Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Could the use of butyric acid have a positive effect on microbiota and treatment of type 2 diabetes?

OBJECTIVE This review focuses on the role of butyrate as one of the key metabolites of gut microbiota. Butyrate along with other short-chain fatty acids, acetate and propionate, is one of the most important regulators of human metabolism. In this review, we discuss how changes in gut microbiota triggered by type 2 diabetes mellitus and its treatment (e.g., metformin) affect butyrate synthesis, how to increase butyrate production and whether there is robust evidence for the positive effects of sodium butyrate in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. MATERIALS AND METHODS Literature review was conducted by all authors. Studies published until 27/03/2020 were included. Search words were: ("butyric acid" OR "butyrate") AND ("type 2 diabetes "OR "T2DM"). The articles selected for the study were not chosen in a systematic manner, so the evidence may not be comprehensive. RESULTS Butyrate was found to effectively reduce inflammation and plays a prominent role in the function of the intestinal barrier. To date the use of sodium butyrate in the treatment of patients with T2DM is not very popular. Meanwhile, butyric acid can beneficially modulate intestinal functions, counteracting the negative effects of the disease as well as the drugs used to treat diabetes. CONCLUSIONS T2DM is a widespread chronic disease. Understanding role of microbiota in type 2 diabetes and the mechanisms connecting T2DM and alterations in gut microbiota could be the key to improved treatment of T2DM.
Aiding and Abetting Anhedonia: Impact of Inflammation on the Brain and Pharmacological Implications

Exogenous administration of inflammatory stimuli to humans and laboratory animals and chronic endogenous inflammatory states lead to motivational deficits and ultimately anhedonia, a core and disabling symptom of depression present in multiple other psychiatric disorders. Inflammation impacts neurotransmitter systems and neurocircuits in subcortical brain regions including the ventral striatum, which serves as an integration point for reward processing and motivational decision-making. Many mechanisms contribute to these effects of inflammation, including decreased synthesis, release and reuptake of dopamine, increased synaptic and extrasynaptic glutamate, and activation of kynurenine pathway metabolites including quinolinic acid. Neuroimaging data indicate that these inflammation-induced neurotransmitter effects manifest as decreased activation of ventral striatum and decreased functional connectivity in reward circuitry involving ventral striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Neurocircuitry changes in turn mediate nuanced effects on motivation that include decreased willingness to expend effort for reward while maintaining the ability to experience reward. Taken together, the data reveal an inflammation-induced pathophysiologic phenotype that is agnostic to diagnosis. Given the many mechanisms involved, this phenotype represents an opportunity for development of novel and/or repurposed pharmacological strategies that target inflammation and associated cellular and systemic immunometabolic changes and their downstream effects on the brain. To date, clinical trials have failed to capitalize on the unique nature of this transdiagnostic phenotype, leaving the field bereft of interpretable data for meaningful clinical application. However, novel trial designs incorporating established targets in the brain and/or periphery using relevant outcome variables (e.g., anhedonia) are the future of targeted therapy in psychiatry. Significance Statement Emerging understanding of mechanisms by which peripheral inflammation can affect the brain and behavior has created unprecedented opportunities for development of pharmacological strategies to treat deficits in motivation including anhedonia, a core and disabling symptom of depression well represented in multiple psychiatric disorders. Mechanisms include inflammation and cellular and systemic immunometabolism and alterations in dopamine, glutamate, and kynurenine metabolites, revealing a target-rich environment that nevertheless has yet to be fully exploited by current clinical trial designs and drugs employed.
Got Beer? A Systematic Review of Beer and Exercise.

Beer is used to socialize postexercise, celebrate sport victory, and commiserate postdefeat. Rich in polyphenols, beer has antioxidant effects when consumed in moderation, but its alcohol content may confer some negative effects. Despite beer's popularity, no review has explored its effects on exercise performance, recovery, and adaptation. Thus, a systematic literature search of three databases (PubMed, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science) was conducted by two reviewers. The search resulted in 16 studies that were appraised and reviewed. The mean PEDro score was 5.1. When individuals are looking to rehydrate postexercise, a low-alcohol beer (<4%) may be more effective. If choosing a beer higher in alcoholic content (>4%), it is advised to pair this with a nonalcoholic option to limit diuresis, particularly when relatively large volumes of fluid (>700 ml) are consumed. Adding Na+ to alcoholic beer may improve rehydration by decreasing fluid losses, but palatability may decrease. These conclusions are largely based on studies that standardized beverage volume, and the results may not apply equally to situations where people ingest fluids and food ad libitum. Ingesting nonalcoholic, polyphenol-rich beer could be an effective strategy for preventing respiratory infections during heavy training. If consumed in moderation, body composition and strength qualities seem largely unaffected by beer. Mixed results that limit sweeping conclusions are owed to variations in study design (i.e., hydration and exercise protocols). Future research should incorporate exercise protocols with higher ecological validity, recruit more women, prioritize chronic study designs, and use ad libitum fluid replacement protocols for more robust conclusions.
How phenological tracking shapes species and communities in non‐stationary environments

