Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
DGIdb 2.0: mining clinically relevant drug–gene interactions

The Drug–Gene Interaction Database (DGIdb, www.dgidb.org) is a web resource that consolidates disparate data sources describing drug–gene interactions and gene druggability. It provides an intuitive graphical user interface and a documented application programming interface (API) for querying these data. DGIdb was assembled through an extensive manual curation effort, reflecting the combined information of twenty-seven sources. For DGIdb 2.0, substantial updates have been made to increase content and improve its usefulness as a resource for mining clinically actionable drug targets. Specifically, nine new sources of drug–gene interactions have been added, including seven resources specifically focused on interactions linked to clinical trials. These additions have more than doubled the overall count of drug–gene interactions. The total number of druggable gene claims has also increased by 30%. Importantly, a majority of the unrestricted, publicly-accessible sources used in DGIdb are now automatically updated on a weekly basis, providing the most current information for these sources. Finally, a new web view and API have been developed to allow searching for interactions by drug identifiers to complement existing gene-based search functionality. With these updates, DGIdb represents a comprehensive and user friendly tool for mining the druggable genome for precision medicine hypothesis generation.
Effect of putrescine on dragonhead under low temperature .

Dragonhead (Dracocephalummoldavica L.) isan annual, herbaceous plantof Lamiaceae and it has medicinal properties.Low temperature is one of the most important abiotic factors limiting growth, development, and distribution of plants. Polyamines such as Putrescine are small aliphatic low molecular weight polycationic nitrogenous compounds that are ubiquitous in higher plants. In this investigation study the role of Putrescine treatments (spray and root treatment) on physiological parameters on dragonhead under low temperature (12oC). Experiments show that MDA and H2o2 accumulate under cold but Put treatments reduce it. Other parameters such as proline and photosynthetic pigments increased with put treatments under cold stress.
Antioxidant Activity of SOD and Catalase Conjugated with Nanocrystalline Ceria

Interactions of nanoparticles with biological matter—both somatically and in nature—draw scientists’ attention. Nanoparticulate systems are believed to be our saviors, acting as versatile drug delivery vehicles. However, they can also cause life-threatening bodily damage. One of the most important properties of nanocrystalline cerium dioxide is its antioxidant activity, which decreases the abundance of reactive oxygen species during inflammation. In this paper, we report on synergistic effects of inorganic cerium oxide (IV) nanoparticles conjugated with the antioxidative enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase on scavenging oxygen and nitrogen radicals.
Applicability of ISNT and IST rules to the retinal nerve fibre layer using spectral domain optical coherence tomography in early glaucoma

Background To report the applicability of ISNT (inferior>superior>nasal>temporal) and IST (inferior>superior>temporal) rules on the retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) for detecting early glaucoma. Methods A prospective, cross-sectional study which included 80 eyes of 80 normal subjects and 76 eyes of 76 patients with early glaucoma by Hodapp-Anderson-Parrish classification. All subjects were of age more than 18 years, best corrected visual acuity 20/40 or better and a refractive error within ±5 dioptres (D) sphere and ±3 D cylinder. Control subjects had a normal ocular examination, intraocular pressure <22 mm Hg, no past history of high intraocular pressure, no family history of glaucoma, normal optic disc morphology and visual field. All eyes underwent SD-OCT examination for RNFL analysis. The sensitivity, specificity and likelihood ratio for violation of ISNT and IST rules was calculated for early glaucoma diagnosis. Results The ISNT rule was followed by 44 (55%) normal and 28 (36.84%) early glaucoma eyes. The IST rule was followed by 48 (60%) normal and 40 (52.63%) early glaucoma eyes. The sensitivity/specificity for violation of ISNT and IST rules for early glaucoma diagnosis was 63.2%/55% and 47.4%/60% respectively. The positive/negative likelihood ratio for ISNT and IST rules was 1.4/0.67 and 1.2/0.88, respectively, for diagnosing early glaucoma. Conclusions Even though useful during ophthalmoscopy, ISNT and IST rules by themselves don't clearly distinguish normal eyes from those with glaucoma when applied to the quadrant values on RNFL on SD-OCT examination.
The origins of the English drug "scene" 1890-1930.

