Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial Activity of Propolis From Tabora and Iringa Regions, Tanzania and Synergism with Gentamicin -

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is among the threats to global public health, with developing countries being mostly affected. The AMR has undermined development of new antimicrobial agents by pharmaceutical industries despite new emerging infections. This necessitates a search for antimicrobial agents from resources available in developing countries. This study, therefore, aimed at assessing antimicrobial activity of two propolis samples from Iringa and Tabora, Tanzania. Ethanolic extracts of the two propolis samples were tested against standard microorganisms including, Gram +ve and Gram -ve bacteria and yeasts by determination of MICs using broth microdilution method. Synergism with Gentamicin was also assessed for one of the samples. Furthermore, HPTLC profiles of the extracts and presence of flavonoids were determined. The two propolis samples exhibited varied activity against the tested microorganisms with MICs ranging from 0.42 to 6.67mg/ml, with Tabora propolis being more active than Iringa propolis. Staphylococcus aureus was the most susceptible microorganism, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most resistant. Propolis also potentiated the activity of Gentamicin. Both samples tested positive for flavonoids. However, there were some differences in their HPTLC profiles. We recommend further studies involving more samples of propolis from various regions of Tanzania to verify further the observed activity and synergism.
Survival in the Presence of Antifungals

How yeast cells respond to cell wall stress is relatively well understood; however, how filamentous fungi cope with cell wall damage is largely unexplored. Here we report the first transcriptome analysis of Aspergillus niger exposed to the antifungal compounds caspofungin, an inhibitor of β-1,3-glucan synthesis, and fenpropimorph, which inhibits ergosterol synthesis. The presence of sublethal drug concentrations allowed A. niger to adapt to the stress conditions and to continue growth by the establishment of new polarity axes and formation of new germ tubes. By comparing the expression profile between caspofungin-exposed and nonexposed A. niger germlings, we identified a total of 172 responsive genes out of 14,509 open reading frames present on the Affymetrix microarray chips. Among 165 up-regulated genes, mainly genes predicted to function in (i) cell wall assembly and remodeling, (ii) cytoskeletal organization, (iii) signaling, and (iv) oxidative stress response were affected. Fenpropimorph modulated expression of 43 genes, of which 41 showed enhanced expression. Here, genes predicted to function in (i) membrane reconstruction, (ii) lipid signaling, (iii) cell wall remodeling, and (iv) oxidative stress response were identified. Northern analyses of selected genes were used to confirm the microarray analyses. The results further show that expression of the agsA gene encoding an α-1,3-glucan synthase is up-regulated by both compounds. Using two PagsA-GFP reporter strains of A. niger and subjecting them to 16 different antifungal compounds, including caspofungin and fenpropimorph, we could show that agsA is specifically activated by compounds interfering directly or indirectly with cell wall biosynthesis.
Querying Shapes of Histories

We present a shape de nition language, called SDL, for retrieving objects based on shapes contained in the histories associated with these objects. It is a small, yet powerful, language that allows a rich variety of queries about the shapes found in historical time sequences. An interesting feature of SDL is its ability to perform blurry matching. A \blurry" match is one where the user cares about the overall shape but does not care about speci c details. Another important feature of SDL is its e cient implementability. The SDL operators are designed to be greedy to reduce non-determinism, which in turn substantially reduces the amount of back-tracking in the implementation. We give transformation rules for rewriting an SDL expression into a more e cient form as well as an index structure for speeding up the execution of SDL queries. We used SDL to \mine the mined rules" in a data mining application and found that the capability to query the behavior of the mined rules over a period of time led to the discovery of new and interesting information. Current Address: Politecnico di Milano, Italy. Symbol Description lb ub iv fv up slightly increasing transition . 05 . 19 anyvalue anyvalue Up highly increasing transition . 20 1.0 anyvalue anyvalue down slightly decreasing transition -. 19 -. 05 anyvalue anyvalue Down highly decreasing transition -1.0 -. 19 anyvalue anyvalue appears transition from a zero value to a non-zero value 0 1.0 zero nonzero disappears transition from a non-zero value to a zero value -1.0 0 nonzero zero stable the nal value nearly equal to the initial value -. 04 . 04 anyvalue anyvalue zero both the initial and nal values are zero 0 0 zero zero Table 1: An Illustrative Alphabet A
Outcomes of Palivizumab Prophylaxis for Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection in Preterm Children with Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia at a Single Hospital in Korea from 2005 to 2009

