Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Urinary retinol excretion and kidney function in children with shigellosis.

BACKGROUND Acute infections, including diarrhea, are associated with an increased risk of vitamin A deficiency. Urinary retinol excretion during such infections may contribute to this risk. The mechanism accounting for urinary retinol loss has not been clearly defined. OBJECTIVE This study attempted to determine whether urinary retinol loss in children with acute infection is associated with impaired kidney function, particularly impaired tubular protein reabsorption. DESIGN Urinary retinol excretion and kidney function were examined in 66 hospitalized children 5 mo to 5 y of age with acute Shigella dysentery. RESULTS Urinary retinol loss occurred in 59% of children and was substantial (>0.1 micromol/d) in 8% of them. Children with more severe disease excreted higher concentrations of urinary retinol; those with a body temperature > or =40 degrees C excreted a mean of 0.10 +/- 0.18 micromol/d compared with 0.005 +/- 0.008 micromol/d for other children (P < 0.0001). Children with more severe disease also had impaired tubular reabsorption of low-molecular-weight proteins beta2-microglobulin and retinol binding protein (RBP)], although other measures of tubular and glomerular function were not similarly impaired. In multiple regression analysis, severity of disease indicators were the best predictors of tubular reabsorption of beta2-microglobulin (R2 = 0.53) whereas tubular reabsorption of beta2-microglobulin and RBP were found to be the best predictors of urinary retinol loss (R2 = 0.69). CONCLUSIONS A significant amount of retinol was excreted in the urine in children with shigellosis: 8% excreted >0.10 micromol/d (15% of the daily metabolic requirement). Impaired tubular reabsorption of low-molecular-weight proteins, such as RBP transporting retinol, appeared to be the cause of this urinary retinol loss.
Fat and carbohydrate balances during adaptation to a high-fat.

BACKGROUND Dietary fat contents are highly variable. Failure to compensate for the positive fat balance that occurs during the shift to a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet by increasing energy expenditure or by decreasing food intake may result in the gain of fat mass. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to investigate the time course of fat oxidation during adaptation to an isoenergetic high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet. DESIGN After a 5-d control diet, dietary fat was increased from 37% of energy to 50% of energy for 4 d in 6 healthy, young lean men. Respiratory quotient and substrate macronutrient oxidation and balance were measured in a respiratory chamber. Fasting concentrations of insulin, glucose, and triacylglycerol; maximal oxygen consumption (f1.gif" BORDER="0">O(2)max) during treadmill exercise; and free-living energy expenditure were determined. Body fat was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and visceral adipose tissue by computerized tomography. RESULTS Compared with the baseline diet, the high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet resulted in positive fat and protein balances and a negative carbohydrate balance. Insulin concentration and the postabsorptive respiratory quotient were positively correlated with the fat balance during the high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet, whereas f1.gif" BORDER="0">O(2)max during treadmill exercise was negatively related to fat balance. With use of stepwise regression, f1.gif" BORDER="0">O(2)max was the best predictor of fat balance. There was a negative correlation between fat balance and carbohydrate balance (r(2) = 0.88). CONCLUSION Both baseline insulin concentration and f1.gif" BORDER="0">O(2)max during treadmill exercise predict fat balance during the shift to a high-fat diet under isoenergetic conditions.
Fibromodulin reduces scar size and increases scar tensile strength in normal and excessive‐mechanical‐loading porcine cutaneous wounds

Hypertrophic scarring is a major postoperative complication which leads to severe disfigurement and dysfunction in patients and usually requires multiple surgical revisions due to its high recurrence rates. Excessive‐mechanical‐loading across wounds is an important initiator of hypertrophic scarring formation. In this study, we demonstrate that intradermal administration of a single extracellular matrix (ECM) molecule—fibromodulin (FMOD) protein—can significantly reduce scar size, increase tensile strength, and improve dermal collagen architecture organization in the normal and even excessive‐mechanical‐loading red Duroc pig wound models. Since pig skin is recognized by the Food and Drug Administration as the closest animal equivalent to human skin, and because red Duroc pigs show scarring that closely resembles human proliferative scarring and hypertrophic scarring, FMOD‐based technologies hold high translational potential and applicability to human patients suffering from scarring—especially hypertrophic scarring.
The seabird paradox: dispersal, genetic structure and population dynamics in a highly mobile, but philopatric albatross species

