Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Occupational stress among female police officers in an urban setting in South Kerala

Background: Occupational stress is regarded as one of the major health hazards of modern workplace, with policing (law enforcement) being no exception. Women police officers are gradually increasing in numbers in the country and they are believed to experience more stress than their male counterpart. Hence this study was conducted with the objectives of estimating prevalence of occupational stress among female police personals in terms of operational and organizational stress and to identify the causes for these stress as perceived by them.Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among 50 female police officers working in various police stations of Thiruvananthapuram city, selected by simple random sampling, during the period May 2018 to July 2018,using a pre tested semi structured questionnaire based on operational police stress questionnaire (PSQ-OP) and organizational police stress questionnaire (PSQ-ORG). The data was properly coded and entered in Microsoft excel and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Results: Mean age of the study population was 38.07 years (SD=5.714 years) and majority (64%) belonged to middle socioeconomic class. Perceived organizational and operational stress prevalence among the study population was as high as 80% (40 % experienced moderate stress and 40% experienced high stress) and 90% (high stress reported by 70 % and moderate stress by 20%) respectively. The most common stressor reported for organizational stress was staff shortage (74%) and that for operational stress was finding time to stay in good physical condition (76%). Conclusions: High prevalence of occupational stress calls for immediate attention from the officials.
Prevalence of Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy among Patients with Diabetes Attending a Tertiary Outpatient Diabetes Clinic in Nigeria

Aims: To determine the prevalence of painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN) and its associated risk factors using the Douleur Neuropathique en 4 (DN4) questionnaire in a cohort of patients with diabetes attending a tertiary hospital in Nigeria. Study Design: The study was a cross-sectional descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in the outpatient diabetes clinic of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, which is a tertiary hospital located about 15 km outside Enugu. Enugu is a town in South East Nigeria. The study was conducted between June and August 2017. Methodology: A systematic random sample of 1 in 4 diabetic patients attending the outpatient clinic were recruited and screened following informed consent. Socio-demographic data was collected and fasting blood glucose recorded. The DN4 questionnaire was administered and the total score calculated. A DN4 score of ≥4 was recorded as diagnostic of pDPN. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS V23. Results: A total of 272 patients; (46.3%) males were recruited. Type 2 diabetes was present in 95.6% and 57.4% had hypertension. Poor glycemic control was present in 79.2% and 44.5% had pDPN. In addition, pDPN was more prevalent in those on insulin ( P =.007, OR =1.96) and diabetes duration more than 10 years ( P = .004, OR = 1.92) and was not significantly associated with age, gender, body mass index or glycemic control. Significant predictors of pDPN in the regression model were, treatment with insulin ( P = .022, CI - 1.100 - 3.347) and diabetes duration greater than 10 years ( P = 0.015, CI - 1.141 - 3.365). Conclusion: pDPN was common in diabetic patients and associated with insulin use and diabetes duration > 10 years.
Regulation of Cell Polarization and Map Kinase Signaling in the Saccharomyces Cerevisiae Pheromone Response Pathway: a Dissertation

Exposure to external stimuli promotes a variety of cellular responses including changes in morphology, gene expression and cell division status. These responses are promoted by signaling pathways composed of modules that are conserved from lower to higher eukaryotes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae response to the external stimuli provided by mating pheromone is governed by the pheromone response pathway. This pathway is composed of a G protein coupled receptor/heterotrimeric G protein (Gαβγ) module and a MAP kinase cascade. Activation of this pathway allows the heterotrimeric G protein βγ dimer (Gβγ) to recruit polarity proteins to promote changes in cell morphology and to activate signaling through the MAP kinase cascade. Here we investigate the regulation of these pheromone-induced responses. We first examine how an asymmetric polarization response is generated. Normally, a gradient of pheromone serves as a spatial cue for formation of a polarized mating projection, but cells can still polarize when pheromone is present uniformly. Here we show that an intact receptor/Gαβγ module is required for polarization in response to both a gradient and uniform concentration of pheromone. Further investigation into regulation of Gβγ by Gα revealed that the two interaction interfaces between Gα and Gβ have qualitatively different roles. Our results suggest that one interface controls signaling whereas the other governs coupling to the receptor. Overall our results indicate that communication between the receptor and Gαβγ is required for proper polarization.
Subclinical Hypothyroidism During Valproic Acid Therapy in Children with Epilepsy

