Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial activity of the crude extract of Chinese green tea ( Camellia sinensis ) on Listeria monocytogenes

The antibacterial activity of the methanol and aqueous extract of Camellia sinensis on Listeria monocytogenes were investigated using agar-gel diffusion, paper disk diffusion and microbroth dilution techniques. The results obtained showed that methanol and water extract exhibited antibacterial activities against L. monocytogenes. The leaf extract produced inhibition zone ranging from 10.0 – 20.1 mm against the test bacteria. The methanol extracts of the test plant produces larger zones of inhibition against the bacteria than the water extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for the methanol and water leaf extract was 0.26 and 0.68 mg/ml, respectively.
Treatment of Skin Aging and Photoaging with Innovative Oral Dosage Forms of Non-Hydrolized Carnosine and Carcinine

Aging is a multifactorial process resulting in several functional and esthetic changes in the skin. Advances in research have yielded a tremendous amount of information on the molecular pathways involved in both intrinsic aging (natural) and extrinsic aging (including photoaging). Some of the characteristic features of aging skin, such as wrinkling, loss of elasticity
Virus-Specific T Cells for the Immunocompromised Patient

While progress has been made in the treatment of both hematologic cancers and solid tumors, chemorefractory or relapsed disease often portends a dismal prognosis, and salvage chemotherapy or radiation expose patients to intolerable toxicities and may not be effective. Hematopoietic stem cell transplant offers the promise of cure for many patients, and while mismatched, unrelated or haploidentical donors are increasingly available, the recipients are at higher risk of severe immunosuppression and immune dysregulation due to graft versus host disease. Viral infections remain a primary cause of severe morbidity and mortality in this patient population. Again, many therapeutic options for viral disease are toxic, may be ineffective or generate resistance, or fail to convey long-term protection. Adoptive cell therapy with virus-specific T cells (VSTs) is a targeted therapy that is efficacious and has minimal toxicity in immunocompromised patients with CMV and EBV infections in particular. Products have since been generated specific for multiple viral antigens (multi-VST), which are not only effective but also confer protection in 70–90% of recipients when used as prophylaxis. Notably, these products can be generated from either virus-naive or virus-experienced autologous or allogeneic sources, including partially matched HLA-matched third-party donors. Obstacles to effective VST treatment are donor availability and product generation time. Banking of third-party VST is an attractive way to overcome these constraints and provide products on an as-needed basis. Other developments include epitope discovery to broaden the number of viral antigens targets in a single product, the optimization of VST generation from naive donor sources, and the modification of VSTs to enhance persistence and efficacy in vivo.
ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Coalescent analyses support multiple mainland‐to‐island dispersals in the evolution of Malagasy Triaenops bats (Chiroptera: Hipposideridae)

Aim We investigate the directionality of mainland‐to‐island dispersals, focusing on a case study of an African‐Malagasy bat genus, Triaenops (Hipposideridae). Taxa include T. persicus from east Africa and three Triaenops species from Madagascar (T. auritus, T. furculus, and T. rufus). The evolution of this bat family considerably post‐dated the tectonic division of Madagascar from Africa, excluding vicariance as a viable hypothesis. Therefore, we consider three biogeographical scenarios to explain these species' current ranges: (A) a single dispersal from Africa to Madagascar with subsequent speciation of the Malagasy species; (B) multiple, unidirectional dispersals from Africa to Madagascar resulting in multiple, independent Malagasy lineages; or (C) early dispersal of a proto‐species from Africa to Madagascar, with later back‐dispersal of a descendant Malagasy taxon to Africa.
An international network to monitor the structure, composition and dynamics of Amazonian forests (RAINFOR)

Abstract The Amazon basin is likely to be increasingly affected by environmental changes: higher temperatures, changes in precipitation, CO2 fertilization and habitat fragmentation. To examine the important ecological and biogeochemical consequences of these changes, we are developing an international network, RAINFOR, which aims to monitor forest biomass and dynamics across Amazonia in a co-ordinated fashion in order to understand their relationship to soil and climate. The network will focus on sample plots established by independent researchers, some providing data extending back several decades. We will also conduct rapid transect studies of poorly monitored regions. Field expeditions analysed local soil and plant properties in the first phase (2001–2002). Initial results suggest that the network has the potential to reveal much information on the continental-scale relations between forest and environment. The network will also serve as a forum for discussion between researchers, with the aim of standardising sampling techniques and methodologies that will enable Amazonian forests to be monitored in a coherent manner in the coming decades. Abbreviation: PSP = Permanent sample plot.
Isotopic assessment of prey and habitat preferences of a cetacean community in the southwestern South Atlantic Ocean

