Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Soy Isoflavones on the Menopause Rating Scale Scoring in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women: A Pilot Study.

Introduction Menopause is associated with many unpleasant symptoms which vary in different phases of menopausal transition. Although, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is considered the most effective mode of treatment for these symptoms, its use is associated with increased risk of breast cancer, endometrial cancer and thromboembolic events. Soy isoflavones are being widely used as a safer alternative to HRT, even though scientific evidence of their efficacy is poor or lacking. Aim To study the effect of soy isoflavone supplementation on the menopausal symptoms in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. Materials and Methods An observational pilot study was done involving 29 perimenopausal and 21 postmenopausal women prescribed 100 mg soy isoflavones for 12 weeks. Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) questionnaire was administered to the patients before starting soy isoflavone therapy and at the end of treatment. Responses were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software 23.0. Results Total score of both the groups were comparable at baseline. Among perimenopausal women highest score was given to symptoms of psychological domain. Urogenital symptoms were the worst among postmenopausal women. After 12 weeks of treatment, total scores improved significantly by 19.55% and 12.62% in the perimenopausal and postmenopausal women respectively. The greatest improvement was seen in scores of hot flashes for both the groups and the least improvement was shown by symptoms of urogenital subscale. Conclusion Soy isoflavone improves the MRS score among both the perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. As they are most effective for somatic and psychological symptoms, their use could be beneficial during perimenopause.
Modified endogenous carbon monoxide production through modulation of heme oxygenase activity alters some aspects of the cold restraint stress response in male albino rats.

OBJECTIVE Multiple stimulatory and inhibitory inputs regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). Although the results of the previous studies are contradictory, it has been indicated that the carbon monoxide (CO) may play a role in the HPA regulation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of modified endogenous CO production on some aspects of the cold restraint stress (CRS) response in adult male albino rats. METHODS Modification of the endogenous CO was performed by altering the heme oxygenase (HO) activity; its induction was achieved by administration of the hemin (HEM) and inhibition by administration of the zinc mesoporphyrin (ZM). RESULTS We found that in both the non-stressed and stressed groups the HEM significantly decreased the plasma levels of epinephrine (EPI), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone (B), cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). On the other hand, ZM significantly increased the adrenal EPI, norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and the plasma levels of EPI, NE, DA, ACTH, B, cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-C, and LDL-C, as compared with control and stressed rats. CONCLUSION The role of CO reaction to the CRS response could be clarified as an anti-stress effect. This is evidenced by the inhibitory effect of HO inducer, HEM, on the HPA axis and a consequent less hazardous metabolic profile which it produced. KEYWORDS carbon monoxide, hemin, heme oxygenase, stress.
Intersexual conflict in spiders

Reproductive strategies of males and females usually differ and, as a consequence, may impose asymmetric costs of reproduction on the two sexes and result in conflict between the sexes. In spiders, males do not provide parental care and females can store sufficient sperm for several clutches. These characteristics define the stage for a conflict between males and females that occurs mainly over the frequency of mating. Factors such as sexual size dimorphism, operational sex ratio, mating system and life-history strategies are likely to influence the degree of conflict and its outcome for different species. Male spiders may suffer large costs of mating due to mate search, assessment of female condition, courtship and cannibalistic tendencies of their mates. Courtship may reduce cannibalism, although in some cases, males benefit from being cannibalised by having an increased fertilisation rate or greater offspring fitness. In some species, limited mating capacities will increase the value of the current mating relative to future reproduction. Apart from a possible benefit of genetic variability within a clutch, females may not benefit from multiple mating and multiple mating may even be costly. Exceptions occur if additional resources are provided by males or when offspring fitness increases with additional mating. Forced copulation, prey theft, loss of the web and reduction of foraging time can all result in reduced reproductive success for females. We discuss the interacting influences of life-history traits (especially patterns of growth and maturation and sexual size dimorphism) and the reproductive strategies of males and females, using a semelparous spider, Stegodyphus lineatus (Eresidae), as an example of a species in which males and females can have strongly conflicting interests.
Improved seeds, fertilizer or natural resource management? Evidence from Kenya’s smallholder maize farmers