The drug subculture which developed as part of the rise in narcotic drug use in the 1960s has received much attention. Academic sociologists and the media found this, as an area of deviant behaviour, a subject ofconsiderable intellectual interest and also of popular fascination. Drug taking as an alternative way of life, where, as Jock Young puts it, "drug use is given a different meaning from that existing previously", has become part of the sociology of deviance. Issues such as the formation and role of the altemative subculture, the social reaction against deviant drug use, and the particular importance of the changing social class of drug takers as providing justification for a moral response, have attracted attention. The transformation of the typical drug user in the 1960s from a middle-class middle-aged female into a young working-class male had, it is argued, much to do with the social reaction evoked, and the type of legal and social controls put into effect. ' In the 1980s, the link with unemployment has again been stressed; and the reappearance of cocaine as a "smart" drug has also provided another source of sensationalism for the popular press. However, the widespread assertion that drug taking has now become more "normal" would seem to downgrade the '60s emphasis on drug use as a subcultural activity.2 Certainly, the "junkie" stereotype is less prominent in media coverage. The historical analysis of how such groupings came to emerge, and their earlier antecedents, has been scanty. In other areas of deviance, the historical formations have begun to be analysed. Weeks' work on homosexuality, for instance, has traced the construction of a homosexual personality and "role" together with a separate homosexual way of life.3 Walkowitz's study of prostitution in Plymouth and Southampton has likewise shown how female prostitution, once one of a range of activities open to working-class girls, gradually became defined as an "exclusive" and separate occupation and way of life, accompanied by residential segregation.4 The
Physiologic TLR9-CpG-DNA Interaction Is Essential for the Homeostasis of the Intestinal Immune System

Background:Cytosine-guanosine dinucleotide (CpG) motifs are immunostimulatory components of bacterial DNA and activators of innate immunity through Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). Administration of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides before the onset of experimental colitis prevents intestinal inflammation by enforcement of regulatory mechanisms. It was investigated whether physiologic CpG/TLR9 interactions are critical for the homeostasis of the intestinal immune system. Methods:Mesenteric lymph node cell and lamina propria mononuclear cell (LPMC) populations from BALB/c wild-type (wt) or TLR9−/− mice were assessed by flow cytometry and proteome profiling. Cytokine secretion was determined and nuclear extracts were analyzed for nuclear factor kappa B (NF-&kgr;B) and cAMP response-element binding protein activity. To assess the colitogenic potential of intestinal T cells, CD4+-enriched cells from LPMC of wt or TLR9−/− donor mice were injected intraperitoneally in recipient CB-17 SCID mice. Results:TLR9 deficiency was accompanied by slight changes in cellular composition and phosphorylation of signaling proteins of mesenteric lymph node cell and LPMC. LPMC from TLR9−/− mice displayed an increased proinflammatory phenotype compared with wt LPMC. NF-&kgr;B activity in cells from TLR9−/− mice was enhanced, whereas cAMP response-element binding activity was reduced compared with wt. Transfer of lamina propria CD4+-enriched T cells from TLR9−/− mice induced severe colitis, whereas wt lamina propria CD4+-enriched T cells displayed an attenuated phenotype. Conclusions:Lack of physiologic CpG/TLR9 interaction impairs the function of the intestinal immune system indicated by enhanced proinflammatory properties. Thus, physiologic CpG/TLR interaction is essential for homeostasis of the intestinal immune system as it is required for the induction of counterregulating anti-inflammatory mechanisms.
Tensile strength and bonding characteristics of self-compacting concrete

