Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of miR-214 attenuates the migration and invasion of triple-negative breast cancer cells

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a subtype of breast cancer. MicroRNA (miR)-214 is closely associated with controlling the development of tumor cells; therefore, in the present study, the target gene and effects of miR-214 on TNBC cells were explored. Luciferase activity was examined by luciferase reporter assay. The viability, invasion and migration of MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells were measured using Cell Counting kit-8, Transwell and wound-healing assays, respectively. The expression levels of various factors were determined using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. The results demonstrated that the expression levels of miR-214 were higher and the levels of α1-antitrypsin (α1-AT) were lower in TNBC tissues compared with in normal tissues. Subsequently, α1-AT was revealed to be a target of miR-214. Furthermore, inhibition of miR-214 decreased cell viability, invasion and migration, enhanced the expression of E-cadherin and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2, and reduced the expression of metastatic tumour antigen 1 and matrix metalloproteinase-2. Inhibition of miR-214 also significantly downregulated the phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and markedly downregulated that of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K); however, the expression levels of total PI3K, Akt and mTOR remained stable in all groups. Taken together, these findings indicated that α1-AT may be a target of miR-214. Downregulation of miR-214 markedly suppressed the viability, migration and invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells, and inhibited the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. These findings suggested that miR-214 targeting α1-AT may be a potential mechanism underlying TNBC development.
Low topotype diversity of recent foot-and-mouth disease virus serotypes O and A from districts located along the Uganda and Tanzania border

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most important livestock diseases in East Africa with outbreaks reported annually that cause severe economic losses. It is possible to control disease using vaccination, but antigenic matching of the vaccine to circulating strains is critical. To determine the relationship between foot-and-mouth disease viruses circulating in districts along the Uganda and Tanzanian border between 2016 and 2017 and currently used vaccines, phylogenetic analysis of the full VP1 virus sequences was carried out on samples collected from both sides of the border. A total of 43 clinical samples were collected from animals exhibiting signs of FMD and VP1 sequences generated from 11 of them. Eight out of the 11 sequences obtained belonged to serotype O and three belonged to serotype A. The serotype O sequences obtained showed limited nucleotide divergence (average of 4.9%) and belonged to topotype East Africa-2, whereas the most common O-type vaccine strain used in the region (O/KEN/77/78) belonged to East Africa-1. The serotype A viruses belonged to topotype Africa-G1 (average nucleotide divergence 7.4%), as did vaccine strain K5/1980. However, vaccine strain K35/1980 belonged to Africa G VII with an average sequence divergence of 20.5% from the study sequences. The genetic distances between current vaccine strains and circulating field strains underscores the crucial need for regular vaccine matching and the importance of collaborative efforts for better control of FMD along this border area.
The Plasmodium berghei serine protease PbSUB1 plays an important role in male gamete egress

The Plasmodium subtilisin‐like serine protease SUB1 is expressed in hepatic and both asexual and sexual blood parasite stages. SUB1 is required for egress of invasive forms of the parasite from both erythrocytes and hepatocytes, but its subcellular localisation, function, and potential substrates in the sexual stages are unknown. Here, we have characterised the expression profile and subcellular localisation of SUB1 in Plasmodium berghei sexual stages. We show that the protease is selectively expressed in mature male gametocytes and localises to secretory organelles known to be involved in gamete egress, called male osmiophilic bodies. We have investigated PbSUB1 function in the sexual stages by generating P. berghei transgenic lines deficient in PbSUB1 expression or enzyme activity in gametocytes. Our results demonstrate that PbSUB1 plays a role in male gamete egress. We also show for the first time that the PbSUB1 substrate PbSERA3 is expressed in gametocytes and processed by PbSUB1 upon gametocyte activation. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that PbSUB1 is not only a promising drug target for asexual stages but could also be an attractive malaria transmission‐blocking target.
Fatores determinantes do crescimento infantil

This review focuses on factors interfering with growth during the first years of life. Information was collected from articles published in indexed scientific journals, theses, technical books and publications of international organizations. Infant growth is one of the best health indicators, and linear growth retardation is currently the most representative anthropometric characteristic of child nutrition epidemiology in Brazil. The review indicates the value of genetics in growth, focusing, however on the influence of the extrinsic factors. Growth process results from interaction between genetic and environmental factors, determining variation in genetic potential manifestations. Because of the complex nature of infant growth, several studies have been developed aiming at relating biological, socio-economic, maternal, environmental, cultural, demographic and nutritional determinants among others, with the etiology, development and maintenance of growth. This review reinforces the value of permanent investigation on infant growth, especially concerning the long term impact on infant health.
Artificial intelligence detection of distal radius fractures: a comparison between the convolutional neural network and professional assessments