There is consensus that adoption of technological improvements is crucial to increasing agricultural productivity and reducing poverty, while sustaining the agro-ecosystems. There is however disagreement as to which type of technologies are well suited in developing countries; external input intensive technologies or low external input/ natural resource management (NRM) technologies. This paper uses plot level survey data collected from all maize growing areas in Kenya and employs a multivariate probit to assess conditions under which different technologies are adopted. We find that indeed the technologies that farmers adopt vary with different conditions ranging from plot level to climatic conditions.
Estrogen Inhibits RANKL‐Induced Osteoclastic Differentiation by Increasing the Expression of TRPV5 Channel

The inhibitor effect of estrogen on osteoclasts differentiation is very important in the etiology of estrogen protecting the adult skeleton against bone loss. However, the precise molecular events underlying the effect of estrogen on osteoclasts differentiation are not known. Recent studies implicated an important role of transient receptor potential vanilloid 5 (TRPV5) in osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption. Furthermore, some studies have confirmed that estrogen is involved in the regulation of calcium ion (Ca2+) influx in many cells via TRPV5 channel. Therefore, we hypothesize that TRPV5 channel may be implicated in the process of estrogen‐inhibited osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption. Western blot, quantitative real‐time PCR, tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining, and pit formation assay were employed to investigate the role of TRPV5 in estrogen decreasing osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption. We found that the expression of TRPV5 is significantly down‐regulated during estrogen deficiency‐induced osteoclastogenesis. Furthermore, TRAP staining and pit formation assay showed that the depletion of TRPV5 significantly blocks the inhibitor effects of estrogen on osteoclasts differentiation and bone resorption activity. Further studies confirmed that estrogen regulates the expression of TRPV5 channel via estrogen receptor. Based on these results above, we can draw conclusion that TRPV5 may contribute to the process of estrogen‐inhibited osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption activity. J. Cell. Biochem. 115: 651–658, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Molecular epidemiology of infectious laryngotracheitis: a review

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is an economically important respiratory disease of poultry that affects the poultry industry worldwide. The disease is caused by gallid herpesvirus I (GaHV-1), a member of the genus Iltovirus, family Herpesviridae, subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae. The current incidence of the disease is heavily influenced by live attenuated vaccines, which have been used extensively since their introduction in the mid-twentieth century. The capability of current live attenuated vaccine viruses to revert to virulence and spread from bird to bird has shaped the molecular epidemiology of ILT. Because of the antigenic homogeneity among GaHV-1 strains, differentiation of strains has been achieved by targeting genomic differences between outbreak-related isolates and vaccine strains. Numerous genes and genomic regions have been utilized in the development of DNA-based diagnostic assays to differentiate outbreak-related isolates from vaccine strains in countries where ILT outbreaks have occurred. More recently, full genome sequences have allowed determination of the origin of some of the outbreak-related isolates circulating in some poultry production countries. Overall, molecular typing data collected worldwide have identified live attenuated vaccine-related isolates as the primary source for outbreaks of the disease.
Streptococcus salivarius Fimbriae Are Composed of a Glycoprotein Containing a Repeated Motif Assembled into a Filamentous Nondissociable Structure

