Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharmacological blockade of TRPV1 receptors modulates the effects of 6‐OHDA on motor and cognitive functions in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

TRPV1 receptors and cannabinoid system are considered as important modulators of basal ganglia functions, and their pharmacologic manipulation represents a promising therapy to alleviate Parkinson‐induced hypokinesia. Recent evidence suggests that the blockade of cannabinoid receptors might be beneficial to alleviate motor deficits observed in Parkinson's disease. In the present study, we have evaluated the effects of AMG9810, a selective antagonist of TRPV1 receptors, on the motor and cognitive functions in a rat model of Parkinson's disease generated by an intracerebroventricular injection of 6‐ hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) (200 μg per animal). The injection of 10 nmol of AMG9810 for a single dose (AMG1) and for 2 weeks (AMG14) partially attenuated the hypokinesia shown by these animals in motor function evaluation tests, whereas chronic administration of AMG had destructive effects on learning and memory in 6‐OHDA‐treated rats. Animals in the AMG 1 and AMG 14 groups showed an increased latency to fall in rotarod and grasping tests in each trials compared with 6‐OHDA‐treated rats (P < 0.01) and DMSO 1 and 14 groups (P < 0.05). Our data indicate that pharmacological blockade of TRPV1 receptors by AMG 9810 attenuates the hypokinetic effects of 6‐OHDA and that TRPV1 receptors play an important role in 6‐OHDA‐induced hypokinesia, athough elucidation of the neurochemical substrate involved in this process remains a major challenge for the future.
Characterization of Vibrio alginolyticus Isolates from Diseased Cultured Gilthead Sea Bream, Sparus aurata

Biochemical, pathogenical, antigenical, and molecular characteristics of Vibrio alginolyticus isolates from diseased cultured gilthead sea bream juveniles (4 and 20 g) were determined by laboratory challenge experiments. Intraperitonal challenge resulted in development of the disease but immersion did not. Electrophoresis of outer membrane protein (OMP) and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) was performed using sodium dodecyl sulphate poly-acrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Molecular typing of Vibrio isolates was conducted using random amplification of polymorphic DNA (RAPD). According to SDS-PAGE of surface antigens of the isolates, profiles of both OMP and LPS were heterogeneous. According to RAPD, isolated bacteria varied genetically. The findings reveal differences among V. alginolyticus isolates from diseased cultured gilthead sea bream in Turkey.
ApaI, BsmI and TaqI VDR gene polymorphisms in association with multiple sclerosis in Slovaks

Objective: Vitamin D acts through vitamin D receptor (VDR) and has promising beneficial effects in the development and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The purpose of our study was to investigate the possible association of the VDR gene polymorphisms ApaI, BsmI and TaqI with the MS susceptibility and with the rate of disease disability progression in the Central European Slovak population. Methods: The allele and genotype variants of ApaI, TaqI and BsmI VDR gene polymorphisms were analysed in 270 clinically diagnosed MS patients and 303 healthy controls. Genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction analysis. Patients were stratified by the rate of disease disability progression using MSSS scores. Results: By logistic regression analysis, we revealed that genotype BB (AA) of BsmI VDR gene polymorphism is decreasing the risk of MS (BB (AA) vs Bb (AG) + bb (GG); OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.39–0.90, plog = 0.014). We did not identify any association of ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms neither with MS development nor with the disease progression. Discussion: We showed for the first time that BsmI genotype BB (AA) is associated with the decreased susceptibility to MS in Slovak population. We propose the BsmI gene polymorphism to be one of the important genetic markers in evaluation of the risk of MS. However, our data suggest that VDR gene polymorphisms ApaI, BsmI and TaqI are not useful in the prediction of disease disability progression rate in MS in Slovaks.
Physiological and clinical advantages of median nerve fascicle transfer to the musculocutaneous nerve following brachial plexus root avulsion injury.