Background and purpose — Artificial intelligence has rapidly become a powerful method in image analysis with the use of convolutional neural networks (CNNs). We assessed the ability of a CNN, with a fast object detection algorithm previously identifying the regions of interest, to detect distal radius fractures (DRFs) on anterior–posterior (AP) wrist radiographs. Patients and methods — 2,340 AP wrist radiographs from 2,340 patients were enrolled in this study. We trained the CNN to analyze wrist radiographs in the dataset. Feasibility of the object detection algorithm was evaluated by intersection of the union (IOU). The diagnostic performance of the network was measured by area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and Youden Index; the results were compared with those of medical professional groups. Results — The object detection model achieved a high average IOU, and none of the IOUs had a value less than 0.5. The AUC of the CNN for this test was 0.96. The network had better performance in distinguishing images with DRFs from normal images compared with a group of radiologists in terms of the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and Youden Index. The network presented a similar diagnostic performance to that of the orthopedists in terms of these variables. Interpretation — The network exhibited a diagnostic ability similar to that of the orthopedists and a performance superior to that of the radiologists in distinguishing AP wrist radiographs with DRFs from normal images under limited conditions. Further studies are required to determine the feasibility of applying our method as an auxiliary in clinical practice under extended conditions.
Coherence properties of polaritons in semiconductor microcavities

In this work we present the coherent control of polariton parametric scattering with weak phase locked probe pulses. It is demonstrated that the signal emission arising from the parametric scattering is completely coherent for moderate excitation power, whereas at high pump density the dynamics appears less coherent due to the depletion of the pump polariton reservoir. It is furthermore demonstrated that the phase of the probe pulses controls the emission from signal, pump, and idler at the same time.
Evaluation of a risk score to predict future Clostridium difficile disease using UK primary care and hospital data in Clinical Practice Research Datalink

ABSTRACT We evaluated the applicability of a Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) risk index developed for patients at hospital discharge to identify persons at high-risk of CDI in a primary care population. This retrospective observational study used data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink, linked with Hospital Episodes Statistics. The risk index was based on the following patient characteristics: age, previous hospitalizations, days in hospital, and prior antibiotics use. Individual risk scores were calculated by summing points assigned to pre-defined categories for each characteristic. We assessed the association of risk factors with CDI by multivariate logistic regression. The estimated CDI incidence rate was 4/10,000 and 2/10,000 person-years in 2008 and 2012, respectively. On an index with a maximal risk of 19, a cut-off for high risk of ≥7 had sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values of 80%, 87% and 12%, respectively. A high-risk person had a ~ 35% higher risk of CDI than a low-risk person. Multivariate risk factor analysis indicated a need to reconsider the relative risk scores. The CDI risk index can be applied to the UK primary care population and help identify study populations for vaccine development studies. Reassessing the relative weights assigned to risk factors could improve the index performance in this setting.
Folding thermodynamics of three beta-sheet peptides: A model study

We study the folding thermodynamics of a beta-hairpin and two three-stranded beta-sheet peptides using a simplified sequence-based all-atom model, in which folding is driven mainly by backbone hydrogen bonding and effective hydrophobic attraction. The native populations obtained for these three sequences are in good agreement with experimental data. We also show that the apparent native population depends on which observable is studied; the hydrophobicity energy and the number of native hydrogen bonds give different results. The magnitude of this dependence matches well with the results obtained in two different experiments on the beta-hairpin.
Sex- and Age Related Differences in Tooth Row Length of Small Mammals: Mice

The article analyses sex- and age-related differences in tooth row length (TRL) in four vole species – bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), common vole (Microtus arvalis), root vole (M. oeconomus), and short-tailed vole (M. agrestis) – found in Lithuania and the correlation between their body weight, length, and TRL. Sexual dimorphism was found in M. oeconomus, in which body measurements and mandibular TRL were larger in females. The mandibular TRL was slightly larger in males of C. glareolus as well (p < 0.10). Age-related differences in the length of the maxillary and mandibular tooth row were found in all the three Microtus species. In C. glareolus, the maxillary and mandibular TRLs were shorter in young animals only. The correlation of the maxillary and mandibular TRL with the body weight and length was positive, strong and significant in Microtus voles. We outlined the limits of the maxillary and mandibular TRLs in these voles, within which it is possible to predict the age group of an individual, it.
Promoting speech intelligibility through phonologically dense targets

ABSTRACT This multiple baseline single-case study focused on the implementation of two theoretically motivated models relevant to speech sound disorders (SSD): (1) complexity approach and (2) phonological density neighborhood variable. The complexity approach perspective predicted that complex intervention target stimuli would yield greater phonological gains on more complex targets after systematic phonological intervention. Furthermore, phonologically dense targets would promote speech intelligibility as these stimuli ‘tax’ productive outputs demand on par with complexity approach. A 4; 6 year-old Greek-speaking male diagnosed with a SSD received phonological intervention for 6 months. Therapy goals included: (1) the reduction of phonological process use and (2) the improvement of output intelligibility. Phonological gains were revealed in cluster reduction leading in increases in the proportion of consonant correct use and improvements in the use of correct whole word matches. Phonological gains were observed for untreated word stimuli. Our findings support the synergistic relationship of Complexity Approach and Phonological Density variable in promoting positive speech outcomes and effectiveness of phonological intervention in the child examined.
Rostral lumbar segments are the key controllers of hindlimb locomotor rhythmicity in the adult spinal rat.

