Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estrogenic and Hypocholesterolemic Effects of Aqueous Extract of Nicotiana tabacum (Tobacco) on the Micro-Anatomical Architecture of the Testis in Male Albino Wistar Rats

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of aqueous extract of Nicotiana tabacum on the testicular function and micro-architectural integrity in male Albino Wistar rats in relation to the serum concentrations of estradiol, cholesterol, testis and body weights. Study Design: The experiment was carried out on Albino Wistar Rats. Methodology: A total of 18 male Albino Wistar rats aged 8 to 10 weeks and weighing 140 to 220 g was used. Aqueous extract of N. tabacum at the doses of 20 and 30 mg/kg body weight were orally administered to groups B and C, respectively while 0.5 ml of distilled water was administered to group A (Control) for 28days. Serum concentration of estradiol (E2) and total cholesterol were estimated using the microplate enzyme Original Research Article British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 4(15): 2194-2205, 2014 2195 immunoassay and enzymatic end point methods, respectively. The SPSS software (version 20) was used for the statistical analysis and the result expressed in mean ± SEM. Result: The result showed significant increase in serum estradiol concentration (from 2.50±0.43 pg/ml in the control group to 9.33±1.87 pg/ml in the treated groups), significant decrease in serum total cholesterol concentration (from 1.92±0.04 mmol/l in the control group to 1.22±0.08 mmol/l in the treated groups) and body weight (p≤0.05), and insignificant increase in the weight of the testes (p≥0.05). Testicular microscopy showed decreased spermatogenesis, atrophic interstitial space and moderate hypertrophy of the seminiferous tubules. Conclusion: Therefore, N. tabacum could be considered a potential endocrine disruptor which can affect the micro-anatomical architecture and function of the testis.
Trophic Linkages in the Lower Colorado River: Multiple Stable Isotope Evidence

Trophic linkages in Glen and Grand Canyons of the lower Colorado River downstream from Glen Canyon Dam were examined using multiple stable isotope analysis. The δ 13C values of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), and the δ 13C, δ 15N, and δ 34S values of seston, aquatic and terrestrial plants, and aquatic animals were determined. The δ 13C value of DIC varied among sites. DIC from the epilimnion of the reservoir (Lake Powell) and from a tributary was more 13C-enriched than DIC in the Colorado River, probably as a result of variation in aquatic primary production and dissolution of carbonate among sites. Four potential bases of aquatic secondary production: upland vegetation, riparian vegetation, reservoir plankton, and benthic algae were isotopically (δ 13C and δ 15N) distinct from each other. Analysis of δ 13C, δ 15N, and δ 34S showed that seston from the dam tailwater (Glen Canyon) consisted of lotic algae and zooplankton from Lake Powell, except for the ultra fine fraction (<0.053 mm) which was derived from Lake Powell particulate organic matter. Longitudinal variation in the composition of Glen Canyon seston was generally small. Seston from a tributary (the Paria River) was derived from a mixture of upland and riparian vegetation and was isotopically distinct from Colorado River seston. Isotope analysis revealed three trophic levels in Glen Canyon: algae (Cladophora glomerata and diatoms), macroinvertebrates (e.g., Gammarus lacustris and chironomids), and fish (primarily rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss). Trout also consumed zooplankton exported from Lake Powell. Direct assimilation of algal N by trout was not indicated despite the high incidence of algae in trout stomachs. Isotope values of fishes (trout and speckled dace, Rhinichthys osculus) from Grand Canyon tributaries reflected variation in the trophic basis of fish production; one tributary fish population appeared to be supported by tributary autochthonous production or mainstem organic matter sources, and others were linked to riparian or upland organic matter inputs.
Diet of Striped Bass in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (Canada) with Emphasis on the Spring Spawning Aggregation