OBJECT Loss of biceps muscle function is a significant disability after brachial plexus root avulsion injuries. Nerve grafting techniques to reestablish anatomical and functional continuity between the spinal cord and the avulsed root have not proven successful. Using nerve transfers for functional restoration of root avulsion injuries appears to be effective and has physiological advantages for reducing regeneration distances. Since the early 1990s, the Oberlin technique of transferring ulnar nerve fascicles to the motor branch of the musculocutaneous nerve has been the preferred operative technique for reinnervation and restoration of biceps muscle function. In the current study the authors examine the efficacy of an alternative technique using median nerve fascicles transferred to the musculocutaneous nerve to reinnervate the biceps muscle. METHODS Forty consecutive patients with combined C5-6 brachial plexus root avulsions were evaluated pre- and postoperatively according to the British Medical Research Council Motor Grading Scale. Personal interviews concerning quality of life (QOL) after surgery were conducted and scored based on standards set by the World Health Organization. All patients showed some degree of improvement in biceps muscle function. Thirty-six (90%) of the 40 patients regained movement against gravity. The patients had a 77% improvement in overall QOL after the surgery; most notably, 92% of the patients reported their lack of need for medication and 75% a significant lessening of postoperative pain. Redirection of part of the healthy median nerve resulted in no measurable functional deficits, and only 28 patients reported minor sensory disturbances in the first web space for an average of 3 months after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Median nerve fascicle transfer resulted in a significant improvement in biceps muscle function with an acceptable level of morbidity and should be considered an effective, and in many cases preferable, alternative to ulnar nerve fascicle transfer.
(E)-N′-(5-Chloro-2-hydroxybenzylidene)-3,5-dihydroxybenzohydrazide monohydrate

In the title compound, C14H11ClN2O4·H2O, the dihedral angle between the two benzene rings is 8.5 (2)° and an intramolecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond is observed in the Schiff base molecule. In the crystal structure, the water molecule accepts an N—H⋯O hydrogen bond and makes O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to two further Schiff base molecules. Further intermolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds lead to the formation of layers parallel to the bc plane.
The use of indigenous cattle in terminal cross-breeding to improve beef cattle production in Sub-Saharan Africa

El papel que el ganado autoctono puede desempenar en la Revolucion Ganadera de Africa no es siempre reconocido. En muchas partes de Africa la cria de animales con razas locales es la unica estrategia de produccion viable, debido a las adversidades climaticas y a las condiciones nutricionales. Sin embargo, hay escenarios en los que existe demanda de razas exoticas y sus cruces. Este articulo trata acerca de la posibilidad de mejorar la produccion de carne de ternera por medio de cruces terminales con dos razas bovinas sudafricanas, la Nguni y la Afrikaner, cruzadas con diferentes razas exoticas. Las dificultades durante el parto fueron limitadas y los pesos al nacimiento se limitaron al valor de los medios padres o mas bajo. El cruzamiento no tuvo un efecto negativo sobre el rendimiento de las vacas, tal como el cambio de peso y la fertilidad, mientras que la productividad de la vaca aumento. En la mayor parte de los casos el peso al destete de los terneros cruzados fue el mismo, o superior a aquellos cuyos padres eran de raza pura, y el indice de conversion fue siempre mejor que cualquiera de las dos razas padre. Bajo control de la alimentacion el rendimiento altamente deseable. Estos resultados demuestran que cruces terminales con razas locales africanas merecen mas atencion como medio para incrementar la produccion de carne de ternera en el subtropico y tropico. Una ventaja anadida de cualquier sistema de cruces terminales es la utilizacion de razas locales, lo que asegura la conservacion y la utilizacion de las razas locales de Africa, dado que se requeriran constantemente hembras criadas en pureza.
Structure-Function Studies of Escherichia coli RpoH (σ32) by In Vitro Linker Insertion Mutagenesis

ABSTRACT The sigma factor RpoH (σ32) is the key regulator of the heat shock response in Escherichia coli. Many structural and functional properties of the sigma factor are poorly understood. To gain further insight into RpoH regions that are either important or dispensable for its cellular activity, we generated a collection of tetrapeptide insertion variants by a recently established in vitro linker insertion mutagenesis technique. Thirty-one distinct insertions were obtained, and their sigma factor activity was analyzed by using a groE-lacZ reporter fusion in an rpoH-negative background. Our study provides a map of permissive sites which tolerate linker insertions and of functionally important regions at which a linker insertion impairs sigma factor activity. Selected linker insertion mutants will be discussed in the light of known sigma factor properties and in relation to a modeled structure of an RpoH fragment containing region 2.
Playing with masks: Fragmentation and continuity in the presentation of self in an occupational online forum

