Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Morphological and molecular characterization of Filenchus pseudodiscus n. sp. from east Golestan province, north Iran; with an updated phylogeny of Malenchus Andrássy, 1968 (Tylenchomorpha: Tylenchidae)

Abstract During a survey in Golestan province, north Iran, two populations belonging to the family Tylenchidae were recovered in association with Quercus sp. , and a rotten wood sample of an unidentified forest tree. The first recovered species was mainly characterized by having a disc-like differentiation in the frontal end under the light microscope (LM), proposing it as a tentative member of the genus Discotylenchus. Detailed morphological studies using scanning electron microscope (SEM), however, did not reveal a true disc, but showing the smooth cephalic region, and a narrow annulus behind the cephalic plate. Based upon the cephalic region structure, and by lacking a true disc, the species was identified as a member of the genus Filenchus. This population was further characterized by 555 to 618 μm long females, lateral fields with four incisures, 9 to 10 μm long stylet, spermatheca large, including spheroid sperm, post-vulval uterine sac (PUS) 8 to 12 µm long and gradually tapering to an elongate conoid tail with pointed tip. It was compared with relevant species of Filenchus having four incisures in the lateral fields and similar general morphology. By having a disc-like differentiation in the frontal end under the LM, it was further compared with three similar known species of Discotylenchus. The morphological comparisons with species under two aforementioned genera showed the recovered population belongs to an unknown species, described herein as Filenchus pseudodiscus n. sp. The molecular phylogenetic relationships of the new species using partial small and large subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU and LSU D2-D3 rDNA) sequences were reconstructed and discussed. Malenchus gilanensis, the second recovered and studied species was originally established based upon traditional criteria. An updated LSU phylogeny of the genus Malenchus by including M. gilanensis was also presented and its results were discussed.
Effectiveness of the Functional and Cognitive Occupational Therapy (FaCoT) Intervention for Improving Daily Functioning and Participation of Individuals with Mild Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Mild stroke can cause subtle cognitive–behavioral symptoms, which although might be hidden, can restrict community reintegration and participation. Cognitive rehabilitation programs exist for stroke but not specifically for mild stroke and the research evidence varies. The Functional and Cognitive Occupational Therapy (FaCoT) intervention was developed specifically for this population. Objective: To examine the effectiveness of FaCoT intervention for improving daily functioning and participation compared with standard care. Method: A single blind randomized controlled trial with assessments pre (T1), post (T2) and 3-month follow-up (T3). Individuals in the FaCoT group received 10 weekly sessions practicing cognitive and behavioral strategies. The Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) was the primary outcome measure, IADL-questionnaire, Reintegration to Normal Living questionnaire (RNL) were secondary measures. Results: In total, 66 community-dwelling individuals with mild stroke were randomly allocated to FaCoT (n = 33, mean (SD) age 64.6 (8.2), 33% women), or control group (n = 33, mean (SD) age 64.4 (10.8), 45% women). Time X Group interaction effects were found for the COPM performance (F(1.4,90.3) = 11.75, p < 0.000) and satisfaction (F(1.5,96.8) = 15.70, p < 0.000), with large effect size values. Significant between-group effects were found for RNL (F = 10.02, p < 0.002, ɳP2 = 0.13). Most participants in FaCoT achieved a clinically important difference in COPM between T1–T2, T1–T3, and in RNL between T1 to T3 compared with the control group. Conclusions: FaCoT intervention is effective to improve daily functioning, participation and satisfaction of individuals with mild stroke compared with standard care, therefore FaCoT should be implemented in community rehabilitation settings.
Relations of Lifestyle Behavior Clusters to Dyslipidemia in China: A Compositional Data Analysis

Dyslipidemia is associated with lifestyle behaviors, while several lifestyle behaviors exist collectively among some populaitons. This study aims to identify lifestyle behavior clusters and their relations to dyslipidemia. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Wuhai City, China. Cluster analysis combined with compositional data analysis was conducted, with 24-h time-use on daily activities and dietary patterns as input variables. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to compare dyslipidemia among clusters. A total of 4306 participants were included. A higher prevalence of newly diagnosed dyslipidemia was found among participants in cluster 1 (long sedentary behavior (SB) and the shortest sleep, high-salt and oil diet) /cluster 5 (the longest SB and short sleep), relative to the other clusters in both age groups (<50 years and ≥50 years). In conclusion, unhealthy lifestyle behaviors may exist together among some of the population, suggesting that these people are potential subjects of health education and behavior interventions. Future research should be conducted to investigate the relative significance of specific lifestyle behaviors in relation to dyslipidemia.
Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Based Therapy as an Alternative to the Treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Current Evidence and Future Perspectives

