Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Culicoides segnis and Culicoides pictipennis Biting Midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae), New Reported Vectors of Haemoproteus Parasites

As bloodsuckers of birds, Culicoides biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) play an important role in the transmission of avian haemosporidian (Haemoproteus) parasites, which are prevalent in many bird populations and cause disease, pathology, or even mortality in their hosts. Information about the role of the various Culicoides species in the transmission of Haemoproteus parasites remains insufficient. This presents an obstacle for the better understanding of the epizootiology of haemoproteosis. The aim of this study was to determine new Culicoides species involved in the transmission of Haemoproteus parasites in the wild. Biting midges were collected using UV traps on the Curonian Spit, Lithuania. Only parous Culicoides females were investigated: they were identified and were diagnosed for the presence of Haemoproteus parasites using both microscopy and PCR-based methods. We collected and dissected 420 parous Culicoides females. PCR-based screening showed that 28 parous Culicoides biting midges were infected with avian Haemoproteus parasites. Haemoproteid DNA was detected in Culicoides kibunensis, Culicoides pictipennis, Culicoides festivipennis, Culicoides segnis, Culicoides pallidicornis, and Culicoides obsoletus biting midges. The DNA of Haemoproteus palloris, genetic lineage hWW1, was found for the first time in C. pallidicornis. Haemoproteus sporozoites were detected in the salivary glands of two Culicoides segnis biting midges. According to the PCR results, one female contained Haemoproteus tartakovskyi (genetic lineage hHAWF1) DNA and another Haemoproteus majoris (genetic lineage hCCF5) DNA. The sporozoites of Haemoproteus parasites were also detected in the salivary glands of four C. pictipennis biting midges using microscopy, and this finding was confirmed by PCR as Haemoproteus parabelopolskyi DNA (genetic lineage hSYAT02) was detected in three out of the four biting midges. The obtained results supplement existing information about Culicoides biting midges as natural vectors of Haemoproteus spp. and add two new Culicoides species to the vector list, showing the low specificity of these parasites for the invertebrate hosts.
The Potential Role of Cyclopeptides from Pseudostellaria heterophylla, Linum usitatissimum and Drymaria diandra, and Peptides Derived from Heterophyllin B as Dipeptidyl Peptidase IV Inhibitors for the Treatment of Type 2 Diabetes: An In Silico Study

Dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP4) inhibitors can treat type 2 diabetes by slowing GLP-1 degradation to increase insulin secretion. Studies have reported that Pseudostellaria heterophylla, Linum usita-tissimum (flaxseed), and Drymaria diandra, plants rich in Caryophyllaceae-type cyclopeptides and commonly used as herbal or dietary supplements, are effective in controlling blood sugar. The active site of DPP4 is in a cavity large enough to accommodate their cyclopeptides. Molecular modeling by AutoDock Vina reveals that certain cyclopeptides in these plants have the potential for DPP4 inhibition. In particular, “Heterophyllin B” from P. heterophylla, “Cyclolinopeptide C” from flaxseed, and “Diandrine C” from D. diandra, with binding affinities of −10.4, −10.0, and −10.7 kcal/mol, are promising. Docking suggests that DPP4 inhibition may be one of the reasons why these three plants are beneficial for lowering blood sugar. Because many protein hydrolysates have shown the effect of DPP4 inhibition, a series of peptides derived from Heterophyllin B precursor “IFGGLPPP” were included in the study. It was observed that IFWPPP (−10.5 kcal/mol), IFGGWPPP (−11.4 kcal/mol), and IFGWPPP (−12.0 kcal/mol) showed good binding affinity and interaction for DPP4. Various IFGGLPPP derivatives have the potential to serve as scaffolds for the design of novel DPP4 inhibitors.
Current situation of fungal diseases in Eritrea

The epidemiology of fungal infections in Eritrea is unknown. Most cases are under‐reported due to a lack of diagnostics. This study estimates the burden of serious fungal infections and highlights treatment and diagnostic gaps in the country. All publications related to fungal infections were identified by searches using PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar. Where no data were available, data from neighbouring countries, then sub‐Saharan African countries, then other parts of the world were considered for deriving estimates. The Eritrea population was 3,546,427 in 2020. In 2020, HIV/AIDS patients numbered 1400 and TB incidence were 2875. The five‐year adult prevalence of asthma (2016–2020) was 41,390, and the total prevalence estimate of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was 308,328. The annual incidence of cryptococcal meningitis and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in AIDS patients was estimated at 96 and 205 cases. Oesophageal candidiasis incidence is 715 HIV‐infected patients. Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis prevalence, including post‐tuberculosis cases, was estimated at 1399 (39/100,000). Fungal asthma has a prevalence of 1035 and 1366 in adults. The estimated prevalence of recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis and tinea capitis is 59,391 and 342,585, respectively. There are no data on candidaemia, but it is estimated at 5/100,000 (177 cases annually). Invasive aspergillosis in leukaemia, lung cancer, COPD and HIV is estimated at 540 cases and fungal keratitis in 514 cases annually. Serious fungal infections are prevalent in Eritrea with approximately 408,164 people (11.5%) affected annually. Studies on fungal diseases to improve diagnosis and treatment are required with the implementation of a national surveillance program.
Obeticholic Acid Reduces Kidney Matrix Metalloproteinase Activation Following Partial Hepatic Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rats