Background : Valproic Acid (VPA) is an effective anticonvulsant widely used for the treatment of epilepsy in children, but there are pitfalls in VPA therapy, especially in case of various endocrine organs like thyroid. So the aim of this study was to evaluate the thyroid dysfunction in terms of subclinical hypothyroidism during Valproic Acid (VPA) therapy in children with epilepsy. Methods: The study was conducted in the Department of Paediatrics, and Shishu Bikas Kendra, Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) over one year duration on 50 newly diagnosed idiopathic epileptic children who were decided to start Valproate at the dose of 20mg/kg/day. At the same time similar number (n=50) of age and sex matched children visited the paediatric OPD for other health events(e.g. acute upper respiratory infection, Influenza like illness and Acute watery diarrhoea) other than epilepsy were included in the study as control group. Thyroid function status like serum levels of Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone (TSH) Free Triiodothyronine (FT3) and Free Thyroxin (FT4) were evaluated at baseline and after six months. Moreover, serum VPA level was also measured in children receiving valproate at follow up visit. Anti thyroid peroxidise antibody (Anti TPO ab) was checked at follow up visit in those having TSH level beyond normal reference range. After collecting all data it was analyzed by SPSS-19. Results: In the current study, cases consisted of 30(60%) male and 20(40%) female children. Male to female ratio was 1.5:1. Gender and age were matched in cases and control group (p>0.05). Most of the population in the cases were from rural areas 29(58%) and most of them 40(80%) belonged to middle class family. The mean±SD of TSH level significantly increased after six months in comparison with base line values (1.76±0.57μIU/ml vs. 2.70±1.50μIU/ml, p<0.05) and with control group at follow up visit (1.74±0.73μIU/ml vs 2.70±1.50μIU, p<0.05). On the other hand, in the control group there were no significant changes of TSH level in comparison with base line (1.82±0.55μIU vs 1.74±0.73μIU/ml, p=0.16). The mean±SD of FT4 value decreased significantly in the cases after six months though remained within normal reference range (1.24±0.27ng/dl vs1.11±0.13ng/dl, p<0.05) FT3 level remained unchanged. Five (10%) epileptic children in the cases were found to have subclinical hypothyroidism at follow up who had TSH level beyond the normal reference range. Anti thyroid peroxidase antibody was negative among them. In contrast, no one in control group was found to have TSH level beyond the normal limit. All cases were clinically euthyroid. No significant correlations were found between TSH level and serum VPA level (r2 = 0.035 p= 0.193). Conclusion: Subclinical hypothyroidism develops in children with epilepsy during VPA therapy. Proper attention should be given so that development of overt hypothyroidism can be avoided. Chatt Maa Shi Hosp Med Coll J; Vol.17 (2); Jul 2018; Page 14-20
Studies on gene expression in a pathogenic bacterium

The activity of the major pathogenicity determinant of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli is primarily coordinated by expression of the LEE1 operon which is part of the locus of enterocyte effacement (LEE). The LEE1 operon regulatory region has been dissected. LEE-encoded transcription factor, GrlA, activates the LEE1 P1 promoter by binding to a target located within the 18 base pair spacer between the promoter 10 and 35 elements. Shortening this spacer to 17 base pairs increases P1 promoter activity and short-circuits GrlA dependent activation, suggesting that GrlA functions like MerR family transcription activators. It was also found that the LEE1 P1 promoter is overlapped by a cryptic promoter, designated P1A. A single base substitution in the P1 consensus -35 element unmasks P1A promoter activity. In contrast, P1A activity is much less when P1 is inactivated by a mutation in its -10 hexamer element. Hence, even when P1 is inactive, the consensus -35 element sequesters RNA polymerase and prevents its access to the P1A promoter. The LEE1 leader sequence also contains a mini-gene that encodes a dipeptide. Genetic studies showed that expression of this mini-gene is important for optimal expression of downstream genes.
Root development of beetroot, sweet corn and celeriac, and soil N content after incorporation of green manure

