Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFA) in the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: We aimed to investigate the efficacy of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) as an adjuvant treatment in patients with ADHD receiving methylphenidate as well as its side effects. Method: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 40 ADHD patients aged between 6 and 12 years. Both treatment and placebo groups received methylphenidate. Treatment arm also received omega-6 once daily. The Parent ADHD Rating Scale was used to evaluate disease improvement. Results: The Parent ADHD Rating Scale scores of the two groups were similar at baseline. Although total score and scores of three categories decreased significantly in both groups, total score and scores of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity were not significantly different between the groups. Conclusion: The results did not support the efficacy of PUFA in the treatment of ADHD, and adding PUFAs to the therapeutic regimen of ADHD is not recommended at the moment.
Study of correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and clinical, haematological and electrophysiological parameters.

: Objectives: Vitamin B12 is a micronutrient essential for appropriate neuro-cognitive, hemopoetic and cardiovascular function. This study was planned to find correlation between vitamin B12 deficiency and its clinical, haematological and electrophysiological parameters. Material and Methods: This study was a cross sectional study which included 125 patients who had attended Maharana Bhupal Govt. Hospital, Udaipur from 1 st November 2013 to 31 st August 2014. The study included all cases of anaemia with or without neurological manifestation with suspected B12 deficiency, anaemia with history of chronic alcoholism, smoking, tobacco chewing, beetle nut chewers, chronic diarrhoea and Past history of gastric surgery. Results : Total 125 patients were included in study, among them 53 were male and 72 were females. Majority 69 (55.2%) patients were more than 60 years of age. Eighty six (68.8%) patients had severe Vitamin B12 deficiency, among them 42(63.6%) were females. Neurological complains like parenthesis, ataxia, decreased vision, psychiatric and cognitive impairment were observed in 68 (54.4%) patients among them parenthesis were present in three fifth (60.29%) patients. Reduced vision was present in only 3 (5.8%) patients. Nineteen percent patients had myeloneuropathy and Optic atrophy was noted in all 3 patients who were presented with reduced vision. Conclusion: Deficiency disorders of vitamins associate with plethora of clinical manifestations. Old age person, female gender and vegetarians are at considerable risk to develop B12 deficiency.
The Synthetic Elicitor 3,5-Dichloroanthranilic Acid Induces NPR1-Dependent and NPR1-Independent Mechanisms of Disease Resistance in Arabidopsis1[W][OA]

Immune responses of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) are at least partially mediated by coordinated transcriptional up-regulation of plant defense genes, such as the Late/sustained Up-regulation in Response to Hyaloperonospora parasitica (LURP) cluster. We found a defined region in the promoter of the LURP member CaBP22 to be important for this response. Using a CaBP22 promoter-reporter fusion, we have established a robust and specific high-throughput screening system for synthetic defense elicitors that can be used to trigger defined subsets of plant immune responses. Screening a collection of 42,000 diversity-oriented molecules, we identified 114 candidate LURP inducers. One representative, 3,5-dichloroanthranilic acid (DCA), efficiently induced defense reactions to the phytopathogens H. parasitica and Pseudomonas syringae. In contrast to known salicylic acid analogs, such as 2,6-dichloroisonicotinic acid (INA), which exhibit a long-lasting defense-inducing activity and are fully dependent on the transcriptional cofactor NPR1 (for Nonexpresser of Pathogenesis-Related genes1), DCA acts transiently and is only partially dependent on NPR1. Microarray analyses revealed a cluster of 142 DCA- and INA-responsive genes that show a pattern of differential expression coinciding with the kinetics of DCA-mediated disease resistance. These ACID genes (for Associated with Chemically Induced Defense) constitute a core gene set associated with chemically induced disease resistance, many of which appear to encode components of the natural immune system of Arabidopsis.
PALM