Abstract The southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL) population of Morone saxatilis (Striped Bass) increased over 50 fold between the mid-1990s and 2013–2015, which led to interest in how their feeding might affect populations of commercially and recreation-ally important species. Information on the feeding habits of Striped Bass in all Canadian waters is scarce; therefore, a large number (n = 2220) of sGSL Striped Bass (19–86 cm fork length [FL]) stomachs were collected seasonally (2013–2015) in the Miramichi Estuary (where almost the entire population of individuals >30 cm FL aggregates during spring) and smaller estuaries that empty into the sGSL (summer only), by means of trap nets and by angling. Striped Bass collected during May–early June fed almost exclusively upon Osmerus mordax (Rainbow Smelt) but also consumed a few juvenile Salmo salar (Atlantic Salmon). Striped Bass collected in trap nets during 5–30 June mainly ate a mix of Alosa pseudoharengus (Alewife) and A. aestivalis (Blueback Herring); those collected by angling consumed aquatic insects and Crangon septemspinosa (Sevenspine Bay Shrimp). Striped Bass collected during July–September (30–45 cm FL) ate C. septemspinosa, Palaemon vulgaris (Common Grass Shrimp), and small estuarine fishes. The autumn sample was too small to be considered representative of the population; nevertheless, these fish (32–73 cm FL) ate juveniles of Microgadus tomcod (Atlantic Tomcod), Urophycis tenuis (White Hake), and Gadus ogac (Greenland Cod). The data collected herein would permit reasonable estimates of prey consumed by the sGSL Striped Bass population during spring and, for fish <45 cm total length, during summer, but estimation of annual prey consumption by the sGSL Striped Bass population requires additional data.
Effectiveness of second mating in sperm-depleted females in the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Abstract Conspecific males often disturb copulating mites, thus interrupting the mating and a subsequent mating may occur. However, in natural populations of Tetranychus urticae, virgin or sperm-depleted females exist (3.2% of the females in a population) and a second mating may occur when these females are placed with males of unknown age. How does multiple mating benefit the fitness of T. urticae females? To answer this question and to establish the success of re-mating, we investigated the effects of mating interruption at various time intervals after the start on the validity of fertilization. Female offspring ratios were significantly lower if mating was interrupted at 30, 60 or 90 s, compared with complete (undisturbed) mating. Females accepted the second mating if they could not obtain sufficient sperm from the first mating owing to interruption. The success of the second mating and priority of the second male's sperm depended on how soon the interruption of the first mating occurred. Proportion of females produced female offspring of the second males when mated at 6 days after the first mating was fewer than those when mated just after the first mating. To know the effect of males of unknown age, of which some were assumed to be sperm-depleted, we used them as the first mating partner and then used virgin males as the second mating partner. Three females (6.4%, n = 47) who mated with males of unknown age at the first mating, produced female offspring of the second males, but no females produced female offspring of the second males when mated with virgin males at the first mating. These findings indicate that sperm depletion, caused by mating interruption or paternal age in the first mating, might indeed affect the fertilizing ability.
The complete mitochondrial genome of the storage mite pest Tyrophagus fanetzhangorum (Acari: Acaridae)

Abstract Mitochondrial (mt) genomes of astigmatid mites typically contain 37 genes for 13 proteins, two ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes and 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes. However, two Tyrophagus mites (Tyrophagus putrescentiae and T. longior) were reported as having lost three tRNAs in their mt genomes. In this study, we sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of Tyrophagus fanetzhangorum (14,257 bp) and found typical set of mt tRNA genes (22 tRNAs). The gene arrangement of T. fanetzhangorum is consistent with the pattern of possible common ancestor of astigmatid mites. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted using Maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI) methods. Phylogenetic analysis shows that T. fanetzhangorum is more closely related to T. putrescentiae than to T. longior within the genus Tyrophagus.
Risk of complicated birth at term in nulliparous and multiparous women using routinely collected maternity data in England: cohort study

