Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Salinomycin as a potential chemotherapeutic compound in cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer : effects and mechanisms

Ovarian cancer is the most frequent cause of death from gynecological cancer. Even though there are a lot of options in treating gynecological malignancies, the therapeutic effect of ovarian cancer nowadays is still unfavourable, especially in treatment of the patients diagnosed with late stage disease. The development of chemotherapeutic drug resistance during the treatment of ovarian cancer is thought to cause treatment failure and the high mortality rate. Thus, searching for alternative agents to overcome chemoresistance during the treatment of ovarian cancer is essential. Salinomycin, a polyether ionophore antibiotic that has recently been shown not only to kill human breast cancer stem cell-like cells, but also to induce apoptosis and overcome multiple mechanisms of resistance to apoptosis in human cancer cells. These results strongly suggested that salinomycin should be regarded as an anticancer compound. This study aims at exploring the anticancer effects and mechanism of salinomycin on cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line in vitro and in vivo. Concentration (0.01-200µM)- and time (24-72 h)- dependent growth inhibitory effects of salinomycin were observed in 6 ovarian cancer cell lines (OV2008, C13, A2780, A2780-cp, SKOV3 and OVCAR3) by measuring cell viability using the resazurin reduction assay. IC50 (24 h) range of salinomycin on these 6 cell lines was 1.7-7.4 µM. After cisplatin-resistant C13 cells were treated with salinomycin, the percentages of apoptotic cells determined by flow cytometry were significantly increased, showing a concentration- and time-dependent manner. But no cell cycle arrest in the G1/G0, S and G2/M phases was detected between salinomycin-treated cells and control cells. Bio-Plex phosphoprotein 5-plex assay (Akt, IκB-α, ERK1/2, JNK and p38 MAPK) revealed a marked time- and concentration-dependent increase in the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK following salinomycin treatment. Pretreatment with SB202190, an inhibitor of p38 MAPK, markedly inhibited salinomycin-induced apoptosis. Moreover, salinomycin significantly suppressed the growth of tumors in tumor (C13) xenograft model. The tumor cell apoptosis in situ analyzed by immunohistochemistry staining of cleaved caspase-3 indicated that more apoptotic cells were observed in tumor treated with salinomycin than control tumor. The results of this research demonstrated that salinomycin is a potent compound against cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line C13 in vitro and indicates significant in vivo efficacy in tumor (C13) xenograft model. Salinomycin can inhibit the growth of cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line C13 efficiently through induction of apoptosis, which might be associated with activation of p38 MAPK. Salinomycin shows substantial promise for further development as a potential agent for treating drug-resistant ovarian cancer.
Energy flow through the benthic ecosystem of the mangroves with special reference to nematodes

The present study emphasizes the unique features of the benthic energy flow through nematodes in Pichavaram (near Parangipettai, South India) mangroves. Two stations situated in the channels of the interior of the mangrove forests were chosen for the study. The benthic photosynthesis at Station 2 was higher (0.41 g C m(to the power -2) day(to the power -1)) than at Station 1 (0.29 g C m(to the power -2) day(to the power -1)). The high benthic primary production observed at both stations coincided with the high production of nematodes. However, the density of nematodes was higher at Station 2. The carbon flow through nematodes was measured. Only 4% of the carbon fixed by benthic photosynthesis were utilized for the production of nematodes
Changes in hematologic and biochemical values of water buffaloes indifferent ages, sexes and during the pregnancy bred in Samsun province.

