Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exercise Training Attenuates Proinflammatory Cytokines, Oxidative Stress and Modulates Neurotransmitters in the Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla of Salt-Induced Hypertensive Rats

Background/Aims: Exercise training (ExT) was associated with cardiovascular diseases including hypertension. The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) is a key region for central control of blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the mechanisms within RVLM that can influence exercise training induced effects in salt-induced hypertension. Methods: Male Wistar rats were fed with a normal salt (0.3%) (NS) or a high salt (8%) (HS) diet for 12 weeks to induce hypertension. Then these rats were given moderate-intensity ExT for a period of 12 weeks. RVLM was used to determine glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (HPLC), phosphorylated IKKβ, Fra-LI, 67-kDa isoform of glutamate decarboxylase (GAD67), proinflammatory cytokines (PIC) and NADPH-oxidase (NOX) subunits expression (Immunohistochemistry and Immunofluorescence, Western blotting). PIC and NF-κB p65 activity in the plasma were evaluated by ELISA studies. Renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was recorded and analyzed using the PowerLab system. Results: High salt diet resulted in increased mean arterial pressure and cardiac hypertrophy. These high salt diet rats had higher RVLM levels of glutamate, PIC, phosphorylated IKKβ, NF-κB p65 activity, Fra-LI, superoxide, NOX-2 (gp91phox) and 4, and lower RVLM levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid and GAD67, and higher plasma levels of PIC, norepinephrine, and higher RSNA. ExT attenuated these changes in salt-induced hypertensive rats. Conclusions: These findings suggest that high salt diet increases the activity of NF-κB and the levels of PIC and oxidative stress, and induces an imbalance between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the RVLM. ExT attenuates hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy partially mediated by attenuating oxidative stress and modulating neurotransmitters in the RVLM.
DS‐70, a novel and potent α4 integrin antagonist, is an effective treatment for experimental allergic conjunctivitis in guinea pigs

Allergic conjunctivitis is an eye inflammation that involves the infiltration of immune cells into the conjunctiva via cell surface‐adhesion receptors, such as integrin α4β1. These receptors interact with adhesion molecules expressed on the conjunctival endothelium and may be a target to treat this disease. We synthesized DS‐70, a novel α/β‐peptidomimetic α4 integrin antagonist, to prevent the conjunctival infiltration of immune cells and clinical symptoms in a model of allergic conjunctivitis.
Association between Oral Candida and Bacteriome in Children with Severe ECC

Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal organism frequently detected in the oral cavity of children with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC). Previous studies suggested the cariogenic potential of C. albicans, in vitro and in vivo, and further demonstrated its synergistic interactions with Streptococcus mutans. In combination, the 2 organisms are associated with higher caries severity in a rodent model. However, it remains unknown whether C. albicans influences the composition and diversity of the entire oral bacterial community to promote S-ECC onset. With 16s rRNA amplicon sequencing, this study analyzed the microbiota of saliva and supragingival plaque from 39 children (21 S-ECC and 18 caries-free [CF]) and 33 mothers (17 S-ECC and 16 CF). The results revealed that the presence of oral C. albicans is associated with a highly acidogenic and acid-tolerant bacterial community in S-ECC, with an increased abundance of plaque Streptococcus (particularly S. mutans) and certain Lactobacillus/Scardovia species and salivary/plaque Veillonella and Prevotella, as well as decreased levels of salivary/plaque Actinomyces. Concurrent with this microbial community assembly, the activity of glucosyltransferases (cariogenic virulence factors secreted by S. mutans) in plaque was significantly elevated when C. albicans was present. Moreover, the oral microbial community composition and diversity differed significantly by disease group (CF vs. S-ECC) and sample source (saliva vs. plaque). Children and mothers within the CF and S-ECC groups shared microbiota composition and diversity, suggesting a strong maternal influence on children’s oral microbiota. Altogether, this study underscores the importance of C. albicans in association with the oral bacteriome in the context of S-ECC etiopathogenesis. Further longitudinal studies are warranted to examine how fungal-bacterial interactions modulate the onset and severity of S-ECC, potentially leading to novel anticaries treatments that address fungal contributions.
General-purpose Tagging of Freesound Audio with AudioSet Labels: Task Description, Dataset, and Baseline