We have previously demonstrated that the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonist obeticholic acid (OCA) protects the liver via downregulation of hepatic matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), which can lead to multiorgan dysfunction. The present study investigated the capacity of OCA to modulate MMPs in distant organs such as the kidney. Male Wistar rats were dosed orally with 10 mg/kg/day of OCA (5 days) and were subjected to 60-min partial hepatic ischemia. After 120-min reperfusion, kidney biopsies (cortex and medulla) and blood samples were collected. Serum creatinine, kidney MMP-2, and MMP-9-dimer, tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMP-1, TIMP-2), RECK, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 were monitored. MMP-9-dimer activity in the kidney cortex and medulla increased after hepatic I/R and a reduction was detected in OCA-treated I/R rats. Although not significantly, MMP-2 activity decreased in the cortex of OCA-treated I/R rats. TIMPs and RECK levels showed no significant differences among all groups considered. Serum creatinine increased after I/R and a reduction was detected in OCA-treated I/R rats. The same trend occurred for tissue TNF-alpha and IL-6. Although the underlying mechanisms need further investigation, this is the first study showing, in the kidney, beneficial effects of OCA by reducing TNF-alpha-mediated expression of MMPs after liver I/R.
Replication Compartments—The Great Survival Strategy for Epstein–Barr Virus Lytic Replication

During Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) lytic replication, viral DNA synthesis is carried out in viral replication factories called replication compartments (RCs), which are located at discrete sites in the nucleus. Viral proteins constituting the viral replication machinery are accumulated in the RCs to amplify viral genomes. Newly synthesized viral DNA is stored in a subdomain of the RC termed the BMRF1-core, matured by host factors, and finally packed into assembled viral capsids. Late (L) genes are transcribed from DNA stored in the BMRF1-core through a process that is mainly dependent on the viral pre-initiation complex (vPIC). RC formation is a well-regulated system and strongly advantageous for EBV survival because of the following aspects: (1) RCs enable the spatial separation of newly synthesized viral DNA from the cellular chromosome for protection and maturation of viral DNA; (2) EBV-coded proteins and their interaction partners are recruited to RCs, which enhances the interactions among viral proteins, cellular proteins, and viral DNA; (3) the formation of RCs benefits continuous replication, leading to L gene transcription; and (4) DNA storage and maturation leads to efficient progeny viral production. Here, we review the state of knowledge of this important viral structure and discuss its roles in EBV survival.
Dark matters: Contrasting responses of stream biofilm to browning and loss of riparian shading

Concentrations of terrestrial‐derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in freshwater ecosystems have increased consistently, causing freshwater browning. The mechanisms behind browning are complex, but in forestry‐intensive regions browning is accelerated by land drainage. Forestry actions in streamside riparian forests alter canopy shading, which together with browning is expected to exert a complex and largely unpredictable control over key ecosystem functions. We conducted a stream mesocosm experiment with three levels of browning (ambient vs. moderate vs. high, with 2.7 and 5.5‐fold increase, respectively, in absorbance) crossed with two levels of riparian shading (70% light reduction vs. open canopy) to explore the individual and combined effects of browning and loss of shading on the quantity (algal biomass) and nutritional quality (polyunsaturated fatty acid and sterol content) of the periphytic biofilm. We also conducted a field survey of differently colored (4.7 to 26.2 mg DOC L−1) streams to provide a ‘reality check’ for our experimental findings. Browning reduced greatly the algal biomass, suppressed the availability of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and sterols, but increased the availability of terrestrial‐derived long‐chain saturated fatty acids (LSAFA). In contrast, loss of shading increased primary productivity, which resulted in elevated sterol and EPA contents of the biofilm. The field survey largely repeated the same pattern: biofilm nutritional quality decreased significantly with increasing DOC, as indicated particularly by a decrease of the ω‐3:ω‐6 ratio and increase in LSAFA content. Algal biomass, in contrast, was mainly controlled by dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentration, while DOC concentration was of minor importance. The ongoing browning process is inducing a dramatic reduction in the nutritional quality of the stream biofilm. Such degradation of the major high‐quality food source available for stream consumers may reduce the trophic transfer efficiency in stream ecosystems, potentially extending across the stream‐forest ecotone.
Measurement of glucose metabolism in the occipital lobe and frontal cortex after oral administration of [1-13C]glucose at 9.4 T

