Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Value of OCT and OCTA as Potential Biomarkers for Preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review Study

Preclinical Alzheimer’s disease (AD) includes cognitively healthy subjects with at least one positive biomarker: reduction in cerebrospinal fluid Aβ42 or visualization of cerebral amyloidosis by positron emission tomography imaging. The use of these biomarkers is expensive, invasive, and not always possible. It has been shown that the retinal changes measured by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT-angiography (OCTA) could be biomarkers of AD. Diagnosis in early stages before irreversible AD neurological damage takes place is important for the development of new therapeutic interventions. In this review, we summarize the findings of different published studies using OCT and OCTA in participants with preclinical AD. To date, there have been few studies on this topic and they are methodologically very dissimilar. Moreover, these include only two longitudinal studies. For these reasons, it would be interesting to unify the methodology, make the inclusion criteria more rigorous, and conduct longer longitudinal studies to assess the evolution of these subjects. If the results were consistent across repeated studies with the same methodology, this could provide us with insight into the value of the retinal changes observed by OCT/OCTA as potential reliable, cost-effective, and noninvasive biomarkers of preclinical AD.
Hypoxia Performance Curve: Assess a Whole-Organism Metabolic Shift from a Maximum Aerobic Capacity towards a Glycolytic Capacity in Fish

The utility of measuring whole-animal performance to frame the metabolic response to environmental hypoxia is well established. Progressively reducing ambient oxygen (O2) will initially limit maximum metabolic rate as a result of a hypoxemic state and ultimately lead to a time-limited, tolerance state supported by substrate-level phosphorylation when the O2 supply can no longer meet basic needs (standard metabolic rate, SMR). The metabolic consequences of declining ambient O2 were conceptually framed for fishes initially by Fry’s hypoxic performance curve, which characterizes the hypoxemic state and its consequences to absolute aerobic scope (AAS), and Hochachka’s concept of scope for hypoxic survival, which characterizes time-limited life when SMR cannot be supported by O2 supply. Yet, despite these two conceptual frameworks, the toolbox to assess whole-animal metabolic performance remains rather limited. Here, we briefly review the ongoing debate concerning the need to standardize the most commonly used assessments of respiratory performance in hypoxic fishes, namely critical O2 (the ambient O2 level below which maintenance metabolism cannot be sustained) and the incipient lethal O2 (the ambient O2 level at which a fish loses the ability to maintain upright equilibrium), and then we advance the idea that the most useful addition to the toolbox will be the limiting-O2 concentration (LOC) performance curve. Using Fry & Hart’s (1948) hypoxia performance curve concept, an LOC curve was subsequently developed as an eco-physiological framework by Neil et al. and derived for a group of fish during a progressive hypoxia trial by Claireaux and Lagardère (1999). In the present review, we show how only minor modifications to available respirometry tools and techniques are needed to generate an LOC curve for individual fish. This individual approach to the LOC curve determination then increases its statistical robustness and importantly opens up the possibility of examining individual variability. Moreover, if peak aerobic performance at a given ambient O2 level of each individual is expressed as a percentage of its AAS, the water dissolved O2 that supports 50% of the individual’s AAS (DOAAS-50) can be interpolated much like the P50 for an O2 hemoglobin dissociation curve (when hemoglobin is 50% saturated with O2). Thus, critical O2, incipient lethal O2, DOAAS-50 and P50 and can be directly compared within and across species. While an LOC curve for individual fish represents a start to an ongoing need to seamlessly integrate aerobic to anaerobic capacity assessments in a single, multiplexed respirometry trial, we close with a comparative exploration of some of the known whole-organism anaerobic and aerobic capacity traits to examine for correlations among them and guide the next steps.
Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 Effect on Human Glioblastoma Cell Transmigration and Migration

