Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fibrates: where are we now?

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide. As dyslipidemia increases cardiovascular disease risk, proper management of dyslipidemia is one means by which to decrease cardiovascular disease risk. This review focuses on dyslipidemia treatment utilizing fibrate therapy, which targets high trigylcerides, low HDL, and high small, dense LDL, while contrasting fibrate therapy with statin therapy and combined therapy. Studies were obtained using electronic search strategies, such as Medline and Cochrane Library. Sources selected were limited to those that discussed fibrates, statins, and combined therapy, with specific emphasis placed on sources that focused on fibrates. Selected studies were then assessed for quality via analysis of the study's methodology, results, and data. Results of selected studies were then stratified using a rating system devised to determine the quality of results using the scientific evidence provided for them. Combination fibrate and statin therapy can be more effective in achieving optimal lipid levels than just fibrate or statin therapy alone without significant side effects as long as gemfibrozil is not used in therapy.
Functional Metagenomics Unveils a Multifunctional Glycosyl Hydrolase from the Family 43 Catalysing the Breakdown of Plant Polymers in the Calf Rumen

Microbial communities from cow rumen are known for their ability to degrade diverse plant polymers at high rates. In this work, we identified 15 hydrolases through an activity-centred metagenome analysis of a fibre-adherent microbial community from dairy cow rumen. Among them, 7 glycosyl hydrolases (GHs) and 1 feruloyl esterase were successfully cloned, expressed, purified and characterised. The most striking result was a protein of GH family 43 (GHF43), hereinafter designated as R_09-02, which had characteristics very distinct from the other proteins in this family with mono-functional β-xylosidase, α-xylanase, α-L-arabinase and α-L-arabinofuranosidase activities. R_09-02 is the first multifunctional enzyme to exhibit β-1,4 xylosidase, α-1,5 arabinofur(pyr)anosidase, β-1,4 lactase, α-1,6 raffinase, α-1,6 stachyase, β-galactosidase and α-1,4 glucosidase activities. The R_09-02 protein appears to originate from the chromosome of a member of Clostridia, a class of phylum Firmicutes, members of which are highly abundant in ruminal environment. The evolution of R_09-02 is suggested to be driven from the xylose- and arabinose-specific activities, typical for GHF43 members, toward a broader specificity to the glucose- and galactose-containing components of lignocellulose. The apparent capability of enzymes from the GHF43 family to utilise xylose-, arabinose-, glucose- and galactose-containing oligosaccharides has thus far been neglected by, or could not be predicted from, genome and metagenome sequencing data analyses. Taking into account the abundance of GHF43-encoding gene sequences in the rumen (up to 7% of all GH-genes) and the multifunctional phenotype herein described, our findings suggest that the ecological role of this GH family in the digestion of ligno-cellulosic matter should be significantly reconsidered.
Stage-matched nutrition guidance for patients at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease: a randomized intervention study in family practice.

OBJECTIVE To examine stage-matched nutrition counseling by family physicians and its effect on dietary intake, anthropometry, and serum lipid levels in patients at elevated risk for cardiovascular disease. METHODS In this controlled trial, patients randomized to intervention practices received nutrition information following the Stages-of-Change Model, and patients randomized to control practices received usual care. RESULTS At both 6 and 12 months after baseline, total fat intake and saturated fat intake declined significantly more in the intervention group than in the control group: -5.7% and -2.6% of energy, respectively, at 6 months, and -3.6% and -1.7% of energy, respectively, at 12 months. For energy intake, body weight, and BMI, there were significant differences between groups only at 6 months: -0.8 megajoules (MJ), -0.7 kg, and -0.3 kg/m(2), respectively. None of the serum lipid values changed significantly between groups at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS Nutritional counseling based on stages of change led to reductions in dietary fat intake and weight loss in the short term. However, we found no corresponding changes in serum lipid concentrations.
Reinforcement Learning with Long Short-Term Memory

This paper presents reinforcement learning with a Long Short-Term Memory recurrent neural network: RL-LSTM. Model-free RL-LSTM using Advantage (λ) learning and directed exploration can solve non-Markovian tasks with long-term dependencies between relevant events. This is demonstrated in a T-maze task, as well as in a difficult variation of the pole balancing task.
The Salmonella virulence plasmid enhances Salmonella-induced lysis of macrophages and influences inflammatory responses