Summary Root development in beetroot (Beta vulgaris L. ssp. vulgaris var. conditiva Alef.), sweet corn (Zea mays L. convar. Saccharata Koern.) and celeriac (Apium graveolens L. var. rapaceum Gaud.) was followed during two growing seasons with the aim of describing the root systems and nitrogen (N) utilisation of the three vegetables. The crops were grown after incorporation of green manure either in the preceding Autumn or Spring. Beetroot reached a final root depth of 1.55 – 1.8 m. For sweet corn, the final root depths were 0.6 and 0.9 m and, for celeriac, 0.45 and 0.6 m, in the two years, respectively. The simple measure of average root depth reflected the depth to which soil mineral N was depleted over the season by each of the three vegetables. Autumn incorporation of green manure resulted in higher mineral N contents in the soil layers below 0.5 m compared to a Spring incorporation. For beetroot, this resulted in 0.5 m-deeper root depths and higher root intensity below 0.5 m at harvest. This study shows large differences in root intensity between years, and in root depths between species. This knowledge can be used to improve N-use efficiency in vegetable production.
Effect of applied. phosphorus, sulphur and zinc on yield and uptake parameters of wheat(Triticum aestivum) and soybean (Glycine max) grown on a loamy sand

A study iiilllS conducted during 1995-96 on the effect of phosphorus, sulphur and zinc application on yield and uptake parameters of creps, a greenhouse experiment on wheat (Triticum ueativum L. emend. Fiori & Paol.) and. soybean [Glycine max(L,) Mm. ] on Typic Ustochrept(Inceptisol) with 4 levels ofP (0,13.4,26.8 and40.2rogPlkg) and S (0, 4.46,8.92 and 13.38 rug Slkg) and 2 of Zn (0 and 12.7 mg Zn/kg). ChemiCally pure salts were used as the sources of nutrients and the crops were irrigated with distilled water. The crops were harvested at maturity and plant samples were analysed for nutrient uptake following di-acid digestion. Ailalysis ofvariance was carried out ~ing split plot design. Uptake ofN, P and S was significantly enhanced by appliedP and S in botJi"wheat and soybean crops. Phosphorus applied at 26.8 and 40.2 mg P/kg and S applied at all levels increased the grain of soybean but Zn had no eff~. Application ofS @8.92 and 13.38 mg/kg also increased the oil content in soybean grain. The most effective combinations appeared to be 40.2 mg P along with 13.38 mg Slkg for grain yield of wheat, 26.8 mg P along with 13.38 rug S/kg for grain yield of soybean, and 8.92 rog S/kg for oil content in soybean grain. A dose of26. & mg P and 8.92 mg S preferably with 12.7 mg Znlkg soil appeared to be optimum for overall yield and quality ofwbeat and soybean crops.
Stroke Patterns of Internal Carotid Artery Dissection in 40 Patients

Background and Purpose—Internal carotid artery dissection (ICAD) is a frequent cause of ischemic stroke in young patients. Whether cerebral ischemia is of embolic or hemodynamic origin remains to be determined. Heparin is often administered in ICAD; however, a drug trial can hardly be conducted because of the low recurrence rate after the acute stage. Therefore, the best therapeutic approach should be determined on the basis of the presumed mechanism of cerebral ischemia. One way to approach the mechanism of stroke in ICAD is to determine stroke patterns. We postulated that most cortical and large subcortical infarcts (≥15 mm) are of embolic origin and that small subcortical infarcts (<15 mm) and junctional infarcts are not. The aim of our study was to determine the stroke patterns in 40 consecutive patients with ICAD. Methods—The patients (26 women and 14 men; mean age, 42.8 years) had a total of 65 ICADs. Seventeen patients were free of any vascular risk factor. CT scans, MRI scans, and angiographic fea.
Exigncias de protena de bovinos anelorados em pastejo

