Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
T cell responses to an HLA-A2-restricted adipophilin peptide correlate with BMI in patients with atherosclerosis.

Introduction Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease causing a vast array of cardiovascular diseases. Adipophilin has been reported to be highly expressed in atherosclerotic lesions. This study investigated the possible existence of auto-reactive T cells against an HLA-A02-restricted adipophilin-derived peptide as well as peptides from Epstein-barr virus (EBV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and influenza (Flu) virus in patients with atherosclerosis. Methods HLA-A02 expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was examined by flow cytometry. PBMCs from HLA-A02 individuals were stimulated with adipophilin, CMV, EBV, and Flu peptides at a concentration of 10 µM. Interferon (IFN)-γ production was evaluated in the culture supernatant using a commercial ELISA test. Results The levels of IFN-γ production against an HLA-A02-restricted adipophilin peptide and peptides from CMV, EBV, and Flu revealed no statistically significant differences between patients and healthy controls. However, we found a positive correlation between IFN-γ production against adipophilin and Body mass index (BMI) of patients (R = 0.8, P = 0.003), whereas no significant correlation was found in healthy controls (R = -0.267, P = 0.378). No correlation between BMI and IFN-γ production against CMV, EBV, or Flu peptides was found. Discussion Atherosclerotic patients with higher BMIs might have greater numbers of T cells against adipophilin that is highly expressed in atherosclerotic plaques. Therefore, autoimmune reactions may have a greater role in the development of atherosclerosis in individuals with higher BMI.
Evaluation of activity of dichloroxylenol (1.2% w/v) on Staphylococcus aureus Oxoid 701/1 Lot 610254 and clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi

Accepted 25 June, 2013 The activity of dichloroxylenol (1.2% w/v), a commercial disinfectant formulation called Tiscol, on Staphylococcus aureus Oxoid 701/1 Lot 610254 and clinical isolates of Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi was carried out using the kill kinetics and the Kesley – Sykes procedures. The study demonstrates that the effectiveness of dichloroxylenol (1.2% w/v) against the test bacteria was time and concentration dependent and markedly affected by the presence of organic matter. Dichloroxylenol (1.2% w/v) also showed slightly greater activity against S. aureus Oxoid 701/1 Lot 610254 than against Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi, indicating a probable role for cell wall in the susceptibility of bacteria to dichloroxylenol (1.2% w/v). The kesley – Sykes results suggest that in conditions of high contamination or presence of organic matter such as food, blood or tissue particles, dichloroxylenol (1.2% w/v) at or above 6% v/v can be appropriate in disinfection.
Performance analysis of certificate renewal scheme for AMI networks

Public-key cryptography is indispensable for securing the communications in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) networks. However, few works have studied the efficient use of public key cryptography certificates in such a network and most of them focus on certificates' revocation. In this paper, we extensively investigate the performance our previous proposal on an efficient certificate renewal scheme that we proposed for AMI networks. First, quantitative analysis is carried out to compare our scheme against signature-based certificate renewal schemes. Then, all schemes are implemented in a realistic network model using NS-3 to evaluate their performance. Simulation results demonstrate the improved performance of our scheme in computational cost, communication overhead, end-to-end delay, packet delivery ratio, and required bandwidth compared with the signature-based certificate renewal scheme.
Dates, nodes and character conflict: Addressing the Lissamphibian origin problem