The Salmonella dublin virulence plasmid mediates systemic infection in mice and cattle. Here, we analyze the interaction between wild-type and plasmid-cured Salmonella strains with phagocytes in vitro and in vivo. The intracellular recovery of S. dublin from murine peritoneal and bovine alveolar macrophages cultured in the presence of gentamicin in vitro was not related to virulence plasmid carriage. However, the virulence plasmid increased the lytic activity of S. dublin, Salmonella typhimurium, and Salmonella choleraesuis for resident or activated mouse peritoneal macrophages. Lysis was not mediated by spv genes and was abolished by cytochalasin D treatment. Peritoneal and splenic macrophages were isolated from mice 4 days after intraperitoneal infection with wild-type or plasmid-cured S. dublin strains. The wild-type strain was recovered in significantly higher numbers than the plasmid-cured strain. However, the intracellular killing rates of such cells cultured in vitro for both S. dublin strains were not significantly different. Four days after infection, there was a lower increase of phagocyte numbers in the peritoneal cavities and spleens of mice infected with the wild-type strain compared with the plasmid-cured strain. The virulence plasmid influenced the survival of macrophages in vitro following infection in vivo as assessed by microscopy. Cells from mice infected with the plasmid-cured strain survived better than those from mice infected with the wild-type strain. This is the first report demonstrating an effect of the virulence plasmid on the interaction of Salmonella strains with macrophages. Plasmid-mediated macrophage dysfunction could influence the recruitment and/or the activation of phagocytic cells and consequently the net growth of Salmonella strains during infection.
Morphological patterns of lip prints in an Iranian population

Background Lip prints are verified to be unique to an individual and stable over time; hence they have potential for human identification purposes. The aim of this study was to assess the individuality and variability of lip prints in an Iranian population for the first time. We also sought to assess the possibility of sex determination via lip printing. Material and Methods Lip prints of 96 individuals including 22 males and 74 females were recorded on a plain white paper using a dark-colored lipstick and 50 mm of Scotch tape. Each lip print was divided into six sextants and studied independently by two observers using a magnifying lens to examine the lip grooves. The Suzuki and Tsuchihashi’s classification was used to define the lip patterns and the data were statistically analyzed. Results In the present study, no identically similar lip prints were observed. Type V was the most predominant pattern recorded in the study sample (33.16%), followed by type I (24.13%), type II (18.75%), type IV (11.63%), type I’ (9.72%) and type III (2.60%). In addition, no statistically significant difference was observed in the lip print patterns of males and females. Conclusions It can be concluded that lip prints are unique and their analysis may enable human identification. Key words:Forensic anthropology, forensic dentistry, forensic medicine, iran, lip.
Detection of Fasciola gigantica antibodies using Pourquier ELISA kit

A cross sectional study using Pourqueir Enzyme Linked Immunorsobent Assay (ELISA) screening kit for Fasciola antibodies was conducted in breeding herds in two Local Government Areas of Adamawa state. The objectives were to determine the presence of Fasciola gigantica antibodies as a way of demonstrating the use of the ELISA screening method in breeding cattle, compare the occurrence of the disease in the two areas and to also determine if the kit can serve as a feasible antemortem diagnostic and screening approach in breeding herd in a tropical developing country with possible under current infection. Two hundred and twenty five (225) serum samples from breeding herds were randomly collected and used. The samples were drawn from both matured and immature male and female cattle of white Fulani, Adamawa Gudali, Red Bororo and Sokoto Gudali breeds. An indirect ELISA analysis method was employed using the protocol designed by the manufacturer. The validity of the test for each plate was carried out. Results confirmed the presence of Fasciola gigantica antibodies: 162 positive cases out of the 225 cattle sampled, which gave an overall prevalence of 72%. Antibodies detected by the ELISA reader indicates that the cattle were affected by the disease at different infestation levels (0=28%, +=11.1%, ++=13.7%, +++=47.1%). Analysis with a t-test paired sample statistics showed that there was no significant difference in fasciolosis (p>0.05) between the 2 local government areas. The assay detected antibodies in sera from cattle with natural Fasciola gigantica infection. Therefore the kit was found very effective in detection of fasciola infection in live animals. We conclude that the kit will be a valuable tool for diagnosing Fasciola gigantica infection in cattle.
Use of pooled samples from the national health and nutrition examination survey

The National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provides an ongoing assessment of the US population's exposure to environmental chemicals by using biomonitoring in conjunction with CDC's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Characterizing the distributions of concentrations of environmental compounds or their metabolites in the US population is a primary objective of CDC's biomonitoring program. Historically, this characterization has been based on individual measurements of these compounds in body fluid or tissue from representative samples of the population. Pooling samples before making analytical measurements can reduce the costs of biomonitoring by reducing the number of analyses. For the first time in NHANES 2005–2006, a weighted pooled‐sample design was implemented to facilitate pooling samples before making analytical measurements. This paper describes this design and the estimation method being developed in the National Center for Environmental Health, Division of Laboratory Sciences (NCEH/DLS) to characterize concentrations of polychlorinated and polybrominated compounds. We present percentile estimates for 2,2 ′ ,4,4 ′ ,5,5 ′ ‐hexachlorobiphenyl (PCB153) in specific subpopulations of the US based on the NHANES 2005–2006 pooled‐sample design. We also compare estimates based on individual samples from NHANES 2003–2004 with estimates based on artificially created pools from NHANES 2003–2004 using a pooled‐sample design similar to the one used for NHANES 2005–2006. For NHANES 2005–2006 the number of analyses required to characterize the levels of 61 polychlorinated and 13 polybrominated compounds in the US population was reduced from 2201 to 228. At a cost of $1400 per analytical measurement, this represents a savings of approximately $2.78 million. Published 2012. This article is a US Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Loss of Androgen Receptor in Aging and Oxidative Stress through Myb Protooncoprotein-regulated Reciprocal Chromatin Dynamics of p53 and Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerase PARP-1*