Purpose – To investigate the presentation of self of participants in occupational online forums.Design/methodology/approach – Interpretation of more than 300 profiles of participants to a banking‐related occupational online forum based on Goffman's seminal analysis of presentation of self and on the literature on mystification and fragmentation in virtual environments.Findings – Contributors to the occupational online forum adopted one of several main categories of profiles. These categories differed in the degree of detail with which profiles were filled and showed that forum users chose a certain degree of mystification or de‐mystification for their profile. The presentation of self in the online occupational forum was related to the presentation in offline environments, such as in the workplace as well as to other online contexts, such as in electronic chats. The categories of profiles were also associated with strikingly different registration dates and number of posts per year and per contributor.Res.
Industrially feasible alternative approaches in the manufacture of solid dispersions: A technical report

The purpose of this report was to compile relevant technical information on various alternative strategies that can be used as feasible approaches in the development of solid dispersions. The technologies discussed in the report are spray coating on sugar beads with a fluidized bed coating system, hot melt extrusion, direct capsule filling, electrostatic spinning, surface active carriers, and supercritical fluid technology. The focus is on basic principles, the equipment involved, and the relevant scale-up work. These technologies have been found to eliminate several drawbacks posed by the conventional methods of manufacturing of solid dispersions such as laborious preparation methods, reproducibility, scaling up of manufacturing processes, stability of drug, and vehicle.
What Are Young Children Watching? Disparities in Concordant TV Viewing

ABSTRACT Although there has been much research in recent years examining early childhood media viewing, ethnically/racially diverse children consistently watch more TV than their non-Hispanic White peers. This study begins to explore associations between race/ethnicity and the viewing habits of young children and assesses whether and how often children are watching concordant shows (i.e. shows containing primary characters that “look like them”). As part of a larger media study, a community-based sample of parents of children ages 3–5 years were included. Parents completed a demographic survey assessing child/family characteristics and 1-week media diaries recording program names and screen time (TV/DVDs) for the index child. Concordance programming was defined as viewing shows with primary characters of the same race/ethnicity as the child. Results indicated that racial/ethnic minority children watched more shows with diverse characters (concordant shows and shows with “non-White” characters) than shows that contained “only White” characters, whereas racial/ethnic majority children spent approximately two-thirds of their viewing time watching shows with “Only White” characters. Interestingly, although programs with racial/ethnic minority characters (e.g., Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street) frequently appeared on children's media diaries, child race/ethnicity significantly predicted the proportion of time that participants spent watching racially/ethnically concordant programming.
URINARY ESTROGEN EXCRETION AND CONCENTRATION OF SERUM HUMAN PLACENTAL LACTOGEN IN PREGNANCIES FOLLOWING LEGALLY INDUCED ABORTION

