Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recruitment and Activity of the Pectineus and Piriformis Muscles During Hip Rehabilitation Exercises

Background: The pectineus muscle has been reported to function primarily as a hip flexor and secondarily as a hip internal rotator; the piriformis muscle has been reported to function as an abductor and external rotator of the hip. The recruitment and activations of these muscles during hip rehabilitation exercises have not been detailed. Hypothesis: The authors hypothesized that they would measure the highest pectineus activation during exercises involving hip flexion, with moderate pectineus activation during exercises with hip internal rotation. They also hypothesized that they would measure the highest piriformis activation during exercises involving hip abduction and/or external rotation. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: Ten healthy volunteers completed 13 hip rehabilitation exercises with electromyography (EMG) electrodes inserted under ultrasound guidance into the pectineus and piriformis muscle bellies. The EMG signals were recorded and exercise activation levels were reported as a percentage of a maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Results: Both the highest peak pectineus activation (62.8% ± 26.6% MVC) and the highest mean pectineus activation (33.1% ± 17.4% MVC) were measured during the supine hip flexion exercise. Moderate activation was found during the single- and double-legged bridge and both phases of the stool hip rotation exercise. The highest peak piriformis activation was observed in the single-legged bridge (MVC, 35.7% ± 25.7%), and the highest mean piriformis activation was observed in the prone heel squeeze (MVC, 24.3% ± 8.2%). Similar moderate activation levels were found for single-legged hip abduction and resisted hip extension. Conclusion: The pectineus was highly activated during hip flexion exercises and moderately activated during exercises requiring rotational hip stabilization in either direction, rather than with internal hip rotation only. The piriformis was most activated during static external rotation and abduction while the participants’ hips were in slight extension. These observations indicate that the pectineus and piriformis are both muscles that contribute to hip stabilization. Clinical Relevance: The findings indicate that the pectineus and piriformis function as hip-stabilizing muscles and can be used to specifically address pectineus and piriformis muscle rehabilitation. The authors believe that strengthening and conditioning of these muscles should aid in the restoration of hip function and stability after injury or arthroscopic surgery.
IL10 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms are Related to Upregulation of Constitutive IL‐10 Production and Susceptibility to Helicobacter pylori Infection

Helicobacter pylori infection is a strong risk factor for gastric cancer, likely due to the extensive inflammation in the stomach mucosa caused by these bacteria. Many studies have reported an association between IL10 polymorphisms, the risk of gastric cancer, and IL‐10 production. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between IL10 genetic variants, Helicobacter pylori infection, and IL‐10 production by peripheral blood leukocytes in children.
On the role of plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 in adipose tissue development and insulin resistance in mice

Summary. Objectives: To investigate the role of plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (PAI‐1) in adipose tissue development and insulin metabolism. Methods: Aged male wild‐type (WT) or transgenic mice with adipose tissue overexpression of PAI‐1 (45–55 weeks) in 50% C57Bl/6: 50% Friend Virus B‐strain (FVB) genetic background, kept on normal chow, were used without or with administration of a synthetic low molecular weight PAI‐1 inhibitor (PAI‐039) to the food (1 mg g−1) for 4 weeks. Results: The PAI‐1 transgenic mice showed somewhat lower body weight and adipose tissue mass than WT mice, whereas fasting insulin levels were higher. Glucose and insulin tolerance tests did not reveal significant differences between both genotypes. Addition of PAI‐039 to the food did not significantly affect total body fat, weight of the isolated s.c. and gonadal fat territories or their adipocyte size and blood vessel composition in either genotype. Fasting glucose levels and glucose tolerance tests were, for both genotypes, comparable with those without inhibitor treatment. Insulin levels and insulin tolerance tests in WT, but not in PAI‐1 transgenic mice, suggested a higher insulin sensitivity after inhibitor treatment (insulin level 30 min after glucose injection of 2.0 ± 0.17 ng mL−1 vs. 3.2 ± 0.48 ng mL−1 without inhibitor treatment; P = 0.028). Conclusions: In this model, overexpression of PAI‐1 moderately impaired adipose tissue formation without affecting glucose or insulin tolerance. Administration of a synthetic PAI‐1 inhibitor for 4 weeks did not affect adipose tissue development in WT or PAI‐1 transgenic mice, but induced a higher insulin sensitivity in WT mice.
Asian study of effects of premenstrual symptoms on activities of daily life