Glioblastoma, World Health Organization—grade IV, is the most malignant glioma type and it is still an incurable tumor due to the high level of heterogeneity and uncontrolled metastatic nature. In addition to the tumorigenicity-suppressing activity, bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) has recently been found for its invasion-promoting role in glioblastoma. However, the detailed and precise mechanism in this issue should have more elucidation. Thus, in this study, we determined the BMP7 effect on glioblastoma transmigration and migration regulations and the underlying mechanisms. Human LN18/LN229 glioblastoma cells were used in this study. Our results showed a higher BMP7/pSmad5 level in human malignant glioma tissues compared to healthy brain tissues. In addition, it was demonstrated that endogenous and exogenous BMP7 stimulation could increase the transmigration and migration capabilities of human LN18/LN229 glioblastoma cells. Moreover, this event is regulated by Smad5 and p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) signaling. Furthermore, unexpected data are that the Smad1 gene knockdown could lead to the cell death of human LN18 glioblastoma cells. Overall, the present study finds that the invasion-promoting activity of BMP7 might be an autocrine stimulation of glioblastoma and this effect could be regulated by Smad5-p75NTR signaling.
The Trifecta of Single-Cell, Systems-Biology, and Machine-Learning Approaches

Together, single-cell technologies and systems biology have been used to investigate previously unanswerable questions in biomedicine with unparalleled detail. Despite these advances, gaps in analytical capacity remain. Machine learning, which has revolutionized biomedical imaging analysis, drug discovery, and systems biology, is an ideal strategy to fill these gaps in single-cell studies. Machine learning additionally has proven to be remarkably synergistic with single-cell data because it remedies unique challenges while capitalizing on the positive aspects of single-cell data. In this review, we describe how systems-biology algorithms have layered machine learning with biological components to provide systems level analyses of single-cell omics data, thus elucidating complex biological mechanisms. Accordingly, we highlight the trifecta of single-cell, systems-biology, and machine-learning approaches and illustrate how this trifecta can significantly contribute to five key areas of scientific research: cell trajectory and identity, individualized medicine, pharmacology, spatial omics, and multi-omics. Given its success to date, the systems-biology, single-cell omics, and machine-learning trifecta has proven to be a potent combination that will further advance biomedical research.
Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Enzyme Inhibition Activities of Methanolic Extracts of Two Endemic Onosma Species

Onosma species have been used as a dye for hundreds of years due to their dark red pigments. These species have also been used by mankind in the treatment of various diseases since ancient times. This work analyzed the phytochemical composition in methanol extract of two endemic Onosma species (O. lycaonica and O. papillosa). Methanolic extract of these species varied in the content of flavonoids and phenolics. The flavonoids were found higher in O. papillosa [32.9 ± 0.3 mg QEs (quercetin equivalent)/g extracts] while the phenolics were higher in O. lycaonica [43.5 ± 1.5 mg GAEs (gallic acid equivalent)/g extracts]. ESI-MS/MS (electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry) revealed the presence of 25 compounds in O. lycaonica and 24 compounds in O. papillosa. The former was richer than the latter for apigenin, luteolin, eriodictyol, pinoresinol, apigenin 7-glucoside, rosmarinic acid, luteolin 7-glucoside, ferulic acid, vanillin, caffeic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, (+)-catechin3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid. The O. papillosa exhibited low EC50 (1.90 ± 0.07 mg/mL) which indicated its strong phosphomolybdenum scavenging activity as compared to O. lycaonica. However, the O. lycaonica showed low IC50 or EC50 for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS+), cupric reducing antioxidant power (CUPRAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and ferrous ion chelating activity, as compared to O. papillosa. The results proved the presence of potent antioxidant compounds in O. lycaonica. Further, the plant extracts significantly varied for enzyme inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE), but the plant extracts did not significantly differ for inhibition of α-glucosidase, α-amylase, and tyrosinase. Onosma species deserve further research towards developing novel drugs to treat oxidative diseases.
Using Household Surveys to Assess Missed Opportunities for Simultaneous Vaccination: Longitudinal Examples from Colombia and Nigeria

