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Wesley Elon Fleming,1 Jon-Erik C Holty,2 Richard K Bogan,3 Dennis Hwang,4 Aliya S Ferouz-Colborn,4 Rohit Budhiraja,5 Susan Redline,5 Edith Mensah-Osman,6 Nadir Ishag Osman,6 Qing Li,7 Armaghan Azad,1 Susann Podolak,1 Michael K Samoszuk,8 Amabelle B Cruz,8 Yang Bai,8 Jiuliu Lu,8 John S Riley,8 Paula C Southwick8 1Sleep Center Orange County, Irvine, CA, USA; 2Stanford Medical School, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine Section, Palo Alto, CA, USA; 3SleepMed Inc., Bogan Sleep Consultants, LLC, Columbia, SC, USA; 4Sleep Medicine Department, Southern California Permanente Medical Group, Kaiser Permanente, Fontana Medical Center, Fontana, CA, USA; 5Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 6EENA Comprehensive Neurology and Sleep Center, Boynton Beach, FL, USA; 7South Bend Medical Foundation, New Technology and Test Development, South Bend, IN, USA; 8Clinical Research Department, Beckman Coulter, Inc., Brea, CA, USAPurpose: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent disorder associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic conditions. Unfortunately, up to 90% of individuals with OSA remain without a diagnosis or therapy. We assess the relationship between OSA and blood biomarkers, and test the hypothesis that combinations of markers provide a characteristic OSA signature with diagnostic screening value. This validation study was conducted in an independent cohort in order to replicate findings from a prior feasibility study.Patients and methods: This multicenter prospective study consecutively enrolled adult male subjects with clinically suspected OSA. All subjects underwent overnight sleep studies. An asymptomatic control group was also obtained. Five biomarkers were tested: glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), C-reactive protein (CRP), uric acid, erythropoietin (EPO), and interleukin-6 (IL-6).Results: The study enrolled 264 subjects. The combination of HbA1c+CRP+EPO (area under the curve 0.78) was superior to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS; 0.53) and STOP-Bang (0.70) questionnaires. In non-obese subjects, the combination of biomarkers (0.75) was superior to body mass index (BMI; 0.61). Sensitivity and specificity results, respectively, were: HbA1c+CRP+EPO (81% and 60%), ESS (78% and 19%), STOP-Bang (75% and 52%), BMI (81% and 56%), and BMI in non-obese patients (81% and 38%).Conclusion: We verify our hypothesis and replicate our prior feasibility findings that OSA is associated with a characteristic signature cluster of biomarker changes in men. Concurrent elevations of HbA1c, CRP, and EPO levels should generate a high suspicion of OSA and may have utility as an OSA screening tool. Biomarker combinations correlate with OSA severity and, therefore, may assist sleep centers in identifying and triaging higher risk patients for sleep study diagnosis and treatment.Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea, OSA, screening, diagnosis, biomarkers, CRP, HbA1c, erythropoietin, EPO, uric acid, IL-6

We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis of task-based functional MRI studies on executive function and attention in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We searched for studies published before March 20, 2023, in PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EBSCO, Embase, and Scopus. The ALE (activation likelihood estimation) method was used to detect differences in brain activation between children with ADHD and comparison children. Fifty-seven (57) studies were included, with 2,231 participants (1,062 children with ADHD). Based on the omnibus meta-analysis findings, significant hypoactivation in children with ADHD relative to comparisons was observed in the frontoparietal network, putamen, insula, cingulate gyrus, and middle temporal gyrus, while ADHD-related hyperactivation was present in the occipital lobe, declive, middle frontal gyrus, and parahippocampal gyrus. This study highlights the critical involvement of the parietal lobe. Results also revealed abnormalities in the frontal lobe and brainstem, suggesting unintegrated primitive reflexes. For stimulant-naive children with ADHD, significant hypoactivation in the right cerebrum was observed compared to controls. Finally, dysfunctional connectivity between the frontoparietal network and the striatum may lead to inefficient working memory, while the cerebellum plays a crucial role in inhibitory control and attention tasks. These findings provide important insights into the pathology of ADHD., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonotic disease in which dogs are the main reservoirs. Until now, the serological tests do not present satisfactory sensitivity for diagnosis of these hosts. One of the functions of extracellular vesicles (EVs) is related to immunological host response. Here, we evaluated the ability of EVs released by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum promastigotes (Leish-EVs) to be source of antigens for use in serological diagnosis for human visceral leishmaniasis (HumVL) and canine visceral leishmaniasis (CanVL). A total of 300 sera were tested. The 155 human sera were divided into 4 groups and 145 canine sera into 3 groups. In human sera, Leish-EVs were reactive in 73/74 sera from patients with VL (Hum-VL) with 98.64% sensitivity. The 26 sera from healthy individuals (NH) and 27 from individuals with asymptomatic toxoplasmosis (ATx) were nonreagent (100% specificity). Leish-EVs-ELISA had cross-reactivity or inconclusive results in 13.5% of sera from Chagas disease patients (CD). In canine sera, Leish-EVs were reactive in 60/63 sera from dogs with CanVL (Can-VL) with 95.24% sensitivity. Leish-EVs were nonreactive in sera from 57 dogs without Can-VL (NC) and 25 with other infections (OIs) with 100% specificity. Hum-VL produced more IgG1 against Leish-EVs than IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4. Can-VL produced more IgG2 against Leish-EVs than IgG1. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that Leish-EVs released by L. (L.) infantum when used as antigen in ELISA identified the host antibodies. The methodology was effective for serological diagnosis of VL, since results exhibited good sensitivity and specificity for human and canine sera., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2025 Allecineia Bispo da Cruz et al. Journal of Parasitology Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The Hugo ™ robotic assisted surgery system is a relatively new robotic platform developed by Medtronic. The study objective was to describe the experience of using Hugo ™ robotic assisted surgery in gynecological surgeries and compare robotic assisted surgery-related outcomes between complex and non-complex gynecological patients at the Pacifica Salud Hospital. We performed secondary data retrospective analysis of 144 consecutive patients who underwent gynecological surgery with Hugo ™ robotic assisted surgery system (Medtronic) at the Pacifica Salud hospital in Panama City from July 19, 2021, to August 3, 2023. Complex patients were defined as those with one or more risk factors for surgery complications. Descriptive analysis of participants' sociodemographic and robotic assisted surgery-related characteristics. Due to the non-normal distribution of the RAS-related numeric variables, we compared these variables between complex and non-complex cases of gynecological patients using Kruskal-Wallis's test. The study found that Hugo ™ robotic assisted surgery system was safe for gynecological surgery in patients with and without risk factors for developing major surgery complications. None of the patients experienced any complications, and they had short hospital stays with low blood loss without requiring a blood transfusion. The Hugo ™ robotic assisted surgery system was technically sound and did not present technical failures. The results could be a reference for adopting this technology and developing best practices in the Latin American region., Competing Interests: Declarations Conflict of interests Dr Miguel Cáceres is proctor of HUGO RAS in Medtronic PLC and he is also this study grant-recipient. Dr. Ricardo Perez Cuevas received consultant honoraria from Medtronic PLC. The rest of the authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose. All authors declare their complete independence from Medtronic PLC during the entire research process and are solely responsible for the methods, results, concepts, and conclusions in this manuscript. Ethics approval This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol obtained Institutional Review Board approval of the Pacifica Salud Hospital (N#2586). Consent to participate The manuscript presents the results of the secondary data retrospective analysis of patients who underwent gynecological surgery with HugoTM RAS System (Medtronic), according to the institutional review bord the inclusion in the analysis of the deidentified patients’ data did not require their consent. However, all patients who underwent surgery with HugoTM RAS System gave written informed consent for robotic surgery and were personally informed by the operating surgeon about the surgical procedure and its possible complications. Consent to publish According to the institutional review bord the inclusion in the analysis of the deidentified patients’ data did not require their consent to publish., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Introduction: This study systematically reviewed and analyzed both qualitative and quantitative studies that focused on the relationship between physical education (PE) teachers' leadership and student outcomes using data mining and meta-analysis., Methods: Using the Scopus, PsycINFO, PubMed, and SPORTDiscus databases, text data from the included 150 relevant articles were examined through a text data mining approach. Quantitative and mixed-method studies were then further evaluated, yielding 49 articles eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis., Results: Findings from the data-mining analysis using Leximancer revealed eight major themes associated with PE teacher leadership, emphasizing motivation, education, support, and teaching. Results from the meta-analysis using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software showed that autonomy-supporting behaviors showed strong positive effects on student satisfaction, motivation, competence, and engagement. Regional differences in research focus were observed, with health being less emphasized in Asian and European studies. Student sex emerged as a moderating factor., Conclusion: The study highlights the role of PE teacher leadership and the convergence/divergence among research findings. Moreover, applying the HDST approach to synthesize both qualitative and quantitative articles provided a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of leadership within the PE field., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Kim and Cruz.)

