Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Propolis: Alternative Medicine for the Treatment of Oral Microbial Diseases

Bees are arthropods of Hymenoptera order and are classified into two groups based on their type of life: solitary and social life. Propolis is produced by bees that live socially, from the harvesting of products derived from plants and used to seal and protect the hive against intruders and natural phenomena [1]. Propolis term derives from the Greek Pro, "opposite, the entry" and polis, "city or community" [2,3]. Propolis is a natural substance collected by Apis mellifera bees in several plant species. It has been used in folk medicine for centuries [2,4]. Characteristically, it is a lipophilic material, hard and brittle when cold, but soft, flexible and very sticky when warm. Hence the name "beeswax" [5]. It has characteristic odor and shows adhesive properties of oils and interact strongly with skin proteins [6]. The composition of propolis is complex [7,8]. Some factors, such as the botanical origin of propolis and its time of collection can influence the chemical composition of this resinous material [9]. The color of propolis varies from yellowish green to dark brown, depending on location savannah, tropical forests, desert, coastal and mountainous regions where it is produced. [10,11,12]. Propolis is used by bees to protect against the entry of microorganisms, fungi and bacteria in the hive, and as a sealing material for preventing the entry of light and moisture inside. It is also used to line the comb, to allow the deposition of eggs by the queen, and to embalm small dead animals (beetles and insects) that usually bees could not take into the hive, preventing its putrefaction.3,5,7].
Dietary flavonoids may promote health , prevent heart disease

Nutrients exert measurable effects on biological processes and are among many factors that optimize health by helping to prevent, cure, treat or slow the progression of chronic diseases. Certain plant components (i.e., phytochemicals) may not be considered essential by traditional measures, but are increasingly recognized for their beneficial health effects. In particular, dietary flavonoids may make an important contribution to cardiovascular health. Epidemiological studies have shown that intake of flavonoids may be inversely associated with long-term mortality from coronary heart disease in epidemiological studies. Research with flavonoid-rich foods such as red wine, tea, blueberries and chocolate has demonstrated their antioxidant capacity. However, different flavonoids appear to have varying degrees of effect (e.g., inhibiting the oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) and most of the flavonoid research has been limited to a few simple flavonoids, rather than a comprehensive investigation of all flavonoids present in the diet or a particular foodstuff. Well-controlled clinical studies are needed to determine whether flavonoids offer true benefits to cardiovascular health and to understand other potential mechanisms, in addition to antioxidant activity, which may be responsible for their protective action. lassically, a nutrient is defined as a C component of food essential for normal growth and development that cannot be made by the body in sufficient quantities. Recently, a new dimension has been added to the traditional view of nutrients: nutrients exert measurable effects on biological processes and are among many factors that optimize health by helping to prevent, cure, treat or slow the progression of chronic diseases. With this paradigm shift comes a whole different set of questions about the active components in diet and foods. In particular, components of plant origin (i.e., phytochemicals) may not be considered essential by traditional measures, but are increasingly recognized for their beneficial effects on health promotion and disease prevention.
Relationship of Prospective GHb to Glycated Serum Proteins in Incident Diabetic Retinopathy

When estimating long-term glycemic control, A1C is considered the gold standard (1–3), but patients with seemingly equivalent A1C differ in their risk for microvascular complications (4,5). Recently, the “glycation gap,” defined as the difference between the measured A1C and that which would be predicted from another measure of glycemic control, fructosamine, has been proposed as a means of identifying sources of variance in the apparent risk (6). Because hemoglobin is an intracellular protein and fructosamine reflects extracellular proteins, the glycation gap could result from differences between the ambient glucose concentrations or rates of glycation in the intracellular and extracellular compartments or interindividual differences in the turnover/metabolism of underlying proteins (6). In this study, we sought to determine whether there are differences in the relationship of GHb to fructosamine in diabetic subjects who do or do not develop retinopathy. The present study was completed in collaboration with the Wisconsin Diabetes Registry Study (WDRS), an incident type 1 diabetes cohort followed for complications over 4–14 years’ duration. The WDRS has been described previously (7). New fructosamine testing was completed in 86 subjects who were identified among 290 with fundus photographs at 9 years. Patients with retinopathy ( n = 13), patients with missing photographs indicating no retinopathy ( n = 38) at 4 years or missing GHb or random glucose at 4 and/or 9 years ( n = 118), and patients having insufficient plasma for testing fructosamine at the 4-year exam ( n = 35) were excluded. Of the 86 eligible patients, 2 with fructosamine concentrations >1,000 μmol/l were omitted. …
Mechanical Characterisation and Biomechanical and Biological Behaviours of Ti-Zr Binary-Alloy Dental Implants

