Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flow Cytometry in Detection of Fetal Red Blood Cells and Maternal F Cells to Identify Fetomaternal Hemorrhage

ABSTRACT Accurate detection and quantitation of fetomaternal hemorrhage (FMH) is critical to the obstetric management of rhesus D alloimmunization in Rh-negative pregnant women. The flow cytometry is based on the detection of fetal red blood cells using a monoclonal anti-HbF antibody, and is the method most indicated for this estimation. The objective of this study was to quantify fetal red blood cell levels of pregnant women using flow cytometry. We analyzed 101 peripheral blood samples from Rh-negative and Rh-positive women, whose mean age was 24 years (20–32 years), after vaginal delivery or cesarean section. Our study showed that 53% of pregnant women had fetal red blood cells levels <2.0 mL, 31% between 2.0–3.9 mL, 16% between 4.0–15.0 mL, and 1% >15.0 mL. Accurate quantitation of fetal red blood cells is necessary to determine the appropriate dose of anti-D (RHD) immunoglobulin to be administered to pregnant or postpartum women.
Assessments of quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC) for in-water treatment of mussel fouling in vessel internals and sea chests using an experimental seawater pipework system

Abstract The primary in-water emergency treatment method for mussel fouling of internal seawater systems of Royal Australian Navy vessels is to flush with a 1% detergent solution containing quaternary ammonium compounds (QAC). Parameters for application of this treatment are based on previous research; however, much of the research has been conducted at small-scales under controlled laboratory conditions. This study examined the efficacy of QAC solutions for treating mussel biofouling under realistic field conditions using experimental seawater piping systems. The efficacy of QAC solutions was highly dependent on the size of mussels present. Chemical treatments comprising 1, 2 and 5% v v–1 QAC solution were effective at killing large (50–92 mm) mussels in the pipework and sea chest of the system following 24 h exposure. In contrast, small mussels (10–30 mm) appeared resilient to the majority of treatment regimes. Differences in water temperature, DO and pH during dosing had no discernible impact on treatment efficacy.
Rho GTPase signaling complexes in cell migration and invasion

Cell migration is dependent on the dynamic formation and disassembly of actin filament–based structures, including lamellipodia, filopodia, invadopodia, and membrane blebs, as well as on cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix adhesions. These processes all involve Rho family small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases), which are regulated by the opposing actions of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). Rho GTPase activity needs to be precisely tuned at distinct cellular locations to enable cells to move in response to different environments and stimuli. In this review, we focus on the ability of RhoGEFs and RhoGAPs to form complexes with diverse binding partners, and describe how this influences their ability to control localized GTPase activity in the context of migration and invasion.
Heart failure outcomes in clinical trials of glucose‐lowering agents in patients with diabetes

Diabetes is a major risk factor for heart failure (HF). Patients with diabetes have a high incidence of both clinical HF and subclinical LV dysfunction. Although intensive glucose lowering does not appear to impact on HF outcomes, the choice of glucose‐lowering agents plays an important role in the development of HF and related cardiovascular outcomes. Whilst metformin and insulin appear to have little impact on HF progression, the role of sulphonylurea agents in this patient population remains uncertain. Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are associated with a significant risk of HF progression and are best avoided in patients at risk. The incretin‐based therapies (GLP agonists and DPP‐4 inhibitors) are generally not associated with any HF interaction. However, a small increase in HF admissions was observed with the DPP‐4 inhibitor saxagliptin. The GLP‐1 agonist liraglutide was recently shown to reduce cardiovascular and all‐cause mortality, yet hospitalization for HF was not significantly reduced. The SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin was shown to reduce HF admissions and cardiovascular mortality in patients with prior cardiovascular disease including HF. These recent data showing improved outcomes with a glucose‐lowering category provide a novel strategy to improve survival and reduce morbidity in diabetic patients at high cardiovascular disease risk.
Use of Topical Insulin to Treat Refractory Neurotrophic Corneal Ulcers

