Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay for the determination of antimalarial drug susceptibility of Kenyan field isolates.

BACKGROUND Researchers have reported that parasite lactate dehydrogenase p(LDH) could be used to determine chemo-sensitivity of plasmodia to compounds with known or presumed antimalarial activities. OBJECTIVE To determine the drug sensitivity profiles of field adopted malaria isolates from Kisumu using p(LDH) instead of hapoxanthine assay. DESIGN Prospective field and laboratory study. SETTING Walter Reed, KEMRI malaria laboratory (Nairobi) and Kisumu District Hospital. SUBJECTS Twelve field laboratory adopted isolates from Kisumu, five laboratory adopted isolates from other regions in Africa and three reference strains from Walter Reed army Institute of Research, Washington, DC. RESULTS The p(LDH) enzyme assay was successfully used to measure the IC50 of six antimalarial drugs, chloroquine, quinine, mefloquine, dehydroartemisinin, atovaquone and halofantrine but was not successful with the four other antimalarial drugs, doxycycline, azithromycin, pyrimethamine and sulphadoxine. The Kisumu isolates tested were resistant to chloroquine and mefloquine but sensitive to quinine and the new antimalarial drugs, atovaquone, halofantrine and dehydroartemisinin. CONCLUSION The non-radioactive p(LDH) can be used for the determination of drug sensitivity to Kenyan field isolates. It is more suited for use in a resource limited environment and may lead to more judicious prescription of new and more expensive antimalarial drugs and mitigate against the rapid spread of multi-drug resistant parasites in the East African region.
Hydrogen Peroxide Content and pH of Expired Breath Condensate from Patients with Asthma and COPD

Abstract Background: Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Analysis of the expired breath condensate (EBC) has been suggested to provide non-invasive inflammatory markers that reflect oxidative stress in the airways. Objective: The present study attempts to elucidate whether the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels and pH values in EBC may be useful as biomarkers of the activity or severity of asthma and COPD. Methods: We measured the H2O2 levels and pH values using a derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites exhalation test kit (Diacron) and a pH analyser, respectively, in EBC obtained using an EcoScreen from 29 patients with asthma, 33 with COPD, and 33 healthy individuals (all non-smokers). We then examined the relationships among oxidative stress and the asthma control test (ACT) or COPD assessment test (CAT) scores, pulmonary function, fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO), and the extent of low attenuation areas on HRCT. Results: The H2O2 levels were elevated and pH was lower in both asthma (H2O2; 8.75 ± 0.88 μM, p < 0.01, pH; 7.14 ± 0.07, p < 0.05) and COPD (H2O2; 7.44 ± 0.89 μM, p < 0.01, pH; 6.87 ± 0.10, p < 0.01) compared with control subjects (H2O2; 3.42 ± 0.66 μM, pH; 7.35 ± 0.04). Neither the H2O2 levels nor pH correlated with the ACT scores and FeNO in asthma patients. Neither the H2O2 levels nor pH significantly correlated with the pulmonary function in asthma and COPD. However, the CAT scores significantly correlated with the H2O2 levels in patients with COPD (r = 0.52, p < 0.01). Conclusions: These findings suggest that oxidative stress is involved in the pathogenesis of asthma and COPD and that the H2O2 levels in EBC might reflect the health status in COPD.
A Novel α-L-Arabinofuranosidase of Family 43 Glycoside Hydrolase (Ct43Araf) from Clostridium thermocellum

