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Background: This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on functional performance, exercise-related oxygen saturation, and health-related quality of life among patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Methods: A total of 25 patients with IPF (13 in the PR group and 12 in the non-PR group) were enrolled between August 2019 and October 2021 at Haeundae-Paik Hospital in the Republic of Korea. A cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), six-minute walk test (6MWT), pulmonary function test (PFT), Saint George’s Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), muscle strength test, and bioelectrical impedance analysis were performed in each group at baseline and after eight weeks of PR. Results: The mean age was 68 years of age and most subjects were male. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups. The distance during 6MWT after PR was significantly improved in the PR group (inter-group p-value = 0.002). VO₂max and VE/VCO₂ slopes showed a significant difference after eight weeks only in the PR group, but the rate of change did not differ significantly from the non-PR group. Total skeletal muscle mass, PFT variables, and SGRQ scores did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusions: PR improved exercise capacity, as measured using CPET and 6 MWT. Further studies in larger samples are needed to evaluate the long-term efficacy of PR in IPF patients. Full article

A complex network of processes inside the human immune system provides resistance against a wide range of pathologies. These defenses form an innate and adaptive immunity, in which certain immune components work together to counteract infections. In addition to inherited variables, the susceptibility to diseases may be influenced by factors such as lifestyle choices and aging, as well as environmental determinants. It has been shown that certain dietary chemical components regulate signal transduction and cell morphologies which, in turn, have consequences on pathophysiology. The consumption of some functional foods may increase immune cell activity, defending us against a number of diseases, including those caused by viruses. Here, we investigate a range of functional foods, often marketed as immune system boosters, in an attempt to find indications of their potential protective role against diseases caused by viruses, such as the influenza viruses (A and B), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), in some cases mediated by gut microbiota. We also discuss the molecular mechanisms that govern the protective effects of some functional foods and their molecular constituents. The main message of this review is that discovering foods that are able to strengthen the immune system can be a winning weapon against viral diseases. In addition, understanding how the dietary components function can aid in the development of novel strategies for maintaining human bodily health and keeping our immune systems strong. Full article

The characterization of the protein and lipid cargo of milk extracellular vesicles from different mammal species is crucial for understanding their biogenesis and biological functions, as well as for a comprehensive description of the nutritional aspects of animal milk for human diet. In fact, milk EVs have been reported to possess relevant biological effects, but the molecules/biochemical pathways underlying these effects have been poorly investigated. The biochemical characterization is an important initial step for the potential therapeutic and diagnostic use of natural or modified milk EVs. The number of studies analysing the protein and lipid composition of milk EVs is limited compared to that investigating the nucleic acid cargo. Here, we revised the literature regarding the protein and lipid content of milk EVs. Until now, most investigations have shown that the biochemical cargo of EVs is different with respect to that of other milk fractions. In addition, even if these studies derived mostly from bovine and human milk EVs, comparison between milk EVs from different animal species and milk EVs biochemical composition changes due to different factors including lactation stages and health status is also beginning to be reported. Full article

Crop rotation is one of the oldest and most effective methods of restoring soil fertility, which declines when the same plant is grown repeatedly. One of the reasons for a reduction in fertility is the accumulation of pathogenic and unfavorable microbiota. The modern crop rotation schemes (a set of plant species and their order in the crop rotation) are highly effective but are designed without considering soil microbiota dynamics. The main goal of this study was to perform a short-term experiment with multiple plant combinations to access the microbiological effects of crop rotation. It could be useful for the design of long-term crop rotation schemes that take the microbiological effects of the crop rotation into account. For the analysis, five plants (legumes: vetch, clover, and cereals: oats, wheat, and barley) were used. These five plants were separately grown in pots with soil. After the first phase of vegetation, the plants were removed from the soil and a new crop was planted. Soil samples from all 25 possible combinations of primary and secondary crops were investigated using v4-16S rDNA gene sequencing. It was shown that the short-term experiments (up to 40 days of growing) are effective enough to find microbial shifts in bulk soil from different plants. Both primary and secondary cultures are significant factors for the microbial composition of microbial soil communities. Changes are the most significant in the microbial communities of vetch soils, especially in the case of vetch monoculture. Growing clover also leads to changes in microbiota, especially according to beta-diversity. Data obtained can be used to develop new crop rotation schemes that take into account the microbiological effects of various crops. Full article

