Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epigenetic Drugs in the Treatment of Endometriosis

We read with great interest the study by Seo et al1 entitled “Trichostatin A induces NAG-1 expression and apoptosis in human endometriotic stromal cells” published in your journal. The authors investigated the use of trichostatin A (TPA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACI), for inducing growth arrest and apoptosis of human endometriotic stromal cells (HESCs) obtained from 15 women with ovarian endometriomas who underwent previous cystectomy. In particular, TPA was effective in enhancing the expression of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-activated gene 1 (NAG-1), a critical proa-poptotic gene, which has been demonstrated in patients with endometriosis.2 The rational of this study is based on the evidence that epigenetic aberrations may underlie the pathogenesis of endo-metriosis and that the use of HDACIs can modulate the histone acetylation/deacetylation and, thus, protein transcription.3 These drugs have demonstrated to inhibit proliferation and to stimulate apoptosis of various cell types, including HESCs.4–7 Furthermore, their administration has been supported by previous studies on animal model with endometriosis, resulting efficacious in decreasing size and number of implants and in reducing disease-related hyperalgesia.8,9
Evolution of Size‐Dependent Flowering in Onopordum illyricum: A Quantitative Assessment of the Role of Stochastic Selection Pressures

We explore the evolution of delayed, size‐dependent reproduction in the monocarpic perennial Onopordum illyricum, using a range of mathematical models, parameterized with long‐term field data. Analysis of the long‐term data indicated that mortality, flowering, and growth were age and size dependent. Using mixed models, we estimated the variance about each of these relationships and also individual‐specific effects. For the field populations, recruitment was the main density‐dependent process, although there were weak effects of local density on growth and mortality. Using parameterized growth models, which assume plants grow along a deterministic trajectory, we predict plants should flower at sizes approximately 50% smaller than observed in the field. We then develop a simple criterion, termed the “1‐yr look‐ahead criterion,” based on equating seed production now with that of next year, allowing for mortality and growth, to determine at what size a plant should flower. This model allows the incorporation of variance about the growth function and individual‐specific effects. The model predicts flowering at sizes approximately double that observed, indicating that variance about the growth curve selects for larger sizes at flowering. The 1‐yr look‐ahead approach is approximate because it ignores growth opportunities more than 1 yr ahead. To assess the accuracy of this approach, we develop a more complicated dynamic state variable model. Both models give similar results indicating the utility of the 1‐yr look‐ahead criterion. To allow for temporal variation in the model parameters, we used an individual‐based model with a genetic algorithm. This gave very accurate prediction of the observed flowering strategies. Sensitivity analysis of the model suggested that temporal variation in the parameters of the growth equation made waiting to flower more risky, so selected for smaller sizes at flowering. The models clearly indicate the need to incorporate stochastic variation in life‐history analyses.
The Influence of Silver Nanoparticles on the Blood-Brain and the Blood-Cerebrospinal Fluid Barrier in vitro

The use of silver nanoparticles in medical and consumer products such as wound dressings, clothing and cosmetic has increased significantly in recent years. Still, the influence of these particles on our health and especially on our brain, has not been examined adequately up to now. We studied the influence of AgEO- (Ethylene Oxide) and AgCitrate-Nanoparticles (NPs) on the protective barriers of the brain, namely the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and the blood-cerebrospinal fluid (blood-CSF) barrier in vitro. The NPs toxicity was evaluated by examining changes in membrane integrity, cell morphology, barrier properties, oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions. AgNPs decreased cell viability, disturbed barrier integrity and tight junctions and triggered oxidative stress and DNA strand breaks. However, all mentioned effects were, at least partly, suppressed by a Citrate-coating and were most pronounced in the cells of the BBB as compared to the epithelial cells representing the blood-CSF barrier. AgEO- but not AgCitrate-NPs also triggered an inflammatory reaction in porcine brain capillary endothelial cells (PBCEC), which represent the BBB. Our data indicate that AgNPs may cause adverse effects within the barriers of the brain, but their toxicity can be reduced by choosing an appropriate coating material.
Reactive Compatibilization of Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/Polypropylene Blends by Polypropylene‐graft‐Maleic Anhydride. Part 1. Rheology, Morphology, Melting, and Mechanical Properties