The precise location and functional organization of the spinal neuronal locomotor-related networks in adult mammals remains unclear. Our recent neurophysiological findings provided empirical evidence that the rostral lumbar spinal cord segments play a critical role in the initiation and generation of the rhythmic activation patterns necessary for hindlimb locomotion in adult spinal rats. Since added epidural stimulation at the S1 segments significantly enhanced the motor output generated by L2 stimulation, these data also suggested that the sacral spinal cord provides a strong facilitory influence in rhythm initiation and generation. However, whether L2 will initiate hindlimb locomotion in the absence of S1 segments, and whether S1 segments can facilitate locomotion in the absence of L2 segments remains unknown. Herein, adult rats received complete spinal cord transections at T8 and then at either L2 or S1. Rats with spinal cord transections at T8 and S1 remained capable of generating coordinated hindlimb locomotion when receiving epidural stimulation at L2 and when ensembles of locomotor related loadbearing input were present. In contrast, minimal locomotion was observed when S1 stimulation was delivered after spinal cord transections at T8 and L2. Results were similar when the non-specific serotonergic agonists were administered. These results demonstrate in adult rats that rostral lumbar segments are essential for the regulation of hindlimb locomotor rhythmicity. In addition, the more caudal spinal networks alone cannot control locomotion in the absence of the rostral segments around L2 even when loadbearing rhythmic proprioceptive afferent input is imposed.
Reevaluation of the Multistep Outflow Method for Determining Unsaturated Hydraulic Conductivity

The multistep outflow (MSO) method is widely used for determining the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, which is essential for accurate prediction of water flow in soils. However, the reliability of this method has yet to be adequately verified through comparisons with independently measured conductivities of soils having different textures and structures. We conducted MSO experiments with three soils of different textures to test the reliability of the conventional MSO. Three methods were used to determine the hydraulic conductivities, K(θ), from identical experiments: an optimization method with readings of a tensiometer (OM), a direct method using one tensiometer (DM1), and a direct method using two tensiometers (DM2). Outflow data were also used in the three methods. Additionally, steady‐state downward flow experiments using two tensiometers were performed for comparison. For two of the three soils, OM and DM1 clearly underestimated K(θ) determined by SDFM. On the other hand, DM2 gave good agreement with the SDFM data. These results and the discrepancies between the fitted and observed tensiometer readings near the bottom imply the existence of a hydraulic resistance at the soil–porous plate interface. The hydraulic resistance might be caused by pore plugging with fine particles (colloids) transported to the ceramic plate after stepwise changes in pressure. We suggest that an additional tensiometer be installed near the bottom of the sample and be used for checking the optimized K(θ) with the direct method (DM2).
Paternal lineage of the Berbers from Aurès in Algeria: estimate of their genetic variation

Abstract Background: Aurès is a vast territory in the east of Algeria, characterised by its traditional Berber settlement which has preserved its language and its rich history; its name goes back to antiquity and before the Roman conquest it was part of the territory of ancient Numidia. The Chaoui people in this region are one of Algeria’s largest Berber groups. Aim: The aims were to investigate the level of genetic diversity of the Berbers of Aurès through the analysis of the paternal gene pool and to estimate the percentage of genetic variation among different geographical regions and linguistic groups from Algeria. Subjects and methods: Twenty-three Y-STRs were genotyped in a sample of 218 unrelated males of the Berbers of Aurès. Algorithms were used to estimate the Y-chromosome haplogroups. Genetic distance, non-metric MDS and AMOVA were used to analyse the genetic relationships between sample groups. Results: The paternal lineage of this sample of the Aurès region did not exhibit strong signals of differentiation with other samples from North-central, Northwest, and South Algeria. However, significant differences were found within this sample, demonstrating a high degree of heterogeneity. Conclusion: The results demonstrate that Aurès people are isolated and closed, but nevertheless have quite different genetic profiles.
Preventable Preterm Birth: A Patient Safety Problem