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) represents a current challenge for medicine due to its incidence, morbidity and mortality and, also, the absence of an optimal treatment. The COVID-19 outbreak only increased the urgent demand for an affordable, safe and effective treatment for this process. Early clinical trials suggest the therapeutic usefulness of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in acute lung injury (ALI) and ARDS. MSC-based therapies show antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, regenerative, angiogenic, antifibrotic, anti-oxidative stress and anti-apoptotic actions, which can thwart the physiopathological mechanisms engaged in ARDS. In addition, MSC secretome and their derived products, especially exosomes, may reproduce the therapeutic effects of MSC in lung injury. This last strategy of treatment could avoid several safety issues potentially associated with the transplantation of living and proliferative cell populations and may be formulated in different forms. However, the following diverse limitations must be addressed: (i) selection of the optimal MSC, bearing in mind both the heterogeneity among donors and across different histological origins, (ii) massive obtention of these biological products through genetic manipulations of the most appropriate MSC, (iii) bioreactors that allow their growth in 3D, (iv) ideal culture conditions and (v) adequate functional testing of these obtaining biological products before their clinical application.
Association of Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Telomere Length with Prevalent and Incident Cancer and Cancer Mortality in Women: A Prospective Swedish Population-Based Study

Simple Summary Individuals with abnormal alterations in mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) and telomere length are at higher risk of developing certain types of cancer. This report suggests that mtDNA-CN and relative telomere length measured in peripheral blood have potential clinical applications for risk prediction of different cancers and that mtDNA-CN could be used as a prognostic biomarker in malignancy. This comprehensive work strengthens several previous relevant findings in certain types of cancer and broadens our understanding of the link between mtDNA-CN, telomere length and future risk of many cancer types. The translational implication of our findings is that postmenopausal genital organ cancer patients with lower levels of baseline mtDNA-CN or shorter telomere length can be identified for early adjustment of lifestyle and hormone replacement therapy. Abstract Changes in mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) and telomere length have, separately, been proposed as risk factors for various cancer types. However, those results are conflicting. Here, mtDNA-CN and relative telomere length were measured in 3225 middle-aged women included in a large population-based prospective cohort. The baseline mtDNA-CN in patients with prevalent breast cancer was significantly higher (12.39 copies/µL) than cancer-free individuals. During an average of 15.2 years of follow-up, 520 patients were diagnosed with cancer. Lower mtDNA-CN was associated with decreased risk of genital organ cancer (hazard ratio (HR), 0.84), and shorter telomere length was associated with increased risk of urinary system cancer (HR, 1.79). Furthermore, mtDNA-CN was inversely associated with all-cause (HR, 1.20) and cancer-specific mortality (HR, 1.21) when considering all cancer types. Surprisingly, shorter telomere length was associated with decreased risk of cancer-specific mortality when considering all cancer types (HR, 0.85). Finally, lower mtDNA-CN and shorter telomere length were associated with increased risk of both all-cause and cancer-specific mortality in genital organ cancer patients. In this study population, we found that mtDNA-CN and telomere length were significantly associated with prevalent and incident cancer and cancer mortality. However, these associations were cancer type specific and need further investigation.
Reactive Oxygen Species: A Promising Therapeutic Target for SDHx-Mutated Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma

Simple Summary Pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma are rare neuroendocrine tumors that arise from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla or their neural crest progenitors located outside the adrenal gland, respectively. About 10–15% of patients develop metastatic disease for whom treatment options and availability are extremely limited. The risk of developing metastatic disease is increased for patients with mutations in succinate dehydrogenase subunit B, which leads to metabolic reprogramming and redox imbalance. From this perspective, we focus on redox imbalance caused by this mutation and explore potential opportunities to therapeutically target reactive oxygen species production in these rare tumors. Abstract Pheochromocytoma (PHEO) and paraganglioma (PGL) are rare neuroendocrine tumors derived from neural crest cells. Germline variants in approximately 20 PHEO/PGL susceptibility genes are found in about 40% of patients, half of which are found in the genes that encode succinate dehydrogenase (SDH). Patients with SDH subunit B (SDHB)-mutated PHEO/PGL exhibit a higher likelihood of developing metastatic disease, which can be partially explained by the metabolic cell reprogramming and redox imbalance caused by the mutation. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are highly reactive molecules involved in a multitude of important signaling pathways. A moderate level of ROS production can help regulate cellular physiology; however, an excessive level of oxidative stress can lead to tumorigenic processes including stimulation of growth factor-dependent pathways and the induction of genetic instability. Tumor cells effectively exploit antioxidant enzymes in order to protect themselves against harmful intracellular ROS accumulation, which highlights the essential balance between ROS production and scavenging. Exploiting ROS accumulation can be used as a possible therapeutic strategy in ROS-scavenging tumor cells. Here, we focus on the role of ROS production in PHEO and PGL, predominantly in SDHB-mutated cases. We discuss potential strategies and approaches to anticancer therapies by enhancing ROS production in these difficult-to-treat tumors.
Family Functioning in Families Affected by Parental Mental Illness: Parent, Child, and Clinician Ratings