OZET Bu calismada, mandalarda yas, cinsiyet ve gebelik durumlarina gore bazi hematolojik ve kan biyokimya degerlerindeki degisimler arastirildi. Arastirmada Samsun yoresinde halk elinde yetistirilen 1, 2 ve 3 yasli saglikli mandalar kullanildi. Gruplardaki mandalarin eritrosit ve lokosit sayilari, hemoglobin miktari, hematokrit deger, MCV, MCH, MCHC ve trombosit miktarlari, albumin, total protein, kreatinin ve BUN duzeyleri ile ALT, AST, LDH ve ALP aktivitelerini incelemek amaciyla kan ornekleri toplandi. Yasin etkisi ile lokosit sayisi, hemoglobin miktari, hematokrit deger, total protein, AST ve ALP aktivitelerinin anlamli duzeyde degistigi belirlendi. Cinsiyet farkliliginin; lokosit sayisini, hemoglobin miktarini, hematokrit degeri, eritrosit sayisini, AST ve ALP aktivitelerini etkiledigi saptandi. Gebelikle birlikte lokosit sayisi, hemoglobin miktari, hematokrit deger, eritrosit sayisi, MCV, MCH, total protein ve ALP duzeylerinin degistigi gozlendi.
Fertility Traits, Survival Rate and Growth Characteristics of Karayaka and Bafra (Chios x Karayaka B1) Genotypes

This study was carried out to investigate the fertility traits, survival rate and growth characteristics of Karayaka and Bafra (Chios x Karayaka B1) genotypes. Karayaka and Bafra genotypes are raised in the Black Sea region of Turkey. In the study, fertility results for Karayaka and Bafra were determined to be 92.3 and 93.7% for birth rates, and 1.08 and 1.78 for litter size, respectively. The survival rates of Karayaka and Bafra lambs at weaning (90 days) were 93.6 and 91.9%, respectively. The least squares means obtained for Karayaka and Bafra lambs were 3.1 and 3.7 kg for birth weight, 19.5 and 22.5 kg for weaning weight and 29.6 and 32.6 kg for 180 days weight (P < 0.001), respectively. The results showed that the litter size and growth of lambs in the Bafra genotype were better than in the Karayaka, while the survival rate of Karayaka lambs was better than in the Bafra genotype.
Investigation of gene specific DNA methylation and folate polymorphisms and their relevance for human health and disease.

Folate mediated one-carbon metabolism is a complex biochemical pathway that is essential to the cell. Therefore, any impairments or deficiencies can have serious health consequences. Examination of the relationship between folate status and DNA methylation in pregnant women showed differential methylation patterns between individuals in the DHFR gene, however, the differences observed was not associated with folate status. The 19 bp deletion / insertion polymorphism (DIP) within the DHFR gene, an enzyme that catalyses the reduction of dihydrofolate to tetrahydrofolate has been studied extensively in association with both neural tube defects and folate metabolites but the results are controversial. Screening the DHFR 19 bp DIP in the largest cohort yet to address this issue and assessment of the DIP with folate metabolites and folate status showed no association between the DIP and the folate metabolites or folate status. DHFRL1 is a newly discovered reductase enzyme that participates in thymidylate biosynthesis in the mitochondria. Recombinant and endogenous DHFRL1 polymorphisms examined for functionality showed the polymorphisms to be capable of altering enzyme activity and to be associated with neural tube defects. By altering DHFRL1 expression numerous genes have been shown to be affected. The findings above have demonstrated the importance of the genes involved in folate metabolism and their relevance for human health and disease.
The impact of assistance on poverty and food security in a fragile and protracted-crisis context: the case of West Bank and Gaza Strip

This paper assesses the impact of assistance on the wellbeing of Palestinian households. The impact evaluation analysis uses a difference-in-difference approach for the treatment of sample selection bias. The paper uses data from the 2013 and 2014 rounds of the Palestinian Socio-Economic and Food Security survey to estimate the impact of assistance to West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) households on their poverty and food security status. Results suggest that both poverty and food insecurity would have been much higher for WBGS as a whole without assistance, further increasing in areas with lower levels of assistance. However, the average positive impact of assistance hides a lot of heterogeneity. In fact, while there is a clear positive impact of the intensity of assistance on poverty reduction, food consumption and diet diversity in the West Bank, Gaza Strip analysis shows mixed results. Results highlight how the international community cannot disengage from supporting Palestinian households without severely impacting their wellbeing.
A Statistical Framework for Microbial Source Attribution