The aim of this study was to evaluated the impact of different fibre levels in alpaca diet on voluntary feed intake and apparent digestibility, and to estimate the digestibility of organic matter (OMD) from the content of crude protein (CP) in feces. The study was carried out with twelve alpacas (36.7 ± 6.4 kg body weight- BW), which were offered 4 treatments with different neutral detergent fiber content (NDF. T1: 40.3%; T2: 62%; T3: 68%; T4: 72%) under a switch back design. Absolute daily dry matter intake (DMI) was higher for T1 (678 g/d) than T4 (312 g/d) (p ≥ 005). NDF intake was similar between treatments when related to BW or MW (on average 1% BW and 22 g/kg MW. p ≥ 0.05). Water intake (L/kg DMI) was higher in T1 compared to the other treatments, with values ranging from 2.9 L/kg DMI(T1) to 2.8 L/kg DMI(T4), respectively (p ≤ 0.05). Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and CP was higher in T1 than in the other treatments, with average values ranging from 72% for T1 to 32% for T4 (p ≤ 0.05). NDF digestibility was similar among treatments (p ≥ 0.05). The regression equation generated to predict OMD (y) was as follows: y = 0.360 + 0.08294*fecal CP (g/kg OM). Further studies will indicate whether faecal nitrogen can be used to estimate digestibility and hence diet quality in South American camelids., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: This meta-analysis investigates the relationship between coach leadership behaviors and athlete satisfaction and group cohesion within the realm of Chinese sports. The study also explores player sex and player classification as potential moderating variables. The primary focus is on evaluating the impact of coaching behaviors, as measured by the Leadership Scale for Sports, on athlete satisfaction and group cohesion., Methods: Standard literature searches from China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang academic databases produced 26 studies encompassing a total of 319 effect sizes and a participant pool of 7,121 athletes across various sports., Results: Using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (CMA) to examine relevant data, results reveal a moderate and positive association between coach leadership and athlete satisfaction (ES = 0.412). Specifically, training and instruction (ES = 0.531), positive feedback (ES = 0.526), social support, and democratic decision-making exhibit positive effects, while autocratic behavior demonstrates a marginal positive effect. Similarly, a moderate positive relationship is identified between coach leadership and overall group cohesion (ES = 0.275), with training and instruction (ES = 0.396), social support (ES = 0.356), positive feedback, and democratic behavior positively influencing cohesion. Conversely, autocratic behavior has a small negative impact on cohesion. Furthermore, female athletes (ES = 0.603) and professional players (ES = 0.544) display stronger positive associations between coach leadership and satisfaction., Conclusion: These findings highlight the significance of diverse coaching behaviors aligned with player characteristics for fostering positive athlete satisfaction and group cohesion within the Chinese sports context, offering valuable guidance to Chinese coaches aiming to enhance their coaching strategies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Zhu, Wang, Cruz and Kim.)

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a chronic systemic disease. In Brazil this infection is caused by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum . Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by Leishmania species have different functions like the modulation of host immune systems and inflammatory responses, among others. This study evaluated the participation of EVs from L. (L.) infantum (Leish-EVs) in recognition of the humoral and cellular immune response of hosts with VL. Promastigotes were cultivated in 199 medium and, in the log phase of growth, they were centrifuged, washed, resus-pended in RPMI medium, and incubated for 2 to 24 h, at 25 °C or 37 °C to release Leish-EVs. This dynamic was evaluated using transmission (TEM) and scanning (SEM) electron microscopies, as well as nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). The results suggested that parasite penetration in mammal macrophages requires more Leish-EVs than those living in insect vectors, since promastigotes incubated at 37 °C released more Leish-EVs than those incubated at 25 °C. Infected THP-1 cells produced high EV concentration (THP-1 cells-EVs) when compared with those from the control group. The same results were obtained when THP-1 cells were treated with Leish-EVs or a crude Leishmania antigen. These data indicated that host-EV concentrations could be used to distinguish infected from uninfected hosts. THP-1 cells treated with Leish-EVs expressed more IL-12 than control THP-1 cells, but were unable to express IFN-γ. These same cells highly expressed IL-10, which inhibited TNF-α and IL-6. Equally, THP-1 cells treated with Leish-EVs up-expressed miR-21-5p and miR-146a-5p. In conclusion, THP-1 cells treated with Leish-EVs highly expressed miR-21-5p and miR-146a-5p and caused the dysregulation of IL-10. Indirectly, these results suggest that high expression of these miRNAs species is caused by Leish-EVs. Consequently, this molecular via can contribute to immunosuppression causing enhanced immunopathology in infected hosts.

Carotenoids and tocopherols are among the most powerful lipophilic antioxidants accumulated in fruit and vegetable crops. This chapter describes a method for the separation and quantification of carotenoids/chlorophylls and tocopherols based on microextraction followed by reverse- and normal-phase HPLC, respectively. Using this method, high-throughput, accurate analysis of these compounds can be performed in leaf and fruit samples., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

This study examined the relationship between the transformational leadership of PE instructors and students' satisfaction in an online PE class. In particular, it aimed to investigate whether the PE instructors' transformational leadership behaviors could predict students' satisfaction toward the class, their PE teacher, and their health and fitness. Furthermore, this study explored these relationships in male and female students. A total of 448 university students (male = 228; female = 220) between the ages of 18 and 22 participated in the study. The results revealed a positive relationship between the transformational leadership behaviors of PE instructors and students' satisfaction with online PE classes. Moreover, male and female students' satisfaction with the teaching of their PE instructor, feelings of fun and enjoyment, and perception of improved health and fitness in their online PE classes varied greatly as they perceived specific behaviors of transformational leadership from their PE instructors. These findings demonstrate that PE instructors play an important role as (online) classroom leaders in enhancing students' satisfaction with online learning. Therefore, PE instructors should be mindful to demonstrate transformational leadership to improve their effectiveness when conducting online classes., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Cruz and Kim.)

This retrospective cohort study analysed extracellular vesicles (EVs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) excreted in canine sera from dogs with canine visceral leishmaniasis (CanVL). A total of 56 canine sera were divided into Group I (28, from healthy dogs) and Group II (28, from the same dogs, but already with CanVL). CanVL was determined by clinical and laboratory diagnoses. Canine sera were ultra-centrifuged to recover EVs (Can-EVs). Analyses by transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), sodium dodecyl sulfate-poli-acrylammide gel eletroforesis (SDS-PAGE) and, Immunoblot confirmed the presence of (i) microvesicles/exosomes and (ii) the tetraspanins CD63 and CD9. EVs secreted by Leishmania (Leishmania) infantum-EVs were reactive against sera from dogs with CanVL (performed by ELISA and Immunoblot). NTA analyses exhibited that concentrations of Can-EVs from dogs with CanVL (7.78 × 10 10 Can-EVs/mL) were higher (p < .0001) than the non-infected dogs (mean: 1.47 × 10 10 Can-EVs/mL). These results suggested that concentrations of Can-EVs were able to distinguish dogs with CanVL from healthy dogs. The relative expressions of 11 miRNAs species (miR-21-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-125b-5p, miR-144-3p, miR-194-5p, miR-346, miR-29c-3p, miR-155-5p, miR-24-3p, miR-181a-5p, and miR-9-5p) were estimated in purified miRNAs of 30 canine sera. Dogs with CanVL up-expressed miR-21-5p and miR-146a-5p when compared with healthy dogs. The other miRNA species were poorly or not expressed in canine sera. In conclusion, this study suggests that CanVL induces changes in size and concentration of Can-EVs, as well as, the up-expression of miR-21-5p and miR-146a-5p in infected dogs., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Investigation on the association between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and primary reflexes is in the initial stage, with considerable differences in the findings. This study evaluated the association between ADHD and primitive reflexes using systematic review and meta-analysis., Methods: Data were obtained from PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EBSCO (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, American Psychological Association Psyclnfo, and Education Resources Information Center), Embase, Scopus, and ProQuest. Articles were searched from the date of inception of the respective databases to January 01, 2023, and StataCorp Stata (version 15) was used for the analysis., Results: Four articles with 229 samples were included in the meta-analysis. Results showed a significant positive and moderate correlation between ADHD and primitive reflexes, particularly asymmetric tonic neck reflex: summary r value = 0.48, 95% CI = 0.27-0.64; symmetric tonic neck reflex: summary r value = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.25-0.52. Overall, findings from the sub-group analysis indicate that the behavioral problem measuring tool (Conners' scale), sex, and primitive reflex test could significantly moderate the relationships between ADHD and ATNR and STNR primitive reflexes., Conclusion: ADHD symptoms in children are closely related to the non-integration of (a)symmetric tonic neck primitive reflexes. Longitudinal or experimental studies should be conducted to reveal the causal relationship between ADHD and primitive reflexes in the future., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wang, Yu, Kim and Cruz.)

