Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tolerogenic versus Inflammatory Activity of Peripheral Blood Monocytes and Dendritic Cells Subpopulations in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Abnormalities in monocytes and in peripheral blood dendritic cells (DC) subsets have been reported in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We aim to clarify the tolerogenic or inflammatory role of these cells based on ICOSL or IFN-α and chemokine mRNA expression, respectively, after cell purification. The study included 18 SLE patients with active disease (ASLE), 25 with inactive disease (ISLE), and 30 healthy controls (HG). In purified plasmacytoid DC (pDC) was observed a lower ICOSL mRNA expression in ASLE and an increase in ISLE; similarly, a lower ICOSL mRNA expression in monocytes of ALSE patients was found. However, a higher ICOSL mRNA expression was observed in ASLE compared to HG in myeloid DCs. Interestingly, clinical parameters seem to be related with ICOSL mRNA expression. Regarding the inflammatory activity it was observed in purified monocytes and CD14−/low CD16+ DCs an increase of CCL2, CXCL9, and CXCL10 mRNA expression in ASLE compared to HG. In myeloid DC no differences were observed regarding chemokines, and IFN-α mRNA expression. In pDC, a higher IFN-α mRNA expression was observed in ASLE. Deviations in ICOSL, chemokine, and IFN-α mRNA expression in peripheral blood monocytes and dendritic cells subpopulations in SLE appear to be related to disease activity.
Do TNFA -308 G/A and IL6 -174 G/C gene polymorphisms modulate risk of gallbladder cancer in the north Indian population?

OBJECTIVES Gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) is highly aggressive neoplasm which arises in the background of gall stones and inflammation. GBC affects women 2-3 times more frequently than men. Pro-inflammatory TNFA and IL6 gene polymorphism has been associated with various inflammatory diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate whether TNFA -308 (G/A) and IL6 -174 G/C polymorphisms within flanking region of the genes are associated with GBC susceptibility. METHODS The promoter polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR-RFLP in 200 healthy subjects and 124 GBC patients. RESULTS Frequency distribution of TNFA -308 (G/A) and IL6 -174 G/C were not significantly different in GBC patients in comparison to healthy controls. However, frequency of TNFA -308 (G/A) polymorphism in female GBC patients without gallstone were significantly different (p-value= 0.006) when compared to healthy female subjects (OR=3.054; 95% CI=1.39-6.72). CONCLUSION These results suggest that TNFA -308 (G/A) polymorphism may influence the susceptibility of female gender gallbladder cancer in absence of gallstones while IL6 -174 G/C polymorphism does not seem to be playing significant role in the susceptibility to gallbladder cancer.
Impedes the Extracellular Spread of Infection Response without Germinal Centers That Induces a Switched Antibody Salmonella

T-dependent Ab responses are characterized by parallel extrafollicular plasmablast growth and germinal center (GC) formation. This study identiﬁes that, in mice, the Ab response against Salmonella is novel in its kinetics and its regulation. It demonstrates that viable, attenuated Salmonella induce a massive early T-dependent extrafollicular response, whereas GC formation is delayed until 1 mo after infection. The extrafollicular Ab response with switching to IgG2c, the IgG2a equivalent in C57BL/6 mice, is well established by day 3 and persists through 5 wk. Switching is strongly T dependent, and the outer membrane proteins are shown to be major targets of the early switched IgG2c response, whereas ﬂagellin and LPS are not. GC responses are associated with afﬁnity maturation of IgG2c, and their induction is associated with bacterial burden because GC could be induced earlier by treating with antibiotics. Clearance of these bacteria is not a consequence of high-afﬁnity Ab production, for clearance occurs equally in CD154-deﬁcient mice, which do not develop GC, and wild-type mice. Nevertheless, transferred low- and high-afﬁnity IgG2c and less efﬁciently IgM were shown to impede Salmonella colonization of splenic macrophages. Furthermore, Ab induced during the infection markedly reduces bacteremia. Thus, although Ab does not prevent the progress of established splenic infection, it can prevent primary infection and impedes secondary hemogenous spread of the disease. These results may explain why attenuated Salmonella -induced B cell responses are protective in secondary, but not primary infections. The Journal of Immunology, 2007, 178: 6200–6207.
A Meta-Analytic Review of Moral Licensing