Membranous nephropathy is one of the most prevalent conditions responsible for nephrotic syndrome in adults. It is clinically nonspecific and mainly diagnosed by kidney biopsy pathology, with three prevalent techniques: light microscopy, electron microscopy, and immunofluorescence microscopy. Manual observation of glomeruli one by one under the microscope is very time-consuming, and there are certain differences in the observation results between physicians. This study makes use of whole-slide images scanned by a light microscope as well as immunofluorescence images to classify patients with membranous nephropathy. The framework mainly includes a glomerular segmentation module, a confidence coefficient extraction module, and a multi-modal fusion module. This framework first identifies and segments the glomerulus from whole-slide images and immunofluorescence images, and then a glomerular classifier is trained to extract the features of each glomerulus. The results are then combined to produce the final diagnosis. The results of the experiments show that the F1-score of image classification results obtained by combining two kinds of features, which can reach 97.32%, is higher than those obtained by using only light-microscopy-observed images or immunofluorescent images, which reach 92.76% and 93.20%, respectively. Experiments demonstrate that considering both WSIs and immunofluorescence images is effective in improving the diagnosis of membranous nephropathy. Full article

(1) Background: Intra-operative neuronavigation is currently an essential component to most neurosurgical operations. Recent progress in mixed reality (MR) technology has attempted to overcome the disadvantages of the neuronavigation systems. We present our experience using the HoloLens 2 in neuro-oncology for both intra- and extra-axial tumours. (2) Results: We describe our experience with three patients who underwent tumour resection. We evaluated surgeon experience, accuracy of superimposed 3D image in tumour localisation with standard neuronavigation both pre- and intra-operatively. Surgeon training and usage for HoloLens 2 was short and easy. The process of image overlay was relatively straightforward for the three cases. Registration in prone position with a conventional neuronavigation system is often difficult, which was easily overcome during use of HoloLens 2. (3) Conclusion: Although certain limitations were identified, the authors feel that this system is a feasible alternative device for intra-operative visualization of neurosurgical pathology. Further studies are being planned to assess its accuracy and suitability across various surgical disciplines. Full article

Mother-to-children transmission (MTCT) is the main infection route for HIV-1 in children, and may occur during pregnancy, delivery, and/or postpartum. It is a multifactorial phenomenon, where genetic variants play an important role. This study aims at analyzing the influence of clinical epidemiological characteristics and a variant (rs12252) in interferon-induced transmembrane protein 3 (IFITM-3), a gene encoding an important viral restriction factor, on the susceptibility to HIV-1 mother-to-children transmission (MTCT). A case–control study was performed on 209 HIV-1-infected mothers and their exposed infected (87) and uninfected (122) children from Pernambuco, Brazil. Clinical–epidemiological characteristics are significantly associated with MTCT susceptibility. Transmitter mothers have a significantly lower age at delivery, late diagnosis, deficiency in ART use (pregnancy and delivery), and detectable viral load in the third trimester of pregnancy compared with non-transmitter mothers. Infected children show late diagnosis, vaginal delivery frequency, and tend to breastfeed, differing significantly from uninfected children. The IFITM-3 rs12252-C allele and TC/CC genotypes (dominant model) are significantly more frequent among infected than uninfected children, but the statistical significance does not remain when adjusted for clinical factors. No significant differences are observed between transmitter and non-transmitter mothers in relation to the IFITM-3 variant. Full article

A fundamental characteristic of living organisms is their ability to separate the internal and external environments, a function achieved in large part through the different physiological barrier systems and their component junctional molecules. Barrier integrity is subject to multiple influences, but one that has received comparatively little attention to date is the role of the commensal microbiota. These microbes, which represent approximately 50% of the cells in the human body, are increasingly recognized as powerful physiological modulators in other systems, but their role in regulating barrier function is only beginning to be addressed. Through comparison of the impact commensal microbes have on cell–cell junctions in three exemplar physiological barriers—the gut epithelium, the epidermis and the blood–brain barrier—this review will emphasize the important contribution microbes and microbe-derived mediators play in governing barrier function. By extension, this will highlight the critical homeostatic role of commensal microbes, as well as identifying the puzzles and opportunities arising from our steadily increasing knowledge of this aspect of physiology. Full article