The philopatric behaviour of albatrosses has intrigued biologists due to the high mobility of these seabirds. It is unknown how albatrosses maintain a system of fragmented populations without frequent dispersal movements, in spite of the long‐term temporal heterogeneity in resource distribution at sea. We used both genetic (amplified fragment length polymorphism) and capture–mark–recapture (CMR) data to identify explicitly which among several models of population dynamics best applies to the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) and to test for migration–drift equilibrium. We previously documented an extremely low genetic diversity in this species. Here, we show that populations exhibit little genetic differentiation across the species’ range (ΘB < 0.05, where ΘB is an FST analogue). Furthermore, there was no evidence of hierarchical structure or isolation‐by‐distance. Wright's FST between pairs of colonies were low in general and the pattern was consistent with a nonequilibrium genetic model. In contrast, CMR data collected over the last decades indicated that about one bird per cohort has dispersed among islands. Overall, FST values were not indicative of contemporary dispersal as inferred from CMR data. Moreover, all genotypes grouped together in a cluster analysis, indicating that current colonies may have derived from one ancestral source that had a low genetic diversity. A metapopulation dynamics model including a recent (postglacial) colonization of several islands seems consistent with both the very low levels of genetic diversity and structure within the wandering albatross. Yet, our data suggest that several other factors including ongoing gene flow, recurrent long‐distance dispersal and source‐sink dynamics have contributed to different extent in shaping the genetic signature observed in this species. Our results show that an absence of genetic structuring may in itself reveal little about the true population dynamics in seabirds, but can provide insights into important processes when a comparison with other information, such as demographic data, is possible.
Longitudinal Shear Loading of a Unidirectional Composite

The behavior of a unidirectional fiber-reinforced composite ma terial subjected to a shear loading in the direction of the filaments is of fundamental importance in the understanding of composite material behavior. The shear stiffness and strength values asso ciated with this type of loading can be considered as fundamental properties characterizing the material. The problem of a doubly periodic rectangular array of parallel elastic filaments of doubly symmetric but otherwise arbitrary shape contained in an elastic matrix material subjected to shear stress components in the directions of the filament axes has been formulated using a theory of elasticity analysis. A finite difference representation of the governing partial differential equations of equilibrium and stress-displacement equations has been utilized in obtaining a solution by a systematic over-relaxation procedure. Numerical results have been obtained for a variety of filament cross-sectional shapes, various filament-to-matrix shear modulus ratios (ranging from zero to infinity), and a range of filament spacings varying from filaments nearly in contact to extremely wide spacings in which interaction effects between filaments are essentially zero. Theoretical results have been compared with the limited experimental data presently available. The results obtained permit a detailed description of the micro mechanical behavior of a composite material subjected to longitudinal shear loading. A study of local stress distributions in the composite provides a means of predicting shear strength as well as stiffness as a function of the material properties of the constituents and their geometry. 1. S. W. Tsai, "Strength Characteristics of Composite Materials," NASA Contractor Report NASA CR-224, April 1965. 2. S. W. Tsai, D. F. Adams, and D. R. Doner, "Effect of Constituent Material Properties on the Strength of Fiber-Reinforced Composite Materials," Air Force Materials Laboratory Contractor Report AFML-TR-66-190, August 1966. 3. Z. Hashin and B. W. Rosen, "The Elastic Moduli of Fiber-reinforced Materials," J. Applied Mechanics, Vol. 31E (1964), p. 223. 4. C. H. Chen and Shun Cheng, "Mechanical Properties of Fiber-reinforced Com posites and of Perforated Solids," J. Composite Materials, Vol. 1 (1967), p. 30. 5. H. B. Wilson, Jr. and J. G. Goree, "Transverse Shear Loading in an Elastic Matrix Containing Two Elastic Circular Cylindrical Inclusions," Mathematical Studies of Composite Materials III, Rohm and Haas Company Report, Hunts ville, Alabama, June 1966.
Particle Motions in Absorbing Medium with Hard and Soft Obstacles