The study describes a comparative analysis of biochemical, structural and functional properties of two recombinant derivatives from Clostridium thermocellum ATCC 27405 belonging to family 43 glycoside hydrolase. The family 43 glycoside hydrolase encoding α-L-arabinofuranosidase (Ct43Araf) displayed an N-terminal catalytic module CtGH43 (903 bp) followed by two carbohydrate binding modules CtCBM6A (405 bp) and CtCBM6B (402 bp) towards the C-terminal. Ct43Araf and its truncated derivative CtGH43 were cloned in pET-vectors, expressed in Escherichia coli and functionally characterized. The recombinant proteins displayed molecular sizes of 63 kDa (Ct43Araf) and 34 kDa (CtGH43) on SDS-PAGE analysis. Ct43Araf and CtGH43 showed optimal enzyme activities at pH 5.7 and 5.4 and the optimal temperature for both was 50°C. Ct43Araf and CtGH43 showed maximum activity with rye arabinoxylan 4.7 Umg−1 and 5.0 Umg−1, respectively, which increased by more than 2-fold in presence of Ca2+ and Mg2+ salts. This indicated that the presence of CBMs (CtCBM6A and CtCBM6B) did not have any effect on the enzyme activity. The thin layer chromatography and high pressure anion exchange chromatography analysis of Ct43Araf hydrolysed arabinoxylans (rye and wheat) and oat spelt xylan confirmed the release of L-arabinose. This is the first report of α-L-arabinofuranosidase from C. thermocellum having the capacity to degrade both p-nitrophenol-α-L-arabinofuranoside and p-nitrophenol-α-L-arabinopyranoside. The protein melting curves of Ct43Araf and CtGH43 demonstrated that CtGH43 and CBMs melt independently. The presence of Ca2+ ions imparted thermal stability to both the enzymes. The circular dichroism analysis of CtGH43 showed 48% β-sheets, 49% random coils but only 3% α-helices.
Consistency in the histological diagnosis of epithelial abnormalities of the cervix uteri

A group of pathologists, all working in the same laboratory and all applying the same diagnostic criteria to the diagnosis of epithelial abnormalities in the uterine cervix, have studied the consistency with which they have applied these criteria. Epithelial abnormalities were ranked, and a series of sections were diagnosed separately by each pathologist at various times over a number of years. Both consistency and trend were studied by a graphed statistical method and it was shown that not only were there serious inconsistencies in diagnosis between the various pathologists but also between the diagnoses made by individual pathologists studying the same section at various times. It is suggested that this inconsistency in the application of agreed diagnostic criteria is of importance when considering discrepancies between reported series of cervical epithelial abnormalities and that the type of study described is of value in assessing both variations in diagnostic criteria between different laboratories and the consistency of pathologists in training. Any slight change in the application of diagnostic criteria for any individual pathologist with the passage of time may also be detected by this technique.
Differential Diagnosis Between Complete and Partial Mole by TSSC3 Antibody Completely Correlates to DNA Diagnosis

Complete hydatidiform moles (CHMs) are a type of androgenetic fertilization without an ovum. Cases of CHM exhibit a generalized swelling of the villi and are known to be highly associated with persistent disease or carcinoma. In contrast, partial hydatidiform moles (PHMs) also show characteristic hydropic changes among the villi, but the incidence of secondary disease is relatively low. Because PHMs are fertilized by one ovum and two sperm and CHMs are fertilized by one or two sperm alone, we considered whether or not maternally imprinted genes might be useful for achieving a differential diagnosis. The validity of the imprinted genes in CHMs was assessed by implementation of a microarray technique. Among the genes examined, TSSC3, SLC22A1L, KCNQ1, and Decorin were shown to be down-regulated, and TSSC3 was the most markedly suppressed of these genes. In this study, 20 cases of CHM, the diagnosis of which was confirmed by DNA polymorphism, were investigated. In all of these cases, the expression of TSSC3 was completely absent, as determined by Western blot analysis. Conversely, 12 cases of PHM, also diagnosed by DNA polymorphism, were examined here; in all of these 12 cases, TSSC3 was found to be expressed normally. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis also produced the same results. The complete silencing of TSSC3 in cases of CHM will provide a novel, convenient strategy for the diagnosis of molar lesions in the placenta.
The quantitative estimation of total iron stores in human bone marrow.