This study was performed to evaluate the utilization and outcomes of palivizumab in high risk children born prematurely with chronic lung disease (CLD). A retrospective review of 128 patients was conducted from September 2004 to March 2009 at the Ajou University Hospital. All patients were diagnosed with CLD, were born at ≤35 weeks of gestation, were <2 yr old at the onset of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) season, and had received medical therapy within six months prior to the RSV season. Fifty-three patients did not receive palivizumab prophylaxis and 75 patients received at least one dose of palivizumab. There were no statistically significant differences between the patients with and without palivizumab prophylaxis with regard to demographic characteristics and risk factors for RSV infection. There were no systemic adverse responses. Compliance with the course of prophylaxis was 92.2%. Hospitalization associated with RSV occurred in 12 cases (22.6%) in the group without prophylaxis and in three cases (4.0%) with prophylaxis. Palivizumab prophylaxis significantly reduced the frequency of RSV-related hospitalization in preterm children with CLD. This is the first retrospective review of palivizumab prophylaxis in Korea. Palivizumab is effective and well tolerated in high risk prematurely born children.
Early intervention improves mortality and hospitalization rates in incident hemodialysis patients: RightStart program.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Annualized mortality rates of chronic hemodialysis (CHD) patients in their first 90 d of treatment range from 24 to 50%. Limited studies also show high hospitalization rates. It was hypothesized that a structured quality improvement program (RightStart), focused on medical needs and patient education and support, would improve outcomes for incident CHD patients. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS A total of 918 CHD incident patients were prospectively enrolled in a multicenter RightStart Program, and compared with a time-concurrent group of 1020 control patients from non-RightStart clinics. RightStart patients received 3 mo of intervention in management of anemia, dosage of dialysis, nutrition, and dialysis access and a comprehensive educational program. Outcomes were tracked for up to 12 mo. RESULTS At 3 mo, RightStart patients had higher albumin and hematocrit values. Dose of dialysis and permanent access placement were not statistically significantly different from control subjects. Compared with baseline, Mental Composite Score for RightStart patients improved significantly. Mean hospitalization days per patient year were reduced with RightStart versus control subjects. Mortality rates at 3, 6, and 12 mo were 20, 18, and 17 for RightStart patients versus 39, 33, and 30 deaths per 100 patient-years for control subjects, respectively. CONCLUSIONS A structured program of prompt medical and educational strategies in incident CHD patients results in improved morbidity and mortality that last up to 1 yr.
Amerind Ancestry, Socioeconomic Status and the Genetics of Type 2 Diabetes in a Colombian Population

The “thrifty genotype” hypothesis proposes that the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Native Americans and admixed Latin Americans has a genetic basis and reflects an evolutionary adaptation to a past low calorie/high exercise lifestyle. However, identification of the gene variants underpinning this hypothesis remains elusive. Here we assessed the role of Native American ancestry, socioeconomic status (SES) and 21 candidate gene loci in susceptibility to T2D in a sample of 876 T2D cases and 399 controls from Antioquia (Colombia). Although mean Native American ancestry is significantly higher in T2D cases than in controls (32% v 29%), this difference is confounded by the correlation of ancestry with SES, which is a stronger predictor of disease status. Nominally significant association (P<0.05) was observed for markers in: TCF7L2, RBMS1, CDKAL1, ZNF239, KCNQ1 and TCF1 and a significant bias (P<0.05) towards OR>1 was observed for markers selected from previous T2D genome-wide association studies, consistent with a role for Old World variants in susceptibility to T2D in Latin Americans. No association was found to the only known Native American-specific gene variant previously associated with T2D in a Mexican sample (rs9282541 in ABCA1). An admixture mapping scan with 1,536 ancestry informative markers (AIMs) did not identify genome regions with significant deviation of ancestry in Antioquia. Exclusion analysis indicates that this scan rules out ∼95% of the genome as harboring loci with ancestry risk ratios >1.22 (at P < 0.05).
Least Square Projection: A Fast High-Precision Multidimensional Projection Technique and Its Application to Document Mapping