Purpose: To determine, in women with primary operable breast cancer, if preoperative doxorubicin (Adriamycin) and cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan; AC) therapy yields a better outcome than postoperative AC therapy, if a relationship exists between outcome and tumor response to preoperative chemotherapy, and if such therapy results in the performance of more lumpectomies., Patients and Methods: Women (1,523) enrolled onto National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) B-18 were randomly assigned to preoperative or postoperative AC therapy. Clinical tumor response to preoperative therapy was graded as complete (cCR), partial (cPR), or no response (cNR). Tumors with a cCR were further categorized as either pathologic complete response (pCR) or invasive cells (pINV). Disease-free survival (DFS), distant disease-free survival (DDFS), and survival were estimated through 5 years and compared between treatment groups. In the preoperative arm, proportional-hazards models were used to investigate the relationship between outcome and tumor response., Results: There was no significant difference in DFS, DDFS, or survival (P = .99, .70, and .83, respectively) among patients in either group. More patients treated preoperatively than postoperatively underwent lumpectomy and radiation therapy (67.8% v 59.8%, respectively). Rates of ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) after lumpectomy were similar in both groups (7.9% and 5.8%, respectively; P = .23). Outcome was better in women whose tumors showed a pCR than in those with a pINV, cPR, or cNR (relapse-free survival [RFS] rates, 85.7%, 76.9%, 68.1%, and 63.9%, respectively; P < .0001), even when baseline prognostic variables were controlled. When prognostic models were compared for each treatment group, the preoperative model, which included breast tumor response as a variable, discriminated outcome among patients to about the same degree as the postoperative model., Conclusion: Preoperative chemotherapy is as effective as postoperative chemotherapy, permits more lumpectomies, is appropriate for the treatment of certain patients with stages I and II disease, and can be used to study breast cancer biology. Tumor response to preoperative chemotherapy correlates with outcome and could be a surrogate for evaluating the effect of chemotherapy on micrometastases; however, knowledge of such a response provided little prognostic information beyond that which resulted from postoperative therapy.

Growing evidence shows a variety of sensorial and motor asymmetries in social and non-social interactions in various species, indicating a lateralized processing of information by the brain. Using digital video cameras on tripods and drones, this study investigated lateralization in frequency and duration of social behavior patterns, in affiliative, agonistic, and resting contexts, in a feral population of horses (Equus ferus caballus) in Northern Portugal, consisting of 37 individuals organized in eight harem groups. Affiliative interactions (including grooming) were more often performed, and lasted longer, when recipients were positioned to the right side. In recumbent resting (animals lying down) episodes on the left side lasted longer. Our results of an affiliative behavior having a right side tendency, provide partial support to the valence-specific hypothesis of Ahern and Schwartz (1979) - left hemisphere dominance for positive affect, affiliative behaviors. Longer recumbent resting episodes on the left side may be due to synchronization. However, in both instances it is discussed how lateralization may be context dependent. Investigating the position asymmetries of social behaviors in feral equids will contribute to a better understanding of differential lateralization and hemispheric specialization from the ecological and evolutionary perspectives., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study examined published articles concerning sports leadership within the sport psychology domain over the last 30 years using bibliometric analysis that centered on the written content of the publications as unit of analysis in order to explore the intellectual base, particularly the structural relationships among relevant research components about coach leadership. Leximancer version 5.0 (Leximancer Pty Ltd.) was used to extract data from 100 sports leadership-related articles from four sport psychology journals. Overall, the most relevant concepts generated were coaches (100%) and athletes (59%), followed by study, sport, support, and motivation, and behaviors. Also, relevant concepts produced for each journal were quite similar which included coaches, athletes, behaviors, study, support and team. Further, publications related to coach leadership have shown a steady growth rate since 1990 with 76% of all published articles were conducted via quantitative research method. Finally, United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Belgium were the top countries involved in the area of coach leadership. Coach leadership studies generally focus on behaviors and perceptions related to the coach and relationships between leadership and psychological outcomes. Each journal has a similar but distinct rationale when publishing papers about coach leadership. Bibliometric analysis can be applied as an alternative methodology to summarize large volumes of relevant data in order to map the current knowledge as well as identify potential future research directions., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Cruz and Kim.)

(1) Background: Maintaining soil fertility and crop productivity using natural microbial diversity could be a feasible approach for achieving sustainable development in agriculture. In this study, we compared soils from vineyards under organic and conventional management by predicting functional profiles through metagenomic analysis based on the 16S rRNA gene. (2) Methods: The structure, diversity and predictive functions of soil bacteria related to the biogeochemical cycle of the soil were analyzed, including oxidative and hydrolytic C-cycling enzymes, N-cycling enzymes and P-cycling enzymes. The inter-row spontaneous vegetation in the organic vineyards was also characterized. (3) Results: A clear effect of the farming system (organic vs. conventional) and cover management (herbicides plus tillage, mowing only and mowing plus tillage) on bacterial beta diversity and predicted functions was evidenced. While conventional viticulture increased the potential capacity of the soil to regulate the cycling of inorganic forms of N, organic viticulture in general enhanced those functions involving organic N, P and C substrates. Although the soil bacterial community responded differently to contrasting soil management strategies, nutrient cycling and carbon sequestration functions remained preserved, suggesting a high bacterial functional redundancy in the soil in any case. However, most of the predicted bacterial functions related to soil organic matter turnover were enhanced by organic management. (4) Conclusions: We posit the potential for organic viticulture to adequately address climate change adaptation in the context of sustainable agriculture.

Carbon nanomaterials endowed with significant luminescence have been synthesized for the first time from an abundant, highly localized waste, the wet pomace (WP), a semi-solid by-product of industrial olive oil production. Synthetic efforts were undertaken to outshine the photoluminescence (PL) of carbon nanoparticles through a systematic search of the best reaction conditions to convert the waste biomass, mainly consisting in holocellulose, lignin and proteins, into carbon dots (CDs) by hydrothermal carbonization processes. Blue-emitting CDs with high fluorescence quantum yields were obtained. Using a comprehensive set of spectroscopic tools (FTIR, Raman, XPS, and 1 H/ 13 C NMR) in combination with steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, a rational depiction of WP-CDs structures and their PL properties was reached. WP-CDs show the up-conversion of PL capabilities and negligible cytotoxicity against two mammalian cell lines (L929 and HeLa). Both properties are excellent indicators for their prospective application in biological imaging, biosensing, and dynamic therapies driven by light.

Leaders play a significant role in organizations and their leadership behaviors can either enhance or undermine the well-being of their employees. This study aimed to meta-analyze the relationship between transformational leadership and well-being in the service industry, and how employees' gender and service sector moderated the strength of this relationship. This study used a convergent mixed-method approach. PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar, AMED, and Scopus electronic databases were utilized to search for relevant studies. Textual data were analyzed using a text data-mining technique (Leximancer) to determine the relevant themes and concepts. Statistical data were examined through a comprehensive meta-analysis to determine their effect sizes. The qualitative results outline the major themes that emerged: leadership, well-being, and health. The quantitative findings revealed that the perceived well-being of male employees and those working outside of the health-care service sector was positively higher when employees' leaders showed transformational leadership. In general, the findings from the qualitative and quantitative data converge. The findings confirm the positive relationship between transformational leadership and employee well-being. This study also highlights the applicability of a convergent mixed-method approach as a useful methodological strategy when analyzing both lexical and statistical data.

