Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plasmalogens in bacteria, sixty years on

The presence of plasmalogens in bacteria has been known for 60 years. The recent discovery of two genes encoding reductases that convert diacyl lipids to 1-alk-1′-enyl 2-acyl lipids has confirmed the derivation of plasmalogens from the corresponding diacyl lipids in bacteria. These genes are widely distributed in anaerobic and in some facultatively anaerobic bacteria. Plasmalogens evolved very early in the history of life on earth. Their persistence during eons of evolution suggests that they play a fundamental role in living organism. The phase behavior of plasmalogens and their conformation in membranes is discussed.
Metabolic reprogramming of pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive and intractable lung disease with fibrotic features that affects alveoli elasticity, which leading to higher rates of hospitalization and mortality worldwide. Pulmonary fibrosis is initiated by repetitive localized micro-damages of the alveolar epithelium, which subsequently triggers aberrant epithelial-fibroblast communication and myofibroblasts production in the extracellular matrix, resulting in massive extracellular matrix accumulation and interstitial remodeling. The major cell types responsible for pulmonary fibrosis are myofibroblasts, alveolar epithelial cells, macrophages, and endothelial cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that metabolic reprogramming or dysregulation of these cells exerts their profibrotic role via affecting pathological mechanisms such as autophagy, apoptosis, aging, and inflammatory responses, which ultimately contributes to the development of pulmonary fibrosis. This review summarizes recent findings on metabolic reprogramming that occur in the aforementioned cells during pulmonary fibrosis, especially those associated with glucose, lipid, and amino acid metabolism, with the aim of identifying novel treatment targets for pulmonary fibrosis.
Mood profiles of amateur triathletes: Implications for mental health and performance

Moods have been shown to be predictive of athletic performance and a reflection of mental health status. The aims of our study were (a) to compare pre-race mood scores of triathletes with population norms; (b) to compare pre-race mood scores of triathletes grouped by gender and age bands; (c) to explore whether six distinct mood profile clusters reported in the literature were evident among triathletes and their respective prevalence; (d) to determine if pre-race mood scores predicted triathlon performance; and (e) to interpret our findings in terms of the risk of mental health issues for triathletes. Participants were 592 age-group triathletes (also referred to as recreational or amateur triathletes) who completed the Brunel Mood Scale pre-race and recorded their time goal for the race. Mean mood scores deviated significantly from population norms, with Tension and Vigor scores at the 55th and 54th percentile, respectively, and Depression, Anger, Fatigue, and Confusion scores between the 42nd and 46th percentile. Females reported higher Tension scores than males (p < 0.001), and those in the 18–25 years and 26–35 years age bands reported higher Tension scores than those in the 46–55 years age band (p < 0.008). Using k-means cluster analysis, six distinct mood profiles were identified, the distribution of which approximated the general population, except for a low prevalence of very negative profiles. Mean scores for Depression and Anger were exceptionally low and only 1.5% of triathletes, compared to the normal prevalence of ~5%, reported an “inverse Everest” profile, which is associated with elevated risk of psychopathology. Mood scores did not predict triathlon performance, assessed by finish time as a percentage of time goal. Results showed an association between triathlon participation and psychological well-being. Findings will inform future investigations of mood responses among triathletes and provide a relevant point of reference for applied practitioners who work with triathletes.
Growth hormone in fertility and infertility: Mechanisms of action and clinical applications

Secreted by the anterior pituitary gland, growth hormone (GH) is a peptide that plays a critical role in regulating cell growth, development, and metabolism in multiple targeted tissues. Studies have shown that GH and its functional receptor are also expressed in the female reproductive system, including the ovaries and uterus. The experimental data suggest putative roles for GH and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1, induced by GH activity) signaling in the direct control of multiple reproductive functions, including activation of primordial follicles, folliculogenesis, ovarian steroidogenesis, oocyte maturation, and embryo implantation. In addition, GH enhances granulosa cell responsiveness to gonadotropin by upregulating the expression of gonadotropin receptors (follicle-stimulating hormone receptor and luteinizing hormone receptor), indicating crosstalk between this ovarian regulator and the endocrine signaling system. Notably, natural gene mutation of GH and the age-related decline in GH levels may have a detrimental effect on female reproductive function, leading to several reproductive pathologies, such as diminished ovarian reserve, poor ovarian response during assisted reproductive technology (ART), and implantation failure. Association studies using clinical samples showed that mature GH peptide is present in human follicular fluid, and the concentration of GH in this fluid is positively correlated with oocyte quality and the subsequent embryo morphology and cleavage rate. Furthermore, the results obtained from animal experiments and human samples indicate that supplementation with GH in the in vitro culture system increases steroid hormone production, prevents cell apoptosis, and enhances oocyte maturation and embryo quality. The uterine endometrium is another GH target site, as GH promotes endometrial receptivity and pregnancy by facilitating the implantation process, and the targeted depletion of GH receptors in mice results in fewer uterine implantation sites. Although still controversial, the administration of GH during ovarian stimulation alleviates age-related decreases in ART efficiency, including the number of oocytes retrieved, fertilization rate, embryo quality, implantation rate, pregnancy rate, and live birth rate, especially in patients with poor ovarian response and recurrent implantation failure.
Case report: Treatment of tachycardia-induced cardiogenic shock with permanent His bundle pacing and atrioventricular node ablation

Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (T-CMP) related to supraventricular arrhythmia is a rare and often unrecognized cause of refractory cardiogenic shock. When rhythm control interventions are ineffective or no longer pursued, atrioventricular node ablation (AVNA) with pacemaker implantation is indicated. Conduction system pacing provides normal synchronous activation of the ventricles after AVNA. However, there is a lack of data on pace and ablate strategy in hemodynamically unstable patients. We report on 2 patients with T-CMP presenting with refractory cardiogenic shock who were successfully treated with His bundle pacing in conjunction with AVNA.
Hypertriglyceridemia is associated with stroke after non-cardiac, non-neurological surgery in the older patients: A nested case-control study

Introduction Geriatric postoperative stroke is a rare but serious complication after surgery. The association between hypertriglyceridemia and postoperative stroke remains controversial, especially in older patients undergoing non-cardiac, non-neurological surgery. The study aims to address this clinical dilemma. Materials and methods We conducted a nested case-control study among 9601 aged patients undergoing non-cardiac non-neurological surgery from October 2015 to 2021. A total of 22 positive cases were matched for the surgical type and time, to 88 control patients by a ratio of 1:4. The effect of hypertriglyceridemia on the occurrence of postoperative stroke within 30 days after surgery was estimated using conditional logistic regression analysis by adjusting to various potential confounders. Results A total of 22 cases developed ischemia stroke after surgery, and compared with the non-stroke group, they had more postoperative ICU admission, longer postoperative hospitalization and higher total cost (all p < 0.05), and more patients were presenting with preoperative hypertriglyceridemia [8 (36.4%) vs. 15 (17.0%), p = 0.045]. There was a significant association between hypertriglyceridemia and postoperative stroke, with adjusted odds ratios of 6.618 (95% CI 1.286, 34.064) (p = 0.024). The above results remained robust in the sensitivity analyses. Conclusion Among older patients undergoing non-cardiac and non-neurological surgery, hypertriglyceridemia was associated with significant increased risk of postoperative stroke.
3D cell culture based on artificial cells and hydrogel under microgravity for bottom-up microtissue constructs

The use of hydrogel as a filling medium to recombine dispersed microencapsulated cells to form an embedded gel-cell microcapsule complex is a new idea based on bottom-up tissue construction, which is benefit for cell distribution and of great significance for tissue construction research in vitro. In this experiment, sodium alginate and chitosan were used as the main materials, rat normal liver cell BRL-3A was used as the model cell to prepare “artificial cells”. Silkworm pupa was used as raw material to extract silk fibroin solution, which was prepared by ultrasound to be the silk fibroin gel; silk fibroin hydrogel-microencapsulated hepatocyte embedded complex was then prepared by using silk fibroin gel as filling medium; the complex was cultured under three modes (static, shaking, and 3D microgravity), and the tissue forming ability of rat hepatocytes was investigated. The results showed that the microgravity culture condition can enhance the cell proliferation and promote the formation of cell colonies in the microcapsules; silk fibroin can form an embedded gel-cell microcapsule complex with microencapsulated cells, which provided mechanical support for the structure of the composite. We hope that this bottom-up construction system will have potential applications in the fields of cell culture and tissue construction.
Machine learning outperforms traditional logistic regression and offers new possibilities for cardiovascular risk prediction: A study involving 143,043 Chinese patients with hypertension

Introduction Identifying people at risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is a cornerstone of preventive cardiology. We developed machine learning (ML) algorithms and investigated their performance in predicting patients’ current CVD risk (coronary heart disease and stroke in this study). Materials and methods We compared traditional logistic regression (LR) with five ML algorithms LR with Elastic-Net, Random Forest (RF), XGBoost (XGB), Support Vector Machine, Deep Learning, and an Ensemble model averaging predictions from RF, XGB, and Deep Learning for CVD risk prediction using pre-existing patient-level data from a multi-center, cross-sectional study (the Microalbuminuria Screening in Hypertensive Patients Project initiated by the China International Exchange and Promotive Association for Medical and Healthcare) that enrolled 143,043 patients with hypertension from 600 tertiary, secondary, or community hospitals. Each of the five ML algorithms incorporated 18 variables, such as demographics, examinations, comorbidities, and treatment regimens, and were trained and evaluated using 5-fold cross-validation. Predictive accuracy was assessed by the area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC). Results Patients’ mean age was 62 ± 12 years and 57% were men. Advanced ML algorithms outperformed the traditional LR model. Particularly, the Ensemble model had superior discrimination with an AUROC of 0.760 than LR (AUC = 0.737) and other tested models. Conclusion We establishes an Ensemble model that shows better performance in predicting patients’ current CVD risk using routine information compared to the traditional LR model. ML can help physicians design follow-up plans with more accurate results, offering new possibilities for short-term risk prediction and early detection. Further, ML models can be trained with longitudinal data and used to predict long-term CVD risks, thereby informing CVD prevention.
A review: Machine learning for strain sensor-integrated soft robots

