Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nineteen-year prognosis in Japanese patients with biopsy-proven nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Lean versus overweight patients

Background Many studies have investigated the prognosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, most studies had a relatively short follow-up. To elucidate the long-term outcome of NAFLD, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. Methods We re-evaluated 6080 patients who underwent liver biopsy from 1975 to 2012 and identified NAFLD patients without other etiologies. With follow-up these patients, we evaluated the outcome-associated factors. Results A total of 223 patients were enrolled, 167 (74.9%) was non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The median follow-up was 19.5 (0.5–41.0) years and 4248.3 person-years. The risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hypertension was 11.7 (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.70–15.6) and 7.99 (95% CI 6.09–10.5) times higher, respectively, in NAFLD patients than in the general population. Twenty-three patients died, 22 of whom had NASH. Major causes of death were extrahepatic malignancy and cardiovascular disease (21.7%) followed by liver-related mortality (13.0%). All-cause mortality was significantly higher in NASH patients than in nonalcoholic fatty liver patients (P = 0.041). In multivariate analysis, older age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.09 [95% CI 1.05–1.14], P<0.001) and T2DM (HR 2.87 [95% CI 1.12–7.04], P = 0.021) were significantly associated with all-cause mortality. The factors significantly associated with liver-related events were older age, T2DM, milder hepatic steatosis, and advanced liver fibrosis. Body mass index wasn’t associated with either mortality or liver-related events. Conclusions T2DM was highly prevalent in NAFLD patients and was significantly associated with both all-cause mortality and liver-related events. The lean patients’ prognosis wasn’t necessarily better than that of overweight patients.
Cervical Cancer Screening: Comparison of Conventional Pap Smear Test, Liquid-Based Cytology, and Human Papillomavirus Testing as Stand-alone or Cotesting Strategies

Background: Some countries have implemented stand-alone human papillomavirus (HPV) testing while others consider cotesting for cervical cancer screening. We compared both strategies within a population-based study. Methods: The MARZY cohort study was conducted in Germany. Randomly selected women from population registries aged ≥30 years (n = 5,275) were invited to screening with Pap smear, liquid-based cytology (LBC, ThinPrep), and HPV testing (Hybrid Capture2, HC2). Screen-positive participants [ASC-US+ or high-risk HC2 (hrHC2)] and a random 5% sample of screen-negatives were referred to colposcopy. Post hoc HPV genotyping was conducted by GP5+/6+ PCR-EIA with reverse line blotting. Sensitivity, specificity (adjusted for verification bias), and potential harms, including number of colposcopies needed to detect 1 precancerous lesion (NNC), were calculated. Results: In 2,627 screened women, cytological sensitivities (Pap, LBC: 47%) were lower than HC2 (95%) and PCR (79%) for CIN2+. Cotesting demonstrated higher sensitivities (HC2 cotesting: 99%; PCR cotesting: 84%), but at the cost of lower specificities (92%–95%) compared with HPV stand-alone (HC2: 95%; PCR: 94%) and cytology (97% or 99%). Cotesting versus HPV stand-alone showed equivalent relative sensitivity [HC2: 1.06, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.00–1.21; PCR: 1.07, 95% CI, 1.00–1.27]. Relative specificity of Pap cotesting with either HPV test was inferior to stand-alone HPV. LBC cotesting demonstrated equivalent specificity (both tests: 0.99, 95% CI, 0.99–1.00). NNC was highest for Pap cotesting. Conclusions: Cotesting offers no benefit in detection over stand-alone HPV testing, resulting in more false positive results and colposcopy referrals. Impact: HPV stand-alone screening offers a better balance of benefits and harms than cotesting. See related commentary by Wentzensen and Clarke, p. 432
Pathological and Pharmacological Roles of Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species in Malignant Neoplasms: Therapies Involving Chemical Compounds, Natural Products, and Photosensitizers

Oxidative stress plays an important role in cellular processes. Consequently, oxidative stress also affects etiology, progression, and response to therapeutics in various pathological conditions including malignant tumors. Oxidative stress and associated outcomes are often brought about by excessive generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Accumulation of ROS occurs due to dysregulation of homeostasis in an otherwise strictly controlled physiological condition. In fact, intracellular ROS levels are closely associated with the pathological status and outcome of numerous diseases. Notably, mitochondria are recognized as the critical regulator and primary source of ROS. Damage to mitochondria increases mitochondrial ROS (mROS) production, which leads to an increased level of total intracellular ROS. However, intracellular ROS level may not always reflect mROS levels, as ROS is not only produced by mitochondria but also by other organelles such as endoplasmic reticulum and peroxisomes. Thus, an evaluation of mROS would help us to recognize the biological and pathological characteristics and predictive markers of malignant tumors and develop efficient treatment strategies. In this review, we describe the pathological significance of mROS in malignant neoplasms. In particular, we show the association of mROS-related signaling in the molecular mechanisms of chemically synthesized and natural chemotherapeutic agents and photodynamic therapy.
Increasing rice production through adoption of improved variety in Niger State, Nigeria