Synopsis Extant amphibians consist of Salientia (frogs), Caudata (salamanders), and Gymnophiona (caecilians). The mutual relationships of these groups are controversial, with either Batrachia (Salientia + Caudata) or Procera (Gymnophiona + Caudata) as emerging clades in recent molecular and morphological analyses. The monophyly of amphibians as a whole is supported by independent data, but their origins and affinities with early tetrapods are debated. A new cladistic analysis of early tetrapods retrieves Temnospondyli (the most species‐rich group of early tetrapods) as the closest relatives of crown group amphibians. One temnospondyl group, the Dissorophoidea, forms a series of consecutive outgroups to crown amphibians. In particular, the Lower Permian amphibamid Doleserpeton is the most derived plesion on the amphibian stem. The Albanerpetontidae, a group of salamander‐like tetrapods ranging from the Jurassic to the Pliocene, are placed as stem Gymnophiona. The shortest trees support the Batrachia hypothesis. However, the Procera hypothesis is not a significantly worse fit for the whole character set. Exhaustive treatment of characters and taxa is the most appropriate way to disentangle contrasting phylogenetic signals in large matrices. Tests of different crown topologies show that placement of amphibians within lepospondyls (e.g. as sister taxon to Lysorophia) is not a significantly worse fit for the whole character set than a close temnospondyl‐lissamphibian relationship. However, the latter phylogenetic hypothesis best captures the most coherent assembly of derived lissamphibian apomorphies.
Biomechanical Modeling of Hip Abduction Exercise Using Optimized Inverse Dynamics

Background: Hip abduction is considered an effective exercise to strengthen the gluteus medius muscle due to its performance simplicity and proper muscle involvement. Objectives: The present parametric study aimed at the assessment of the hip abductor muscle activity in two different modes of exercise, two muscular strength conditions (normal and weak) and three weight loads (0, 2.5, and 5 kg). Methods: A comprehensive musculoskeletal model (AnyBody, version 5.3.1) was used to calculate the activities of the gluteus medius muscle based on the optimized inverse dynamics approach. The model performed side-lying and upright standing hip abduction exercise in an iso-kinetic mode. Results: The side-lying exercise required 40% activation of the muscle in the no-weight normal case while the standing exercise needed lower than 20% in the same condition. The addition of extra weights to the abducting leg caused a considerable increase in the muscle recruitment and the muscle weakness induced greater endeavor of the gluteus medius. Conclusions: The rehabilitation of the weak hip abductor muscles may start with standing no-weight cases and continue by adding extra weights. The side-lying exercise may extremely involve the muscle, specifically in weaker individuals.
Adding condensed tannins to the diet increases ovulation rate in sheep

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether adding condensed tannins (T) to the diet of sheep increases ovulation rate (OR). In all, 281 mature Polwarth ewes (49.9 ± 6.0 kg and body condition score (BCS) of 2.02 ± 0.24 units) were heat-synchronised (oestrus = Day 1) and sorted in the following four treatment diets: (1) native pasture alone (82.6 g of CP and 8.4 MJ metabolisable energy (ME)/kg DM) (NP; n = 70); (2) native pasture (NP) plus a supplement of 0.45 kg of soybean meal (S) from Day 10 to Day 14 (NP+S; n = 71); (3) NP plus a supplement of 0.45 kg S and 25 g of T, to get an estimated concentration of T in the diet of 1.5% (NP+S+1.5T; n = 69); and (4) NP plus a supplement of 0.45 kg S and 42 g of T, to get a concentration of T of 2.5% (NP+S+2.5T; n = 71). OR was measured 8 days after the second heat by rectal ultrasound (Day 25). The estimated consumption of crude protein (CP) during the supplementation period was 129, 261, 237 and 200 g/ewe.day for NP, NP+S, NP+S+1.5T and NP+S+2.5T ewes, respectively. NP+S+1.5T ewes had an OR of 1.90, which was higher (P < 0.05) than those for NP+S+2.5T and NP+S ewes (1.68 and 1.70, respectively). All supplemented ewes had a higher OR than did NP ewes (1.48, P < 0.05). Although NP+S+1.5T ewes ate less protein than did NP+S ewes, their OR was higher, as a result of a more effective use of the protein. The higher concentrations of 2.5% T in the diet might have not evoked a response in OR.
On the statistical significance of functional diversity effects

