Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Astragaloside IV Attenuated 3,4-Benzopyrene-Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm by Ameliorating Macrophage-Mediated Inflammation

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), characterized by macrophage infiltration-mediated inflammation and oxidative stress, is a potentially fatal disease. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) has been acknowledged to exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This study was designed to investigate the protective effect of AS-IV against AAA formation induced by 3,4-benzopyrene (Bap) and angiotensin II (Ang II), and to explore probable mechanisms. Results showed that AS-IV decreased AAA formation, and reduced macrophage infiltration and expression of matrix metalloproteinase. Furthermore, AS-IV abrogated Bap-/Ang II-induced NF-κB activation and oxidative stress. In vitro, AS-IV inhibition of macrophage activation and NF-κB was correlated with increased phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)/AKT. Together, our findings suggest that AS-IV has potential as an intervention in the formation of AAA. Highlights(1) The protective effect of Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is associated with its suppressing effects on inflammation in the aortic wall. (2) AS-IV abrogated 3,4-benzopyrene (Bap)/angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation and oxidative stress. (3) AS-IV inhibited Bap-induced RAW264.7 macrophage cells activation by inhibiting oxidative stress and NF-κB activation through phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)/AKT pathway. AS-IV is a potential preventive agent for cigarette smoking-related AAA.
CTLA-4 interferes with the HBV-specific T cell immune response (Review)

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a major cause of hepatic inflammation. Successful HBV clearance in patients is associated with sustained viral control by effector T cells. Compared with acute hepatitis B, chronic HBV infection is associated with the depletion of T cells, resulting in weak or absent virus-specific T cells reactivity, which is described as 'exhaustion'. This exhaustion is characterized by impaired cytokine production and sustained expression of multiple coinhibitory molecules. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is one of many coinhibitory molecules that can attenuate T cell activation by inhibiting costimulation and transmitting inhibitory signals to T cells. Persistent HBV infection results in the upregulation of CTLA-4 on hepatic CD8+ T cells. This prompts CD8+ T cell apoptosis, and the activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes is blocked. Similar to CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T helper (Th) cell proliferation is hindered following CTLA-4 upregulation. In addition, the differentiation of CD4+ Th is polarized toward the Th2/peripherally-inducible T regulatory cell types, increasing the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines. Conversely, the activation of proinflammatory cells (Th1 and follicular helper T) is blocked, and the levels of proinflammatory cytokines decline. This review summarizes the current literature relevant to T cell exhaustion in patients with HBV-related chronic hepatitis, and discusses the roles of CTLA-4 in T cell exhaustion.
The early Swahili trade village of Tumbe, Pemba Island, Tanzania, AD 600–950

Indian Ocean maritime networks have become a special focus of research in recent years, with emphasis not only on the economics of trade but also the movement of domesticated plants and animals (see Fuller et al. in Antiquity 2011: 544–58). But did such contacts inevitably lead to radical social change? Excavations at Tumbe reveal a settlement of the late first millennium AD that was heavily engaged in the traffic in exotic materials and may have been producing shell beads for export. This activity seems to have flourished within a domestic context in a village setting, however, and does not seem to have stimulated pronounced social stratification nor to have led inexorably towards urbanisation. These results demonstrate that some communities were able to establish a stable balance between the demands of the domestic economy and long-distance trade that could persist for several centuries. Activities at Tumbe should hence be viewed in their own right, not as precursors to the formation of the Swahili trading towns of the later medieval period.
Time-out! How psychological momentum builds up and breaks down in table tennis