Abstract Objectives To determine the rate of complicated birth at term in women classified at low risk according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline for intrapartum care (no pre-existing medical conditions, important obstetric history, or complications during pregnancy) and to assess if the risk classification can be improved by considering parity and the number of risk factors. Design Cohort study using linked electronic maternity records. Participants 276 766 women with a singleton birth at term after a trial of labour in 87 NHS hospital trusts in England between April 2015 and March 2016. Main outcome measure A composite outcome of complicated birth, defined as a birth with use of an instrument, caesarean delivery, anal sphincter injury, postpartum haemorrhage, or Apgar score of 7 or less at five minutes. Results Multiparous women without a history of caesarean section had the lowest rates of complicated birth, varying from 8.8% (4879 of 55 426 women, 95% confidence interval 8.6% to 9.0%) in those without specific risk factors to 21.8% (613 of 2811 women, 20.2% to 23.4%) in those with three or more. The rate of complicated birth was higher in nulliparous women, with corresponding rates varying from 43.4% (25 805 of 59 413 women, 43.0% to 43.8%) to 64.3% (364 of 566 women, 60.3% to 68.3%); and highest in multiparous women with previous caesarean section, with corresponding rates varying from 42.9% (3426 of 7993 women, 41.8% to 44.0%) to 66.3% (554 of 836 women, 63.0% to 69.5%). Conclusions Nulliparous women without risk factors have substantially higher rates of complicated birth than multiparous women without a previous caesarean section even if the latter have multiple risk factors. Grouping women first according to parity and previous mode of birth, and then within these groups according to presence of specific risk factors would provide greater and more informed choice to women, better targeting of interventions, and fewer transfers during labour than according to the presence of risk factors alone.
Relative Kidney Size in Nonpasserine Birds with Functional Salt Glands

The problem of attaining sufficient water to meet their physiological requirements has been solved by some birds through the evolution of salt glands, which can eliminate ingested sodium chloride with little water loss. Species possessing functional salt glands have, then, two routes of sodium chloride excretion, the renal and the extrarenal routes. The size of the salt glands is determined by the salinity of the drinking water to which the bird is exposed (Schildmacher 1932; Holmes et al. 1961), but a similar study of the possible influence of salinity on ki’ dney size has not been reported. Such an interrelationship might be anticipated from the conclusions of Benoit (1950) who found that avian kidney weight was larger in those species living near water or marshes, although Johnson ( 1968) was unable to substantiate this correlation. The present paper is an analysis of kidney size as a function of body weight in birds possessing active salt glands, in an attempt to evaluate the effect of an accessory osmoregulatory site on kidney size.
Endocannabinoid Signaling Contributes to Experience-Induced Increase of Synaptic Release Sites From Parvalbumin Interneurons in Mouse Visual Cortex

During postnatal development of the visual cortex between eye-opening to puberty, visual experience promotes a gradual increase in the strength of inhibitory synaptic connections from parvalbumin-positive interneurons (PV-INs) onto layer 2/3 pyramidal cells. However, the detailed connectivity properties and molecular mechanisms underlying these developmental changes are not well understood. Using dual-patch clamp in brain slices from G42 mice, we revealed that both connection probability and the number of synaptic release sites contributed to the enhancement of synaptic strength. The increase of release site number was hindered by dark rearing from eye-opening and rescued by 3-days re-exposure to the normal visual environment. The effect of light re-exposure on restoring synaptic release sites in dark reared mice was mimicked by the agonist of cannabinoid-1 (CB1) receptors and blocked by an antagonist of these receptors, suggesting a role for endocannabinoid signaling in light-induced maturation of inhibitory connectivity from PV-INs to pyramidal cells during postnatal development.
Chinese Medicinal Herbs Targeting the Gut–Liver Axis and Adipose Tissue–Liver Axis for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Treatments: The Ancient Wisdom and Modern Science