This report presents a general approach to inferring transmission and source relationships among microbial isolates from their genetic sequences. The outbreak transmission graph (also called the transmission tree or transmission network) is the fundamental structure which determines the statistical distributions relevant to source attribution. The nodes of this graph are infected individuals or aggregated sub-populations of individuals in which transmitted bacteria or viruses undergo clonal expansion, leading to a genetically heterogeneous population. Each edge of the graph represents a transmission event in which one or a small number of bacteria or virions infects another node thus increasing the size of the transmission network. Recombination and re-assortment events originate in nodes which are common to two distinct networks. In order to calculate the probability that one node was infected by another, given the observed genetic sequences of microbial isolates sampled from them, we require two fundamental probability distributions. The first is the probability of obtaining the observed mutational differences between two isolates given that they are separated by M steps in a transmission network. The second is the probability that two nodes sampled randomly from an outbreak transmission network are separated by M transmission events. We show how these distributions canmore » be obtained from the genetic sequences of isolates obtained by sampling from past outbreaks combined with data from contact tracing studies. Realistic examples are drawn from the SARS outbreak of 2003, the FMDV outbreak in Great Britain in 2001, and HIV transmission cases. The likelihood estimators derived in this report, and the underlying probability distribution functions required to calculate them possess certain compelling general properties in the context of microbial forensics. These include the ability to quantify the significance of a sequence 'match' or 'mismatch' between two isolates; the ability to capture non-intuitive effects of network structure on inferential power, including the 'small world' effect; the insensitivity of inferences to uncertainties in the underlying distributions; and the concept of rescaling, i.e. ability to collapse sub-networks into single nodes and examine transmission inferences on the rescaled network. « less
Post capture physiology and pathology of the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus

This thesis describes a study into two post capture conditions, idiopathic muscle necrosis (IMN) and a post capture opportunistic bacterial infection, affecting the Norway lobster, Nephrops norvegicus, and a comprehensive analysis of the stressors involved in the capture and post capture periods of the fishery process. A multivariate approach was used to study progression in the post capture condition of trawl-caught N. norvegicus for the live transport market. Prolonged periods of aerial exposure resulted in large disruptions to the carbohydrate profile, increases in haemolymph L-lactate and crustacean hyperglycaemic hormone concentrations, and corresponding fluctuations in haemolymph pH. These disruptions increased with the increasing temperature of aerial exposure, which impacted the immunocompetence of the lobsters: circulating haemocytes and phenoloxidase levels were significantly reduced and the degree of bacteraemia increased. The health status of N. norvegicus captured during trials in spring and autumn by means of short trawl (1h duration), long trawl (5h duration) and creeling was assessed using a range of physiological (Haemolymph L-lactate, crustacean hyperglycaemic hormone (CHH), abdominal muscle glycogen concentrations), immunological (total haemocyte counts (THC) and physical (mortality, damage indices) parameters. Increased duration of trawl did not significantly alter physiological parameters, while time of landing did have a significant effect on L-lactate, where animals landed in the morning exhibited higher concentrations. Seasonal variations in abdominal muscle glycogen concentrations were also apparent. Irrespective of season, individuals captured by short trawls in the morning suffered lowest mortalities. Damage assessment data revealed that a greater proportion of individuals were categorised as heavily damaged following longer trawls conducted in spring. The carbohydrate profile and immunocompetence of N. norvegicus was significantly affected following trawl capture and subsequent handling and aerial exposure post capture. The recovery period was investigated through a range of parameters (L-lactate, glycogen, glucose, THC) and the data suggested that animals should be submerged and unstressed for at least 24h following capture and handling to avoid further alterations to the carbohydrate profile and reduce the window of opportunity for invading bacteria to cause meat spoilage. The influence of air temperature on the condition of N. norvegicus caught for the live export market was assessed by correlating meteorological data with the percentage of catch accepted for live transport. Results illustrated a large degree of variability in the conditions of animals on arrival at the processing plant. Air temperature was the only meteorological factor that had an impact on the morbidity and mortality of the catch. In one instance in particular, mean air temperature on the day of capture had a significant negative impact on the health of the catch.
Local Angiotensin Pathways in Human Carotid Atheroma: Towards a Systems Biology Approach

