Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
cGMP homeostasis in malaria parasites—The key to perceiving and integrating environmental changes during transmission to the mosquito

Malaria‐causing parasites are transmitted from humans to mosquitoes when developmentally arrested gametocytes are taken up by a female Anopheles during a blood meal. The changes in environment from human to mosquito activate gametogenesis, including a drop in temperature, a rise in pH, and a mosquito‐derived molecule, xanthurenic acid. Signaling receptors have not been identified in malaria parasites but mounting evidence indicates that cGMP homeostasis is key to sensing extracellular cues in gametocytes. Low levels of cGMP maintained by phosphodiesterases prevent precocious activation of gametocytes in the human blood. Upon ingestion, initiation of gametogenesis depends on the activation of a hybrid guanylyl cyclase/P4‐ATPase. Elevated cGMP levels lead to the rapid mobilization of intracellular calcium that relies upon the activation of both cGMP‐dependent protein kinase and phosphoinositide phospholipase C. Once calcium is released, a cascade of phosphorylation events mediated by calcium‐dependent protein kinases and phosphatases regulates the cellular processes required for gamete formation. cGMP signaling also triggers timely egress from the host cell at other life cycle stages of malaria parasites and in Toxoplasma gondii, a related apicomplexan parasite. This suggests that cGMP signaling is a versatile platform transducing external cues into calcium signals at important decision points in the life cycle of apicomplexan parasites.
Segurança dos Procedimentos da Cardiologia Intervencionista na Síndrome Coronariana Crônica durante a Pandemia de COVID-19

Methods In this prospective study conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, 105 SUS patients with CCS undergoing elective coronary angiography at a teaching hospital between March and May 2020 were evaluated. Four patients were excluded for not attending the test on the scheduled date. All patients were previously evaluated by a cardiologist in a medical appointment, including data on each patient’s clinical profile. During the appointment and when signing the informed consent form, patients were advised to make social isolation, and [. ]
Robust Semiparametric Bootstrap Methods for Value at Risk Prediction under GARCH-type Volatility Process

We propose a class of robust semiparametric bootstrap methods for GARCH-type volatility processes, which are applied to the estimation of Value at Risk (VaR) measures for different forecasting horizons. Our approach makes use of a robust estimator for parametric GARCH-type models, together with a robustified resampling method for standardized GARCH residuals. In the latter, a robust extreme value estimator eliminates bootstrap instability caused by outliers or influential points in the tails of the distribution of standardized GARCH residuals. Monte Carlo simulations show that our robust bootstrap procedures offer large improvements in accuracy of VaR estimates under several forms of departure from conditional normality. Procedures based on classical methods are inefficient or biased under moderate departures from conditional normality, implying unreliable parametric point estimates and VaR predictions, especially for several days ahead horizons. Such a simulation evidence is confirmed by real data applications where robust VaR predictions are found to be more stable over time and accurate according to standard backtesting criteria.
Identification of bioactive metabolites from endophytic actinomycetes isolated from medicinal plants