* Abbreviations: ART — : assisted reproductive technology PTB — : preterm birth The US preterm birth (PTB) (<37 completed weeks’ gestation) rate declined from 10.4% in 20071 to 9.6% in 2014 with an intense, multipronged campaign and appeared to be on track to the 8.1% 2020 goal.2 The rate remained at 9.6% in 2015 and rose to 9.8% in 2016, representing 8000 more infants born preterm in 2016 than 2015 with their associated increased neonatal and lifelong morbidities and infant mortality.3 Therefore, we need to consider the strategic approach to PTB reduction and more rigorous tactics to address this problem, including developing a culture of safety in the prenatal and perinatal periods encompassing proactive quality assurance. Pregnancy care, including planning and health care, is a complex environment deserving system safety that anticipates and prevents adverse events by identifying precursors that can lead to errors.4 Approaching error prevention by fostering a culture of safety also involves empowering all caregivers and addressing problems in a nonjudgmental fashion. Pediatricians must be aware of strategies that will reduce preventable PTBs and become champions for strategic implementation, although many of these issues seem to relate to obstetric practices. Parents may ask their pediatricians for advice during visits before or during pregnancy. Pediatricians, including neonatologists, will see patients with preventable PTBs and should work within their communities to reduce the practices leading to the unnecessary associated morbidity and mortality, always with nonjudgmental approaches consistent with safety culture. Most importantly, the adverse outcomes associated with PTB, including late PTB (34–36 weeks’ gestation), are encountered by our pediatric patients. … Address correspondence to Edward R.B. McCabe, MD, PhD, PO Box 108, Mosier, OR 97040-0108. E-mail: emccabe{at}mednet.ucla. edu
Identification of 4-Hydroxyproline at the Xaa Position in Collagen by Mass Spectrometry.

Collagen has a triple helix form, structured by a [-Gly-Xaa-Yaa-] repetition, where Xaa and Yaa are amino acids. This repeating unit can be post-translationally modified by enzymes, where proline is often hydroxylated into hydroxyproline (Hyp). Two Hyp isomers occur in collagen: 4-hydroxyproline (4Hyp, Gly-Xaa-Pro, substrate for 4-prolyl hydroxylase) and 3-hydroxyproline (3Hyp, Gly-Pro-4Hyp, substrate for 3-prolyl hydroxylase). If 4Hyp is lacking at the Yaa position, then Pro at the Xaa position should remain unmodified. Nevertheless, in literature 41 positions have been described where Hyp occurs at the Xaa position (? xHyp) lacking an adjacent 4Hyp. We report four additional positions in liver and colorectal liver metastasis tissue (CRLM). We studied the sequence commonalities between the 45 known positions of ? xHyp. Alanine and glutamine were frequently present adjacent to ? xHyp. We showed that proline, position 584 in COL1A2, had a lower rate of modification in CRLM than in healthy liver. The isomeric identity of ? xHyp, that is, 3- and/or 4Hyp, remains unknown. We present a proof of principle identification of ? xHyp. This identification is based on liquid chromatography retention time differences and mass spectrometry using ETD-HCD fragmentation, complemented by ab initio calculations. Both techniques identify ? xHyp at position 584 in COL1A2 as 4-hydroxyproline (4xHyp).
The Quiet Revolution

Although little noticed, the face of central banking has changed significantly over the past ten to fifteen years, says the author of this enlightening book. Alan S. Blinder, a former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve System and member of President Clinton's Council of Economic Advisers, shows that the changes, though quiet, have been sufficiently profound to constitute a revolution in central banking. Blinder considers three of the most significant aspects of the revolution. The first is the shift toward transparency: whereas central bankers once believed in secrecy and even mystery, greater openness is now considered a virtue. The second is the transition from monetary policy decisions made by single individuals to decisions made by committees. The third change is a profoundly different attitude toward the markets, from that of stern schoolmarm to one of listener. With keenness and balance, the author examines the origins of these changes and their pros and cons.
Production of Hypericum perforatum oil-loaded membranes for wound dressing material and in vitro tests

Abstract Hypericum perforatum oil loaded electrospun polymeric wound dressing material was produced in order to be used in wound therapy. H. perforatum oil is known to have curative effect on wound-healing process. Wound dressing material was produced in two layers, upper layer of which was made of electrospun PCL nanofibres in order to maintain membrane integrity and mechanical strength, and bottom layer that is designed to be in contact with the wound was formed by electrospraying and electrospining of PEG/H. perforatum oil and PCL polymer solutions from opposite directions (concurrently). Methods such as FTIR, optical and electron microscopy, tensile tests, gas permeability tests, contact angle and swelling tests, in vitro release tests were utilized for material characterization. Encapsulation of H. perforatum oil in PEG capsules which were hold by PEG fibres among PCL fibres was confirmed. H. perforatum oil was released in controlled manner. Antimicrobial activity tests on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli revealed that H. perforatum content exhibited antimicrobial activity on both. Material was found to be biocompatible and suitable for use as wound dressing according to the results of in vitro tests, in which L929 mouse fibroblast cell line incubated with materials for investigation of biocompatibility (WST-1) and cell–material interactions (proliferation, apoptosis/necrosis).