Family functioning is often impaired in families with a parent with mental illness and is linked to child mental health. This study aims to gain a better understanding of family functioning in affected families by comparing ratings among family members and by analyzing associations with clinician-rated family functioning. The cross-sectional sample comprised 210 families with ratings of 207 patients, 139 partners, and 100 children. Parents with a mental illness as well as their partners and children completed the German version of the Family Assessment Measure (FAM). Clinician ratings were obtained by the Global Assessment of Relational Functioning Scale (GARF). We conducted several mixed models to compare ratings of family functioning while accounting for family cluster. Family dysfunction was consistently elevated compared to a normative sample. On several domains, parents with a mental illness perceived family functioning to be worse compared to their partners and children. Partners and children did not differ in their perceptions of family functioning. Ratings of family members were moderately associated with clinician ratings. We discuss the importance of multi-informant assessment of family functioning and the implementation of family-based interventions for families with a parent with mental illness.
Bioactivity Studies of Hesperidin and XAV939

The present work aimed to evaluate the reactivity of natural bioflavonoid hesperidin (HSP) and synthetically derived XAV939 (XAV) against human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2), human breast cancer (MDA-MB231) cancer cell lines, and related molecular and pathological profiles. Data recorded revealed that the cytotoxic potential of the tested products was found to be cell type- and concentration-dependent. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) value of the HSP-XAV mixture against MDA-MB231 was significantly decreased in the case of using the HSP-XAV mixture against the HepG2 cell line. Also, there was a significant upregulation of the phosphotumor suppressor protein gene (P53) and proapoptotic genes such as B-cell lymphoma-associated X-protein (Bax, CK, and Caspase-3), while antiapoptotic gene B-cell lymphoma (Bcl-2) was significantly downregulated compared with the untreated cell control. The cell cycle analysis demonstrated that DNA accumulation was detected mainly during the G2/M phase of the cell cycle accompanied with the elevated reactive oxygen species level in the treatment of HepG2 and MDA-MB231 cell lines by the HSP-XAV mixture, more significantly than that in the case of cell control. Finally, our finding suggests that both HSP and XAV939 and their mixture may offer an alternative in human liver and breast cancer therapy.
Diverse Functions of Tim50, a Component of the Mitochondrial Inner Membrane Protein Translocase

Mitochondria are essential in eukaryotes. Besides producing 80% of total cellular ATP, mitochondria are involved in various cellular functions such as apoptosis, inflammation, innate immunity, stress tolerance, and Ca2+ homeostasis. Mitochondria are also the site for many critical metabolic pathways and are integrated into the signaling network to maintain cellular homeostasis under stress. Mitochondria require hundreds of proteins to perform all these functions. Since the mitochondrial genome only encodes a handful of proteins, most mitochondrial proteins are imported from the cytosol via receptor/translocase complexes on the mitochondrial outer and inner membranes known as TOMs and TIMs. Many of the subunits of these protein complexes are essential for cell survival in model yeast and other unicellular eukaryotes. Defects in the mitochondrial import machineries are also associated with various metabolic, developmental, and neurodegenerative disorders in multicellular organisms. In addition to their canonical functions, these protein translocases also help maintain mitochondrial structure and dynamics, lipid metabolism, and stress response. This review focuses on the role of Tim50, the receptor component of one of the TIM complexes, in different cellular functions, with an emphasis on the Tim50 homologue in parasitic protozoan Trypanosoma brucei.
Rapid Spectroscopic Liquid Biopsy for the Universal Detection of Brain Tumours

