Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anti-candidal activity of homoeopathic drugs: An in-vitro evaluation

Background: Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogenic fungus accounting for up to 75% of all candidal infections in human beings. Generally Candida grow and survive as commensals but slight modification of the host defense system can transform Candida albicans into a pathogen. Materials and Methods: Samples collected from the oral cavity and tongue of the patients suspected of suffering from oral candidiasis were incubated for growth of Candida. Fermentation and assimilation test confirmed the species as Candida albicans. Disc method was used to assess the in-vitro anti-candidal effect of few homoeopathic drugs in 30 and 200 potencies against human pathogenic Candida albicans under in-vitro conditions and compared with standard antifungal drug ketoconazole (control), rectified spirit (control/vehicle) and distilled water (vehicle) by "inhibition zone technique". Results: Homeopathic drugs namely Acid benzoicum, Apis mellifica, Kali iodatum, Mezereum, Petroleum, Sulphur, Tellurium, Sulphur iodatum, Graphites, Sepia, Silicea and Thuja occidentalis in 30 and 200 potencies were tested against Candida albicans. Mezereum in 200 and 30 potency showed maximum inhibition of growth of Candida albicans followed by Kali iodatum 200 while Kali iodatum 30 and Petroleum 30 had minimum inhibition. Conclusion: The results of these experiments support the concept of "evidence based medicine" depicting that homoeopathic medicines not only work in in-vivo but are equally effective in in-vitro conditions having definite inhibitory activity against Candida albicans.
f Human Malaria Plasmodia Including Plasmodium Knowlesi

Malaria is a vector-borne infection caused by unicellular parasite of the genus Plasmodium. Plasmodia are obligate intracellular parasites that are able to infect and replicate within the erythrocytes after a clinically silent (P.falciparum, P.malariae, P.ovale natural infection in human beings but the recent upsurge of has led clinicians to consider it as the fifth human malaria parasite. Recent studies in wild apes in Africa have revealed that human-host restricted as previously believed and its phylogenetic lineage with new species identified in gorilla, bonobo and chimpanzee. Although less impressive, new data on biology of P.malariae, P.ovale and review.
Influence of gait pattern on the body's centre of mass displacement in children with cerebral palsy

We assessed the influence of digitigrade gait pattern, topographical types, severity of motor involvement, and locomotor experience on the body's centre of mass (COM) displacement during gait in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Three‐dimensional COM displacements were computed from ground reaction forces in 51 independent digitigrade walkers (29 males, 22 females; mean age 10 years 6 months, SD 2 years 7 months, range 7 to 15 years). Results obtained from 10 participants without disabilities (five males, five females), in the same age range as the patients with CP, were used as a reference plantigrade group. Vertical and forward COM displacements were significantly different between the digitigrade and the plantigrade walkers. Neither the topographical type (quadriplegia, n=5; diplegia, n=20; right hemiplegia, n=13; left hemiplegia, n=13), nor the severity of motor involvement, nor the locomotor experience influenced COM displacements. We conclude that the COM displacement during gait in patients with CP was mainly influenced by the digitigrade gait pattern encountered in this neurological disorder rather than the different topographical types and motor involvements.
The Recent Intrusion of Forests in the Ozarks

park-like in that the trees were widely spaced and confined to the water-courses and drainage-ways. The logging operations which are now so much a part of the industry of the Ozark region are but little more than a century old. The loggers have been, and still are, cutting the first crop of trees to mature there. In some sections any tree large enough to yield a 2 x 4 is cut; and the region will be scoured again and again for more trees of that size. However, there is evidence to show that insufficient time has elapsed to develop a mature second growth of either pine or hardwoods. During a study of the flora of the northeastern edge of the Ozark Uplift an effort was made to visualize the steps which 'are supposed to precede the formation of a mature forest-the "climax" of the ecologist. This time-elapse study of only twelve years revealed a speeding succession of plant species not at all approaching the accepted trial-and-error elimination which is supposed to set the pattern for our forest areas. In an effort to reconstruct the Ozark forest before the advent of the -white settlements and before logging had progressed very far, a search was made for old trees. After considerable difficulty many old trees were found which bridged the gap between grassland and forests. In one detailed study of a relic (Beilmann, 1943), a ring count gave an estimated age of 327 years. This was a "cwolf"- tree with heavy lateral branches whose tips touched the ground; it had grown as an isolated specimen and only recently had it any neighbors. ECOLOGY
Alpha-synuclein and the multiple hit hypothesis of Parkinson's disease