Abstract We consider a particle evolving according to a Markov motion in an absorbing medium. We analyze the long term behavior of the time at which the particle is killed and the distribution of the particle conditional upon survival. Under given regularity conditions, these quantities are characterized by the limiting distribution and the Lyapunov exponent of a nonlinear Feynman-Kac operator. We propose to approximate numerically this distribution and this exponent based on various interacting particle system interpretations of the Feynman-Kac operator. We study the properties of the resulting estimates.
Inflexibility of AMPK-mediated metabolic reprogramming in mitochondrial disease

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy, lactic acidosis, and stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome is most commonly caused by the A3243G mutation of mitochondrial DNA. The capacity to utilize fatty acid or glucose as a fuel source and how such dynamic switches of metabolic fuel preferences and transcriptional modulation of adaptive mechanism in response to energy deficiency in MELAS syndrome have not been fully elucidated. The fibroblasts from patients with MELAS syndrome demonstrated a remarkable deficiency of electron transport chain complexes I and IV, an impaired cellular biogenesis under glucose deprivation, and a decreased ATP synthesis. In situ analysis of the bioenergetic properties of MELAS cells demonstrated an attenuated fatty acid oxidation that concomitantly occurred with impaired mitochondrial respiration, while energy production was mostly dependent on glycolysis. Furthermore, the transcriptional modulation was mediated by the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway, which activated its downstream modulators leading to a subsequent increase in glycolytic flux through activation of pyruvate dehydrogenase. In contrast, the activities of carnitine palmitoyltransferase for fatty acid oxidation and acetyl-CoA carboxylase-1 for fatty acid synthesis were reduced and transcriptional regulation factors for biogenesis were not altered. These results provide novel information that MELAS cells lack the adaptive mechanism to switch fuel source from glucose to fatty acid, as glycolysis rates increase in response to energy deficiency. The aberrant secondary cellular responses to disrupted metabolic homeostasis mediated by AMPK signaling pathway may contribute to the development of the clinical phenotype.
Automatic real time localization of frowning and smiling faces under controlled head rotations

The aim of the present study was to develop a new method for fast localization of the face from streaming colour video. In the method, the face is located by analysing local properties of four facial landmarks, namely, regions of eyes, nose, and mouth. The method consists of three stages. First, the face-like skin-coloured image region is segmented from the background and transformed into the grey scale representation. Second, the cropped image is convolved with Sobel operator in order to extract local oriented edges at 16 orientations. The extracted edges are further grouped to form regions of interest representing candidates for facial landmarks. The orientation portraits, which define the distribution of local oriented edges inside the located region, are matched against the edge orientation model to verify the existence of the landmark in the image. The located landmarks are spatially arranged into the face-like constellations. Finally, the best face-like constellation of the landmark candidates is defined by a new scoring function. The test results showed that the proposed method located neutral, frowning, and smiling faces with high rates in real time from facial images under controlled head rotation variations.
ANTIPROLIFERATIVE AND APOPTOTIC EFFECTS OF FICUS PSEUDOPALMA BLANCO (MORACEAE) AGAINST HEPATOCARCINOMA (HepG2)