Poly(trimethylene terephthalate)/polypropylene (PTT/PP) blends were prepared by melt blending. The rheology, morphology, melting, and mechanical properties of PTT/PP blends were investigated with and without the addition of polypropylene‐graft‐maleic anhydride (PP‐g‐MAH). The melt viscosity results showed that the fluid behavior of PTT/PP blends exhibited great disparity to that of PTT but similar to that of PP; the dispersed flexible PP phase in the blends served as a “ball bearing effect” under shear stress, which made the fluid resistance markedly reduced; by contrast, the relatively rigid PTT dispersed phase made only a small contribution to the viscosity. With 5 wt. % PP‐g‐MAH addition during melt processing, both the shear viscosity and the non‐Newtonian index of 70/30 PTT/PP blend were increased over that of the corresponding uncompatibilized one, whereas the shear viscosity of the 30/70 PTT/PP melt decreased slightly indicating that a considerable amount of PP‐g‐MAH did not act as compatibilizer but probably served as plasticizer. With the increasing of the other component, the melting temperature of the PTT phase showed a slight decrease while the melting temperature of the PP phase showed a slight increase. 5 wt. % PP‐g‐MAH addition had little influence on the melting temperatures of the two components. When PP≤20 wt. %, the cold crystallization temperature of the PTT phase (Tcc (PTT‐phase)) showed little change with the composition; however, it shifted to higher temperature when PP≥30 wt. %. The variations of the Tcc (PTT‐phase), with and without PP‐g‐MAH, suggested that, when PTT was a minor component, the excess PP‐g‐MAH which did not act as compatibilizer might serve as a plasticizer that made the PTT's cold crystallization process to be easier. The SEM results indicated that, for the uncompatibilized blends, the interfaces from particles pulling‐out are clear and smooth, while, for compatibilized blends, the reactive products are at the interfaces. The mechanical properties suggested that PP‐g‐MAH did not result in significant improvement of the toughness of the blend, but the tensile strength increased markedly.
A Content-Aware Quantisation Mechanism for Transform Domain Distributed Video Coding

The discrete cosine transform (DCT) is widely applied in modern codecs to remove spatial redundancies, with the resulting DCT coefficients being quantised to achieve compression as well as bit-rate control. In distributed video coding (DVC) architectures like DISCOVER, DCT coefficient quantisation is traditionally performed using predetermined quantisation matrices (QM), which means the compression is heavily dependent on the sequence being coded. This makes bit-rate control challenging, with the situation exacerbated in the coding of high resolution sequences due to QM scarcity and the non-uniform bit-rate gaps between them. This paper introduces a novel content-aware quantisation (CAQ) mechanism to overcome the limitations of existing quantisation methods in transform domain DVC. CAQ creates a frame-specific QM to reduce quantisation errors by analysing the distribution of DCT coefficients. In contrast to the predetermined QM that is applicable to only 4x4 block sizes, CAQ produces QM for larger block sizes to enhance compression at higher resolutions. This provides superior bit-rate control and better output quality by seeking to fully exploit the available bandwidth, which is especially beneficial in bandwidth constrained scenarios. In addition, CAQ generates superior perceptual results by innovatively applying different weightings to the DCT coefficients to reflect the human visual system. Experimental results corroborate that CAQ both quantitatively and qualitatively provides enhanced output quality in bandwidth limited scenarios, by consistently utilising over 90% of available bandwidth.
Barriers to using ICT in mathematics teaching: issues in methodology

In this paper we examine the barriers to using ICT of secondary mathematics teachers in the classroom. The sample contained 114 mathematics teachers from public secondary schools in New South Wales (Australia). The instrument used in this study was a survey questionnaire mailed to secondary schools in the New South Wales Department of Education and Training. The questionnaire design is a closed-response with five openended questions. Results of the study showed that lack of access to computer labs is the number one barrier to using ICT in the classroom. But when a second analysis using a logistic regression analysis modeling was used, the non-users of computers paint a different picture. The number of teachers indicating lack of lesson plans as a barrier was significantly higher for teachers who do not use technology than teachers who do use technology in the classroom.
Radioresistance of Adenine to Cosmic Rays.