The objective of the study is to characterise the mechanical properties of Ti-15Zr binary alloy dental implants and to describe their biomechanical behaviour as well as their osseointegration capacity compared with the conventional Ti-6Al-4V (TAV) alloy implants. The mechanical properties of Ti-15Zr binary alloy were characterised using Roxolid© implants (Straumann, Basel, Switzerland) via ultrasound. Their biomechanical behaviour was described via finite element analysis. Their osseointegration capacity was compared via an in vivo study performed on 12 adult rabbits. Young's modulus of the Roxolid© implant was around 103 GPa, and the Poisson coefficient was around 0.33. There were no significant differences in terms of Von Mises stress values at the implant and bone level between both alloys. Regarding deformation, the highest value was observed for Ti-15Zr implant, and the lowest value was observed for the cortical bone surrounding TAV implant, with no deformation differences at the bone level between both alloys. Histological analysis of the implants inserted in rabbits demonstrated higher BIC percentage for Ti-15Zr implants at 3 and 6 weeks. Ti-15Zr alloy showed elastic properties and biomechanical behaviours similar to TAV alloy, although Ti-15Zr implant had a greater BIC percentage after 3 and 6 weeks of osseointegration.
Hyperadiponectinemia During Infliximab Induction Therapy in Pediatric Crohn Disease

Objectives: The inflammatory process in Crohn disease (CD) involves the visceral fat, characterized by adipocyte hyperplasia and altered adipose tissue and serum concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), leptin, adiponectin and resistin. We investigated the effect of anti-TNF therapy with infliximab (IFX) on serum adipokine levels in pediatric CD. Methods: Serum concentrations of resistin (ng/mL), leptin (ng/mL), and total adiponectin (&mgr;g/mL) were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) in 18 pediatric CD patients (mean age 15.0 ± 1.5 years) before first, second, and fourth IFX infusion (weeks 0, 2, and 14) and compared with baseline values from sex- and BMI-matched healthy controls (HC, mean age 13.4 ± 1.6 years). Results: At baseline, CD patients (mean age 15.0 ± 1.5 years, 10 of 18 boys) compared with HC (13.4 ± 1.6 years, 7 of 15 boys) had higher resistin levels (median 14.7 ng/mL, range 5.1–50.5 vs 7.3 ng/mL, 0.5–14.5); P = 0.0002). At weeks 2 and 14, resistin decreased to 6.9 ng/mL (2.9–16.8) (P < 0.0001) and 9.2 ng/mL (4.1–20.6; P = 0.0011), respectively. Leptin and adiponectin were comparable between patients and HC at baseline. Leptin increased in girls from 9.5 ng/mL (4.0–30.1) to 16.0 ng/mL (7.9–35.2; P = 0.0156) and 17.2 ng/mL (10.8- 26.8; P = 0.1953) at weeks 0, 2, and 14 respectively; with a trend in boys from 2 (0.6–12.9) to 2.8 (1.7–8.6; P = 0.0840) and 3.3 (1.3–4.6; P = 0.1309). Adiponectin peaked initially from 7.8 &mgr;g/mL (4.6–11.9) at week 0 to 9.2 &mgr;g/mL (4.1–20.7; P = 0.0005) at week 2 and thereafter fell to 6.5 &mgr;g/mL (3.0–12.7; P = 0.0182) at week 14. Conclusions: TNF blockade is associated with changes in circulating adipokines. The marked early increase of the potent anti-inflammatory adiponectin may contribute to the rapid response to IFX in CD.
Outcomes of trauma patients with no vital signs on hospital admission.