The objective of this study was to determine the protein requirements of Zebu sterrs grazing grazing five Bracharia decumbens paddocks. Twenty-seven steers averaging initial body weight (BW) of 311.0 kg and 14 months old were used. Three animals were slaughtered after the adaptation peiod to serve as reference for the estimate of empty body weight (EBW), and the initial body composition of the animals kept in the experiment. Among the 24 remaining animals, four were placed in the maintenance group, with restricted grazing time. The other 20 were allotted to four treatments: mineral mixture, self-feed and two feeding frequencies (three times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or daily. The net protein requirements for gain decreased as body weight increased. The protein requirement detected for an animal with 250 kg BW was 153.71 g/kg EBW, while for an animal of 400 kg live weight it was 141.86 g/kg EBG. The following equation was obtained to estimate the retained protein (RP) in function of the fasting live weight gain (LWG) and the retained energy (RE): RP = -34.6109 + 257.956*LWG – 17.01*RE. The metabolizable protein requirements estimated for maintenance and gain were 357.77 and 288.33 g/kg BW, respectively, for a 400 kg BW grazing steer. The animals fed protein supplementation presented greater degradable protein requirements in the rumen than non-supplemented animals, due the greater intake of total digestible nutrients (TDN). For an animal with 400 kg BW fed protein supplementation, the daily requirements for degradable protein in the rumen and non-degradable protein are, respectively, 764.22 and 73.89 g that corresponded to a crude protein requirement of 838.10 g/day.
Analyse protéomique et fonctionnelle des structures de Maurer, un compartiment sécrétoire de Plasmodium falciparum impliqué dans son développement érythrocytaire

Le developpement erythrocytaire de Plasmodium falciparum, l'agent du paludisme, est responsable de tous les symptomes lies a la maladie. Les formes sanguines du parasite possedent plusieurs organites qui se sont reveles essentiels au developpement intra-erythrocytaire. Parmi ceux-ci, nous nous sommes interesses a un compartiment tout a fait original connu sous le nom de structures de Maurer. Ce compartiment, qui presente des caracteristiques de Golgi, est localise dans le cytoplasme de la cellule hote et assure le transfert de proteines parasitaires a la membrane erythrocytaire. Les structures de Maurer participent notamment au transport des proteines parasitaires liees au phenomene de cytoadherence, qui est a l'origine du neuropaludisme. Notre travail a de plus permis de montrer leur role dans la liberation des merozoites infectieux. Nous avons entrepris une etude proteomique et fonctionnelle de ce compartiment afin de mieux comprendre son role biologique et d'identifier des enzymes essentielles au parasite, qui pourraient etre validees comme cibles chimio-therapeutiques. Nos etudes ont identifie dans ces structures la proteine RhopH2 qui semble presenter une activite serine protease dont nous poursuivons la caracterisation. Nous avons egalement, par une approche proteomique globale, identifie pres de 50 proteines parasitaires dans des preparations de fantomes de globules rouges parasites, qui contiennent la membrane plasmique et le squelette sous-membranaire erythrocytaire ainsi que les structures de Maurer. Cette etude, ainsi que la caracterisation de l'interaction entre PfSBP1, proteine integrale de la membrane des structures de Maurer, et LANCL1, proteine du squelette sous membranaire erythrocytaire, permettent de preciser les modalites d'interaction entre structures de Maurer et membrane plasmique de la cellule hote du parasite. A terme, notre analyse devrait permettre de mieux comprendre le role biologique des structures de Maurer ainsi que les voies d'adressage des proteines parasitaires a ce compartiment extracellulaire tout a fait original.
Level of Adherence and Factors Associated with Antiretroviral Therapy among HIV Infected Children in Selected Public Hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Background: Non-adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) has serious consequences both on the individual and the society. It diminishes the effectiveness of viral suppression, promotes viral resistance, and places the individual at risk of hospitalization, opportunistic infection, and HIV transmission. Objective: To assess the level of adherence and factors associated with Antiretroviral Therapy among HIV infected children in selected public hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on 380 under-fifteen years old children who had been taking ART for at least 6 months, and on their respective caregivers. It was conducted at pediatrics ART units of the selected hospitals from January to March, 2014. From five public hospitals that were giving the service, two were selected through simple random sampling technique. The data were entered into Epi Info 3.5. 3 and analyzed using SPSS Version 20. The statistical association between the outcome and predictor variables were assessed by logistic regression model, using adjusted Odds Ratio with its 95% CI. P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant Results: As 380 of the caregivers of the children were interviewed, a response rate of 95% was obtained. The level of adherence to ART was 355 (93.4%). The main reason for 7(28%) of the non-adherent participants skipping their treatment was forgetting. The factors that had statistical association with the adherence were the caregivers’ with secondary and above educational status (AOR=4.17, 95%CI: 1.30, 13.32); the Child’s age <5years (AOR=11.24, 95%CI: 1.32, 95.45); lack of nutritional support (AOR=0.40, 95%CI: 0.005, 0.308); and the children who were aware of their HIV sero-status (AOR=4.26, 95%CI: 1.48, 12.18). Conclusion: The level of adherence to ART in the study area was suboptimal. The caregivers’ educational status, the age of the children, lack of nutritional support, and non-disclosure sero-status were associated with non-adherence to ART. Since forgetting was the main reason reported for missing ART doses, use of reminders should be encouraged. The caregivers should inform the children about their sero-status. Additionally, the caregivers and the clinicians should look for various means to meet the nutritional requirements of the children. In general, a collaborative effort of all stakeholders is recommended to enhance adherence to ART among HIV infected children.
The development of computational carbohydrate grafting and the GLYCAM force field to understand how glycan structure alters biorecognition