We will summarize the data we have obtained in human carotid artery concerning the organization of an extended local renin angiotensin aldosterone system and its variations at different stages of atheroma. In a system view, we propose a model where concomitant increase in angiotensin and glucocorticoid signaling is induced and amplified in VSMC while vascular smooth muscle cells transdifferentiate toward a lipid storing phenotype.
Differential effects of α‐, β‐ and γ‐cyclodextrins on human erythrocytes

Alpha-, beta- and gamma-cyclodextrins are cyclic hexamers, heptamers, and octamers of glucose, respectively, and thus are hydrophilic; nevertheless, they have the ability to solubilize lipids through the formation of molecular inclusion complexes. The volume of lipophilic space involved in the solubilization process increases with the number of glucose units in the cyclodextrin molecule and, consequently, cyclodextrins were found to have different effects on human erythrocytes: (a) in the induction of shape change from discocyte to spherocyte the potency was observed to be alpha greater than gamma, but with beta-cyclodextrin hemolysis occurred before the change was complete; (b) in the increase of fluorescence intensity of 1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonate in cyclodextrin-pretreated membranes, the observed potency was beta much greater than gamma greater than alpha; (c) in the release of potassium and hemoglobin, the potency was beta greater than alpha greater than gamma. The potencies of cyclodextrin for solubilizing various components of erythrocytes were alpha greater than beta much greater than gamma for phospholipids, beta much greater than gamma greater than alpha for cholesterol and beta much greater than gamma greater than alpha for proteins. The solubilization potencies were derived from concentration/final-effect curves. The above processes occurred without entry of solubilizer into the membrane, since (a) beta-[14C]cyclodextrin did not bind to erythrocytes and (b) cyclodextrins did not enter the cholesterol monolayer. A study of the [3H]cholesterol in erythrocytes indicated that beta-cyclodextrin extracted this lipid from membrane into a new compartment located in the aqueous phase which could equilibrate rapidly with additional erythrocytes. Therefore, the effects of cyclodextrins differ from those of detergents which first incorporate themselves into membranes then extract membrane components into supramolecular micelles.
HOW DO JAPANESE PEOPLE TALK ABOUT POLITICS ON TWITTER? ANALYSIS OF EMOTIONAL EXPRESSIONS IN POLITICAL TOPICS ON JAPANESE TWITTER

This study investigated the characteristics of people who promoted political conversations on Japanese Twitter, and found that the way they mentioned political topics seemed to reflect their distrust of the current politics in Japan. Tweets from public accounts that promoted political conversations on the Lower House election day in 2017 were collected, and the nouns in these tweets were extracted. The tweets were then classified into ‘political related tweets’ and the others, based on the topics of the extracted nouns. The statistical analysis of the tweets and their metadata revealed that Twitter users who seem to be influential on political conversations tend to mention political topics with emotional expressions of anger rather than anxiety or positive emotional expressions, while other users tend to mention those topics with anxiety. These patterns seem to reflect the distrust of politics in the public opinion in Japan.
Mapping QTLs for polyphenol oxidase activity in a DH population from common wheat

The polyphenol oxidase ( PPO) is a major factor to cause an undesirable brown discoloration of wheat-based end products during processing or storage. A double haploid (DH) population with 71 lines derived from Zhongyou 9507 with higher PPO activity and CA9632 with lower PPO activity. Field trails were conducted at three locations with two replications. A total of 173 loci included SSR, STS of storage protein and AFLP markers were used to construct a linkage map, covering 2 881 cM of whole genome at 21 linkage groups. With the method of composite interval mapping (CIM), two putative major QTLs were detected on chromosome 2AL and 2DL, accounting for 37.9%－50.0% and 25%－29.1% of the phenotypic variance across three environments, respectively. The QTL on 2AL played a more significant role than the QTL on 2DL. Reduction of PPO activity through genetic improvement and molecular marker assisted selection was also discussed.
How the artificial intelligence tool iSNO-PseAAC is working in predicting the cysteine S-nitrosylation sites in proteins