Self-compacting concrete, also referred to as self-consolidating concrete, is able to flow and consolidate under its own weight and is deaerated almost completely while flowing in the formwork. It is cohesive enough to fill the spaces of almost any size and shape without segregation or bleeding. This makes SCC particularly useful wherever placing is difficult, such as in heavily-reinforced concrete members or in complicated workforms. The objectives of this research were to compare the Splitting Tensile Strength and Compressive Strength values of self-compacting and normal concrete specimens and to examine the bonding between the coarse aggregate and the cement paste using the Scanning Electron Microscope. Cylinder specimens (8” by 4”) were tested for Splitting Tensile and Compressive Strength after 28 days of standard curing, in order find out if self-compacting concrete would show an increase in these strengths and a better bonding between aggregate and cement paste, compared to normal concrete. The mix design used for making the concrete specimens was based on previous research work from literature. The water – cement ratios varied from 0.3 to 0.6 while the rest of the components were kept the same, except the chemical admixtures, which were adjusted for obtaining the self-compactability of the concrete. All SCC mixtures exhibited greater values in both splitting tensile and compressive strength after being tested, compared to normal concrete. The splitting tensile strength increased by approximately 30%, whilst the compressive strength was around 60% greater. In addition, the SCC tensile strengths after 7 days were almost as high as those obtained after 28 days for normal concrete. This was possible due to the use of mineral and chemical admixtures, which usually improve the bonding between aggregate and cement paste, thus increasing the strength of
Prone positioning in the acute respiratory distress syndrome.

To the Editor: Guérin and colleagues (June 6 issue)1 report a survival benefit associated with prone positioning in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Other researchers2 have shown a survival benefit associated with the prone position in patients who have an almost immediate decrease in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide when they are turned to the prone position.4 Can the authors provide data on changes in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide in their cohort?
Respiratory care of the patient with Duchenne muscular dystrophy: ATS consensus statement.

Background Purpose Methods Formation of Consensus Committee Methodologies for Synthesizing Expert Consensus Evaluation and Anticipatory Guidance of the Patient with DMD Routine Evaluation of Respiratory Function End of Life Directives Nutrition Sleep Evaluation Cardiac Involvement Management Airway Clearance Respiratory Muscle Training Noninvasive Nocturnal Ventilation Daytime Noninvasive Ventilation Continuous Invasive Ventilation Scoliosis in DMD Corticosteroids in Management of DMD Patient Education Long-term Care Issues End of Life Care
From Localization to Internationalization of Higher Education: Globalization and Transformation of University Education in Uganda.

Completed: 4 January, 2010 ABSTRACT The thrust for globalisation of society has taken centre stage. This means that people around the world are required to develop high level but low cost technologies and innovative competencies in order to enhance social development. In the field of higher education, university managers need to join the technological revolution by adopting low cost ICT and E‐learning facilities. This paper examines the role of E‐learning in university effectiveness so as to deal with the challenges of Social and global competitiveness in developing countries. The paper defines the concept of E‐learning, justifies the need for E‐learning in Universities in developing countries, obstacles and challenges of embracing E‐learning innovation, involving academics in E‐learning reform in Universities, implementing E‐learning technologies and innovation in Universities, and the remedies for ensuring successful E‐learning in Universities in developing countries. With the impact of globalisation, universities in the developing world have become competitive in terms of providing quality and flexible educational services to the diverse students’ communities. Therefore, creating an enduring vision and a strategic implementation framework for the effective implementation of technological innovations and E‐learning seems critical. The demand for skilled workforce equipped with technological skills and competencies to cope with the ever‐changing responsibilities at the work place warrants universities to adjust their teaching strategies beyond face‐to‐ face instruction in the classroom. However, it requires institutional leadership in order to promote technology use in university education.
Predicting prognosis in stable angina—results from the Euro heart survey of stable angina: prospective observational study