ii Acknowledgements . iv List of figures . viii Chapter I: Introduction . 1 A: Parkinson’s disease . 1 Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease . 1 Pathological features of Parkinson’s disease . 2 Pathophysiological mechanisms of Parkinson’s disease . 3 B:-Synuclein and its role in Parkinson’s disease . 5  Overview of -synuclein . 5 -Synuclein and its normal physiological functions . 7 -Synuclein and its pathological functions . 12 C: Multiple hit hypothesis: interactions between genes and environment . 17 Multiple hits: underlying suceptibility . 17 Multiple hits: environmental insults . 20 D: Overall significance and aims . 25 Chapter II: -Synuclein mediates alterations in membrane conductance . 28 A: Overview . 28 B: Materials and Methods . 29 C: Results . 40 D: Summary and Discussion . 48 Chapter III: Multiple stressors enhance -synuclein-induced toxicity . 76 A: Overview . 76 B: Materials and Methods . 77 C: Results . 81 D: Summary and Discussion . 86 Chapter IV: Paraquat-induced neuronal loss in primary ventral midbrain cultures . 103 A: Overview . 103 B: Materials and Methods . 104 C: Results . 108 D: Summary and Discussion . 112 Chapter V: Development of single-chain antibody therapy for Parkinson’s disease . 122 A: Overview . 122 B: Materials and Methods . 124 vii C: Results . 128 D: Summary and Discussion . 131 Chapter VI: Conclusions and Discussion . 144 A: Conclusions . 144 B: Discussion . 147 List of Publications . 156 References . 158
Using ultra-high carbon dioxide levels enhances plantlet growth in vitro

282 SUMMARY. A continuous CO 2 flow ~ system was used to study the growth of carrot (Daucus carota L.), citrus ( Citrus macrophylla L.), kale (Brassica oleracea L.), lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), and tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum L.) cultures in vitro under photoautotrophic, photomixotrophic, and heterotrophic conditions. Lettuce plantlets were grown on Murashige and Skoog medium with 0%,0.3%, I %, and 3% sucrose within flow chambers containing 350, 750, 1500, 3000, 10,000,30,000, and 50,000 ~. L-l CO 2 • Increasing the levels of CO2 , especially at the ultra-high levels (i.e., ~,OOO ~.L-l CO 2 ) , increased fresh weight, shoot length, leaf number, leaf length, leaf width, root number, and root length for plantlets grown regardless of sucrose levels tested compared to plantlets grown at normal atmospheric CO 2 levels, i.e.,
Reply

We thank Dr. Karabay and colleagues for their insightful comments on our article. They have mentioned several valuable points for discussion. They asked us how we could explain the relatively small number of women recruited in our study, as pure mitral stenosis (MS) is seen more frequently in women. Half of the patients in our study were male because the study has been made in a military hospital with a majority of male-patient admissions. In previous studies, left atrial (LA) pump function of patients with severe MS measured by conventional methods was found to decrease. Although the evaluation was made with a more developed technique in our study, active emptying index (62.6 4.1 vs. 29.5 10.1) increased in MS group (P < 0.001), while active emptying (28.1 13.0 vs. 28.3 6.9) remained same among both groups. In contrast to our study, Stefanidis et al. found that LA active emptying in patients with MS decreased because of LA fibrosis and the obstruction of blood flow during the active emptying. In this study, mitral valve area (MVA) was 0.9 0.2 cm, while it was 1.38 0.36 cm in our study. Percuteneous and surgical intervention may be useful in asymptomatic patients with MS before LA pump function deteriorates. Therefore, these patients should be monitored closely. In our study, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was slightly higher in MS group but this was not statistically significant. One of the limitations of our study is that we could not analyze the left ventricular function with more appropriate imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging or speckle tracking echocardiography. Consequently, further studies should be done to demonstrate the advantage of these functional and structural parameters compared to manually performed measurements.
Assessment of genetic divergence using Mahalanobis D2 and principal component analysis of qualitative and quantitative characters in pomegranate genotypes under sub-tropics

