Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Placental endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression and role of oxidative stress in susceptibility to preeclampsia in Pakistani women

Preeclampsia (PE): a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy characterized by de novo development of concurrent hypertension and proteinuria. The prevailing theory determined that PE starts from the placenta and ends in the maternal endothelium. Role of endothelial dysfunction in the onset of PE has been reported in different populations. Therefore, present study was designed to investigate the localization and expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and role of oxidative stress markers in preeclamptic Pakistani women.
Association Between Chronic Hepatitis C Virus Infection and Myocardial Infarction Among People Living With HIV in the United States

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is common among people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH). Extrahepatic manifestations of HCV, including myocardial infarction (MI), are a topic of active research. MI is classified into types, predominantly atheroembolic type 1 MI (T1MI) and supply-demand mismatch type 2 MI (T2MI). We examined the association between HCV and MI among patients in the Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) Network of Integrated Clinical Systems, a US multicenter clinical cohort of PLWH. MIs were centrally adjudicated and categorized by type using the Third Universal Definition of Myocardial Infarction. We estimated the association between chronic HCV (RNA+) and time to MI while adjusting for demographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors, clinical characteristics, and history of injecting drug use. Among 23,407 PLWH aged ≥18 years, there were 336 T1MIs and 330 T2MIs during a median of 4.7 years of follow-up between 1998 and 2016. HCV was associated with a 46% greater risk of T2MI (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) = 1.46, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09, 1.97) but not T1MI (aHR = 0.87, 95% CI: 0.58, 1.29). In an exploratory cause-specific analysis of T2MI, HCV was associated with a 2-fold greater risk of T2MI attributed to sepsis (aHR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.25, 3.24). Extrahepatic manifestations of HCV in this high-risk population are an important area for continued research.
The regulatory TnaC nascent peptide preferentially inhibits release factor 2-mediated hydrolysis of peptidyl-tRNA

The tnaC regulatory gene from the tna operon of Escherichia coli controls the transcription of its own operon through an attenuation mechanism relying on the accumulation of arrested ribosomes during inhibition of its own translation termination. This free l-Trp–dependent mechanism of inhibition of translation termination remains unclear. Here, we analyzed the inhibitory effects of l-Trp on the function of two known E. coli translation termination factors, RF1 and RF2. Using a series of reporter genes, we found that the in vivo l-Trp sensitivity of tnaC gene expression is influenced by the identity of its stop codon, with the UGA stop codon producing higher expression efficiency of the tnaA-lacZ gene construct than the UAG stop codon. In vitro TnaC-peptidyl-tRNA accumulation and toe-printing assays confirmed that in the presence of l-Trp, the UGA stop codon generates higher accumulation of both TnaC-peptidyl-tRNA and arrested ribosomes than does the UAG stop codon. RF-mediated hydrolysis assays corroborated that l-Trp blocks RF2 function more than that of RF1. Mutational analyses disclosed that amino acids substitutions at the 246 and 256 residue positions surrounding the RF2-GGQ functional motif reduce l-Trp–dependent expression of the tnaC(UGA) tnaA-lacZ construct and the ability of l-Trp to inhibit RF2-mediated cleavage of the TnaC-peptidyl-tRNA. Altogether, our results indicate that l-Trp preferentially blocks RF2 activity during translation termination of the tnaC gene. This inhibition depends on the identities of amino acid residues surrounding the RF2-GGQ functional motif.
Cosmopolitanism as a Transnational Identity Form in the time of Globalization INTRODUCTION Presenting cosmopolitanism as a form of transnational identity