For the first time, labeling effects after oral intake of [1-13C]glucose are observed in the human brain with pure 1H detection at 9.4 T. Spectral time series were acquired using a short-TE 1H MRS MC-semiLASER (Metabolite Cycling semi Localization by Adiabatic SElective Refocusing) sequence in two voxels of 5.4 mL in the frontal cortex and the occipital lobe. High-quality time-courses of [4-13C]glutamate, [4-13C]glutamine, [3-13C]glutamate + glutamine, [2-13C] glutamate+glutamine and [3-13C]aspartate for individual volunteers and additionally, group-averaged time-courses of labeled and non-labeled brain glucose could be obtained. Using a one-compartment model, mean metabolic rates were calculated for each voxel position: The mean rate of the TCA-cycle (Vtca) value was determined to be 1.36 and 0.93 μmol min−1 g−1, the mean rate of glutamine synthesis (Vgln) was calculated to be 0.23 and 0.45 μmol min−1 g−1, the mean exchange rate between cytosolic amino acids and mitochondrial Krebs cycle intermediates (Vx) rate was found to be 0.57 and 1.21 μmol min−1 g−1 for the occipital lobe and the frontal cortex, respectively. These values were in agreement with previously reported data. Altogether, it can be shown that this most simple technique combining oral administration of [1-13C]Glc with pure 1H MRS acquisition is suitable to measure metabolic rates.
Deep Learning-Based Channel Estimation for mmWave Massive MIMO Systems in Mixed-ADC Architecture

Millimeter-wave (mmWave) massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems can significantly reduce the number of radio frequency (RF) chains by using lens antenna arrays, because it is usually the case that the number of RF chains is often much smaller than the number of antennas, so channel estimation becomes very challenging in practical wireless communication. In this paper, we investigated channel estimation for mmWave massive MIMO system with lens antenna array, in which we use a mixed (low/high) resolution analog-to-digital converter (ADC) architecture to trade-off the power consumption and performance of the system. Specifically, most antennas are equipped with low-resolution ADC and the rest of the antennas use high-resolution ADC. By utilizing the sparsity of the mmWave channel, the beamspace channel estimation can be expressed as a sparse signal recovery problem, and the channel can be recovered by the algorithm based on compressed sensing. We compare the traditional channel estimation scheme with the deep learning channel-estimation scheme, which has a better advantage, such as that the estimation scheme based on deep neural network is significantly better than the traditional channel-estimation algorithm.
Osteoblastic differentiation and bactericidal activity are enhanced by erythromycin released from PCL/PLGA-PVA coaxial nanofibers

Prosthesis with antibiotic-eluting nanofibrous (NF) coating represents coating alternative to prevent periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). In this study, four formulas of erythromycin (EM)-embedded both in core and sheath components of coaxial PCL/PLGA-PVA NF coatings were developed: EM 0 (no EM), EM 100 (100 μg/mL), EM500 (500 μg/mL) and EM1000 (1000 μg/mL). EM doping altered the physicochemical and structural properties of NFs to some extent, including the increase of NF porosity and surface wettability. A sustained EM release from EM-NFs for >4 weeks was observed. Eluents collected from EM-NFs showed strong zone of inhibition (ZOI) to Staphylococcus aureus growth and the sizes of ZOI positively related to the amount of EM released. EM-NFs were nontoxic to rat bone marrow stem cells (rBMSCs). Cell growth was significantly enhanced when comparing rBMSCs cultured on EM-NFs (EM0 and EM 100) to those cultured on NF-free control. Cell differentiation (ALP activity) was notably enhanced by EM100, compared to control and EM0. Eluents from EM-NFs on rBMSCs were also investigated. The presence of 10% EM-NF eluents inhibited the growth of rBMSCs, which was proportional to the amount of EM doped. The ALP activity was notably enhanced by eluents from EM-NFs with the highest activity in EM100 compared to control and EM0. Our data indicate that EM-doped PCL/PLGA-PVA coaxial NF coatings have a great potential to be applied as a new implant coating matrices. Further in vivo testing in animal models is currently planned that should represent the first step in predicting the clinical outcomes of EM-eluting NF coating approach.
Neutralizing Antibody Titers in Hospitalized Patients with Acute Puumala Orthohantavirus Infection Do Not Associate with Disease Severity

