Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aerobic and anaerobic power characteristics of Saudi elite soccer players.

BACKGROUND To assess the aerobic and anaerobic characteristics of Saudi elite soccer players, and to examine the interrelationship between measures of aerobic and anaerobic power in the elite soccer players. METHODS. PARTICIPANT Twenty-three outfield elite soccer players representing the Saudi national team participated. Their means (+/- SD) for age, body mass, height and estimated fat % were: 25.2 +/- 2.3 years; 73.1 +/- 6.8 kg; 177.2 +/- 5.9 cm; and 12.3 +/- 2.7%, respectively. MEASURES Cardiorespiratory parameters, including maximal oxygen uptake (V O2 max), were assessed by open-circuit spirometry during graded treadmill running. Anaerobic power measures were obtained using Wingate anaerobic test, and included peak power (PP), and average power for 5 sec (AP 5), 10 sec (AP 10), 20 sec (AP 20) and 30 sec (AP 30). RESULTS Mean (+/-SD) values for V O2max in absolute and relative to body mass were 4.16 +/- 0.34 l x min-1 and 56.8 +/- 4.8 ml x kg-1 x min-1, respectively. Such V O2max value was 118% and 80% of those reported for Saudi college males and distance runners, respectively. The ventilatory anaerobic thereshold (Tvent) averaged 43.6 ml x kg-1 x min-1. There were no significant differences in V O2max and Tvent between players based on positions, although the midfielders and the centre-backs had the highest and the lowest individual values for both measures, respectively. Values (+/- SD) of PP and AP 30 were 873.6 +/- 141.8 W (11.88 +/- 1.3 W x kg-1), and 587.7 +/-55.4 W (8.02 +/- 0.53 W x kg-1), respectively. Only in absolute PP & AP 30 were the centre-backs significantly superior to the other players. In addition, V O2max was inversely related to PP (r = - 0.54; p < 0.05) and positively related to AP 30 (r = 0.45; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The aerobic power, expressed relative to body mass, of Saudi elite soccer players was in the lower range of values normally reported in the literatures for elite soccer players. Both PP and AP 30 were somewhat lower than values previously reported for elite soccer players from other countries.
Active surveillance for Vibrio cholerae O1 and vibriophages in sewage water as a potential tool to predict cholera outbreaks

The 1991 Peruvian cholera epidemic has thus far been responsible for 600,000 cholera cases in Peru. In an attempt to design a cholera surveillance program in the capital city of Lima, weekly sewage samples were collected between August 1993 and May 1996 and examined for the presence of Vibrio cholerae O1 bacteria and V. cholerae O1 bacteriophages (i.e., vibriophages). During the 144 weeks of surveillance, 6,323 cases of clinically defined cholera were recorded in Lima. We arbitrarily defined an outbreak as five or more reported cases of cholera in a week. The odds of having an outbreak were 7.6 times greater when V. cholerae O1 was present in sewage water during the four previous weeks compared with when it was not (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the odds of having an outbreak increased as the number of V. cholerae O1 isolations during the previous 4 weeks increased (P < 0.001). The odds of having an outbreak were 2.4 times greater when vibriophages were present in sewage water during the four previous weeks compared with when they were not, but this increase was not statistically significant (P = 0.15). The odds of having an outbreak increased as the number of vibriophage isolations during the previous 4 weeks increased (P < 0.05). The signaling of a potential cholera outbreak 1 month in advance may be a valuable tool for implementation of preventive measures. In Peru, active surveillance for V. cholerae O1 and possibly vibriophages in sewage water appears to be a feasible and effective means of predicting and outbreak of cholera.
Human induced pluripotent stem cells are a novel source of neural progenitor cells (iNPCs) that migrate and integrate in the rodent spinal cord