Abstract Objectives To investigate the prognosis associated with stable angina in a contemporary population as seen in clinical practice, to identify the key prognostic features, and from this to construct a simple score to assist risk prediction. Design Prospective observational cohort study. Setting Pan-European survey in 156 outpatient cardiology clinics. Participants 3031 patients were included on the basis of a new clinical diagnosis by a cardiologist of stable angina with follow-up at one year. Main outcome measure Death or non-fatal myocardial infarction. Results The rate of death and non-fatal myocardial infarction in the first year was 2.3 per 100 patient years; the rate was 3.9 per 100 patient years in the subgroup (n = 994) with angiographic confirmation of coronary disease. The clinical and investigative factors most predictive of adverse outcome were comorbidity, diabetes, shorter duration of symptoms, increasing severity of symptoms, abnormal ventricular function, resting electrocardiogaphic changes, or not having any stress test done. Results of non-invasive stress tests did not significantly predict outcome in the population who had tests done. A score was constructed using the parameters predictive of outcome to estimate the probability of death or myocardial infarction within one year of presentation with stable angina. Conclusions A score based on the presence of simple, objective clinical and investigative variables makes it possible to discriminate effectively between very low risk and very high risk patients and to estimate the probability of death or non-fatal myocardial infarction over one year.
Interactive Jellyfish Animation using Simulation

This paper presents an automatic animation system for jellyfish that accounts for interaction between the organism and its surroundings. We endeavor to model the jellyfish’s morphology, as well as its achieved thrust. We physically simulate the elastic body of the jellyfish and its surrounding sea water. We use a modified immersed boundary method to combine spring-mass systems and a grid-based semi-Lagrangian fluid solver. The resulting simulations are efficient with an acceptable compromise in physical accuracy. We reduce our model for axially symmetric species to 2D, and extrapolate the results to 3D. We add detail to the 3D shape with noise that is inspired by empirical observations of real jellyfish. We also suggest suitable contraction functions so that our virtual jellyfish propells itself within the water in a manner similar to the real organism. The resulting system is capable of animating jellyfish in real-time on modest desktop hardware.
Pharmacokinetic changes of antibiotic, antiviral, antituberculosis and antifungal agents during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in critically ill adult patients

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a life‐saving system used for critically ill patients with cardiac and/or respiratory failure. The pharmacokinetics (PK) of drugs can change in patients undergoing ECMO, which can result in therapeutic failure or drug toxicity requiring further management of drug complications. In this review, we discussed changes in the PK of antibiotic, antiviral, antituberculosis and antifungal agents administered to adult patients on ECMO. These drugs are crucial for managing infections, which commonly occur during ECMO.
Selfies and the (Creative) Self: A Diary Study

In this diary investigation, over 2 weeks we monitored the intensity of selfie posting among 292 Facebook users (60% females), aged between 18 and 50, to estimate the extent of selfying’s day-to-day variability and its predictors. The obtained effect was large; 64% of the variability in selfying was located within rather than between individuals. Day-to-day changes in creative activity explained a significant proportion of selfying, similarly as previous creative achievement did. At the same time, intelligence was negatively linked to the intensity of selfie posting and moderated the relationship between creative achievements and selfying. We discuss hypothetical links between selfie posting and the situational and individual differences characteristics related to creativity and cognitive abilities.
Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Activities of Heterofucans from the Seaweed Sargassum filipendula

Fucan is a term used to denominate a type of polysaccharide which contains substantial percentages of l-fucose and sulfate ester groups. We obtained five heterofucans from Sargassum filipendula by proteolytic digestion followed by sequential acetone precipitation. These heterofucans are composed mainly of fucose, glucose, glucuronic acid, galactose and sulfate. These fucans did not show anticoagulant activity in PT and aPTT tests. Their antioxidant activity was evaluated using the follow tests; total antioxidant capacity, scavenging hydroxyl and superoxide radicals, reducing power and ferrous ion [Fe(II)] chelating. All heterofucans displayed considerable activity, especially SF-1.0v which showed the most significant antioxidant potential with 90.7 ascorbic acid equivalents in a total antioxidant capacity test and similar activity when compared with vitamin C in a reducing power assay. The fucan antiproliferative activity was performed with HeLa, PC3 and HepG2 cells using MTT test. In all tested conditions the heterofucans exhibited a dose-dependent effect. The strongest inhibition was observed in HeLa cells, where SF-1.0 and SF-1.5 exhibited considerable activity with an IC50 value of 15.69 and 13.83 μM, respectively. These results clearly indicate the beneficial effect of S. filipendula polysaccharides as antiproliferative and antioxidant. Further purification steps and additional studies on structural features as well as in vivo experiments are needed to test the viability of their use as therapeutic agents.
mTOR inhibitors in pancreas transplant: adverse effects and drug-drug interactions