Purpose: To report the clinical course of 6 patients with refractory neurotrophic corneal ulcers that were treated with topical insulin drops. Methods: Retrospective chart review of patients who had neurotrophic corneal ulcers or epithelial defects refractory to standard medical and surgical treatment. Insulin drops, prepared by mixing regular insulin in artificial tears with a polyethylene glycol and propylene glycol base at a concentration of 1 unit per milliliter, were prescribed 2 to 3 times daily. Results: Six patients, aged 2 to 73 years, developed neurotrophic corneal ulcers refractory to a range of medical and surgical treatments, including bandage contact lens, amniotic membrane grafting, and permanent tarsorrhaphy. Each patient was administered topical insulin drops with complete corneal reepithelialization within 7 to 25 days. Conclusions: Topical insulin may be a simple and effective treatment for refractory neurotrophic corneal ulcers. Further study is required to determine the clinical efficacy and side effect profile of insulin drops.
Surveillance of pertussis: methods and implementation

ABSTRACT Introduction: Pertussis or whooping cough is a respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis or, to a lesser extent, by B. parapertussis. Vaccines against pertussis have been widely used for more than 50 years and have led to a significant reduction of morbidity and mortality. However, even in countries with a high vaccine coverage, the disease is still not well controlled. Surveillance is urgently needed. Areas covered: This review summarizes surveillance methods and gives examples that may be used when setting up a surveillance program or analyzing an outbreak. Expert commentary: Pertussis surveillance is urgently required in order to define the burden of disease, to adapt vaccine strategies according to the type of pertussis vaccine used and to follow the evolution of the bacteria.
architect: Arbitrary-precision constant-hardware iterative compute

Many algorithms feature an iterative loop that converges to the result of interest. The numerical operations in such algorithms are generally implemented using finite-precision arithmetic, either fixed or floating point, most of which operate least-significant digit first. This results in a fundamental problem: if, after some time, the result has not converged, is this because we have not run the algorithm for enough iterations or because the arithmetic in some iterations was insufficiently precise? There is no easy way to answer this question, so users will often over-budget precision in the hope that the answer will always be to run for a few more iterations. We propose a fundamentally new approach: armed with the appropriate arithmetic able to generate results from most-significant digit first, we show that fixed compute-area hardware can be used to calculate an arbitrary number of algorithmic iterations to arbitrary precision, with both precision and iteration index increasing in lockstep. Thus, datapaths constructed following our principles demonstrate efficiency over their traditional arithmetic equivalents where the latter's precisions are either under-or over-budgeted for the computation of a result to a particular accuracy. For the execution of 100 iterations of the Jacobi method, we obtain a 1.60× increase in frequency and 15.7× LUT and 50.2× flip-flop reductions over a 2048-bit parallel-in, serial-out traditional arithmetic equivalent, along with 46.2× LUT and 83.3× flip-flop decreases versus the state-of-the-art online arithmetic implementation.
Impaired vasodilator function of nitric oxide associated with developing neo-intima in conscious rabbits.

The aim of this study was to use periarterial manipulation to produce an atheroma-like neo-intima in rabbits and study resting blood flow and vascular responsiveness in vivo. One common carotid artery was enclosed in a silastic collar to induce a neo-intima similar to that of human early atherosclerosis, and carotid blood flow was measured periodically over 8 days in 8 conscious rabbits. The vasodilator responses to intravenous infusions of the endothelium-dependent vasodilator, acetylcholine, and glyceryl trinitrate were measured in each artery at 2 and 7 days after surgical placement of the collar, and again following infusion of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N-nitro-L-arginine (NOLA, 15 mg/kg). Histological examination of the arterial segments at completion of the study revealed significant intimal thickening of the regions of artery enclosed in the collar. Resting blood flow was lower in the collared vascular bed as compared with the control, from as early as 2 days after surgery. Acetylcholine- and glyceryl trinitrate-induced decreases in carotid resistance, however, were no different between the arteries after 2 days. At 7 days after surgery, the vasodilator response to acetylcholine was significantly impaired in the collared vascular bed when compared with the control, while the glyceryl trinitrate-induced vasodilatation was similar in the two beds. Following NOLA infusion, mean arterial pressure was significantly increased and blood flow through both arteries was reduced. After NOLA, acetylcholine-induced vasodilatation in the collared vascular bed was no longer different from the vasodilatation in the control bed. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Segmented Forefoot Plate in Basketball Footwear: Does it Influence Performance and Foot Joint Kinematics and Kinetics?