This paper describes Task 2 of the DCASE 2018 Challenge, titled "General-purpose audio tagging of Freesound content with AudioSet labels". This task was hosted on the Kaggle platform as "Freesound General-Purpose Audio Tagging Challenge". The goal of the task is to build an audio tagging system that can recognize the category of an audio clip from a subset of 41 diverse categories drawn from the AudioSet Ontology. We present the task, the dataset prepared for the competition, and a baseline system.
The Influence of Intimate Partner Violence on Pregnancy Symptoms

The current literature contains few studies conducted on the effects of intimate partner violence (IPV) on pregnancy symptoms. Does being subjected to IPV during pregnancy increase the incidence of pregnancy-related symptoms? The aim of the present study was to explore the impact of IPV on pregnancy-related symptoms. The study was conducted as comparative, descriptive, and cross-sectional research with a total of 370 participants. Data were collected using the Domestic Violence Against Women Screening Form, the Pregnancy Symptoms Inventory (PSI), and a descriptive questionnaire. The types of IPV the women in the study had experienced during pregnancy were, in order of frequency, verbal abuse (31.1 %; n = 115), economic abuse (25.9 %; n = 96), physical violence (8.4 %; n = 31), and sexual abuse (5.9%; n = 22). The PSI scores for the pregnant women subjected to physical violence related to gastrointestinal system symptoms (p < .05), cardiovascular system symptoms (p < .05), mental health symptoms (p = 0), neurological system symptoms (p < .05), urinary system symptoms (p < .01), and tiredness or fatigue (p = 0); their total PSI scores (p = 0) were significantly higher statistically than those of women who did not experience physical violence during pregnancy. The scores of the pregnant women subjected to sexual abuse related to mental health symptoms (p < .05), and their total PSI scores (p < .05) were significantly higher than those of women who did not experience sexual abuse. The scores of the pregnant women subjected to economic abuse related to tiredness or fatigue (p < .01) and their mental health symptom scores (p < .05) were significantly higher than those of women who did not experience economic abuse. Our results showed that women subjected to IPV during pregnancy experienced a higher incidence of pregnancy symptoms.
Comparative genomics of Salmonella enterica serovar Montevideo reveals lineage-specific gene differences that may influence ecological niche association

Salmonella enterica serovar Montevideo has been linked to recent foodborne illness outbreaks resulting from contamination of products such as fruits, vegetables, seeds and spices. Studies have shown that Montevideo also is frequently associated with healthy cattle and can be isolated from ground beef, yet human salmonellosis outbreaks of Montevideo associated with ground beef contamination are rare. This disparity fuelled our interest in characterizing the genomic differences between Montevideo strains isolated from healthy cattle and beef products, and those isolated from human patients and outbreak sources. To that end, we sequenced 13 Montevideo strains to completion, producing high-quality genome assemblies of isolates from human patients (n=8) or from healthy cattle at slaughter (n=5). Comparative analysis of sequence data from this study and publicly available sequences (n=72) shows that Montevideo falls into four previously established clades, differentially occupied by cattle and human strains. The results of these analyses reveal differences in metabolic islands, environmental adhesion determinants and virulence factors within each clade, and suggest explanations for the infrequent association between bovine isolates and human illnesses.
Dental Scaling Decreases the Risk of Parkinson’s Disease: A Nationwide Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study