The presence of nucleobases in carbonaceous meteorites on Earth is an indication of the existence of this class of molecules in outer space. However, space is permeated by ionizing radiation, which can have damaging effects on these molecules. Adenine is a purine nucleobase that amalgamates important biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, and ATP. Adenine has a unique importance in biochemistry and therefore life. The aim of this work was to study the effects of cosmic ray analogues on solid adenine and estimate its survival when exposed to corpuscular radiation. Adenine films were irradiated at GANIL (Caen, France) and GSI (Darmstadt, Germany) by 820 MeV Kr33+, 190 MeV Ca10+, 92 MeV Xe23+, and 12 MeV C4+ ion beams at low temperature. The evolution of adenine molecules under heavy ion irradiation was studied by IR absorption spectroscopy as a function of projectile fluence. It was found that the adenine destruction cross section (σd) follows an electronic stopping power (Se) power law under the form: CSen; C is a constant, and the exponential n is a dimensionless quantity. Using the equation above to fit our results, we determined σd = 4 × 10-17 Se1.17, with Se in kiloelectronvolts per micrometer (keV μm-1). New IR absorption bands arise under irradiation of adenine and can be attributed to HCN, CN-, C2H4N4, CH3CN, and (CH3)3CNC. These findings may help to understand the stability and chemistry related to complex organic molecules in space. The half-life of solid adenine exposed to the simulated interstellar medium cosmic ray flux was estimated as (10 ± 8) × 106 years. Key Words: Heavy ions-Infrared spectroscopy-Astrochemistry-Cosmic rays-Nucleobases-Adenine. Astrobiology 17, 298-308.
Do lifestyle interventions affect dietary diversity score in the general population?

Abstract Objective The dietary diversity score (DDS) is a good indicator of diet quality as well as of diet–disease relationships; therefore, the present study was undertaken to reveal the effect of a lifestyle intervention on this index. Design A baseline and three evaluation studies were conducted in two intervention districts (Isfahan and Najaf-Abad) and a reference area (Arak), all located in central Iran. The Isfahan Healthy Hearth Programme (IHHP) targeted the entire population of nearly 2 million in urban and rural areas of the intervention communities. One of the main strategies of the lifestyle intervention phase in the IHHP was healthy nutrition. Usual dietary intake was assessed using a forty-nine-item FFQ. A diversity score for each food group was calculated and the DDS was considered the sum of the diversity scores of the food groups. Results There were significant increases in DDS in both intervention areas (P = 0·0001) after controlling for confounding factors. There was a significant interaction between area and evaluation stage with regard to DDS (P = 0·0001). The effect of the intervention on the diversity scores of all food groups was also significant (P = 0·0001 for all) after adjusting for socio-economic status. Conclusion The community-based lifestyle intervention in the IHHP was successful in improving DDS which might be related to an increase of diet quality of the population that in turn might decrease the risks of chronic diseases.
Impact of oxygen status on 10B-BPA uptake into human glioblastoma cells, referring to significance in boron neutron capture therapy

