Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunomodulation and postpartum relapses in patients with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) mainly affects young women during a life period with desire for children. Relapse rate decreases during pregnancy and rises after delivery. Therefore, studies on satisfactory postpartum relapse prevention and its efficacy are essential. Previous smaller and uncontrolled studies suggested that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) administration reduced the relapse rate following delivery. The objective of our observational study was to compare the efficacy of IVIG application, treatment with other immunomodulatory compounds or no treatment at all on the postpartal relapse rate in female MS patients from our pregnancy database. One hundred and twenty four pregnancies were followed in a partly prospective design. Relapse rate was reduced during pregnancy (p<0.001) and increased during the initial 3 months after delivery in all MS patients (p<0.001). The relapse rate reduction showed only a trend in favour of the IVIG-treated women, probably due to the small number of patients. However, analysing the expected number of relapses, IVIG treated patients had significantly less relapses postpartum than the untreated control group matched for disease activity before and during pregnancy (χ 2, p = 0.013). The results suggest that IVIG could be an option to prevent postpartum relapse of MS.
ER–plasma membrane contact sites contribute to autophagosome biogenesis by regulation of local PI3P synthesis

The double‐membrane‐bound autophagosome is formed by the closure of a structure called the phagophore, origin of which is still unclear. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is clearly implicated in autophagosome biogenesis due to the presence of the omegasome subdomain positive for DFCP1, a phosphatidyl‐inositol‐3‐phosphate (PI3P) binding protein. Contribution of other membrane sources, like the plasma membrane (PM), is still difficult to integrate in a global picture. Here we show that ER–plasma membrane contact sites are mobilized for autophagosome biogenesis, by direct implication of the tethering extended synaptotagmins (E‐Syts) proteins. Imaging data revealed that early autophagic markers are recruited to E‐Syt‐containing domains during autophagy and that inhibition of E‐Syts expression leads to a reduction in autophagosome biogenesis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that E‐Syts are essential for autophagy‐associated PI3P synthesis at the cortical ER membrane via the recruitment of VMP1, the stabilizing ER partner of the PI3KC3 complex. These results highlight the contribution of ER–plasma membrane tethers to autophagosome biogenesis regulation and support the importance of membrane contact sites in autophagy.
Prevalence and Antibiotic-Sensitivity of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Pyogenic Skin Affections of Animals and Human

MRSA infections commonly present as skin and soft tissue infections in man and animals. Treatment usually includes opening of abscess and drainage with or without antibiotic therapy. MRSA is usually resistant to certain antibiotics including methicillin, oxacillin, penicillin and ampicillin. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of MRSA in man and animals with suppurative skin affections in Assiut Governorate and to test the phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic susceptibility of the isolated MRSA strains to the commonly-used antibiotics in Egyptian medical practices. MRSA were detected in 3.0% of tested sheep and goat, 27.3% of equines, 7.7% of cows and in 14.3% of tested humans in the same area. All animal and man MRSA strains were positive to erm(A), TetK and TetM genes, but erm(C) gene could only be detected in 80% of human MRSA isolates. human and animal MRSA isolates were resistant to penicillin and ampicillin antibiotics with MIC ranging from 8 to 128 µg/ml. Sheep and cow MRSA isolates were resistant to oxytetracycline, while equine isolates were sensitive to it. About 44.4% of human isolates were resistant to oxytetracycline. All animal-derived MRSA isolates were resistant to cefixime and more than of 55% of human isolates were also resistant to the same drug. All MRSA isolates were sensitive to clindamycin except for strains isolated from cows. Enerofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were the most effective antibiotics against all MRSA isolates. None of the 16 MRSA isolates had reduced susceptibility to vancomycin with MICs laying in the 0.5-4 µg/mL range. The similarity in phenotypic and genotypic antibiotic susceptibility of MRSA isolates recovered from both humans and animal cases, despite the difference in the frequently used antibiotics in veterinary and human hospitals, suggesting the possibility of zoonotic circulation of those isolates between them.
Aloe vera for treating acute and chronic wounds