Objective The aim of this paper is to assess the effects of premenstrual symptoms on quality of life as measured by the impact symptoms have on women's activities of daily life (ADL). Study design Cross-sectional survey. Population-based, face-to-face interview with 1202 women aged 15–49 years recruited by random sampling in cities of Hong Kong, Pakistan and Thailand. Main outcome measures Checklist of 23 premenstrual symptoms, sociodemographic and lifestyle variables, ADL: overall impact of premenstrual symptoms on ADL and impact on each of six ADL areas. Regression analysis measured the impact of premenstrual symptoms and sociodemographic factors on ADL. Results Premenstrual physical and mental symptom domains had similar negative effects on ADL. Seventy-four percent of women were not affected or minimally affected in ADL, 17% had a clinically significant effect on ADL and 9% were severely affected in ADL. ADL were predominantly affected by premenstrual symptom severity. Oral contraceptive pill users and women living in Pakistan reported less impact on ADL, while married women report more impact of symptoms on ADL. Conclusions The severity of premenstrual symptoms was found to have a significant impact on ADLs with the type of activity affected, reflecting how women predominantly spend their time in the different cultures studied.
Class III peroxidases are activated in proanthocyanidin-deficient Arabidopsis thaliana seeds.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS It has previously been shown that proanthocyanidins (PAs) in the seed coat of Arabidopsis thaliana have the ability to scavenge superoxide radicals (O2(-)). However, the physiological processess in PA-deficit seeds are not clear. It is hypothesized that there exist alternative ways in PA-deficient seeds to cope with oxidative stress. METHODS The content of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and its relevance to the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and peroxidases was investigated in both wild-type and PA-deficit mutant seeds. A biochemical staining approach was used to detect tissue localizations of peroxidase activities in PA-deficit mutant seeds. KEY RESULTS PA-deficient mutants possess significantly lower levels of H2O2 than the wild-type, despite their higher accumulation of superoxide radicals. Screening of the key antioxidant enzymes revealed that peroxidase activity was significantly over-activated in mutant seeds. This high peroxidase activity was mainly confined to the seed coat zone. Interestingly, neither ascorbate peroxidase nor glutathione peroxidase, just the guaiacol peroxidases (class III peroxidases), was specifically activated in the seed coat. However, no significant difference in peroxidase activity was observed in embryos of either mutants or the wild-type, although gene expressions of several candidate peroxidases were down-regulated in the embryos of PA-deficient seeds. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that enhanced class III peroxidase activity in the seed coat of PA-deficient mutants is an adaptive strategy for seed development and survival.
Attachment Protein G of an African Bat Henipavirus Is Differentially Restricted in Chiropteran and Nonchiropteran Cells

ABSTRACT Henipaviruses are associated with pteropodid reservoir hosts. The glycoproteins G and F of an African henipavirus (strain M74) have been reported to induce syncytium formation in kidney cells derived from a Hypsignathus monstrosus bat (HypNi/1.1) but not in nonchiropteran BHK-21 and Vero76 cells. Here, we show that syncytia are also induced in two other pteropodid cell lines from Hypsignathus monstrosus and Eidolon helvum bats upon coexpression of the M74 glycoproteins. The G protein was transported to the surface of transfected chiropteran cells, whereas surface expression in the nonchiropteran cells was detectable only in a fraction of cells. In contrast, the G protein of Nipah virus is transported efficiently to the surface of both chiropteran and nonchiropteran cells. Even in chiropteran cells, M74-G was predominantly expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), as indicated by colocalization with marker proteins. This result is consistent with the finding that all N-glycans of the M74-G proteins are of the mannose-rich type, as indicated by sensitivity to endo H treatment. These data indicate that the surface transport of M74-G is impaired in available cell culture systems, with larger amounts of viral glycoprotein present on chiropteran cells than on nonchiropteran cells. The restricted surface expression of M74-G explains the reduced fusion activity of the glycoproteins of the African henipavirus. Our results suggest strategies for the isolation of infectious viruses, which is necessary to assess the risk of zoonotic virus transmission. IMPORTANCE Henipaviruses are highly pathogenic zoonotic viruses associated with pteropodid bat hosts. Whether the recently described African bat henipaviruses have a zoonotic potential as high as that of their Asian and Australian relatives is unknown. We show that surface expression of the attachment protein G of an African henipavirus, M74, is restricted in comparison to the G protein expression of the highly pathogenic Nipah virus. Transport to the cell surface is more restricted in nonchiropteran cells than it is in chiropteran cells, explaining the differential fusion activity of the M74 surface proteins in these cells. Our results imply that surface expression of viral glycoproteins may serve as a major marker to assess the zoonotic risk of emerging henipaviruses.
Correlates of life satisfaction among older people in China: An examination of two cultural variables

This article examines the relationships between the two cultural variables of having mianzi in social interactions and Chinese cultural beliefs of adversity and life satisfaction among older people in a coastal city in mainland China. The mediating effect of having mianzi in social interactions on the relationship between Chinese cultural beliefs of adversity and life satisfaction is also examined. The study applies a non-probability sampling and adopts a face-to-face interview approach using a questionnaire composed of close-ended questions. A total of 532 valid questionnaires are obtained. Multiple regression analysis is used to test the hypotheses. Findings indicate that the two cultural variables are associated significantly with life satisfaction, while controlling for socio-demographic variables. The variable of Chinese cultural beliefs of adversity is also indirectly associated with life satisfaction through its effect on having mianzi in social interactions. Older people with higher endorsement of positive Chinese cultural beliefs of adversity and higher degree of having mianzi in social interactions tend to have higher life satisfaction. Professionals working with older people should be sensitive to cultural variables that exert impacts on older people's life satisfaction.
TIPE2, a novel biomarker for clinical chronic kidney allograft rejection.