This paper proposes cosmopolitanism as a form of transnational identity in the time of, but at the same time independent from, globalization. It defines cosmopolitanism via a literature matrix of several aspects and issues of what constitutes a cosmopolitan person, or cosmopolitan individual cultural identity. Broadly defined, this is a cultural world citizenship which straddles the global and the local via an engagement with foreign local cultural diversity. The transnational aspect of this identity form will be given special focus, via literary definitions of cosmopolitanism as transcultures, as well as detailed analysis of the relationship between cosmopolitanism and the nation-state. Having developed the matrix of cosmopolitanism, the status of this identity form will be discussed in the context of, but clearly delineated from, the phenomenon of globalization. The main contribution of the paper is towards an improved theorization of cosmopolitanism.
Diurnal and semidiurnal rainfall cycles during the rain season in SW Amazonia, observed via rain gauges and estimated using S‐band radar

The rainfall field estimated by an S‐band radar was evaluated with rain gauges network measurements during the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission and Large‐Scale Biosphere–Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (TRMM‐LBA), then the daily variability associated with the presence (absence) of the South Atlantic convergence zone (SACZ) were studied. The results showed the high spatial variability of the rainfall over southwest (SW) Amazonia and suggest that local mechanisms (topography and/or local circulations induced by contrast of vegetation) may be associated with heavy rainfall episodes; moreover, it was possible to observe the squall line influence on the diurnal and semidiurnal cycles. Copyright © 2009 Royal Meteorological Society
Phylogeography of Spiraea alpina (Rosaceae) in the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau inferred from chloroplast DNA sequence variations

Abstract The aim of the present study was to investigate the phylogeographic patterns of Spiraea alpina (Rosaceae) and clarify its response to past climatic changes in the climate‐sensitive Qinghai‐Tibetan Plateau (QTP). We sequenced a chloroplast DNA fragment (trnL–trnF) from 528 individuals representing 43 populations. We identified 10 haplotypes, which were tentatively divided into three groups. These haplotypes or groups were distributed in the different regions of the QTP. Only half the populations were fixed by a single haplotype, whereas the others contained two or more. In the central and eastern regions, adjacent populations at the local scale shared the same haplotype. Our phylogeographic analyses suggest that this alpine shrub survived in multiple refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum and that earlier glaciations may have trigged deep intraspecific divergences. Post‐glacial expansions occurred only within populations or across multiple populations within a local range. The findings of the present study together with previous phylogeographic reports suggest that evolutionary histories of plants in the QTP are complex and variable depending on the species investigated.
Using an augmented reality game to teach three junior high school students with intellectual disabilities to improve ATM use.

BACKGROUND Individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) may have difficulties in performing daily living tasks. Among other daily living tasks, independent automated teller machine (ATM) skills are an essential life skill for people with intellectual disabilities. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three junior high school students in a special education class participated in the experiment. We employed the augmented reality (AR) technology to gamify ATM skill training. Specifically, a multiple baseline design was adopted to demonstrate the relation between game-based intervention and using an ATM independently. RESULTS Data showed that the percentage of correct task steps increased among all three participants. Social validity results showed the teachers considered the AR game was very useful and it had helped their students learn the ATM skills effectively. CONCLUSIONS The proposed AR game can be used for effective training of students with intellectual disabilities using an ATM independently.
Contemporary review of the causes and differential diagnosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss

Abstract Objectives: This article provides an overview of the causes and differential diagnosis of sudden deafness (SD) and sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL). Design: Contemporary review. Study sample: This review is based on peer-reviewed articles published in those journals listed on journal of citation reports. Through the PubMed database of the US National Library of Medicine, Scopus, and Google Scholar using the keywords of “sudden deafness”, “acute hearing loss”, and “sudden sensorineural hearing loss”, totally 1493 papers were considered and 166 relevant papers were selected. Results: Sensorineural hearing loss of sudden onset may be classified as primary SD and secondary SSHL. Proposed aetiologies of primary SD comprised viral infection, vascular insufficiency, autoimmune disorder and stress theory, while causes of secondary SSHL include neoplasm, stroke and irradiation. Conclusion: SD/SSHL is a syndrome that comprises various entities, and results from a variety of aetiologies. An inner ear test battery in SD/SSHL patients helps determine its aetiology, and provides comprehensive information on the affected territory. Identification of the cause and differential diagnosis of the different types of SD/SSHL may provide substantial benefits such as determining the prognosis, identifying associated risk factors and preventing further hearing loss.
Effects of Drying on the Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Green Banana ( Musa sapientum ) Flour and Development of Baked Product