BACKGROUND: Aloe vera is a cactus-like perennial succulent belonging to the Liliaceae Family that is commonly grown in tropical climates. Animal studies have suggested that Aloe vera may help accelerate the wound healing process. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of Aloe vera-derived products (for example dressings and topical gels) on the healing of acute wounds (for example lacerations, surgical incisions and burns) and chronic wounds (for example infected wounds, arterial and venous ulcers). METHODS: Search methods: We searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (9 September 2011), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2011, Issue 3), Ovid MEDLINE (2005 to August Week 5 2011), Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations 8 September 2011), Ovid EMBASE (2007 to 2010 Week 35), Ovid AMED (1985 to September 2011) and EBSCO CINAHL (1982 to 9 September 2011). We did not apply date or language restrictions. Selection criteria: We included all randomised controlled trials that evaluated the effectiveness of Aloe vera, aloe-derived products and a combination of Aloe vera and other dressings as a treatment for acute or chronic wounds. There was no restriction in terms of source, date of publication or language. An objective measure of wound healing (either proportion of completely healed wounds or time to complete healing) was the primary endpoint. Data collection and analysis: Two review authors independently carried out trial selection, data extraction and risk of bias assessment, checked by a third review author. MAIN RESULTS: Seven trials were eligible for inclusion, comprising a total of 347 participants. Five trials in people with acute wounds evaluated the effects of Aloe vera on burns, haemorrhoidectomy patients and skin biopsies. Aloe vera mucilage did not increase burn healing compared with silver sulfadiazine (risk ratio (RR) 1.41, 95% conﬁdence interval (CI) 0.70 to 2.85). A reduction in healing time with Aloe vera was noted after haemorrhoidectomy (RR 16.33 days, 95% CI 3.46 to 77.15) and there was no difference in the proportion of patients completely healed at follow up after skin biopsies. In people with chronic wounds, one trial found no statistically signiﬁcant difference in pressure ulcer healing with Aloe vera (RR 0.10, 95% CI -1.59 to 1.79) and in a trial of surgical wounds healing by secondary intention Aloe vera signiﬁcantly delayed healing (mean difference 30 days, 95% CI 7.59 to 52.41). Clinical heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis. The poor quality of the included trials indicates that the trial results must be viewed with extreme caution as they have a high risk of bias. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is currently an absence of high quality clinical trial evidence to support the use of Aloe vera topical agents or Aloe vera dressings as treatments for acute and chronic wounds
Complete purification and characterization of alpha-3-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase encoded by the human blood group A gene.

Human alpha-3-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase has been purified 27,000,000-fold from A1 plasma by (NH4)2SO4 fractionation and affinity chromatography on Sepharose 4B, anti-human group O plasma antibodies-Sepharose 4B, and Blue Dextran-Sephadex G-25. A modified procedure in the Sepharose 4B step was developed by batch adsorption and desorption experiments. Cibacron Blue F3G-A, the chromophore of Blue Dextran, was found to bind to the enzyme. UDP is an effective inhibitor of this binding. The pure transferase has an apparent molecular weight of 35,000 as judged by SDS-PAGE in the presence of a reducing agent. The specific activity is 16 pmol/min.ng enzyme, which is comparable to that (30 pmol/min.ng enzyme) of alpha-3-N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase from porcine submaxillary glands [Schwyzer and Hill (1977) J. Biol. Chem. 252, 2338-2355]. The apparent Km values for UDP-GalNAc, 2'-fucosyllactose, and lacto-N-fucopentaose I are 13, 270, and 350 microM, respectively. The reaction velocity was found to fall off again at high concentrations of oligosaccharide acceptor substrates. The apparent Ki values for UDP and UDP-galactose are 8.6 and 6.2 microM, respectively. The pure enzyme also catalyzes the transfer of galactose in alpha-linkage to 2'-fucosyllactose though the transfer rate of galactose is much lower than that of N-acetylgalactosamine.
Phase II trial of oral rubitecan in previously treated pancreatic cancer patients.

BACKGROUND Additional systemic treatments for locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer are needed, as current treatment options produce only modest survival benefits. Rubitecan (Orathecin; Supergen Inc., Dublin, CA, http://www.supergen.com) is an orally active camptothecin derivative with demonstrated responses in patients with pancreatic cancer in early clinical trials. This phase II, open-label trial was developed to assess the safety and efficacy of rubitecan in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer refractory to conventional chemotherapy. METHODS Fifty-eight patients with failed or relapsed advanced pancreatic cancer after receiving at least one prior chemotherapy regimen were enrolled to receive eight consecutive weeks of treatment with rubitecan at a dose of 1.5 mg/m2 orally on five consecutive days per week, followed by 2 days off therapy, repeatedly. The primary end point was response rate. Time to progression, overall survival, changes in CA19-9 levels, and the composite measure of clinical benefit response were evaluated as secondary end points. RESULTS Among 43 patients with measurable disease, 7% (3/43) achieved partial responses and 16% (7/43) had disease stabilization for an overall response and disease stabilization rate of 23%. All responses were confirmed by independent radiology review. Median survival was longer in responding patients than in the overall study cohort (10 months versus 3 months). Gastrointestinal and hematologic toxicities were the most commonly reported adverse events. CONCLUSION Oral rubitecan produced responses and was well tolerated by heavily pretreated patients with refractory pancreatic cancer. The overall risk-benefit profile of oral rubitecan appears promising, supporting further evaluation in phase III trials in patients with refractory and chemotherapy-naive pancreatic cancer.
Association of visceral obesity with high viral load and histological findings in elderly patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C.