Objectives.Hepatocellular carcinoma is the third most frequent cause of cancer-related death in the Philippines. The prevalence of this disease continuously pose a great challenge to the medical and health sectors of the country, especially in discovering safe, efficacious and cheap alternative medicines with less or no adverse side effects. Among our endemic medicinal plant species that belong to Moraceae family, Ficus pseudopalma remains understudied. To our knowledge, there are no reports into the molecular mechanisms underlying the growth inhibitory effects of F. pseudopalma against hepatocellular carcinoma. We provided evidence that F. pseudopalma enhances apoptotic cell death of HepG2, specifically targeting DNA damage. Methods. To assess the apoptotic and genotoxic abilities of the plant extract, trypan blue exclusion test, MTT, Comet, TUNEL and Caspase-3 activations assays were performed. Results. Results showed that the crude extract of F. pseudopalma dose-dependently inhibited cell growth of HepG2 recording an IC 50 of 353. 342µg/mL. Interestingly, all assays indicated apoptotic DNA fragmentation of HepG2 cells at concentrations of 300µg/ml and 1000µg/ml. In particular, changes in morphological features such as aggregation of chromatin, cell shrinkage, and formation of apoptotic bodies were also observed in treated HepG2 cells. Conclusion. The data strongly suggest that F. pseudopalma may be used as an alternative, natural, cheap, readily available, and potent cancer chemoprotective agent by inhibiting cell growth and promoting cell death. The study provides the first molecular evidence on the plant that induces apoptosis for the development of phytotherapeutic regimen for cancer prevention or treatment. Keywords: Ficus pseudopalma , cytotoxicity, apoptosis, Comet assay, TUNEL assay, caspase assay
Association between dietary fiber and endometrial cancer: a dose-response meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Endometrial cancer is the most common female gynecologic cancer in the United States. Excessive and prolonged exposure of the endometrium to estrogens unopposed by progesterone and a high body mass are well-established risk factors for endometrial cancer. Although dietary fiber has been shown to beneficially reduce estrogen concentrations and prevent obesity, its role in endometrial cancer has received relatively little attention. OBJECTIVE The objective was to summarize and quantify the current evidence of a role of dietary fiber consumption in endometrial cancer risk and to identify research gaps in this field. DESIGN We conducted a systematic literature review of articles published through February 2007 to summarize the current evidence of a relation between dietary fiber consumption and endometrial cancer risk and to quantify the magnitude of the association by conducting a dose-response meta-analysis. RESULTS Ten articles representing 1 case-cohort study and 9 case-control studies that evaluated several aspects of fiber consumption and endometrial cancer risk were identified through searches in various databases. On the basis of 7 case-control studies, the random-effects summary risk estimate was 0.82 (95% CI: 0.75, 0.90) per 5 g/1000 kcal dietary fiber, with no evidence of heterogeneity (I(2): 0%, P for heterogeneity: 0.55). The random-effects summary estimate was 0.71 (95% CI: 0.59, 0.85) for the comparison of the highest with the lowest dietary fiber intake in 8 case-control studies, with little evidence of heterogeneity (I(2): 20.8%, P for heterogeneity: 0.26). In contrast, the only prospective study that evaluated this association did not find an association. CONCLUSIONS Although the current evidence, based on data from case-control studies, supports an inverse association between dietary fiber and endometrial cancer, additional population-based studies, particularly cohort studies, are needed before definitive conclusions can be drawn.
Effect of ascorbic acid intake on nonheme-iron absorption from a complete diet.

BACKGROUND Ascorbic acid has a pronounced enhancing effect on the absorption of dietary nonheme iron when assessed by feeding single meals to fasting subjects. This contrasts with the negligible effect on iron balance of long-term supplementation with vitamin C. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to examine the effect of vitamin C on nonheme-iron absorption from a complete diet rather than from single meals. DESIGN Iron absorption from a complete diet was measured during 3 separate dietary periods in 12 subjects by having the subjects ingest a labeled wheat roll with every meal for 5 d. The diet was freely chosen for the first dietary period and was then altered to maximally decrease or increase the dietary intake of vitamin C during the second and third periods. RESULTS There was no significant difference in mean iron absorption among the 3 dietary periods despite a range of mean daily intakes of dietary vitamin C of 51-247 mg/d. When absorption values were adjusted for differences in iron status and the 3 absorption periods were pooled, multiple regression analysis indicated that iron absorption correlated negatively with dietary phosphate (P = 0.0005) and positively with ascorbic acid (P = 0.0069) and animal tissue (P = 0.0285). CONCLUSIONS The facilitating effect of vitamin C on iron absorption from a complete diet is far less pronounced than that from single meals. These findings may explain why several prior studies did not show a significant effect on iron status of prolonged supplementation with vitamin C.
Phenotypic and phylogenetic correlates of geographic range size in Canadian freshwater fishes