In recent years, precision medicine has taken an increasing place in various branches of medical oncology, including colorectal cancer. Among the potentially relevant mutations for this cancer is the KRAS mutation, initially defined as “untargetable”; today, we see the birth of new molecules that target one of the variants of the KRAS mutation, KRAS G12C, having a significant impact on the therapeutic options for other malignancies, such as metastatic lung cancer. This fundamental step forward has stimulated scientific research on other potential targets of KRAS, both indirect and direct, and combination treatments aiming to overcome the mechanisms of resistance to these drugs that decrease in efficacy in colorectal cancer. What was once a negative predictive marker of response to anti-EGFR drugs today has become a potential target for targeted treatments. In turn, the prognostic role of the mutation has become extremely interesting, making it a potentially useful element in therapeutic decision-making, not only regarding oncological treatments but also in a more complex and complete manner within a global vision of the patient, involving other figures on the multidisciplinary team, such as surgeons, radiotherapists, and interventional radiologists. Full article

The article presents the results of the seven-year study on the state of arable lands and wastewaters in the districts of mining enterprises in Armenia. An assessment of the ecological and toxicological state of wastewaters and contaminated areas was carried out. Methods for their purification are proposed aimed at their further use and obtainment of environmentally safe agricultural products. An area of about 0.5 ha, next to the rural community of Syunik in southern Armenia, has been polluted for many years by mining sludges from the nearest mine watertight cofferdam of the Zangezur copper-molybdenum combine. Activities have been carried out to clean up the soil in this area. After plowing, soil improvers (zeolite, bentonite, and manure) were introduced into the soil. On-site treatments, soil tillage, and the introduction of soil improvers into the soil was implemented in late autumn. Soil and plant samples were taken to determine the content of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Co, Mo, Ni). In the following spring, the area was planted with potatoes, eggplant, and peas. A rather high yield was obtained. Analysis of plant samples showed that the content of heavy metals does not exceed the permissible level of the international food safety standard. At the same time, soil studies were carried out in the adjacent areas of the Sotk mine, located to the southeast of Lake Sevan. It was revealed that due to the increase in the volume of the mining industry and the amount of rock dumps, the organoleptic and chemical indicators of the waters of the Sotk and Masrik rivers deteriorated. Compared to the previous decade, the amounts of suspended particles per 1 L of water have increased by 210…317.0%, in the waters of Sotk—by 32.1 mg/L, and in the waters of Masrik—by 13.2 mg/L. The same tendency is observed regarding the amounts of nitrates, sulfates, and hydrogen index, which is mainly due to the chemical composition of rocks. They contain a large amount of Ca, K, Na, Mg, etc. This trend is especially noticeable along the rivers, where intensive agriculture, primarily livestock farming is carried out. The material of the work solves a complex of environmental and economic problems. It is aimed at ensuring environmental safety, improving the ecological and resource properties of soils, increasing the productivity of cultural phytocenoses and the sanitary and hygienic quality of food products. Full article

Short shelf life limits the commercial value of mustard microgreens. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different storage temperatures on postharvest quality and sensory attributes of mustard microgreens to identify the optimum storage temperature. Mustard microgreens were stored at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 °C in 150 µm polyethylene bags. Samples were drawn at 0, 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, and 14 days and tested for changes in total chlorophyll content, tissue electrolyte leakage, weight loss, antioxidant activity, and sensory attributes. Storage temperature significantly (p < 0.05) affected the product quality, shelf life, and sensory quality. When stored at 5 °C, mustard microgreens showed no significant changes in antioxidant activity or tissue electrolyte leakage and minimal change in other parameters and maintained good overall sensory quality for 14 days. Samples stored at 10 and 15 °C retained good overall sensory quality for 4 and 2 days, respectively. When stored at 20 and 25 °C, microgreens deteriorated beyond consumption within one day. A storage temperature of 5 °C in 150 µm polythene bags can preserve high postharvest quality and sensory attributes for 14 days. Full article