Transplantation of human neural progenitor cells (NPCs) into the brain or spinal cord to replace lost cells, modulate the injury environment, or create a permissive milieu to protect and regenerate host neurons is a promising therapeutic strategy for neurological diseases. Deriving NPCs from human fetal tissue is feasible, although problematic issues include limited sources and ethical concerns. Here we describe a new and abundant source of NPCs derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). A novel chopping technique was used to transform adherent iPSCs into free‐floating spheres that were easy to maintain and were expandable (EZ spheres) (Ebert et al. [2013] Stem Cell Res 10:417–427). These EZ spheres could be differentiated towards NPC spheres with a spinal cord phenotype using a combination of all‐trans retinoic acid (RA) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor‐2 (FGF‐2) mitogens. Suspension cultures of NPCs derived from human iPSCs or fetal tissue have similar characteristics, although they were not similar when grown as adherent cells. In addition, iPSC‐derived NPCs (iNPCs) survived grafting into the spinal cord of athymic nude rats with no signs of overgrowth and with a very similar profile to human fetal‐derived NPCs (fNPCs). These results suggest that human iNPCs behave like fNPCs and could thus be a valuable alternative for cellular regenerative therapies of neurological diseases. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:2707–2728, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Vinorelbine, gemcitabine, procarbazine and prednisone (ViGePP) as salvage therapy in relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL): Results of a phase II study conducted by the Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio dei Linfomi

Patients with aggressive NHL who fail initial treatment or subsequently relapse have a very poor outcome and less than 20–25% achieve a prolonged disease-free interval with salvage therapies. To improve the outcome of patients with refractory aggressive NHL not suitable for High Dose Therapy (HDT) and Autologous Stem Cell Transplant (ASCT), the efficacy of a combination of gemcitabine, vinorelbine, procarbazine and prednisone (ViGePP) were tested. Between November 1999 and September 2002, 69 patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL were treated with ViGePP regimen, every 4 weeks up to six courses. At the end of planned chemotherapy patients could receive additional radiotherapy on residual masses or on sites of previously bulky disease. Sixty-six patients were available for evaluation of study end-points. Thirty patients were refractory to therapy and 36 patients had relapsed after remission obtained with previous therapy. At the end of therapy, complete remission (CR) rate was 23%, 3-year relapse free survival rate was 40% and 3-year overall survival rate was 25% for the whole series (29% and 20% for relapsed and refractory patients, respectively). Patients achieving CR with ViGePP had a significantly better survival as compared with the remaining ones (p = 0.0003). ViGePP as used in the present setting has demonstrated a promising activity, comparable to other conventional dose regimens. Although CR was achieved only in a minority of patients, this was durable in a significant proportion of them. This regimen should be tested in less heavily pre-treated patients and probably in combination with new active agents such Rituximab. Further developments of this combination are warranted.
Adaptive Working Schedule for Duty-Cycle Opportunistic Mobile Networks

In opportunistic mobile networks (OppNets), a large amount of energy is consumed by idle listening, instead of infrequent data exchange. This makes energy saving a challenging and fundamental problem in OppNets since nodes are typically battery powered. Asynchronous duty-cycle operation is a promising approach for energy saving in OppNets; however, if its working schedule is not effectively designed, it may also cause significant network performance degradation. Therefore, it is pressing to design an energy-efficient working schedule for duty-cycle OppNets. In this paper, we first analyze the contact process in duty-cycle OppNets and then propose an adaptive working schedule for duty-cycle OppNets. The proposed adaptive working schedule uses the past recorded contact histories to predict future contact information to adaptively configure the working schedule of each node in the network. Finally, extensive real trace-driven simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of our proposed adaptive working schedule. Extensive real trace-driven simulation results demonstrate that our proposed adaptive working schedule is superior to the random working schedule and the periodical working schedule algorithms in terms of the number of effect contacts, delivery ratio, and delivery delay.
Changing pattern of prevalence, genetic diversity, and mixed infections of viruses associated with acute gastroenteritis in pediatric patients in New Delhi, India