Abstract. Feto‐placental function was assessed by 24‐hour excretion of estrogens in urine and by the concentration of human Placental Lactogen (hPL) in serum in pregnant women whose previous pregnancy was terminated by legally induced abortion. The mean 24‐hour excretion of estrogens in urine and the mean concentration of hPL in serum were no lower in this group than in women without previous induced abortion. Neither was the frequency of a low 24‐hour excretion of estrogens in urine or low concentration of hPL in serum (values less than mean − 1.96 s) found to be increased.
Accuracy and precision of glucose monitoring are relevant to treatment decision-making and clinical outcome in hospitalized patients with diabetes.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS The accuracy and precision of three blood glucose meters (BGMs) were evaluated in 600 hospitalized patients with type 1 (n = 200) or type 2 (n = 400) diabetes. Capillary blood glucose values were analyzed with Accu-Chek(®) Aviva [Roche (Hellas) S.A. , Maroussi, Greece], Precision-Xceed(®) [Abbott Laboratories (Hellas) S.A. , Alimos, Greece], and Glucocard X-Sensor(®) (Menarini Diagnostics S.A., Argyroupolis, Greece). At the same time plasma glucose was analyzed using the World Health Organization's glucose oxidase method. RESULTS Median plasma glucose values (141.2 [range, 13-553] mg/dL) were significantly different from that produced by the BGMs (P < 0.001). The Accu-Chek Aviva underestimated hypoglycemia (plasma glucose ≤55 mg/dL) by a mean difference of 4.1 mg/dL (95% confidence interval [CI] 0-28 mg/dL), and the Precision-Xceed did so by a mean difference of 6.2 mg/dL (95% CI 0-29 mg/dL); the same was true for the Glucocard X-Sensor by a mean difference of 9.1 mg/dL (CI 0-57 mg/dL) (P < 0.001 for all BGMs). Hyperglycemia (plasma glucose ≥250 mg/dL) was overestimated with the Accu-Chek Aviva and the Precision-Xceed by a mean difference of 4.8 mg/dL (95% CI 0-41 mg/dL) and 10.4 mg/dL (CI 0-92 mg/dL), respectively; the same was true for the Glucocard X-Sensor by a mean difference of 20.3 mg/dL (95% CI 0-100 mg/dL) (P < 0.001 for all BGMs). Asymptomatic hypoglycemia was detected in 28% of type 1 and in 18% of type 2 diabetes patients. In all cases, the BGMs were unreliable in sensing hypoglycemia. Multivariate linear regression analysis demonstrated that low blood pressure and hematocrit significantly affected glucose measurements obtained with all three BGMs (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In hospitalized diabetes patients, all three frequently used BGMs undersensed hypoglycemia and oversensed hyperglycemia to some extent. Patients and caregivers should be aware of these restrictions of the BGMs.
Triple dissociation of attention networks in stroke according to lesion location

Objective: To determine whether behavioral dissociations and interactions occur between the attentional functions—alerting, orienting, and conflict resolution—depending upon stroke location and to determine the approximate proportion of patients who can be classified into 1 of these 3 anatomical networks. Methods: We recruited 110 anatomically unselected acute stroke patients and 62 age-matched controls. Subjects underwent the attention network test (ANT), which provides a measure of each attention type. Their performance was related to lesion anatomy on MRI using a voxel-lesion mapping approach. Results: Patients as a whole performed poorer than controls, but there were no group differences in the size of attentional effects. Specific deficits in 1 of the 3 ANT-tested functions were found in the following lesion locations: alerting deficiency with bilateral anteromedial thalamus and upper brainstem (17% of patients); orienting impairment with right pulvinar and right temporoparietal cortex (15%); conflict resolution with bilateral prefrontal and premotor areas (23%). Lesions to right frontoparietal regions also modified interactions among the 3 types of attention. Conclusions: More than half of all stroke patients can be expected to have a lesion location classifiable into 1 of the 3 principal attention networks. Our results have potential implications for therapy personalization in focal brain diseases including stroke.
Clostridium difficile infection: management strategies for a difficult disease

Clostridium difficile was first described as a cause of diarrhea in 1978 and in the last three decades has reached an epidemic state with increasing incidence and severity in both healthcare and community settings. There also has been a rise in severe outcomes from C. difficile infection (CDI). There have been tremendous advancements in the field of CDI with the identification of newer risk factors, recognition of CDI in populations previously thought not at risk and development of better diagnostic modalities. Several treatment options are available for CDI apart from metronidazole and vancomycin, and include new drugs such as fidaxomicin and other options such as fecal microbiota transplantation. This review discusses the epidemiology, risk factors and outcomes from CDI, and focuses primarily on existing and evolving treatment modalities.
K-means-based Feature Learning for Protein Sequence Classification