We used stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope analysis to investigate the trophic ecology of 8 small cetacean species of the southwestern South Atlantic Ocean: 6 delphinids (Grampus griseus, Lagenorhynchus cruciger, L. australis, Lissodelphis peronii, Pseudorca crassidens, and Cephalorhynchus commersonii) and 2 phocoenids (Phocoena dioptrica and P. spinipinnis). We also analyzed samples of possible prey collected from oceanic and coastal habitats adjacent to Tierra del Fuego. Cetacean bone-collagen δ 13 C and δ 15 N data revealed information on both habitat and prey preferences. We observed an isotopic continuum in which coastal species had the highest values of δ 13 C and δ 15 N (L. australis), while oceanic and southern species had the lowest values (L. cruciger and P. dioptrica), indicative of offshore foraging in cold oceanic waters near the Antarctic Conver- gence. Overlap in mean isotope values between C. commersonii and P. spinipinnis suggests that these species may have similar habitat and/or prey preferences. Isotope results for L. peronii, P. cras- sidens, and G. griseus suggest that at these latitudes (~54° S) they forage on the outer continental shelf. G. griseus show bimodal isotopic patterns, suggesting that 2 ecotypes that forage in different habitats and/or consume different prey items occur in this region of the southwestern Atlantic Ocean. The isotopic data presented here provide insight into the ecology of these cetaceans, with relevant implications for their successful management and conservation.
Modes and mechanisms of control in Multi-Project Organisations: the R&D case

There is a widespread acceptance that organising by projects is on the increase. In previous research on the management of projects, the majority of studies have adopted project-centric approaches, downplaying organisation- or company-wide matters even in firms whose performance largely depends on the combined success of multiple projects. In this paper, we focus on the problem of management control and specifically the control modes and control mechanisms used by management in project-intensive R&D units. On the basis of a multiple case study of four R&D units, we suggest a typology of four different kinds of multi-project situations. The typology is based on two dimensions, dependency between projects and project uncertainty. The typology is used to explain differences in management control modes and mechanisms between the firms in our study.
MicroRNA-25 regulates small cell lung cancer cell development and cell cycle through cyclin E2.

PURPOSE We intended to examine the underlying mechanism of microRNA-25 (miR-25) in regulating small cell lung cancer (SCLC). METHODS The miR-25 expression was measured by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) in 5 SCLC cell lines and 9 human SCLC tissues. In SCLC cell line H510A cells, endogenous miR-25 was downregulated by stable transfection of antisense oligonucleotide of miR-25 (miR-25-as). Then the effects of miR-25 downregulation on SCLC growth, invasion and chemoresistance were assessed by MTT, migration and cisplatin assays, respectively. Furthermore, the effects of miR-25 downregulation on cancer cell cycle arrest, production of cell cycle proteins cyclin E2 and CDK2 were examined by cell cycle assay, western blot and luciferase assays, respectively. Finally, cyclin E2 was over-expressed in H510A cells to investigate its effect on miR-25 mediated SCLC regulation. RESULTS In both SCLC cells and human SCLC tumor tissues, miR-25 was overexpressed. Down-regulation of miR-25 in H510A cells significantly reduced cancer cell growth, invasive capability and resistance to cisplatin. Also, it induced G1 cell cycle arrest and downregulated cell cycle related proteins cyclin E2 and CDK2. Luciferase assay demonstrated cyclin E2 was directly targeted by miR-25. Overexpression of cyclin E2 in H510A cells reversed the cell cycle arrest and restored invasive capability impaired by miR-25 downregulation. CONCLUSIONS Our study shows miR-25 is overexpressed in SCLC and acting as oncogenic regulator by regulating cyclin E2.
VOC removal performance of pellet/granular-type sorbent media - Experimental results

The objectives of this study were to compare the commercially available sorbent materials for removing typical indoor volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and to obtain data and experience that are useful to the development of a standard test method for sorbent media evaluation. A multichannel stainless steel air-cleaning technology testing system (ACTTS) was developed and used to test eleven pellet/granular-type sorbent media representing different base materials (coal, bituminous coal, coconut, bamboo wood, and activated aluminas with potassium permanganate and activated carbon) for seven VOCs. Tests were conducted for VOCs including hexane, decane, toluene, tetrachloroethylene, 2-butanone, isobutanol, and D-limonene. Concentrations versus time during sorption and desorption periods were obtained. The sorbent media's performances were evaluated in terms of removal efficiency and removal capacity per unit of sorbent weight as a function of time, the 50% breakthrough time, and the half-life time removal capacity. In addition, repeatability of the test and the effect of flow rate on the test results were also investigated. The challenges ofdeveloping a standard test method and procedure for performance evaluation of pellet/granular-type sorbent media based on the experiences gained from the study are also discussed briefly in this paper.
Cannabidiol Targets Mitochondria to Regulate Intracellular Ca2+ Levels

Cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system have attracted considerable interest for therapeutic applications. Nevertheless, the mechanism of action of one of the main nonpsychoactive phytocannabinoids, cannabidiol (CBD), remains elusive despite potentially beneficial properties as an anti-convulsant and neuroprotectant. Here, we characterize the mechanisms by which CBD regulates Ca2+ homeostasis and mediates neuroprotection in neuronal preparations. Imaging studies in hippocampal cultures using fura-2 AM suggested that CBD-mediated Ca2+ regulation is bidirectional, depending on the excitability of cells. Under physiological K+/Ca2+ levels, CBD caused a subtle rise in [Ca2+]i, whereas CBD reduced [Ca2+]i and prevented Ca2+ oscillations under high-excitability conditions (high K+ or exposure to the K+ channel antagonist 4AP). Regulation of [Ca2+]i was not primarily mediated by interactions with ryanodine or IP3 receptors of the endoplasmic reticulum. Instead, dual-calcium imaging experiments with a cytosolic (fura-2 AM) and a mitochondrial (Rhod-FF, AM) fluorophore implied that mitochondria act as sinks and sources for CBD's [Ca2+]i regulation. Application of carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone (FCCP) and the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchange inhibitor, CGP 37157, but not the mitochondrial permeability transition pore inhibitor cyclosporin A, prevented subsequent CBD-induced Ca2+ responses. In established human neuroblastoma cell lines (SH-SY5Y) treated with mitochondrial toxins, CBD (0.1 and 1 μm) was neuroprotective against the uncoupler FCCP (53% protection), and modestly protective against hydrogen peroxide- (16%) and oligomycin- (15%) mediated cell death, a pattern also confirmed in cultured hippocampal neurons. Thus, under pathological conditions involving mitochondrial dysfunction and Ca2+ dysregulation, CBD may prove beneficial in preventing apoptotic signaling via a restoration of Ca2+ homeostasis.
Effects of Enrichment on Simple Aquatic Food Webs

Simple models, based on Lotka‐Volterra types of interactions between predator and prey, predict that enrichment will have a destabilizing effect on populations and that equilibrium population densities will change at the top trophic level and every second level below. We experimentally tested these predictions in three aquatic food web configurations subjected to either high or low nutrient additions. The results were structured by viewing the systems as either food chains or webs and showed that trophic level biomass increased with enrichment, which contradicts food chain theory. However, within each trophic level, food web configuration affected the extent to which different functional groups responded to enrichment. By dividing trophic levels into functional groups, based on vulnerability to consumption, we were able to identify significant effects that were obscured when systems were viewed as food chains. The results support the prediction that invulnerable prey may stabilize trophic‐level dynamics by replacing other, more vulnerable prey. Furthermore, the vulnerable prey, such as Daphnia and edible algae, responded as predicted by the paradox of enrichment hypothesis; that is, variability in population density increased with enrichment. Hence, by describing ecosystems as a matrix of food web interactions, and by recognizing the interplay between interspecific competition and predation, a more complete description of the ecosystem function was obtained compared to when species were placed into distinct trophic levels.
The endocannabinoid system as a target for the treatment of neurodegenerative disease

The Cannabis sativa plant has been exploited for medicinal, agricultural and spiritual purposes in diverse cultures over thousands of years. Cannabis has been used recreationally for its psychotropic properties, while effects such as stimulation of appetite, analgesia and anti‐emesis have lead to the medicinal application of cannabis. Indeed, reports of medicinal efficacy of cannabis can been traced back as far as 2700 BC, and even at that time reports also suggested a neuroprotective effect of the cultivar. The discovery of the psychoactive component of cannabis resin, Δ9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9‐THC) occurred long before the serendipitous identification of a G‐protein coupled receptor at which Δ9‐THC is active in the brain. The subsequent finding of endogenous cannabinoid compounds, the synthesis of which is directed by neuronal excitability and which in turn served to regulate that excitability, further widened the range of potential drug targets through which the endocannabinoid system can be manipulated. As a result of this, alterations in the endocannabinoid system have been extensively investigated in a range of neurodegenerative disorders. In this review we examine the evidence implicating the endocannabinoid system in the cause, symptomatology or treatment of neurodegenerative disease. We examine data from human patients and compare and contrast this with evidence from animal models of these diseases. On the basis of this evidence we discuss the likely efficacy of endocannabinoid‐based therapies in each disease context.
Postacne Scarring: A Qualitative Global Scarring Grading System