Summary 1Changes in biodiversity can affect ecosystem processes through a variety of pathways, such as changes in community structure, loss of a keystone or changes in resource use patterns among species. The latter, also known as resource use complementarity, is an established mechanistic link between species and ecosystems. 2At present, functional group richness is the dominant measure of the extent of resource use complementarity and has been manipulated in several experiments. These groups are constructed a priori using information about differences between species and a statistically significant effect is typically identified by standard parametric tests. These tests implicitly assume that the a priori functional groups are correct. 3Avoiding this assumption requires a randomization (bootstrap) test of statistical significance that accounts for the effects of grouping per se. This test compares the observed test statistic to the distribution of the test statistic resulting from random assignment of species to groups. 4Re-analyses of experimental manipulations of plant functional diversity by bootstrapping the critical significance value changed the ecological interpretation of results in nearly half of the experiments. This occurred because random assignment of species to functional groups frequently creates a strong relationship between functional diversity and ecosystem functioning. 5The significant bootstrapped results that were found perhaps represent some of the most convincing evidence that functional diversity is an important determinant of local-scale ecosystem functioning.
Preliminary Trials on Taming and Feeding of Young Adults of Wild African Snakehead [Channa obscura Myers and Shapovalov, 1932] from Anambra River, South East of Nigeria

The use of Clarias sp and Heterobranchus sp in aquaculture research has been over flogged in total neglect of many would be aquaculture candidates which abound in Nigerian fresh water bodies. In the present research, Channa obscura , an example of a Nigerian freshwater species that attains appreciable size in the wild, was investigated. Young wild adults of C. obscura were, after many inducements, able to adapt to a confined environment and to accept artificial pelleted feed. Key words: Channa obscura, young adults, preliminary trials, inducements, confined environment
Incidence and Risk Factors for Retinopathy of Prematurity in Tabuk City, KSA

PURPOSE: Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is becoming a leading cause of preventable blindness. The current study aimed to assess ROP and its risk factors in Tabuk City, Northern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in King Khalid Hospital, Tabuk City, Saudi Arabia. The premature infants' records during the period of January 2016 to April 2018 were approached. One hundred and eight records were eligible; the infants' gestational age, weight, if received oxygen, surfactant use, blood transfusion, intraventricular hemorrhage, and patent ductus arteriosus were reported. Chi-square test was used to compare premature infants and their counterparts regarding various risk factors. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Out of 108 premature infants, 33.3% had ROP (Many were sightthreatening [stages required treatment] and more than twothirds involving both eyes); a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05) was evident between infants with prematurity, and low birth weight. No significant differences were found regarding other risk factors (P > 0.05). Only 8.3% received interventional therapy. CONCLUSION: ROP is common in King Khalid Hospital, which is the referral tertiary hospital in Tabuk city, KSA . The low birth weight is a significant risk factor to develop ROP. Many of ROP cases were sightthreatening (cases that required treatment) and most cases involving both eyes. Treatment availability at Tabuk city is recommended, instead of referral to another centers especially among those with low weight at birth.
Systematic review and meta-analysis estimating the prevalence, burden, and trend of diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia

The aim of this study was to determine, using meta-analysis, the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and to explore the influence of method of diagnosis, DM types, and study year on the prevalence of DM with the view to evaluating the trend and the burden of DM in KSA. Prevalence estimates were derived using a random effect model on carefully selected population-based studies in KSA. The derived estimates were applied to the total populations in the country to give an estimated burden of DM. Twenty-one studies, with 376,998 participants out of whom 54,837 had DM, were selected. The prevalence of DM was 20.9%, 0.9%, and 12.6% for T2DM, T1DM, and combined T1/T2DM, respectively. Subgroup analysis using the method of DM diagnosis showed that the prevalence of DM was 14.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.3% to 19.0%) in the fasting plasma glucose group, 6.8% (95% CI: 2.6% to 11%) in oral glucose tolerance group, and 12.5% (6.2%–18.9%) in glycated hemoglobin group. Meta-regression revealed 4.6 × 10−3 increase in prevalence per year. The prevalence of DM in Saudi Arabia is high. There is a rising trend in the prevalence of DM in KSA and it is accompanied by a proportionate increase in the burden of DM.
Changes in white matter microstructure related to non-linguistic cognitive impairment in post-stroke aphasia