One important strategy to increase vaccination coverage is to minimize missed opportunities for vaccination. Missed opportunities for simultaneous vaccination (MOSV) occur when a child receives one or more vaccines but not all those for which they are eligible at a given visit. Household surveys that record children’s vaccination dates can be used to quantify occurrence of MOSVs and their impact on achievable vaccination coverage. We recently automated some MOSV analyses in the World Health Organization’s freely available software: Vaccination Coverage Quality Indicators (VCQI) making it straightforward to study MOSVs for any Demographic & Health Survey (DHS), Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), or Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) survey. This paper uses VCQI to analyze MOSVs for basic vaccine doses among children aged 12–23 months in four rounds of DHS in Colombia (1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010) and five rounds of DHS in Nigeria (1999, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018). Outcomes include percent of vaccination visits MOSVs occurred, percent of children who experienced MOSVs, percent of MOSVs that remained uncorrected (that is, the missed vaccine had still not been received at the time of the survey), and the distribution of time-to-correction for children who received the MOSV dose at a later visit.
Ultrasound Imaging versus Radiographs in Differentiating Periapical Lesions: A Systematic Review

Background: Ultrasonography is a non-invasive method of diagnosing periapical lesions while radiologic methods are more common. Periapical lesions due to endodontic infection are one of the most common causes of periapical radiolucency that need to be distinguished to help determine the course of treatment. This review aimed to examine the accuracy of ultrasound and compare it to radiographs in distinguishing these lesions in vivo. Methods: This review process followed the PRISMA guidelines. A literature search of databases (PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science) was conducted without any restrictions on time. Articles available in English were included. The selection was done according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The QUADAS-2 tool was used to assess the quality of the studies. Results: The search provided a total of 87 articles, out of which, five were selected for the final review. In all the studies, ultrasound had higher accuracy in distinguishing periapical lesions. All the studies indicated a risk of bias, especially in patient selection. Conclusion: Within limitations, the study indicates that ultrasound is a better diagnostic tool to distinguish periapical lesions compared to radiographs but further studies with well-designed, rigorous protocols and low risk of bias are needed to provide stronger evidence.
Impact of Maternal Daily Oral Low-Dose Vitamin A Supplementation on the Mother-Infant Pair: A Randomised Placebo-Controlled Trial in China

Background: The nutritional status of vitamin A in lactating mothers and infants is still not optimistic. Due to the dietary habits and dietary restrictions of postpartum customs in China, vitamin A supplementation has been advocated as a potential strategy to improve vitamin A status of lactating mothers with inadequate dietary vitamin A intake. Existing clinical trials are limited to single or double high-dose maternal administrations. However, in China, vitamin A supplements are readily available in the form of daily oral low-dose supplements, and the effect of these is unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of daily oral low-dose vitamin A supplementation on the retinol levels in the serum and breast milk of lactating mothers and the health status of infants in China. Methods: Lactating mothers who met the inclusion criteria and planned to continue exclusive breastfeeding were randomly assigned to receive either daily oral vitamin A and D drops (one soft capsule of 1800 IU vitamin A and 600 IU vitamin D2), or a matching placebo for 2 months. Before and after the intervention, dietary intake was investigated by instant photography, and the retinol concentration in maternal serum and breast milk was determined by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. During the trial, the health status of infants was diagnosed by a paediatrician or reported by lactating mothers. A total of 245 participants completed the study, with 117 in the supplementation group and 128 in the control group. Results: After the 2-month intervention, maternal serum retinol concentrations increased in the supplementation group with no change in the control group. Although breast milk retinol concentrations decreased significantly in both groups, the decrease in the supplementation group was significantly lower than that in the control group. However, maternal vitamin A supplementation was not associated with a lower risk of infant febrile illness, respiratory tract infection, diarrhoea, and eczema. Conclusions: Daily oral low-dose vitamin A supplementation is helpful in improving maternal vitamin A status, despite having no effect on infant health status through breast milk.
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome: From a Disease to a Broader Spectrum

Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a genetic disease that exemplifies the evolution of knowledge in the field of rare genetic disorders. Originally described as a unique pattern of major and minor anomalies, over time this syndrome has been shown to be characterized by a significant variability of clinical expression. By increasing the number of patients described, knowledge of the natural history of the condition has been enriched with the demonstration of the relative frequency of various potential comorbidities. Since 2006, the discovery of CdLS’s molecular basis has shown an equally vast genetic heterogeneity linked to the presence of variants in genes encoding for the cohesin complex pathway. The most recent clinical-genetic data led to the classification of the “original syndrome” into a “clinical spectrum” that foresees the presence of classic patients, of non-classic forms, and of conditions that show a modest phenotypic overlapping with the original disease. Finally, the knowledge of the molecular basis of the disease has allowed the development of basic research projects that could lay the foundations for the development of possible innovative pharmacological treatments.
Quantitative Evaluation of the Movement Distance of Deep Fascia and Change of Muscle Shape Related to Chain Response in Fascia Tissue of Lower Limb

By using ultrasonography, we measured the longitudinal movement distance of the deep fascia (LMDDF), change of the pennation angle (PA) and muscle thickness (MT) in both the tensor fasciae latae muscle (TFL) and the gluteus medius muscle (G-Med) during passive movement of the toes/ankle joints. 21 right lower limbs of 21 healthy males were evaluated in this study. We measured the LMDDF of the TFL and G-Med by measuring distance between the designated landmark on skin and the intersection of the major deep-fascia (D-fascia) and the fascial bundle. We also measured change of the PA and MT of both muscles. Additionally, we also measured the reliability of the measurement and the measurement error. The measurement was performed during three manual positions on the toes/ankle; manual holding of the toes and ankle joint in neutral, toes flexion and ankle plantar flexion/inversion position, toes extension and ankle extension/valgus position. The existence of muscle contraction of both the muscles during passive motion was monitored by active surface electrodes. This study confirmed mobility of the D-fascia in which the TFL’s D-fascia moves and change of muscle shape in the distal direction during no muscle contraction due to passive movement. This fact suggests the possibility that passive tension on fascia tissue of the ankle extends to the proximal part of the limb, i.e., to the D-fascia of the TFL.
Development of Verapamil Hydrochloride Self-Emulsifying Sustained-Release Tablets and Exploration of Released Character

AIM Self emulsifying drug delivery systems were studied. Verapamil Hydrochloride self emulsifying sustained release tablets were developed and evaluated \%in vitro\% release characteristics. METHODS The Verapamil Hydrochloride formulations were screened according to the designed \%in vitro\% release rate by the use of Tween80, Sbpc as emulsifier and HPMC, and carbopol as the gel matrix. RESULTS The self emulsifying sustained release tablets prepared containing 10% emulsifier and 30% gel matrix were preferable. CONCLUSION Adjusting the ingredients of formulation may obtain the desirable self emulsifying sustained release tablets.
NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC ANTIBIOFILM COMPOUNDS

Biofilm is a community of microorganisms adhering to biotic or abiotic embedded by a self-produced extra adverse environment. Quorum sensing systems provide for the bacteria an access to nutrients and favourable environmental niches as well as enhanced action against competing bacteria and environmental stresses. Quorum sensing has also been identified as a mode of resistance to antibacterial treatment. The aim of this review is to give a synopsis which will serve as a knowledge base for researchers on antibiofilms. Pr in this work are naturally occurring and synthetic antibiofilms which are at various stages of development. The mechanisms of action of these compounds are yet to be fully understood. While some antibiofilm compounds prevent the formation of biofilm disrupt already formed biofilms. Notable among compounds which prevent the formation of biofilms are quorum sensing inhibitor, ajoene obtained from garlic, proanthocyanidins from cranberry and others. The chemical structures of some of these comp highlighted with a view to identifying the moieties responsible for their antibiofilm activities. Among the synthetic antibiofilm compounds, marine products, like dihydrooroidin (DHO) have been identified to have both antibiofilm and antifouling activities. It is pleasing that, not only do we have in the pipeline many biological compounds to be used for prevention and disruption of already have synthetic antibiofilms largely from aquatic sources
Associations between Diabetes and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Study-level Pooled analysis of 26 Million People.