ABSTRACT Streptococcus salivarius, a gram-positive bacterium found in the human oral cavity, expresses flexible peritrichous fimbriae. In this paper, we report purification and partial characterization of S. salivarius fimbriae. Fimbriae were extracted by shearing the cell surface of hyperfimbriated mutant A37 (a spontaneous mutant of S. salivarius ATCC 25975) with glass beads. Preliminary experiments showed that S. salivariusfimbriae did not dissociate when they were incubated at 100°C in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate. This characteristic was used to separate them from other cell surface components by successive gel filtration chromatography procedures. Fimbriae with molecular masses ranging from 20 × 106 to 40 × 106Da were purified. Examination of purified fimbriae by electron microscopy revealed the presence of filamentous structures up to 1 μm long and 3 to 4 nm in diameter. Biochemical studies of purified fimbriae and an amino acid sequence analysis of a fimbrial internal peptide revealed that S. salivarius fimbriae were composed of a glycoprotein assembled into a filamentous structure resistant to dissociation. The internal amino acid sequence was composed of a repeated motif of two amino acids alternating with two modified residues: A/X/T-E-Q-M/φ, where X represents a modified amino acid residue and φ represents a blank cycle. Immunolocalization experiments also revealed that the fimbriae were associated with a wheat germ agglutinin-reactive carbohydrate. Immunolabeling experiments with antifimbria polyclonal antibodies showed that antigenically related fimbria-like structures were expressed in two other human oral streptococcal species, Streptococcus mitis andStreptococcus constellatus.
Survival of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis and preservation of immunoglobulin G in bovine colostrum under experimental conditions simulating pasteurization.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether Mycobacterium paratuberculosis could survive in colostrum after pasteurization. Additionally, this study investigated the effect pasteurization had on IgG concentration in colostrum. ANIMALS Colostrum samples were collected from cattle (beef and dairy) owned by the state of Ohio. PROCEDURE Colostrum was divided into aliquots and inoculated with variable concentrations of M paratuberculosis (ATCC No. 19698: 10(4), 10(3), and 10(2) colony-forming units/ml). Half the samples at each concentration were subjected to pasteurization temperatures (63 C) for 30 minutes and the remainder were kept at approximately 20 to 23 C. All samples were incubated (Herrold's egg yolk medium with and without mycobactin J) and observed for growth during the next 16 weeks. Additionally, the IgG concentration of colostrum was determined by radioimmunoassay before and after pasteurization. Samples that coagulated at pasteurization temperatures were mechanically resuspended before measurement of IgG concentration. RESULTS Growth of M paratuberculosis was retarded but not eliminated by pasteurization. Growth was observed in all unpasteurized samples incubated on Herrold's egg yolk medium with mycobactin J but in only 2 of 18 pasteurized samples similarly cultured. Growth from pasteurized samples appeared 5 to 9 weeks after growth was observed from nonpasteurized samples. Mean colostral IgG concentration was 44.4 g/L in nonpasteurized samples and 37.2 g/L in pasteurized samples, a decrease of 12.3%. High-quality colostrum (> 48 g of IgG/L) had a significantly greater loss of IgG concentration than did colostrum of lesser quality (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS Pasteurization lessened, but did not eliminate, growth of M paratuberculosis from experimentally inoculated colostrum samples. Pasteurization resulted in a significant decrease in colostral IgG concentration but not to an unmanageable level that would preclude the colostrum's use for passive transfer of immunity. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Colostrum is macrophage rich and may serve as a source of M paratuberculosis infection to calves. Pasteurization of colostrum may lessen the risk of infection, but will not totally eliminate M paratuberculosis.
The Beneficial Effects of Antioxidant Supplementation in Enteral Feeding in Critically Ill Patients: A Prospective, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

We investigated whether intervention with antioxidant vitamins C and E in enteral feeding influenced oxidative stress and clinical outcome in critically ill patients. Two-hundred-sixteen patients expected to require at least 10 days of enteral feeding completed the study. One-hundred-five patients received enteral feeding supplemented with antioxidants, and 111 control patients received an isocaloric formula. Plasma lipoper-oxidation (by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances [TBARS] and prostaglandin F2&agr; isoprostane levels), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidizability, and LDL tocopherol content were determined at baseline and at the end of the 10-day period. The clinical 28-day outcome was also assessed. Plasma TBARS and isoprostanes were 5.33 ± 1.26 nM/mL and 312 ± 68 pg/mL, respectively, before treatment and 2.42 ± 0.61 nM/mL and 198 ± 42 pg/mL after intervention (P < 0.01 for both comparisons). Antioxidants improved LDL resistance to oxidative stress by approximately 30% (the lag time before treatment was 87 ±23 min and was 118 ±20 min after treatment; P <0.04). There was a significantly reduced 28-day mortality after antioxidant intervention (45.7% in the antioxidant group and 67.5% in the regular-feeding group; P < 0.05). Isoprostanes may provide a sensitive biochemical marker for dose selection in studies involving antioxidants.
Performance, Tolerability, and Symptoms Related to Prolonged pH Monitoring Using the Bravo System in Mexico