Objective: To determine the proportion and characteristics of adults in primary care (PC) who screen positive for unhealthy substance use (SU) (alcohol and/or other drug) 1 year or more after screening negative., Methods: Screening consisted of single-item questions for unhealthy use of alcohol and other drugs (illicit drugs and prescription medications). Health educators conducted in-person screening of patients presenting for a PC appointment. SU severity (low, moderate, high) was assessed with the Alcohol, Smoking, and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). Multivariate logistic regression models estimated predictors of a positive follow-up screen., Results: Among 9215 patients who previously screened negative, 237 (2.6%) screened positive for unhealthy SU (42% alcohol only, 43% other drug only, 15% alcohol and other drug). The mean interval between screens was 19 months. Most alcohol use was low risk (ASSIST score ≤10) (81%), whereas most drug use was moderate risk (ASSIST score 4-26) (77%). Patients between ages of 18 to 25 had a higher proportion of positive follow-up screens (7.4% [33/ 443]) as well as those with a self-identified history of SU problems (9.4% [40/421]). Patients with a higher odds of a positive follow-up screen were male (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.64; 95% CI: 2.02-3.45), used tobacco (AOR 2.38; 95% CI: 1.75-3.23), had a longer interval between screenings (AOR 3.26; 95% CI: 1.84-5.75)., Conclusions: Screening for unhealthy SU 1 year or more after screening negative identified additional patients at-risk. These findings highlight the need to empirically determine the incremental benefits of screening all PC patients annually., Competing Interests: The authors report that Richard Saitz is the Principal Investigator of an NIH/NIAAA-supported (to Boston University [BU]) study of people with alcohol use disorder; BU receives injectable naltrexone for that study from Alkermes. The remaining authors report no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 American Society of Addiction Medicine.)

This study meta-analyzed the relationships between coach transformational leadership and player satisfaction and commitment. We also examined the potential moderating effect of player gender on these relationships. In total, 182 effect sizes were obtained from 26 studies comprised of 6,715 participants. The analyses revealed that the overall direct effect of transformational leadership was moderate on both athletic satisfaction and exercise commitment. The effect of charismatic construct of transformational leadership was moderate on athletic satisfaction as well as exercise commitment. Finally, player gender was found to moderate the effects of the relationship between transformational leadership and athletic satisfaction and exercise commitment of players. Specifically, female players' satisfaction and commitment were more positively affected by transformational leadership compared with their male counterparts. Our findings suggests that effective leadership in sports is dependent on the interaction among leadership behaviors of the coach, personal characteristics of the players, and situational factors and highlights the importance of transformational leadership as an important requirement for creating a more positive and sustainable sports environment., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Kim and Cruz.)

Background: Few hematopoietic stem cell transplantations (HSCT) are performed in lower-middle income countries. Only four institutions in the Philippines are able to perform transplants. This study describes the experience of a newly established program., Methods: The charts of all adult patients who underwent HSCT at The Medical City from May 1, 2016 to December 31, 2019 were reviewed retrospectively., Results: A total of 33 patients were included in the cohort, of whom 31 (93.9%) underwent autologous HSCT and only two (6.1%) underwent allogeneic HSCT. Most were female (21/33, 63%), and median age was 51 years (range 21-67 years). The primary indication for transplantation was multiple myeloma ( n  = 21), followed by diffuse B-cell lymphoma ( n  = 6). Fifteen of the 33 patients had a history of treated tuberculosis (TB) disease ( n  = 4) or latent TB infection ( n  = 11). The median time for neutrophil recovery was 7.4 days (range 4-13 days). Transplant complications included neutropenic fever ( n  = 33, 100%) and mucositis ( n  = 14, 42.4%). Bacterial infection was documented in 12 (36.4%) patients, with nine (24.2%) developing a bacterial blood stream infection of which seven were related to a central line. The overall mortality rate was at 6.1% (2/33) in the first 30 days post-transplant, with no additional mortality in the succeeding days until day 100., Conclusions: This cohort with mostly autologous HSCT had favorable outcomes in the first 100 days. Rates of bacterial infection were high in the early post-transplant period. Latent TB infection was common, but no reactivation was observed. Longer-term follow-up of patients is needed to determine late post-transplant complications and outcomes., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Abstract: Circulating HIV subtypes in the Philippines have increasingly diversified, potentially affecting treatment. We monitored outcomes of a treatment-naïve cohort and their virus subtype prevalence.Retrospective/prospective study cohort.HIV-I-REACT clinic patients co-enrolled in the Virology Quality Assurance Program (RUSH-VQA) from 7/2017-6/2019 were included. Relevant demographic and laboratory information were collected. The ViroSeq HIV-1 Genotyping System v.3 and HIV-1 Integrase Genotyping Kit identified protease-reverse transcriptase and integrase drug resistance mutations (DRM). Sequence subtyping followed using the Stanford University Drug Resistance Database and the REGA HIV-1 Subtyping Tool v.3. The jpHMM HIV-1 Tool and REGA HIV-1 Subtyping Tool provided additional subtype analysis of this cohort's 5'LTR-VIF regions after Sanger sequencing. One-year outcomes included virologic suppression, mortality, and follow-up.86/88 patients were males. Median age was 30 (range 19-65) years; 61/88 were MSM. 15/85 carried baseline DRM. ViroSeq-generated sequences included subtypes CRF01&#95;AE (66/85), B (14/85), and newer recombinants (4/85). Extensive sequencing (n = 71) of the 5'-LTR-GAG-Pol genes showed CRF01&#95;AE (n = 50), subtype B (n = 7), and other recombinants (n = 13). Bootstrap analysis identified 7 pairs of highly related strains. Discordant DRM appeared in 2/7 pairs, where 1/2 strains displayed DRM. After 1 year, 87 individuals were alive, with 19 lost to care. Viral load (VL) was repeated for only 31/77 (40.2%). Follow-up CD4 testing for 39/77 (50.6%) showed an increase to a median of 327 cells/mm3.Our cohort currently carries subtype CRF01&#95;AE (∼68%-70%), followed by subtype B and CRF01&#95;AE/B recombinants. Outcomes were favorable, regardless of subtype after 1 year on cART., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interests to disclose., (Copyright © 2021 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Disseminated histoplasmosis (DH) is endemic in Latin America and the Caribbean where diagnostic tools are restricted. We carried-out a 1-year prospective cohort study at a referral hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. Participants had > or =18 years old, were hospitalized due to any indication and had CD4+ < 200 cells/µl. A urine commercial monoclonal Histoplasma galactomannan enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IMMY, Norman, OK, USA) and 'in house' Histoplasma blood nested PCR were performed in all cases. Probable/proven DH cases were defined according to international guidelines. Conventional mycological methods were available in routine conditions to investigate suspected DH cases. Treatment of participants followed the institutional routine. One-hundred six participants were included. Median age (interquartile range [IQR]) was 39.5 years (30.0-47.3) and 80 individuals (75.5%) were males. Median (IQR) CD4 cell count was 26.5 (9.4-89.3) cells/mm3. DH was diagnosed in 8/106 patients (7.5%). Antigen assay and/or PCR were positive in 4.7% (5/106) of patients. The antigen assay and/or PCR identified 37.5% (3/8) of DH cases, which had not been diagnosed with conventional mycological methods, but had clinical manifestations compatible with HD. In conclusion, the use of Histoplasma urine antigen and Histoplasma blood PCR guided by CD4 status contributed to the diagnosis of DH in hospitalized individuals. These assays were complementary to conventional mycologic methods and are urgently needed in our setting., Lay Summary: In this prospective cohort study carried-out in a referral center in São Paulo, Brazil, we found a high frequency of AIDS-related disseminated histoplasmosis (8/106, 7.5%). We used urine antigen test and blood PCR assay to improve the diagnosis of this opportunistic disease., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The International Society for Human and Animal Mycology.)