This study examined the effects of shoes' segmented forefoot stiffness on athletic performance and ankle and metatarsophalangeal joint kinematics and kinetics in basketball movements. Seventeen university basketball players performed running vertical jumps and 5-m sprints at maximum effort with 3 basketball shoes of various forefoot plate conditions (medial plate, medial + lateral plates, and no-plate control). One-way repeated measures ANOVAs were used to examine the differences in athletic performance, joint kinematics, and joint kinetics among the 3 footwear conditions (α = .05). Results indicated that participants wearing medial + lateral plates shoes demonstrated 2.9% higher jump height than those wearing control shoes (P = .02), but there was no significant differences between medial plate and control shoes (P > .05). Medial plate shoes produced greater maximum plantar flexion velocity than the medial + lateral plates shoes (P < .05) during sprinting. There were no significant differences in sprint time. These findings implied that inserting plates spanning both the medial and lateral aspects of the forefoot could enhance jumping, but not sprinting performances. The use of a medial plate alone, although induced greater plantar flexion velocity at the metatarsophalangeal joint during sprinting, was not effective in improving jump heights or sprint times.
Complete mitochondrial genome of the Yakow (Bos primigenius taurus × Bos grunniens) in China

Abstract The Chinese Yakow, Bos primigenius taurus × Bos grunniens, is a large and commercially important hybrid in family Bovidae. We first determined and annotated its complete mitochondrial genome. The mitogenome is 16,322 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and a control region. As in other mammals, most mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand, except for ND6 and eight tRNA genes, which are encoded on the light strand. Its overall base composition is A: 33.7%, T: 27.3%, C: 25.8% and G: 13.2%. The complete mitogenome of Yakow (B. p. taurus × B. grunniens) could provide an important data to further explore the taxonomic status of Yakow (B. p. taurus × B. grunniens) in B. grunniens and enrich the genetic information or evolutionary history of the Bovidae.
Novel approach for stress recognition using EEG signal by SVM classifier

In this work, real time stress level recognition from Electroencephalogram (EEG) signal is proposed. Stress is a mental condition that effects the brain electrical activity to be different from the normal state. A system is designed to classify three levels of stress; Low Stress, Moderate Stress and High Stress. Validation of algorithm is carried out using by Stroop color-word test as stimuli to induce various levels of stress. EEG signals are collected using EEG reusable electrodes, which are placed on forehead scalp during the experiment. Measure of stress is taken by means of questionnaires method. Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) is used for pre-processing and using Support Vector Machine (SVM) as the classifier. Further analysis of stress is done by using trained algorithm as reference. Signals collected are continually given to algorithm to verify stress, three levels of stress can be recognized. Stress levels of the person under test are seen on screen using graph.
MEASUREMENT OF PLATELET ADHESIVENESS. A SIMPLE IN VITRO TECHNIQUE DEMONSTRATING AN ABNORMALITY IN VON WILLEBRAND'S DISEASE.

Abstract The adhesiveness of human blood platelets has been measured by an in vitro technique which employs a short contact time and requires no anticoagulant before contact of blood with a foreign surface. Under these conditions, platelet adhesiveness is normal in disorders of blood coagulation and in patients receiving heparin but is deficient in thrombasthenia and in ion Willebrand's disease. When blood is exposed to glass, a time-consuming reaction occurs, manifested by a rise in platelet adhesiveness. This phenomenon requires calcium and is not blocked by heparin. These observations are consistent with the thesis that the initial aggregation of platelets in hemostasis is not dependent on blood coagulation.
Inbreeding in the state of Karnataka, South India.