Protein sequence classification has been a major challenge in bioinformatics and related fields for some time and remains so today. Due to the complexity and volume of protein data, algorithmic techniques such as sequence alignment are often unsuitable due to time and memory constraints. Heuristic methods based on machine learning are the dominant technique for classifying large sets of protein data. In recent years, unsupervised deep learning techniques have garnered significant attention in various domains of classification tasks, but especially for image data. In this study, we adapt a k-means-based deep learning approach that was originally developed for image classification to classify protein sequence data. We use this unsupervised learning method to preprocess the data and create new feature vectors to be classified by a traditional supervised learning algorithm such as SVM. We find the performance of this technique to be superior to that of the spectrum kernel and empirical kernel map, and comparable to that of slower distance matrix-based approaches. keywords: Protein classification, Unsupervised learning, K-means
Male alcohol consumption and fecundity in couples attending an infertility clinic

Summary. The relationship between male alcohol intake and fertility was studied for 258 couples attending an infertility clinic. 21% consumed less than 1 unit per week on average, 10% consumed between 1 and 5 units per week, 23% consumed between 6 and 10 units per week, 27% consumed 11 to 20 units per week and 19% consumed more than 20 units per week. There was no significant association between alcohol consumption and any semen parameter. 110 men had a female partner who was apparently normal. There was no significant difference in the alcohol intake between the ‘normal’ and ‘abnormal’ female groups. Couples were followed‐up for up to 32 months. Sixteen women had a treatment independent conception within the ‘normal’ female group. There was no significant association between the amount of alcohol consumed per week and the fertility outcome.
Zeaxanthin Has Enhanced Antioxidant Capacity with Respect to All Other Xanthophylls in Arabidopsis Leaves and Functions Independent of Binding to PSII Antennae1[C][W]

The ch1 mutant of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) lacks chlorophyll (Chl) b. Leaves of this mutant are devoid of photosystem II (PSII) Chl-protein antenna complexes and have a very low capacity of nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) of Chl fluorescence. Lhcb5 was the only PSII antenna protein that accumulated to a significant level in ch1 mutant leaves, but the apoprotein did not assemble in vivo with Chls to form a functional antenna. The abundance of Lhca proteins was also reduced to approximately 20% of the wild-type level. ch1 was crossed with various xanthophyll mutants to analyze the antioxidant activity of carotenoids unbound to PSII antenna. Suppression of zeaxanthin by crossing ch1 with npq1 resulted in oxidative stress in high light, while removing other xanthophylls or the PSII protein PsbS had no such effect. The tocopherol-deficient ch1 vte1 double mutant was as sensitive to high light as ch1 npq1, and the triple mutant ch1 npq1 vte1 exhibited an extreme sensitivity to photooxidative stress, indicating that zeaxanthin and tocopherols have cumulative effects. Conversely, constitutive accumulation of zeaxanthin in the ch1 npq2 double mutant led to an increased phototolerance relative to ch1. Comparison of ch1 npq2 with another zeaxanthin-accumulating mutant (ch1 lut2) that lacks lutein suggests that protection of polyunsaturated lipids by zeaxanthin is enhanced when lutein is also present. During photooxidative stress, α-tocopherol noticeably decreased in ch1 npq1 and increased in ch1 npq2 relative to ch1, suggesting protection of vitamin E by high zeaxanthin levels. Our results indicate that the antioxidant activity of zeaxanthin, distinct from NPQ, can occur in the absence of PSII light-harvesting complexes. The capacity of zeaxanthin to protect thylakoid membrane lipids is comparable to that of vitamin E but noticeably higher than that of all other xanthophylls of Arabidopsis leaves.
Miniaturized circular patch antenna with metamaterial loading

In this contribution, we present a possible implementation of a miniaturized circular patch antenna with metamaterial loading. In previous theoretical investigations we have already shown that it is possible to excite a resonant radiating mode in a circular patch by using an inhomogeneous substrate made of the combination of a regular dielectric and a metamaterial exhibiting a negative real part of the permeability. While in our previous works we have considered the metamaterial as an ideal isotropic material described by a Lorentz-like dispersion, here we propose a possible implementation of the same structure, employing proper resonant inclusions. A theoretical cavity-model analysis allows determining qualitatively the expected near field distribution of the antenna at its resonance and therefore optimizing the location and orientation of the inclusions. The final layout has been simulated through a full-wave commercial code and the resulting matching and radiation features, in good agreement with our previous theoretical investigations, demonstrate the possibility of realizing a resonant sub-wavelength patch exhibiting good matching and radiating features.