This study characterized extracellular vesicles (EVs) of sera from mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii or immunized with EVs derived T gondii. EVs were purified of sera from four groups (5 A/Sn mice/group). EV-IM: Mice immunized with T gondii-released EVs; ACT: mice in acute infection; CHR: mice in chronic infection; and NI: normal mice. EVs were purified by ultracentrifugation. Concentration of serum-derived EVs from NI group was smaller than EV-IM, ACT and CHR groups. Most of the EVs from ACT and CHR groups were microvesicles, and they were bigger than the NI group. The same results were shown by Transmission Electron Microscopy. The presence of exosomes was shown in immunoblotting by tetraspanin (CD63 and CD9) evidence. Splenocytes of EV-IM, CHR and NI groups were stimulated with T. gondii derived EVs. EV-IM and CHR groups up-expressed IFN-γ; TNF-α and IL-17, when compared with the NI group. IL-10 was up-expressed only in the EV-IM group. EV-IM, ACT and CHR groups expressed more miR-155-5p, miR-29c-3p and miR-125b-5p than the NI group. Host-T gondii interaction can occur, also, via EVs. miRNAs participate in the modulation of cellular immune response against T gondii. These data give subsidies to propose the differentiation between infect or noninfect hosts by concentration of EVs., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This study investigated the participation extracellular vesicles (EVs) in Toxoplasma gondii-host interaction. EVs of three T. gondii strains (RH, ME-49 and VEG) were purified by chromatography and ELISA. Results of "nanoparticle tracking analysis" and scanning electron microscopy showed that RH strain released more EVs than other strains. Images of transmission electron microscopy showed that in beginning of incubation (culture medium), EVs were inside of tachyzoites preparing to be released. After 24 hours, they were largely produced inside tachyzoites and were released through plasma membrane. The parasite burden of mice infected with RH strain plus EVs was increased and with early death of 1-2 days compared of those that received only parasites. EV proteins of ME-49 and VEG strains were poorly reactive to sera of infected patients in imunoblot. However, those from RH strain were reactive against sera of patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis. EVs stimulated murine splenocytes caused similar production of IFN-γ and IL-10 levels. RH strain derived EVs stimulated more TNF-α than those stimulated by other strains. T. gondii and infected hosts can express the same miRNAs (miR-155-5p, miR-125b-5p, miR-423-3p). In conclusion, T. gondii derived EVs promote host-parasite interactions, modulate host immune responses, carry virulent factors and cause an imbalance in cellular immune response., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The study aim was to analyze whether microvesicles and exosomes, named extracellular vesicles (EVs), purified from Toxoplasma gondii are able to stimulate the protective immunity of experimental mice when administered, as challenge, a highly virulent strain. EVs excreted from T. gondii tachyzoites (RH strain) were purified by chromatography and used for immunization assays in inbred mouse groups (EV-IM). Chronic infected (CHR) and naive (NI) mice were used as control groups, since the immune response is well known. After immunizations, experimental groups were challenged with 100 tachyzoites. Next, parasitemias were determined by real-time PCR (qPCR), and survival levels were evaluated daily. The humoral response was analyzed by detection of IgM, IgG, IgG1 and IgG2a, and opsonization experiments. The cellular response was evaluated in situ by immunohistochemistry on IFN-γ, IL-10, TNF-α and IL-17 expression in cells of five organs (brain, heart, liver, spleen and skeletal muscles). EV immunization reduced parasitemia and increased the survival index in two mouse lineages (A/Sn and BALB/c) infected with a lethal T. gondii strain. EV-IM mice had higher IgG1 levels than IgM or IgG2a. IgGs purified from sera of EV-IM mice were able to opsonize tachyzoites (RH strain), and mice that received these parasites had lower parasitemias, and mortality was delayed 48 h, compared with the same results from those receiving parasites opsonized with IgG purified from NI mice. Brain and spleen cells from EV-IM mice more highly expressed IFN-γ, IL-10 and TNF-α. In conclusion, EV-immunization was capable of inducing immune protection, eliciting high production of IgG1, IFN-γ, IL-10 and TNF-α., (Copyright © 2021 Australian Society for Parasitology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to meta-analyze the relationship between self-management and exercise self-confidence, satisfaction, and commitment in both modern and traditional martial arts among Korean practitioners. We examined the level of sports participation and different martial arts sports as potential moderating variables. In total, 22 studies yielded 299 individual effect sizes and were included in the final meta-analytic pool. The analyses revealed a moderate effect of self-management on exercise satisfaction and self-confidence; and a large effect self-management on exercise commitment. Especially, the effect of the training dimension of self-management was large on exercise commitment and satisfaction, while that of the mental dimension was large on exercise self-confidence. The effects of self-management on exercise satisfaction, commitment, and self-confidence were large in judo, Ssireum, and wrestling, respectively. Finally, the use of self-management was relatively more effective for non-elite participants than for elite practitioners. Our results highlight the effectiveness of self-management to enhance Korean martial arts practitioners' exercise self-confidence, commitment, and satisfaction, findings that may potentially be extended internationally and to other types of sports; further, they showcase the importance of the promotion of interventions and educational programs on how to incorporate/employ self-management in athletes' sports training., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Kim and Cruz.)

Taxifolin (3,5,7,3,4-pentahydroxy flavanone or dihydroquercetin, Tax) was identified as a gastroprotective compound and a gastroadhesive formulation was recently developed to prolong its residence time and release in the stomach. So, the gastric healing effectiveness of Tax and gastro-mucoadhesive microparticles containing Tax (MPTax) against the acetic acid induced-gastric ulcer in rats was investigated in this study. Moreover, the interactions between Tax and H + /K + -ATPase were investigated in silico, and its anti- H. pylori activity was determined in vitro. The oral treatment with MPTax (81.37 mg/kg, containing 12.29% of Tax) twice a day for seven days reduced the ulcer area by 63%, compared to vehicle-treated group (Veh: 91.9 ± 10.3 mm 2 ). Tax (10 mg/kg, p.o) reduced the ulcer by 40% but with a p = 0.07 versus Veh group. Histological analysis confirmed these effects. Tax and MPTax increased the gastric mucin amount, reduced the myeloperoxidase activity, and increased the glutathione reduced content at ulcer site. However, only MPTax decreased the lipoperoxide accumulation at ulcer site. Besides, Tax and MPTax normalize the catalase and glutathione S-transferase activity. Tax showed reversible interaction with H + /K + -ATPase in silico and its anti-H. pylori effects was confirmed (MIC = 625 μg/mL). These results suggest that the antiulcer property of Tax involves the strengthening of the gastric protective factors in parallel to its inhibitory interaction with H + /K + -ATPase and H. pylori. Considering that ulcer healing action displayed by Tax was favored by gastroadhesive microparticles, this approach seems to be promising for its oral delivery to treat acid-peptic diseases., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The present study examined the attitudes of Filipino middle school students toward physical education (PE) and the associations between PE attitude and various personal and external correlates of PE. In total, 659 middle school students, aged between 12 and 19 years (M = 14.55; SD = 1.14), participated in the study. The Physical Education Attitude Scale (PEAS) was used to measure affective, cognitive, and motivational/behavioral attitudes of adolescent students toward PE. Results showed that middle school students had moderate general attitudes toward PE. Female students had more favorable attitudes toward PE when their teacher was male than female. When the teacher was female, male students were more satisfied with the PE curriculum than female students. When the teacher was male, female students were more comfortable with the PE curriculum than male students. Finally, students' PE attitude did not decrease as they got older, regardless of student sex. The findings provide a different perspective for the field and underscore the importance of not only the PE curriculum but also the student-teacher relationship. To prevent the decline in students' positive attitude and encourage positive behaviors toward PE and activities, teachers should be very considerate about their interactions with students of the same sex; school administrators (e.g., principal and PE department head), meanwhile, should focus at providing PE teachers with special training courses to enhance both their teaching and communication capabilities., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Cruz, Kim and Kim.)