BACKGROUND There is no global qualitative grading system for assessing the disease load and global severity of disease in a patient with postacne scarring. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to provide a simple qualitative grading system that would allow better communication between practitioners of a patient's global disease severity and the most appropriate corresponding therapy for that degree of acne scarring. METHODS Four grades of postacne scarring are described, and appropriate therapeutic interventions are presented for each. Grade assignment is made by lesion morphologies and disease load as indicated by patient perception of severity (i.e., whether or not an individual can easily disguise his or her disease at social distances). RESULTS A simple qualitative global acne scarring grading system is presented. LIMITATIONS The determination of disease load in terms of patient perception of severity is intrinsically imperfect due to varying subjectivity among individuals. CONCLUSION A global acne scarring grading system is presented that is simple to use and may optimize therapeutic intervention. This system would also allow investigators, educators, and proceduralists to compare their cases more accurately and to have a more objective discussion of the efficacy of operative interventions or therapies.
Avian Influenza Virus ( H 11 N 9 ) in Migratory Shorebirds Wintering in the Amazon Region , Brazil

Aquatic birds are the natural reservoir for avian influenza viruses (AIV). Habitats in Brazil provide stopover and wintering sites for water birds that migrate between North and South America. The current study was conducted to elucidate the possibility of the transport of influenza A viruses by birds that migrate annually between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. In total, 556 orotracheal/cloacal swab samples were collected for influenza A virus screening using real-time RT-PCR (rRT-PCR). The influenza A virus-positive samples were subjected to viral isolation. Four samples were positive for the influenza A matrix gene by rRT-PCR. From these samples, three viruses were isolated, sequenced and characterized. All positive samples originated from a single bird species, the ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), that was caught in the Amazon region at Caeté Bay, Northeast Pará, at Ilha de Canelas. To our knowledge, this is the first isolation of H11N9 in the ruddy turnstone in South America. Citation: de Araujo J, de Azevedo Júnior SM, Gaidet N, Hurtado RF, Walker D, et al. (2014) Avian Influenza Virus (H11N9) in Migratory Shorebirds Wintering in the Amazon Region, Brazil. PLoS ONE 9(10): e110141. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0110141 Editor: Gina Samaan, Australian National University, Australia Received January 6, 2014; Accepted September 16, 2014; Published October 16, 2014 Copyright: 2014 de Araujo et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This work has been funded in part by the Fundacão de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento a Pesquisa (CNPq), Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (MAPA), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, under contract number HHSN266200700005C and ALSAC. The funders had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * Email: jansentequila@usp.br
Management of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Alterations in HIV positive patients

The number of people that live with HIV continue to increase due to ample access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) that enables a higher life expectancy for the patients. The lipid changes in HIV infected patients include decrease in the high density lipoprotein (HDL) and a reduction of the serum concentration of LDL, which is associated with an increase in levels of triglycerides and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL). ART promoted great advancements in the reduction of the morbidity and mortality of individuals with HIV/AIDS. This fact contributed to a significant increase in life expectancy and quality of life of these people compared to before the development of ART. ART inherent benefits are undeniable and have been demonstrated already in various studies. However, besides the benefits, the adverse effects of these drugs are increasingly notable in each antiretroviral drug class. Metabolic disorders with lipid and glucose profile alterations were found in most antiretroviral drug classes, especially in the protease inhibitors (PIs). Such alterations result in an increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), therefore should be analyzed with criteria in all individuals that receive antiretroviral treatment. Cardiovascular risk stratification scores are heavily used and despite being useful they present limited capability, especially because they do not consider the HIV infection. The treatment of the lipid profile modifications must be primarily based in life style changes, diet and physical exercise and when persistent, pharmacotherapy, notably the statins, should be utilized.
Divorce and Parity Progression Following the Death of a Child : A Population-Based Prospective Study

Results from previous studies that have examined whether the loss of a child influences the relationship stability between parents are inconclusive. A reason might be that bereaved parents of reproductive age are inclined to give birth to a new child. This constructive action could be considered a way to cope with the loss or induced by a predetermined aim to have a family of a particular size. Using longitudinal Finnish register data that make it possible to construct couples from the moment they marry and become parents, we analyse the association between child loss and parental separation by allowing for compensatory behaviour in terms of new births. We prospectively follow more than 100,000 couples for a maximum period of fifteen years and estimate risk ratios of divorce and parity progression, respectively, between bereaved and non-bereaved couples. We find that a minor child’s death has only a modest influence on marital stability, whereas its association with parity progression is considerable. It is hence likely that giving birth to a new child may buffer against any negative consequences on relationship quality among bereaved parents.
The Effects of Sick-Leaves on Earnings

This paper assesses the causal effect of sick-leaves on subsequent earnings using an administrative dataset for Norway linking individual earnings, sick-leave records and primary care physicians. The leniency of a worker's physician - certifying sickness absence - is used as instrument for sick-leaves. Sick-leaves have a substantial impact on future earnings, reducing earnings by . 3 percent per day of absence. When conditioning on full-time employment also two years after sickness the effect is . 06 percent per day of absence. These effects are persistent over time and work mainly through wages not hours.