This study investigated the effects of hot air drying and freeze drying methods on physicochemical and functional properties of green banana (Musa sapientum) flour and incorporated biscuits. Both freeze and hot air dried green banana flour was replaced by wheat flour with different degrees of substitutions including 0, 10, 15, 20% and subjected to proximate analysis and sensory evaluation. The results of this study showed that freeze drying method retained high amount of protein, fat, ash and fiber content in green banana flour than hot air drying method. The moisture content was high in hot air dried banana flour than freeze dried flour. That’s why the water holding capacity of hot air dried banana flour was high. The freeze dried banana flour had the higher foaming capacity (10.48%) as compared with hot air dried banana flour (8.61%). As the concentration of banana flour increased the spread ratio of biscuits decreased. The addition of increasing level of banana flour had higher ash, fiber, carbohydrate, calcium, phosphorus, iron and zinc content while protein and fat content found lower in the biscuits. In sensory analysis, 5% freeze dried biscuits hold the highest score in color, texture and overall acceptability; and 10% hot air dried secured highest score in flavor.
An examination of Latino-advanced cancer patients' and their informal caregivers' preferences for communication about advance care planning: A qualitative study

Abstract Objectives Latino-advanced cancer patients engage in advance care planning (ACP) at lower rates than non-Latino patients. The goal of the present study was to understand patients' and caregivers' preferred methods of communicating about ACP. Methods Patients and caregivers were interviewed about cultural, religious, and familial beliefs that influence engagement in ACP and preferences for ACP communication. Results Findings highlighted that Latino patients respect doctors' medical advice, prefer the involvement of family members in ACP discussions with doctors, hold optimistic religious beliefs (e.g., belief in miracles) that hinder ACP discussions, and prefer culturally competent approaches, such as using their native language, for learning how to discuss end-of-life (EoL) care preferences. Significance of results Key cultural, religious, and familial beliefs and dynamics influence Latino engagement in ACP. Patients prefer a family-centered, physician informed approach to discussing ACP with consideration and incorporation of their religious medical beliefs about EoL care. Promising targets for improving the communication of and engagement in ACP include integrating cultural and religious beliefs in ACP discussions, providing information about ACP from the physician, involving family members in ACP discussions and decision-making, and giving instructions on how to engage in ACP discussions.
Nested-scale discharge and groundwater level monitoring to improve predictions of flow route discharges and nitrate loads

Identifying effective measures to reduce nutrient loads of headwaters in lowland catchments requires a thorough understanding of flow routes of water and nutrients. In this paper we assess the value of nested-scale discharge and groundwater level measurements for predictions of catchment-scale discharge and nitrate loads. In order to relate field-site measurements to the catchment-scale an upscaling approach is introduced that assumes that scale differences in flow route fluxes originate from differences in the relationship between groundwater storage and the spatial structure of the groundwater table. This relationship is characterized by the Groundwater Depth Distribution (GDD) curve that relates spatial variation in groundwater depths to the average groundwater depth. The GDD-curve was measured for a single field site (0.009 km 2 ) and simple process descriptions were applied to relate the groundwater levels to flow route discharges. This parsimonious model could accurately describe observed storage, tube drain discharge, overland flow and groundwater flow simultaneously with Nash-Sutcliff coefficients exceeding 0.8. A probabilistic Monte Carlo approach was applied to upscale field-site measurements to catchment scales by inferring scale-specific GDD-curves from hydrographs of two nested catchments (0.4 and 6.5 km 2 ). The estimated contribution of tube drain effluent (a dominant source for nitrates) decreased with increasing scale from 76-79% at the field-site to 34-61% and 25-50% for both catchment scales. These results were validated by demonstrating that a model conditioned on nested-scale measurements simulates better nitrate loads and better predictions of extreme discharges during validation periods compared to a model that was conditioned on catchment discharge only. © 2010 Author(s).
Thrombolytic and anti-arthritic activities of methanolic extract of trevesia palmata