The study examined the performance of Faro 44 improved rice variety in increasing rice production in Niger State, Nigeria. To achieve the objectives of the study, 203 farmers were randomly selected from three Local Government Areas in the State. Validated interview schedule with reliability co-efficient of 0.89 was used for collecting data and collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation analysis. The result indicated that the mean age of the respondents was 43 years, with mean farm size of 2.1ha. Finding also revealed that a total 97.54% of the respondents adopted Faro 44 improved rice variety in their farms. The mean yield of the respondents was 6 Tons/ha. , which increased the rice output of more than half (52.22%) of the respondents twice. The mean income was N675, 000.00 ($ 1,824.32); this led to empowerment of the respondents in the areas of attending to family welfare needs (89.66%), re-investment in farming businesses (70.94%) and acquisition of landed properties (50.73%). Challenges of adoption were complexity of some components of improved variety (39.90%) and late delivery of improved seeds (35.47%). The result further showed that respondent’s educational level (r = 0.285), farm size (r = 0.309) and extension contacts (r = 0.236) had significant relationship with adoption of improved rice variety. Thus, it was recommended that extension service providers should provide follow-up information to the farmers to educate them more on the agronomic practices of the improved rice variety. It was also suggested that back-up inputs such as improved seeds should be made available to farmers adequately and on time by relevant stakeholders.J. Bangladesh Agril. Univ. 16(2): 182-186, August 2018
Effects of Probiotic and Antibiotic Supplementation on some Blood Parameters in Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

This study is conducted to determine the normal blood parameter values in bird of Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and the effect of probiotic (Chunchine.Geyao :China) and antibiotic (Tilmicosin phosphate-Tilmivap Jordan) on body weight, hematology and biochemical values in these birds. Forty apparently healthy adults of both sexes Collared dove were selected randomly and assigned into four equal groups (n=10) as A, B, C and D groups. Group A was considered as control group fed on a balanced ration, group B fed with the addition of 1.5 gm probiotic/liter drinking water, group C fed with 0.3ml antibiotic/liter drinking water and group D were fed with 1.5gm probiotic and 0.3 ml antibiotic/liter drinking water respectively during the 35 day of experimental period. The results showed that there is no significant differences in the heterophil, lymphocyte, heterophil/lymphocyte ratio, total serum cholesterol, ALT and in different treated groups. The present findings suggest that supplementation of Probiotic has significant effects on some hematology and biochemical parameters of Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) compared to antibiotic supplementation.
Presence of parasitic structures in lettuces served in self-service restaurants of São Miguel do Oeste, Santa Catarina State, Brazil

Consuming raw food like lettuce may carry protozoa cysts and helminth eggs, causing parasitic infections. Therefore, the parasitological analysis of this type of food it’s important for public health because it provides data on the hygiene conditions in which these vegetables were produced, transported, processed and handled until the ingestion. This study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of parasitic structures in samples of lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ) sold in self-service restaurants in Sao Miguel do Oeste, Santa Catarina State, Brazil. The samples were randomly collected in 20 locations in duplicate, prepared according to the method of Hoffman, Pons, and Janer (1934) and analyzed with an optical light microscopy. The parasitic structures found were Cysts Balantidium coli , Giardia spp. and Entamoeba spp . Ascaris lumbricoides eggs and grubs of Strongyloides stercoralis . These results demonstrate that the lettuce served at most self-service restaurants evaluated is unfit for intake and indicates the need to implement hygienic and educational measures to minimize contamination and ensure the safety of the ingestion of this vegetable.
An introduction to the hydropolitical drivers in the Okavango River basin

The Okavango river basin is one of the last near pristine aquatic ecosystems on the African continent. This ecosystem is extremely complex, with occasional links to the Zambezi River via the Selinda spillway, which backs up in times of high flow in the Cuando/Chobe/Linyanti and floods into the Okavango Delta. There is also a downstream hydraulic connection from the outflow of the Okavango Delta to the Makgadikgadi saltpans, which are also fed via the Nata River from Zimbabwe. The whole Okavango system is endoreic in nature, with the floodwaters of both the Cuito and Cubango rivers that rise in the well-watered Angolan highlands, ‘disappearing’ into the sands of the Kalahari Desert and the ‘thirsty’ atmosphere above the Okavango Delta. The two downstream riparian states on the Okavango system – Namibia and Botswana – are extremely arid countries. In fact, the Kavango (as it is known in Namibia), or the Okavango (as it is known in Botswana), is the only exploitable perennial river that flows through the territories of both these sovereign states. Angola, as the upstream riparian state, is relatively water rich, straddling five transboundary river basins (Cunene, Cuvelai, Okavango, Zaire and Zambezi). Yet, Angola has been debilitated for almost three decades, first by a war of independence, then a civil war that destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure. This created a legacy of starvation with the massive internal displacement of people, while the upper reaches of the Okavango River basin became littered with thousands of landmines and other items of unexploded military ordinance. Finally, given the unique characteristics of the Okavango Delta, which forms part of a large Ramsar site, the whole river system can be regarded as being an ‘internationalised’ basin, with a range of stakeholders that extend beyond the norm for most transboundary rivers in Africa. In short, the Okavango River and its associated terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems pose significant challenges for the modern trend towards the integrated water resource management of the entire basin.
Measurement of the Retinal Arteriolar Response to a Hyperoxic Provocation

