Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A likely molecular basis of the susceptibility of Giardia lambliaTowards oxygen

Giardia lamblia is an amitochondrial protozoan susceptible to oxygen, but the molecular basis for it remains unclear. A Giardia NAD(P)H:menadione oxidoreductase (DT‐diaphorase) is known to catalyse a single electron transfer reaction with quinones as the likely two‐electron acceptor when oxygen is absent. Here we overexpressed this enzyme in GiardiaTrophozoites and observed a significantly enhanced susceptibility of the cells towards oxygen. A knock‐down of this enzyme resulted, however, in more oxygen‐tolerant Giardia cells growing equally well under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The function of DT‐diaphorase could be thus a major, if not the only, cause for the oxygen susceptibility of Giardia. Overexpressed DT‐diaphorase is accompanied by increased intracellular hydrogen peroxide. An overexpression of Fe‐superoxide dismutase in Giardia led also to a similarly heightened sensitivity to oxygen. Thus, generation of H2O2 from superoxide anion likely produced from DT‐diaphorase catalysed reaction using oxygen as electron acceptor may constitute the molecular basis for Giardia susceptibility to oxygen. A functional homologue of DT‐diaphorase in Giardia, NADH oxidase, uses oxygen as the preferred electron acceptor and reduces it to water. Overexpression of this enzyme in Giardia resulted in significantly enhanced growth under aerobic conditions. Giarida NADH oxidase could be thus an instrumental enzyme for the organism to adapt to and to tolerate an aerobic living environment.
Home based exercise therapy for older patients with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE This 8 week randomized, double blind clinical trial compared the effect of a combined home based progressive exercise program and treatment with the nonsteroidal medication oxaprozin to treatment with oxaprozin alone on pain and physical functioning in older community dwelling patients with unilateral knee osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS Efficacy variables measured before and after 8 weeks included (1) pain using the Western Ontario McMaster (WOMAC) pain, physical disability, and stiffness subscales and a 10 point visual analog scale (VAS) before and after self-paced walking (SPW) and stepping (SPS) functional tasks; (2) physical function using the time to complete a self-paced 40 m walk (SPW) and 20 cycles of 2 steps (SPS): (3) physical activity level using the Physical Activity Scale for Elderly (PASE); (4) clinical measures of knee functioning (range of motion). One hundred seventy-nine men and women (mean age 74 +/- 6 yrs) with radiographic evidence of mild/moderate medial compartment OA were randomized to either a progressive home based knee exercise program (n = 88) or a control program (n = 89). All patients were given oxaprozin 1,200 mg per os daily. RESULTS We observed significant reduction from baseline in activity related pain (VAS); and improvement in SPW and SPS test time, passive range of motion, and PASE after 8 weeks in both groups. These changes were significantly greater (p < 0.05) in the exercise versus sham group. CONCLUSION Addition of a progressive exercise program to nonsteroidal antiinflammatory therapy in patients with knee OA can improve measures of activity and activity related pain more than medication alone.
Perseverance in mathematical reasoning: the role of children’s conative focus in the productive interplay between cognition and affect

ABSTRACT Mathematical reasoning requires perseverance to overcome the cognitive and affective difficulties encountered whilst pursuing a reasoned line of enquiry. The aims of the study were: to understand how children’s perseverance in mathematical reasoning (PiMR) manifests in reasoning activities, and to examine how PiMR can be facilitated through a focus on children’s active goals. The article reports on children aged 10–11 from two English schools, purposively selected for their limited PiMR. Data relating to their cognitive and affective responses and the focus of their attention, a conative component, were collected by observation and interview. The study defines the construct perseverance in mathematical reasoning. Conative characteristics of PiMR were used to analyse the cognitive–affective interplay during reasoning. It revealed the role that children’s active goals play in restricting and enabling PiMR. The article offers new approaches to designing pedagogic interventions and collecting and analysing data relating to perseverance in vivo.
Hepatitis disease management programs in Malaysia

The MLF since its inception in 1996 has endeavored to develop a coordinated approach towards the improved care and treatment of liver diseases in Malaysia. Its close liaison with the Malaysian MOH, local medical associations, and corporate bodies has contributed to the success of its many programs. Educating the public, research, and training have been important elements of successful hepatitis disease control programs. Hepatitis Days have been proven to be very successful in raising the awareness of the general public to hepatitis disease. Rapid screening and vaccination has also helped to remove the social stigma associated with the disease, eliminated the need for numerous clinic appointments, and rendered vaccination more accessible to the public. The MLF perspective emphasizes the need for collaborative effort between Government bodies and other agencies, such as non-governmental organizations, laboratories, and the medical fraternity, to ensure the overall success of hepatitis disease management programs.
Integrin-Mediated Differentiation of a Pancreatic Carcinoma Cell Line Is Independent of FAK or MAPK Activation Levels