Concurrency control on B+ trees is primarily achieved with latches, but serialization and contention can hinder scalability. As core counts on current processors increase, it is imperative to develop scalable latch-free techniques for concurrency control. We present PALM, a novel technique for performing multiple concurrent queries on in-memory B+ trees. PALM is based on the Bulk Synchronous Parallel model, which guarantees freedom from deadlocks and race conditions. Input queries are grouped and processed in atomic batches, and work proceeds in stages that preclude contention. Transitions between stages are accomplished with scalable point-to-point communication. PALM exploits data-and thread-level parallelism on modern many-core architectures, and performs 40M1 updates/second on trees with 128M keys, and 128M updates/second on trees with 512K keys on the latest CPU architectures. Our throughput is 2.3X--19X that of state-of-the-art concurrent update algorithms on in-memory B+ trees. PALM obtains close to peak throughput at very low response times of less than 350μs, even for large trees. We also evaluate PALM on the Intel® Many Integrated Core (Intel® MIC) architecture, and demonstrate a speedup of 1.5--2.1X for out-of-cache tree sizes on an Intel® Knights Ferry over a pair of Intel® Xeon® processors DP X5680 (Westmere-EP) in a dual-socket configuration.
HSPB1 Enhances SIRT2-Mediated G6PD Activation and Promotes Glioma Cell Proliferation

Heat shock proteins belong to a conserved protein family and are involved in multiple cellular processes. Heat shock protein 27 (Hsp27), also known as heat HSPB1, participates in cellular responses to not only heat shock, but also oxidative or chemical stresses. However, the contribution of HSPB1 to anti-oxidative response remains unclear. Here, we show that HSPB1 activates G6PD in response to oxidative stress or DNA damage. HSPB1 enhances the binding between G6PD and SIRT2, leading to deacetylation and activation of G6PD. Besides, HSPB1 activates G6PD to sustain cellular NADPH and pentose production in glioma cells. High expression of HSPB1 correlates with poor survivalrate of glioma patients. Together, our study uncovers the molecular mechanism by which HSPB1 activates G6PD to protect cells from oxidative and DNA damage stress.
Effects of humic compounds and phosphate- solubilizing bacteria on phosphorus availability in an acid soil

This study aims at elucidating the combined effects of humic compounds and phosphate-solubilizing bacteria ( Pseudomonas putida ) to improve characteristics of ultisol and to increase the yields of soybean conducted in a glasshouse. The humic compounds are extracted from rice-straw compost, the phosphate-solubilizing bacteria obtained from Bogor Agricultural University, and the soil (Typic paleudult ) collected from Kentrong Banten, Indonesia. The results have shown that application of humic compounds combined with inoculation of phosphate-solubilizing bacteria increases pH and available P, and decreases exchangeable Al of an ultisol. The improved soil characteristic, however, does not lead to the significant differences in the uptake of macronutrients by plant.
Holographic-grating recording in a hybrid cell of nanotube-doped nematic sandwich

Holographic gratings were recorded in hybrid cells of the nematic liquid crystal E7 doped with multi-walled carbon nanotubes in a degenerate two-wave-mixing experiment. The hybrid structure comprises doped nematic contained between photoconducting polymeric layers of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) spin-coated on two indium-tin-oxide-covered glass plates. Multiorder diffraction was observed and the first-order self-diffraction efficiency was obtained in order to investigate the properties of the gratings. The hybrid cells showed quite high diffraction efficiency up to 47%, which is far beyond the theoretical limit of 34% predicted by the Raman-Nath theory. In addition, such a structure was shown to exhibit the photorefractive effect due to the presence of two-beam-coupling gain. Under the condition for a fixed total intensity of the two interfering beams, the gain was found to increase with increasing pump-to-probe beam-intensity ratio.
The Carbon/Nitrogen Regulator ARABIDOPSIS TOXICOS EN LEVADURA31 Controls Papilla Formation in Response to Powdery Mildew Fungi Penetration by Interacting with SYNTAXIN OF PLANTS121 in Arabidopsis1[W][OPEN]