Abstract Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) can potentially deliver high linear energy transfer particles to tumor cells without causing severe damage to surrounding normal tissue, and may thus be beneficial for cases with characteristics of infiltrative growth, which need a wider irradiation field, such as glioblastoma multiforme. Hypoxia is an important factor contributing to resistance to anticancer therapies such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In this study, we investigated the impact of oxygen status on 10B uptake in glioblastoma cells in vitro in order to evaluate the potential impact of local hypoxia on BNCT. T98G and A172 glioblastoma cells were used in the present study, and we examined the influence of oxygen concentration on cell viability, mRNA expression of L-amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), and the uptake amount of 10B-BPA. T98G and A172 glioblastoma cells became quiescent after 72 h under 1% hypoxia but remained viable. Uptake of 10B-BPA, which is one of the agents for BNCT in clinical use, decreased linearly as oxygen levels were reduced from 20% through to 10%, 3% and 1%. Hypoxia with <10% O2 significantly decreased mRNA expression of LAT1 in both cell lines, indicating that reduced uptake of 10B-BPA in glioblastoma in hypoxic conditions may be due to reduced expression of this important transporter protein. Hypoxia inhibits 10B-BPA uptake in glioblastoma cells in a linear fashion, meaning that approaches to overcoming local tumor hypoxia may be an effective method of improving the success of BNCT treatment.
Antimicrobial Activity of Methanol Extract from Ficus carica Leaves Against Oral Bacteria

Ficus carica L. (fig) belongs to the mulberry tree (Moraceae) which is one of the oldest fruits in the world. It has been used as a digestion promoter and a cure for ulcerative inflammation and eruption in Korea. The present study investigated the antimicrobial activity of methanol (MeOH) extract of figs against oral bacteria. The MeOH extract (MICs, 0.156 to 5 ㎎/㎖; MBCs, 0.313 to 5 ㎎/㎖) showed a strong antibacterial activity against oral bacteria. The combination effects of MeOH extract with ampicillin or gentamicin were synergistic against oral bacteria. We suggest that figs could be employed as a natural antibacterial agent in oral care products.
Multiscale patterns and drivers of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities in the roots and root‐associated soil of a wild perennial herb

Summary Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi form diverse communities and are known to influence above‐ground community dynamics and biodiversity. However, the multiscale patterns and drivers of AM fungal composition and diversity are still poorly understood. We sequenced DNA markers from roots and root‐associated soil from Plantago lanceolata plants collected across multiple spatial scales to allow comparison of AM fungal communities among neighbouring plants, plant subpopulations, nearby plant populations, and regions. We also measured soil nutrients, temperature, humidity, and community composition of neighbouring plants and nonAM root‐associated fungi. AM fungal communities were already highly dissimilar among neighbouring plants (c. 30 cm apart), albeit with a high variation in the degree of similarity at this small spatial scale. AM fungal communities were increasingly, and more consistently, dissimilar at larger spatial scales. Spatial structure and environmental drivers explained a similar percentage of the variation, from 7% to 25%. A large fraction of the variation remained unexplained, which may be a result of unmeasured environmental variables, species interactions and stochastic processes. We conclude that AM fungal communities are highly variable among nearby plants. AM fungi may therefore play a major role in maintaining small‐scale variation in community dynamics and biodiversity.
Neonatal swallowing assessment using fiberoptic endoscopic evaluation of swallowing (FEES)

Swallowing disorders which lead to aspiration are common in premature infants with a postmenstrual age (PMA) of >36 weeks. Aspiration is often silent and the unique symptom is desaturation during feeding. The aim of this study was 1) to determine the number of prematures with desaturations during feeding due to aspiration, using Fiberoptic Endoscopic Evaluation of Swallowing (FEES); 2) to relate clinical factors and FEES findings to aspiration; and 3) to describe type and efficacy of suggested treatments.
Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Coevolving Plant and Pathogen Associations

Spatial structuring is important in understanding the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of natural populations since local demes are rarely, if ever, completely isolated from neighboring demes. Plant host‐pathogen interactions provide good examples of coevolutionary systems where both numerical and genetic dynamics have been explicitly investigated in a spatial context and where genes under selection can be unambiguously identified. In this article, we focus on long‐term studies of several natural host‐pathogen interactions that span a range of life histories and taxa. We use these studies to evaluate some predictions for numerical and genetic patterns at local and regional scales. Specifically, we examine the degree of among‐population asynchrony in disease presence/absence and abundance, and the extent to which this is a function of isolation. For one host‐pathogen interaction (Linum‐Melampsora), we focus on whether there is local correspondence between resistance and virulence genes (as would be predicted by single‐population coevolutionary models) or whether such correspondence occurs at larger spatial scales. Finally, we discuss the implications of these studies with respect to the impact of host and pathogen life‐history variation on the spatial scale of coevolutionary interactions. Understanding coevolutionary interactions in nature requires a multidisciplinary approach, including long‐term empirical studies of multiple populations and computer modeling.
Mitochondrial DNA genetic diversity in six Italian donkey breeds (Equus asinus)