In 5 years, 267 patients with cardiopulmonary arrest after trauma were treated at our institution. The long-term survival rate was 2.6%. Only 1.5% of the 267 patients were functional individuals. Overall, neither the mechanism of injury nor routine emergency thoracotomy influenced the salvage rate. Our results in the management of trauma victims without vital signs indicate that: 1) among blunt trauma patients, those with isolated head injury have the highest survival rate; 2) patients with blunt multisystem injuries involving the chest, abdomen, or truncal orthopedic structures are unsalvageable; 3) cardiopulmonary arrest with penetrating head or neck wounds is a lethal combination; and 4) with the exception of patients sustaining penetrating chest or heart injuries, emergency thoracotomy does not enhance the survival rate of trauma patients who were formerly declared 'dead on arrival. '
Topologically Controlled Lossy Compression

This paper presents a new algorithm for the lossy compression of scalar data defined on 2D or 3D regular grids, with topological control. Certain techniques allow users to control the pointwise error induced by the compression. However, in many scenarios it is desirable to control in a similar way the preservation of higher-level notions, such as topological features, in order to provide guarantees on the outcome of post-hoc data analyses. This paper presents the first compression technique for scalar data which supports a strictly controlled loss of topological features. It provides users with specific guarantees both on the preservation of the important features and on the size of the smaller features destroyed during compression. In particular, we present a simple compression strategy based on a topologically adaptive quantization of the range. Our algorithm provides strong guarantees on the bottleneck distance between persistence diagrams of the input and decompressed data, specifically those associated with extrema. A simple extension of our strategy additionally enables a control on the pointwise error. We also show how to combine our approach with state-of-the-art compressors, to further improve the geometrical reconstruction. Extensive experiments, for comparable compression rates, demonstrate the superiority of our algorithm in terms of the preservation of topological features. We show the utility of our approach by illustrating the compatibility between the output of post-hoc topological data analysis pipelines, executed on the input and decompressed data, for simulated or acquired data sets. We also provide a lightweight VTK-based C++ implementation of our approach for reproduction purposes.
Missing a Phage: Unraveling Tripartite Symbioses within the Human Gut

Tripartite symbioses between bacteriophages, the epithelial cell layers of the human gut, and bacterial symbionts may play an important and unrecognized role in the function of the gut microbiome. Traditionally, phages residing within the gut were considered to interact only with their bacterial hosts and thereby to facilitate indirect interactions with the epithelial cell layers, and yet a growing body of literature is demonstrating the surprising and diverse ways in which phages directly interact with the eukaryotic cells, organs, and systems of the body. ABSTRACT Tripartite symbioses between bacteriophages, the epithelial cell layers of the human gut, and bacterial symbionts may play an important and unrecognized role in the function of the gut microbiome. Traditionally, phages residing within the gut were considered to interact only with their bacterial hosts and thereby to facilitate indirect interactions with the epithelial cell layers, and yet a growing body of literature is demonstrating the surprising and diverse ways in which phages directly interact with the eukaryotic cells, organs, and systems of the body. Phages can adhere to mucosal surfaces, bind and transcytose epithelial cells, and deliver proteins and nucleic acids to eukaryotic cells directly. These interactions could establish positive-feedback loops leading to the selection of bacterial hosts and their phage symbionts in the gut. The members of my laboratory are working to expand our knowledge on the phage-eukaryote interactions and to redefine the concept of tripartite symbioses within the human body.
Nephrotoxicity and the proximal tubule. Insights from cadmium.