The purpose of this study was to synthesize a new magnetic material with antimicrobial properties, incorporated into a biopolymer and containing silver nanoparticles (Ag NP) prepared extract of Eugenia umbelliflora as a reducing agent. Silver nanoparticles incorporated into magnetic nanocomposite O-carboxymethylchitosan/y-Fe 2 O 3 /Ag 0 (CMAgE) composite were synthesized using an extract of E. umbelliflora. The antimicrobial activity of the pathogenic microorganism is reported here. The synthesized nanoparticles were also characterized, and quantified by Ag analysis. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of CMAgE against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans were 16.5, 1000 and 500 μg/mL, respectively. The results show that these materials have significant synergistic effect on each other. The potential phytotoxic effect of the nanocomposites was evaluated using Cucumis sativus seeds. The positive values for seedling elongation inhibition (SEI) show that CMAgE and methanol extract of Eugenia umbelliflora (Eug) cause growth inhibition at a concentration of 1000 mg/L. The germination index (GI) values of 40% and 80% at 1000 mg/L, for CMAgE and Eug, respectively, showed inhibition of germination. CMAgE and Eug showed cytotoxic effects against Artemia salina nauplii, with LC 50 values of 72.5 μL/mL and < 5.0 μL/mL respectively, after 48 h., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the potential of five miRNA candidates for cerebral toxoplasmosis/HIV co-infection (CT/HIV) biomarkers. miR-155-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-125b-5p and miR-29c-3p were tested in 79 plasma divided into groups: 32 CT/HIV patients; 27 individuals with asymptomatic toxoplasmosis (AT); and 20 individuals seronegative for toxoplasmosis (NC). From each was collected peripheral blood/EDTA for laboratory diagnosis. Blood cells for DNA extractions (molecular diagnosis), plasma for RNA extractions (gene expression) and ELISA (serological diagnosis). miRNA expression was performed by qPCR, and values were expressed in Relative Quantification (RQ). Among the five miRNAs, miR-21-5p and miR-146a-5p were up-expressed in CT/HIV group when compared with AT and NC groups. RQ means for miR-21-5p and miR-146a-5p in CT/HIV group were 3.829 and 2.500, while in AT group, were 1.815 and 1.661, respectively. Differences between 3 groups were statistically significant (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test), as well as CT/HIV and AT groups (Mann-Whitney test). Plasma of CT/HIV and AT groups expressed similar levels of miR-29c-3p, miR-155-5p and miR-125b-5p. As NC group was different of CT/HIV and AT groups, differences between three groups were statistically significant (Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA test). No difference was shown between CT/HIV and AT groups (Mann-Whitney test). These results suggest the host miRNAs modulation by Toxoplasma gondii., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Aim: This study analyzed microvesicles and exosomes, called as extracellular vesicles (EVs) excreted in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with cerebral or gestational toxoplasmosis., Methods: Clinical samples from 83 individuals were divided into four groups. Group I, 20 sera from healthy individuals and pregnant women (seronegative for toxoplasmosis); group II, 21 sera from seropositive patients for toxoplasmosis (cerebral or gestational forms); group III, 26 CSF samples from patients with cerebral toxoplasmosis/HIV co-infection (CT/HIV) (seropositive for toxoplasmosis); and group IV, 16 CSF samples from seronegative patients for toxoplasmosis, but with HIV infection and other opportunistic infections (OI/HIV). Serum and CSF samples were ultracentrifuged to recover EVs. Next, vesicle size and concentration were characterized by Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis (NTA)., Results: Concentrations of serum-derived EVs from toxoplasmosis patients (mean: 2.4 x 1010 EVs/mL) were statically higher than of non-infected individuals (mean: 5.9 x 109 EVs/mL). Concentrations of CSF-derived EVs were almost similar in both groups. CT/HIV (mean: 2.9 x 109 EVs/mL) and OI/HIV (mean: 4.8 x 109 EVs/mL). Analyses by NTA confirmed that CSF-derived EVs and serum-derived EVs had size and shape similar to microvesicles and exosomes. The mean size of EVs was similar in serum and CSF. Thus, the concentration, and not size was able distinguish patients with toxoplasmosis than healthy individuals. Presence of exosomes was also confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and evidence of tetraspanins CD63 and CD9 in immunoblotting. Relative expressions of miR-146a-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-29c-3p and miR-125b-5p were estimated in exosomal miRNA extracted of EVs. Serum-derived EVs from group II (cerebral and gestational toxoplasmosis) up-expressed miR-125b-5p and miR-146a-5p. CSF-derived EVs from CT/HIV patients) up-expressed miR-155-5p and miR-21-5p and were unable to express miR-29c-3p., Conclusion: These data suggest the participation of EVs and exosomal miRNAs in unbalance of immune response as elevation of TNF-α, IL-6; and downregulation of IFN-γ in cerebral and gestational forms of toxoplasmosis., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Ocular toxoplasmosis (OT) is one of the most common manifestations of Toxoplasma gondii infection and can be related with congenital or acquired infections. OT cause posterior uveitis that cause serious sequelae as complete loss of vision. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs, which have regulatory roles in cells by silencing messenger RNA. This study evaluated gene expression of miR-155-5p, miR-146a-5p, miR-21-5p, miR-29c-3p and miR-125b-5p in plasma of 51 patients with ocular toxoplasmosis (OT Group), 26 individuals with asymptomatic toxoplasmosis (AT Group), and 25 healthy individuals seronegative for toxoplasmosis (NC Group). Peripherical blood samples were collected in tube with EDTA for plasma isolation, laboratorial diagnosis for toxoplasmosis and RNA extraction. miRNA expression of each sample was performed by qPCR and values were expressed in Relative Quantification (RQ). Results showed that miR-155-5p and miR-29c-3p were up-expressed in OT patients than AT individuals. On the other hand, miR-21-5p and miR-125b-5p were down-expressed in OT patients. Differences were statistically significant. miR-146a-5p expression was similar in OT patients and AT individuals, without significant difference. In addition, comparative analysis for miRNA levels between AT and OT groups confirms these results. So far, this is the first study to evaluate circulating miRNA levels in ocular toxoplasmosis. These findings may contribute to further studies evaluating the exact role of these miRNAs in the course of infection, which may help in understanding the complex parasite-host interaction and future use in diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic control in ocular toxoplasmosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The search for early interventions is a novel approach in spinocerebellar ataxias, but there are few studies supporting this notion. This article aimed to assess the efficacy of neurorehabilitation treatment in prodromal spinocerebellar ataxia type 2., Methods: Thirty spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 preclinical carriers were enrolled in a randomized, controlled trial using neurorehabilitation. The intervention in the treated group was 4 hours per day, 5 days per week for 12 weeks, emphasizing static balance, gait, and limb coordination. The control group did not receive rehabilitation. The primary outcome measure was the time for 5-m tandem gait over the floor. Secondary outcomes included other timed tests with increased motor complexity, as well as the scores of the SARA and the Inventory of Non-ataxia Symptoms., Results: The times for 5-m tandem gait over the floor and the mattress were significantly reduced only in the rehabilitated group. Moreover, the times upholding the tandem stance over a mattress and the seesaw were notably increased only in this group. Likewise, the finger-nose and the heel-shin tests were improved in the rehabilitated group alone. The SARA score and the count of nonataxia symptoms were unchanged., Conclusions: This rehabilitation program improves the subtle gait, postural and coordinative deficits in prodromal spinocerebellar ataxia type 2, which provided novel hints about the preservation of motor learning and neural plasticity mechanisms in early disease stages, leading chances for other interventional approaches in this and other spinocerebellar ataxias. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society., (© 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.)

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the use of observational learning among athletes when they observed themselves (self-model) or their opponents (opponent-model). Furthermore, there was an emphasis on determining the relationships between age, experience, and the functions (i.e., skill, strategy, performance) of observational learning according to the type of model observed., Methods: A total of 158 athletes (male=70, female=88) who competed in different team (N.=83) and individual (N.=75) sports participated in the study. They ranged in age from 17 years to 32 years. Their total years of sport participation ranged from one year to 18 years., Results: Athletes reported significantly greater use of all three functions of observational learning for the self-model than for the opponent-model. Bivariate correlations revealed years of experience was significantly and positively associated with the skill, self, and performance functions of observational learning for the self-model. In contrast, age was significantly and positively related with the performance function of observational learning for the opponent-model., Conclusions: The finding provides the first empirical evidence to suggest that model type influences the use of observational learning in athletes. A positive relationship also exists between experience and self-observational learning as well as age and the opponent-performance function of observational learning. The results contribute to the observational learning literature and provide support to the Applied Model for the Use of Observation.