Compliant and soft sensors that detect machinal deformations become prevalent in emerging soft robots for closed-loop feedback control. In contrast to conventional sensing applications, the stretchy body of the soft robot enables programmable actuating behaviors and automated manipulations across a wide strain range, which poses high requirements for the integrated sensors of customized sensor characteristics, high-throughput data processing, and timely decision-making. As various soft robotic sensors (strain, pressure, shear, etc.) meet similar challenges, in this perspective, we choose strain sensor as a representative example and summarize the latest advancement of strain sensor-integrated soft robotic design driven by machine learning techniques, including sensor materials optimization, sensor signal analyses, and in-sensor computing. These machine learning implementations greatly accelerate robot automation, reduce resource consumption, and expand the working scenarios of soft robots. We also discuss the prospects of fusing machine learning and soft sensing technology for creating next-generation intelligent soft robots.
Background history and cosmic perturbations for a general system of self-conserved dynamical dark energy and matter

We determine the Hubble expansion and the general cosmic perturbation equations for a general system consisting of self-conserved matter, ρm, and self-conserved dark energy (DE), ρD. While at the background level the two components are non-interacting, they do interact at the perturbations level. We show that the coupled system of matter and DE perturbations can be transformed into a single, third order, matter perturbation equation, which reduces to the (derivative of the) standard one in the case that the DE is just a cosmological constant. As a nontrivial application we analyze a class of dynamical models whose DE density ρD(H) consists of a constant term, C0, and a series of powers of the Hubble rate. These models were previously analyzed from the point of view of dynamical vacuum models, but here we treat them as self-conserved DE models with a dynamical equation of state. We fit them to the wealth of expansion history and linear structure formation data and compare their fit quality with that of the concordance ΛCDM model. Those with C0=0 include the so-called ``entropic-force'' and ``QCD-ghost'' DE models, as well as the pure linear model ρD∼H, all of which appear strongly disfavored. The models with C0≠0 , in contrast, emerge as promising dynamical DE candidates whose phenomenological performance is highly competitive with the rigid Λ-term inherent to the ΛCDM.
Adjacency and vessel domestication as enablers of fish crimes

Fishery-related crimes, including illegal fishing, constitute major concerns including for coastal livelihoods and food security. This study examines the importance of adjacency, or legal presence within or in proximity to domestic fishing grounds and fish landing points, with regard to fishery crimes. Distinguishing between five main types of adjacency and examining cases from West Africa, the study finds that adjacency was a characteristic of a third of licensed vessels with reported fishery-related offenses in the region, 60% of which could be categorized as distant water fishing fleets. Fifty-four percent of the vessels authorized to fish in the region were foreign flagged, and 19% were foreign vessels reflagged to the coastal states, bringing up the contribution of foreign vessels to 73% of the fleets authorized to fish in the region. Vessel operators using a legal cover to commit infractions were mostly linked to China and Spain. This study points to the high likelihood of offense occurrence associated with the reflagging or “domestication” of foreign vessels, at least in West Africa, and the need to secure greater transparency and accountability in relation to access, offenses, and ownership.
Hard-core and soft-core Widom–Rowlinson models on Cayley trees

We consider both hard-core and soft-core Widom–Rowlinson models with spin values on a Cayley tree of order and we are interested in the Gibbs measures of the models. The models depend on three parameters: the order k of the tree, describing the strength of the (ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic) interaction, and describing the intensity for particles. The hard-core Widom–Rowlinson model corresponds to the case . For the binary tree k = 2, and for k = 3 we prove that the ferromagnetic model has either one or three splitting Gibbs measures (tree-automorphism invariant Gibbs measures (TISGMs) which are tree-indexed Markov chains). We also give the exact form of the corresponding critical curves in parameter space. For higher values of k we give an explicit sufficient bound ensuring non-uniqueness which we conjecture to be the exact curve. Moreover, for the antiferromagnetic model we explicitly give two critical curves , , and prove that on these curves there are exactly two TISGMs; between these curves there are exactly three TISGMs; otherwise there exists a unique TISGM. Some periodic and non-periodic SGMs are also constructed in the ferromagnetic model.
Simulation the potential distribution of Dendrolimus houi and its hosts, Pinus yunnanensis and Cryptomeria fortunei, under climate change in China

