Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antioxidant Properties of Embelin in Cell Culture. Electrochemistry and Theoretical Mechanism of Scavenging. Potential Scavenging of Superoxide Radical through the Cell Membrane

Embelin, a plant natural product found in Lysimachia punctata (Primulaceae), and Embelia ribes Burm (Myrsinaceae) fruit, possesses interesting biological and pharmacological properties. It is a unique chemical species as it includes both quinone and hydroquinone functional groups plus a long hydrophobic tail. By using hydrodynamic voltammetry, which generates the superoxide radical in situ, we show an unusual scavenging capability by embelin. Embelin as a scavenger of superoxide is stronger than the common food additive antioxidant 2,6-bis(1,1-dimethylethyl)-4-20 methylphenol, (butylated hydroxytoluene, BHT). In fact, embelin is even able to completely abolish the superoxide radical in the voltaic cell. Computational results indicate that two different types of embelin scavenging actions may be involved, initially through π–π interaction and followed by proton capture in the cell. A related mechanism describes embelin’s ability to circumvent superoxide leaking by transforming the anion radical into molecular oxygen. In order to confirm its antioxidant properties, its biological activity was tested in a study carried out in THP-1 human leukemic monocytes and BV-2 mice microglia. A 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, proliferation curves and antioxidant activity by the use of a fluorescent probe showed good antioxidant properties at 24 h. This suggests that embelin’s long alkyl C10 tail may be useful for cell membrane insertion which stimulates the antioxidant defense system, and cytoprotection in microglia. In conclusion, embelin could be an interesting pharmacological tool able to decrease the damage associated with metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.
Pragmatic evaluation of a midstream urine collection technique for infants in the emergency department.

OBJECTIVES Our objective was to examine the performance characteristics of a bladder stimulation technique for urine collection among infants presenting to the emergency department (ED). METHODS This prospective cohort study enrolled a convenience sample of infants aged ≤ 90 days requiring urine testing in the ED. Infants were excluded if critically ill, moderately to severely dehydrated, or having significant feeding issues. Bladder stimulation consisted of finger tapping on the lower abdomen with or without lower back massage while holding the child upright. The primary outcome was successful midstream urine collection within 5 minutes of stimulation. Secondary outcomes included sample contamination, bladder stimulation time for successful urine collection, and perceived patient distress on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS). RESULTS We enrolled 151 infants and included 147 in the analysis. Median age was 53 days (interquartile range [IQR] 27-68 days). Midstream urine sample collection using bladder stimulation was successful in 78 infants (53.1%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 45-60.9). Thirty-nine samples (50%) were contaminated. Most contaminated samples (n = 31; 79.5%) were reported as "no significant growth" or "growth of 3 or more organisms". Median bladder stimulation time required for midstream urine collection was 45 seconds (IQR 20-120 seconds). Mean VAS for infant distress was 22 mm (standard deviation 23 mm). CONCLUSIONS The success rate of this bladder stimulation technique was lower than previously reported. The contamination rate was high, however most contaminated specimens were easily identified and had no clinical impact.
Association between ABO blood groups and risk of SARS‐CoV‐2 pneumonia

In December, 2019, a cluster of acute respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), occurred in Wuhan, China.1,2 Epidemiological, clinical characteristics, risk factors for mortality of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, and risk factors in the susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 included age and chronic disease have been reported.
The origin of ethylphenols in wines

Ethylphenols are important aromatic compounds of red wines. These compounds are formed in wines by some yeast species belonging to the genus Brettanomyces/Dekkera in the presence of hydroxycinnamic acids. These volatile phenols are responsible for the ‘phenolic’, ‘animal’ and ‘stable’ off-odours found in certain red wines. The results presented show that the synthesis of the high quantities of ethylphenols found in the ‘phenolic’ red wines can occur during the ageing of wines having normally completed their alcoholic and malo-lactic fermentations. This olfactory fault caused by Brettanomyces/Dekkera is found more frequently than the classical ‘mousy-taint’ attributed to this yeast genus. In addition, the study of the mechanisms of biosynthesis of ethylphenols by Brettanomyces/Dekkera has shown the sequential activities of two enzymes. The first, is a cinnamate decarboxylase (CD), which assures the transformation of certain cinnamic acids into the correspondent vinylphenols; the second is a vinylphenol reductase, which catalyses the reduction of vinylphenols into ethylphenols. The CD activity of Brettanomyces/Dekkera is not inhibited by the polyphenolic compounds of red wines (procyanidins and catechins) while these compounds do inhibit the CD activity of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. On the other hand, the substrate specificities of the CD activities of Brettanomyces/Dekkera and Saccharomyces are different.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms affect RNA-protein interactions at a distance through modulation of RNA secondary structures