Climate change alters the environments of all species. Predicting species responses requires understanding how species track environmental change, and how such tracking shapes communities. Growing empirical evidence suggests that how species track phenologically – how an organism shifts the timing of major biological events in response to the environment – is linked to species performance and community structure. Such research tantalizingly suggests a potential framework to predict the winners and losers of climate change, and the future communities we can expect. But developing this framework requires far greater efforts to ground empirical studies of phenological tracking in relevant ecological theory. Here we review the concept of phenological tracking in empirical studies and through the lens of coexistence theory to show why a community‐level perspective is critical to accurate predictions with climate change. While much current theory for tracking ignores the importance of a multi‐species context, basic community assembly theory predicts that competition will drive variation in tracking and trade‐offs with other traits. We highlight how existing community assembly theory can help understand tracking in stationary and non‐stationary systems. But major advances in predicting the species‐ and community‐level consequences of climate change will require advances in theoretical and empirical studies. We outline a path forward built on greater efforts to integrate priority effects into modern coexistence theory, improved empirical estimates of multivariate environmental change, and clearly defined estimates of phenological tracking and its underlying environmental cues.
Structural insights into the distinctive RNA recognition and therapeutic potentials of RIG‐I‐like receptors

RNA viruses, including the coronavirus, develop a unique strategy to evade the host immune response by interrupting the normal function of cytosolic retinoic acid‐inducible gene‐I (RIG‐I)‐like receptors (RLRs). RLRs rapidly detect atypical nucleic acids, thereby triggering the antiviral innate immune signaling cascade and subsequently activates the interferons transcription and induction of other proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines. Nonetheless, these receptors are manipulated by viral proteins to subvert the host immune system and sustain the infectivity and replication potential of the virus. RIG‐I senses the single‐stranded, double‐stranded, and short double‐stranded RNAs and recognizes the key signature, a 5′‐triphosphate moiety, at the blunt end of the viral RNA. Meanwhile, the melanoma differentiation‐associated gene 5 (MDA5) is triggered by longer double stranded RNAs, messenger RNAs lacking 2′‐O‐methylation in their 5′‐cap, and RNA aggregates. Therefore, structural insights into the nucleic‐acid‐sensing and downstream signaling mechanisms of these receptors hold great promise for developing effective antiviral therapeutic interventions. This review highlights the critical roles played by RLRs in viral infections as well as their ligand recognition mechanisms. In addition, we highlight the crosstalk between the toll‐like receptors and RLRs and provide a comprehensive overview of RLR‐associated diseases as well as the therapeutic potential of RLRs for the development of antiviral‐drugs. Moreover, we believe that these RLR‐based antivirals will serve as a step toward countering the recent coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
Novel Case of Multifocal Choroiditis following Powassan Virus Infection

ABSTRACT Purpose To present a case study that describes novel ocular manifestations of Powassan virus encephalitis using fundus imaging. Study Design Case Report. Results In this case study, fundus photographs, fundus autofluorescence, and fluorescein angiography were used to highlight Powassan virus-induced multifocal choroiditis with linear streaks. Conclusions Our case study demonstrates novel retinal findings of Powassan virus, a pattern which is commonly described in eyes infected with West Nile Virus, another type of flavivirus
Respiratory events after intensive care unit discharge in trauma patients: Epidemiology, outcomes, and risk factors