The crude methanol extract of the leaves of Trevesia palmata was partitioned with nhexane, ethyl acetate, chloroform and water for biological investigation. Methanol extract of Trevesia palmata was assessed for in vitro thrombolytic and anti-arthritic activity. Antiarthritic activity was evaluated using albumin denaturation. Diclofenac sodium (D.s.) was used as a standard drug for the study of anti-inflammatory activity. The methanol extract of Trevesia palmata showed mean inhibition of protein denaturation 89.24±0.6584 at 1000μg/ml whereas, standard diclofenac sodium it was found to be 96.77±1.1404. In thrombolytic activity using in vitro clot lysis assay method, the ethyl acetate soluble fraction (LEAF) and n-hexane soluble fraction(LHXF) of leaf extract was found to have significant (p<0.001), thrombolytic activity showed a maximum effect of 44.293±0.5069 & 44.211±0.7428 while the standard streptokinase showed 71.668±0.466.
Investigating the stability of dengue virus envelope protein dimer using well‐tempered metadynamics simulations

We explored the stability of the dengue virus envelope (E) protein dimer since it is widely assumed that the E protein dimer is stabilized by drug ligands or antibodies in an acidic environment, neutralizing the virus's ability to fuse with human cells. During this process, a large conformational change of the E protein dimer is required. We performed Molecular Dynamics simulations to mimic the conformational change and stability of the dimer in neutral and acidic conditions with the well‐tempered metadynamics method. Furthermore, as a few neutralizing antibodies discovered from dengue patients were reported, we used the same simulation method to examine the influence of a selected antibody on the dimer stability in both neutral and acidic conditions. We also investigated the antibody's influence on a point‐mutated E protein that had been reported to interrupt the protein‐antibody interaction and result in more than 95% loss of the antibody's binding ability. Our simulation results are highly consistent with the experimental conclusion that binding of the antibody to the E protein dimer neutralizes the virus, especially in a low pH condition, while the mutation of W101A or N153A significantly reduces the antibody's ability in stabilizing the E protein dimer. We demonstrate that well‐tempered metadynamics can be used to accurately explore the antibody's interaction on large protein complexes such as the E protein dimer, and the computational approach in this work is promising in future antibody development.
Silencing Of hsa_circ_0008450 Represses Hepatocellular Carcinoma Progression Through Regulation Of microRNA-214-3p/EZH2 Axis

Purpose Circular RNA (circRNA) hsa_circ_0008450 has been shown to be up-regulated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the functional role of hsa_circ_0008450 and its molecular mechanism are still unknown. Patients and methods We used qRT-PCR and Western blot to examine the expression levels of hsa_circ_0008450, microRNA-214-3p (miR-214-3p), and enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) protein. CCK8 assay and wound healing assay were used to detect cell viability and cell migration capability. Cell apoptosis was assessed by flow cytometry. Luciferase reporter assay was used to explore the interaction among hsa_circ_0008450, miR-214-3p, and EZH2. Results hsa_circ_0008450 was significantly increased in HCC tissues and cells. Furthermore, knockdown of hsa_circ_0008450 in HCC cells inhibited cell proliferation, invasion, and migration. Mechanically, hsa_circ_0008450 promoted the expression of EZH2 protein through sponging miR-214-3p. Knockdown of circ_0008450 suppressed tumorigenesis of HCC cells in vivo. Conclusion Knockdown of hsa_circ_0008450 inhibits HCC progression by regulating miR-214-3p/EZH2 axis. This study suggests that hsa_circ_0008450 may serve as a novel target for the treatment of HCC.
Factors Affecting the Earnings Response Coefficient: An Empirical study for Iran