Single nucleotide polymorphisms are widely associated with disease, but the ways in which they cause altered phenotypes are often unclear, especially when they appear in non-coding regions. One way in which non-coding polymorphisms could cause disease is by affecting crucial RNA-protein interactions. While it is clear that changing a protein binding motif will alter protein binding, it has been shown that single nucleotide polymorphisms can affect RNA secondary structure, and here we show that single nucleotide polymorphisms can affect RNA-protein interactions from outside binding motifs through altered RNA secondary structure. By using a modified version of the Vienna Package and PAR-CLIP data for HuR (ELAVL1) in humans we characterize the genome-wide effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms on HuR binding and show that they can have a many-fold effect on the affinity of HuR binding to RNA transcripts from tens of bases away. We also find some evidence that the effect of single nucleotide polymorphisms on protein binding might be under selection, with the non-reference alleles tending to make it harder for a protein to bind.
A Psychometric Analysis of Two Major Examinations in Nigeria: Standard Error of Measurement

Abstract This study deals with the psychometric analysis of the two major examinations conducted in Nigeria by NECO and WAEC. The objective was to compare the standard error of measurement of Biology examinations conducted from 2000 – 2002 using the one-parameter model of Item Response Theory (IRT). Standard error of measurement (SEM) is commonly used to produce confidence interval and it is an estimate of how much error there is in a test. Instrumentation research design was used for this study. Benue State, Nigeria was the study area. The population for the study comprised all year three (SSIII) senior secondary school students who enrolled for May/June/July 2006 Biology senior secondary school certificate examination of NECO and WAEC in the three education zones of Benue State. The sample for the study was one thousand eight hundred (1800) students. Multi-stage stratified sampling technique was used to get this sample. NECO and WAEC 2000 – 2002 objective Biology questions were the instruments for the study. The maximum likelihood estimation techniques of the BILOG MG Computer Programme and the SPSS were used for data analysis. The results showed significant differences in the SEM of Biology examinations conducted by NECO and WAEC in 2000, 2001 and 2002. This implied that Biology examinations conducted by NECO had smaller SEM (high reliability) than those of WAEC. It has recommended that IRT analysis should be employed by Nigerian Examination bodies.
Effects of a snack enriched with carob and Undaria pinnatifida (wakame) on metabolic parameters in a double blind, randomized clinical trial in obese patients.

INTRODUCTION the composition of snack foods likely influences the overall effect that snacking has on metabolism and obesity. The objective of the current study was to assess the responses to two different snacks, one of them supplemented with wakame and carobs, on cardiovascular risk factors, satiety, and subsequent food intake in obese subjects with metabolic syndrome. MATERIAL AND METHODS forty patients were randomized in a clinical trial (NCT03420989, clinicaltrial.gov) to group I (enriched snack, n = 16) or group II (control snack, n = 16). At baseline and after 8 weeks biochemical parameters, dietary intakes, and nutritional status were assessed. The subjects also rated their feelings of satiety/hunger with a test meal. RESULTS no differences were detected in anthropometric parameters between both snacks. Changes in other parameters were detected in patients with enriched snacks, with a significant decrease in LDL-cholesterol by 7.4 % (intervention snack, -8.9 ± 2.3 mg/dL vs control snack, -0.9 ± 3.3 mg/dL; p = 0.03), in total cholesterol by 5.8 % (intervention snack, -10.4 ± 2.9 mg/dL vs control snack, -1.4 ± 3.2 mg/dL; p = 0.02), and in resistin level by 15.9 % (intervention snack, -1.0 ± 0.2 mg/dL vs control snack, -0.1 ± 0.3 mg/dL: p = 0.03). After the test meal, satiety scores (after 20 min and 40 min) were higher than fasting levels in both groups. The same results were obtained with the 100-mm, 5-point visual satiety scale. CONCLUSION our study indicates that a wakame- and carob-enriched snack induces a significant decrease in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and resistin levels when compared to a control snack, without effects on food consumption, other cardiovascular parameters, or anthropometric parameters.
Effect of ammoniation on the preservation and feeding value of barley grain for growing-finishing cattle

Two on-farm feed storage trials, a steer feeding trial and a digestibility trial were conducted to determine the effectiveness of anhydrous ammonia as a grain preservative and to examine its influence on the nutritive value of the grain. In exp. 1, on Farm A anhydrous ammonia was added to barley (85% dry matter (DM)) at concentrations of 0.6 or 0.9% and to barley containing 78% DM at concentrations of 3.6 and 5.0% (DM basis). Both lots of the 78% DM barley spoiled. On farm B, barley grain averaging 80% DM and treated with 2.1–3.8% ammonia was preserved whether stored in open or covered bins. In exp. 2, 160 steers were fed diets containing 88% DM barley, 80% DM barley, 83% DM ammonia-treated barley, 72% DM barley, or 75% DM ammonia-treated barley. The barley was either fed whole or rolled. No differences (P > 0.05) due to ammoniation were detected in daily gain, feed efficiency and carcass composition. However, steers fed whole barley required 15% more (P < 0.05) DM per unit gain than those fed rolled barl.
Reliability of hip range of motion measurement among experienced arthroscopic hip preservation surgeons