ABSTRACT Introduction: Patient and pancreas allograft survival improved following reductions in surgical complications, tighter donor selection and optimization in immunosuppressive protocols. However, long-term survival of pancreas allografts is adversely affected by rejection and immunosuppressive regimen toxicity. Areas covered: This article reviews the existing literature and knowledge of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORi). Some clinically relevant drug-drug interactions are highlighted. We summarize the nephrotoxic and diabetogenic mechanisms of mTORi after pancreas transplant, the alternatives to minimize these effects, and report on other adverse events. Expert opinion: Calcineurin inhibitor (CNI)-based regimens remain the mainstay treatment after pancreas-kidney transplant. However, long-term use of CNIs may be associated with nephrotoxicity. Switching from CNIs to mTORi (sirolimus/SRL and everolimus/EVR) may preserve kidney function, mainly EVR conversion. However, mTORi promote an imbalance of mTOR signaling during long-term follow-up and may ultimately contribute to proteinuria and hyperglycemia. These drugs disrupt autophagy, inhibit cell proliferation, and downregulate VEGF. Therefore, it is important to comprehend and interpret the experimental data. It is equally important to critically analyze clinical studies. Of importance, minimization of side effects, based on safe approaches, can prolong kidney allograft survival. Additional randomized-controlled studies are required to assess the impact of mTORi on pancreas allograft survival.
Malathion and fenvalerate induce micronuclei in mouse bone marrow cells

Health effects of pesticides are a major public health concern. In this study, the genotoxic effects of two commonly‐used pesticides, malathion, and fenvalerate, were investigated in mice in vivo. Induction of micronuclei in bone marrow cells was used as the test parameter following exposure to 2.5, 5 or 10 mg/kg malathion by intraperitoneal (i.p.) or per oral (p.o.) exposure. Exposure by both routes was found to cause a significant increase in micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes (PCEs) in a dose‐dependent manner (r = 0.9769; P < 0.05). The highest dose (10 mg/kg) induced significant (P < 0.05) cytotoxicity. In contrast, fenvalerate caused an increase in micronucleated PCEs only at higher doses (10 and 20 mg/kg) via i.p. injection, and was not associated with cytotoxicity. A significant dose‐response correlation was not observed in the dose ranges tested for fenvalerate (r = 0.8704; P > 0.05). The results suggest that technical grade malathion is a genotoxic agent. In contrast, technical grade fenvalerate appears to be a potent genotoxic agent, but this observation should be confirmed with further investigation(s). Environ. Mol. Mutagen. ,2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulation of complement and modulation of its activity in monoclonal antibody therapy of cancer

The complement system is a powerful tool of the innate immune system to eradicate pathogens. Both in vitro and in vivo evidence indicates that therapeutic anti-tumor monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can activate the complement system by the classical pathway. However, the contribution of complement to the efficacy of mAbs is still debated, mainly due to the lack of convincing data in patients. A beneficial role for complement during mAb therapy is supported by the fact that cancer cells often upregulate complement-regulatory proteins (CRPs). Polymorphisms in various CRPs were previously associated with complement-mediated disorders. In this review the role of complement in anti-tumor mAb therapy will be discussed with special emphasis on strategies aiming at modifying complement activity. In the future, clinical efficacy of mAbs with enhanced effector functions together with comprehensive analysis of polymorphisms in CRPs in mAb-treated patients will further clarify the role of complement in mAb therapy.