There are very few studies that have assessed multiple viral agents causing Acute‐Gastroenteritis (AGE) in India. The present study compared the changing pattern of prevalence and genetic diversity of five enteric viruses associated with acute‐diarrhea in Delhi children within a gap of 5 years. Fecal samples were collected from diarrheal children (<4 years) during two winter seasons: year 2009‐2010 (n = 59) and year 2014‐2015 (n = 85). Samples were individually tested for rotavirus‐A, norovirus, astrovirus, adenovirus, and sapovirus using EIA/RT‐PCR and genetically characterized by phylogenetic analysis. Rotavirus was the most predominant (54.9%) virus followed by norovirus (25.7%), astrovirus (8.3%), and adenovirus (4.9%) with rare detection of sapovirus (0.7%). While detection rate increased for both rotavirus (49.2‐58.8%) and astrovirus (5.1‐10.6%), norovirus detection rate decreased (30.5‐22.4%) from 2009 to 2015. During the same time period, adenovirus detection remained low (4.7‐5.1%). Interestingly, mixed infections increased from 8.5% to 16.5% after 5 years. G1P[8] rotavirus strain was found most predominant (40%). Both type‐1 and 8 astroviruses were detected. Single sapovirus detected was of genotype GII.1. Both GI (GI.5, GI.3) and GII (GII.1, GII.4, GII.7, GII.21, GII.13) genogroups of norovirus were detected. Of particular significance was the first detection of other NoV genotypes (besides GII.4 and GI.3) in Delhi. This is also the first report of NoV GI.5 from India. A change in prevalence pattern and increased diversity from 2009 to 2015 emphasizes the need for continued enteric virus surveillance to help measure the impact of new diarrhea vaccine(s) introduced in India.
Dendritic Cells (DCs) Can Be Successfully Generated From Leukemic Blasts in Individual Patients With AML or MDS: An Evaluation of Different Methods

Myeloid-leukemic cells (AML, MDS, CML) can be differentiated to leukemia-derived dendritic cell [DC (DCleu)] potentially presenting the whole leukemic antigen repertoire without knowledge of distinct leukemia antigens and are regarded as promising candidates for a vaccination strategy. We studied the capability of 6 serum-free DC culture methods, chosen according to different mechanisms, to induce DC differentiation in 137 cases of AML and 52 cases of MDS. DC-stimulating substances were cytokines (“standard-medium”, “MCM-Mimic”, “cytokine-method”), bacterial lysates (“Picibanil”), double-stranded RNA [“Poly (I:C)”] or a cytokine bypass method (“Ca-ionophore”). The quality/quantity of DC generated was estimated by flow cytometry studying (co) expressions of “DC”antigens, costimulatory, maturation, and blast-antigens. Comparing these methods on average 15% to 32% DC, depending on methods used, could be obtained from blast-containing mononuclear cells (MNC) in AML/MDS cases with a DC viability of more than 60%. In all, 39% to 64% of these DC were mature; 31% to 52% of leukemic blasts could be converted to DCleu and DCleu-proportions in the suspension were 2% to 70% (13%). Average results of all culture methods tested were comparable, however not every given case of AML could be differentiated to DC with 1 selected method. However performing a pre-analysis with 3 DC-generating methods (MCM-Mimic, Picibanil, Ca-ionophore) we could generate DC in any given case. Functional analyses provided proof, that DC primed T cells to antileukemia-directed cytotoxic cells, although an anti-leukemic reaction was not achieved in every case. In summary our data show that a successful, quantitative DC/DCleu generation is possible with the best of 3 previously tested methods in any given case. Reasons for different functional behaviors of DC-primed T cells must be evaluated to design a practicable DC-based vaccination strategy.
Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with a more severe presentation of acute coronary syndrome and worse short-term outcome.

AIMS Despite a wealth of studies describing an increased incidence of acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), considerably less is known about the clinical characteristics and their association with short-term outcome of such ACS. The aims of this study were therefore to investigate clinical characteristics and case-fatality rates following ACS in patients with RA. METHODS AND RESULTS We compared the clinical presentation of incident ACS between 2007 and 2010 and their short-term mortality in a cohort of 1135 subjects with prevalent RA and in a cohort of 3184 matched general population comparators. Rheumatoid arthritis subjects more frequently presented with sudden cardiac death, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarctions, had higher levels of troponin and higher frequencies of in-hospital complications compared with the general population comparators. Furthermore, the short-term mortality was higher among RA-associated ACS (7-day hazard ratio (HR) = 1.65 [95% CI 1.32-2.08]; 30-day HR = 1.57 [95% CI 1.30-1.89]), which were somewhat attenuated but remained statistically significantly increased following adjustment for previous comorbidities, demographics, and educational level (7-day HR = 1.50 [95% CI 1.19-1.90]; 30-day HR = 1.43 [95% CI 1.18-1.72]), and for ACS type (7-day HR = 1.44 [95% CI 1.14-1.82]; 30-day HR = 1.36 [95% CI 1.13-1.64]). CONCLUSION Patients with prevalent RA suffer more severe ACSs compared with the general population and also have poorer outcomes after the events, which can only partly be explained by increased event severity.
Antibody targeting facilitates effective intratumoral siRNA nanoparticle delivery to HER2-overexpressing cancer cells

