Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preparation of Electrospun Gelatin Mat with Incorporated Zinc Oxide/Graphene Oxide and Its Antibacterial Activity

Current wound dressings have poor antimicrobial activities and are difficult to degrade. Therefore, biodegradable and antibacterial dressings are urgently needed. In this article, we used the hydrothermal method and side-by-side electrospinning technology to prepare a gelatin mat with incorporated zinc oxide/graphene oxide (ZnO/GO) nanocomposites. The resultant fibers were characterized by field emission environment scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Results indicated that the gelatin fibers had good morphology, and ZnO/GO nanocomposites were uniformly dispersed on the fibers. The loss of Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) viability were observed to more than 90% with the incorporation of ZnO/GO. The degradation process showed that the composite fibers completely degraded within 7 days and had good controllable degradation characteristics. This study demonstrated the potential applicability of ZnO/GO-gelatin mats with excellent antibacterial properties as wound dressing material.
Bioinformatics analysis and genetic polymorphisms in genomic region of the bovine SH2B2 gene and their associations with molecular breeding for body size traits in qinchuan beef cattle

Abstract The Src homology 2 B 2 (SH2B2) gene regulate energy balance and body weight at least partially by enhancing Janus kinase-2 (JAK2)-mediated cytokine signaling, including leptin and/or GH signaling. Leptin is an adipose hormone that controls body weight. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the association between body measurement traits and SH2B2 gene polymorphisms as responsible mutations. For this purpose, we selected four single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SH2B2 gene, including two in intron 5 (g.20545A>G, and g.20570G>A, one synonymous SNP g.20693T>C, in exon 6 and one in intron 8 (g.24070C>A, and genotyped them in Qinchuan cattle. SNPs in sample populations were in medium polymorphism level (0.250A, g.20693T>C, and g.24070C>A, significantly (P < 0.05) associated with body length (BL) and chest circumference (CC) in Qinchuan cattle. In addition, H4H3 and H5H5 diplotype had highly significantly (P < 0.01) greater body length (BL), rump length (RL), and chest circumference (CC) than H4H2. Our investigation will not only extend the spectrum of genetic variation of bovine SH2B2 gene, but also provide useful information for the marker assisted selection in beef cattle breeding program.
Mass Spectrometry-Based Identification of MHC-Associated Peptides

Neoantigen-based immunotherapies promise to improve patient outcomes over the current standard of care. However, detecting these cancer-specific antigens is one of the significant challenges in the field of mass spectrometry. Even though the first sequencing of the immunopeptides was done decades ago, today there is still a diversity of the protocols used for neoantigen isolation from the cell surface. This heterogeneity makes it difficult to compare results between the laboratories and the studies. Isolation of the neoantigens from the cell surface is usually done by mild acid elution (MAE) or immunoprecipitation (IP) protocol. However, limited amounts of the neoantigens present on the cell surface impose a challenge and require instrumentation with enough sensitivity and accuracy for their detection. Detecting these neopeptides from small amounts of available patient tissue limits the scope of most of the studies to cell cultures. Here, we summarize protocols for the extraction and identification of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II peptides. We aimed to evaluate existing methods in terms of the appropriateness of the isolation procedure, as well as instrumental parameters used for neoantigen detection. We also focus on the amount of the material used in the protocols as the critical factor to consider when analyzing neoantigens. Beyond experimental aspects, there are numerous readily available proteomics suits/tools applicable for neoantigen discovery; however, experimental validation is still necessary for neoantigen characterization.
The Effects of Using Plaque-Disclosing Tablets on the Removal of Plaque and Gingival Status of Orthodontic Patients.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of using plaque-disclosing tablets (PDTs) on the plaque and gingival index scores of patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances. Methods In group A (n=16), the subjects were motivated by conventional oral hygiene instructions, including verbal information about tooth brushing. The patients in group B (n=17) were motivated using PDTs used in the dentists' office to show the locations of biofilms in addition to the instructions given to group A. Both the chairside demonstration performed in group B and the at-home use of disclosing tablets were undertaken by those in group C (n=15). The periodontal parameters were recorded before applying the fixed appliance (T0) and after the first (T1) and third (T2) months. Results The plaque index (PI) scores of group C were significantly lower (p<0.05), when compared to groups A and B, after the first (T1) and third months (T2); however, no significant differences (p>0.05) were found between groups A and B. The gingival status of group C did not change significantly (p>0.05) over the three months and was statistically lower when compared to groups A and B. Conclusion The use of PDTs at home may enhance the plaque removal efficiency and gingival health stability, by facilitating self-examination.
Bispecific Antibodies and Antibody–Drug Conjugates for Cancer Therapy: Technological Considerations

