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Yeasts, with a history of approximately 5,000 years in food and medicinal applications, play a vital role in various industries. The advantages of these microorganisms include probiotic effects, phytate biodegradation, mycotoxin breakdown, and adsorption capabilities. Traditionally, research on probiotics has primarily focused on lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria; however, there is a growing global interest in incorporating yeast as a probiotic supplement. Notably, yeast species such as Saccharomyces, Candida, Debaryomyces, Yarrowia, and Kluyveromyces have been identified for their probiotic potential. These probiotic yeasts are commonly introduced into dairy products, including kefir, yogurt, kumis, and cheese. However, the compatibility of probiotic yeasts with dairy matrices, as well as the factors influencing their viability and functionality, remains a critical area of study. Ongoing research focused on exploring techniques to enhance yeast viability during processing, given that different strains may exhibit varying survival rates and probiotic properties. Consequently, probiotic yeasts represent a promising avenue for augmenting the health benefits of dairy products. This development prompts essential discussions regarding selecting suitable probiotic yeasts for specific dairy applications. This paper comprehensively examines the historical discovery, types, properties, and applications of probiotic yeasts in dairy products. It aims to shed light on their health effects while addressing the challenges associated with selecting the appropriate probiotic yeast to optimize the enhancement of dairy products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a Zr based MOF chiral catalyst was synthesized, characterized, and then examined in the enantioselective Henry reactions. The process involved the synthesis of UiO-66-NH2, followed by its functionalization with 2-chloroacetyl chloride. Subsequently, L -phenylglycine was immobilized on the functionalized MOF to prepare a chiral heterogeneous ligand. Finally, the prepared chiral ligand was complexed with Cu(CH3CN)4PF6 to obtain the chiral heterogeneous catalyst. All of the synthesized materials were characterized using various methods including FT-IR, XRD, SEM, EDX, elemental mapping, and BET/BJH analysis. Evaluation of the catalytic activity of the prepared chiral heterogeneous catalyst under different conditions demonstrated that the best results can be achieved under solvent free green conditions at room temperature, producing excellent yields and low to moderate enantioselectivities. The heterogeneous catalyst was recovered and reused easily, maintaining activity over three consecutive cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Mannitol may be a good excipient for hyaluronic acid (HA) filler. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the tolerability and effectiveness of a mannitol-containing HA filler for the improvement of nasolabial folds (NLFs). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty Middle Eastern participants aged 18 to 65 years with moderate-to-severe NLFs on the Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale (WSRS) received 1 to 2 mL of a HA filler containing mannitol in both NLFs. Wrinkle Severity Rating Scale; volume, depth, and area of NLFs; and ultrasound parameters were measured at baseline, Weeks 2, 12, and 24 after the injection. Adverse events and participants' satisfaction were recorded in all follow-up visits. RESULTS: Eighty-nine percent, 86%, and 61% of participants showed at least one grade improvement in WSRS, at Weeks 2, 12, and 24, respectively. The area and volume of NLFs significantly decreased compared with baseline (p -value <.01). In severe NLFs, echo density of the dermis significantly increased at Week 2. Participants reported great satisfaction with the treatment, and adverse events were mainly mild and transient. One patient had significant pain during injection, but this resolved without sequelae. CONCLUSION: The tested mannitol-containing HA filler showed to be effective in Middle Eastern participants. The safety will require a follow-up larger study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many data sets in biology, medicine, and other biostatistical areas deal with matrix‐valued time series. The case of a single univariate time series is very well developed in the literature; and single multi‐variate series (i.e., vector time series) though less well studied have also been developed. A class of matrix time series models is introduced for dealing with situations where there are multiple sets of multi‐variate time series data. Explicit expressions for a matrix autoregressive model along with its