Moral licensing refers to the effect that when people initially behave in a moral way, they are later more likely to display behaviors that are immoral, unethical, or otherwise problematic. We provide a state-of-the-art overview of moral licensing by conducting a meta-analysis of 91 studies (7,397 participants) that compare a licensing condition with a control condition. Based on this analysis, the magnitude of the moral licensing effect is estimated to be a Cohen’s d of 0.31. We tested potential moderators and found that published studies tend to have larger moral licensing effects than unpublished studies. We found no empirical evidence for other moderators that were theorized to be of importance. The effect size estimate implies that studies require many more participants to draw solid conclusions about moral licensing and its possible moderators.
Acute sensory ataxic neuropathy with antibodies to GD1b and GQ1b gangliosides and prompt recovery

Three patients developed acute pure sensory ataxic neuropathy. Two of the three patients had a recent Campylobacter jejuni infection. Patient 1 had monospecific IgG anti‐GD1b. Patients 2 and 3 had cross‐reactive IgG anti‐GQ1b and anti‐GD1b and patient 2 also had IgG anti‐GT1a. Motor nerve conduction studies were completely normal. Sensory conductions showed reduced amplitude or absent sensory nerve action potentials with normal or slightly slowed conduction velocities. In patient 2, serial electrophysiological studies showed reappearance and improvement of sensory nerve potential amplitudes in 4 weeks. All patients recovered completely in 2 months and sensory potential amplitudes normalized in 3–5 months. Our findings: (1) confirm the existence of a pure acute sensory ataxic neuropathy with cross‐reactive IgG anti‐GQ1b and anti‐GD1b as a variant of Guillain–Barré syndrome; (2) expand the clinical presentation of Guillain–Barré syndrome after C. jejuni infection and suggest that molecular mimicry is at the basis of acute sensory ataxic neuropathy; and (3) indicate that, in acute sensory ataxic neuropathy with prompt recovery, the site of the lesion is not in the primary sensory neurons and the pathophysiological mechanism may be functional in nature. Muscle Nerve, 2007
Opinions of Youngsters with Congenital Below-Elbow Deficiency, and Those of Their Parents and Professionals Concerning Prosthetic Use and Rehabilitation Treatment

Background Youngsters with unilateral congenital below-elbow deficiency (UCBED) seem to function well with or without a prosthesis. Reasons for rejecting prostheses have been reported earlier, but unfortunately not those of the children themselves. Furthermore, reasons for acceptance are underexplored in the literature. Objectives To investigate opinions of children and early and late adolescents with UCBED, and those of their parents and healthcare professionals, concerning (1) reasons to wear or not to wear prostheses and (2) about rehabilitation care. Methods During one week of online focus group interviews, 42 children of 8–12 y/o, early and late adolescents of 13–16 and 17–20 y/o, 17 parents, and 19 healthcare professionals provided their opinions on various topics. This study addresses prosthetic use or non-use of prosthetics and rehabilitation care. Data were analyzed using the framework approach. Results Cosmesis was considered to be the prime factor for choosing and wearing a prosthesis, since this was deemed especially useful in avoiding stares from others. Although participants functioned well without prostheses, they agreed that it was an adjuvant in daily-life activities and sports. Weight and limited functionality constituted rejection reasons for a prosthesis. Children and adolescents who had accepted that they were different no longer needed the prosthesis to avoid being stared at. The majority of participants highly valued the peer-to-peer contact provided by the healthcare professionals. Conclusions For children and adolescents with UCBED, prostheses appeared particularly important for social integration, but much less so for functionality. Peer-to-peer contact seemed to provide support during the process of achieving social integration and should be embedded in the healthcare process.
Neuroplasticity following non-penetrating traumatic brain injury