The problem of projecting multidimensional data into lower dimensions has been pursued by many researchers due to its potential application to data analyses of various kinds. This paper presents a novel multidimensional projection technique based on least square approximations. The approximations compute the coordinates of a set of projected points based on the coordinates of a reduced number of control points with defined geometry. We name the technique least square projections (LSP). From an initial projection of the control points, LSP defines the positioning of their neighboring points through a numerical solution that aims at preserving a similarity relationship between the points given by a metric in mD. In order to perform the projection, a small number of distance calculations are necessary, and no repositioning of the points is required to obtain a final solution with satisfactory precision. The results show the capability of the technique to form groups of points by degree of similarity in 2D. We illustrate that capability through its application to mapping collections of textual documents from varied sources, a strategic yet difficult application. LSP is faster and more accurate than other existing high-quality methods, particularly where it was mostly tested, that is, for mapping text sets.
Microstrip antennas

Analysis of near field, calculation of radiation Patten Using tte method cf angula spectmn~ of plane waves, study of input impedance, gain, radiation efficiency as function of substrate tlickness and strig widths of microstrip antennas excited at TML mode at X-band form tf-e subject-matter of tte present paper. a new based on of for microstrip antennas in
Small-for-Gestational-Age Births in Pregnant Women with HIV, due to Severity of HIV Disease, Not Antiretroviral Therapy

Objectives. To determine rate and factors associated with small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births to women with HIV. Methods. Prospective data were collected from 183 pregnant women with HIV in an urban HIV prenatal clinic, 2000–2011. An SGA birth was defined as less than the 10th or 3rd percentile of birth weight distribution based upon cut points developed using national vital record data. Bivariate analysis utilized chi-squared and t-tests, and multiple logistic regression analyses were used. Results. The prevalence of SGA was 31.2% at the 10th and 12.6% at the 3rd percentile. SGA at the 10th (OR 2.77; 95% CI, 1.28–5.97) and 3rd (OR 3.64; 95% CI, 1.12–11.76) percentiles was associated with cigarette smoking. Women with CD4 count >200 cells/mm3 at the first prenatal visit were less likely to have an SGA birth at the 3rd percentile (OR 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10–0.86). Women taking NNRTI were less likely to have an SGA infant at the 10th (OR 0.28; 95% CI, 0.10–0.75) and 3rd (OR 0.16; 95% CI, 0.03–0.91) percentiles compared to those women on PIs. Conclusions. In this cohort with high rates of SGA, severity of HIV disease, not ART, was associated with SGA births after adjusting for sociodemographic, medication, and disease severity.
In Asian Americans, is Having a Family Member Diagnosed with Cancer Associated with Fatalistic Beliefs?