The endothelium is a monolayer of cells that lines the inner surface of blood vessels; it plays an important role in local blood flow regulation by secreting vasoactive factors, which modulate vascular tone, in response to various agonists and stimuli. Noninvasive stimulation methods can be used to provoke vessels to react (i.e. constricting or dilating), allowing assessment of endothelial function. Such vascular reactivity can be directly visualised in the retinal circulation. This thesis describes a series of experiments performed to investigate retinal vascular reactivity in a number of different cohorts. This was achieved by measuring the diameter of retinal arterioles, from image sequences obtained using a high-resolution confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (cSLO), before and during oxygen breathing and calculating the change in diameter in response to the hyperoxic stimulus. First we describe the image processing techniques used to register, and subsequently average, the image sequences. This is followed by a description of the vessel tracking and vessel diameter measurement algorithms implemented. In a group of young healthy subjects we investigate whether a reactivity measurement taken from a single, arbitrary measurement site can be considered as representative of the retinal vasculature as a whole. We present results from a group of otherwise healthy smokers, detailing the chronic and acute effects of smoking. The results obtained from healthy older persons are compared to those obtained from the young subjects, to investigate the impact of healthy aging on the magnitude of vasoconstriction. Finally we detail a small clinical study performed to assess the reactivity response in various clinical conditions, such as hypertension, and we discuss the limitations and difficulties of using our experimental protocol and setup in a clinical setting.
Assessment of genotype × trait interaction of rye genotypes for some morphologic traits through GGE biplot methodology

Effective interpretation of the data on breeding programs is important at all stages of plant improvement and the genotype by trait (GT) biplot was used for two-way wheat dataset as genotypes with multiple traits. For this propose, 18 rye genotypes with specific characteristics were evaluated in randomized block design with four replications. The GT biplot for rye dataset explained 61% of the total variation of the standardized data (the first two principal components explained 40 and 21% respectively). The polygon view of GT presented for 11 different traits of rye cultivars showed six vertex cultivars as G1, G3, G6, G8, G11 and G13 whose genotype G8 had the highest values for most of the measured traits. Generally based on vector view, ideal genotype and ideal tester biplots, it was demonstrated that the selection of high seed yield will be performed via seed number per spike, first internode weight, number of spike per area and harvest index. These traits should be considered simultaneously as effective selection criteria evolving high yielding rye cultivars because of their large contribution to seed yield. The genotypes G8 and G7 following to genotypes G3, G18 and G19 could be considered for the developing of desirable progenies in the selection strategy of rye improvement programs.
A report on the sodium levels of salted dry fish in Chennai and recommendations to comply regulation

Regulating the intake of sodium is in need of the hour pertaining to the established health effects of high sodium consumption. Labeled food products from organized food sectors provide information on sodium levels, while in unorganized sector the sodium content of some of the heavily salted food products such as dry fish goes unnoticed. This report is presented based on the studies from 12 commercial dry fish samples collected form Chennai, one of the major sea food export coastal region of India. The samples were tested for NaCl, sodium and moisture content. The NaCl content was found to be well above 15% in 7 samples, between 10-15% in 2 samples and below 10% in 3 samples. Consequently 9 samples had sodium content above 2000 mG/100G and it was evident that NaCl content of more than half the samples was not in compliance with the FSSAI regulations of 10-15% NaCl content by weight of salted dry fish. This situation poses a serious threat to health and calls for the awareness of the local manufacturers on the level of salting in processed dry fish. Attending to this need an experiment was conducted by processing anchovies (Stolephorus spp.) with 1-8% salt w/w of fresh fish and it was found that 3-5% of salting would to be sufficient to meet the FSSAI regulations.
Bio-methanation tests and mathematical modelling to assess the role of moisture content on anaerobic digestion of organic waste