Due to climate change, it is significant to explore the impact of rising temperatures on the distribution of Dendrolimus houi Lajonquiere (Lepidoptera) and its host plants, Pinus yunnanensis and Cryptomeria fortunei, and to simulate their suitable future distribution areas in order to provide a theoretical basis for the monitoring of, and early warning about, D. houi and the formulation of effective prevention and control policies. Based on the known distribution areas of, and relevant climate data for, D. houi, P. yunnanensis, and C. fortunei, their suitable habitat in China was predicted using the ENMeval data package in order to adjust the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model parameters. The results showed that the regularization multiplier was 0.5 when the feature combination was LQHPT, with a MaxEnt model of lowest complexity and excellent prediction accuracy. The main climate variable affecting the geographical distribution of D. houi, P. yunnanensis, and C. fortunei is temperature, specifically including isothermality, temperature seasonality, maximum temperature of warmest month, minimum temperature of warmest month, average temperature of coldest quarter. The potential suitable distribution areas for P. yunnanensis and D. houi were similar under climate change, mainly distributed in southwest China, while C. fortunei was mainly distributed in southeast China. Under different future-climate scenarios, the areas suitable for the three species will increase, except for P. yunnanensis in the 2070s under Shared Socioeconomic Pathway 5–8.5. With climate change, all three species were found to have a tendency to migrate to higher latitudes and higher altitudes. The centroids of the areas suitable for P. yunnanensis and D. houi will migrate to the northwest and the centroids of the areas suitable for C. fortunei will migrate to the northeast. Graphical Abstract
Five new secondary metabolites from an endophytic fungus Phomopsis sp. SZSJ-7B

Two previously undescribed lactones, phomolides A and B (1 and 2), and three new sesquiterpenoids, phomenes A–C (3–5), together with one known compound, colletotricholide A (6), were isolated from the endophytic fungus Phomopsis sp. SZSJ-7B. Their chemical structures, including the absolute configurations, were comprehensively established by extensive analyses of NMR, high-resolution electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, electronic circular dichroism powered by theoretical calculations, and X-ray diffractions. Moreover, the cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of compounds 1–6 were also evaluated, and the results demonstrated that compound 2 showed significant antibacterial effects towards methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and S. aureus strains with minimum inhibitory concentration as low as 6.25 μg/ml, which was comparable to that of the clinical drug vancomycin. Moreover, all compounds showed no cytotoxic activity.
Comparative study of subcutaneous, intramuscular, and oral administration of bovine pathogenic Escherichia coli bacterial ghost vaccine in mice

Escherichia coli is one of the most common bacterial pathogens in cattle. Prophylactic vaccines are considered promising strategies with the potential to reduce the incidence of colibacillosis. Some studies suggested that bacterial ghosts may serve as a novel approach for preventing bacterial infections. However, the roles of administration route on vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy have not been investigated. In this study, the efficacy of vaccination via different immune routes in generating humoral and cellular immune response was compared through subcutaneous (SC), intramuscular (IM), and oral (O) administration in female BALB/c mice with bacterial ghosts prepared using wild type Escherichia coli isolates CE9, while phosphate buffer saline (PBS) and inactivated vaccines containing aluminum adjuvants (Killed) were used as control. Our results showed that the plasmid pBV220-E-aa-SNA containing E. coli was efficiently cleaved at 42°C with 94.8% positive ratio as assessed by colony counts. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirmed bacteria retained intact surface structure while devoid of cytoplasmic component. We found that total IgG titers in killed, IM and SC groups showed significant increase on 7, 14, 21 and 28 days post-immunization. The IgA level of the IM group was higher than that of all other groups on the 28th day. Meanwhile, four experimental groups showed a significant difference in IgA levels compared with PBS control. In the IM group, an increase in the relative percentages of CD3+CD4+ T cells was accompanied by an increase in the relative percentages of splenic CD3+CD8+ T cells. In comparison with the inactivated vaccine, intramuscular CE9 ghosts immunization elicited higher levels of IL-1β, IL-2, IL-6 and IL-12. Subcutaneous and intramuscular immunizations were significantly associated with improved survival in comparison with oral route, traditional vaccine and the control. Pathologic assessment revealed that less severe tissue damage and inflammation were found in lung, kidney, and intestine of IM group compared with other groups. The results above demonstrate that immunization of Escherichia coli CE9 ghosts via intramuscular injection elicits a more robust antigen-specific immune response in mice to prevent the Escherichia coli infection.