In normal adult males, about 25%o of the body iron content is in storage depots (1). This iron exists in two forms: as a diffuse soluble fraction called ferritin, in which the molecules are dispersed , and as insoluble aggregates of hemosiderin, which can be visualized by conventional micros-copy (2). Although the liver is regarded as the chief storage organ, chemical analyses suggest that it normally contains up to 300 mg (3-5), which is only between one-quarter and one-third of what can be mobilized from total stores when healthy young males are repeatedly phlebotomized (6). Although little is known of the quantities present in other organs, hemosiderin can be seen in the reticuloendothelial cells of the bone marrow (7) and spleen (8), and there is some chemical evidence to indicate that significant amounts of storage iron may be present in skeletal muscles (9, 10). The present study was undertaken to find out how much iron is normally stored in the reticulo-endothelial cells of the bone marrow and to define the extent to which these stores can expand when iron overload is present. In addition, a comparison was made between the concentrations of iron present in the bone marrows and livers of subjects with varying quantities of storage iron. MATERIALS AND METHODS Clinical material. The total iron stores present in bone marrow were estimated in 61 adult subjects undergoing thoracotomy. Forty-one were white and the remainder were Bantu. The individual diagnoses are shown in Table I. The chemical concentrations of storage iron were estimated in the livers and bone marrows of adult Bantu and white subjects dying in the hospital. The Bantu specimens (58 males and 44 females) were obtained from Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg, and the white specimens (25 males and 28 females) from the General Hospital, Johannesburg. The use of radioiron as a marrow label. When a tracer quantity of radioiron is injected intravenously, most of it is taken up by the red-cell precursors of the bone marrow (11). This iron is subsequently released over the next few days as part of the hemo-globin of new red cells, and the percentage present in circulation at 10 to 14 days has been used as a measure of the fraction initially taken up by the bone marrow (12). If a specimen of bone marrow is therefore removed between 18 and 24 hours after the injection of the radioiron (i.e., at a time …
Perceptions of physical activity, activity preferences and health among a group of adult women in urban Ghana: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND Obesity and other lifestyle-related chronic diseases impact urban West African women at high rates. Physical activity (PA) can improve these health outcomes but there is little published data on the associated psychosocial predictors in this population. OBJECTIVES We aimed to explore preliminary associations between perceptions of PA, PA behaviours, and health in a group of Ghanaian women. METHODS Non-experimental, cross-sectional case study using a mixed-methods approach. Focus groups and in-depth interviews with a convenience sample of Ghanaian women, fitness trainers and clergy comprised the qualitative phase. A self-administered survey (n=218) comprised the quantitative phase. Constant comparative method, logistic regression, component and factor analyses were used for analysis. RESULTS Women viewed activities of daily living like housework as PA; rarely utilized organized fitness facilities; understood "rigorous" PA as professional male athleticism; and took interest in socialized PA. Mean age was 49.4 years. Mean body mass index was 30.3 kg/m2. The majority (75.9 %) reported exercising sometimes or often. Half (48.4%) reported a lifestyle-related chronic disease. "Weight loss," "health concerns" and "increased energy," were top motivators for PA. "Can't find the time," "work/family obligations," and "don't have a facility" were top barriers. Presence of hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and prior weight loss correlated with the slimming motivator (adjusted odds ratio 2.59, p=0.008; AOR 3.56, p=0.012; AOR 3.36, p=<0.001). CONCLUSION Among those surveyed, PA motivators and barriers were associated with demographics, PA exposure, and health status. Further research on unique PA perceptions, behaviours and health could catalyze health promotion through culturally relevant fitness programming.
Secretory IgA-mediated basophil activation. II. Roles of GTP-binding regulatory proteins and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.

Secretory IgA (sIgA) is the most abundant Ig isotype in mucous secretions in the upper and lower airways, where basophils exert effector functions during allergic inflammation. We recently demonstrated that immobilized sIgA on Sepharose beads is capable of inducing basophil degranulation ( approximately 15% of total histamine). To investigate the detailed mechanisms of this degranulation, we established in this study a new assay system for sIgA-mediated basophil activation. Immobilized sIgA on a plastic surface induced strong histamine release ( approximately 50% of total histamine) comparable to anti-IgE, and we analyzed the nature of basophil signal transduction by sIgA using various inhibitors. sIgA-induced basophil histamine release was inhibited completely by pertussis toxin, but anti-IgE-induced release was not affected. sIgA-mediated release was also inhibited by phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) inhibitor, wortmannin. These results strongly suggest that sIgA activates basophils via an IgE-independent novel mechanism involving both Gi protein and PI 3-kinase.
Small Square Monopole Antenna With Inverted T-Shaped Notch in the Ground Plane for UWB Application