ABSTRACT The current study examined the development of psychological momentum (PM) in table tennis and the effect of a time-out. Eighty table tennis players were exposed to an audiovisual scenario, in which they either came back from 1–7 to 7–7 in an all-decisive game (positive momentum), or in which the opponent came back from 7–1 to 7–7 (negative momentum). Furthermore, at the score of 7–7 a time-out was called. One group of participants received no specific instructions during the time-out, whereas the other group received task (mastery-approach – MAp) instructions. Overall, PM perceptions increased for participants in the positive momentum condition, but decreased rapidly for participants in the negative momentum condition. In addition, the time-out led to a loss of PM in the positive momentum condition, but to a recovery of PM in the negative momentum condition. The instructions during the time-out did not make a significant difference. Together, these results suggest that scoring patterns in a table tennis game significantly affect the PM of players. Furthermore, a player or coach could benefit from calling a time-out in a negative momentum situation, as this provides an opportunity to psychologically recover.
Comparison of a Pneumatic Compression Device to a Compression Garment During Recovery from DOMS

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a pneumatic compression device (PCD) compared to a continuously-worn compression sleeve (CS) during a five-day recovery period from delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) of the elbow flexors. Eight college-aged students participated in this crossover design study. The muscle-damage protocol consisted of four sets of 25 repetitions of isokinetic concentric elbow flexion followed by eccentric elbow extension at 60°/second. Immediately following the muscle-damage protocol, subjects either wore a CS continually for five days or completed daily, 20-minute PCD treatments for five days. Swelling, range of motion (ROM), and pain were measured daily during the five-day recovery period. Subjects rested for seven additional days before completing another muscle-damage protocol and the remaining treatment. Treatment order was randomized and balanced. Muscle swelling, assessed via changes in upper arm circumference, was significantly lower in the PCD treatment (1.7 vs. 2.0 cm in CS, p = 0.012), however there was no difference in lower arm circumference (p = 0.091). ROM disturbances during the PCD treatment were lower (mean peak reduction in ROM −9.04 degrees in PCD compared to −17.25 degrees in CS, p < 0.05) and peak pain was lower by 39% (27.5 mm in PCD compared to 45.2 mm in CS, p < 0.05) when compared to the CS treatment. These findings suggest that daily treatments using a PCD further reduce peak disturbance and recovery time from DOMS of the elbow flexors when compared to a continuously-worn CS.
Efficient Dependency-Guided Named Entity Recognition

Named entity recognition (NER), which focuses on the extraction of semantically meaningful named entities and their semantic classes from text, serves as an indispensable component for several down-stream natural language processing (NLP) tasks such as relation extraction and event extraction. Dependency trees, on the other hand, also convey crucial semantic-level information. It has been shown previously that such information can be used to improve the performance of NER. In this work, we investigate on how to better utilize the structured information conveyed by dependency trees to improve the performance of NER. Specifically, unlike existing approaches which only exploit dependency information for designing local features, we show that certain global structured information of the dependency trees can be exploited when building NER models where such information can provide guided learning and inference. Through extensive experiments, we show that our proposed novel dependency-guided NER model performs competitively with models based on conventional semi-Markov conditional random fields, while requiring significantly less running time.
Chemoprevention acceptance and adherence in women with high‐risk breast lesions

Patients with atypical hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) (atypical breast lesions) are at high risk of developing breast cancer, and chemoprevention has been shown to confer a substantial reduction in that risk. Despite this, the overall rate of chemoprevention utilization in this group is low. This study evaluates the efficacy of a formal individualized education and counseling session on patient acceptance and adherence to chemoprevention. Patients with atypical breast lesions having an individualized education and counseling session in a single surgical oncology practice were prospectively entered into a database from 2001 to 2016, and with IRB approval, their data were analyzed. Chemoprevention recommendations, acceptance, duration of treatment, and side effects were recorded. A total of 536 patients were included in this study. Mean age at diagnosis was 52 years (range: 19‐86 years). Chemoprevention was recommended for 386 (72%) of whom 199 (52%) elected to take medication or participate in a chemoprevention clinical trial. At the time of this writing, 72 patients had completed therapy, 69 were still in treatment, and 58 had stopped chemoprevention prematurely. Approximately 55% of the women who accepted chemoprevention in this study will complete 5 years of therapy. A formal individualized education and counseling session can improve chemoprevention acceptance and achieve a reasonable completion rate, thus reducing cancer incidence in women with atypical breast lesions.
Learning to Prune Dominated Action Sequences in Online Black-Box Planning