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation of transcription factors and coregulators, mediated by the poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase PARP-1, has been emerging as an important epigenetic mechanism that controls transcriptional dynamics in response to diverse intra- and extracellular signals. PARP-1 activity is also implicated in the regulation of mammalian lifespan. Herein we show that transcriptional down-regulation of androgen receptor (AR) in the aging rat liver and in oxidatively stressed hepatoma cells involves exchange of a PARP-1-associated, p/CAF-containing coactivator assembly for a p53-interacting, Groucho/TLE1-, and mSin3A-included corepressor complex at an age- and oxidant-responsive DNA element (age-dependent factor (ADF) element) in the AR promoter. The coregulator switch is mediated by B-Myb and c-Myb, which bind to the ADF element and physically associate with PARP-1 and the tumor suppressor p53. Heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K, residing at the ADF element in association with PARP-1, may serve a platform role in stabilizing the activating complex. PARP-1 coactivated B-Myb- and c-Myb-mediated transactivation of the AR promoter, and p53 antagonized the B-Myb/c-Myb-induced AR promoter activation. PARP-1, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein K, B-Myb, and c-Myb each serves as a positive regulator of cellular AR content, whereas p53 negatively regulates AR expression. Our results identify a shared, PARP-1-regulated sensing mechanism that coordinates transcriptional repression of AR during aging and in response to oxidative stress. This study may provide insights as to how advancing age and intracellular redox balance might influence androgen-regulated physiology.
A Retrospective Analysis of Dentofacial Deformities and Orthognathic Surgeries

Background: Information regarding the prevalence of surgical osteotomies used for the correction of dentofacial deformities in Iran is lacking. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study assessed the distribution of orthognathic surgeries performed (2011–2015) at major University hospital in Iran. Records of 103 orthognathic surgery patients were assessed (58 female, 45 males, aged = 23.47 [6.44] years). Results: Class III malocclusion (incisor classification, 45.6%) and Class II skeletal pattern (based on ANB angle, 51.5%) were the most prevalent type. Overall, 4.8%, 51.5%, and 43.7% of subjects had Class I, II, and III sagittal skeletal patterns, respectively. The most prevalent (66%) osteotomy was the bimaxillary osteotomy. The frequencies of reported and corrected asymmetries in the lower third of the face (35%) were similar among patients with different malocclusions (χ2 = 4.134, P = 0.127) or sagittal skeletal patterns (χ2 = 2.133, P = 0.344), as well as between Class II and III malocclusions (P = 0.125) or sagittal skeletal patterns (P = 0.149). Conclusion: Compared to Class II subjects, Class III (malocclusions or sagittal skeletal patterns) subjects had more bimaxillary osteotomies, indicating the higher prevalence of skeletal discrepancies affecting both jaws in Class III subjects.
Significance of the vascular renin-angiotensin pathway.

THE circulating renin-angiotensin system plays an important role in blood pressure regulation as well as in fluid and electrolyte balance. Its contribution to cardiovascular homeostasis has been well documented in studies that employ pharmacological or immunological inhibitors. " Blockade of the renin-angiotensin system using peptide inhibitors or specific antibodies to renin, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, or angiotensin antagonists results in acute hypotensive responses in sodium-depleted animals or humans. In conditions associated with elevated plasma angiotensin II levels, such as experimental or clinical renovascular hypertension and congestive heart failure, these agents also bring about marked depressor responses. In all studies, the magnitude of acute depressor response can be predicted by the pretreatment plasma renin-angiotensin activity, indicating a causal relationship. In experimental as well as clinical studies, chronic administration of renin-angiotensin inhibitors has proven efficacious in lowering blood pressure in hypertension and in ameliorating edema formation in heart failure. As a result, specific inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system has become an important strategy in cardiovascular drug development. As drug development technology becomes more sophisticated, novel pharmacological agents with unique properties become available for experimental and clinical trials. A frequent outcome of these trials is an improved understanding of the biology and pharmacology of the particular system under study. For example, the development of pharmacological ligands has improved our understanding of the properties and roles of adrenergic, dopaminergic, serotoninergic, and histaminergic receptor subtypes. " The development of various opioid agonists and antagonists has provided new insights into the biology of this peptidergic system. What have we learned from experiments of renin-angiotensin inhibition in the last decade? As stated earlier, studies of acute inhibition of this system have provided evidence that the renin-angiotensin system is important in acute blood pressure regulation during sodium depletion, anesthesia, and hemorrhage, as well as in the initiation of renovascular hypertension and in the development of the syndrome of congestive heart failure. These findings could have been predicted by the earlier observations that plasma renin activity (PRA) was elevated in the early phases of these conditions. However, during the chronic phase of these conditions, PRA was frequently normal and yet response to renin-angiotensin inhibition persisted, albeit attenuated. Therefore, invaluable and somewhat surprising lessons can be learned from the chronic administration of renin-angiotensin inhibitors. Although the acute blood pressure lowering effect of ACE inhibitors in humans correlates with the initial PRA, the
THE TOPOLOGY OF MAGNETIC RECONNECTION IN SOLAR FLARES