The primary objective of this review is to examine the methodology and evidence for neuroplasticity operating in recovery from traumatic brain injury (TBI), as compared with previous findings in patients sustaining perinatal and infantile focal vascular lesions. The evidence to date indicates that the traditional view of enhanced reorganization of function after early focal brain lesions might apply to early focal brain lesions, but does not conform with studies of early severe diffuse brain injury. In contrast to early focal vascular lesions, young age confers no advantage in the outcome of severe diffuse brain injury. Disruption of myelination could potentially alter connectivity, a suggestion which could be confirmed through diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Initial reports of DTI in TBI patients support the possibility that this technique can demonstrate alterations in white matter connections which are not seen on conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and might change over time or with interventions. Preliminary functional MRI studies of TBI patients indicate alterations in the pattern of brain activation, suggesting recruitment of more extensive cortical regions to perform tasks which stress computational resources. Functional MRI, coupled with DTI and possibly other imaging modalities holds the promise of elucidating mechanisms of neuroplasticity and repair following TBI.
Aqueous and Organic Solvent-Extracts of Selected South African Medicinal Plants Possess Antimicrobial Activity against Drug-Resistant Strains of Helicobacter pylori: Inhibitory and Bactericidal Potential

The aim of this study was to identify sources of cheap starting materials for the synthesis of new drugs against Helicobacter pylori. Solvent-extracts of selected medicinal plants; Combretum molle, Sclerocarya birrea, Garcinia kola, Alepidea amatymbica and a single Strychnos species were investigated against 30 clinical strains of H. pylori alongside a reference control strain (NCTC 11638) using standard microbiological techniques. Metronidazole and amoxicillin were included in these experiments as positive control antibiotics. All the plants demonstrated anti-H. pylori activity with zone diameters of inhibition between 0 and 38 mm and 50% minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC50) values ranging from 0.06 to 5.0 mg/mL. MIC50 values for amoxicillin and metronidazole ranged from 0.001 to 0.63 mg/mL and 0.004 to 5.0 mg/mL respectively. The acetone extracts of C. molle and S. birrea exhibited a remarkable bactericidal activity against H. pylori killing more than 50% of the strains within 18 h at 4× MIC and complete elimination of the organisms within 24 h. Their antimicrobial activity was comparable to the control antibiotics. However, the activity of the ethanol extract of G. kola was lower than amoxicillin (P < 0.05) as opposed to metronidazole (P > 0.05). These results demonstrate that S. birrea, C. molle and G. kola may represent good sources of compounds with anti-H. pylori activity.
Age at spinal cord injury determines muscle strength

As individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) age they report noticeable deficits in muscle strength, endurance and functional capacity when performing everyday tasks. These changes begin at ~45 years. Here we present a cross-sectional analysis of paralyzed thenar muscle and motor unit contractile properties in two datasets obtained from different subjects who sustained a cervical SCI at different ages (≤46 years) in relation to data from uninjured age-matched individuals. First, completely paralyzed thenar muscles were weaker when C6 SCI occurred at an older age. Muscles were also significantly weaker if the injury was closer to the thenar motor pools (C6 vs. C4). More muscles were strong (>50% uninjured) in those injured at a younger (≤25 years) vs. young age (>25 years), irrespective of SCI level. There was a reduction in motor unit numbers in all muscles tested. In each C6 SCI, only ~30 units survived vs. 144 units in uninjured subjects. Since intact axons only sprout 4–6 fold, the limits for muscle reinnervation have largely been met in these young individuals. Thus, any further reduction in motor unit numbers with time after these injuries will likely result in chronic denervation, and may explain the late-onset muscle weakness routinely described by people with SCI. In a second dataset, paralyzed thenar motor units were more fatigable than uninjured units. This gap widened with age and will reduce functional reserve. Force declines were not due to electromyographic decrements in either group so the site of failure was beyond excitation of the muscle membrane. Together, these results suggest that age at SCI is an important determinant of long-term muscle strength, and fatigability, both of which influence functional capacity.
NMDA Receptor-Mediated Subthreshold Ca2+ Signals in Spines of Hippocampal Neurons