ABSTRACT Objects Post-stroke aphasia (PSA) often have non-linguistic cognitive impairment. We aimed to ascertain its characteristics of non-linguistic cognitive impairment and the corresponding changes in white matter microstructures. Methods Ten patients with PSA and 17 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. Loewenstein occupational therapy cognitive assessment (LOTCA) were used to assess non-linguistic cognitive function. Summary T-test was performed to compare the LOTCA scores between PSA and the Chinese norm. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was used to calculate fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), and radial diffusivity (RD) after collecting diffusion tensor imaging data. Correlation analysis was performed between these metrics and LOTCA scores. Results The days after stroke onset of PSA was 428.0±52.0. The total LOTCA score of PSA (78.20±22.63) was lower than the Chinese norm (97.65±16.24, P=0.003), as well as the scores of orientation, spatial perception (SP), motor praxis (MP), and attention (P<0.05). Lower FA and higher MD/RD in bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFOF), inferior longitudinal fasciculus (ILF), and left superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) were found in PSA compared with HCs. The MD and RD of the right uncinate fasciculus (UF) was negatively correlated with SP and MP scores (r=-0.787, r=-0.733, r=-0.726; P<0.05). The FA of left UF was negatively correlated with orientation score (r=-0.690, P=0.04). Conclusion Patients with PSA have non-linguistic cognitive impairment. The integrity of the white matter microstructures can be extensively damaged. Impaired SP and MP in patients with PSA are related to UF damage.
New Evidence for a South Atlantic Stock of Humpback Whales Wintering on the Northwest African Continental Shelf

Seventeen confirmed and four probable sightings of humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, were documented from platform-of-opportunity Research Vessel (R/V) Dr. Fridtjof Nansen in a passing-mode visual survey of continental shelf waters between Conakry and Cap Vert Peninsula (Dakar), 21 October -5 November 2011. None were encountered in the northern stratum Dakar-Agadir, 6 November -15 December 2011. Total visual survey effort was 468 h, 01 min, covering 5335 km. Depending on the exclusion or inclusion of probable records, the sum of group sizes totalled 33 or 43 individuals, respectively. Humpback whale encounter rates between Conakry and Dakar then amounted to 1.74 or 2.27 whales/ 100 km, respectively. Group sizes ranged from 1–6 individuals (mean = 1.94, S.D. = 1.20, n = 17; median = 2). Minimally five of 17 groups (29.4%) consisted of adult-calf pairs, with a minimum crude birth rate ranging from 0.060–0.152. All sightings occurred in shallow water, 22–60 m (mean = 35.0 m, S.D. = 10.13, n = 17) but survey effort in deeper, offshore water was negligible. Sea-surface temperature at sighting locations ranged from 25.5–29.0°C (mean = 27.34, S.D. = 0.96, n = 17). No humpback whales were sighted during a second survey covering Conakry-Tangier-Las Palmas, from 9 May to 22 July 2012 (519 h, 13 min; 6278 km). The Cape Verde Islands comprised, to date, the only known wintering ground located in the North-East Atlantic. This study showed that Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea are normal range states for M. novaeangliae. A temporal signature, six to seven months out-of-phase with mid-season in the Cape Verde Islands, and neonate presence strongly suggest that the wide Conakry-Dakar continental shelf serves as both wintering and nursery grounds for a South Atlantic stock, in agreement with Bamy et al. (2010). This stock may comprise the northwesternmost component of the large humpback whale assemblage migrating in and out of the northern Gulf of Guinea in austral winter/spring. Further research is required to consolidate insights linking temporal and spatial distribution off western Africa with hemispheric stock identity and migration paths.
Supplemental Bacillus subtilis DSM 29784 and enzymes, alone or in combination, as alternatives for antibiotics to improve growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, anti-oxidative status, immune response and the intestinal barrier of broiler chickens