Tumor necrosis factor-a--induced protein 8-like 2 (TIPE2) has an essential role in immune homeostasis, yet the relationship between TIPE2 expression and allograft rejection has not been addressed. Dependent on clinical diagnosis, 96 kidney transplant recipients were divided into three groups, long-term survival group, acute rejection group (AR) and chronic rejection group (CR). Thirty-two healthy volunteers were used as a control group. The expression of TIPE2 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and kidney biopsy samples was performed using reverse transcript-polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. The expression of TIPE2 in PBMC of CR group was significantly higher than that of the healthy control (P < 0.001), but TIPE2 expression in AR group was lower than that of control individuals (P < 0.05). The renal expression of TIPE2 in allograft tissue of CR was significantly lower and its expression in AR slightly lower than in normal kidneys. The positive correlation between TIPE2 expression in PBMCs and the CR of allo-kidney grafts indicates that detection of TIPE2 in the blood samples may be used as one of the diagnosis molecular markers in clinical monitoring kidney chronic rejection.
Activation of macrophages by polysaccharide–protein complex from Lycium barbarum L.

Macrophages play crucial roles in innate immunity. This paper reports that a polysaccharide–protein complex isolated from Lycium barbarum (LBP) is able to activate macrophages. LBP was isolated from Lycium barbarum fruit and separated to five homogenous fractions, designated LBPF1, LBPF2, LBPF3, LBPF4 and LBPF5. It was found that LBP (50 mg/kg, i.p.) markedly upregulated the expressions of CD40, CD80, CD86 and MHC class II molecules on peritoneal macrophages. In vitro studies showed that LBP and LBPF1‐5 activated transcription factors NF‐κB and AP‐1 by RAW264.7 macrophage cells, induced TNF‐α, IL‐1β, IL‐12p40 mRNA expression, and enhanced TNF‐α production in a dose‐dependent manner. Furthermore, LBP (50 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly enhanced macrophage endocytic and phagocytic capacities in vivo. These results indicate that LBP enhances innate immunity by activating macrophages. The mechanism may be through activation of transcription factors NF‐κB and AP‐1 to induce TNF‐α production and upregulation of MHC class II costimulatory molecules. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The relationship between term pre-eclampsia and the risk of early childhood caries

Abstract Objective: To test the hypothesis that pre-eclampsia is associated with higher incidence of early childhood caries in children aged between 3 and 5 years old. Design: An observational non concurrent cohort study. Setting: Al-Hayat National Hospital, Khamees Mushyat, Saudi Arabic Kingdom. Population: Two hundred children aged 3–5 years who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Method: A detailed dental examination was carried out for all children enrolled. We obtained all relevant obstetric data from mothers’ and pediatric’s medical records. Thirty cases were excluded due to missing data and therefore, only 170 children were considered for the statistical analysis. Results were tabulated and statistically analyzed. Main outcome measure: Early childhood caries. Results: Sixty-three children (37%) of the 170 were affected with early childhood caries; 6 were delivered to pre-eclamptic and 57 to non pre-eclamptic mothers. Using logistic regression curve, early childhood caries was significantly associated with low birthweight, low Apgar score at 1st min and with the pattern of infant feeding but not with pre-eclampsia. The relative risk for early childhood caries was 2.84 among low birthweight infants (95%CI: 1.47–5.49), 1.95 among non breast fed children (95% CI: 1.11–4.20) and 2.64 among those delivered with an Apgar score less than 5 at 1 minute (95%CI:1.46–4.77). Conclusion: Pre-ecalampsia may not be associated with early childhood caries. A larger study and/or a study addressing the relation between pre-eclampsia and caries inducing lesions may provide more significant results.
Prolyl 4-hydroxylase genes are subjected to alternative splicing in roots of maize seedlings under waterlogging.