OBJECTIVE Genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C (G1CHC) is generally accompanied by metabolic disturbances related to visceral obesity, such as insulin resistance, steatosis, or dyslipidemia. Because these abnormalities negatively influence the clinical course of G1CHC, we sought to clarify the effect of visceral obesity on the pathophysiology of G1CHC. METHODS We evaluated 180G1CHC patients for the presence of visceral obesity on the basis of computed tomography findings. Multivariate analysis was performed to estimate the relationship between visceral obesity and demographic, viral, and biochemical characteristics of patients. The associations of visceral obesity with histological findings and serum adipokine levels were also analyzed. RESULTS Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that visceral obesity was independently associated with metabolic syndrome, platelet count, high-density lipoprotein level, and serum viral load in elderly patients (≥65 years). Multiple linear regression analysis confirmed the association between visceral obesity and high viral load. However, visceral obesity was not correlated with viral load in non-elderly patients (<65 years). Histological data (160 patients) demonstrated the significant association between visceral obesity and steatosis. Furthermore, patients with visceral obesity showed increase in the severity of fibrosis with advancing age. However, age-associated fibrosis progression was not evident in patients without visceral obesity. The serum adiponectin level was significantly low in patients with visceral obesity, whereas those of leptin, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6 were not affected significantly. CONCLUSION Visceral obesity was associated with high viral load and histological damage in elderly patients with reduced adiponectin levels.
Analogs of natural aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitors clear malaria in vivo

Significance Malaria remains one of the main health threats in the developing world, with staggering social and economic costs. Resistance to artemisins, the main pharmacological tool currently available against malaria, has been widely reported. Borrelidin, a natural compound that inhibits threonyl-tRNA synthetase, has long been studied for its antibacterial and antiparasitic properties, but undesirable toxic effects prevented its further clinical development. Here we present a group of borrelidin derivatives that retain their ability to inhibit Plasmodium threonyl-tRNA synthetase but not its human homolog. Furthermore, we demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, that these compounds are capable of effectively clearing a Plasmodium infection in animals, curing malaria with a potency equivalent to reference drugs such as chloroquine. Malaria remains a major global health problem. Emerging resistance to existing antimalarial drugs drives the search for new antimalarials, and protein translation is a promising pathway to target. Here we explore the potential of the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase (ARS) family as a source of antimalarial drug targets. First, a battery of known and novel ARS inhibitors was tested against Plasmodium falciparum cultures, and their activities were compared. Borrelidin, a natural inhibitor of threonyl-tRNA synthetase (ThrRS), stands out for its potent antimalarial effect. However, it also inhibits human ThrRS and is highly toxic to human cells. To circumvent this problem, we tested a library of bioengineered and semisynthetic borrelidin analogs for their antimalarial activity and toxicity. We found that some analogs effectively lose their toxicity against human cells while retaining a potent antiparasitic activity both in vitro and in vivo and cleared malaria from Plasmodium yoelii-infected mice, resulting in 100% mice survival rates. Our work identifies borrelidin analogs as potent, selective, and unexplored scaffolds that efficiently clear malaria both in vitro and in vivo.
Glycogen storage disease: report of 17 cases from southern India.

BACKGROUND There are only four reports of glycogen storage disease (GSD), totalling six cases, from India. OBJECTIVE To determine the clinical phenotypes of children diagnosed with GSD in southern India. METHODS Liver biopsy reports from 1994 to 2005 were reviewed and GSD was confirmed in 17 patients. All 17 patients were tested for the three commonest GSD 1a mutations by restriction fragment length polymorphism: R83C, Q347X and G727T. RESULTS They presented at mean age of 15 months (range, birth to 46 months) with hypoglycemia, hepatomegaly and delayed milestones. None of the patients showed R83C, Q347X or G727T mutation. CONCLUSION Glycogen storage disease may not be rare in India. The commonest 1a mutations are probably rare here.
Relationship of Volume of Lesion to Length of Hospital Stay and Outcome at One Year in Stroke Patients

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the volume of lesion (VOL) in patients with stroke and the associated length of hospital stay (LOS), as well as longer-term functional outcome. Computerised tomography (CT) scans were used to measure the volume, region and type of lesion, volume being measured by planimetry. LOS and other patient details were obtained from the Dundee Stroke Database. The total LOS was associated with the VOL on univariate analysis (p=0.004) and after adjustment for the other variables (p-0.006) due to a larger lesion being associated with longer stay in hospital. Patient follow-up confirmed that the VOL was also highly significant when related to functional outcome measures of impairment, disability and handicap at one year, as determined by Orgogozo (p=0.03), Barthel (p<0.01) and Rankin scores (p<0.01) respectively. The VOL is related to the length of stay in hospital and outcome at one year. This is of particular interest with the increasing use of thrombolysis and development of neuroprotectant agents designed to limit VOL.
Tumor‐associated tissue eosinophilia in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A pathologic study of 422 primary and 138 metastatic tumors