Simple Summary Due to the non-specific symptoms of brain cancer (e.g., headaches or memory changes), gliomas will often remain undetected until they are larger or at a higher grade, reducing the patient’s likelihood of a good clinical outcome. Earlier detection and diagnosis of brain tumours is vital to improve patient outcomes, leading to safer surgeries and earlier treatments. A liquid biopsy for brain tumour would prove revolutionary however in order to detect disease earlier the liquid biopsy needs to be able to detect smaller tumours; and current liquid biopsies perform worse when detecting smaller or earlier stage tumours. Here, for the first time, we confirm the applicability of a validated spectroscopic liquid biopsy approach to detect both small and low-grade gliomas proving that the spectroscopic liquid biopsy approach is insensitive to tumour volume unlike other liquid biopsies. Abstract Background: To support the early detection and diagnosis of brain tumours we have developed a rapid, cost-effective and easy to use spectroscopic liquid biopsy based on the absorbance of infrared radiation. We have previously reported highly sensitive results of our approach which can discriminate patients with a recent brain tumour diagnosis and asymptomatic controls. Other liquid biopsy approaches (e.g., based on tumour genetic material) report a lower classification accuracy for early-stage tumours. In this manuscript we present an investigation into the link between brain tumour volume and liquid biopsy test performance. Methods: In a cohort of 177 patients (90 patients with high-grade glioma (glioblastoma (GBM) or anaplastic astrocytoma), or low-grade glioma (astrocytoma, oligoastrocytoma and oligodendroglioma)) tumour volumes were calculated from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) investigations and patients were split into two groups depending on MRI parameters (T1 with contrast enhancement or T2/FLAIR (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery)). Using attenuated total reflection (ATR)-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy coupled with supervised learning methods and machine learning algorithms, 90 tumour patients were stratified against 87 control patients who displayed no symptomatic indications of cancer, and were classified as either glioma or non-glioma. Results: Sensitivities, specificities and balanced accuracies were all greater than 88%, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.98, and cancer patients with tumour volumes as small as 0.2 cm3 were correctly identified. Conclusions: Our spectroscopic liquid biopsy approach can identify gliomas that are both small and low-grade showing great promise for deployment of this technique for early detection and diagnosis.
Full Zirconia Implant-Born Prosthetic Rehabilitation with CAD/CAM Technology after Accurate Digital Planning. A Case Report

CAD/CAM technology can enhance the dentistry application of ceramic materials that meet the more relevant biocompatibility and aesthetics demands. In implant-borne prosthesis rehabilitation, yttria-stabilized zirconia appeared to be a valid alternative to metal-alloys and titanium, with comparable mechanical properties and even better interaction with bone and soft tissues. The improvement of monolithic CAD/CAM manufacturing allows for a reliable, predictable, and rapid workflow that can correspond to a holistic treatment philosophy associated with zirconia fixtures. This reported clinical case highlights the advantages of this approach in resolving particularly functionally and aesthetically complex situations. A 40-year-old patient with permanent canine impaction and the persistence of a deciduous tooth compromised by caries was successfully rehabilitated with the surgical removal of the enclosed tooth, the seating of a mono-phase zirconia implant after the deciduous extraction and its loading with a zirconia single crown, without any clinical or radiographical alteration up to seven years follow-up.
Endophytic Beauveria bassiana increases galling of ‘Rutgers’ tomato roots with Meloidogyne incognita

Abstract Beauveria bassiana is endophytic in many plant species and has been shown to protect host plants against insect pests and plant pathogens. However, less is known about its activity against plant-parasitic nematodes. In vitro and plant assays were conducted to determine the effect of B. bassiana 11-98 (Bb) on Meloidogyne incognita (root-knot nematode; RKN). Beauveria bassiana was confirmed as an endophyte in ‘Rutgers’ tomato and colonization patterns of Bb in ‘Rutgers’ (highly susceptible to RKN) were compared with those in ‘Mountain Spring’ (less susceptible to RKN). In greenhouse tests with ‘Rutgers’ at 30 and 60 days after treatment (DAT) with RKN and Bb, there were few differences in plant growth variables among treatments in repeated trials. However, RKN root galling and egg count/root system were enhanced in plants treated with Bb at 60 DAT. In an in vitro assay with egg masses from greenhouse tests, the percentages of hatched eggs, and mobile and immobile nematodes did not differ significantly for RKN and RKN+Bb treatments. The presence of viable Bb from roots was confirmed by collecting egg suspensions from root galls and plating them on selective medium. Colonies of Bb were verified on agar medium, but no parasitism of RKN eggs was observed. Research is needed to investigate factors responsible for increased galling by RKN in the presence of endophytic Bb in ‘Rutgers’ tomato.
Flourishing of Rural Adolescents in China: A Moderated Mediation Model of Social Capital and Intrinsic Motivation

Flourishing, an indicator which reflects one’s emotional status and ability to function, is an important antecedent for adolescents’ later psychological and physical development. This study aimed to shift the research focus on rural adolescents from a deficit-based orientation to a strength-based orientation by integrating the effects of individual and social factors. Altogether, 995 Chinese rural adolescents (569 boys and 426 girls, Mage = 12.56 years) completed a self-report questionnaire which included the Ego Identity Scale, Intrinsic Motivation Scale, Social Capital Scale and Flourishing Scale. The results indicate that: (1) ego identity exploration has a positive effect on rural adolescents’ flourishing; (2) intrinsic motivation has an indirect effect on the relationship between ego identity exploration and flourishing; and (3) social capital may moderate the indirect effect by attenuating the relationship between ego identity exploration and intrinsic motivation. The findings highlight the importance of constructing a more comprehensive framework by integrating individual and social perspectives to understand and foster the flourishing of rural adolescents. Meanwhile, it is necessary to incorporate the strengths of family, school and social organizations in order to enhance rural adolescents’ flourishing.