The plasma membrane-localized carbon/nitrogen nutrient regulator ATL31 positively controls papilla formation in response to powdery mildew fungi by interacting with a vesicle-trafficking protein. The carbon/nitrogen (C/N) balance of plants is not only required for growth and development but also plays an important role in basal immunity. However, the mechanisms that link C/N regulation and basal immunity are poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) Arabidopsis Tóxicos en Levadura31 (ATL31) ubiquitin ligase, a regulator of the C/N response, positively regulates the defense response against bacterial pathogens. In this study, we identified the plasma membrane-localized soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive fusion protein attachment protein receptor SYNTAXIN OF PLANTS121 (SYP121) as a novel ATL31 interactor. The syp121-1 loss-of-function mutant showed similar hypersensitivity to C/N stress conditions as the atl31 atl6 double mutant. SYP121 is essential for resistance to penetration by powdery mildew fungus and positively regulates the formation of cell wall appositions (papillae) at fungal entry sites. Microscopic analysis demonstrated that ATL31 was specifically localized around papillae. In addition, ATL31 overexpressors showed accelerated papilla formation, enhancing their resistance to penetration by powdery mildew fungus. Together, these data indicate that ATL31 plays an important role in connecting the C/N response with basal immunity by promoting papilla formation through its association with SYP121.
Efficient Genome Editing in Caenorhabditis elegans with a Toolkit of Dual-Marker Selection Cassettes

Use of the CRISPR/Cas9 RNA-guided endonuclease complex has recently enabled the generation of double-strand breaks virtually anywhere in the C. elegans genome. Here, we present an improved strategy that makes all steps in the genome editing process more efficient. We have created a toolkit of template-mediated repair cassettes that contain an antibiotic resistance gene to select for worms carrying the repair template and a fluorescent visual marker that facilitates identification of bona fide recombinant animals. Homozygous animals can be identified as early as 4–5 days post-injection, and minimal genotyping by PCR is required. We demonstrate that our toolkit of dual-marker vectors can generate targeted disruptions, deletions, and endogenous tagging with fluorescent proteins and epitopes. This strategy should be useful for a wide variety of additional applications and will provide researchers with increased flexibility when designing genome editing experiments.
Nutrient Signaling: Evolutionary Origins of the Immune-Modulating Effects of Dietary Fat

Many dietary fatty acids (FA) have potent effects on inflammation, which is not only energetically costly, but also contributes to a range of chronic diseases. This presents an evolutionary paradox: Why should the host initiate a costly and damaging response to commonly encountered nutrients? We propose that the immune system has evolved a capacity to modify expenditure on inflammation to compensate for the effects of dietary FA on gut microorganisms. In a comprehensive literature review, we show that the body preferentially upregulates inflammation in response to saturated FA that promote harmful microbes. In contrast, the host often reduces inflammation in response to the many unsaturated FA with antimicrobial properties. Our model is supported by contrasts involving shorter-chain FA and omega-3 FA, but with less consistent evidence for trans fats, which are a recent addition to the human diet. Our findings support the idea that the vertebrate immune system has evolved a capacity to detect diet-driven shifts in the composition of gut microbiota from the profile of FA consumed, and to calibrate the costs of inflammation in response to these cues. We conclude by extending the nutrient signaling model to other nutrients, and consider implications for drug discovery and public health.
Treatment Planning and Fracture Prediction in Patients with Skeletal Metastasis with CT-Based Rigidity Analysis