The therapeutic potential of RNA interference (RNAi) has been limited by inefficient delivery of short interfering RNA (siRNA). Tumor-specific recognition can be effectively achieved by antibodies directed against highly expressed cancer cell surface receptors. We investigated the utility of linking an internalizing streptavidin-conjugated HER2 antibody to an endosome-disruptive biotinylated polymeric nanocarrier to improve the functional cytoplasmic delivery of siRNA in breast and ovarian cancer cells in vitro and in an intraperitoneal ovarian cancer xenograft model in vivo, yielding an 80% reduction of target mRNA and protein levels with sustained repression for at least 96 hours. RNAi-mediated site specific cleavage of target mRNA was demonstrated using the 5′ RLM-RACE (RNA ligase mediated-rapid amplification of cDNA ends) assay. Mice bearing intraperitoneal human ovarian tumor xenografts demonstrated increased tumor accumulation of Cy5.5 fluorescently labeled siRNA and 70% target gene suppression after treatment with HER2 antibody-directed siRNA nanocarriers. Detection of the expected mRNA cleavage product by 5′ RLM-RACE assay confirmed that suppression occurs via the expected RNAi pathway. Delivery of siRNA via antibody-directed endosomolytic nanoparticles may be a promising strategy for cancer therapy.
Functional, phenotypic and molecular characterization of cytokine low‐responding circulating CD34+ haemopoietic progenitors

Circulating CD34+ cell populations characterized by a low rate (up to five) or high rate (more than five) of cell divisions were isolated from 8 d cultures in the presence of stem cell factor (SCF), interleukin‐3 (IL‐3), granulocyte‐macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM‐CSF), granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G‐CSF), erythropoietin (EPO), Flt3 ligand and Peg‐rHu megakaryocyte growth and development factor (Peg‐rHuMGDF) using the fluorescent dye 5,6‐carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFDA‐SE) and flow cytometric cell sorting. Phenotypic characterization of cells which had experienced up to five divisions (CFDA‐SEbright) showed a similar surface antigen expression to starting, freshly isolated CD34+ cells. Conversely, cells which experienced more than five divisions (CFDA‐SEdim) showed a differentiating behaviour, down‐regulating CD34 antigen and acquiring differentiation markers. CFDA‐SEbright cells were significantly enriched in CD105 (endoglin) positive precursors as compared to both freshly isolated CD34+ and CFDA‐SEdim cells. Functional analysis indicated that CFDA‐SEbright had a 3‐fold and 10‐fold greater cumulative cloning efficiency as compared to freshly isolated CD34+ cells and CFDA‐SEdim cells, respectively. CFDA‐SEbright cells retained the vast majority of LTC‐IC and showed a LTC‐IC frequency 2.8‐fold higher than that found in freshly isolated CD34+ cells. RT‐PCR and Western blot analyses showed significantly higher bcl‐2 RNA and protein levels in CFDA‐SEbright cells as compared to freshly isolated CD34+ and CFDA‐SEdim cells. This study indicates that cytokine low‐responding circulating CD34+ cells (CFDA‐SEbright cells) represent a functionally, phenotypically and molecularly distinct multipotent progenitor population with biological properties associated with primitive precursors.
Bacillus subtilis Strain Engineered for Treatment of Soil-Transmitted Helminth Diseases