Cadmium (Cd(2+)) is a non-essential heavy metal, which is taken up from the environment into the body through pulmonary and enteral pathways. The S1 segment of the kidney proximal tubule (PT) is a major target of chronic Cd(2+) toxicity. Renal dysfunction develops in up to 7% of the general population and in its most severe form displays major features of Fanconi syndrome, such as a defective protein, amino acid, glucose, bicarbonate and phosphate reabsorption. The major pathway for Cd(2+) uptake by PT cells (PTCs) in vivo is apical endocytosis of Cd(2+) complexed to the high-affinity metal-binding protein metallothionein (MT), which may be receptor-mediated. MT is subsequently degraded in endo-lysosomes, and Cd(2+) is liberated for translocation into the cytosolic compartment, possibly using transporters for Fe(2+), Zn(2+) or Cu(2+), such as the divalent metal transporter DMT1. Free Cd(2+) ions in the extracellular space are translocated across apical and/or basolateral PTC membranes into the cytosol via transporters, whose identity remains unknown. Cytosolic Cd(2+) generates reactive oxygen species (ROS), which deplete endogenous radical scavengers. ROS also damage a variety of transport proteins, including the Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase, which are subsequently degraded by the proteasome and endo-lysosomal proteases. Cd(2+) causes mitochondrial swelling and release of cytochrome C. If these ROS-mediated stress events are not balanced by repair processes, affected cells undergo apoptosis. But Cd(2+) also induces the upregulation of cytoprotective stress and metal-scavenging proteins, such as MT. In addition, Cd(2+) upregulates the detoxifying pump multidrug resistance P-glycoprotein, which appears to protect PTCs against Cd(2+)-induced apoptosis. Thus, Cd(2+) interferes with various cellular events ranging from mechanisms of induction of programmed cell death to activation of cell survival genes. A better understanding of the cellular mechanisms involved in Cd(2+) nephrotoxicity should provide insights into other heavy metal (e.g. Pb(2+), Hg(2+)) nephropathies and various forms of acquired Fanconi syndrome.
Lack of Islet Amyloid Polypeptide Regulation of Insulin Biosynthesis or Secretion in Normal Rat Islets

We examined the effects of rat islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) on insulin biosynthesis and secretion by isolated rat islets of Langerhans. Culture of islets for 24 h in the presence of 10−6 M IAPP and 5.5 mM glucose had no effect on insulin mRNA levels. Similarly, the rates of proinsulin biosynthesis were not altered in islets incubated in 10−4–10−9 M IAPP and 5.5 mM glucose, nor was the rate of conversion of proinsulin to insulin changed at 10−6 M IAPP. Addition of 10−5 M IAPP to islets incubated in 11 mM glucose decreased the fractional insulin secretion rate; however, the secretion of newly synthesized proinsulin and insulin was not affected. These data indicate that it is unlikely that IAPP is a physiologically relevant modulator of insulin biosynthesis or secretion.
Achievable Sum Rate Comparison of MIMO OFDMA and SC-FDMA Systems with Linear Receivers

This paper compares the achievable sum rates of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems with linear receivers in spatially uncorrelated frequency selective Rayleigh fading channels. Zero forcing (ZF) and linear minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) receivers are considered. We derive closed form expressions for lower bounds on the achievable sum rates of SC- FDMA so as to compare them with the achievable sum rates of OFDMA. In addition, the comparison in the asymptotic regimes of high and low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) is also presented. It is analytically demonstrated that, for ZF and MMSE receivers, the achievable sum rate of SC-FDMA is approximately equal to that of OFDMA when the number of transmitter and receiver antennas grows with a fixed ratio of less than one, in both high and low SNR regimes. The results apply to scenarios with arbitrary numbers of subcarriers and arbitrary-length channels.
Utility of SOFA and APACHE II score in sepsis in rural set up MICU.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To assess morbidity and mortality as well as to prognosticate the patients by using SOFA and APACHE II scores of patients with sepsis, severe sepsis and multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) in rural setup ICU. MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGY We carried out prospective study on patients with sepsis as per ACCP guidelines and analysed their clinical and microbiological profile. We calculated SOFA score on day 1, 3 and 7. APACHE II score was also calculated on day of admission. We used both the scores for predicting the outcome. RESULTS The mortality rate was 48% in our study group which had alarming proportion of MODS patients (78%). The most common organ involved was lung and the most common organism causing sepsis was Klebseilla. On day 3, the mortality rate of patients with SOFA score less than nine was 9.1%, while the mortality rate of patients with score more than nine was 78%. The trend of mean SOFA score was progressively declining in survivor group. The mean APACHE II score was marginally higher in non-survivor group compared to survivor group, however the difference was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Serial measurement of SOFA score during first week is very useful tool in predicting the outcome. The APACHE II score on day of admission was not reliable in predicting the mortality rate in this study and we believe that it may need modification in set up like ours.
LIFE TABLES OF TWO-SPOTTED SPIDER MITE TETRANYCHUS URTICAE KOCH (ACARI: TETRANYCHIDAE) AND ITS PREDATOR PHYTOSEIULUS PERSIMILIS ATHIAS-HENRIOT (ACARI: PHYTOSEIIDAE)