cross‐autocorrelation functions are derived. Stationarity conditions are also provided. Least squares estimators and maximum likelihood estimators of the model parameters and their asymptotic properties are derived. Results are illustrated through simulation studies and a real data application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research has not demonstrated whether multiple cups of negative pressure cupping therapy would induce interactions of hemodynamic responses between different areas. A multichannel near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to assess oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin oscillations in response to cupping therapy. Wavelet transform and wavelet phase (WPC) coherence were used to quantify NIRS signals. Three levels of negative pressure (−75, −225, and −300 mmHg) were applied to the gastrocnemius in 12 healthy adults. Oxyhemoglobin coherence between the two inside‐cup areas was higher at −75 mmHg compared to −300 mmHg in both metabolic (WPC = 0.80 ± 0.11 vs. 0.73 ± 0.13) and neurogenic (WPC = 0.70 ± 0.11 vs. 0.60 ± 0.17) controls. Deoxyhemoglobin coherence was also higher at −75 mmHg compared to −300 mmHg in both metabolic (WPC = 0.78 ± 0.11 vs. 0.66 ± 0.14) and neurogenic (WPC = 0.67 ± 0.11 vs. 0.58 ± 0.13) controls. Our study provides first evidence on the interaction of hemodynamic responses between the two cups of cupping therapy using WPC analysis of NIRS signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aims to systematically review and meta-analyze the electromyographic activity of masticatory muscles in cleft palate and non-cleft patients, and identify influencing factors. Design: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Patients and Exposures: Patients with cleft lip/ palate Comparison: Patients without CL/P. Main Outcome Measures: Electrical activity of masseter and temporalis muscles at rest and during peak activation Results: After a comprehensive search in MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane's CENTRAL up to December 2022, without language or date restrictions. Eligible trials were selected based on the PECO question and assessed for bias using Cochrane's ROBINS-E tool. Eight clinical trials with 474 participants were included in the review. Then relevant data was extracted from included studies using customized forms. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to combine the results of the studies, meta-analyses showed that CL/P patients have elevated electrical activity in the masseter (P =.01) and temporalis (P = <.01) muscles at rest compared to non-cleft control patients. During maximum bite force, cleft patients exhibited a statistically significant decrease in electrical activity in both the masseter (P =.03) and temporalis (P = <.01) muscles. Conclusions: According to our meta-analysis, cleft patients exhibited increased resting muscle activity but decreased activity during maximum bite force, indicating reduced efficiency of masticatory muscles compared to non-cleft patients. These differences can be attributed to anatomical variations, compensatory mechanisms, and previous treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Deciphering the link between tissue architecture and function requires methods to identify and interpret patterns in spatial arrangement of cells. We present SMORE, an approach to detect patterns in sequential arrangements of cells and examine their associated gene expression specializations. Applied to retina, brain, and embryonic tissue maps, SMORE identifies novel spatial motifs, including one that offers a new mechanism of action for type 1b bipolar cells. Structural signatures detected by SMORE also form a basis for classifying tissues. Together, our method provides a new framework for uncovering spatial complexity in tissue organization and offers novel insights into tissue function.

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengembangkan media pembelajaran realitas virtual dalam meningkatkan kompetensi kreatif dan kolaboratif pada materi fenomena geosfer di MA Al-Khairiyah menggunakan metode penelitian dan pengembangan. Media yang digunakan adalah platform Millealab dengan pendekatan kuantitatif quasi eksperimental post-test only control group design. Data dikumpulkan melalui kuesioner, dokumen psikologi, dan lembar penilaian, menunjukkan hasil validasi materi sebesar 81% dan validasi media sebesar 81,6%, sehingga dinyatakan layak. Meskipun hasil uji coba menunjukkan penurunan rata-rata efektivitas media dari 87,4% menjadi 75,5%, uji t pada kelas eksperimen dan kontrol menunjukkan tidak ada perbedaan signifikan. Rekomendasi meliputi penggunaan virtual box dengan earphone, alokasi waktu yang memadai, dan resolusi gambar tinggi untuk mendukung pembelajaran.