Objective: Cancer can evoke long-held cultural beliefs which either facilitate or impede efforts to expand the health literacy of families. Among these beliefs is fatalism which holds that controlling ones′ outcome is not possible, and that ones′ outcome is predestined. Some fatalistic beliefs are broadly held within the Asian American (AA) community and may be challenged or reinforced by the experience of having a family member diagnosed with cancer. This study evaluated the relationship between having a family member diagnosed with cancer and selected demographics in AAs on fatalistic beliefs. Methods: Data from 519 AA subjects from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Health Information Trends Survey were used to complete a secondary analysis. Descriptive statistics characterize fatalistic beliefs. Four models using four questions assessed fatalistic beliefs as dependent variables and independent variables of having or not having a family member diagnosed with cancer, completing college or not, sex, and age were assessed using ordinal regression. Results: All of the fatalistic beliefs examined were endorsed by large portions of the subjects. When considering the role of being exposed to having a family member with cancer, it was associated with an increase in the likelihood in a belief that one is likely to get cancer, and everything can cause cancer. Being exposed to a family member diagnosed with cancer was not significantly associated with believing, there was little one could do to control their cancer risk. This belief was broadly rejected. While the belief that there are so many different recommendations about preventing cancer, it is hard to know what to do, was broadly endorsed and not associated with having a family member diagnosed with cancer. Conclusions: The major practice implications within oncology nursing suggest the importance in assessing cancer health literacy and providing corrective knowledge in families with a member diagnosed with cancer. While recognizing the need for more knowledge, cancer diagnoses may represent a significant teachable moment for family members enhancing their health knowledge and supporting behavioral change. Two beliefs were contradictory and broadly held with the AA community, thus support will be needed for further public health research.
G‐FAST Earthquake Early Warning Potential for Great Earthquakes in Chile

The importance of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based earthquake early warning for modeling large earthquakes has been studied extensively over the past decade, and several such systems are currently under development. In the Pacific Northwest, we developed the Geodetic First Approximation of Size and Timing (G-FAST) GNSS-based earthquake early warning module for eventual inclusion in the United States west-coast-wide ShakeAlert system. We also created a test system that allows us to replay past or synthetic earthquakes to help identify problems with both the network architecture and the algorithms. Here, we report on the performance of G-FAST during three large megathrust earthquakes in Chile: the 2010 Mw 8.8 Maule, the 2014 Mw 8.2 Iquique, and the 2015 Mw 8.3 Illapel. Magnitude estimates based on peak ground displacement would be available between 40 and 60 s after the origin time for the three earthquakes, with a magnitude bias less than 0.3 magnitude units. Centroid moment tensor and finite-fault-slip estimates show good agreement with prior results and are available between 60 and 90 s after the origin time. Furthermore, we test the impact of epicentral location errors, latency, and data dropouts on the robustness and timing of alerts and show no significant variability in the results. Finally, we discuss implications for earthquake and tsunami early warning in Chile.
Calcium and the contractile effect of carbachol in the depolarized guinea-pig taenia caecum.

Abstract Carbachol (10−8–10−3 M) caused a phasic contraction in the guinea-pig taenia caecum suspended in the Ca-free, K-Tyrode solution. The action of carbachol was concentration-related and was completely antagonized by atropine (10−6 g/ml). The capacity to contract in the absence of external Ca was removed by shortterm exposure to a high concentration of carbachol (more than 5×10−4 M), but was restored after treatment with Ca (0.1–2.0 mM). Carbachol, 10−3 M, was used throughout the following experiments. The degree of restoration increased with the duration of treatment with Ca and with the concentration of Ca. The restored capacity was not maintained but wore off again after return to the Ca-free solution. The time courses of restoration and disappearance of the capacity following addition and withdrawal of Ca were much slower than those of the Ca-contracture and its relaxation. The rate constant for loss of Ca component responsible for the capacity was calculated as 0.063 min−1 by assuming that there is a hyperbolic function between steady isometric tension and [Ca]1. These results suggest that carbachol mobilizes Ca ions from stored Ca, which is in a dynamic equilibrium with [Ca]0, to activate the contractile proteins.
Study of Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology of Breast Lump: Correlation of Cytologically Malignant Cases with their Histological Findings