Life table of Tetranychus urticae and Phytoseiulus persimilis on bean leaflets were studied under laboratory conditions in three seasons. For T. urticae the development time from egg to adult varied from 7 to 24 days and the highest immature mortality was 78.70 % in winter. Eggs laid by females were 88.1 eggs in autumn and 70.6 eggs in summer season. The gross reproductive rate (GRR) was the highest (65.51) in autumn and 52.50 in summer. The net reproductive rate ( R o ) was the highest (15.862) in autumn and 8.916 in summer. The intrinsic rates of increase ( r m ) and finite capacity for increase (λ) reached maximal values (0.1873 and 1.206) in autumn, whereas minimal values (0.056 and 1.058) were in winter season. The mean generation time (T) was the shortest in summer and double (3.701) days in autumn. The development time of P. persimilis from egg to adult varied from 5 to 14 days. The highest immature mortality was 60% in summer. Eggs laid by females were 39.4 eggs in autumn and 30.2 eggs in summer. The gross reproductive rate (GRR) was the highest (31.4) in autumn and 24.0 in summer. The net reproductive rate ( R o ) was the highest (10.573) in autumn and 8.460 in winter. The intrinsic rates of increase ( r m ) and finite capacity for increase (λ) reached maximal values (0.1823 and 1.200) in summer, whereas minimal values (0.1025 and 1.108) were in winter. The mean generation time (T) was the shortest in summer. The results suggested that P. persimilis could develop and reproduce within a wide range of temperatures. Key words : Tetranychus urticae, Phytoseiulus persimilis, immature mortality, intrinsic rates of increase, reproductive rate, Survival DOI:10.3329/jbs.v16i0. 3733 J. bio-sci. 16: 1-10, 2008
Sur Les Automates Circulaires et la Conjecture de Cerný

A resect word takes all states of a finite automation to a single state. Cerný conjectured that every n-state automaton admitting a reset word admits a short reset word, i.e. one of length at most (n - 1) 2 . In this paper, we generalize our earliest result (the proof of the conjecture about biaised circular automata) to all circular automata.
Social resources and cognitive decline in a population of older African Americans and whites

Objective: To examine the relation of social resources and cognitive decline in older adults. Methods: Data are from the Chicago Health and Aging Project, an epidemiologic study of risk factors for Alzheimer disease (AD) and other common conditions in a geographically defined population of older persons. The sample consisted of 6,102 non-Hispanic African Americans (61.2%) and whites, aged ≥ 65, who underwent up to three interviews during an average of 5.3 years of follow-up. Each interview included administration of four cognitive function tests from which a composite measure of cognition was formed. Social networks were based on the number of children, relatives, and friends seen at least once a month. Social engagement was measured with four items related to social and productive activity. Results: Higher number of social networks and level of social engagement were positively correlated with initial level of cognitive function (networks estimate = 0.003, engagement estimate = 0.060, both p < 0.001). Both resources were also associated with a reduced rate of cognitive decline. A high (90th percentile) number of networks reduced the rate of decline by 39% compared to a low level (10th percentile), and high social engagement reduced decline by 91%. These relations remained after controlling for socioeconomic status, cognitive activity, physical activity, depressive symptoms, and chronic medical conditions. Conclusions: Greater social resources, as defined by social networks and social engagement, are associated with reduced cognitive decline in old age.
Biosynthesis and Accumulation of Formic Acid in the Poison Gland of the Carpenter Ant Camponotus pennsylvanicus

Formic acid synthesis in the poison gland of Camponotus pennsylvanicus is closely related to the C-1 metabolism of the glandular cells. Serine, glycine, and histidine are potential C-l donors to formic acid by several tetrahydrofolate intermediates. Formic acid is accumulated by its transfer to an insulated reservoir, so that the ant avoids the acid's cytotoxicity. This combination of biochemical and morphological features provides an autodefensive mechanism. Possible factors that regulate the biosynthesis of formic acid in the poison gland apparatus are discussed.