Tocopherols are important antioxidants exclusively produced in plastids that protect the photosynthetic apparatus from oxidative stress. These compounds with vitamin E activity are also essential dietary nutrients for humans. Although the tocopherol biosynthetic pathway has been elucidated, the mechanisms that regulate tocopherol production and accumulation remain elusive. Here, we investigated the regulatory mechanism underlying tocopherol biosynthesis during ripening in tomato fruits, which are an important source of vitamin E. Our results show that ripening under light conditions increases tocopherol fruit content in a phytochrome-dependent manner by the transcriptional regulation of biosynthetic genes. Moreover, we show that light-controlled expression of the GERANYLGERANYL DIPHOSPHATE REDUCTASE (SlGGDR) gene, responsible for the synthesis of the central tocopherol precursor phytyl diphosphate, is mediated by PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 3 (SlPIF3). In the absence of light, SlPIF3 physically interacts with the promoter of SlGGDR, down-regulating its expression. By contrast, light activation of phytochromes prevents the interaction between SlPIF3 and the SlGGDR promoter, leading to transcriptional derepression and higher availability of the PDP precursor for tocopherol biosynthesis. The unraveled mechanism provides a new strategy to manipulate fruit metabolism towards improving tomato nutritional quality., (© 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Light signaling and plant hormones, particularly ethylene and auxins, have been identified as important regulators of carotenoid biosynthesis during tomato fruit ripening. However, whether and how the light and hormonal signaling cascades crosstalk to control this metabolic route remain poorly elucidated. Here, the potential involvement of ethylene and auxins in the light-mediated regulation of tomato fruit carotenogenesis was investigated by comparing the impacts of light treatments and the light-hyperresponsive high pigment-2 ( hp2 ) mutation on both carotenoid synthesis and hormonal signaling. Under either light or dark conditions, the overaccumulation of carotenoids in hp2 ripening fruits was associated with disturbed ethylene production, increased expression of genes encoding master regulators of ripening and higher ethylene sensitivity and signaling output. The increased ethylene sensitivity observed in hp2 fruits was associated with the differential expression of genes encoding ethylene receptors and downstream signaling transduction elements, including the downregulation of the transcription factor ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR.E4 , a repressor of carotenoid synthesis. Accordingly, treatments with exogenous ethylene promoted carotenoid biosynthetic genes more intensively in hp2 than in wild-type fruits. Moreover, the loss of HP2 function drastically altered auxin signaling in tomato fruits, resulting in higher activation of the auxin-responsive promoter DR5 , severe down-regulation of AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID ( Aux/IAA ) genes and altered accumulation of AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR ( ARF ) transcripts. Both tomato ARF2 paralogues ( Sl-ARF2a and SlARF2b ) were up-regulated in hp2 fruits, which agrees with the promotive roles played by these ARFs in tomato fruit ripening and carotenoid biosynthesis. Among the genes differentially expressed in hp2 fruits, the additive effect of light treatment and loss of HP2 function was particularly evident for those encoding carotenoid biosynthetic enzymes, ethylene-related transcription factors, Aux/IAAs and ARFs. Altogether, the data uncover the involvement of ethylene and auxin as part of the light signaling cascades controlling tomato fruit metabolism and provide a new link between light signaling, plant hormone sensitivity and carotenoid metabolism in ripening fruits.

Nonprescription drug labels are relatively ineffective in refuting drug misconceptions. We sought to improve the effectiveness of an aspirin label as a refutation text by manipulating selective attention and label-processing strategy. After reading a facsimile label, those of 196 undergraduates who attempted to explain why shaded drug facts are "easily confused" recalled more refuting drug facts than participants who attempted to explain why those facts are "easily ignored." However, "easily confused" processing did not change truth ratings of misconceptions associated with those drug facts. We conclude that refuted misconceptions remain in memory but are inhibited by disconfirming drug facts., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Phytochomes and plant hormones have been emerging as important regulators of fleshy fruit biology and quality traits; however, the relevance of phytochrome-hormonal signaling crosstalk in controlling fruit development and metabolism remains elusive. Here, we show that the deficiency in phytochrome chromophore phytochromobilin (PΦB) biosynthesis inhibits sugar accumulation in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruits by transcriptionally downregulating sink- and starch biosynthesis-related enzymes, such as cell-wall invertases, sucrose transporters and ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases. PΦB deficiency was also shown to repress fruit chloroplast biogenesis, which implicates more limited production of photoassimilates via fruit photosynthesis. Genetic and physiological data revealed the involvement of auxins and cytokinins in mediating the negative impact of PΦB deficiency on fruit sink strength and chloroplast formation. PΦB deficiency was shown to transcriptionally repress type-A TOMATO RESPONSE REGULATORs and AUXIN RESPONSE FACTORs both in pericarp and columella, suggesting active phytochrome-hormonal signaling crosstalk in these tissues. Data also revealed that PΦB deficiency influences fruit ripening by delaying the climacteric rise in ethylene production and signaling. Altogether, the data uncover the impact of phytochromobilin deficiency in fine-tuning sugar metabolism, chloroplast formation and the timing of fruit ripening and also reveal a link between auxins, cytokinins and phytochromes in regulating sugar import and accumulation in fruits.

The authors investigated the coaching behavior preferences and the relationships of these preferences with variables such as gender, type of sport, playing experience, competitive level, and coach gender among young athletes in the national badminton league. Participants were 167 elementary and high school badminton players (91 girls and 76 boys; age range = 9-18 years; M = 13.5 (SD = 2.22) years) competing in the badminton event of a national league. Players' preferences for coaching behavior were measured using athlete preference version of the LSS to evaluate the five dimensions of leadership behavior in a sporting context. Notably, young athletes strongly preferred training and instruction, followed by positive feedback, democratic behavior, social support, and autocratic behavior. An interaction effect of athlete and coach gender on the leadership dimensions of democratic behavior, autocratic behavior, and social support was found. Male athletes with female coaches preferred more democratic behavior, autocratic behavior, and social support behavior than did those with male coaches. Conversely, female players with male coaches favored more democratic behavior, autocratic behavior, and social support than did those with female coaches. This study provides valuable insight into understanding the dynamics of sport leadership environments among young athletes, and how crucial is the role of coach's gender in the athlete-coach dyad interaction.

Context: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and the consumption of red cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata f. rubra DC. - Brassicaceae) has been linked with the reduction risk of chronic diseases., Objective: The present study assesses the bioactive metabolites and hypolipidemic effect of red cabbage on rats., Materials and Methods: The content of total phenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, ascorbic acid and antioxidant capacity were assessed, while individual phenolic acids and flavonoids were detected using reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. Acute hypolipidemic activity of aqueous extract of red cabbage (RC - 125, 250 and 500 mg/kg) was investigated using a Triton WR-1339 (400 mg/kg) induced hyperlipidemic Wistar rats compared to fenofibrate (65 mg/kg)., Results: The HPLC analysis of extracts revealed eight phenolic acids, gallic, protocatechuic, p-hydroxybenzoic, m-coumaric, syringic, caffeic, cinnamic, dicaffeoylquinic and three flavonoids, epicatechin, epigallocatechin, gallocatechin. Furthermore, the aqueous extract showed higher amounts of total phenolics (116.00 mg/g), flavonoids (161.32 μg/g) and, antioxidant activity (87.19%) than the hydromethanolic (89.33 mg/g, 123.34 μg/g and 75.07%), respectively. The RC significantly (p < 0.001) ameliorated the levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and lipoproteins alterations in hyperlipidemic rats without toxicity., Discussion and Conclusion: Herein, the RC presented the higher amounts of phenolics and flavonoids comparing with the hydromethanolic extract. Additionally, the RC showed as the majority compounds, dicaffeoylquinic and cinnamic acids, and the flavonoids epicatechin and gallocatechin. Furthermore, the RC demonstrated a beneficial effect against hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, demonstrating its potential therapeutic effect on these risk factors of cardiovascular diseases.

Objective/background: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder, affecting over 100 million adults. Untreated OSA leads to serious health consequences and perturbations in endocrine, immune, inflammatory, and metabolic systems. Study objectives are to evaluate the association between OSA and biomarkers, and to test the hypothesis that a combination of markers may be useful in screening for OSA., Patients/methods: A multicenter trial was conducted enrolling symptomatic male patients with suspected OSA. All subjects underwent in-laboratory overnight polysomnography. A non-symptomatic control group was also obtained. Eleven biomarkers were tested: HbA1c, CRP, EPO, IL-6, uric acid, cortisol, hGH, prolactin, testosterone, DHEA (Beckman Coulter UniCel DxC 600i Synchron® Access® Clinical Systems), IGF-1., Results: 73 male subjects were enrolled; 26 had moderate/severe OSA. ROC curve analysis showed HbA1c, CRP, EPO, IL-6, and Uric Acid (AUCs: 0.76, 0.73, 0.65, 0.65, 0.61) were superior to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (AUC: 0.52). Concurrent elevation of HbA1c and CRP provide even greater predictive power. A combination of elevated HbA1c, CRP, and EPO provided 0.08 increase in AUC (0.84 [0.75 - 0.94]) over individual markers (p<0.05), with high sensitivity (85%), and specificity (79%) for moderate/severe OSA., Conclusions: OSA induces characteristic endocrine, immune, inflammatory, and metabolic disturbances that can be detected with blood biomarkers. These biomarkers are superior to standard screening questionnaires. Various clusters of these biomarkers have an even greater association with OSA and thus may represent physiologic signatures of the disorder that may have value in initial screening for OSA as well as for follow-up of therapy response., (Copyright © 2016 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Certain members of the genus Eugenia are used as foods. One of these species is Eugenia umbelliflora, which is used for its fruits. The aim of the study was to isolate the constituents of the CH2Cl2 fraction obtained from E. umbelliflora O. Berg (Myrtaceae) and also to evaluate its antimicrobial properties. Two new meroterpenoids, eugenial C (3) and eugenial D (4) were isolated from the unripe fruits of E. umbelliflora and their structures established mainly by extensive NMR spectroscopy. In previous studies, the CH2Cl2 extract showed significant antibacterial activity, which can be attributed to meroterpenoids isolated in this study. The compounds eugenials C and D exhibited potent activity against Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus and different strains of MRSA and activity similar to those of the antibiotics used in antimicrobial therapies.