Studies were carried out to assess the genetic divergence among 30 pomegranate genotypes using Mahalanobis D2 and Principal Component Analysis of 14 quantitative characters. Thirty genotypes were grouped into eight clusters. Maximum (10) genotypes were included in cluster I and minimum (1) in clusters VII and VIII. The maximum inter-cluster distance of 72.74 was observed among genotypes of the cluster V and VII and minimum (23.85) between the clusters III and IV; and II and VIII. The principal component analysis showed more than 82 per cent of the variability for qualitative and quantitative characters in different genotypes. The genotypes of cluster VIII was observed with highest character mean for number of hermaphrodite flowers (467), number of fruits per tree (84.2), juice per cent (67.3) followed by cluster V with the highest yielding (17.6 kg/tree) genotypes with fruit weight (262 g), aril weight (24.2 g), TSS (12.9%) and TSS: acid ratio (29.2). Fruit yield, fruit length, leaf length, TSS: acid ratio were observed significant variables components and the genotypes Ganesh, Mridula, Amlidana and P-26 were found with maximum values corresponding to these four variables. Selecting genotypes from divergent clusters and utilizing them in hybridization programme is likely to produce desirable recombinants, and may lead to improvement in pomegranate for yield and quality traits.
Probiotic oligosaccharides improve the recovery of intestinal mucosa and biochemicals parameters in malnourished rats

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of probiotic oligo saccharides (POS) on the recovery of the bowel atrophy induced by protein malnutrition (PM) in rats. Thirty male Wistar rats (200 to 250 g) were fed with a conventional diet for 10 days of adaptation. After this period, the rats are divided into 3 groups. A control group was fed with a conventional diet (n = 10), and a group of 20 rats was subjected to PM for 15 days. After period of PM, 10 rats were refed with enriched POS diet for 10 days (Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Bifidobacterium lactis, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Streptococcus thermophilus and fructo-oligosaccharides (0.5 mg/g body weight/day). Our experimental protocol was developed to evaluate some nutritional biochemical parameters such as total proteins, globulin and albumin and morphometric parameters of the intestine. Probiotic oligo saccharides group showed similar gain of body, liver and bowel weight than controls. Malnourished rats showed significant weight loss during 15 days of the experiment (123.88 ± 3.9 to 116.87 ± 3.7 g) compared to control group rats (123.67 ± 5.6 to 179.4 ± 9.5 g). We noted a significant recovery of body weight (123.52 ± 5.23 to 181.08 ± 9.9 g) in rats refed with POS compared to malnourished rats (123.67 ± 3.9 to 116.4 ± 3.75 g). Biochemical parameters have a significant decrease in the concentration of total protein, albumin and globulin in malnourished rats compared with control to group rats. These biochemical values ââincreased in rats refed with POS. At the jejunum, both the villus height (372 ± 39 vs. 288 ± 32 µm; p = 0.03) and crypt depth (145 ± 29 vs. 138 ± 29 µm; p = 0.03) were greater in POS group than malnourished group. The crypt depth at the cecum (219 ± 56 vs. 215 ± 27 µm; p = 0.05), the wall width at both the cecum (409 ± 13 vs. 382 ± 31 µm; p = 0.03) and sigmoid (377 ± 32 vs. 389 ± 39 µm; p = 0.03) were higher in animals fed with POS than control group. These data suggest that PM causes alterations on rat colon and small intestinal morphometric, especially in tissues which present a high level of cell turnover such as the mucosa tunic and consequently their structures such as the enterocytes, goblet cells and crypts. Probiotics oligosaccharides enhanced the recovery of gut atrophy induced by protein malnutrition. Probiotic oligo saccharides can be useful as oral adjuvant during the recovery of protein malnutrition. Key words: Protein malnutrition, probiotic oligo saccharides, nutritional biochemical parameter, intestinal histomorphometric.
Short-term declines in curlyleaf pondweed in Minnesota: potential influences of snowfall