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine (i) the reliability of hip range of motion measurement among experienced arthroscopic hip preservation surgeons and (ii) the magnitude of hip flexion change with posterior pelvic tilt. Five experienced arthroscopic hip preservation surgeons (5–18 years of hip surgery experience) performed passive hip range of motion (internal and external rotation), flexion (contralateral hip extended) and flexion with posterior pelvic tilt (contralateral hip maximally flexed) on five young healthy asymptomatic volunteers (three males, two females; 34.4 ± 10.7 years of age). Motion was measured via digital photography and goniometry. Inter-observer reliability was calculated via two-way mixed, single measures, intra-class correlation coefficient. Paired t-test was utilized to compare hip flexion (with contralateral hip extended) to hip flexion with posterior pelvic tilt (with contralateral hip in forced flexion). The reliabilities of measurements of hip flexion with posterior pelvic tilt and external rotation were excellent, that of hip flexion was fair, and that of hip internal rotation was poor. The magnitude of hip flexion increase with posterior pelvic tilt was 17.0° ± 3.0° (P < 0.001). The reliability of hip range of motion measurement by five experienced arthroscopic hip preservation surgeons was excellent for measures of hip flexion with posterior pelvic tilt and external rotation. Contralateral maximal hip flexion significantly increased ipsilateral hip flexion (approximately 17°). Level of Evidence: Diagnostic, level III (without consistently applied reference standard)
Role of apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 (APOE*ε4) as an independent risk factor for incident depression over a 12-year period in cognitively intact adults across the lifespan

Background The apolipoprotein E ε4 allele (APOE*ε4) is indicated as a risk for Alzheimer's disease and other age-related diseases. The risk attributable to APOE*ε4 for depression is less clear and may be because of confounding of the relationship between dementia and depression. Aims We examined the risk of APOE* ε4 for incident depression and depressive symptomology over a 12-year period across the adult lifespan. Method Participants were from the Personality and Total Health Through Life study, aged 20 to 24 (n = 1420), 40 to 44 (n = 1592) or 60–64 (n = 1768) at baseline, and interviewed every 4 years since 1999. Ethnicities other than White, those without genotyping and those with depression at baseline, or who reported strokes and scores on the Mini-Mental State Examination <27 at any observation, were excluded. Results Over the study period, there was no evidence that APOE*ε4+ was a risk factor for depression, including any depression (odds ratio (OR) = 0.94, 95% CI 0.77–1.16, P = 0.573), major depression (OR = 0.96, 95% CI 0.60–1.53, P = 0.860), minor depression (OR = 0.94, 95% CI 0.67–1.30, P = 0.695) or depressive symptomology (incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 1.02, 95% CI 0.97–1.08, P = 0.451). APOE*ε4 was unrelated to incident depression. Findings were consistent for all age cohorts. Conclusions Among cognitively intact Australian adults who were free of depression at baseline, there was little evidence that APOE*ε4+ carriers are at increased risk for depression over a 12-year period among those who are cognitively intact.
Understanding air–water mass transfer in rectangular dropshafts

A dropshaft is a vertical structure connecting two channels with different invert elevations. Four configurations of rectangular dropshafts were investigated systematically to study the effects of outflow direction and pool depth on particle residence times and flow aeration. The best hydraulic design was that with 180° outflow direction and deep pool shaft. For that design, a full-scale study was conducted, the scaling ratio between prototype and model being 3.1:1. Although similar trends were seen in both model and prototype, scale effects were observed in terms of particle residence times and bubble swarm depths. In the prototype, detailed air–water flow measurements were performed in the shaft pool and the mass transfer equation was integrated using measured interfacial areas and particle residence times. The results demonstrate that the air–water mass transfer is the largest at low flow rates (regime R1) because of large residence times and significant interfacial area. Overall the present study prov.
Effectiveness of electronic health care and drug monitoring program to prevent COVID-19 and adherence to therapeutic regimen in patients with ischemic heart disease - A pilot study