The protective effect of dental scaling in Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains inconclusive. The aim of this study was to analyze the association between dental scaling and the development of PD. A retrospective nested case-control study was performed using the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. The authors identified 4765 patients with newly diagnosed PD from 2005 to 2013 and 19,060 individuals without PD by matching sex, age, and index year. In subgroup 1, with individuals aged 40–69 years, individuals without periodontal inflammatory disease (PID) showed a protective effect of dental scaling against PD development, especially for dental scaling over five consecutive years (adjusted odds ratio = 0.204, 95% CI = 0.047–0.886, p = 0.0399). In general, the protective effect of dental scaling showed greater benefit for individuals with PID than for those without PID, regardless of whether dental scaling was performed for five consecutive years. In subgroup 2, with patients aged ≥70 years, the discontinued (not five consecutive years) scaling showed increased risk of PD. This was the first study to show that patients without PID who underwent dental scaling over five consecutive years had a significantly lower risk of developing PD. These findings emphasize the value of early and consecutive dental scaling to prevent the development of PD.
Sedation Effects by Dexmedetomidine versus Propofol in Decreasing Duration of Mechanical Ventilation after Open Heart Surgery

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the suitability (efficacy and safety) of dexmedetomidine versus propofol for patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) after the cardiovascular surgery for the postoperative sedation before weaning from mechanical ventilation. Background: Sedation is prescribed in patients admitted to the ICU after cardiovascular surgery to reduce the patient discomfort, ventilator asynchrony, to make mechanical ventilation tolerable, prevent accidental device removal, and to reduce metabolic demands during respiratory and hemodynamic instability. Careful drug selection for sedation by the ICU team, postcardiovascular surgery should be done so that patients can be easily weaned from mechanical ventilation after sedation is stopped to achieve a shorter duration of mechanical ventilation and decreased the length of stay in ICU. Methods: A total of 50 patients admitted to the ICU after cardiovascular surgery, aged from 18 to 55 years and requiring mechanical ventilation on arrival to the ICU were enrolled in a prospective and comparative study. They were randomly divided into two groups as follows: Group D patients (n = 25) received dexmedetomidine in a maintenance infusion dose of 0.8 μg/kg/h and Group P patients (n = 25) received propofol in a maintenance infusion dose of 1.5 mg/kg/h. The patients were assessed for 12 h postoperatively, and dosing of the study drug was adjusted based on sedation assessment performed with the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale (RASS). The patients were required to be within the RASS target range of −2 to +1 at the time of study drug initiation. At every 4 h, the following information was recorded from each patient such as heart rate (HR), mean arterial pressure (MAP), arterial blood gases (ABG), tidal volume (TV), exhaled TV, maximum inspiratory pressure, respiratory rate and the rapid shallow breathing index, duration of mechanical ventilation, midazolam and fentanyl dose requirements, and financial costs. Results: The study results showed no statistically significant difference between both groups with regard to age and body mass index. Group P patients were more associated with lower MAP and HR than Group D patients. There was no statistically significant difference between groups with regard to ABG findings, oxygenation, ventilation, and respiratory parameters. There was significant difference between both the groups in midazolam and fentanyl dose requirement and financial costs with a value of P < 0.05. Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine is safer and equally effective agent for the sedation of mechanically ventilated patients admitted to the ICU after cardiovascular surgery compared to the patients receiving propofol, with good hemodynamic stability, and equally rapid extubation time.
Estimation of Dietary Intake of Radionuclides and Effectiveness of Regulation after the Fukushima Accident and in Virtual Nuclear Power Plant Accident Scenarios

Evaluation of radiation exposure from diet is necessary under the assumption of a virtual accident as a part of emergency preparedness. Here, we developed a model with complete consideration of the regional food trade using deposition data simulated by a transport model, and estimated the dietary intake of radionuclides and the effectiveness of regulation (e.g., restrictions on the distribution of foods) after the Fukushima accident and in virtual accident scenarios. We also evaluated the dilution factors (i.e., ratios of contaminated foods to consumed foods) and cost-effectiveness of regulation as basic information for setting regulatory values. The doses estimated under actual emission conditions were generally consistent with those observed in food-duplicate and market-basket surveys within a factor of three. Regulation of restricted food distribution resulted in reductions in the doses of 54–65% in the nearest large city to the nuclear power plant. The dilution factors under actual emission conditions were 4.4% for radioiodine and 2.7% for radiocesium, which are ~20 times lower than those used in the Japanese provisional regulation values after the Fukushima accident. Strict regulation worsened the cost-effectiveness for both radionuclides. This study highlights the significance and utility of the developed model for a risk analysis of emergency preparedness and regulation.
A benchmarking study on virtual ligand screening against homology models of human GPCRs