Abstract Curlyleaf pondweed (Potamogeton crispus) is a long-established, nonnative aquatic plant common throughout southern and central Minnesota that is thought to be expanding northward. Curlyleaf pondweed typically grows abundantly in spring in productive lakes and then senesces in midsummer, often followed by algae blooms. We report observations of widespread, short-term declines in curlyleaf pondweed cover that appear linked to winter snow depth on frozen lakes. These findings suggest that climate change may greatly affect habitat suitability for curlyleaf pondweed. As Minnesota lakes warm with less snow cover limiting light penetration, curlyleaf pondweed growth will likely increase. These observations form the foundation for targeted follow up studies that more precisely describe conditions limiting the growth and expansion of curlyleaf pondweed in north-temperate, North American lakes.
Differences in Leaf Intumescences between Cuphea Species

Leaf intumescences of 16 Cuphea species were evaluated in three greenhouse tests. Cuphea crassiflora S.A. Graham had the greatest severity of leaf intumescences followed by C. tolucana Peyr. and C. wrightii A. Gray. Cuphea koehneana Rose, C. inflata S.A. Graham, C. lanceolata Ait. , and C. leptopoda Hemsley had fewer than 10% of the leaves with intumescences. Cuphea carthagenensis (Jacq.) Macbr. , C. glutinosa Chamb. & Schldl. , C. hookeriana Walp. , C. paucipetala S.A. Graham, and C. procumbens Gomez O. were free of leaf intumescences. Leaf intumescences for C. wrightii ranged from 100% for seed accession number A0243 to 0% for seed accession numbers A0378 and A0305. White flies (Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood) did not contribute to leaf intumescences development.
Epidermal Cysts Surgery: Case Series

Epidermal cysts are the most common scalp cysts in clinical practice. They are most commonly located in the region of the face, neck, and trunk, and have been reported in many other topographic areas of the body. Clinically, they are present as free-moving nodules located below the skin, ranging in size from a few millimeters to a few centimeters in diameter. Histopathologically, they are defined as benign tumor formations with a very low risk of malignancy. The differential diagnosis includes: lipoma, neurofibroma, salivary gland adenoma, vascular lesion and fibroid, and Trichilemmal cyst. The most common treatment for epidermal cysts is surgical excision with removal of all contents without compromising the integrity of the capsule. In this publication, we present five clinical cases of patients with epidermal cysts in different topographic regions of the body. The patients were treated surgically by elliptical excision and complete removal of epidermal cysts without rupture. The defects were closed with single discontinued skin sutures and the sutures were removed on an 8/ 14-postoperative day. No recurrence was observed in the postoperative period.
Ecology of a blackberry-leafhopper-parasite system and its relevance to California grape agroecosystems

Natural ecosystems are often sources of pest arthropods and their natural enemies for nearby agroecosystems. This study treats the ecology of the native California blackberry, Rubus ursinus Cham. and Schlecht, and an imported blackberry, Rubus procerus P.J. Mueller, the blackberry leaf-hopper (BLH), Dikrella califomica (Lawson), and its egg parasite, Anagrus epos Girault, in two riparian habitats and a vineyard site. Anagrus is also an effective natural enemy of the grape leafhopper (GLH), Erythroneura elegantula Osborn, which evolved on wild grape in the riparian habitat and became a serious pest after the introduction of commercial varieties. The parasite overwinters in immature stages in the eggs of BLH in blackberry. In the early spring, growth of the native blackberry and BLH oviposition precede grape growth and GLH oviposition by the length of one parasite generation. Since Anagrus becomes active when BLH oviposition begins, this synchrony allows the parasite to increase its populations in the riparian refuge before entering the vineyard. The two blackberry species differ in their preferred habitats: the native blackberry is limited to moist shady habitats, while the imported species grows in open sunlit areas. In phenology the imported blackberry appears less synchronized with and less constrained by the California climate. The blackberry leafhopper produces three generations per year and overwinters as a diapausing adult. The leafhopper is well adapted to the phenology of the native blackberry, but less so to that of the imported species, which breaks dormancy in the spring long after BLH terminates diapause. Leafhopper females oviposit primarily in the lower half of the leaf canopy of the native blackberry throughout the season, while in the imported species they shift oviposition from the top of the canopy in early spring to the bottom by late summer. A time-varying life table analysis shows that BLH immature mortality due to Anagrus, nymphal parasites, and general predators is positively density dependent. Age-specific life table analyses in the laboratory estimate that Anagrus’ intrinsic rate of increase (rm) is 2.2 times those of BLH and GLH. Although rm is a questionable index of parasite effectiveness, the difference probably allows Anagrus to respond rapidly to changes in GLH populations. Suggestions for the further augmentation of Anagrus populations in artificial refuges includes the management of blackberry and the monitoring and maintenance of BLH populations.
Plumage Changes in the Golden Eagle