In this letter, we present a novel printed monopole antenna for ultrawideband (UWB) applications. The proposed antenna consists of a square radiating patch with two rectangular slots and a ground plane with inverted T-shaped notch, which provides a wide usable fractional bandwidth of more than 120% (3.1212.73 GHz). The proposed antenna is simple and small in size. Simulated and experimental results obtained for this antenna show that it exhibits good radiation behavior within the UWB frequency range.
Major Histocompatibility Complex Independent Clonal T Cell Anergy by Direct Interaction of Staphylococcus aureus Enterotoxln B with the T Cell Antigen Receptor

The Staphylococcal enterotoxin superantigens stimulate vigorous responses in T cells bearing certain T cell antigen receptor (TCR) V~ regions. In addition to activation, these superantigens also impart negative signals to T cells resulting in a profound state of unresponsiveness or anergy. The Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxins (SE) B and C2 bind to a closely related site on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DK1 molecules. Only SEB, however, interacts with the TCR V/33 region of HA1.7, a human HLA-DK1 restricted T cell done specific for influenza haemagglutinin. In competition experiments, we demonstrated that the induction of anergy in HA1.7 by SEB is unaffected by the presence of SEC2. These results suggest that SEB-induced anergy is MHC independent and involves a direct interaction between the TCR and SEB. To resolve definitively whether SEB binds directly to T cells in the absence of MHC class II molecules, the cDNAs encoding the HA1.7 TCK were transfected into an MHC class II-negative human T cell line. The addition of SEB to these transfectants resulted in the downregnlation of cell surface TCK expression, an increase in the concentration of intracellular calcium ions, the production of lympholcines, and reduced responsiveness to a subsequent challenge with SEB. We conclude that SEB interacts directly with the TCR in the absence of cointeraction with MHC class II molecules, and that this interaction may induce anergy in HA1.7.
Effects of Magnetic Fields on Neutrino-dominated Accretion Model for Gamma-ray Bursts

Many models of gamma-ray bursts suggest a common central engine: a black hole of several solar masses accreting matter from a disk at an accretion rate from 0.01 to 10 M⊙ s−1, the inner region of the disk is cooled by neutrino emission and large amounts of its binding energy are liberated, which could trigger the fireball. We improve the neutrino-dominated accreting flows by including the effects of magnetic fields. We find that more than half of the liberated energy can be extracted directly by the large-scale magnetic fields in the disk, and it turns out that the temperature of the disk is a bit lower than the neutrino-dominated accreting flows without magnetic field. Therefore, the outflows are magnetically-dominated rather than neutrino dominated. In our model, the neutrino mechanism can fuel some GRBs (not the brightest ones), but cannot fuel X-ray flares. The magnetic processes (both BZ and electromagnetic luminosity from a disk) are viable mechanisms for most of GRBs and their following X-ray flares.
Characterization of Patients With Lupus Nephritis Included in a Large Cohort From the Spanish Society of Rheumatology Registry of Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (RELESSER)