Purpose: Pathologic fractures could be prevented if reliable methods of fracture risk assessment were available. A multicenter prospective study was conducted to identify significant predictors of physicians' treatment plan for skeletal metastasis based on clinical fracture risk assessments and the proposed CT-based Rigidity Analysis (CTRA). Experimental Design: Orthopedic oncologists selected a treatment plan for 124 patients with 149 metastatic lesions based on the Mirels method. Then, CTRA was performed, and the results were provided to the physicians, who were asked to reassess their treatment plan. The pre- and post-CTRA treatment plans were compared to identify cases in which the treatment plan was changed based on the CTRA report. Patients were followed for a 4-month period to establish the incidence of pathologic fractures. Results: Pain, lesion type, and lesion size were significant predictors of the pre-CTRA plan. After providing the CTRA results, physicians changed their plan for 36 patients. CTRA results, pain, and primary source of metastasis were significant predictors of the post-CTRA plan. Follow-up of patients who did not undergo fixation resulted in 7 fractures; CTRA predicted these fractures with 100% sensitivity and 90% specificity, whereas the Mirels method was 71% sensitive and 50% specific. Conclusions: Lesion type and size and pain level influenced the physicians' plans for the management of metastatic lesions. Physicians' treatment plans and fracture risk predictions were significantly influenced by the availability of CTRA results. Due to its high sensitivity and specificity, CTRA could potentially be used as a screening method for pathologic fractures. Clin Cancer Res; 21(11); 2514–9. ©2015 AACR.
Acute Hypersensitivity of Pluripotent Testicular Cancer-Derived Embryonal Carcinoma to Low-Dose 5-Aza Deoxycytidine Is Associated with Global DNA Damage-Associated p53 Activation, Anti-Pluripotency and DNA Demethylation

Human embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells are the stem cells of nonseminoma testicular germ cells tumors (TGCTs) and share remarkable similarities to human embryonic stem (ES) cells. In prior work we found that EC cells are hypersensitive to low nanomolar doses of 5-aza deoxycytidine (5-aza) and that this hypersensitivity partially depended on unusually high levels of the DNA methyltransferase, DNMT3B. We show here that low-dose 5-aza treatment results in DNA damage and induction of p53 in NT2/D1 cells. In addition, low-dose 5-aza results in global and gene specific promoter DNA hypomethylation. Low-dose 5-aza induces a p53 transcriptional signature distinct from that induced with cisplatin in NT2/D1 cells and also uniquely downregulates genes associated with pluripotency including NANOG, SOX2, GDF3 and Myc target genes. Changes in the p53 and pluripotency signatures with 5-aza were to a large extent dependent on high levels of DNMT3B. In contrast to the majority of p53 target genes upregulated by 5-aza that did not show DNA hypomethylation, several other genes induced with 5-aza had corresponding decreases in promoter methylation. These genes include RIN1, SOX15, GPER, and TLR4 and are novel candidate tumors suppressors in TGCTs. Our studies suggest that the hypersensitivity of NT2/D1 cells to low-dose 5-aza is multifactorial and involves the combined activation of p53 targets, repression of pluripotency genes, and activation of genes repressed by DNA methylation. Low-dose 5-aza therapy may be a general strategy to treat those tumors that are sustained by cells with embryonic stem-like properties. GEO number for the microarray data: GSE42647.
Competency Requirements for Transformational E-Government

One key aspect of e-government is its potential for an ICT enabled transformation of the public sector. Through ICT, new forms of collaboration and inter-organizational public service networks become feasible, making it possible to carry out the public sector's tasks more efficiently and effectively. However, a rather significant gap exists between this transformational potential and the tangible results that have been achieved so far. One reason for this slow and cumbersome implementation seems to be that public managers lack the necessary competencies to bring the promises of e-government to fruition. This article analyzes the changing competency requirements for public managers that accompany e-government and describes the first steps in the development of an e-government competency framework for public managers. The article sums up the results of a literature review on e-government competencies, a survey carried out for the article, and data gathered in focus group workshops. Based on these results, a first set of e-government competencies is then outlined that goes beyond pure ICT skills. The article concludes with a discussion of the framework and its implications for human resource management in the public sector.
Systematic Review of Occupational Therapy and Adult Cancer Rehabilitation: Part 1. Impact of Physical Activity and Symptom Management Interventions

This article is the first part of a systematic review of evidence for the effectiveness of cancer rehabilitation interventions within the scope of occupational therapy that address the activity and participation needs of adult cancer survivors. This article focuses on the importance of physical activity and symptom management. Strong evidence supports the use of exercise for cancer-related fatigue and indicates that lymphedema is not exacerbated by exercise. Moderate evidence supports the use of yoga to relieve anxiety and depression and indicates that exercise as a whole may contribute to a return to precancer levels of sexual activity. The results of this review support inclusion of occupational therapy in cancer rehabilitation and reveal a significant need for more research to explore ways occupational therapy can positively influence the outcomes of cancer survivors. Part 2 of the review also appears in this issue.
Bone Density Characteristics and Major Depressive Disorder in Adolescents