THE appearance of the note by Spofford (1946) entitled 'Observations on two Golden Eagles' has been the stimulus for the presentation of this material which will attempt to answer his questions and indicate points needing further study. Spofford was struck by the difference in his two specimens and said: "Inasmuch as the two eagles examined were as unlike as would seem possible within the limits of variation based on age and sex, it seems worth-while to append a brief description of each. " He then proceeded to describe typical juvenal and adult plumages of the Golden Eagle (with the exception of the white epaulettes of the latter). This plumage variability has puzzled taxonomists more, perhaps, than that of any other species of bird and, although we now associate the juvenal and adult birds as members of the same species and know that the plumage of the species is highly variable with age and individual, there is still need for an analysis of these variations. Such an analysis has been impossible because of lack of information regarding the manner of molt. This paper is but a preliminary report in which I will describe as fully as possible, with the materials at hand, the process of molting as it occurs in this species and the individual and age variations which have made the study of this form so difficult.
The Effect of High Ambient Temperatures on Acid-Base Balance of Panting Bedouin Fowl (Gallus domesticus)

Many birds can withstand heat stress and regulate body temperature within the normal range known for active birds. When ambient temperature (Ta) is elevated close to body temperature (TB) or above it, the main avenue for heat dissipation is increased evaporation of water, accompanied by intensive ventilation of the respiratory system. This augmentation of evaporative water loss in fowl is achieved by fast and shallow panting accompanied by gular fluttering (Sturkie 1965; Richards 1970a). It has been reported that under conditions of high heat stress, thermal panting evokes marked changes in acid base status, i.e., an increase in pH and a lowering of arterial Pco2. This phenomenon has been documented in both mammals (Bianca and Findlay 1962; Higgins and Iampetro 1967; Hales and Findlay 1968) and birds (Linsley and Burger 1964; Marder 1964; Calder and Schmidt-Nielsen 1966, 1968; Frankel and Frascella 1968). According to Nightingale and Feede (1972), the buffering characteristics of
Myostatin inhibition promotes fast fibre hypertrophy but causes loss of AMP‐activated protein kinase signalling and poor exercise tolerance in a model of limb‐girdle muscular dystrophy R1/2A

Limb‐girdle muscular dystrophy R1 (LGMD R1) is caused by mutations in the CAPN3 gene and is characterized by progressive muscle loss, impaired mitochondrial function and reductions in the slow oxidative gene expression programme. Myostatin is a negative regulator of muscle growth, and its inhibition improves the phenotype in several muscle wasting disorders. The effect of genetic and pharmacological inhibition of myostatin signalling on the disease phenotype in a mouse model of LGMD R1 (CAPN3 knockout mouse‐C3KO) was studied. Inhibition of myostatin signalling in C3KO muscles resulted in significant muscle hypertrophy; however, there were no improvements in muscle strength and exacerbation of exercise intolerance concomitant with further reduction of muscle oxidative capacity was observed. Inhibition of myostatin signalling is unlikely to be a valid therapeutic strategy for LGMD R1.