G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) is an important target class of proteins for drug discovery, with over 27% of FDA-approved drugs targeting GPCRs. However, being a membrane protein, it is difficult to obtain the 3D crystal structures of GPCRs for virtual screening of ligands by molecular docking. Thus, we evaluated the virtual screening performance of homology models of human GPCRs with respect to the corresponding crystal structures. Among the 19 GPCRs involved in this study, we observed that 10 GPCRs have homology models that have better or comparable performance with respect to the corresponding X-ray structures, making homology models a viable choice for virtual screening. For a small subset of GPCRs, we also explored how certain methods like consensus enrichment and sidechain perturbation affect the utility of homology models in virtual screening, as well as the selectivity between agonists and antagonists. Most notably, consensus enrichment across multiple homology models often yields results comparable to the best performing model, suggesting that ligand candidates predicted with consensus scores from multiple models can be the optimal option in practical applications where the performance of each model cannot be estimated.
Drug–Drug Interaction Between Isavuconazole and Tacrolimus: Is Empiric Dose Adjustment Necessary?

A paucity of data currently exists regarding drug–drug interaction (DDI) with tacrolimus and isavuconazole coadministration. Current literature provides conflicting recommendations on whether an empiric tacrolimus dose reduction is necessary when coadministered with isavuconazole. A 47-year-old African American female with acute lymphoblastic leukemia underwent an allogenic stem cell transplant (alloSCT) and was subsequently placed on routine posttransplant therapy including tacrolimus for immunosuppression and posaconazole for antifungal prophylaxis. Tacrolimus was empirically dose reduced due to the expected DDI with posaconazole based on current recommendations. Due to a persistently prolonged QTc interval and need for mold coverage, antifungal prophylaxis was ultimately changed to isavuconazole at standard recommended dosing. Tacrolimus was empirically dose reduced by 40% based on limited available literature at the time; however, tacrolimus trough concentrations subsequently declined, requiring an increase in tacrolimus dose to maintain therapeutic trough concentrations. Adequate isavuconazole absorption was documented through pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data by measuring an isavuconazole trough concentration and directly observing isavuconazole’s shortening effect on the QTc interval, respectively. Our experience in an alloSCT patient suggests that an empiric tacrolimus dose reduction is not required when isavuconazole is initiated, but close tacrolimus therapeutic drug monitoring should rather be performed to guide tacrolimus dosing.
Knowledge and Perception Towards Cervical Cancer among Female Debre Berhan University Students

Background Cervical cancer is a global public health problem with around five hundred thirty thousand new cases and two hundred sixty five thousand deaths annually in 2015. Risky behaviors, lack of knowledge and preventative measures in young women, increase the risks of cervical cancer later in life. Up to date, there is scarcity of study on level of knowledge and perception towards cervical cancer among young women in Ethiopia. So, this study was aimed to determine the level of knowledge and perception toward cervical cancer among female regular undergraduate Debre Berhan University students. Methods A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered questionnaire among female regular DBU students from May to June, 2015. Two stage cluster sampling technique was used for the study. Data was entered and cleaned in Epi info and imported to SPSS for analysis. Binary logistic regression was carried out to determine factors of good knowledge on cervical cancer. P-value less than 0.05 was considered for statistical significance. Results Eighty-four (14.5%) of the study participants were sexually active. Of the participants, 232(40.5%) had heard of cervical cancer but only 195 (35.6%) had good knowledge towards cervical cancer and of the study participants, only 185 (33.2%) perceived as they are susceptible for cervical cancer. Using radio and TV as source of information [AOR= 1.918 (95% CI: 1.223, 3.010)], having information about sexually transmitted infections (STI) [AOR =3.030 (95% CI: 1.665, 5.514)] were significantly and independently associated with good knowledge on cervical cancer. Conclusions The level of knowledge towards cervical cancer and perception of acquiring the disease was poor. Health education interventions are needed to improve the awareness and health seeking behavior in youth women thereby preventing cervical cancer related morbidity and mortality.
High‐Frequency Oscillations in the Normal Human Brain