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases worldwide. The pathogenesis of NAFLD is complex. Frontline western medicines only ameliorate the symptoms of NAFLD. On the contrary, the uniqueness of Chinese medicine in its interpretation of NAFLD and the holistic therapeutic approach lead to a promising therapeutic efficacy. Recent studies reveal that the gut–liver axis and adipose tissue–liver axis play important roles in the development of NAFLD. Interestingly, with advanced technology, many herbal formulae are found to target the gut–liver axis and adipose tissue–liver axis and resolve the inflammation in NAFLD. This is the first review summarizes the current findings on the Chinese herbal formulae that target the two axes in NAFLD treatment. This review not only demonstrates how the ancient wisdom of Chinese medicine is being interpreted by modern pharmacological studies, but also provides valuable information for the further development of the herbal-based treatment for NAFLD.
Contribution of Depolarization and Repolarization Changes to J-Wave Generation and Ventricular Fibrillation in Ischemia

Background: Activation delay in ischemic myocardium has been found to contribute to J-wave appearance and to predict ventricular fibrillation (VF) in experimental myocardial infarction. However, the role of ischemia-related repolarization abnormalities in J-wave generation remains unclear. Objectives: The objective of our study was to assess a contribution of myocardial repolarization changes to J-wave generation in the body surface ECG and VF in a porcine acute myocardial infarction model. Methods: In 22 anesthetized pigs, myocardial ischemia was induced by occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD, n = 14) and right coronary artery (RCA, n = 8). Body surface ECGs were recorded simultaneously with intramyocardial unipolar electrograms led from flexible electrodes positioned across the left ventricular (LV) wall, interventricular septum (IVS), and right ventricular (RV) wall at apical, middle and basal levels of the ventricles (a total of 48 leads). Local activation times (ATs) and activation-repolarization intervals (ARIs, differences between dV/dt maximum during T-wave and dV/dt minimum during QRS) were measured. Results: J-waves appeared in left precordial leads (in 11 out of 14 animals with LAD occlusion) and right precordial leads (in six out of eight animals with RCA occlusion). During ischemic exposure, ATs prolonged, and the activation delay was associated with J-wave development (OR = 1.108 95% CI 1.072–1.144; p < 0.001) and VF incidence (OR = 1.039 95% CI 1.008–1.072; p = 0.015). ARIs shortened in the ischemic regions (in the IVS under LAD-occlusion and the lateral RV base under RCA-occlusion). The difference between maximal ARI in normal zones and ARI in the ischemic zones (ΔARI) was associated with J-wave appearance (OR = 1.025 95% CI 1.016–1.033, p < 0.001) independently of AT delay in multivariate logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: Both AT delay and increase of ΔARIs contributed to the development of J-wave in body surface ECG. However, only AT delay was associated with VF occurrence.
GABAA Receptor-Mediated Epileptogenicity in Focal Cortical Dysplasia (FCD) Depends on Age at Epilepsy Onset

Enhanced spontaneous GABAA receptor activity is associated with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), a developmental malformation of the cerebral cortex. Clinical manifestations in FCD vary with age at epilepsy onset with a more favorable prognosis in patients with late-onset (LO) compared to that in cases with early-onset (EO). This study was designed to test the hypothesis in FCD that spontaneous GABAA receptor-mediated epileptogenicity depends on the age at epilepsy onset and varies between patients with early and late-onset age in FCD. To this end, brain specimens were obtained from the maximal spiking region (MAX) and minimal spiking region (MIN) of the epileptic foci of EO (n = 14, mean age = 10.6 ± 2.9 years) and LO (n = 10, mean age = 27 ± 5.6 years) patients undergoing electrocorticography (ECoG) guided surgery. The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used to record spontaneous GABAergic currents from normal-looking pyramidal neurons in slice preparations of resected brain samples. We detected higher frequency and amplitude of GABAergic events in MAX samples compared to MIN samples of LO patients, while they were comparable in MIN and MAX samples of EO patients. Further GABAergic activity in the MIN and MAX samples of EO patients was higher than the MIN samples of LO patients. This suggests that in LO patients, GABAA receptor-mediated epileptogenicity is confined only to the high spiking areas, but in EO patients, it affects low spiking regions as well.
Description of a New Species of Bufo from Northern Peru with Comments on Phenetic Groups of South American Toads (Anura: Bufonidae)