Abstract The present study investigated the effect of Bacillus subtilis DSM 29784 (Ba) and enzymes (xylanase and β-glucanases; Enz), alone or in combination (BE) as antibiotic replacements, on the growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, immune response and the intestinal barrier of broiler chickens. In total, 1200 1-d-old broilers were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments, each with six replicate pens of forty birds for 63 d as follows: (a) basal diet (control), supplemented with (b) 1 × 109 colony-forming units (cfu)/kg Ba, (c) 300 mg/kg Enz, (d) 1 × 109 cfu/kg Ba and 300 mg/kg Enz and (e) 250 mg/kg enramycin (ER). Ba, Enz and BE, similar to ER, decreased the feed conversion rate, maintained intestinal integrity with a higher villus height:crypt depth ratio and increased the numbers of goblet cells. The BE group exhibited higher expression of claudin-1 and mucin 2 than the other four groups. BE supplementation significantly increased the α-diversity and β-diversity of the intestinal microbiota and markedly enhanced lipase activity in the duodenal mucosa. Serum endotoxin was significantly decreased in the BE group. Compared with those in the control group, increased superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were observed in the jejunal mucosa of the Ba and BE groups, respectively. In conclusion, the results suggested that dietary treatment with Ba, Enz or BE has beneficial effects on growth performance and anti-oxidative capacity, and BE had better effects than Ba or Enz alone on digestive enzyme activity and the intestinal microbiota. Ba or Enz could be used as an alternative to antibiotics for broiler chickens.
Telemedicine Training in Undergraduate Medical Education: Mixed-Methods Review

Background Telemedicine has grown exponentially in the United States over the past few decades, and contemporary trends in the health care environment are serving to fuel this growth into the future. Therefore, medical schools are learning to incorporate telemedicine competencies into the undergraduate medical education of future physicians so that they can more effectively leverage telemedicine technologies for improving the quality of care, increasing patient access, and reducing health care expense. This review articulates the efforts of allopathic-degree-granting medical schools in the United States to characterize and systematize the learnings that have been generated thus far in the domain of telemedicine training in undergraduate medical education. Objective The aim of this review was to collect and outline the current experiences and learnings that have been generated as medical schools have sought to implement telemedicine capacity-building into undergraduate medical education. Methods We performed a mixed-methods review, starting with a literature review via Scopus, tracking with Excel, and an email outreach effort utilizing telemedicine curriculum data gathered by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education. This outreach included 70 institutions and yielded 7 interviews, 4 peer-reviewed research papers, 6 online documents, and 3 completed survey responses. Results There is an emerging, rich international body of learning being generated in the field of telemedicine training in undergraduate medical education. The integration of telemedicine-based lessons, ethics case-studies, clinical rotations, and even teleassessments are being found to offer great value for medical schools and their students. Most medical students find such training to be a valuable component of their preclinical and clinical education for a variety of reasons, which include fostering greater familiarity with telemedicine and increased comfort with applying telemedical approaches in their future careers. Conclusions These competencies are increasingly important in tackling the challenges facing health care in the 21st century, and further implementation of telemedicine curricula into undergraduate medical education is highly merited.
Thymoquinone content in marketed black seed oil in Malaysia

Thymoquinone (TQ) is the major active compound in black seed oil (BSO). Many pharmacological effects of TQ, such as anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, immune stimulator, and anticancer, have been reported. TQ can be considered as a biomarker for BSO, but its content in the commercial products is rarely reported. TQ content varies based on the oil source and extraction method. This study aimed to quantify the TQ content in the commercial BSO products in Malaysia and to evaluate whether the products can be used as a source of TQ for therapeutic benefits. TQ was quantified using an established high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. TQ human equivalent dose (HED) was calculated based on reported animal studies from literature, and theoretical BSO amount containing the TQ dose was calculated based on the HPLC analysis. TQ content in the commercial BSO products ranged from 0.07% wt/wt to 1.88% wt/wt. The product with the highest TQ concentration is approximately 27-fold higher than the product with the lowest TQ concentration. Consequently, theoretical BSO amounts needed for specific diseases varied and some products cannot provide practical amount of TQ. This study recommends the regulation of TQ content in BSO and suggests that the BSO might be fortified with extra TQ to be effectively used in some diseases.