Complex carbohydrates (glycans) have long been known to play a role in immune response, regulation of cellular activity, and cell-cell interactions, to name a few. Thus the ability to model glycan structure and their interactions with other biomolecules (i.e. biorecognition) is essential to understanding and exploiting glycan functionality in the design of pharmaceutical glycomimetics, or molecules with similar properties to glycans. Over several decades, computational methods have become essential to characterizing glycan structure and bioactivity when only sparse experimental data is available. This work expands on those efforts by improving on the GLYCAM molecular mechanics force field to include a wider range of glycan structures including glycolipids and glycosaminoglycans. The GLYCAM force field was used in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to predict the three-dimensional (3D) structures of glycans and glycoconjugates. Then, utilizing the three-dimensional glycan structure data from glycan simulations and experimental data, a virtual glycan 3D structure library was generated. In this case, the virtual library was employed to establish the first computational prediction of bulk carbohydrate-protein specificity using a method called Computational Carbohydrate Grafting (CCG). This method has been shown to be useful in augmenting the results of experimental specificity screening and it can be used to test the specificity of glycans which are not included on the experimental arrays while providing 3D structures of protein-carbohydrate complexes. The CCG method was used to predict the binding specificity restrictions of the anti-tumor antibody JAA-F11 and provided a 3D structural rational for its binding specificity. The development of the force field and CCG method are all part of an effort to better understand how the 3D structure of glycans impact biorecognition so as to guide the development of novel therapeutic or diagnostic glycomimetics. INDEX WORDS: Computational carbohydrate grafting, GLYCAM, Glycosaminoglycans, Glycolipids, Lipids, Carbohydrates, Glycans, Force field parameter development, Virtual glycan array, Virtual docking, Molecular mechanics, Antibody binding, Glycan array, NMR THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTATIONAL CARBOHYDRATE GRAFTING AND THE GLYCAM FORCE FIELD TO UNDERSTAND HOW GLYCAN STRUCTURE ALTERS BIORECOGNITION
A new study of asexual reproduction in holothurians: Fission in Holothuria leucospilota populations on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean

Holothuria leucospilota is a large, black sea cucumber species, which is found throughout the tropical IndoPacific Region. It most often lives near the back reef, in sandy areas where dead coral accumulates (Massin & Doumenc, 1986; Conand, 1989; Ong Che, 1990). This initial study on Reunion Island proved that asexual reproduction through fission does exist, contrary to some previous observations (Britayev, 1992), and that it is even quite common.