Black-box domains where the successor states generated by applying an action are generated by a completely opaque simulator pose a challenge for domain-independent planning. The main computational bottleneck in search-based planning for such domains is the number of calls to the black-box simulation. We propose a method for significantly reducing the number of calls to the simulator by the search algorithm by detecting and pruning sequences of actions which are dominated by others. We apply our pruning method to Iterated Width and breadth-first search in domain-independent black-box planning for Atari 2600 games in the Arcade Learning Environment (ALE), adding our pruning method significantly improves upon the baseline algorithms.
Prognostic Value of Serum CA19-9 and Perioperative CA-125 Levels in Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma

Background There are no effective biomarkers for surveillance in ovarian clear cell carcinoma (OCCC), and the value of carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA-125) is limited. We sought to determine the value of both carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and CA-125 levels postoperatively on the prognosis for OCCC. Methods A total of 130 patients with OCCC who were consecutively treated by cytoreduction at Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were reviewed retrospectively. Univariate log-rank analyses and Cox regression multivariate analyses were performed to identify predictors of recurrence-free (RFS) and overall survival (OS) rates. Results The survival in patients with postoperative normalization of CA-125 was significantly better than those with decreased but still elevated CA-125 (5-year RFS rates, 57.9% vs 45.2%, P = 0.046; 5-year OS rates, 81.4% vs 54.4%, P = 0.016), or those with increased CA-125 (5-year RFS rates, 57.9% vs 29.2%, P = 0.001; 5-year OS rates, 81.4% vs 33.6%, P < 0.001). An elevated level of postoperative CA-125 level was an independent risk factor for recurrence and survival [RFS: hazard ratio (HR), 2.2; P = 0.033; OS: HR, 4.3; P = 0.019]. Elevated postoperative CA19-9 was an independent risk factor for both RFS and OS in patients with normal postoperative CA-125 levels (RFS: HR, 5.0; P = 0.005; OS: HR, 1.1; P = 0.035). Conclusions Combining postoperative CA19-9 and CA-125 appeared to be of great clinical value for prognosis in patients with OCCC after initial debulking.
Endothelial dysfunction as predictor of angina recurrence after successful percutaneous coronary intervention using second generation drug eluting stents

Background The role of endothelial dysfunction in predicting angina recurrence after percutaneous coronary intervention is unknown. Design We assessed the role of peripheral endothelial dysfunction measured by reactive-hyperaemia peripheral-artery tonometry (RH-PAT) in predicting recurrence of angina after percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods We enrolled consecutive patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with second-generation drug-eluting stents. RH-PAT was measured at discharge. The endpoint was repeated coronary angiography for angina recurrence and/or evidence of myocardial ischaemia at follow-up. Patients with in-stent restenosis and/or significant de novo stenosis were defined as having angina with obstructed coronary arteries (AOCA); all other patients as having angina with non-obstructed coronary arteries (ANOCA). Results Among 100 patients (mean age 66.7 ± 10.4 years, 80 (80.0%) male, median follow-up 16 (3–20) months), AOCA occurred in 14 patients (14%), ANOCA in nine patients (9%). Repeated coronary angiography occurred more frequently among patients in the lower RH-PAT index tertile compared with middle and upper tertiles (14 (41.2%) vs. 6 (18.2%) vs. 3 (9.1%), p = 0.006, respectively). ANOCA was more frequent in the lower RH-PAT index tertile compared with middle and upper tertiles. In the multivariate regression analysis, the RH-PAT index only predicted angina recurrence. The receiver operating characteristic curve of the RH-PAT index to predict the angina recurrence demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.79 (95% confidence interval: 0.69–0.89; p < 0.001), with a cut-off value of 1.705, having sensitivity 74% and specificity 70%. Conclusions Non-invasive assessment of peripheral endothelial dysfunction using RH-PAT might help in the prediction of recurrent angina after percutaneous coronary intervention, thus identifying patients who may need more intense pharmacological treatment and risk factor control.
The Effects of Maternal Mild Protein Restriction on Stroke Incidence and Blood Pressure in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats (SHRSP)