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. BACKGROUND Respiratory complications are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in trauma patients. The care transition from the intensive care unit (ICU) to the acute care ward is a vulnerable time for injured patients. There is a lack of knowledge about the epidemiology of respiratory events and their outcomes during this transition. METHODS Retrospective cohort study in a single Level I trauma center of injured patients 18 years and older initially admitted to the ICU from 2015 to 2019 who survived initial transfer to the acute care ward. The primary outcome was occurrence of a respiratory event, defined as escalation in oxygen therapy beyond nasal cannula or facemask for three or more consecutive hours. Secondary outcomes included unplanned intubation for a primary pulmonary cause, adjudicated via manual chart review, as well as in-hospital mortality and length of stay. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine patient characteristics associated with posttransfer respiratory events. RESULTS There were 6,561 patients that met the inclusion criteria with a mean age of 52.3 years and median Injury Severity Score of 18 (interquartile range, 13–26). Two hundred and sixty-two patients (4.0%) experienced a respiratory event. Respiratory events occurred early after transfer (median, 2 days, interquartile range, 1–5 days), and were associated with high mortality (16% vs. 1.8%, p < 0.001), and ICU readmission rates (52.6% vs. 4.7%, p < 0.001). Increasing age, male sex, severe chest injury, and comorbidities, including preexisting alcohol use disorder, congestive heart failure, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, were associated with increased odds of a respiratory event. Fifty-eight patients experienced an unplanned intubation for a primary pulmonary cause, which was associated with an in-hospital mortality of 39.7%. CONCLUSION Respiratory events after transfer to the acute care ward occur close to the time of transfer and are associated with high mortality. Interventions targeted at this critical time are warranted to improve patient outcomes. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic and Epidemiological study, level III.
The early detection of immunoglobulins via optical-based lateral flow immunoassay platform in COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the global public health challenge currently persisting at a grand scale. A method that meets the rapid quantitative detection of antibodies to assess the body’s immune response from natural COVID-19 illness or vaccines’ effects is urgently needed. In the present study, an attempt was made to integrate a newly designed spectrometer to the COVID-19 test strip procedure; this augmentation provides the quantitative capacity to a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA). Optical interpretation of results by quantitative α index, rather than visual qualification, can be done quickly, in 5–10 minutes. The developed product was compared with several other serological IgM/IgG antibody reagents on the market by recruiting 111 participants suspected of having COVID-19 infection from March to May 2020 in a hospital. Taking RT-PCR as the diagnostic gold standard, the quantitative spectral LIFA platform could correctly detect all 12 COVID-19 patients. Concerning RT-PCR negative patients, all three antibody testing methods found positive cases. The optical-based platform exhibited the ability of early detection of immunoglobulins of RT-PCR negative patients. There was an apparent trend that elevation of IgM levels in the acute phase of infection; then IgG levels rose later. It exhibited the risk of a false-negative diagnosis of RT-PCR in COVID-19 testing. The significant detection ability of this new optical-based platform demonstrated clinical potential.
Prevalence of incidental brain MRI findings of clinical relevance in a diverse Hispanic/Latino population

There is limited literature on the prevalence of incidental brain MRI findings in the Hispanic/Latino population, despite their increased prevalence of vascular disease and undertreatment of chronic conditions. The purpose of our study was to determine the prevalence of clinically relevant incidental findings on brain MRI examinations obtained as a part of the Study of Latinos–Investigation of NeuroCognitive Aging MRI (SOL‐INCA‐MRI) study.
Plague Transmission from Corpses and Carcasses

Knowing whether human corpses can transmit plague will inform policies for handling the bodies of those who have died of the disease. We analyzed the literature to evaluate risk for transmission of Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, from human corpses and animal carcasses. Because we could not find direct evidence of transmission, we described a transmission pathway and assessed the potential for transmission at each step. We examined 3 potential sources of infection: body fluids of living plague patients, infected corpses and carcasses, and body fluids of infected corpses. We concluded that pneumonic plague can be transmitted by intensive handling of the corpse or carcass, presumably through the inhalation of respiratory droplets, and that bubonic plague can be transmitted by blood-to-blood contact with the body fluids of a corpse or carcass. These findings should inform precautions taken by those handling the bodies of persons or animals that died of plague.
Structural changes, increased hypoxia, and oxidative DNA damage in placenta due to maternal smokeless tobacco use

Smokeless tobacco (SLT) consumption during pregnancy is a well‐recognized health risk that causes placental damage including hypoxia and oxidative damage. Although consumption of SLT by women varies from region to region, majority of tea leave pluckers consume SLT for relieving stress and pain. Still, the effects of SLT consumption have not been evaluated in tea garden workers (TGW). While previous studies have attempted to report effects of cigarette smoke using in vitro model, hypoxia‐inducible factor (HIF)‐1α expression in human placentae from pregnant women exposed to SLT has not been previously studied. This study was aimed to explore the effects of SLT consumption on placental structure, expression of HIF‐1α and oxidative DNA damage in sample population of TGW.
Attention switching deficit in patients of Parkinson’s disease who experience freezing of gait

Abstract Attention switching is involved in postural adjustments for gait. A deficit in attention switching was expected among patients having Parkinson's disease and experiencing freezing. There was a deficit in attention switching abilities among the patients of Parkinson's disease, having episodes of freezing of gait. The task accuracy and reaction time of the freezing group was significantly reduced compared to the non-freezing group having Parkinson's disease and healthy control group on total AST task performance, congruent and incongruent trials. The non-freezing group with Parkinson's disease was also slower than the healthy control group, but its accuracy was not affected. The results suggest that patients with freezing of gait experienced a stronger deficit in attention-switching than the non-freezing group of Parkinson's disease. This attention switching deficit among freezers may imply inappropriate allocation of attention for postural responses required for stepping and resulting in freezing. Also, the non-freezing group may have prioritized accuracy over time as a compensatory strategy that may be slowing their gait but prevents freezing.
68Ga-PSMA PET/CT to Distinguish Brain Metastasis of Renal Cell Carcinoma From Radiation Necrosis After Stereotactic Radiosurgery.