Purpose: The Prostate Health Index (phi) is a new test combining total, free and [-2]proPSA into a single score. It was recently approved by the FDA and is now commercially available in the U.S., Europe and Australia. We investigate whether phi improves specificity for detecting clinically significant prostate cancer and can help reduce prostate cancer over diagnosis., Materials and Methods: From a multicenter prospective trial we identified 658 men age 50 years or older with prostate specific antigen 4 to 10 ng/ml and normal digital rectal examination who underwent prostate biopsy. In this population we compared the performance of prostate specific antigen, % free prostate specific antigen, [-2]proPSA and phi to predict biopsy results and, specifically, the presence of clinically significant prostate cancer using multiple criteria., Results: The Prostate Health Index was significantly higher in men with Gleason 7 or greater and "Epstein significant" cancer. On receiver operating characteristic analysis phi had the highest AUC for overall prostate cancer (AUCs phi 0.708, percent free prostate specific antigen 0.648, [-2]proPSA 0.550 and prostate specific antigen 0.516), Gleason 7 or greater (AUCs phi 0.707, percent free prostate specific antigen 0.661, [-2]proPSA 0.558, prostate specific antigen 0.551) and significant prostate cancer (AUCs phi 0.698, percent free prostate specific antigen 0.654, [-2]proPSA 0.550, prostate specific antigen 0.549). At the 90% sensitivity cut point for phi (a score less than 28.6) 30.1% of patients could have been spared an unnecessary biopsy for benign disease or insignificant prostate cancer compared to 21.7% using percent free prostate specific antigen., Conclusions: The new phi test outperforms its individual components of total, free and [-2]proPSA for the identification of clinically significant prostate cancer. Phi may be useful as part of a multivariable approach to reduce prostate biopsies and over diagnosis., (Copyright © 2015 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This paper describes the seasonal phytochemical variation and the antimicrobial potential of V. zizanioides roots collected in Brazil. Considering the high levels of chemical constituents and their biological activity in dichloromethane fraction, the plants were grown in different seasons and the respective dichloromethane fractions were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated against several pathogenic microorganisms by determining the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) using the agar dilution method. Yields of dichloromethane fractions from plants collected in the autumn and spring occurred in a higher proportion than in other seasons. Khusimol (2) was isolated by column chromatography and identified by NMR and CG-MS, along with other sesquiterpenes, including β-vetivenene (1), vetiselinenol (3), isovalencenol (4), vetivenic acid (5), α-vetivone (6) and β-vetivone (7). Some extracts showed promising antimicrobial effects, with MICs ranging from 31.25 to 500 μg mL-1. Kushimol was slightly active against the tested microorganisms.

Introduction Rabies is an important zoonosis that occurs in mammals, with bats acting as Lyssavirus reservoirs in urban, rural and natural areas. Rabies cases in bats have been recorded primarily in urban areas in Northwestern State of São Paulo since 1998. This study investigated the circulation of rabies virus by seeking to identify the virus in the brain in several species of bats in this region and by measuring rabies-virus neutralizing antibody levels in the hematophagous bat Desmodus rotundus. Methods From 2008 to 2012, 1,490 bat brain samples were sent to the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Rabies Laboratory in Araçatuba, and 125 serum samples from vampire bats that were captured in this geographical region were analyzed. Results Rabies virus was detected in the brains of 26 (2%) of 1,314 non-hematophagous bats using the fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and the mouse inoculation test (MIT). None of the 176 hematophagous bat samples were positive for rabies virus when a virus detection test was utilized. Out of 125 vampire bat serum samples, 9 (7%) had levels of rabies virus neutralization antibodies (RVNAs) that were higher than 0.5IU/mL; 65% (81/125) had titers between 0.10IU/mL and 0.5IU/mL; and 28% (35/125) were negative for RVNAs using the simplified fluorescent inhibition microtest (SFIMT) in BHK21 cells. The observed positivity rate (1.7%) was higher than the average positivity rate of 1.3% that was previously found in this region. Conclusions The high percentage of vampire bats with neutralizing antibodies suggests that recent rabies virus exposure has occurred, indicating the necessity of surveillance measures in nearby regions that are at risk to avoid diffusion of the rabies virus and possible rabies occurrences.

The detection and tracking of mobile objects (DATMO) is progressively gaining importance for security and surveillance applications. This article proposes a set of new algorithms and procedures for detecting and tracking mobile objects by robots that work collaboratively as part of a multirobot system. These surveillance algorithms are conceived of to work with data provided by long distance range sensors and are intended for highly reliable object detection in wide outdoor environments. Contrary to most common approaches, in which detection and tracking are done by an integrated procedure, the approach proposed here relies on a modular structure, in which detection and tracking are carried out independently, and the latter might accept input data from different detection algorithms. Two movement detection algorithms have been developed for the detection of dynamic objects by using both static and/or mobile robots. The solution to the overall problem is based on the use of a Kalman filter to predict the next state of each tracked object. Additionally, new tracking algorithms capable of combining dynamic objects lists coming from either one or various sources complete the solution. The complementary performance of the separated modular structure for detection and identification is evaluated and, finally, a selection of test examples discussed.

Background and Aims: A positive correlation between tissue thickness and crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) expression has been frequently suggested. Therefore, this study addressed the question of whether water availability modulates photosynthetic plasticity in different organs of two epiphytic orchids with distinct leaf thickness., Methods: Tissue morphology and photosynthetic mode (C3 and/or CAM) were examined in leaves, pseudobulbs and roots of a thick-leaved (Cattleya walkeriana) and a thin-leaved (Oncidium 'Aloha') epiphytic orchid. Morphological features were studied comparing the drought-induced physiological responses observed in each organ after 30 d of either drought or well-watered treatments., Key Results: Cattleya walkeriana, which is considered a constitutive CAM orchid, displayed a clear drought-induced up-regulation of CAM in its thick leaves but not in its non-leaf organs (pseudobulbs and roots). The set of morphological traits of Cattleya leaves suggested the drought-inducible CAM up-regulation as a possible mechanism of increasing water-use efficiency and carbon economy. Conversely, although belonging to an orchid genus classically considered as performing C3 photosynthesis, Oncidium 'Aloha' under drought seemed to express facultative CAM in its roots and pseudobulbs but not in its leaves, indicating that such photosynthetic responses might compensate for the lack of capacity to perform CAM in its thin leaves. Morphological features of Oncidium leaves also indicated lower efficiency in preventing water and CO2 losses, while aerenchyma ducts connecting pseudobulbs and leaves suggested a compartmentalized mechanism of nighttime carboxylation via phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) (pseudobulbs) and daytime carboxylation via Rubisco (leaves) in drought-exposed Oncidium plants., Conclusions: Water availability modulated CAM expression in an organ-compartmented manner in both orchids studied. As distinct regions of the same orchid could perform different photosynthetic pathways and variable degrees of CAM expression depending on the water availability, more attention should be addressed to this in future studies concerning the abundance of CAM plants.

Purpose: Reported prostate specific antigen values may differ substantially among assays using Hybritech® or WHO standardization. The Beckman Coulter® Prostate Health Index and [-2]proPSA are newly approved serum markers associated with prostate cancer risk and aggressiveness. We studied the influence of assay standardization on these markers., Materials and Methods: Prostate specific antigen, percent free prostate specific antigen and [-2]proPSA were measured using Hybritech calibration in 892 men from a prospective, multicenter study undergoing prostate biopsy. We calculated the Prostate Health Index using the equation, ([-2]proPSA/free prostate specific antigen) × PSA. Index performance characteristics for prostate cancer detection were then determined using recalculated WHO calibration prostate specific antigen values., Results: The median Prostate Health Index was significantly higher in men with prostate cancer than in those with negative biopsies using WHO values (47.4 vs 39.8, p <0.001). The index offered improved discrimination of prostate cancer detection on biopsy (AUC 0.704) compared to percent free or total prostate specific antigen using the WHO calibration., Conclusions: The Prostate Health Index can be calculated using Hybritech or WHO standardized assays. It significantly improved prediction of the biopsy outcome over that of percent free or prostate specific antigen alone., (Copyright © 2013 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)