The effect of maternal protein restriction during pregnancy on the offspring’s blood pressure was assessed in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) which are genetically predisposed to hypertension and stroke. After the confirmation of pregnancy, the control group was given a 20% casein diet, and the low-protein group was fed a 9% casein diet. After the confirmation of delivery, commercial feed was given to both of the groups. No differences were seen between the control and low-protein offspring in regard to body weight, blood pressure elevation, or life span. One percent saline solution was put in the control and low-protein groups after the age of 11 weeks. Blood pressure increased markedly in the low-protein group, on the blood pressure level in the low-protein group on week 2 after salt loading (242±6 mmHg) was significantly higher than that in the control group (223±9 mmHg; p<0.05). The survival duration was significantly shorter in the low-protein group (113±4 days) than in the control group (135±22 days; p<0.05). These results suggest that maternal protein malnutrition in SHRSP exerted a high salt sensitivity and a malignant influence on stroke incidence on offspring.
Negative Affect Influences Electrophysiological Markers of Visual Working Memory in Mildly Stressed Older Adults

Negative affect (NA) has been related to lower working memory performance across all ages, including in older adults where it has been suggested as a marker for later cognitive impairments. However, NA-related decreases in working memory performance have not been shown in a full range of working memory paradigms or fully explored in the context of electrophysiological measures of working memory. We examined the impact of NA and related markers on an electroencephalography (EEG) marker of visual working memory (VWM) capacity, referred to as the contralateral delay activity (CDA). This study analyzed data collected from 48 cognitively intact, mildly stressed older adults (50–74 years old) who completed a VWM change-detection task to elicit the CDA, as well as self-rated measures of affect, stress, neuroticism and depression. Regression analyses revealed significant CDA amplitude effects with NA across task conditions. These results indicate a reduction in a physiological measure of VWM capacity in high-NA participants. These results are of interest as NA has been associated with a greater risk for worse cognitive function, detrimental health outcomes and reduced quality of life in older adults. This research adds to our understanding of how NA impacts older adults and gives a potential biomarker for successful intervention outcomes.
RICS Modulate Dendritic Morphology of Cortical Neurons