CONTEXT Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a systemic disease characterized by chronic hyperglycemia associated with inflammation and oxidative stress, and the lung may be a target organ of diabetic microvascular damage. Several studies have indicated a positive association between idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and diabetes with controversial findings. OBJECTIVE Primary outcomes were to compare the prevalence of DM among individuals with IPF to non-IPF controls, and the prevalence of IPF among individuals with DM to non-DM controls. DATA SOURCES PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library. STUDY SELECTION Studies contained sufficient data to calculate the prevalence of DM among individuals with and without IPF, or the prevalence of IPF among individuals with and without DM. DATA EXTRACTION Two investigators independently identified eligible studies and extracted data. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% CIs was the summary effect measure. DATA SYNTHESIS Eighteen studies including 26,410,623 individuals met eligibility criteria, of which 16 recruited people with IPF and 2 recruited people with DM. The OR of DM in IPF subjects was 1.54 (95% CI: 1.30-1.84; P<0.001) compared to that in non-IPF controls. However, compared with that in non-DM patients, the risk of IPF in DM patients was not found to be significantly reduced (OR: 0.89, 95% CI: 0.64-1.25; P=0.497). CONCLUSION This meta-analysis suggests that people with IPF have 1.54 times increased odds of diabetes compared to non-IPF controls, while whether patients with DM have an increased risk of IPF is still controversial. Further large, prospective cohort studies investigating the prevalence of IPF in diabetic patients are warranted.
Comparative study of As(V) removal by ferric coagulation and oxy-hydroxides adsorption: laboratory and full-scale case studies

ABSTRACT This research attempts to evaluate the efficiency of the two main arsenic removal processes, i.e. Fe(III) coagulation and iron oxy-hydroxides adsorption, by combining laboratory-scale experiments and results from operating full-scale water treatment units, located in several places of Greece. The proposed experimental procedure showed that the removal ability of Fe(III) coagulation is proportional to the added iron salt dose and appears to be much more efficient than the adsorption process applied in columns filled with iron oxy-hydroxide solid media. Furthermore, the comparison with the results obtained from large-scale water treatment plants indicated the possibility to predict the required quantities of chemicals’ addition, or adsorbents in scaling-up the laboratory or pilot-scale systems, respectively. However, apart from the effectiveness of each method, the variation in water flow rates, the residual arsenic concentrations, and the specific requirements for operation and maintenance should .
Chemical Composition of Birch Wood Slow Pyrolysis Products

Birch distillate, a byproduct in charcoal production, has found to be a promising source for biological pesticides. The aim of this paper was to determine the yields and chemical compositions of liquid and gaseous products from the slow pyrolysis of birch hardwood, which is needed in the commercialization process of the byproduct. Test runs were performed using three different retorts. Distillates, aqueous phases, settled tars, wood vinegars, and gases were analyzed with an analytical scheme developed. About 95 wt % of the aqueous phases was analyzed. The main compounds were water, acetic acid, methanol, hydroxypropanone, furfurals, acetone, and syringol, catechol, and phenol derivatives, and sugarlike compounds. The tar and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contents of aqueous phases were low, or they could be lowered by simple water addition when needed. On the basis of compositions, birch wood vinegars have potential to be used for example as biodegradable pesticides, to replace synthetic pesticides. At.