Luffa is a robust, renewable biomaterial known for its low mass, high specific strength, and non-toxicity, making it ideal for composite development. This study modified luffa to create the LF@ppy@LDH nanocomposite, combining luffa, polypyrrole, and layered double hydroxides to efficiently remove ibuprofen from water. Techniques like FE-SEM, EDX, FTIR, and XRD confirmed the modification. To optimize adsorption efficiency, factors such as contact time (Ctime), adsorbent dosage (Ad), drug concentration (Dc), temperature (θ), stirring rate (Sr), and pH were carefully fine-tuned to maximize efficiency. The highest ibuprofen removal occurred at pH 5, with an adsorption capacity of 44.306 mg/g at 298 K. The Temkin isotherm model, which points to chemisorption as the mechanism, accurately depicted the adsorption process with a high correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.984). Moreover, the Elovich kinetic model proved to be the most precise in describing how ibuprofen adheres to the modified luffa, showing a very tight fit with the data (R2 = 0.993). LF@ppy@LDH demonstrated outstanding reusability, maintaining steady adsorption over five repeated rounds. In addition, a powerful data-driven model, namely gene expression programming (GEP), was employed to provide an explicit formula relating input variables to removal efficiency, highlighting the potential of LF@ppy@LDH for water purification and environmental remediation.

Introduction and Objectives: There are limited recent data on the burden of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in the North American general population. We aimed to identify the CHB burden from a Canadian population-based perspective. Patients and Methods: Using a retrospective cohort design, we searched Alberta Analytics administrative databases including the Provincial Laboratory database, to describe CHB epidemiology and natural history in Alberta, Canada between fiscal years 2012-2020. We analyzed incidence and prevalence trends using a Poisson regression model and conducted Kaplan-Meier analyses to examine the incident cohort's survival. Results: The age/sex-adjusted incidence of CHB between 2015-2020 was 27.1/100,000 person/years (29.6/100,000 in males and 24.5/100,000 in females) and was highest among individuals aged 45-64 years. Despite a decrease in annual incidence of CHB from 36.4 to 13.4/100,000 between 2015-2020, prevalence increased from 98.9 to 210.3/100,000 in the same period. Of 6,860 incident cases, 2.1% died, and 0.2% underwent liver transplantation during a median follow-up of 3.6 years (interquartile range 2.0-4.9 years). CHB patients had significantly lower survival rates compared to age/sex-matched Canadians, with a standardized mortality ratio of 3.9 (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.3-4.6). Male sex (hazard ratio [HR] 1.7; 95% CI 1.2-2.5), older age at diagnosis (HR, 1.08; 95% CI 1.07-1.09) independently predicted mortality. Conclusions: CHB incidence decreased in Alberta, which is consistent with nationwide trends. Males and individuals aged 45-64 had higher CHB incidence and prevalence. CHB patients’ lower survival rates emphasize the need to address barriers to guideline recommended HBV care linkage.

Objective: This study aims to systematically review and meta-analyze the electromyographic activity of masticatory muscles in cleft palate and non-cleft patients, and identify influencing factors., Design: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis., Patients and Exposures: Patients with cleft lip/ palate., Comparison: Patients without CL/P., Main Outcome Measures: Electrical activity of masseter and temporalis muscles at rest and during peak activation., Results: After a comprehensive search in MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, and Cochrane's CENTRAL up to December 2022, without language or date restrictions. Eligible trials were selected based on the PECO question and assessed for bias using Cochrane's ROBINS-E tool. Eight clinical trials with 474 participants were included in the review. Then relevant data was extracted from included studies using customized forms. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to combine the results of the studies, meta-analyses showed that CL/P patients have elevated electrical activity in the masseter ( P  = .01) and temporalis ( P  = <.01) muscles at rest compared to non-cleft control patients. During maximum bite force, cleft patients exhibited a statistically significant decrease in electrical activity in both the masseter ( P  = .03) and temporalis ( P  = <.01) muscles., Conclusions: According to our meta-analysis, cleft patients exhibited increased resting muscle activity but decreased activity during maximum bite force, indicating reduced efficiency of masticatory muscles compared to non-cleft patients. These differences can be attributed to anatomical variations, compensatory mechanisms, and previous treatments., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.