The overall goal of this research is to identify the factors that influence earnings response coefficient. The data were gathered using library and corporate documents methods. Thus the dependent variable in this study is the earning response coefficient which was tested based on the market response to the unexpected parts of profit coefficient and the market response to the profit changes coefficient models. Then in order to test the hypotheses, one of the proposed models which had a higher explanatory power was chosen. A total sample of 202 companies listed in Tehran Stock Exchange for the period of 7 years (the years 2006 to 2012) was studied in order to perform the analysis and hypotheses testing. In this research, the combined regression model was used to investigate the research hypotheses. The results of this study suggests that the earning response coefficient has a positive and direct relationship with the quality of earnings, growth opportunities and profitability, a negative and inverse relationship with systematic risk and no relationship with financial leverage.
Impact of Donor Human Milk in the Preterm Very Low Birth Weight Gut Transcriptome Profile by Use of Exfoliated Intestinal Cells

Background: Own mother’s milk (OMM) is the optimal nutrition for preterm infants. However, pasteurized donor human milk (DHM) is a valid alternative. We explored the differences of the transcriptome in exfoliated epithelial intestinal cells (EEIC) of preterm infants receiving full feed with OMM or DHM. Methods: The prospective observational study included preterm infants ≤ 32 weeks’ gestation and/or ≤1500 g birthweight. Total RNA from EEIC were processed for genome-wide expression analysis. Results: Principal component analysis and unsupervised hierarchical clustering analysis revealed two clustered groups corresponding to the OMM and DHM groups that showed differences in the gene expression profile in 1629 transcripts. The OMM group overexpressed lactalbumin alpha gene (LALBA), Cytochrome C oxidase subunit I gene (COX1) and caseins kappa gene (CSN3), beta gene (CSN2) and alpha gene (CSN1S1) and underexpressed Neutrophil Cytosolic Factor 1 gene (NCF1) compared to the DHM group. Conclusions: The transcriptomic analysis of EEIC showed that OMM induced a differential expression of specific genes that may contribute to a more efficient response to a pro-oxidant challenge early in the postnatal period when preterm infants are at a higher risk of oxidative stress. The use of OMM should be strongly promoted in preterm infants.
INCIDENCE, SEVERITY AND FINANCIAL BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS IN MEDICINE INPATIENTS

Aim: Present study was carried out to assess the incidence of adverse drug reactions (ADR) and assessment of causality, severity and additional financial burden associated with reported suspected ADRs. Materials and Methods: A prospective spontaneous reporting study was conducted over a period of six months in inpatients of medicine wards and medical intensive care unit at Bharati Hospital, Pune. WHO Probability scale was used for causality assessment. Reported ADRs were classified according to Wills & Brown classification and assessed for severity using scale developed by Hartwig et al. Average cost incurred in treating an ADR was calculated. Results: A total of 143 suspected ADRs were reported and evaluated from 58 patients showing an overall incidence of 4.75%. About 44 (3.60%) hospitalized patients experienced an ADR and 21 (1.72%) patients were hospitalized due to ADR. Gastrointestinal system (25.87%) was most commonly involved. Drug class most commonly associated was Antimicrobials (18.90%). 43.36% ADRs were classified as “Possible” in view of causality, while 62.24% were found to be “mild” in case of severity. Most patients (59.44%) recovered from the ADR. 68.53% ADRs were augmented or type A. Average cost incurred in treating an ADR was found to be Rs.412. 79 (US$ 9.30) in India. Conclusion: Awareness about ADR reporting is still poor amongst healthcare professionals in India. Incidence of ADRs was more in hospitalized patients compared to ADR induced hospital admission. Average cost incurred for treating ADR leading to hospital admission was higher.