Regulated growth and branching of dendritic processes is critical for the establishment of neuronal circuitry and normal brain functions. Rho family GTPases, including RhoA, Rac1, and Cdc42, play a prominent role in dendritic development. RhoA inhibits dendritic branching and growth, whereas Rac1/Cdc42 does the opposite. It has been suggested that the activity of RhoA must be kept low to allow dendritic growth. However, how neurons restrict the activation of RhoA for proper dendritic development is not clear. In the present study, we undertook a comprehensive loss-of-function analysis of putative RhoA GTPase-activating proteins (RhoA GAPs) in the cortical neurons. The expression of 16 RhoA GAPs was detected in the developing rat brain, and RNA interference experiments suggest that 2 of them, Myo9b and RICS, are critical regulators of dendritic morphogenesis. Knockdown of either Myo9b or RICS in cultured cortical neurons or developing cortex resulted in decreased dendrite length and number. Inhibition of RhoA/ROCK signaling restores the defects of dendritic morphology induced by knockdown of Myo9b or RICS. These data demonstrate that Myo9b and RICS repress RhoA/Rock signaling and modulate dendritic morphogenesis in cortical neurons, providing evidence for critical physiological function of RhoA GAPs in regulation of dendritic development.
Stroke Prevalence in Children With Sickle Cell Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objectives. The prevalence of stroke among children with sickle cell disease (SCD) in sub-Saharan Africa was systematically reviewed. Methods. Comprehensive searches of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were performed for articles published between 1980 and 2016 (English or French) reporting stroke prevalence. Using preselected inclusion criteria, titles and abstracts were screened and full-text articles were reviewed. Results. Ten full-text articles met selection criteria. Cross-sectional clinic-based data reported 2.9% to 16.9% stroke prevalence among children with SCD. Using available sickle gene frequencies by country, estimated pediatric mortality, and fixed- and random-effects model, the number of affected individuals is projected as 29 800 (95% confidence interval = 25 571-34 027) and 59 732 (37 004-82 460), respectively. Conclusion. Systematic review enabled the estimation of the number of children with SCD stroke in sub-Saharan Africa. High disease mortality, inaccurate diagnosis, and regional variability of risk hamper more precise estimates. Adopting standardized stroke assessments may provide more accurate determination of numbers affected to inform preventive interventions.
Color stability, psychosocial impact, and effect on self-perception of esthetics of tooth whitening using low-concentration (6%) hydrogen peroxide.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the bleaching efficacy and impact on psychosocial and esthetics self-perception of a low-concentration (6%) hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) gel compared with a conventional (37.5%) H2O2 gel when used as an in-office treatment. METHOD AND MATERIALS In total, 35 participants received two sessions of three 12-minute applications of treatment with 37.5% H2O2 on one side of the mouth and 6% H2O2 on the other. Color changes were measured objectively using total variation in color (ΔE) and subjectively using Vita Classical scale (ΔSGU). The Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetic Questionnaire (PIDAQ) and Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) esthetic questionnaires were administered to measure self-perception and the psychosocial impact of the whitening procedure. RESULTS Both gels produced significant changes in tooth color at 1 and 3 months post-whitening. The objective efficacy (ΔE) of 37.5% H2O2 (9.06 ± 2.96) was significantly higher than that of 6% H2O2 (5.69 ± 3.06). The results of the subjective assessment were not statistically different. There was a positive impact on esthetic auto perception (OHIP-14, P < .05) and psychosocial impact (PIDAQ, P < .05) at the 3-month time point. CONCLUSION Low concentration of H2O2 (6%) achieved effective bleaching (ΔE > 5 units) with good stability at 3 months accompanied by a positive psychosocial impact and enhanced self-perception. However, the traditional 35% concentration was objectively more effective.
Timing of radiation therapy in nipple‐sparing mastectomy influences outcomes and patient‐reported quality of life

The aim of this study is to assess the complication profile and impact on patient‐reported quality of life in those undergoing nipple‐sparing mastectomy (NSM) with immediate breast reconstruction and subsequent prosthetic reconstruction in patients with prior breast radiation therapy (pRT) vs those receiving adjuvant post‐mastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT). An IRB‐approved, retrospective analysis was performed from 2002 to 2014 to identify NSM patients that underwent pRT or PMRT. A 22‐item Likert scale questionnaire was administered by a third party to register patient‐reported quality of life. Forty patients met criteria for outcomes analysis, and 30 patients answered the questionnaire. Mean age was 45.6 years old and mean follow‐up was 3.8 years. Complication rates for the PMRT cohort were 61.9% vs 31.6% in the pRT cohort, P = . 067, and those requiring operative intervention were PMRT 38.1% vs pRT 5.3%, P = . 021. Nipple‐areolar complex survival was 100% in the pRT vs 85.7% in the PMRT, P = . 233. Breast‐related quality of life scores were superior in the pRT group within multiple domains. Patients are more likely to develop complications requiring an operative intervention and have decreased breast‐related quality of life when undergoing NSM with PMRT compared to patients undergoing NSM having received pRT.
Serological Survey for Peste Des Petits Ruminants Virus (PPRv) in Camel from Different Regions in The West of Libya

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute feverish viral, disease of sheep and goat characterized by mucopurulent nasal and ocular discharges, necrotizing and erosive stomatitis, enteritis and pneumonia. The disease causes large economic losses each year due to the high rates of mortality and morbidity in infected sheep and goats. In this study, we investigate the sero incidence of PPR in camel flocks in west labia. Serum samples from 492 camel were collected . sero incidence was resolute using virus neutralizing test ( VNT ) and direct enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) . the results of this study showed that the presence of PPR virus antibodies as of west labia sub region , 112 (22.8%) and 380 (77.2%) serum samples were positive and negative for PPRV antibodies respectively.