A new species of arboreal toad, Bufo arborescandens, is from the forested slopes of the Cordillera Central in northern Peru. It lacks cranial crests, tympana, and tarsal folds; an adult male has a cluster of keratinous spines on the thumb. This small toad is placed in the Bufo veraguensis group, for which a key to the species and summary of distributions are provided. Of the 51 species of Bufo recognized in South America, 45 are allocated to eight phenetically defined groups.
Exploring the Benefits of Doll Play Through Neuroscience

It has long been hypothesized that pretend play is beneficial to social and cognitive development. However, there is little evidence regarding the neural regions that are active while children engage in pretend play. We examined the activation of prefrontal and posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) regions using near-infrared spectroscopy while 42 4- to 8-year-old children freely played with dolls or tablet games with a social partner or by themselves. Social play activated right prefrontal regions more than solo play. Children engaged the pSTS during solo doll play but not during solo tablet play, suggesting they were rehearsing social cognitive skills more with dolls. These findings suggest social play utilizes multiple neural regions and highlight how doll play can achieve similar patterns of activation, even when children play by themselves. Doll play may provide a unique opportunity for children to practice social interactions important for developing social-emotional skills, such as empathy.
Staphylococcus aureus Protein A Induces Human Regulatory T Cells Through Interaction With Antigen-Presenting Cells

Despite continuous exposure and development of specific immunity, Staphylococcus aureus (Sa) remains one of the leading causes of severe infections worldwide. Although innate immune defense mechanisms are well understood, the role of the T cell response has not been fully elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that Sa and one of its major virulence factors protein A (SpA) induce human regulatory T cells (Tregs), key players in immune tolerance. In human PBMC and MoDC/T cell cocultures CD4+CD25+CD127dim Tregs were induced upon stimulation with Sa and to a lower extent with SpA alone. Treg induction was strongly, but not exclusively, dependent on SpA, and independent of antigen presentation or T cell epitope recognition. Lastly, soluble factors in the supernatant of SpA-stimulated MoDC were sufficient to trigger Treg formation, while supernatants of MoDC/T cell cocultures containing Sa-triggered Tregs displayed T cell suppressive activity. In summary, our findings identify a new immunosuppressory function of SpA, which leads to release of soluble, Treg-inducing factors and might be relevant to establish colonization.
Polychaete distribution on the southwestern Atlantic continental shelf

ABSTRACT Diversity and distribution of polychaetes on the southeastern Brazilian Shelf (SBS) adjacent to the city of Santos were studied. The study area is situated in the vicinity of Santos Bay with its estuarine complex and other small rivers along the coast. A total of 16,274 specimens belonging to 214 polychaete species were found at 21 sampling stations during two different periods. Two communities occur along the shelf and were related firstly to sediment characteristics. Prionospio dayi (Spionidae) was dominant in the inner shelf community that was characterized by well-sorted, very fine sand. The outer shelf community was found in muddy sediments with high organic matter content and was dominated by subsurface deposit feeders, like Petersenaspis capillata (Sternaspidae) and Leitoscoloplos kerguelensis (Orbiniidae), and by large carnivores such as Aglaophamus sp. (Nephtyidae) and Sigambra sp. (Pilargidae). A transition zone of mixed sediments presenting high diversity and richness was found between these communities. The characteristics of bottom water and food quality in the sediment were important to divide the inner shelf into two sub-areas. Nearshore sampling stations (A group) were more influenced by freshwater input, mainly during summer. This influence is not conspicuous at stations close to 30 m depth (B group). However the effect of South Atlantic Central Water mass (SACW) intrusion on the benthic system was observed on the inner shelf – B group during the summer. The summer intrusion of SACW onto the inner shelf may explain the higher quality of organic matter that resulted in an increase in polychaete abundance and richness.