Introduction The extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a salient role for proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells. It was demonstrated that cell–ECM interactions mediated through integrins control gene expression and the tissue phenotype even in malignant tumors. Alterations of the ECM are a key feature of ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. Aims To examine the role of integrins and related signaling events for differentiation. Methodology and Results We established an in vitro model for ECM-induced differentiation of poorly differentiated pancreatic carcinoma cells and found that a specific pattern of ECM proteins resembling basal laminas (matrigel) induces differentiation of the PaTu-II pancreatic carcinoma cell line to a ductal phenotype. Both &bgr; 1 - and &bgr; 4 -integrins are required for cellular differentiation. Integrin-associated signaling events include activation of pp125 focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) such as extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs) and c-Jun NH 2 -terminal kinases (JNKs). However, &bgr; 1 - and &bgr; 4 -integrin–mediated differentiation of PaTu-II cells was independent from FAK, ERK, and JNK activation levels. Inhibition of MAPK kinases by PD98059 led to a reduction of proliferation but did not interfere with cellular differentiation of PaTu-II cells on matrigel. Conclusion The integrin-mediated differentiation of PaTu-II cells is regulated and maintained through FAK-and MAPK-independent signal transduction pathways.
Traffic-related air pollution, particulate matter, and autism.

CONTEXT Autism is a heterogeneous disorder with genetic and environmental factors likely contributing to its origins. Examination of hazardous pollutants has suggested the importance of air toxics in the etiology of autism, yet little research has examined its association with local levels of air pollution using residence-specific exposure assignments. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between traffic-related air pollution, air quality, and autism. DESIGN This population-based case-control study includes data obtained from children with autism and control children with typical development who were enrolled in the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment study in California. The mother's address from the birth certificate and addresses reported from a residential history questionnaire were used to estimate exposure for each trimester of pregnancy and first year of life. Traffic-related air pollution was assigned to each location using a line-source air-quality dispersion model. Regional air pollutant measures were based on the Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality System data. Logistic regression models compared estimated and measured pollutant levels for children with autism and for control children with typical development. SETTING Case-control study from California. PARTICIPANTS A total of 279 children with autism and a total of 245 control children with typical development. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Crude and multivariable adjusted odds ratios (AORs) for autism. RESULTS Children with autism were more likely to live at residences that had the highest quartile of exposure to traffic-related air pollution, during gestation (AOR, 1.98 [95% CI, 1.20-3.31]) and during the first year of life (AOR, 3.10 [95% CI, 1.76-5.57]), compared with control children. Regional exposure measures of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter less than 2.5 and 10 μm in diameter (PM2.5 and PM10) were also associated with autism during gestation (exposure to nitrogen dioxide: AOR, 1.81 [95% CI, 1.37-3.09]; exposure to PM2.5: AOR, 2.08 [95% CI, 1.93-2.25]; exposure to PM10: AOR, 2.17 [95% CI, 1.49-3.16) and during the first year of life (exposure to nitrogen dioxide: AOR, 2.06 [95% CI, 1.37-3.09]; exposure to PM2.5: AOR, 2.12 [95% CI, 1.45-3.10]; exposure to PM10: AOR, 2.14 [95% CI, 1.46-3.12]). All regional pollutant estimates were scaled to twice the standard deviation of the distribution for all pregnancy estimates. CONCLUSIONS Exposure to traffic-related air pollution, nitrogen dioxide, PM2.5, and PM10 during pregnancy and during the first year of life was associated with autism. Further epidemiological and toxicological examinations of likely biological pathways will help determine whether these associations are causal.
The Meta-National Dimension of Solidarity in EU Law: On the Impact of the EU Cohesion Policies on the 'Form of Union'

The goal of this work is to study the implications of the EU cohesion policies from a constitutional-comparative perspective.In this paper I shall deal with, among others, the following research questions:• What does solidarity mean in a context, like the EU, which is not provided by a cultural homogeneous substratum? • Can we compare the EU with other legal contexts in this respect? • Can we conceive EU cohesion policies as a part of the European supranational social model? • What is the impact of the EU cohesion policies on the relationship between centre (the EU) and periphery (regions)? As for the structure of this work, I will proceed as follows: firstly I shall introduce my understanding of solidarity in EU law, treating it as one of the constitutional principles of EU law. Secondly, I will present EU cohesion policies as an expression of this solidarity principle and as a part of the European Social Model.In order to do so in Section II I shall reconstruct the legal basis of the European Social Model and the EU cohesion policies.Finally, I shall investigate the impact of these kinds of policies on the relationship between periphery and centre (understood as the “form of union” in this work) in the EU. The main intuition behind this work can be summarised as follows: regions have been traditionally neglected by EU treaties (the famous principle of the “territorial blindness” of the EU) in spite of their importance for the functioning of the EU. Against this background, my hypothesis is that the EU cohesion policies may have a role in contributing to overcome the EU territorial blindness, leading to an improvement of the constitutional status (i.e. emergence of a set of “rights” and “duties”) of those constitutional actors.
Improved simulation of Antarctic sea ice due to the radiative effects of falling snow