Plant diseases are biotic stresses that restrict crop plants’ ability to develop and produce. Numerous foliar diseases, such as chocolate spots, can cause significant production losses in Vicia faba plants. Certain chemical inducers, including salicylic acid (SA), oxalic acid (OA), nicotinic acid (NA), and benzoic acid (BA), were used in this study to assess efficacy in controlling these diseases. A foliar spray of these phenolic acids was used to manage the impacts of the biotic stress resulting from disease incidence. All tested chemical inducers resulted in a significant decrease in disease severity. They also enhanced the defense system of treated plants through increasing antioxidant enzyme activity (Peroxidase, polyphenol oxidase, β-1, 3-glucanase, and chitinase) compared to the corresponding control. Healthy leaves of faba plants recorded the lowest (p < 0.05) values of all antioxidant activities compared to those plants infected by Botrytis fabae. Moreover, the separation of proteins using SDS-PAGE showed slight differences among treatments. Furthermore, foliar spray with natural organic acids reduced the adverse effects of fungal infection by expediting recovery. The SA (5 mM) treatment produced a pronounced increase in the upper, lower epidermis, palisade thickness, spongy tissues, midrib zone, length, and width of vascular bundle. The foliar application with other treatments resulted in a slight increase in the thickness of the examined layers, especially by benzoic acid. In general, all tested chemical inducers could alleviate the adverse effects of the biotic stress on faba bean plants infected by Botrytis fabae. Full article

The utilization of a non-invasive electroencephalogram (EEG) as an input sensor is a common approach in the field of the brain–computer interfaces (BCI). However, the collected EEG data pose many challenges, one of which may be the age-related variability of event-related potentials (ERPs), which are often used as primary EEG BCI signal features. To assess the potential effects of aging, a sample of 27 young and 43 older healthy individuals participated in a visual oddball study, in which they passively viewed frequent stimuli among randomly occurring rare stimuli while being recorded with a 32-channel EEG set. Two types of EEG datasets were created to train the classifiers, one consisting of amplitude and spectral features in time and another with extracted time-independent statistical ERP features. Among the nine classifiers tested, linear classifiers performed best. Furthermore, we show that classification performance differs between dataset types. When temporal features were used, maximum individuals’ performance scores were higher, had lower variance, and were less affected overall by within-class differences such as age. Finally, we found that the effect of aging on classification performance depends on the classifier and its internal feature ranking. Accordingly, performance will differ if the model favors features with large within-class differences. With this in mind, care must be taken in feature extraction and selection to find the correct features and consequently avoid potential age-related performance degradation in practice. Full article

Cx30 has been proposed to play physiological functions in the kidney and cochlea, and this has often been associated with its hemichannel role (deafness mutants frequently affecting hemichannels more than gap junctions), implicated in ATP release. Here, we used heterologous expression systems (Xenopus oocytes and N2A cells) to describe the properties of Cx30 hemichannels, with the objective of better understanding their physiological functions. As previously observed, Cx30 hemichannels gated in response to transmembrane voltage (V₀) and extracellular [Ca²⁺] (pK[Ca²⁺] of 1.9 μM in the absence of Mg⁺⁺). They show minimal charge selectivity with respect to small ions (ratio of Na⁺: K⁺: Cl⁻ of 1: 0.4: 0.6) and an MW cut-off for Alexa Dyes between 643 (Alex 488) and 820 Da (Alexa 594). However, while cations follow the expected drop in conductance with size (Na⁺ to TEA⁺ is 1: 0.3), anions showed an increase, with a ratio of Cl⁻ to gluconate conductance of 1:1.4, suggesting favorable interactions between larger anions and the pore. This was further explored by comparing the permeabilities of both hemichannels and gap junctions to the natural anion (ATP), the release of which has been implicated in Ca⁺⁺ signaling through hemichannels. We extended this analysis to two closely related connexins co-expressed in the cochlear, Cx26 and Cx30. Cx30 and 26 hemichannels displayed similar permeabilities to ATP, but surprisingly Cx26 gap junctions were six times more permeable than their hemichannels and four times more permeable than Cx30 gap junctions. This suggests a significant physiological difference in the functions of Cx26 and Cx30 gap junctions in organs where they are co-expressed, at least with regard to the distribution of energy resources of the cells. It also demonstrates that the permeability characteristics of hemichannels can significantly diverge from that of their gap junctions for some connexins but not others. Full article

Among the many factors inducing prostate inflammation, bacterial contribution is potentially underrated according to the scientific community. Bacterial prostatitis is characterized by modifications of the prostatic microenvironment, mainly driven by the immune system. Macrophages play a major role in bacterial prostatitis, secreting a plethora of proinflammatory and chemoattractive cytokines and proteolytic enzymes able to degrade the ECM, so facilitating the invasion of other immune cells. Consequently, macrophages represent a link between bacterial infection and prostate inflammation, as well as being the main target of prostate anti-inflammatory drugs and dietary supplements. This study aims to investigate the effect of a formulation composed of active principles and a probiotic strain with a particular focus on the anti-inflammatory effect in an in vitro bacterial prostatitis model. The results obtained showed that the formulation reduces the inflammatory response of prostatic epithelium induced by bacterial infection. This effect is mediated by the modulation of activated macrophages. Analysis of the cytokines released highlights that the tested formulation is able to reduce the expression of key proinflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of prostate diseases, in particular prostate cancer, and represents a valuable tool to prevent bacterial prostatitis and ensure favorable prostate health. Full article