Abstract Donkeys have played an important role in agricultural land practices and in human historical periods of recent past and, still today, are used as a working power in several world areas. The objective of this study was to identify genetic variability in six Italian donkey breeds using mtDNA D-loop. Fifteen haplotypes, grouped in three haplogroups, were identified. The genetic indices were informative and showed a high population genetic variability. The results of AMOVA analyses based on geographic structuring of Italian populations highlighted that the majority of the observed variance is due to differences among samples within breeds. Comparison among Italian haplotypes and mtDNA D-loop sequences belonging to European domestic and Ethiopian donkeys and wild asses, clearly define two clades referred to Nubian lineage. The results can be useful to complement safeguard planes for donkey breeds that are considered to extinction endangered.
Extensive contemporary pollen-mediated gene flow in two herb species, Ranunculus bulbosus and Trifolium montanum, along an altitudinal gradient in a meadow landscape.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Genetic connectivity between plant populations allows for exchange and dispersal of adaptive genes, which can facilitate plant population persistence particularly in rapidly changing environments. METHODS Patterns of historic gene flow, flowering phenology and contemporary pollen flow were investigated in two common herbs, Ranunculus bulbosus and Trifolium montanum, along an altitudinal gradient of 1200-1800 m a.s. l. over a distance of 1 km among five alpine meadows in Switzerland. KEY RESULTS Historic gene flow was extensive, as revealed by Fst values of 0·01 and 0·007 in R. bulbosus and T. montanum, respectively, by similar levels of allelic richness among meadows and by the grouping of all individuals into one genetic cluster. Our data suggest contemporary pollen flow is not limited across altitudes in either species but is more pronounced in T. montanum, as indicated by the differential decay of among-sibships correlated paternity with increasing spatial distance. Flowering phenology among meadows was not a barrier to pollen flow in T. montanum, as the large overlap between meadow pairs was consistent with the extensive pollen flow. The smaller flowering overlap among R. bulbosus meadows might explain the slightly more limited pollen flow detected. CONCLUSIONS High levels of pollen flow among altitudes in both R. bulbosus and T. montanum should facilitate exchange of genes which may enhance adaptive responses to rapid climate change.
Increased N6‐methyladenosine causes infertility is associated with FTO expression

The N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) modification plays a central role in epigenetic regulation of the mammalian transcriptome. m6A can be demethylated by the fat mass‐ and obesity‐associated (FTO) protein and the α‐ketoglutarate‐dependent dioxygenase alkB homolog 5 (ALKBH5) protein. Much less is known about that whether m6A content is involved in POI (premature ovarian insufficiency) disease. In this case‐controlled study, 69 POI and 53 tubal occlusion patients were recruited from the reproduction centers in our hospital. For the POI animal model experiment, ovarian tissue was obtained from ten POI and nine healthy mice. An m6A test kit was developed to determine the m6A content in the RNA, and qPCR and western blot were used to examine the mRNA and protein expression levels of FTO and ALKBH5. FACS was used to measure the levels of proliferation and apoptosis, and siRNA was used to establish FTO and ALKBH5 knockdown cell lines. Our results showed that the m6A content in the RNA from POI patients and POI mice was significantly higher than control groups and that POI was characterized by the content of m6A. The mRNA and protein expression levels of FTO were significantly lower in the POI patients than control group and were associated with a risk of POI. These data suggest that the decreased mRNA and protein expression levels of FTO may be responsible for the increase in m6A in POI, which may further increase the risk of complications of POI. High m6A should be investigated further as a novel potential biomarker of POI.