AbstractThe aim of the study was to profile those patients included in the RELESSER registry with histologically proven renal involvement in order to better understand the current state of lupus nephritis (LN) in Spain.RELESSER-TRANS is a multicenter cross-sectional registry with an analytical component. Information was collected from the medical records of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who were followed at participating rheumatology units. A total of 359 variables including demographic data, clinical manifestations, disease activity, severity, comorbidities, LN outcome, treatments, and mortality were recorded. Only patients with a histological confirmation of LN were included. We performed a descriptive analysis, chi-square or Student's t tests according to the type of variable and its relationship with LN. Odds ratio and confidence intervals were calculated by using simple logistic regression.LN was histologically confirmed in 1092/3575 patients (30.5%). Most patients were female (85.7%), Caucasian (90.2%), and the mean age at LN diagnosis was 28.4 ± 12.7 years. The risk for LN development was higher in men (M/F:47.85/30.91%, P < 0.001), in younger individuals (P < 0.001), and in Hispanics (P = 0.03). Complete response to treatment was achieved in 68.3% of patients; 10.35% developed ESRD, which required a kidney transplant in 45% of such cases. The older the patient, the greater was the likelihood of complete response (P < 0.001). Recurrences were associated with persistent lupus activity at the time of the last visit (P < 0.001) and with ESRD (P < 0.001). Thrombotic microangiopathy was a risk factor for ESRD (P = 0.04), as for the necessity of dialysis (P = 0.01) or renal transplantation (P = 0.03). LN itself was a poor prognostic risk factor of mortality (OR 2.4 [1.81–3.22], P < 0.001). Patients receiving antimalarials had a significantly lower risk of developing LN (P < 0.001) and ESRD (P < 0.001), and responded better to specific treatments for LN (P = 0.014). More than two-thirds of the patients with LN from a wide European cohort achieved a complete response to treatment. The presence of positive anti-Sm antibodies was associated with a higher frequency of LN and a decreased rate of complete response to treatment. The use of antimalarials reduced both the risk of developing renal disease and its severity, and contributed to attaining a complete renal response.
Genetic and environmental influences in Dupuytren’s disease: A study of 30,330 Danish twin pairs

We aimed to assess the relative contribution of genes and environment in the aetiology of Dupuytren’s disease by studying Danish twins born between 1870 and 2000. Twins with a diagnosis (n = 365) and the subgroup who also had an operation (n = 259) after 1977 were identified through linkage with a nationwide hospital registry among 30,330 monozygotic and same-sexed dizygotic twin pairs. Since monozygotic twins share all their genes and dizygotic twins share on average half of their genetic material, greater phenotypic similarity is expected in monozygotic than in dizygotic twins if a genetic component is involved. The number of concordant male twin pairs with Dupuytren’s disease was 17 and 7 (monozygotic and dizygotic pairs, respectively), compared with 60 and 174 discordant monozygotic and dizygotic pairs, yielding probandwise concordance rates of 0.37 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.26 to 0.50) and 0.07 (95% CI: 0.04 to 0.14), respectively. The heritability of Dupuytren’s disease was approximately 80%. We conclude that genetic factors play a major role in the development of Dupuytren’s disease. Level of evidence: 3
Cryptococcal Antigenaemia among Treatment-Naïve Adult HIV-Infected Nigerian Patients

Background: There is a high burden of HIV-related cryptococcal meningitis in Sub-Saharan Africa and it is a leading cause of morbidity and early mortality among severely immunocompromised patients. Objectives of the Study: This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) and the relationship of positivity to CD4+ve T cell counts and WHO clinical stage among severely immunocompromised treatment naive adult HIV-infected Nigerian patients. Methods: This was a hospital based cross sectional and prospective study carried out among newly diagnosed and confirmed HIV infected patients. Bio data of consenting consecutive subjects was collected by the attending physician using structured questionnaire. Rapid point of care lateral flow assay kits (IMMY, USA) was used to screen plasma samples from subjects strictly following manufacturer’s instructions. Data were analysed with statistical package for social sciences (spss 15.0) software. Results were presented in simple tables with frequencies and percentages while statistical significance was taken to be p value ≤ 0.05. Results: Of 432 subjects, there were 184 (42.6%) males and 248 (57.4%) females in the study. The median CD4 count of the subjects was 74 (range 6 - 1264) cells/ul. Seven (1.6%) of the subjects were positive for cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) and all were females (100%). Six (85.7%) of CrAg positives had CD4+ T cell count less than 100 cells, while 1 (14.3%) had count above 200cells/ul. The WHO clinical stage of studied patients was; stage I 163 (37.7%), stage II 132 (30.6%) stage III 95 (22.0%) and stage IV 42 (9.7%). Among the CrAg positive subjects, 3 (42.9%) were in WHO clinical stage l while 4 (57.1%) were in stage II disease. Conclusion: The observed overall prevalence of CrAg positivity among studied patients was low but occurred most frequently among the severely immunocompromised subjects. Advancement in WHO clinical stage was not a predicting risk factor for cryptococcal antigenaemia in studied adult HIV infected patients.