Objective Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common during adolescence, a period characterized by rapid bone mineral accrual. MDD has recently been associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) in adults. Our objective was to determine whether MDD is associated with BMD, bone turnover markers, vitamin D, and gonadal steroids in adolescents. Methods Sixty-five adolescents 12 to 18 years of age (32 boys: 16 with MDD and 16 controls; 33 girls: 17 with MDD and 16 controls) were included in a cross-sectional study. BMD and body composition were obtained by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Estradiol, testosterone, 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels, N-terminal propeptide of Type 1 procollagen (a marker of bone formation), and Type I collagen C-telopeptide (a marker of bone resorption) were measured. Results Boys with MDD had a significantly lower BMD at the hip (mean [standard deviation] = 0.99 [0.17] g/cm2 versus 1.04 [0.18] g/cm2, body mass index [BMI] adjusted, p = .005) and femoral neck (0.92 [0.17] g/cm2 versus 0.94 [0.17] g/cm2; BMI adjusted, p = .024) compared with healthy controls after adjusting for BMI. This significant finding was maintained after also adjusting for lean mass and bone age (hip: p = .007; femoral neck: p = .020). In girls, there were no significant differences in BMD between the girls with MDD and the controls after adjusting for BMI (p >.17). Conclusions Male adolescents with MDD have a significantly lower BMD as compared with healthy controls after adjusting for body mass and maturity. This association is not observed in girls.
Dexamethasone and vitamin B12 synergistically promote peripheral nerve regeneration in rats by upregulating the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Introduction Dexamethasone and vitamin B12 are currently used in the clinic to treat peripheral nerve damage but their mechanisms of action remain incompletely understood. In this study we hypothesized that dexamethasone and vitamin B12 promote the production of endogenous neurotrophic factors, thereby enhancing peripheral nerve repair. Material and methods Ninety-six adult male Wistar rats were employed to establish a sciatic nerve injury model. They were then randomly divided into 4 groups to be subjected to different treatment: saline (group A), dexamethasone (group B), vitamin B12 (group C), and dexamethasone combined with vitamin B12 (group D). The walking behavior of rats was evaluated by footprint analysis, and the nerve regeneration was assessed by electrophysiological analysis and ultrastructural examination. The expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor, NT-3 and IL-6 in the injured sciatic nerves was detected by immunohistochemical and RT-PCR analysis. Results Dexamethasone and vitamin B12 promoted the regeneration of myelinated nerve fibers and the proliferation of Schwann cells. Furthermore, dexamethasone and vitamin B12 promoted the recovery of sciatic functional index and sensory nerve conduction velocity, and upregulated BDNF expression in the injured sciatic nerves. Conclusions Dexamethasone and vitamin B12 promote peripheral nerve repair in a rat model of sciatic nerve injury through the upregulation of BDNF expression. These findings provide new insight into the neurotrophic effects of dexamethasone and vitamin B12 and support the application of these agents in clinical treatment of peripheral nerve injury.
Anatomy and Functionality of Leptomeningeal Anastomoses: A Review

Background— This review seeks to provide a structured presentation of existing knowledge of leptomeningeal anastomoses from anatomic and functional points of view and to identify problems and possible research directions to foster a better understanding of the subject and of stroke mechanisms. Summary of Review— Available data show that leptomeningeal anastomoses may be important in understanding stroke mechanisms and that leptomeningeal anastomoses play an important role in penumbra outcome. However, the literature shows no consensus between statements on the existence of leptomeningeal anastomoses and compensatory capacity. Conclusions— By analyzing the available literature and identifying the factors that contribute to this confusion, we found that variability and the functional consequences thereof are important but that quantitative data are lacking. Moreover, vascular remodeling is an issue to consider.