We have used rapid confocal microscopy to investigate the mechanism of Ca2+ signals in individual dendritic spines of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells. The experiments focused on the signals that occur during single weak synaptic responses that were subthreshold for triggering postsynaptic action potentials. These Ca2+ signals were not strongly affected by blocking the EPSPs with the AMPA receptor antagonist CNQX. The signals were also not strongly reduced by blocking T-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) with Ni2+or by blocking a broad range of VGCCs with intracellular D890. The spine Ca2+ signals were blocked by NMDA receptor channel (NMDAR) antagonist and had the voltage dependence characteristic of these channels. Neither ryanodine nor cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), substances known to deplete intracellular Ca2+ stores, substantially reduced the amplitude of synaptically evoked Ca2+ signals. CPA slowed the recovery phase of Ca2+ signals in spines produced by synaptic stimulation or by backpropagating action potentials, suggesting a role of intracellular stores in Ca2+reuptake. Thus, we find that Ca2+ release from intracellular stores is not required to produce spine Ca2+ signals. We conclude that synaptic Ca2+ signals in spines are primarily caused by Ca2+ entry through NMDARs. Although these channels are largely blocked by Mg2+ at voltages near the resting potential, they can nevertheless produce significant Ca2+ elevation. The resulting Ca2+ signals are an integral component of individual evoked or spontaneous synaptic events and may be important in the maintenance of synaptic function.
Strength Parameters of Packaged Roma Tomatoes at Break Point under Compressive

Packaged tomatoes are highly perishable and tender, and are highly susceptible to mechanical damage during road transportation due to their low resistance to externally applied forces. This contributes greatly to the transit deformation leading to the breaking point under compression force. The study related mode of mechanical damage in the fruit to the strength parameters measured at break point, using compression tests. Experimental measurements of strength parameters of packaged Roma tomatoes were made to study the effects of ripeness stage, level of vibration and container type on load, deformation and stress at break of the fruit. Tomatoes harvested at three stages of ripeness: unripe (5.6 Brix %),), half-ripe (3.9 Brix %) and full-ripe (3.2 Brix %), were packed in plastic crate and raffia basket. The packaged tomatoes were subjected to three levels of vibration: non-vibrated, low-vibration (frequency 3.7 Hz) and high- vibration (frequency 6.7 Hz). These were compressed at a loading rate of 2.50 mm/min -1 in a Universal Testing Machine. Data obtained were statistically analyzed using the SPSS 110 software package. Load and stress at break decreased significantly (P=0.05) with advancing ripeness stage of the fruit. Vibration level significantly (P=0.001) lowered deformation at break. The two-factor interactions vibration*container and vibration*ripeness were significant (P=0.001 and P=0.005, respectively) on stress at break. The results obtained increase substantially our knowledge about the properties of tomato affecting mechanical damage in the tomatoes. This enables designers of tomato packaging to control mechanical damage in packaged tomatoes with due consideration for the breaking strength of the fruit.
Exploiting Nonacoustic Sensors for Speech Encoding

The intelligibility of speech transmitted through low-rate coders is severely degraded when high levels of acoustic noise are present in the acoustic environment. Recent advances in nonacoustic sensors, including microwave radar, skin vibration, and bone conduction sensors, provide the exciting possibility of both glottal excitation and, more generally, vocal tract measurements that are relatively immune to acoustic disturbances and can supplement the acoustic speech waveform. We are currently investigating methods of combining the output of these sensors for use in low-rate encoding according to their capability in representing specific speech characteristics in different frequency bands. Nonacoustic sensors have the ability to reveal certain speech attributes lost in the noisy acoustic signal; for example, low-energy consonant voice bars, nasality, and glottalized excitation. By fusing nonacoustic low-frequency and pitch content with acoustic-microphone content, we have achieved significant intelligibility performance gains using the DRT across a variety of environments over the government standard 2400-bps MELPe coder. By fusing quantized high-band 4-to-8-kHz speech, requiring only an additional 116 bps, we obtain further DRT performance gains by exploiting the ear's insensitivity to fine spectral detail in this frequency region.
Nonsingular Density Profiles of Dark Matter Halos and Strong Gravitational Lensing