The ability of monoclonal antibodies to specifically bind a target antigen and neutralize or stimulate its activity is the basis for the rapid growth and development of the therapeutic antibody field. In recent years, traditional immunoglobulin antibodies have been further engineered for better efficacy and safety, and technological developments in the field enabled the design and production of engineered antibodies capable of mediating therapeutic functions hitherto unattainable by conventional antibody formats. Representative of this newer generation of therapeutic antibody formats are bispecific antibodies and antibody–drug conjugates, each with several approved drugs and dozens more in the clinical development phase. In this review, the technological principles and challenges of bispecific antibodies and antibody–drug conjugates are discussed, with emphasis on clinically validated formats but also including recent developments in the fields, many of which are expected to significantly augment the current therapeutic arsenal against cancer and other diseases with unmet medical needs.
Broader phenotypic traits and widespread brain hypometabolism in spinocerebellar ataxia 27

The goal of this study was to characterize a Swedish family with members affected by spinocerebellar ataxia 27 (SCA27), a rare autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in fibroblast growth factor 14 (FGF14). Despite normal structural neuroimaging, psychiatric manifestations and intellectual disability are part of the SCA27 phenotype raising the need for functional neuroimaging. Here, we used clinical assessments, structural and functional neuroimaging to characterize these new SCA27 patients. Since one patient presents with a psychotic disorder, an exploratory study of markers of schizophrenia associated with GABAergic neurotransmission was performed in fgf14−/− mice, a preclinical model that replicates motor and learning deficits of SCA27.
Cholesterol metabolism regulation mediated by SREBP-2, LXRα and miR-33a in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) both in vivo and in vitro

Cholesterol metabolism is greatly affected in fish fed plant-based diet. The regulation of cholesterol metabolism is mediated by both transcriptional factors such as sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) and liver X receptors (LXRs), and posttranscriptional factors including miRNAs. In mammals, SREBP-2 and LXRα are involved in the transcriptional regulation of cholesterol synthesis and elimination, respectively. In mammals, miR-33a is reported to directly target genes involved in cholesterol catabolism. The present study aims to investigate the regulation of cholesterol metabolism by SREBP-2 and LXRα and miR-33a in rainbow trout using in vivo and in vitro approaches. In vivo, juvenile rainbow trout of ~72 g initial body weight were fed a total plant-based diet (V) or a marine diet (M) containing fishmeal and fish oil. In vitro, primary cell culture hepatocytes were stimulated by graded concentrations of 25-hydroxycholesterol (25-HC). The hepatic expression of cholesterol synthetic genes, srebp-2 and miR-33a as well as miR-33a level in plasma were increased in fish fed the plant-based diet, reversely, their expression in hepatocytes were inhibited with the increasing 25-HC in vitro. However, lxrα was not affected neither in vivo nor in vitro. Our results suggest that SREBP-2 and miR-33a synergistically enhance the expression of cholesterol synthetic genes but do not support the involvement of LXRα in the regulation of cholesterol elimination. As plasma level of miR-33a appears as potential indicator of cholesterol synthetic capacities, this study also highlights circulating miRNAs as promising noninvasive biomarker in aquaculture.
Fast Polymerization of Polydopamine Based on Titanium Dioxide for High-Performance Flexible Electrodes.

Dopamine (DA) and its derivatives are promising for the fabrication of functional films and devices with excellent conductivity and long-term stability, nevertheless its polymerization process is typically prolonged. We have proposed the accelerated deposition process using ultraviolet (UV) irradiation with the existence of nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) in order to realize the rapid and stable synthesis of polydopamine (PDA) films. The in situ deposition process of nanostructured coatings such as platinum nanowire (PtNW) was also proposed by reducing the time of polymerization process to less than 1 h. It also increased the platinum (Pt) chelating rate with PDA, which was about 12 times faster than the traditional photo-oxidation method. Compared with the electrodes in the same size based on Ti/Pt sputtering, the impedance of the proposed PDA/TiO2/PtNW coated electrode was as low as 0.0968±0.0054 kΩ at 1 kHz (reduction of 99.74%). An extremely high cathodic charge storage capacity (CSCc) up to 234.4±3.16 mC cm-2 was also observed, which was about 106.5 and 1.6 times higher than that of Ti/Pt and PDA/PtNW electrodes respectively. In addition to that, significant photocurrent polarization responses were presented for PDA/TiO2/PtNW electrodes with a stable current of -136.1 μA, exhibiting excellent charge transfer and UV absorption capacities. This co-deposition method has demonstrated great potential to speed up the polymerization process and enhance the electrical performances for flexible electrodes.
d-Methionine and d-Phenylalanine Improve Lactococcus lactis F44 Acid Resistance and Nisin Yield by Governing Cell Wall Remodeling