A total of 144 endophytic actinomycetes were isolated from roots, stems and leaves of Aegle marmelos (n=51), Murraya koenigii (n=35) and Syzygium cumini (n=58). Another 71 isolates (35 from Azadirachta indica, 36 from Emblica officinalis) were procured from the Department of Microbiology, PAU. Ethyl acetate extracts of the culture supernatants from starch casein broth were prepared in vacuo (-130°C). A total of 25.58% extracts diffused the zone of clearance produced by alpha-amylase on starch agar medium. Out of these, 76.36 and 74.54% extracts inhibited the activity of α-amylase and α-glucosidase respectively. Out of 53 selected extracts, forty-one, forty-four, ten, twenty-four and forty-five extracts displayed scavenging of diphenyl-picryl-hydrazyl, hydroxyl, nitric, superoxide and linoleate free radicals respectively. Reduction of Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ was carried out by 88.67% extracts. Total phenol content was measured in terms of catechol and gallic acid equivalents/gram extract. On the basis of above findings, five potential extracts (AZS96, C-3, C-4, J-7 and J-8) were identified for further study. Their 1000μg/ml concentrations inhibited the diffusion of glucose across the semipermeable membrane within 24 hours. Michaelis-Menten kinetics indicated the modes of α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition to be pure or near competitive types. Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometric analysis of C-4 P-α-Amy and J-7 P-α-Amy extracts confirmed the presence of phenolic compounds. In vitro inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Klebsiella sp. , Escherichia coli and Yersinia sp. was displayed by n=10, 4, 3, 3, 2, 1 isolates of S. cumini respectively. Out of these fifteen, eight different isolates were able to hydrolyze chitin and casein. Six of the isolates degraded carboxy-methyl-cellulose present in the culture medium. Thirteen, fourteen and fifteen of the S. cumini isolates exhibited amidase, amylase and lipase activity respectively. Staphylococcus aureus sample treated with J-17 culture supernatant subjected to Scanning Electron Microscopy, indicated swelling of cells and disruption of cell wall and cell membrane. Out of 66 isolates, 57.57% belonged to Streptomyces sp. , followed by Micromonospora sp. (16.66%), Microbispora sp. (10.60%), Actinopolyspora sp. (9.09%), Saccharopolyspora sp. (4.54%) and Rhodoccocus sp. (1.51%). On the basis of 16S rDNA sequencing, AZS96 isolate was found to be Rhodococcus qingshengii strain BJC15-A38 and isolate C-3 showed similarity with Streptomyces koyangensis, strain B025.
The oncogenic role of LncRNA FAM83C-AS1 in colorectal cancer development by epigenetically inhibits SEMA3F via stabilizing EZH2

Inactivation of Semaphorin 3F (SEMA3F) is involved in colorectal cancer development. However, the mechanism by which SEMA3F is regulated remains elusive. Deregulation of lncRNAs have been implicated in multiple human malignancies, including colorectal cancer (CRC). To date, it is still unclear whether and how lncRNA regulates SEMA3F expression and mediates CRC progression. Here we identify the oncogenic role of lncRNA FAM83C antisense RNA 1 (FAM83C-AS1) in CRC. FAM83C-AS1 is upregulated in tumor tissues and cells of CRC, which is negatively correlated with SEMA3F expression. Reciprocally, knockdown of FAM83C-AS1 exhibits inhibitory effects on the malignant transformation of CRC. Moreover, our data uncover that FAM83C-AS1 enhances methylation of SEMA3F promoter H3K27me3 via upregulating methyltransferase enhancer of zeste 2 polycomb repressive complex 2 subunit (EZH2). Specifically, FAM83C-AS1 stabilizes EZH2 protein through recruiting the zinc finger RANBP2-type containing 1 (ZRANB1). Both in vitro and in vivo rescue assays exhibit that SEMA3F is dispensable for the tumor-promoting effects of FAM83C-AS1 on CRC progression. Our data thus demonstrate that the epigenetic role of FAM83C-AS1 in suppression of SEMA3F expression through stabilization of EZH2 to drive CRC progression, which may be conducive to discovering novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of CRC.
Effect of linguistic context on the perception of consonants in Parkinsonian Read French speech

ABSTRACT We examined the effect of linguistic factors on the perceptual identification of intervocalic consonants produced by speakers with Parkinson’s Diseases (PD). To neutralize the effect of preceding and following contexts, all the intervocalic consonants were excised with half the preceding and following vowels. We recorded 10 PD and 10 healthy speakers reading a text. An average of 114 VCV sequences per speaker was obtained. In total, our corpus consisted of 2280 stimuli. For the perception test, 20 adults native speakers of French were instructed that they would be presented utterances produced by different speakers and that they were to identify the sequences and write what they heard. No information was given on the sequence type (VCV). The reported consonant was examined in relation to the intended consonant; the score of distorsion was the number of phonetic features differing from the prototypical consonant. The results were examined as a function of the following/or preceding linguistic factors: consonant nature, oral/nasal vocalic context, class of word (function or content) and prosodic position within sentences. Consonant imprecision was confirmed in the speech of PD speakers. Two groups of patients were observed: the former with a low degree of dysarthria severity and scores of consonant identification close to that of healthy speakers; the latter with a high degree of dysarthria severity and a low identification score. Linguistic factors were shown to affect consonant production and perception. In both normal and PD speech, consonants had more features identified when they belonged to content words, word-initial syllables or final-phrase syllables. This suggests that in Parkinson’s disease speech disorders relate to motor control and not to a loss of the linguistic knowledge.
GENETIC PARAMETERS IN RIPARIAN REFLORESTATION WITHOUT STRUCTURE OF PROGENIES BY MIXED MODELS (REML/BLUP)