The inbreeding patterns and coefficient of inbreeding (F) of 3,350 new-borns in Bangalore, Karnataka were determined. A total of 29.24% were born of consanguineous marriages, F = 0.02313. Inbreeding was most common among the Hindus: 23.56% of their marriages were uncle-niece, F for the group was 0.02670.
A Human Chondrocyte-Derived In Vitro Model of Alcohol-Induced and Steroid-Induced Femoral Head Necrosis

Background Worldwide, femoral head necrosis (FHN), which is also known as avascular necrosis of the femoral head or osteonecrosis of the femoral head, affects millions of people. Excess alcohol intake and steroid use are two common associations with FHN, but their pathogenesis remains unknown. The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro model using human chondrocytes to study alcohol-induced and steroid-induced FHN. Material/Methods In this study, the in vitro model used a monolayer culture of articular chondrocytes derived from patients with non-traumatic FHN (Ficat and Arlet, Stage III). Normal chondrocytes were obtained from patients with femoral neck fracture resulting from road traffic accident (Garden, Stage IV). Alcohol-stimulated and steroid-stimulated articular chondrocytes were evaluated by a cell proliferation assay, measurement of calcium levels (alizarin red), measurement of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels, detection of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) secretion using safranin O histochemical staining, and analysis of cartilage-specific genes, ACAN, SOX9, OPG, TGF-β, RANKL, and RUNX2, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Results Both alcohol and steroids, but especially steroids, accelerated the degradation of cartilage by suppression of chondrogenesis while promoting chondrocyte hypertrophy and activating osteogenic differentiation, as assessed by cell proliferation assay, detection of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) secretion, and analysis of cartilage-specific genes. Conclusions A human chondrocyte-derived in vitro model of alcohol-induced and steroid-induced FHN demonstrated chondrocyte hypertrophy and activated osteogenic differentiation.
Unaltered emotional experience in Parkinson’s disease: Pupillometry and behavioral evidence

ABSTRACT Introduction: Recognizing emotions in others is a pivotal part of socioemotional functioning and plays a central role in social interactions. It has been shown that individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease (PD) are less accurate at identifying basic emotions such as fear, sadness, and happiness; however, previous studies have predominantly assessed emotion processing using unimodal stimuli (e.g., pictures) that do not reflect the complexity of real-world processing demands. Dynamic, naturalistic stimuli (e.g., movies) have been shown to elicit stronger subjective emotional experiences than unimodal stimuli and can facilitate emotion recognition. Method: In this experiment, pupil measurements of PD patients and matched healthy controls (HC) were recorded while they watched short film clips. Participants’ task was to identify the emotion elicited by each clip and rate the intensity of their emotional response. We explored (a) how PD affects subjective emotional experience in response to dynamic, ecologically valid film stimuli, and (b) whether there are PD-related changes in pupillary response, which may contribute to the differences in emotion processing reported in the literature. Results: Behavioral results showed that identification of the felt emotion as well as perceived intensity varies by emotion, but no significant group effect was found. Pupil measurements revealed differences in dilation depending on the emotion evoked by the film clips (happy, tender, sadness, fear, and neutral) for both groups. Conclusions: Our results suggest that differences in emotional response may be negligible when PD patients and healthy controls are presented with dynamic, ecologically valid emotional stimuli. Given the limited data available on pupil response in PD, this study provides new evidence to suggest that the PD-related deficits in emotion processing reported in the literature may not translate to real-world differences in physiological or subjective emotion processing in early-stage PD patients.
Molecular identification of pathogenic Fusarium species, the causal agents of tomato wilt in western Iran