As d-amino acids play an important role in cell wall synthesis, we analyzed the effects of 19 different d-amino acids on L. lactis F44, demonstrating that d-Met and d-Phe can participate in peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis and improve the acid resistance and nisin yield of this strain. murF overexpression further increased the levels of d-Met and d-Phe incorporated into PG and contributed to the acid resistance of the strain. These findings suggest that d-Met and d-Phe can be incorporated into PG to improve the acid resistance and nisin yield of L. lactis, and this study provides new ideas for the enhancement of nisin production. ABSTRACT Lactococcus lactis encounters various environmental challenges, especially acid stress, during its growth. The cell wall can maintain the integrity and shape of the cell under environmental stress, and d-amino acids play an important role in cell wall synthesis. Here, by analyzing the effects of 19 different d-amino acids on the physiology of L. lactis F44, we found that exogenously supplied d-methionine and d-phenylalanine increased the nisin yield by 93.22% and 101.29%, respectively, as well as significantly increasing the acid resistance of L. lactis F44. The composition of the cell wall in L. lactis F44 with exogenously supplied d-Met or d-Phe was further investigated via a vancomycin fluorescence experiment and a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay, which demonstrated that d-Met could be incorporated into the fifth position of peptidoglycan (PG) muropeptides and d-Phe could be added to the fourth and fifth positions. Moreover, overexpression of the PG synthesis gene murF further enhanced the levels of d-Met and d-Phe involved in PG and increased the survival rate under acid stress and the nisin yield of the strain. This study reveals that the exogenous supply of d-Met or d-Phe can change the composition of the cell wall and influence acid tolerance as well as nisin yield in L. lactis. IMPORTANCE As d-amino acids play an important role in cell wall synthesis, we analyzed the effects of 19 different d-amino acids on L. lactis F44, demonstrating that d-Met and d-Phe can participate in peptidoglycan (PG) synthesis and improve the acid resistance and nisin yield of this strain. murF overexpression further increased the levels of d-Met and d-Phe incorporated into PG and contributed to the acid resistance of the strain. These findings suggest that d-Met and d-Phe can be incorporated into PG to improve the acid resistance and nisin yield of L. lactis, and this study provides new ideas for the enhancement of nisin production.
Association of SNPs in CDKN2A (P14ARF) Tumour Suppressor Gene With Endometrial Cancer in Postmenopausal Women

Background/Aim: This research was aimed to evaluate the association between three selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the CDKN2A (P14ARF) tumour suppressor gene and the incidence of endometrial cancer (EC) in postmenopausal women. Patients and Methods: The study included 194 postmenopausal women; 144 with EC and 50 non-cancer controls. Genotypes in P14ARF rs3088440, rs3731217 and rs3731245 polymorphisms were assayed using PCR-RFLP and confirmed by sequencing. Results: Regarding the rs3088440 polymorphism, CT, and CT-TT genotypes, were more prevalent among EC patients than in controls (OR=5.55, p=0.023, OR=5.29, p=0.027; and OR=2.92, p=0.023, respectively). The T allele within rs3088440 was more prevalent in EC females than in controls (χ2=4.7, p=0.030). Considering rs3731217, TG and TG-GG genotypes were less prevalent among EC (OR=0.34, p=0.024 or p=0.023; and OR=0.38, p=0.035, respectively). Conclusion: Polymorphisms in the CDKN2A gene are associated with EC in postmenopausal women.
Assessment of Acute Pulmonary Embolism by Computer-Aided Technique: A Reliability Study

Background Acute pulmonary embolism is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases. Computer-aided technique is widely used in chest imaging, especially for assessing pulmonary embolism. The reliability and quantitative analyses of computer-aided technique are necessary. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability of geometry-based computer-aided detection and quantification for emboli morphology and severity of acute pulmonary embolism. Material/Methods Thirty patients suspected of acute pulmonary embolism were analyzed by both manual and computer-aided interpretation of vascular obstruction index and computer-aided measurements of emboli quantitative parameters. The reliability of Qanadli and Mastora scores was analyzed using computer-aided and manual interpretation. Results The time costs of manual and computer-aided interpretation were statistically different (374.90±150.16 versus 121.07±51.76, P<0.001). The difference between the computer-aided and manual interpretation of Qanadli score was 1.83±2.19, and 96.7% (29 out of 30) of the measurements were within 95% confidence interval (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC=0.998). The difference between the computer-aided and manual interpretation of Mastora score was 1.46±1.62, and 96.7% (29 out of 30) of the measurements were within 95% confidence interval (ICC=0.997). The emboli quantitative parameters were moderately correlated with the Qanadli and Mastora scores (all P<0.001). Conclusions Computer-aided technique could reduce the time costs, improve the and reliability of vascular obstruction index and provided additional quantitative parameters for disease assessment.
Farmer-Led Irrigation and Its Impacts on Smallholder Farmers’ Crop Income: Evidence from Southern Tanzania