Nephropathia epidemica (NE), a mild form of haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), is an acute febrile illness caused by Puumala orthohantavirus (PUUV). NE manifests typically with acute kidney injury (AKI), with a case fatality rate of about 0.1%. The treatment and management of hantavirus infections are mainly supportive, although neutralizing monoclonal antibodies and immune sera therapeutics are under investigation. In order to assess the potential use of antibody therapeutics in NE, we sought to determine the relationship between circulating PUUV neutralizing antibodies, PUUV nucleocapsid protein (N) IgG antibodies, and viral loads with markers of disease severity. The study included serum samples of extensively characterized patient cohorts (n = 116) from Tampere University Hospital, Finland. The results showed that upon hospitalization, most patients already had considerable neutralizing and anti-PUUV-N IgG antibody levels. However, contrary to expectations, neutralizing antibody titers from the first day of hospitalization did not appear to protect from AKI or correlate with more favorable disease outcomes. This indicates that further studies are needed to investigate the applicability of neutralizing antibodies as a therapy for hospitalized NE patients.
Phylodynamic Dispersal of SARS-CoV-2 Lineages Circulating across Polish–German Border Provinces

Introduction: The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved into a worldwide outbreak, with significant molecular evolution over time. Large-scale phylodynamic studies allow to map the virus spread and inform preventive strategies. Aim: This study investigates the extent of binational dispersal and dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 lineages between seven border provinces of the adjacent countries of Poland and Germany to reconstruct SARS-CoV-2 transmission networks. Methods: Following three pandemic waves from March 2020 to the end of May 2021, we analysed a dataset of 19,994 sequences divided into B.1. 1.7|Alpha and non-Alpha lineage groups. We performed phylogeographic analyses using the discrete diffusion models to identify the pathways of virus spread. Results: Based on population dynamics inferences, in total, 673 lineage introductions (95% HPD interval 641–712) for non-Alpha and 618 (95% HPD interval 599–639) for B.1. 1.7|Alpha were identified in the area. For non-Alpha lineages, 5.05% binational, 86.63% exclusively German, and 8.32% Polish clusters were found, with a higher frequency of international clustering observed for B.1. 1.7|Alpha (13.11% for binational, 68.44% German and 18.45% Polish, p < 0.001). We identified key transmission hubs for the analysed lineages, namely Saxony, West Pomerania and Lower Silesia. Conclusions: Clustering patterns between Poland and Germany reflect the viral variant transmission dynamics at the international level in the borderline area. Tracing the spread of the virus between two adjacent large European countries may provide a basis for future intervention policies in cross-border cooperation efforts against the spread of the pandemics.
Comparison of the Microbiome of Artisanal Homemade and Industrial Feta Cheese through Amplicon Sequencing and Shotgun Metagenomics

Feta is the most renowned protected designation of origin (PDO) white brined cheese produced in Greece. The fine organoleptic characteristics and the quality of Feta rely on, among other factors, its overall microbial ecosystem. In this study, we employed 16S rDNA and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) amplicon sequencing, as well as shotgun metagenomics, to investigate the microbiome of artisanal homemade and industrial Feta cheese samples from different regions of Greece, which has very rarely been investigated. 16S rDNA data suggested the prevalence of the Lactococcus genus in the homemade samples, while Streptococcus and Lactobacillus genera prevailed in the industrial control samples. Species identification deriving from shotgun metagenomics corroborated these findings, as Lactococcus lactis dominated two homemade samples while Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus were found to be dominating one industrial sample. ITS data revealed a complex diversity of the yeast population among the samples analyzed. Debaryomyces, Kluyveromyces, Cutaneotrichosporon, Pichia, Candida, and Rhodotorula were the major genera identified, which were distributed in a rather arbitrary manner among the different samples. Furthermore, a number of potential metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) could be detected among assembled shotgun bins. The overall analysis of the shotgun metagenomics supported the presence of different foodborne pathogens in homemade samples (e.g., Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Enterobacter cloacae, and Streptococcus suis), but with low to very low abundances. Concluding, the combination of both amplicon sequencing and shotgun metagenomics allowed us to obtain an in-depth profile of the artisanal homemade Feta cheese microbiome.
Mucormycosis and COVID-19-Associated Mucormycosis: Insights of a Deadly but Neglected Mycosis

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has quickly become a health threat worldwide, with high mortality and morbidity among patients with comorbidities. This viral infection promotes the perfect setting in patients for the development of opportunistic infections, such as those caused by fungi. Mucormycosis, a rare but deadly fungal infection, has recently increased its incidence, especially in endemic areas, since the onset of the pandemic. COVID-19-associated mucormycosis is an important complication of the pandemic because it is a mycosis hard to diagnose and treat, causing concern among COVID-19-infected patients and even in the already recovered population. The risk factors for the development of mucormycosis in these patients are related to the damage caused by the SARS-CoV-2 itself, the patient’s overstimulated immune response, and the therapy used to treat COVID-19, causing alterations such as hyperglycemia, acidosis, endothelial and lung damage, and immunosuppression. In this review, the molecular aspects of mucormycosis and the main risk factors for the development of COVID-19-associated mucormycosis are explained to understand this virus–fungi–host interaction and highlight the importance of this neglected mycosis.