Fusarium species are causal agents of fungal diseases occurring frequently in numerous agriculturally important plants, including potato, garlic and are one of the common pathogens of tomato, causing root rot in the west part of Iran. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to isolate and identify disease-causing Fusarium species from infected tomatoes based on the morphological and molecular characteristics. Twenty-five isolates of Fusarium were obtained from infected root of tomato plants collected from the fields in different regions of western Iran. Based on morphological features, the strains were classified into four following Fusarium species: F. oxysporum, F. redolens, F. proliferatum and F. verticillioides. The phylogenetic trees based on tef1 and tub2 dataset clearly distinguished closely related species. All of the isolates were evaluated for their pathogenicity on healthy tomato seedlings in the greenhouse. This is the first report on molecular identification of Fusarium species isolated from tomato plants cultivated in Iran.
Escape in One of Two Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Epitopes Bound by a High-Frequency Major Histocompatibility Complex Class I Molecule, Mamu-A*02: a Paradigm for Virus Evolution and Persistence?

ABSTRACT It is now accepted that an effective vaccine against AIDS must include effective cytotoxic-T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses. The simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected rhesus macaque is the best available animal model for AIDS, but analysis of macaque CTL responses has hitherto focused mainly on epitopes bound by a single major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I molecule, Mamu-A*01. The availability of Mamu-A*01-positive macaques for vaccine studies is therefore severely limited. Furthermore, it is becoming clear that different CTL responses are able to control immunodeficiency virus replication with varying success, making it a priority to identify and analyze CTL responses restricted by common MHC class I molecules other than Mamu-A*01. Here we describe two novel epitopes derived from SIV, one from Gag (Gag71-79 GY9), and one from the Nef protein (Nef159-167 YY9). Both epitopes are bound by the common macaque MHC class I molecule, Mamu-A*02. The sequences of these two eptiopes are consistent with the molecule's peptide-binding motif, which we have defined by elution of natural ligands from Mamu-A*02. Strikingly, we found evidence for the selection of escape variant viruses by CTL specific for Nef159-167 YY9 in 6 of 6 Mamu-A*02-positive animals. In contrast, viral sequences encoding the Gag71-79 GY9 epitope remained intact in each animal. This situation is reminiscent of Mamu-A*01-restricted CTL that recognize Tat28-35 SL8, which reproducibly selects for escape variants during acute infection, and Gag181-189 CM9, which does not. Differential selection by CTL may therefore be a paradigm of immunodeficiency virus infection.
Boric acid gel as local drug delivery in the treatment of class II furcation defects in chronic periodontitis: a randomized, controlled clinical trial

AIM Boric acid (BA) exhibits antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, as well as osteoblastic, activity. The aim of the present study was to explore the efficacy of 0.75% BA gel as a local drug-delivery system in adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) for the treatment of class II furcation defects in comparison with placebo gel. METHODS A total of 48 mandibular class II furcation defects were randomized and treated with either 0.75% BA gel or placebo gel. Clinical parameters were recorded at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months, while radiographic parameters were recorded at baseline and 6 months. RESULTS Greater mean probing depth reduction and mean relative vertical and horizontal clinical attachment level gain were shown to be greater in group 1 than in group 2 at 3 and 6 months. Furthermore, a significantly greater mean percentage of bone fill was found in group 1 (16.98%±1.03%) than in the placebo (2.86%±0.92%) at 6 months. CONCLUSION The . 75% BA group showed significant improvement in clinical parameters compared to placebo gel as an adjunct to SRP. This implies an alternative for treatment of class II furcation.
Relationship between the Change in Health Status and Satisfaction with Physical Education in Chinese College Students

We examined the relationship between health status and satisfaction with physical education (PE) lessons. The participants (N = 142, Mean = 19.14 yrs, SD = 0.92) were university students in China. The participants completed questionnaires at the beginning and end of the PE class term to indicate their health status. Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that the changes in health status significantly correlated with satisfaction with PE lessons. Results of the multiple regression analyses indicated that satisfaction with PE lessons was significantly related to enjoyment. The practical implications of this study focused on developing a PE lesson program that would improve the health status of students well as be enjoyable to the students.