Step 2. Either type or copy/paste the query protein sequences into the input box shown at the center of Figure 1. The input sequence should be in the FASTA format. A sequence in FASTA format consists of a single initial line beginning with a greater-than symbol (“>”) in the first column, followed by lines of sequence data. The words right after the “>” symbol in the single initial line are optional and only used for the purpose of identification and description. All lines should be no longer than 120 characters and usually do not exceed 80 characters. The sequence ends if another line starting with a “>” appears; this indicates the start of another sequence. Example sequences in FASTA format can be seen by clicking on the Example button right above the input box.
Clinicopathological profile of mediastinal masses in a tertiary care hospital of Eastern India

Introduction: The Mediastinum is the central part of thorax where various organs are located which gives rise to various neoplastic and nonneoplastic lesions.Accurate diagnosis is important to formulate proper therapeutic strategy and predict prognosis. Studies are very few in this part of the country. Objective: To analyse presentation of patients with Meditastinal Mass and to classify according to the location of mass. Also, to document Malignant versus Non-malignant nature oflesions. Methods: Total 33 patients with mediastinal masses diagnosed by Imagingand Histopathological study were taken up consecutively in the study during one year of study. Results: of the 33 cases, 21 were male (63.6%) and 12 were female (36.4%), Male; female ratio being 1.8: 1. Age ranged from 14 years to 72 years maximum of 8 Patients (24.2%) in the 12-20 years of age group. 57% of the masses were malignant and 43% were benign. Most common lesion was Lymphoma in 10 cases (30.3%) followed by8 cases of Thymic tumours (24.2%). Metastatic Carcinoma was found in 6 patients (18.2%) followed by 3 patients of Germ cell tumours.One case each of Neurofibroma, Neurolipoma and 6 are of different less common category. Compartment wise, 9 cases (27.3%) were in Anterior Compartment, 1 (3%) case in Post Compartment, 3 case in superior mediastinum, 6 case in Middle mediastinum. Maximum cases, 14(42.5%) were occupying Multiple Compartments. Most common symptom was cough (72%). Pleural and Pericardial effusions were common complication of malignant lesions contributing 7 out of 19(36%) and 3 out of 19(17%) respectively. Conclusion: Mediastinal masses creates a diagnostic dilemma to the clinician. Uncommon cause of common symptoms like cough and common presentation of pleural or pericardial effusion may have Mediastinal mass behind the screen.
The role of the perilipin proteins in regulating intramuscular lipid metabolism: effect of exercise training

Physical inactivity is associated with dysregulation of intramuscular triglyceride (IMTG) metabolism leading to the accumulation of fatty acid metabolites and insulin resistance. This thesis aims to provide new information concerning the role of a subset of proteins associated with the metabolic regulation of IMTG-containing lipid droplets (LDs), known as the perilipin (PLIN) proteins, predominantly using immunofluorescence microscopy. Chapter 2 demonstrates that PLIN2-containing LDs are preferentially targeted for breakdown during moderate-intensity exercise in lean, sedentary males. Chapter 3 reveals that 6 months of endurance training (ET) in obese type 2 diabetes patients enhances PLIN2 content in type I fibres. Chapter 4 demonstrates that improvements in IMTG metabolism, including increased expression of PLIN2 and PLIN5, occur in response to both ET and sprint interval training (SIT) in lean, sedentary males. In Chapter 5 data is provided to show that RT also improves IMTG metabolism and insulin sensitivity in lean, sedentary males. Chapter 6 documents the effectiveness of a new constant-workload SIT protocol with regards to improving insulin sensitivity in obese individuals. In conclusion, this thesis generates novel data that contributes to our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that govern the relationship between IMTG metabolism and insulin sensitivity.