A study of biopsy specimens from 422 consecutive primary nasopharyngeal carcinomas (NPCs) revealed tumor‐associated tissue eosinophilia (TATE) in a large proportion (26%) of the tumors. TATE occurred more frequently in nonkeratinizing carcinomas (NKC, 38%) than in the squamous (21%) or undifferentiated (23%) types. There was no sex predilection and no association with the presence of intratumor amyloid deposits. Stromal eosinophilia was also observed in 53 (38%) of 138 metastatic NPCs in lymph nodes, where it had occasionally led to confusion with Hodgkin's disease. TATE may be a feature of diagnostic importance in NPC, although its prognostic significance remains to be ascertained.
Design of Mobile Robot Navigation system using SLAM and Adaptive Tracking Controller with Particle Swarm Optimization for Indoor Environment Monitoring

Now a day mobile robot work as a autonomous machine which is used to control the locomotion and move around in environment by varying the physical location A self localization & mapping of mobile robot using fuzzy based tracking controller is design . The localization of mobile robot is calculated by slam technique. A AFTC with 9 various rule based is used to calculate the total unknown path of mobile robot in indoor monitoring system is calculate & the PSO is used to optimized the total path required for same. A system design with SLAM technique, Adaptive Fuzzy based controller & PSO which is used to solve the self localization of mobile robot.
An Archival Study of Depression Before and After Age 55

In this archival study, 58 patients with unipolar depression who were 55 years of age or older were compared to 155 depressed control patients age 54 years or less. The older patients with unipolar depression had a significantly worse outcome, with only 51.7% experiencing a period of full remission during follow-up. Medical disorders were common, and older depressed patients showed a clear excess of cardiovascular disorders. Clinical symptoms did not separate the two groups, with the exception of psychomotor retardation and agitation. Electroconvulsive therapy was associated with less continuous hospitalization and an overall superior outcome. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 1988;1:220-225).
Host defenses to transposable elements and the evolution of genomic imprinting

Genomic imprinting is the differential expression of maternally and paternally inherited alleles of specific genes. Several organismic level hypotheses have been offered to explain the evolution of genomic imprinting. We argue that evolutionary explanations of the origin of imprinting that focus exclusively on the organismic level are incomplete. We propose that the complex molecular mechanisms that underlie genomic imprinting originally evolved as an adaptive response to the mutagenic potential of transposable elements (TEs). We also present a model of how these mechanisms may have been co-opted by natural selection to evolve molecular features characteristic of genomic imprinting.
Alighting stop determination using two-step algorithms in bus transit systems

Smart cards of most bus transit system only record boarding stops of passengers, which hinders direct exaction of alighting stops. In this paper, we associate multi-source information to derive transit OD matrix. Passengers are segmented into regular and irregular groups using K-means clustering based on trip frequency. In the first step, a deterministic model such as the trip chain analysis is respectively conducted on the two groups of passengers. For records that fail to be detected by deterministic rules, machine learning algorithms are developed to determine the alighting stop in the second step. All the destinations can be detected by the two-step algorithms, while only partial records can be determined in the past. Transfer trip recognition helps to distinguish transfer trips from single trips. This research develops a set of simple and applicable methodologies in alighting stop determination, which can be applicable more broadly to other transit datasets.
On the Extraction of Doping Concentration From Capacitance–Voltage: A Cu2ZnSnS4 and ZnS Sandwich Structure

The capacitance–voltage (<italic>C</italic>–<italic>V</italic>) method is frequently used to evaluate the net doping of thin-film solar cells, an important parameter for the function of solar cells. However, complex materials such as kesterites are challenging to characterize. To minimize ambiguity when determining the apparent doping concentration (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{N_{A}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) of Cu<sub>2 </sub>ZnSnS<sub>4</sub> (CZTS), we fabricated and investigated different structures: CZTS/ZnS metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) device, stand-alone CZTS and ZnS metal-sandwich structures, and CZTS solar cells. Characterization was carried out by means of admittance spectroscopy (AS) and <italic>C</italic>– <italic>V</italic> measurements. ZnS exhibits excellent intrinsic properties, and with the high-quality MIS sample we managed to successfully isolate the capacitive response of the CZTS itself. <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX"> ${N_{A}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, as extracted from the MIS structure, is found to be more reliable and four times higher compared with the solar cell, impacting any estimated collection efficiency substantially. Data herein presented also show that CZTS has a substantial low-frequency dispersive capacitance and the extraction of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${N_{A}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> depends on the chosen measurement frequency, symptoms of presence of deep defects. Furthermore, the CZTS/ZnS MIS structure is strongly resilient to leakage currents at both forward and reverse voltage bias where contribution from deep defects is minimized and maximized, respectively.