Background and Aim: One of the high risk groups due to the prevalence of COVID-19 are patients with chronic heart disease The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the electronic health care and drug monitoring program to prevent COVID-19 and adherence to therapeutic regimen of patients with chronic heart disease (ischemic heart disease) Methods: This pilot study is a quasi-experimental study with control group 10 patients with ischemic heart disease were randomly assigned to two groups of 5 individuals (intervention and control) Data collected using demographic questionnaire and Beigi's treatment follow-up questionnaire (2012), researcher-made questionnaire for prevention of SARS-CoV-2 Data analyzed with SPSS-22 software Results: Patients in both groups were matched in age, sex, and BMI (P 0 05) The adherence to the medication regimen and adherence to diet and physical activity, and adherence to the preventive issues of Covid-19 during 10 training sessions, showed a significant increase in the intervention group (p 0 005) Conclusion: Electronic services and the use of e-visit in primary health care and adherence to home care regimen, using the mobile phones and the Internet, can enable accurate monitoring of patients' status and prevent patients at risk to avoid COVID-19 © 2020 Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences All rights reserved
Sistemas de preparo do solo para o cultivo do milho safrinha

This study was carried out at the Coimbra Experiment Station, of Federal University of Vicosa, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, on a long-term field experiment initiated in October 1995 and to be terminated in 2006. The evaluations were made in 1997 using the safrinha corn (fall cropping) produced in an area where bean (October cropping) had been previously grown, in order to evaluate the effects of no-till (SD), mold-board plow (AA), disk plow (AD), heavy offset disk harrow (GP) and rotary hoe (ER) on corn yield. The no-till system resulted in plants with fewer days to flowering but with higher values for: stem diameter, height of insertion, planting height, number of ears per hectare, number of plants per hectare first ear, average ear production, ear index and grain yield.
Performance Characteristics of the Abbott Architect SARS-CoV-2 IgG Assay and Seroprevalence in Boise, Idaho

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the novel respiratory illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is associated with severe morbidity and mortality. The rollout of diagnostic testing in the United States was slow, leading to numerous cases that were not tested for SARS-CoV-2 in February and March 2020 and necessitating the use of serological testing to determine past infections. Here, we evaluated the Abbott SARS-CoV-2 IgG test for detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies by testing 3 distinct patient populations. ABSTRACT Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the novel respiratory illness caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is associated with severe morbidity and mortality. The rollout of diagnostic testing in the United States was slow, leading to numerous cases that were not tested for SARS-CoV-2 in February and March 2020 and necessitating the use of serological testing to determine past infections. Here, we evaluated the Abbott SARS-CoV-2 IgG test for detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies by testing 3 distinct patient populations. We tested 1,020 serum specimens collected prior to SARS-CoV-2 circulation in the United States and found one false positive, indicating a specificity of 99.90%. We tested 125 patients who tested reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) positive for SARS-CoV-2 for whom 689 excess serum specimens were available and found that sensitivity reached 100% at day 17 after symptom onset and day 13 after PCR positivity. Alternative index value thresholds for positivity resulted in 100% sensitivity and 100% specificity in this cohort. We tested specimens from 4,856 individuals from Boise, ID, collected over 1 week in April 2020 as part of the Crush the Curve initiative and detected 87 positives for a positivity rate of 1.79%. These data demonstrate excellent analytical performance of the Abbott SARS-CoV-2 IgG test as well as the limited circulation of the virus in the western United States. We expect that the availability of high-quality serological testing will be a key tool in the fight against SARS-CoV-2.
Circulating CD14+HLA-DR−/low Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells as Potential Biomarkers for the Identification of Psoriasis TCM Blood-Heat Syndrome and Blood-Stasis Syndrome

Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune disease. Identification of the biomarkers responsible for Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes of psoriasis can help researchers recognize the different aspects of psoriasis and find novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of psoriasis. The current study investigated the levels of circulating Mo-MDSCs and Mo-MDSC-associated immune factors in the peripheral blood of psoriasis patients with different TCM syndromes. We found that the frequency of Mo-MDSCs (CD14+HLA-DR−/low cells) among CD14+ cells from plaque psoriasis patients with blood-stasis (BS) syndrome was significantly increased when compared with healthy controls (p < 0.001) and blood-heat (BH) syndrome group (p < 0.001), respectively. However, serum IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17A, TNF-α, IFN-γ, iNOS, Arg-1, and NO concentration showed no statistically significant difference between healthy controls and psoriasis patients as well as no significant difference between the BH and BS syndrome groups. Compared with healthy controls, the mRNA expression of Arg-1, TNF-α, ROR-γ, and PD-L1 was increased, while the mRNA expression of PD-1 and IL-10 was decreased in PBMCs from psoriasis patients. Moreover, the mRNA expression of TNF-α and FOXP3 in PBMCs showed a pronounced statistical difference between the psoriatic BH syndrome group and the BS syndrome group. Therefore, we provide evidence that the percentage of CD14+HLA-DR−/low MDSC/ CD14+ cells and TNF-α and Foxp3 mRNA expression levels in PBMCs are potential biomarkers for distinguishing TCM BH syndrome and BS syndrome.