BACKGROUND In animals, prolyl 4-hydroxylases (P4Hs) are regarded as oxygen sensors under hypoxia stress, but little is known about their role in the response to waterlogging in maize. METHODS A comprehensive genome-wide analysis of P4H genes of maize (zmP4H genes) was carried out, including gene structures, phylogeny, protein motifs, chromosomal locations and expression patterns under waterlogging. KEY RESULTS Nine zmP4H genes were identified in maize, of which five were alternatively spliced into at least 19 transcripts. Different alternative splicing (AS) events were revealed in different inbred lines, even for the same gene, possibly because of organ and developmental specificities or different stresses. The signal strength of splice sites was strongly correlated with selection of donor and receptor sites, and ambiguous junction sites due to small direct repeats at the exon/intron junction frequently resulted in the selection of unconventional splicing sites. Eleven out of 14 transcripts resulting from AS harboured a premature termination codon, rendering them potential candidates for nonsense-mediated RNA degradation. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) indicated that zmP4H genes displayed different expression patterns under waterlogging. The diverse transcripts generated from AS were expressed at different levels, suggesting that zmP4H genes were under specific control by post-transcriptional regulation under waterlogging stress in the line HZ32. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide a framework for future dissection of the function of the emerging zmP4H family and suggest that AS might have an important role in the regulation of the expression profile of this gene family under waterlogging stress.
Performance of Cochlear Implants in Pediatric Patients with Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder.

OBJECTIVE To describe the performance and results of CIs (cochlear implant) in patients with AN (auditory neuropathy) and to present a medical literature review. MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective chart review of patients with AN who were treated with CI. The mesh terms used for the review in the Pubmed and Scopus databases were as follows: "hearing loss, cochlear implants, rehabilitation of persons with hearing impairment, auditory neuropathy". STATISTICAL ANALYSES The Mann-Whitney test was performed. RESULTS The sample consisted of 10 patients. The mean age at surgery was 4.3 years, range 2-16 years. The average length of CI use was 5.2 years. The comparison of hearing levels before and after CI use showed a significant improvement in all patients, with p<0.05. All of them also reported an increase in overall satisfaction 1 year after the procedure. A CI is the standard treatment for the hearing rehabilitation of patients with severe profound hearing loss who do not benefit from conventional hearing aids. There are diseases such as AN that also invoke a discussion in the literature regarding CI benefits. CONCLUSION Individuals with an demonstrated a significant gain in hearing levels and language use with CI.
Genetic analysis of SLC41A1 in Chinese Parkinson's disease patients

Sequence variants in SLC41A1 (solute carrier family 41 member 1) within the PARK16 locus have been reported to be associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). We performed direct DNA sequencing of the SLC41A1 gene in 100 early‐onset PD cases. A novel intron variant (NM_173854.5:c.993‐90delA) and a known synonymous‐coding variant (NM_173854.5:c.339 C>T, causing p.Thr113Thr, rs11240569) were identified in the SLC41A1 gene. Then we genotyped the rs11240569 variant in a total of 2237 Han Chinese comprising of 1063 sporadic PD and 1174 controls to investigate the association with risk of PD, we also conducted further stratified analysis according to age at onset and compared the clinical characteristics of CC + CT subjects with TT subjects. In this study, we confirmed that the C allele of SLC41A1 (rs11240569) polymorphism reduces the risk to develop sporadic PD (P = 0.018). Additionally, subjects with CC + CT genotypes have a reduced risk compared to those with TT genotype (P = 0.022), the association was modestly seen among the younger age group (P = 0.05), but was not significant among the older age group (P = 0.641). Besides, we demonstrated that CC + CT subjects cannot be distinguished from TT subjects based on their clinical features. Our study, the first demonstrates that SLC41A1 (rs11240569) is associated with a lower risk of PD in a Han Chinese population from mainland China. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Multiple transporters associated with malaria parasite responses to chloroquine and quinine

Mutations and/or overexpression of various transporters are known to confer drug resistance in a variety of organisms. In the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum, a homologue of P‐glycoprotein, PfMDR1, has been implicated in responses to chloroquine (CQ), quinine (QN) and other drugs, and a putative transporter, PfCRT, was recently demonstrated to be the key molecule in CQ resistance. However, other unknown molecules are probably involved, as different parasite clones carrying the same pfcrt and pfmdr1 alleles show a wide range of quantitative responses to CQ and QN. Such molecules may contribute to increasing incidences of QN treatment failure, the molecular basis of which is not understood. To identify additional genes involved in parasite CQ and QN responses, we assayed the in vitro susceptibilities of 97 culture‐adapted cloned isolates to CQ and QN and searched for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in DNA encoding 49 putative transporters (total 113 kb) and in 39 housekeeping genes that acted as negative controls. SNPs in 11 of the putative transporter genes, including pfcrt and pfmdr1, showed significant associations with decreased sensitivity to CQ and/or QN in P. falciparum. Significant linkage disequilibria within and between these genes were also detected, suggesting interactions among the transporter genes. This study provides specific leads for better understanding of complex drug resistances in malaria parasites.