is anticipated that future platelet preservation involving cold, frozen and/or pathogen reduction strategies in a proper platelet additive solution will enable longer term and safer platelet storage.
LncRNA H19 serves as a ceRNA and participates in non-small cell lung cancer development by regulating microRNA-107.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether lncRNA H19 can regulate NF1 expression through competitive binding to microRNA-107, thereby participating in the occurrence and development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS Expression levels of H19 and NF1 in NSCLC tissues, paracancerous tissues and NSCLC cell lines were detected by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The binding condition of microRNA-107, H19 and NF1 was detected by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay. Corresponding lentiviruses of H19 were constructed. The regulatory effects of H19 on proliferative and migratory abilities of A549 cells were detected by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and transwell assay, respectively. Rescue experiments were conducted to explore the regulatory interaction between H19 and microRNA-107 in A549 cells. RESULTS H19 and NF1 were highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and NSCLC cell lines (A549 and HCC823) than those of controls. Overexpressed H19 increased proliferative and migratory abilities of A549 cells. Dual-luciferase reporter gene assay demonstrated that H19 regulates NF1 expression through competitive binding to microRNA-107, thereafter participating in NSCLC development. CONCLUSIONS H19 is highly expressed in NSCLC, which promotes NSCLC development by regulating NF1 via competitive binding to microRNA-107.
Assessing bird avoidance of high-contrast lights using a choice test approach: implications for reducing human-induced avian mortality

Background Avian collisions with man-made objects and vehicles (e.g., buildings, cars, airplanes, power lines) have increased recently. Lights have been proposed to alert birds and minimize the chances of collisions, but it is challenging to choose lights that are tuned to the avian eye and can also lead to avoidance given the differences between human and avian vision. We propose a choice test to address this problem by first identifying wavelengths of light that would over-stimulate the retina using species-specific perceptual models and by then assessing the avoidance/attraction responses of brown-headed cowbirds to these lights during daytime using a behavioral assay. Methods We used perceptual models to estimate wavelength-specific light emitting diode (LED) lights with high chromatic contrast. The behavioral assay consisted of an arena where the bird moved in a single direction and was forced to make a choice (right/left) using a single-choice design (one side with the light on, the other with the light off) under diurnal light conditions. Results First, we identified lights with high saliency from the cowbird visual perspective: LED lights with peaks at 380 nm (ultraviolet), 470 nm (blue), 525 nm (green), 630 nm (red), and broad-spectrum (white) LED lights. Second, we found that cowbirds significantly avoided LED lights with peaks at 470 and 630 nm, but did not avoid or prefer LED lights with peaks at 380 and 525 nm or white lights. Discussion The two lights avoided had the highest chromatic contrast but relatively lower levels of achromatic contrast. Our approach can optimize limited resources to narrow down wavelengths of light with high visual saliency for a target species leading to avoidance. These lights can be used as candidates for visual deterrents to reduce collisions with man-made objects and vehicles.
Roadscape-based Route Recommender System using Coarse-to-fine Route Search

Wepropose the Roadscape-based Route Recommender System (R3), which provides diversified roadscape-based routes. Given starting and destination points, R3 provides four types of roadscapebased routes: rural-, mountainous-, waterside-, and urban-prior routes. To reduce the computational cost, we propose a coarse-tofine route search approach that consists of a roadscape-based clustering method, a roadscape cluster graph, a coarse-grained route search, and a fine-grained route search. We evaluated the performance of R3 using network data for a real road. The experimental results show that using coarse-grained route search can significantly reduce route search time.
Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein-IgG-associated optic neuritis

Purpose of review Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)-IgG-associated optic neuritis has been established as a new entity of optic neuropathy. We will review recent advances in pathophysiology, diagnosis, and clinical manifestations of MOG-IgG-associated optic neuritis to better understand its distinctive characteristics. Recent findings MOG is expressed on the surface of myelin sheaths and oligodendrocytes. MOG is highly immunogenic and is a potential target of inflammatory demyelinating disease. MOG-IgG activate immune responses and cause demyelination without astrocytopathy. MOG-IgG are measured by cell-based assays, which have higher sensitivity and specificity than ELISA. Patients with MOG-IgG-associated optic neuritis present with initially severe vision loss, are more likely to have optic disc edema, but have favorable visual outcomes. Furthermore, patients with MOG-IgG-associated optic neuritis have higher rates of recurrence compared with MOG-IgG seronegative patients. MOG-IgG-associated optic neuritis responds well to steroid treatment, however, close monitoring for signs of relapse and long-term immunosuppression may be necessary. Summary MOG-IgG associated optic neuritis demonstrates distinctive pathophysiological and clinical characteristics from optic neuritis in aquaporin4-IgG seropositive or multiple sclerosis patients. Measurements of MOG-IgG titers by cell-based assays will be helpful for the diagnosis and treatment of optic neuritis.
L‐carnitine prevents ammonia‐induced cytotoxicity and disturbances in intracellular amino acid levels in human astrocytes