BACKGROUND:The traditional system for esophageal 24-h pH monitoring requires transnasal introduction of the catheter with pH sensors; this technique produces discomfort, inconvenience, and interference with daily activity. Recently, a catheter-free pH monitoring system (Bravo) has been proposed as an alternative and promising method for 24-h pH.AIM:To evaluate performance, tolerability, and symptoms related to this new technology in our population.METHODS:Consecutive patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with indication for 24-h pH were included. pH Bravo capsule was placed 6 cm above the squamocolumnar junction using endoscopic measurement. Symptoms associated were evaluated daily in a personal diary until 7 days after the capsule attachment. Severity of symptoms was assessed by a 5-point Likert scale. Capsule detachment was assessed by chest X-ray.RESULTS:Eighty-four patients were included. Forty-nine were female (mean age 44 ± 12 yr). Indications for pH monitoring were: nonresponse to proton pump inhibitor therapy in 38 (45%), preoperative evaluation for anti-reflux surgery in 36 (43%), previous failed transnasal 24-h pH monitoring in 6 (7%), and extra-esophageal manifestations of GERD in 4 (5%). The capsule was successfully attached in 95% of patients. At day 7, capsule detachment occurred spontaneously in all cases. Symptoms related to capsule attachment were: chest pain in 26 (33%), foreign body sensation in 11 (14%), nausea in 5 (6%), and 9 (11%) patients had more than one symptom. Severities of those symptoms were mild, and no patient required removal of the capsule. Women and younger patients had more symptoms related to the procedure (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:Esophageal pH monitoring with Bravo capsule is a safe, reliable, and tolerable method in patients with GERD.
The UK coalition and the civil service: A half-term report

Drawing upon a range of policy documents, government papers and parliamentary reports, as well as published academic and think tank analyses, this article sets out the civil service inheritance bequeathed to the 2010 UK coalition government by its predecessors, examines the pre-election civil service policies of the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, illustrates the policy challenges facing the civil service in serving two masters, and analyses the reasons for and early impact of organisational and leadership changes in Whitehall since 2010. The background to, and potential significance of, the 2012 Civil Service Reform Plan are set out. The article provides a succinct overview of the impact of the coalition government on Whitehall during the first two and a half years of its term.
Norepinephrine and epinephrine release and adrenergic mediation of smoking-associated hemodynamic and metabolic events.

We studied the effects of cigarette smoking, sham smoking and smoking during adrenergic blockade in 10 subjects to determine whether smoking released the sympathetic neurotransmitter norepinephrine, as well as the adrenomedullary hormone epinephrine, and whether smoking-associated hemodynamic and metabolic changes were mediated through adrenergic mechanisms. Smoking-associated increments in mean (+/- S.E.M.) plasma norepinephrine (227 +/- 23 to 324 +/- 39 pg per milliliter, P less than 0.01) and epinephrine (44 +/- to 113 +/- 27 pg per milliliter, P less than 0.05) were demonstrated. Smoking-associated increments in pulse rate, blood pressure, blood glycerol and blood lactate/pyruvate ratio were prevented by adrenergic blockade; increments in plasma growth hormone and cortisol were not. Since significant smoking-associated increments, in pulse rate, blood pressure and blood lactate/pyruvate ratio, preceded measurable increments in plasma catecholamine concentrations, but were adrenergically mediated, these changes should be attributed to norepinephrine released locally from adrenergic axon terminals within the tissues rather than to increments in circulating catecholamines.
The Association Between Maternal Oxidative Stress at Mid-Gestation and Subsequent Pregnancy Complications