Background: In Bangladesh a large number of patients have been suffering from breast cancer and with each passing year, the number is increasing. Objectives: To correlate breast lesions diagnosed as cytologically malignant with their histological findings. Methods: This is a prospective study carried out in the Department of Pathology, BSMMU, Dhaka during the period of January 2009 to December 2009. Patients with breast lump, having malignant breast lesions on cytology were included in the study. A total of 524 patients with breast lump underwent FNA examination for the diagnosis during this period. FNA slides were examined under light microscope after Papanicolaou staining and were categorized into five groups: i) inadequate ii) benign iii) atypical cells iv) suspicious for malignancy and v) malignant. Of these, 431 were diagnosed as benign, 4 as atypical, 17 were diagnosed as suspicious for malignancy and 72 cases were diagnosed as malignant. Out of these 72 cases, which were cytologically diagnosed as malignant, 55 corresponding surgical specimens (either mastectomy or lumpectomy specimens) were received for histopathology. The sections were stained with haematoxylin and eosin for microscopic examination. Results: 55 cases which were diagnosed as malignant by FNAC were found to be malignant by histopathology. 54 (98.18%) were invasive ductal carcinoma (NOS) and one (1.82%) was mucinous carcinoma. In this study, considering only cases with a definitive diagnosis of malignancy, the sensitivity of FNAC to diagnose the disease was 100% and accuracy was 100% and Chi-square test revealed Chi-square value 10.83 (P< 0.001). Conclusion: From the present study it is evident that FNAC is a simple and reliable method. No local anaesthesia is required. Operative risk of surgical biopsy, danger of post operative infection can be avoided by adopting the procedure. It helps to confirm the clinical impression without open biopsy. Key words: Breast lump; FNAC; Mastectomy; Malignancy. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/bsmmuj.v4i2. 8631 BSMMU J 2011; 4(2):60-64
Analysis of the disagreement between automated bioluminescence-based and culture methods for detecting significant bacteriuria, with proposals for standardizing evaluations of bacteriuria detection methods

A fully automated method for detecting significant bacteriuria is described which uses firefly luciferin and luciferase to detect bacterial ATP in urine. The automated method was calibrated and evaluated, using 308 urine specimens, against two reference culture methods. We obtained a specificity of 0.79 and sensitivity of 0.75 using a quantitative pour plate reference test and a specificity of 0.79 and a sensitivity of 0.90 using a semiquantitative standard loop reference test. The majority of specimens negative by the automated test but positive by the pour plate reference test were specimens which grew several bacterial species. We suggest that such disagreement was most likely for urine containing around 10(5) colony-forming units per ml (the culture threshold of positivity) and that these specimens were ones contaminated by urethral or vaginal flora. We propose standard procedures for calibrating and evaluating rapid or automated methods for the detection of significant bacteriuria and have analyzed our results using these procedures. We recommend that identical analyses should be reported for other evaluations of bacteriuria detection methods.
Incidence of oral health in paediatric patients with disabilities: Sensory disorders and autism spectrum disorder. Systematic review II

Introduction We are currently witnessing an increase in the number of disabled patients, creating the need for knowledge of each of the pathologies and of the different oral and dental conditions they present, in order to achieve efficient management and treatment. Objectives To analyse the existing scientific literature on the oral conditions of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and children with sensory deficits (SD), in comparison with the healthy child population. Material and Methods The bibliographic search was carried out in Pubmed/Medline, Scopus and Cochrane Library and included articles taking a sample of children between 0 and 18 years of age diagnosed with the abovementioned disorders and including at least one of the following oral hygiene conditions - oral hygiene, dental caries, malocclusion, oral habits, dental trauma, and gingival-periodontal status - comparing them with a healthy population. Results A total of 10 articles were obtained for autism spectrum disorder and six for sensory deficits. Conclusions Of all the variables studied, only the state of oral, gingival and/or periodontal hygiene can be considered worse in patients with ASD and SD, although we believe a larger number of research studies is needed to corroborate these results. Key words:Oral health, dental caries, malocclusion, oral habits, dental trauma, oral hygiene, disabled child, autism, autism spectrum disorder, deaf, blind.