L‐carnitine (L‐CA) has been used therapeutically to treat hepatic encephalopathy with hyperammonemia, but the mechanism by which L‐CA contributes to ammonia detoxification in the brain is still unclear. Thus, the cytotoxicity and changes in intracellular amino acids (AAs) in astrocytes with hyperammonemia following L‐CA administration were studied.
Cloud Chaser: real time deep learning computer vision on low computing power devices

Internet of Things (IoT) devices, mobile phones, and robotic systems are often denied the power of deep learning algorithms due to their limited computing power. However, to provide time critical services such as emergency response, home assistance, surveillance, etc., these devices often need real time analysis of their camera data. This paper strives to offer a viable approach to integrate high performance deep learning based computer vision algorithms with low-resource and low-power devices by leveraging the computing power of the cloud. By offloading the computation work to the cloud, no dedicated hardware is needed to enable deep neural networks on existing low computing power devices. A Raspberry Pi based robot, Cloud Chaser, is built to demonstrate the power of using cloud computing to perform real time vision tasks. Furthermore, to reduce latency and improve real time performance, compression algorithms are proposed and evaluated for streaming real-time video frames to the cloud.
Transfersomes as versatile and flexible nano-vesicular carriers in skin cancer therapy: the state of the art

ABSTRACT Introduction: The skin acts as a barrier and prevents transcutaneous delivery of therapeutic agents. Transfersomes are novel vesicular systems that are several times more elastic than other vesicular systems. These are composed of edge activator, phospholipids, ethanol, and sodium cholate and are applied in a non-occlusive manner. Areas covered: This article covers information such as merits/demerits of transfersomes, regulatory aspects of materials used in preparation, different methods of preparation, mechanism of action, review of clinical investigations performed, marketed preparations available, research reports, and patent reports related to transfersomes. Expert opinion: Research over the past few years has provided a better understanding of transfersomal permeation of therapeutic agents across stratum corneum barrier. Transfersomes provides an essential feature of their application to variety of compositions in order to optimize the permeability of a range of therapeutic molecules. This is evidenced by the fact that there are several Transfersome products being processed in advanced clinical trials. It is noteworthy that a number of Transfersome products for dermal and transdermal delivery will gain a global market success in near future.
Imagining Winnipeg: The translocal meaning making of Filipino migrants to Canada

This study examines how, in the words of Appadurai, “locality emerges in a global world” (Appadurai, 1996, p.18). Specifically, it articulates the nature of information practices in the lives of 14 newcomers to Canada who have migrated from the Philippines to the medium‐size city of Winnipeg. Using a qualitative and exploratory approach, this study applies a transnational lens to this area of research to make explicit the detailed activities and outcomes of newcomer information practices, in particular drawing out the dimensions and implications of newcomers' participation within and across local and global social networks, translocal information landscapes, and across their settlement trajectories. The result is a Translocal Meaning Making process that describes how newcomers come to make sense and use information across distinct and sometimes contradictory information spaces. Our findings suggest that migrant information practices shift across space and time and are constituted both individually, through cognitive and affective processes, and socially, through shared imaginaries, through interactions within and across translocal information landscapes, and through complex deterritorialized networks of people and resources.
Differential Usefulness of Nine Commonly Used Genetic Markers for Identifying Phytophthora Species

The genus Phytophthora is agriculturally and ecologically important. As the number of Phytophthora species continues to grow, identifying isolates in this genus has become increasingly challenging even by DNA sequencing. This study evaluated nine commonly used genetic markers against 154 formally described and 17 provisionally named Phytophthora species. These genetic markers were the cytochrome-c oxidase 1 (cox1), internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), 60S ribosomal protein L10, beta-tubulin (β-tub), elongation factor 1 alpha, enolase, heat shock protein 90, 28S ribosomal DNA, and tigA gene fusion protein (tigA). As indicated by species distance, cox1 had the highest genus-wide resolution, followed by ITS, tigA, and β-tub. Resolution of these four markers also varied with (sub)clade. β-tub alone could readily identify all species in clade 1, cox1 for clade 2, and tigA for clades 7 and 8. Two or more genetic markers were required to identify species in other clades. For PCR consistency, ITS (99% PCR success rate) and β-tub (96%) were easier to amplify than cox1 (75%) and tigA (71%). Accordingly, it is recommended to take a two-step approach: classifying unknown Phytophthora isolates to clade by ITS sequences, as this marker is easy to amplify and its signature sequences are readily available, then identifying to species by one or more of the most informative markers for the respective (sub)clade.