In order to better understand the location and evolution of magnetic reconnection, which is thought to be the energy release mechanism in solar flares, I combine the analysis of hard X-ray (HXR) sources observed by RHESSI with a three-dimensional, quantitative magnetic charge topology (MCT) model. I first examine the evolution of reconnection by analyzing the relationship between observed HXR footpoint motions and a topological feature called spine lines. With a high degree of confidence, I find that the HXR footpoints sources moved along the spine lines. The standard two dimensional flare model cannot explain this relationship. Therefore, I present a three dimensional model in which the movement of footpoints along spine lines can be understood. To better analyze the location of reconnection, I developed a more detailed method for representing photospheric magnetic fields in the MCT model. This new method can portray internal changes and rotations of photospheric magnetic flux regions, which was not possible with the original method. I then examine the location of reconnection by assuming a relationship between the build-up of energy in stressed coronal magnetic fields and the measurement of the change in separator flux per unit length. I find that the value of this quantity is larger on the separators that connect the HXR footpoint sources than the value on the separators that do not. Therefore, I conclude that we are able to understand the location of HXR sources observed in flares in terms of a physical and mathematical model of the topology of the active region. In summary, based on the success of the MCT model in relating the motion of HXR sources to the evolution of magnetic reconnection on coronal separators, as well as my mathematical and physical model of energy storage at separators, I conclude the MCT model gives useful insight into the relationship between sites of HXR emission and the topology of flare productive active regions.
Perceived luck in games of chance : determinants and effect on intention to play

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Quantum friction–fact or fiction?

Two parallel dielectric plates separated by vacuum interact through zero-point charge fluctuations and experience friction when the plates are in relative motion and the vacuum is sheared. Even at the absolute zero of temperature, residual quantum fluctuations remain because the zero-point energy gives rise to ‘quantum friction’. In a recent paper, the reality of these fluctuations is questioned and the existence of quantum friction is called into question. Here we refute this assertion.
The Option-Critic Architecture

Temporal abstraction is key to scaling up learning and planning in reinforcement learning. While planning with temporally extended actions is well understood, creating such abstractions autonomously from data has remained challenging.We tackle this problem in the framework of options [Sutton,Precup and Singh, 1999; Precup, 2000]. We derive policy gradient theorems for options and propose a new option-critic architecture capable of learning both the internal policies and the termination conditions of options, in tandem with the policy over options, and without the need to provide any additional rewards or subgoals. Experimental results in both discrete and continuous environments showcase the flexibility and efficiency of the framework.
Synergistic effects of esfenvalerate and infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus on juvenile chinook salmon mortality

Sublethal concentrations of pollutants may compromise fish, resulting in increased susceptibility to endemic pathogens. To test this hypothesis, juvenile chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) were exposed to sublethal levels of esfenvalerate or chlorpyrifos either alone or concurrently with infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). Three trials were performed with fish exposed to concentrations of IHNV between 0.8 × 102 and 2.7 × 106 plaque‐forming units/ml and to 5.0 μg/L of chlorpyrifos or 0.1 μg/L of esfenvalerate. The presence and concentration of IHNV in dead fish were assayed by virus isolation and plaque assay techniques, respectively. Among groups exposed to both esfenvalerate and IHNV, 83% experienced highly significant (p < 0.001) mortality, ranging from 20 to 90% at 3 d post‐virus exposure, and cumulatively died from 2.4 to 7.7 d sooner than fish exposed to IHNV alone. This trend was not seen in any other treatment group. Virus assays of dead fish indicate a lethal synergism of esfenvalerate and IHNV. Chlorpyrifos had no observed effect on total mortality or IHNV susceptibility. The present results suggest that accepted levels of pollutants may be seemingly nonlethal to fish but, in fact, be acting synergistically with endemic pathogens to compromise survivorship of wild fish populations through immunologic or physiologic disruption.