The objective of this work is to estimate genetic parameters for silvicultural traits in riparian reforestation at 20 years of age, without progeny structure by mixed models (REML / BLUP). The present work was carried out at the Fazenda de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão (FEPE) of the Faculdade de Engenharia de Ilha Solteira, Universidade Estadual “Julio de Mesquita Filho” (FEIS/UNESP), located in the municipality of Selvíria (MS). In February and March of 1986 began the planting of the riparian reforestation in modules, existing two Modules with different numbers of species. The spacing used in the planting of the species was 2 x 3 m. The riparian reforestation has an area of 9.5 ha in the total sum of the two Modules of planting. The silvicultural traita evaluated at 20 years were total plant height (ALT, m), diameter at breast height (DBH, cm) and survival of planted individuals, which were used to calculate the variance component components of genetic parameters, using the genetic-statistical program SELEGEN-REML/BLUP. High genetic variability was observed among the genotypes for the silvicultural traits studied in the riparian reforestation. The accuracy was of high magnitude, showing good reliability of the results. The mixed model method (REML/BLUP) was adequate for the estimation of genetic parameters and prediction of genotypic values in riparian reforestation, and it could be used routinely. PARÂMETROS GENÉTICOS EM REFLORESTAMENTO CILIAR SEM ESTRUTURA DE PROGÊNIES POR MODELOS MISTO (REML/BLUP) RESUMO: O objetivo deste trabalho é estimar parâmetros genéticos para caracteres silviculturais em reflorestamento ciliar aos 20 anos de idade, sem estrutura de progênies por modelos mistos (REML/BLUP). O presente trabalho foi realizado na Fazenda de Ensino, Pesquisa e Extensão (FEPE) da Faculdade de Engenharia da Ilha Solteira, Universidade Estadual “Julio de Mesquita Filho” (FEIS/UNESP), localizada no município de Selvíria (MS). Em fevereiro e março de 1986 iniciou o plantio do reflorestamento ciliar em módulos, existindo dois modelos com diferentes números de espécies. O espaçamento utilizado no plantio das espécies foi de 2 x 3 m. O reflorestamento ciliar tem uma área de 9,5 ha na soma total dos dois modelos de plantio. As características silviculturais avaliadas aos 20 anos foram a altura total de planta (ALT, m), o diâmetro na altura do peito (DAP, cm) e a sobrevivência dos indivíduos plantados, as quais foram utilizadas para calcular as estimativas dos componentes de variância dos parâmetros genéticos, utilizando o programa genético-estatístico SELEGEN-REML/BLUP. Observouse alta variabilidade genética entre os genótipos para os caracteres silviculturais estudados no reflorestamento ciliar. A acurácia foi de alta magnitude, mostrando boa confiabilidade dos resultados. O método do modelo misto (REML/BLUP) mostrou-se adequado à estimação de parâmetros genéticos e predição de valores genotípicos no reflorestamento ciliar, podendo ser empregado rotineiramente.
Reconfigurable Satellite Constellation Design for Disaster Monitoring Using Physical Programming

Data collection by satellites during and after a natural disaster is of great significance. In this work, a reconfigurable satellite constellation is designed for disaster monitoring, and satellites in the constellation are made to fly directly overhead of the disaster site through orbital transfer. By analyzing the space geometry relations between satellite orbit and an arbitrary disaster site, a mathematical model for orbital transfer and overhead monitoring is established. Due to the unpredictability of disasters, target sites evenly spaced on the Earth are considered as all possible disaster scenarios, and the optimal reconfigurable constellation is designed with the intention to minimize total velocity increment, maximum and mean reconfiguration time, and standard deviation of reconfiguration times for all target sites. To deal with this multiobjective optimization, a physical programming method together with a genetic algorithm is employed. Numerical results are obtained through the optimization, and different observation modes of the reconfigurable constellation are analyzed by a specific case. Superiority of our design is demonstrated by comparing with the existing literature, and excellent observation performance of the reconfigurable constellation is demonstrated.
Immune priming depends on age, sex and Wolbachia in the interaction between Armadillidium vulgare and Salmonella