Objective: To investigate the association between maternal oxidative stress at mid-gestation and subsequent development of pregnancy complications. Study design: A total of 503 healthy pregnant women provided their blood and urine samples at 24 to 26 weeks of gestation and were prospectively followed through postpartum. These samples were used to assess a variety of oxidative stress markers, including plasma total antioxidant capacity, 8-isoprostane, erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity, and urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). Results: Compared with women with uncomplicated pregnancies, significantly higher plasma 8-isoprostane levels were noted in women who developed preeclampsia (P = .008) and small-for-gestational age infants (P = .002), while higher urinary 8-OHdG concentrations were noted in women who subsequently had low-birth-weight neonates (<2500 g, P = .043). Conclusion: Increased maternal oxidative stress at mid-gestation was associated with subsequent pregnancy complications.
X-ray imaging with high-Z sensors for the ESRF-EBS Upgrade

The Extremely Brilliant Source (EBS) upgrade of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) sets new requirements for the detection schemes used in various beamlines. In order to facilitate direct x-ray detection at moderate and high energies in the range of 30–100 keV we investigate the performance of pixelated photon counting detectors using high-Z semiconductor sensors as the sensitive medium. In the context of this work, several prototype modules based on CdTe, CZT and GaAs:Cr pixelated sensors have been developed and tested at ESRF using laboratory X-ray sources and monochromatic synchrotron beams. Each module, consisting of a pixelated sensor bonded to a single Timepix chip, is coupled to the MAXIPIX readout system. A common characterisation procedure is applied to each detector module, focusing on the sensor quality, the spatial characteristics and the imaging performance. The results presented in this work along with further tests will provide the means to determine the best compromise between sensor material and performance for future detector systems.
Mrs. Z: Improving ZigBee throughput via multi-rate transmission

ZigBee is a widely used wireless technology in low-power and short-range scenarios such as Internet of Things (IoT), sensor networks, and industrial wireless networks. However, the standard ZigBee supports only one data rate, 250Kbps, which thoroughly limits ZigBee's efficiency in dynamic wireless channels. In this paper, we propose Mrs.Z, a novel physical layer design to enable multi-rate selection in ZigBee. The key idea is to change the single spectrum spreading length to multiple ones. Correspondingly, to gracefully adapt to the channel variations, we propose a BER-based rate selection scheme, dividing bit errors into two categories: errors caused by the exceeding despreading threshold, which can be discovered in the physical layer, and caused by incorrect despreading, which is not visible until cyclic redundancy check (CRC) in the media access control (MAC) layer. Then, the receiver selects the rate based on the underlying negative impacts incurred by them and feedbacks to the transceiver. We implement Mrs.Z on USRPs and evaluate its performance in different scenarios. Results demonstrate that Mrs.Z achieves an improvement of 20% and 80% compared to the classic SoftRate and the standard ZigBee.
Modulation of Noradrenaline Release by Activation of Presynaptic β‐Adrenoceptors in the Cardiovascular System a

Peripheral sympathetic nerve terminals in many tissues, but not all, are endowed with beta-adrenoceptors. Activation of these result in an enhancement of noradrenaline release evoked by electrical nerve stimulation. These so-called presynaptic beta-adrenoceptors are possibly located on the outer surface of the varicosity of the noradrenergic nerves. A postsynaptic location, however, is also a possibility. The presynaptic beta-adrenoceptors appear to be of the beta 2-adrenoceptor subtype. However, specific classification is lacking. The stereospecificity of the beta-adrenoceptors is controversial. These receptors are not activated by noradrenaline released from sympathetic nerves. Adrenaline derived from the adrenal medulla may be the physiological activator. Either circulating adrenaline or adrenaline taken up by sympathetic nerve terminals and then released as a cotransmitter with noradrenaline activates the presynaptic beta-adrenoceptors. In the latter case, a "positive" feedback" loop may be formed.