We use the statistics of strong gravitational lenses to investigate whether mass profiles with a flat density core are supported. The probability for lensing by halos modeled by a nonsingular truncated isothermal sphere (NTIS) with image separations greater than a certain value (ranging from 0'' to 10'') is calculated. NTIS is an analytical model for the postcollapse equilibrium structure of virialized objects derived by Shapiro, Iliev, & Raga. This profile has a soft core and matches quite well with the mass profiles of dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxies deduced from their observed rotation curves. It also agrees well with the NFW (Navarro-Frenk-White) profile at all radii outside of a few NTIS core radii. Unfortunately, comparing the results with those for singular lensing halos (NFW and SIS + NFW) and strong lensing observations, the probabilities for lensing by NTIS halos are far too low. As this result is valid for any other nonsingular density profile (with a large core radius), we conclude that nonsingular density profiles (with a large core radius) for CDM halos are ruled out by statistics of strong gravitational lenses.
A hermeneutic inquiry into user-created personas in different Namibian locales

Persona is a tool broadly used in technology design to support communicational interactions between designers and users. Different Persona types and methods have evolved mostly in the Global North, and been partially deployed in the Global South every so often in its original User-Centred Design methodology. We postulate persona conceptualizations are expected to differ across cultures. We demonstrate this with an exploratory-case study on user-created persona co-designed with four Namibian ethnic groups: ovaHerero, Ovambo, ovaHimba and Khoisan. We follow a hermeneutic inquiry approach to discern cultural nuances from diverse human conducts. Findings reveal diverse self-representations whereby for each ethnic group results emerge in unalike fashions, viewpoints, recounts and storylines. This paper ultimately argues User-Created Persona as a potentially valid approach for pursuing cross-cultural depictions of personas that communicate cultural features and user experiences paramount to designing acceptable and gratifying technologies in dissimilar locales.
In Vitro Innervation as an Experimental Model to Study the Expression and Functions of Acetylcholinesterase and Agrin in Human Skeletal Muscle

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and agrin, a heparan-sulfate proteoglycan, reside in the basal lamina of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ) and play key roles in cholinergic transmission and synaptogenesis. Unlike most NMJ components, AChE and agrin are expressed in skeletal muscle and α-motor neurons. AChE and agrin are also expressed in various other types of cells, where they have important alternative functions that are not related to their classical roles in NMJ. In this review, we first focus on co-cultures of embryonic rat spinal cord explants with human skeletal muscle cells as an experimental model to study functional innervation in vitro. We describe how this heterologous rat-human model, which enables experimentation on highly developed contracting human myotubes, offers unique opportunities for AChE and agrin research. We then highlight innovative approaches that were used to address salient questions regarding expression and alternative functions of AChE and agrin in developing human skeletal muscle. Results obtained in co-cultures are compared with those obtained in other models in the context of general advances in the field of AChE and agrin neurobiology.
The Influence of Motivation, Knowledge, and Ability to Pay on Compliance in Paying Premiums for Self-Participants in the National Health Insurance Program in West Lombok Regency

Compliance among participants in the self-funded health insurance scheme to pay premiums is crucial to facilitate access to healthcare services. Lack of knowledge, motivation, and the ability to pay are factors contributing to payment arrears. The aim of this research is to identify the factors influencing the compliance of self-funded health insurance participants in paying premiums in West Lombok Regency in 2022. This study is a quantitative research using a cross-sectional design. The population in this study consisted of 50,630 individuals. The research sample included 397 people selected using the Multistage cluster random sampling technique. Data analysis involved univariate and bivariate analysis, with chi-square and logistic regression tests. The research results indicate a correlation between the level of knowledge (0.03), motivation (0.000), and the ability to pay (0.000) with the compliance of self-funded health insurance participants in paying premiums. Meanwhile, the most dominant influencing factor is motivation (p=0.000; OR=32.410). Social Security Administering Agency - Health (BPJS - Kesehatan) is expected to enhance information and socialization efforts among participants regarding the national health insurance program so that the public is motivated to be more compliant in premium payments, and to provide flexible payment options for participants with irregular incomes in the form of installment payments.