ABSTRACT Soil-transmitted helminths (hookworms, whipworms, and large roundworms) are agents of intestinal roundworm diseases of poverty that infect upwards of 2 billion people worldwide. A great challenge in treating these diseases is the development of anthelmintic therapeutics that are inexpensive, can be produced in great quantity, and are capable of delivery under varied and adverse environmental conditions. A potential solution to this challenge is the use of live bacteria that are acceptable for human consumption, e.g., Bacillus subtilis, and that can be engineered with therapeutic properties. In this study, we expressed the Bacillus thuringiensis anthelmintic protein Cry5B in a bacterial strain that has been used as a model for live bacterial therapy, Bacillus subtilis PY79. PY79 transformed with a Cry5B expression plasmid (PY79-Cry5B) is able to express Cry5B from the endogenous B. thuringiensis cry5B promoter. During sporulation of PY79-Cry5B, Cry5B is packaged as a crystal. Furthermore, Cry5B produced in PY79 is bioactive, with a 50% lethal concentration (LC50) of 4.3 μg/ml against the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans. PY79-Cry5B was a significantly effective therapeutic in experimental Ancylostoma ceylanicum hookworm infections of hamsters. A single 10-mg/kg (0.071 μmol/kg of body weight) dose of Cry5B administered as a Cry5B-PY79 spore crystal lysate achieved a 93% reduction in hookworm burdens, which is superior on a molar level to reductions seen with clinically used anthelmintics. Given that a bacterial strain such as this one can be produced cheaply in massive quantities, our results demonstrate that the engineering and delivery of live bacterial strains have great potential to treat a significant contributor to poverty worldwide, namely, hookworm disease and other soil-transmitted helminthiasis.
Nanoscopic analysis of oxygen segregation at tilt boundaries in silicon ingots using atom probe tomography combined with TEM and ab initio calculations

We have developed an analytical method to determine the segregation levels on the same tilt boundaries (TBs) at the same nanoscopic location by a joint use of atom probe tomography and scanning transmission electron microscopy, and discussed the mechanism of oxygen segregation at TBs in silicon ingots in terms of bond distortions around the TBs. The three‐dimensional distribution of oxygen atoms was determined at the typical small‐ and large‐angle TBs by atom probe tomography with a low impurity detection limit (0.01 at.% on a TB plane) simultaneously with high spatial resolution (about 0.4 nm). The three‐dimensional distribution was correlated with the atomic stress around the TBs; the stress at large‐angle TBs was estimated by ab initio calculations based on atomic resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy data and that at small‐angle TBs were calculated with the elastic theory based on dark‐field transmission electron microscopy data. Oxygen atoms would segregate at bond‐centred sites under tensile stress above about 2 GPa, so as to attain a more stable bonding network by reducing the local stress. The number of oxygen atoms segregating in a unit TB area NGB (in atoms nm−2) was determined to be proportional to both the number of the atomic sites under tensile stress in a unit TB area nbc and the average concentration of oxygen atoms around the TB [Oi] (in at.%) with NGB ∼ 50 nbc[Oi].
Malignant rectal polyp overlooked on CT colonography because of retention balloon: opposing crescent appearance as sign of compressed polyp.

WEB This is a Web exclusive article. bscuration of rectal lesions by a rectal catheter or by its retention balloon is a well-established diagnostic pitfall at barium enema examination that often requires deflation of the balloon or removal of the catheter to obtain an unobscured view [1]. Rectal lesions missed at CT colonography (CTC), on the other hand, are rare because of the relatively small size of the rectal catheter, the proclivity of the rectum for adequate luminal distention, and the fact that a retention balloon is not needed in most patients [2]. Although a retention balloon is not necessarily required for CTC, it may be helpful for optimal colonic distention in a select group of patients with insufficient anal sphincteric tone. Its use, however, may pose another potential source of false-negative results. A distended retention balloon may compress a rectal polyp against the wall of the rectum, thereby altering the gross morphology of the lesion and allowing the polyp to escape detection on CTC review. To our knowledge, the occurrence of a rectal polyp being compressed by a retention balloon or of a rectal polyp being compressed to the degree that was seen in our patient has not been reported. We report a case whereby a 12mm polypoid rectal adenocarcinoma arising in a tubular adenoma was missed both prospectively and retrospectively at CTC performed using an inflated retention balloon. We also suggest a finding at CTC that may help correctly identify a retention balloon–induced compressed polyp.