Southern Ocean sea-ice cover exerts critical control on local albedo and Antarctic precipitation, but simulated Antarctic sea-ice concentration commonly disagrees with observations. Here we show that the radiative effects of precipitating ice (falling snow) contribute substantially to this discrepancy. Many models exclude these radiative effects, so they underestimate both shortwave albedo and downward longwave radiation. Using two simulations with the climate model CESM1, we show that including falling-snow radiative effects improves the simulations relative to cloud properties from CloudSat-CALIPSO, radiation from CERES-EBAF and sea-ice concentration from passive microwave sensors. From 50–70°S, the simulated sea-ice-area bias is reduced by 2.12 × 106 km2 (55%) in winter and by 1.17 × 106 km2 (39%) in summer, mainly because increased wintertime longwave heating restricts sea-ice growth and so reduces summer albedo. Improved Antarctic sea-ice simulations will increase confidence in projected Antarctic sea level contributions and changes in global warming driven by long-term changes in Southern Ocean feedbacks.
DNA Vaccination by Electroporation and Boosting with Recombinant Proteins Enhances the Efficacy of DNA Vaccines for Schistosomiasis Japonica

ABSTRACT Schistosomiasis japonica is an endemic, zoonotic disease of major public health importance in China. Control programs combining chemotherapy and snail killing have not been able to block transmission of infection in lakes and marsh regions. Vaccination is needed as a complementary approach to the ongoing control programs. In the present study, we wanted to determine if the efficacies of DNA vaccines encoding the 23-kDa tetraspanin membrane protein (SjC23), triose phosphate isomerase (SjCTPI), and sixfold-repeated genes of the complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) in the H chain of NP30 could be enhanced by boosting via electroporation in vivo and/or with cocktail protein vaccines. Mice vaccinated with cocktail DNA vaccines showed a significant worm reduction of 32.88% (P < 0.01) and egg reduction of 36.20% (P < 0.01). Vaccine efficacy was enhanced when animals were boosted with cocktail protein vaccines; adult worm and liver egg burdens were reduced 45.35% and 48.54%, respectively. Nearly identical results were obtained in mice boosted by electroporation in vivo, with adult worm and egg burdens reduced by 45.00% and 50.88%, respectively. The addition of a protein vaccine boost to this regimen further elevated efficacy to approximately 60% for adult worm burden and greater than 60% for liver egg reduction. The levels of interleukin-2, gamma interferon, and the ratios of immunoglobulin G2a (IgG2a)/IgG1 clearly showed that cocktail DNA vaccines induced CD4+ Th1-type responses. Boosting via either electroporation or with recombinant proteins significantly increased associated immune responses over those seen in mice vaccinated solely with DNA vaccines. Thus, schistosome DNA vaccine efficacy was significantly enhanced via boosting by electroporation in vivo and/or cocktail protein vaccines.
A new method for quantification of left ventricular systolic function using a corrected ejection fraction.

AIMS Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) is a suboptimal measure of ventricular function. Recent mathematical modelling of left ventricular contraction has shown that the EF is determined by both myocardial shortening (strain) and by end-diastolic wall thickness. Increasing end-diastolic wall thickness resulted in augmented radial wall thickening. This may result in a significant 'overestimation' of ventricular systolic function as assessed by the EF. This study proposes a new measure of ventricular systolic function, the corrected EF (EF(c)) to allow for the presence of concentric left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). METHODS AND RESULTS The study uses a new two-layer, three-dimensional mathematical model of ventricular contraction. Changes in end-diastolic wall thickness in addition to long-axis and mid-wall circumferential strain were modelled. Iso-strain lines were obtained where myocardial shortening (strain) is constant; EF increases with increasing end-diastolic wall thickness. The corrected EF is determined by following the iso-strain lines to the equivalent EF in the absence of hypertrophy (e.g. 9 mm thickness). For example, an individual with a mean end-diastolic wall thickness of 20 mm and measured EF of 60% has a corrected EF (EF(c)) of 37%. CONCLUSION The study shows that the EF is determined by absolute wall thickening and provides a nomogram for comparing EF when LVH is present. The EF(c) is a potential new measure of left ventricular systolic function. Its possible role will need validating in mortality trials.
Pulmonary surfactant is altered during mechanical ventilation of isolated rat lung