ABSTRACT Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common primary malignancy of the kidney. Approximately 35% of patients of RCC presents with distant metastasis at initial evaluation. CT and MRI are the mainstay imaging modalities. Distinguishing radiation necrosis from tumor progression after stereotactic radiosurgery is challenging. Herein, we present a case of a 43-year-old man with RCC who was treated with stereotactic radiosurgery for brain metastases. We want to emphasize the potential value of 68Ga-PSMA PET/CT imaging in the differential diagnosis and follow-up of tumor progression from radiation necrosis in RCC patients.
Formation of Aroma Volatiles in Strawberry Fruit and Aroma Breeding

Strawberry aroma is composed predominately of esters, which comprise from 25% to 90% of the totalvolatiles in fresh ripe fruit. Ketones, furanones, terpenes and sulfur compounds are some important contributors tocharacteristic aroma in different strawberry cultivars. Many factors affect volatile formation including species, cultivars,cultural managements, maturity and postharvest handling and storage. Alcohol acyltransferase and dehydrogenase may betwo key enzymes involved with synthesis of esters volatiles in strawberry fruit. Fructose has been suggested as a precursorfor furanone synthesis. To dates, Toyonoka has been regarded as one of most intense aroma strawberry cultivars. Selectionof high flavor cultivar with nice aroma by interspecific and cultivars cross has been a main goal of many breeders in theworld.
Analysis of Chemistry-Vibration Coupling in Diatomics for High Enthalpy Nozzle Flows

A state-specic model is developed to analyze the complex chemistry-vibration coupling present in high enthalpy nozzle o ws. A basic model is formulated assuming molecules are formed at a specic vibrational level and allowed to relax through a series of vibrationvibration and vibration-translation processes. This is carried out assuming that the molecules behave as either harmonic or anharmonic oscillators. The results are compared with the standard vibration-chemistry model for high enthalpy nozzle o ws. Next, a prior recombination model that accounts for the rotational - vibrational coupling is used to obtain prior recombination distribution. A distribution of recombining states is obtained as a function of the total energy available to the system. The results of this model are compared with recent experiments. I. Introduction In high enthalpy nozzle o ws, the expanding o w is often dominated by recombination reactions. Typically these recombining species form molecules that have substantial internal energy. One of the assumptions in non-equilibrium o ws is that the atoms recombine to form molecules at the local vibrational temperature. The vibration-vibration relaxation takes place at a much faster rate than other processes enabling the o w to be characterized by single vibrational temperature. The present work relaxes that assumption by analyzing the o w using a state-specic model. The state-specic model which deals with molecules in each vibrational state as a separate chemical species precludes the need to use a model for vibrational relaxation. The vibration-vibration and vibration-translation processes are treated as chemical reactions. The state-specic approach has been used before to analyze o ws in hypersonic nozzles 1, 2 and shock tunnels. 3 In this work, we focus on a simple diatomic molecule and consider its vibrational and dissociation/recombination behavior. In the rst part of this work, we force the recombining species to form a molecule at a pre-dened vibrational energy level. The molecule thereby has substantial internal energy, and then it relaxes through a series of vibration-vibration and vibration-translation processes. Both harmonic and anharmonic oscillator assumptions are used to describe the relaxation processes. The results are compared with a standard
Water Desalination Using Direct Contact Membrane Distillation System

ABSTRACT Membrane distillation (MD) is a separation technique used for water desalination, which operates at low feed temperatures and pressures. Direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) is one of the common MD configurations where both the hot saline feed stream and the cold permeate stream are in direct contact with the two membrane surfaces. An experimental study was performed to investigate the effect of operating conditions such as feed temperature, feed flow rate, permeate temperature, and permeate flow rate on the system output flux. To check the effect of membrane degradation, the MD system was run continuously for 48 hours with raw seawater as feed and the reduction in system flux with time was observed. Results showed that increasing the feed temperature, decreasing the permeate temperature, increasing the feed and permeate flow rate yield an increase in flux. The effects of feed temperature and feed flow rate are the most significant parameters. After 48 hours of system continuous operation flux was reduced by 42.4 % but the quality of permeate (as measured by its TDS) is still very high with salt rejection factor close to 100 %. For the DCMD system under consideration, the GOR values remain between 0.8 and 1.2, for the tested range of operating temperatures.