(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the gastroprotective potential of ferulic acid (FA) on indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers in rats with macroscopic and microscopic examinations along with biochemical assays. (2) Methods: After 24 h starvation, the ulcer was induced in male Sprague-Dawley rats by subcutaneous indomethacin (25 mg/kg) injection. Fifteen minutes after ulcer induction, rats were treated with either tween 80 or FA. FA was given by oral gavage at 100 mg/kg, 250 mg/kg, and 500 mg/kg. In the fourth hour, rats were euthanized and collected gastric samples were evaluated macroscopically and microscopically. Antioxidant parameters including malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and inflammatory parameters comprising of myeloperoxidase (MPO), Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)-α, Interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and Nuclear Factor Kappa-B (NF-κB) p65 levels were also determined. (3) Results: Indomethacin injection significantly increased the macroscopic and microscopic scores. In addition, it increased the gastric MDA, MPO, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and NF-κB p65 levels but reduced SOD and GSH content. Treatment with FA significantly improved the gastric injury macroscopically and microscopically. Moreover, FA displayed a marked decrease in the gastric levels of MDA, MPO, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and NF-κB p65 and a significant increase in SOD and GSH compared to the INDO group. Ultimately, 250 mg/kg FA was determined as the most effective dose. (4) Conclusion: Our results revealed that FA has a gastroprotective effect against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcers in rats due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. As a result, FA may be a potential treatment choice for gastric ulcers. Full article

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition in which there is a recurrent collapse of the upper airway while sleeping, is a widespread disease affecting 5% to 10% people worldwide. Despite several advances in the treatment modalities for OSA, morbidity and mortality remain a concern. Common symptoms include loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep, morning headache, insomnia, hypersomnia, attention deficits, and irritability. Obese individuals, male gender, older age (65+), family history, smoking, and alcohol consumption are well recognized risk factors of OSA. This condition holds the ability to increase inflammatory cytokines, cause metabolic dysfunction, and increase the sympathetic output, all of which exacerbate OSA due to their effect on the cardiovascular system. In this review, we discuss its brief history, risk factors, complications, treatment modalities, and the role of clinicians in curbing its risk. Full article

The recent pandemic of COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has brought upon the world an unprecedented challenge. During its acute dissemination, a rush for vaccines started, making the scientific community come together and contribute to the development of efficient therapeutic agents and vaccines. Natural products have been used as sources of individual molecules and extracts capable of inhibiting/neutralizing several microorganisms, including viruses. Natural extracts have shown effective results against the coronavirus family, when first tested in the outbreak of SARS-CoV-1, back in 2002. In this review, the relationship between natural extracts and SARS-CoV is discussed, while also providing insight into misinformation regarding the use of plants as possible therapeutic agents. Studies with plant extracts on coronaviruses are presented, as well as the main inhibition assays and trends for the future regarding the yet unknown long-lasting effects post-infection with SARS-CoV-2. Full article

This study investigated whether the interval of monitoring at-risk, fellow eyes of patients with unilateral neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) has any bearing on the severity of the disease at the time of diagnosis. The study comprised a retrospective, cross-sectional comparative case series of treatment-naïve eyes in patients who were diagnosed sequentially with nAMD. We compared the visual acuity (VA) and central macular thickness (CMT) of patients who were actively receiving intravitreal injections (IVIs) of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents at the time of second eye diagnosis with the VA and CMT of patients who had ceased treatment in their first eye because of reaching end-stages of disease. Intervals of visits and frequency of monitoring the macula of fellow eyes by means of optical coherence tomography (OCT) were abstracted from the medical record. We found that the at-risk fellow eyes of patients who had stopped treatment for nAMD in their first eye prior to fellow eye conversion were monitored significantly less frequently than the fellow eyes of patients who continued to receive treatment at the time of second eye diagnosis. Despite less frequent monitoring, VA and CMT were similar at the time of fellow eye diagnosis for both groups. Full article