Dry Anaerobic Digestion (AD) presents different advantages if compared to wet AD, i.e. smaller reactor size, lesser water addition, digestate production and pretreatment needed, although several studies have demonstrated that water promotes substrate hydrolysis and enables the transfer of process intermediates and nutrients to bacterial sites. To better understand the role of water on AD, dry and semidry digestion tests of selected complex organic substrates (food waste, rice straw, carrot waste), with various TS contents of the treated biomass have been carried out in the present study. The results confirm that water plays an essential role on the specific methane production rate, final methane yield and Volatile Solids (VS) degradation. The final methane yield in semi-dry and dry conditions was 51% and 59% lower for rice straw and 4% and 41% lower for food waste, respectively, if compared with wet conditions. Inhibition tests, based on Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) analysis, were carried out to investigate the specific inhibition processes that take place with the selected substrates at different TS contents. In wet AD of carrot waste no VFA accumulation was found, and all VFA concentrations were lower than the inhibition limits. A direct correlation between TS content and total VFA (TVFA) concentration was noticed for rice straw and food waste AD. For rice straw a maximum TVFA concentration of 2.1 g/kg was found in dry condition, 1 g/kg in semidry conditions and 0.2 g/kg in wet conditions, whereas for food waste the TVFA concentration was 10 g/kg in dry condition, 9 g/kg in semidry conditions and 3 g/kg in wet conditions. A Mathematical model of complex organic substrate AD in dry and semidry conditions has been proposed to simulate the effect of TS content on the process. The data obtained from batch experiments, in terms of methane production and VFA concentrations, were used to calibrate the proposed model. The kinetic parameters of VFA production and degradation, calibrated using the experimental data, resulted highly dependent on the TS content and different from wet AD literature values. This is due to VFA accumulation in dry conditions, which implies higher values of the inhibition factors introduced in the model. Finally, as dry AD takes usually place in Plug Flow (PF) reactors, an historical and critical review on the role of hydrodynamics in PF bioreactors has been carried out
Positive and negative regulation of seed germination by the Arabidopsis GA hormone receptors, GID1a, b, and c

Abstract Epistasis analysis of gid1 single and double mutants revealed that GID1c is a key positive regulator of seed germination, whereas the GID1b receptor can negatively regulate germination in dormant seeds and in the dark. The GID1 GA receptors were expected to positively regulate germination because the plant hormone gibberellin (GA) is required for seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana. The three GA hormone receptors, GID1a, GID1b, and GID1c, positively regulate GA responses via GA/GID1‐stimulated destruction of DELLA (Asp‐Glu‐Leu‐Leu‐Ala) repressors of GA responses. The fact that the gid1abc triple mutant but not gid1 double mutants fail to germinate indicates that all three GA receptors can positively regulate non‐dormant seed germination in the light. It was known that the gid1abc triple mutant fails to lose dormancy through the dormancy breaking treatments of cold stratification (moist chilling of seeds) and dry after‐ripening (a period of dry storage). Previous work suggested that there may be some specialization of GID1 gene function during germination because GID1b mRNA expression was more highly induced by after‐ripening, whereas GID1a and GID1c mRNA levels were more highly induced by cold stratification. In light‐germinated dormant seeds, the gid1b mutation can partly rescue the germination efficiency of gid1a but not of gid1c seeds. Thus, GID1b can function as an upstream negative regulator GID1c, a positive regulator of dormant seed germination. Further experiments showed that GID1b can negatively regulate dark germination. Wild‐type Arabidopsis seeds do not germinate well in the dark. The gid1b and gid1ab double mutants germinated much more efficiently than wild type, gid1c, or gid1ac mutants in the dark. The observation that the gid1ab double mutant also shows increased dark germination suggests that GID1b, and to some extent GID1a, can act as upstream negative regulators of GID1c. Since the gid1abc triple mutant failed to germinate in the dark, it appears that GID1c is a key downstream positive regulator of dark germination. This genetic analysis indicates that the three GID1 receptors have partially specialized functions in GA signaling.
Native parasitic nest fly impacts reproductive success of an island‐endemic host

Parasitic nest flies Philornis spp. are a driving force threatening the extinction of bird species endemic to Neotropical islands such as the Galápagos, where introduced Philornis downsi negatively impacts reproductive success of naïve avian hosts. Elsewhere in the Neotropics, such as in the Caribbean region where Philornis nest flies are native, effects of Philornis on host productivity are poorly known. We manipulated parasitism by the native Hispaniolan nest fly Philornis pici on a critically endangered endemic host, Ridgway's hawk Buteo ridgwayi, to study the impact of nest fly myiasis on hawk breeding success with the goal of providing a management option for endangered species until broad‐scale solutions can be found. Our treatment protocol was enough to reduce P. pici abundance by 89% and increase probability of fledging by 179% for treated nestlings. Our results indicate that parasitism by nest flies decreases survival and fledging success of nestling Ridgway's hawks and is a possible factor in the decline of the species. To the best of our knowledge, this work represents the first quantitative evidence of nest fly impact on survival or productivity in a non‐passerine host.