Irrigation projects in sub-Saharan Africa are mostly unsustainable because of lack of maintenance by their users or government planners. By contrast, evidence shows that the smallholder farmers are developing and expanding the irrigated land, using their initiatives. Farmer-led irrigation, a revolutionary agricultural intensification approach, is already in progress with the magnitude to significantly transform the living standards of smallholder farmers. However, a rigorous assessment of its impact on household welfare to ascertain this is lacking. This paper bridges this gap by assessing factors influencing the adoption of this particular approach as well as its effects on the farmers’ per capita net crop income. Our data set consists of 608 smallholder farmers in Southern Tanzania and used propensity score matching to estimate the effects of adoption on the per capita net crop income. Our results indicate that the uptake of farmer-led irrigation practices is influenced by drought experience, water user group membership, farmer organization membership, and government extension, as well as the sex of the household head. Further, there was a positive and significant effect on the adopters’ per capita net crop income, thus encouraging the need to promote farmer-led irrigation as a complement to externally promoted innovations in achieving sustainable food security. This study, therefore, recommends that the government should support the farmers’ initiative by improving roads, removing market barriers, and helping farmers who have not yet taken up the initiative. Also, the government should enact regulations to make sure farmer-led irrigation initiatives do not harm the eco-environment such as protecting domestic water users. Finally, the government should leverage microservices to the farmers such as promoting affordable and appropriate credit facilities. It is necessary to continue pursuing this vein of research to gain information regarding the definite impact of the farmer-led irrigation on household welfare.
18-kDa Translocator Protein Ligands Protect H9C2 Cardiomyocytes from Cigarette Smoke-induced Cell Death: In Vitro Study

Background: Cigarette smoke (CS) can induce cellular damage via alterations in 18 kDa translocator protein (TSPO)-related functions, leading to cardiovascular diseases. The current study focused on the possible protective effect of TSPO ligands against CS-induced damage to cardiac cells. Materials and Methods: H9C2 Cardiomyocyte cell line of rat origin was pre-treated with TSPO ligands. Cell death, TSPO binding, and TSPO protein expression levels were assessed following 30-min CS exposure with/without TSPO ligands. Results: CS exposure of H9C2 cells significantly incensed cell death (by 26%, p<0.001). Pre-treatment with TSPO ligands at two concentrations prevented cell death. Neither CS nor ligands affected TSPO protein expression in H9C2 cells. CS led to increased cell death and reduced TSPO binding. Conclusion: Reduced TSPO binding may have a role in CS-induced cell death, and TSPO ligand MGV-1 can prevent suppression of TSPO binding and corresponding cell death. These results may be relevant to treatment of cardiovascular diseases associated with CS.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Impulsivity, Anxiety, and Depression Symptoms Mediating the Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Symptoms Severity of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Introduction A growing body of research associates childhood trauma with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between childhood trauma and OCD, including both its severity and OCD patients' comorbid impulsivity, ADHD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Methods A convenient sample consisting of 106 patients with OCD was given the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Barratt Impulsivity Scale-11 (BIS-11). Results The results showed that childhood trauma indirectly predicts the severity of OCD and directly predicts comorbidities in OCD patients, including anxiety, ADHD, WURS, and impulsivity. Patients with childhood trauma had higher WURS, BAI, and BIS-11 scores and fewer years of education. Ongoing adult ADHD was more common in individuals with childhood trauma. Conclusion A history of childhood trauma in OCD patients has indirect effects on the severity of OCD and depressive symptoms and is associated with more severe anxiety, higher levels of impulsivity, higher prevalence of ADHD, and lower levels of education. More research is needed to clarify the effects of childhood trauma on OCD severity and comorbidity.
Benzene and its effects on cell signaling pathways related to hematopoiesis and leukemia

Benzene is an environmental toxicant found in many consumer products. It is an established human carcinogen and is known to cause acute myeloid leukemia in adults. Epidemiological evidence has since shown that benzene can cross the placenta and affect the fetal liver. Animal studies have shown that in utero exposure to benzene can increase tumor incidence in offspring. Although there have been risk factors established for acute myeloid leukemia, they still do not account for many of the cases. Clearly then, current efforts to elucidate the mechanism by which benzene exerts its carcinogenic properties have been superficial. Owing to the critical role of cell signaling pathways in the development of an organism and its various organ systems, it seems plausible to suspect that these pathways may have a role in leukemogenesis. This review article assesses current evidence of the effects of benzene on critical hematopoietic signaling pathways. Pathways discussed included Hedgehog, Notch/Delta, Wingless/Integrated, nuclear factor‐kappaB and others. Following a review of the literature, it seems that current evidence about the effects of benzene on these critical signaling pathways remains limited. Given the important role of these pathways in hematopoiesis, more attention should be given to them.