Objective To test the hypothesis that the lung injury induced by certain mechanical ventilation strategies is associated with changes in the pulmonary surfactant system. Design Analysis of the pulmonary surfactant system from isolated rat lungs after one of four different ventilatory strategies. Setting A research laboratory at a university. Subjects A total of 45 Sprague-Dawley rats. Interventions Isolated lungs were randomized to either no ventilation (O-TIME) or to ventilation at 40 breaths/min in a humidified 37°C chamber for either 30 mins or 120 mins with one of the following four strategies: a) control (CON, 7 mL/kg, 3 cm H2O positive end-expiratory pressure); b) medium volume, zero end-expiratory pressure (MVZP, 15 mL/kg, O cm H2O end-expiratory pressure); c) medium volume, high positive end-expiratory pressure (MVHP, 15 mL/kg, 9 cm H2O positive end-expiratory pressure); and d) high volume, zero end-expiratory pressure (HVZP, 40 mL/kg, 0 cm H2O end-expiratory pressure). Measurements Pressure-volume curves were determined before and after the ventilation period, after which the lungs were lavaged for surfactant analysis. Main Results Compared with 0-TIME, 30 mins of ventilation with the HVZP strategy or 120 mins of ventilation with CON and MVZP strategies caused a significant decrease in compliance. Groups showing a decreased compliance had significant increases in the amount of surfactant, surfactant large aggregates, and total lavage protein compared with 0-TIME. Conclusions A short period of injurious mechanical ventilation can cause a decrease in lung compliance that is associated with a large influx of proteins into the alveolar space and with alterations of the pulmonary surfactant system. The changes of surfactant in these experiments are different from those seen in acute lung injury, indicating that they may represent an initial response to mechanical ventilation.
QUALITY OF PRIMARY CARE REFERRAL LETTERS AND FEEDBACK REPORTS IN BURAIDAH, QASSIM REGION, SAUDI ARABIA

Objective: To evaluate the quality of referral letters and feedback reports written according to the standards of Quality Assurance Manual of Ministry of Health from primary health care centers (PHCC's) in Buraidah. Methodology: This study was conducted during October and November 2004. A total of 330 referral letters and feedback reports were randomly selected from six PHCCs (20% from PHCCs in Buraidah City). About 55 referral and feedback letters were selected from each PHCC by systematic sampling method. The referral letters and feedback reports were reviewed thoroughly for the main items required in ideal referral letters and feedback reports according to the standard of Quality Assurance Manual of Ministry of Health, and a scoring system was used Result: Many of the referral letters lacked such important information as the history in 36%, vital signs in 30%, results of clinical examination in 45%, results of basic investigations in 52%, provisional diagnosis in 50%, and treatment given in PHCCs in 47%. The legibility of referral letters and feedback reports was good in 75%, and 63% respectively, and the quality of referral letters and feedback reports was good in 63% and 39% respectively. The rate of feedback reports received by PHCCs was 30% of total number of referrals to the hospitals. The referral rate was (4%) from total number of patients seen in PHCCs. The most frequent reasons for referrals were for general treatment 36.7%, for general diagnostic evaluation 28%, and for laboratory investigation 18.8%. Conclusion: The referral rate from PHCCs in Buraidah fell within the standard set in Quality Assurance Manual. However, the quality of referral letters and feedback reports was poor in 17.6% and 29.7% respectively. The quality of both referral letters and feedback reports should improve to guarantee the quality of patient care.
Effect of rotigotine on sleep and quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients: post hoc analysis of RECOVER patients who were symptomatic at baseline

Objective: The aim of this research is to characterize further the potential motor and non-motor benefits of rotigotine reported in the double-blind, placebo-controlled RECOVER trial primary publication, by performing a post hoc exploratory analysis of patient status (symptom improvement/worsening). Methods: Full RECOVER trial methodological details have already been reported. The post hoc analyses presented here are done on individual items of the PDSS-2 and PDQ-8 for all patients and two subgroups (baseline symptomatic and highly symptomatic patients). Results: Ten PDSS-2 and five PDQ-8 items show significant mean treatment difference versus placebo. In the overall population, items that most favor rotigotine in percentage of patients with improvement are ‘limb pain causes waking’ and ‘uncomfortable in bed due to immobility’ for PDSS-2; for PDQ-8, rotigotine is most favored in ‘difficulty dressing’, ‘felt depressed’ and ‘difficulty getting around in public’. Among symptomatic and highly symptomatic patients, the PDSS-2 items that most favor rotigotine are both indicators of pain. On the PDQ-8, the two items most favored in symptomatic patients are ‘difficulty dressing’ and ‘embarrassed in public due to PD’, and in the highly symptomatic subgroup ‘difficulty dressing’ and ‘difficulty getting around in public’. Conclusion: Though this trial was not powered for statistical subgroup analysis, these post hoc results indicate that treatment with rotigotine may benefit patients with sleep, pain, mood and quality-of-life issues.