The protection conferred by a first infection upon a second pathogenic exposure (i.e. immune priming) is an emergent research topic in the field of invertebrate immunity. Immune priming has been demonstrated in various species, but little is known about the intrinsic factors that may influence this immune process. In this study, we tested whether age, gender and the symbiotic bacterium Wolbachia affect the protection resulting from immune priming in A. vulgare against S. enterica. We firstly primed young and old, symbiotic and asymbiotic males and females, either with a non‐lethal low dose of S. enterica, LB broth or without injection (control). Seven days post‐injection, we performed a LD50 injection of S. enterica in all individuals and we monitored their survival rates. We demonstrated that survival capacities depend on these three factors: young and old asymbiotic individuals (males and females) expressed immune priming (S. enterica‐primed individuals survived better than LB‐primed and non‐primed), with a general decline in the strength of protection in old females, but not in old males, compared to young. When Wolbachia is present, the immune priming protection was observed in old, but not in young symbiotic individuals, even if the Wolbachia load on entire individuals is equivalent regardless to age. Our overall results showed that the immune priming protection in A. vulgare depends on individuals’ states, highlighting the need to consider these factors both in mechanistical and evolutionary studies focusing on invertebrate's immunity.
Difference in the prevalence of intracardiac thrombus on the first presentation of atrial fibrillation versus flutter in the pediatric and congenital heart disease population

Guidelines recommend trans‐esophageal echocardiography (TEE) for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter (AFL) for >48 h, due to risk of intracardiac thrombus formation. With growing evidence that AFL in adults with structurally normal hearts has less thrombogenic potential compared to AF, and the need for TEE questioned, we compared prevalence of intracardiac thrombus detected by TEE in pediatric and congenital heart disease (CHD) patients presenting in AF and AFL.
In vivo analysis of the origin and characteristics of gaseous microemboli during catheter-mediated irreversible electroporation

Abstract Aims Irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation is a non-thermal ablation method based on the application of direct current between a multi-electrode catheter and skin electrode. The delivery of current through blood leads to electrolysis. Some studies suggest that gaseous (micro)emboli might be associated with myocardial damage and/or (a)symptomatic cerebral ischaemic events. The aim of this study was to compare the amount of gas generated during IRE ablation and during radiofrequency (RF) ablation. Methods and results In six 60–75 kg pigs, an extracorporeal femoral shunt was outfitted with a bubble-counter to detect the size and total volume of gas bubbles. Anodal and cathodal 200 J IRE applications were delivered in the left atrium (LA) using a 14-electrode circular catheter. The 30 and 60 s 40 W RF point-by-point ablations were performed. Using transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE), gas formation was visualized. Average gas volumes were 0.6 ± 0.6 and 56.9 ± 19.1 μL (P < 0.01) for each anodal and cathodal IRE application, respectively. Also, qualitative TOE imaging showed significantly less LA bubble contrast with anodal than with cathodal applications. Radiofrequency ablations produced 1.7 ± 2.9 and 6.7 ± 7.4 μL of gas, for 30 and 60 s ablation time, respectively. Conclusion Anodal IRE applications result in significantly less gas formation than both cathodal IRE applications and RF applications. This finding is supported by TOE observations.
Better health indicators of FitSpirit participants meeting 24-h movement guidelines for Canadian children and youth.

This study aims to determine the proportion of girls who meet the recommendations for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), screen time and sleep duration among FitSpirit participants and evaluate the associations of these recommendations with perceived health-related quality of life (QOL), perceived health, physical activity (PA), self-efficacy and body mass index. Cross-sectional analyses of FitSpirit data were performed. All variables were collected through an online questionnaire. The proportion of girls meeting all recommendations was 2.2%, while 72.5% met either one or two and 25.4% met none. A greater percentage of girls with ≥3 years in FitSpirit met MVPA and sleep recommendations combined when compared with fewer years (12.9% vs. 1.7% with 1 year; vs. 10.1% with 2 years; p < 0.05). Meeting the combinations of MVPA and screen time (β = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.40, 1.68), MVPA and sleep (β = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.27, 1.04) and all three combined (β = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.33, 1.71) was the most significant predictors of better perceived QOL. Respecting MVPA recommendations predicted a better perceived health (β = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.18, 0.87) while girls who slept as recommended had a better PA-related self-efficacy (β = 0.23, 95% CI = 0.51, 2.11). Not meeting any recommendation was associated with inferior PA-related self-efficacy (β = -0.32, 95% CI = -3.03, -1.21). Lastly, meeting MVPA and sleep recommendations was significantly associated with lower body mass index z-scores (β = -0.14, 95% CI = -1.16, -0.11). There was a small percentage of girls following all of the recommendations. Furthermore, meeting individual and combined recommendations was associated with better perceived QOL and health, PA self-efficacy as well as healthier body mass index z-score.
Efficacy of progestin-only treatment for the management of menopausal symptoms: a systematic review.