Aim We investigated the relationship between geographic range size (GRS), longitude and latitude (Rapoport's rule) in Canadian freshwater fishes. We tested hypotheses regarding the phenotypic and phylogenetic determinants of GRS to unravel processes driving the spatial patterns of GRS in Canada. Because GRS is negatively correlated with extinction risk, we also aimed at identifying biological proxies that may be used to predict extinction risks. Location North-America, Canadian Shield. Methods We built a database combining range area, seven ecological traits, and a molecular phylogeny for native Canadian freshwater fishes. We tested latitudinal and longitudinal patterns in GRS by the mean of Pearson correlations. We combined phylogenetic generalized least squares (PGLS) models and a model selection procedure to tease apart hypotheses (and hence ecological traits) that best explained GRS in our dataset. PGLSs were also used to explore relationships between ecological traits, phylogeny, and species mid-range latitude and longitude. Partial regressions were used to determine direct and indirect relationships driving spatial patterns of GRS in Canadian freshwater fishes. Results There was a significant and positive correlation between GRS, latitude and longitude. According to PGLSs, three ecological traits, related to the habitat use, migratory and thermal tolerance hypotheses, were significantly correlated with GRS, mid-range longitude and mid-range latitude. Two traits related to locomotion were further related to GRS. There was no phylogenetic effect on GRS (i.e. no phylogenetic conservatism). Partial regressions revealed complex direct and indirect relationships between ecological traits, mid-range latitude, mid-range longitude and GRS. Main conclusions Our results show that traits related to the ability to use dispersal corridors, as well as traits directly related to mobility, are useful in understanding biodiversity patterns such as Rapoport's rule. However, because of a weak explanatory power, we conclude that using biological proxies of GRS to predict species at risk of extinction would be premature.
No Place to Hide: When Shame Causes Proselfs to Cooperate

Shame is considered a social emotion with action tendencies that elicit socially beneficial behavior. Yet, unlike other social emotions, prior experimental studies do not indicate that incidental shame boosts prosocial behavior. Based on the affect as information theory, we hypothesize that incidental feelings of shame can increase cooperation, but only for self-interested individuals, and only in a context where shame is relevant with regards to its action tendency. To test this hypothesis, cooperation levels are compared between a simultaneous prisoner's dilemma (where “defect” may result from multiple motives) and a sequential prisoner's dilemma (where “second player defect” is the result of intentional greediness). As hypothesized, shame positively affected proselfs in a sequential prisoner's dilemma. Hence ashamed proselfs become inclined to cooperate when they believe they have no way to hide their greediness, and not necessarily because they want to make up for earlier wrong-doing.
Fluorescence and autoradiographic evaluation of tau PET ligand PBB3 to α‐synuclein pathology

Background: The tau PET ligand 2‐((1E,3E)‐4‐(6‐([11C]methylamino)pyridin‐3‐yl)buta‐1,3‐dienyl)benzo[d]thiazol‐6‐ol ([11C]PBB3) binds to a wide range of tau pathology; however, binding property of PBB3 to non‐tau inclusions remains unknown. To clarify whether [11C]PBB3 binds to α‐synuclein pathology, reactivity of PBB3 was assessed by in vitro fluorescence and autoradiographic labeling of brain sections from α‐synucleinopathies patients.
A Comparison of Whole-Genome Shotgun-Derived Mouse Chromosome 16 and the Human Genome

The high degree of similarity between the mouse and human genomes is demonstrated through analysis of the sequence of mouse chromosome 16 (Mmu 16), which was obtained as part of a whole-genome shotgun assembly of the mouse genome. The mouse genome is about 10% smaller than the human genome, owing to a lower repetitive DNA content. Comparison of the structure and protein-coding potential of Mmu 16 with that of the homologous segments of the human genome identifies regions of conserved synteny with human chromosomes (Hsa) 3, 8, 12, 16, 21, and 22. Gene content and order are highly conserved between Mmu 16 and the syntenic blocks of the human genome. Of the 731 predicted genes on Mmu 16, 509 align with orthologs on the corresponding portions of the human genome, 44 are likely paralogous to these genes, and 164 genes have homologs elsewhere in the human genome; there are 14 genes for which we could find no human counterpart.