High‐frequency oscillations (HFOs) are a promising biomarker for the epileptogenic zone. It has not been possible, however, to differentiate physiological from pathological HFOs, and baseline rates of HFO occurrence vary substantially across brain regions. This project establishes region‐specific normative values for physiological HFOs and high‐frequency activity (HFA).
Awareness of Risk Factors, Symptoms and Time to Seek Medical Help of Ovarian Cancer amongst Omani Women Attending Teaching Hospital in Muscat Governorate, Oman

Background Ovarian cancer has been regarded as most deadly gynaecological cancer in the world. In Oman, ovarian cancer is the third most prevalent gynaecological cancer affecting Omani women. The awareness of risk factors, symptoms and seeking early medical care play a role in the improvement of survival rates. The aim of this study is to explore knowledge, risk factors, symptoms and the time taken to seek early medical help for ovarian cancer among Omani women attended Sultan Qaboos University Hospital. Methods The ovarian Cancer Awareness and Measure (CAM) questionnaire (translated into Arabic) was used to collect data. Results A total of 499 women participated. The most recognised risk factors were having ovarian cysts (71.3%), smoking (67.5%) and having close relative with ovarian cancer (63.5%); the least recognised were having in vitro fertilization (25.5%), having children (26.3%) and using talcum powder in the genital area (31.5%). The most recognised symptoms were persistent pain in the pelvis (67.7%), persistent pain in the abdomen (60.3%) and extreme fatigue (56.5%); the least recognised were feeling full persistently (22.8%), passing more urine than usual (31.1%) and changes in bowel habits (32.1%). Multinomial logistic regression showed recognition of risk factors and symptoms were associated with a higher level of education, a higher income, increased age, higher number of pregnancies, a longer duration of marriage and having a family history of ovarian cancer. Most of the barriers to seeking medical help were for several emotional, practical and healthcare service reasons. Conclusion The overall level of recognition of risk factors and symptoms of ovarian cancer among Omani women were low with several emotional, practical and service barriers preventing them from seeking early medical help. More measures to raise national cancer awareness levels are needed, and support for women to overcome these barriers to minimized delays in the presentation.
A Comprehensive Screening and Identification of Genistin Metabolites in Rats Based on Multiple Metabolite Templates Combined with UHPLC-HRMS Analysis

Genistin, an isoflavone belonging to the phytoestrogen family, has been reported to possess various therapeutic effects. In the present study, the genistin metabolites in rats were investigated by UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap mass spectrometer in both positive and negative ion modes. Firstly, the data sets were obtained based on data-dependent acquisition method and then 10 metabolite templates were established based on the previous reports. Then diagnostic product ions (DPIs) and neutral loss fragments (NLFs) were proposed to efficiently screen and ascertain the major-to-trace genistin metabolites. Meanwhile, the calculated Clog P values were used to identify the positional isomers with different retention times. Consequently, a total of 64 metabolites, including prototype drug, were positively or putatively characterized. Among them, 40 metabolites were found according to the templates of genistin and genistein, which was the same as the previous research method. After using other metabolite templates, 24 metabolites were added. The results demonstrated that genistin mainly underwent methylation, hydrogenation, hydroxylation, glucosylation, glucuronidation, sulfonation, acetylation, ring-cleavage and their composite reactions in vivo biotransformation. In conclusion, the research not only revealed the genistein metabolites and metabolic pathways in vivo comprehensively, but also proposed a method based on multiple metabolite templates to screen and identify metabolites of other natural compounds.