IMPORTANCE Menopause is associated with bothersome symptoms for many women, including mood changes, hot flushes, sleep problems, and fatigue. Progesterone is commonly prescribed in combination with estrogen therapy. Although monotherapy with progestins has been used as treatment of menopausal symptoms in women with contraindications to estrogens, the optimal route, and dosage of progestin monotherapy has not been established. OBJECTIVE To assess whether progestin as a standalone treatment is effective for treating vasomotor and mood symptoms associated with menopause. EVIDENCE REVIEW We conducted a systematic review using PubMed and Embase databases from January 1980 to January 2020. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated different forms of progestin for the treatment of vasomotor or mood symptoms associated with menopause. FINDINGS A systematic search of 892 studies identified seven RCTs involving a total of 601 patients. The available literature was heterogeneous in terms of formulation and dose of progesterone; administration ranged from 5 to 60 mg of transdermal progesterone, 10 to 20 mg oral medroxyprogesterone acetate, and 300 mg of oral micronized progesterone. Duration of treatment also differed between studies, ranging from 21 days to 12 months (median: 12 wks). Three of seven RCTs reported that progestin therapy led to an improvement of vasomotor symptoms (VMS) in postmenopausal women. The largest study administering oral progestin using 300 mg oral medroxyprogesterone reported a 58.9% improvement in VMS (vs 23.5% in placebo group, n = 133), whereas the largest study using transdermal progesterone reported no improvement (n = 230). No study reported an improvement of mood symptoms. Side effects, such as headaches and vaginal bleeding, were significant in five of seven RCTs and led to discontinuation of treatment in 6% to 21% of patients. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE A beneficial effect was reported in some trials with the transdermal route at longer duration and with oral treatment at higher doses for VMS for progesterone-only therapy. This report may help to inform future studies of progestin-only therapy for the treatment of menopausal symptoms. : Video Summary: http://links.lww. com/MENO/A671.
Serum indoxyl sulfate concentrations associate with progression of chronic kidney disease in children

The uremic toxins indoxyl sulfate (IS) and p-cresyl sulfate (pCS) accumulate in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) as a consequence of altered gut microbiota metabolism and a decline in renal excretion. Despite of solid experimental evidence for nephrotoxic effects, the impact of uremic toxins on the progression of CKD has not been investigated in representative patient cohorts. In this analysis, IS and pCS serum concentrations were measured in 604 pediatric participants (mean eGFR of 27 ± 11 ml/min/1.73m2) at enrolment into the prospective Cardiovascular Comorbidity in Children with CKD study. Associations with progression of CKD were analyzed by Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional hazard models. During a median follow up time of 2.2 years (IQR 4.3–0.8 years), the composite renal survival endpoint, defined as 50% loss of eGFR, or eGFR <10ml/min/1.73m2 or start of renal replacement therapy, was reached by 360 patients (60%). Median survival time was shorter in patients with IS and pCS levels in the highest versus lowest quartile for both IS (1.5 years, 95%CI [1.1,2.0] versus 6.0 years, 95%CI [5.0,8.4]) and pCS (1.8 years, 95%CI [1.5,2.8] versus 4.4 years, 95%CI [3.4,6.0]). Multivariable Cox regression disclosed a significant association of IS, but not pCS, with renal survival, which was independent of other risk factors including baseline eGFR, proteinuria and blood pressure. In this exploratory analysis we provide the first data showing a significant association of IS, but not pCS serum concentrations with the progression of CKD in children, independent of other known risk factors. In the absence of comorbidities, which interfere with serum levels of uremic toxins, such as diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome, these results highlight the important role of uremic toxins and accentuate the unmet need of effective elimination strategies to lower the uremic toxin burden and abate progression of CKD.