Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Urogenital Schistosomiasis among Primary School Children in Rural Communities in Obudu, Southern Nigeria

Background: Schistosomiasis is a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) that constitutes a public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Nigeria. There is need for updated information on the extent of the disease burden at community level to facilitate effective prioritization and monitoring of the disease. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among school-aged children in Obudu Local Government Area (LGA), one of the 18 LGAs in Cross River State, Southern Nigeria. Seven schools from seven communities were randomly selected for this study. A total of 1,113 urine samples obtained from school-aged children were screened for Schistosoma haematobium (S. haematobium) eggs using standard parasitological method of diagnosis. Proteinuria and hematuria were evaluated using reagent test strips. Results: In this study, 153 (13.7%) children were infected with S. haematobium. More males (86 or 14.7%) were infected than females (67 or 12.7%); the differences were not statistically significant. The overall geometric mean intensity of infection was 13.3 eggs/10ml of urine. Females (13.69 eggs/10ml of urine) had the highest intensity of infection than males (12.91eggs/10ml of urine). Prevalence of hematuria was 152 (13.7%) (95% C.I. = 10.649 – 18.751%) while the prevalence of proteinuria was 172 (15.5%) (95% C.I. = 5.162 – 38.712%). Prevalence of infection significantly (p<0.001) varied among the schools from 7.8% to 28.9%. Children aged 5-9 years old had the highest prevalence of infection 46 (17.1%). The prevalence of urogenital schistosomiasis was 28.9%, 20.5% and 13.2%, respectively, among Betukwel, Ibong, and Ohong communities. Conclusion and Global Health Implications: Urinary schistosomiasis is still endemic in Obudu, Southern Nigeria but with decreased prevalence. Public health mitigation efforts such as mass chemotherapy, provision of safe water supply and sanitation facilities are recommended. Furthermore, health education should be encouraged within schools and communities.
Binder/support effects on the activity and selectivity of iron catalysts in the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis

This paper reports on the influence of silica and alumina binders (supports) on the activity and product selectivity of precipitated iron catalyst for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) that was studied in a fixed bed reactor at 1.5-3.0 MPa and 220-250{degrees} C, using synthesis gas with H{sub 2}/CO = 1 M feed ratio. Both the FTS and the water gas shift activity decreased with increasing support content. The catalyst deactivation rate decreased with catalysts containing 24 and 100 g of SiO{sub 2} per 100 g of Fe. Secondary reaction (olefin hydrogenation and isomerization) increased with increasing silica content. Hydrocarbon selectivities improved (less gaseous hydrocarbons) with the addition of support, except for the catalyst containing 24 SiO{sub 2}/100Fe. The results were interpreted in terms of interactions between potassium and/or iron with supports.
Steady‐state distribution of water in cellulose acetate membrane

The effect of hydrostatic pressure applied to a solution on one side of a membrane on the steady-state concentration distribution of permeating solvent inside the membrane has been examined with a view to distinguishing between different mechanisms of permeation in reverse osmosis. The concentration gradients found experimentally in stacks of cellulose acetate films support the view that permeation takes place by diffusion in a nonporous membrane.
Enhancing nutrient use efficiency of maize (Zea mays L.) from mixing urea with zeolite and peat soil water

The use of urea as N fertilizer has increased globally but lack of efficiency due to loss through ammonia volatilization has become a subject of considerable recent attention. In line with this, a pot experiment was conducted to determine the effect of mixing urea with zeolite and peat soil water on: (1) uptake and use efficiency of N, P and K in maize cultivation, and (2) soil exchangeable ammonium, available nitrate, pH, exchangeable K, and available P contents. The treatments evaluated were: No fertilizer (T0), 2.02 g urea (T1), 2.02 g urea + 30 g zeolite + 7 L peat soil water (T2), 2.02 g urea + 40 g zeolite + 7 L peat soil water (T3), and 2.02 g urea + 7 L peat soil water (T4). The fertilizers of TSP and MOP were applied twice that is 10 and 28 days after planting for all the treatments except T0. The application of peat soil water, and zeolite with urea had significant effect on dry matter, N, P, K uptake and N, P, K use efficiency compared with urea without additives. The soil exchangeable ammonium, K, Ca, Mg, available P, and nitrate contents were significantly increased compared with urea without additives. Formation of ammonium and nitrate over ammonia were reflected by the mixtures of peat soil water, and zeolite, with urea. Amending urea with zeolite and peat soil water can reduce ammonia loss by encouraging formation of ammonium and nitrate over ammonia. In addition, the mixtures ensure N, P, K uptake and their use efficiency while at the same time rendering soil ammonium, K, Ca, Mg, P, and nitrate available for plant use.
Human papillomavirus infection status of single cells isolated from cervical cytology specimens by simple manual microdissection

Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing with cytology triage for cervical cancer screening has proven to be useful. It is considered that a significant percentage of HPV‐positive women followed by reflex cytology have had multiple‐type HPV infections rather than single‐type infections. However, the effects of multiple‐type infections on changes in the cytomorphology of exfoliated cervical cells have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to validate simple manual microdissection (MMD) maneuver and investigate the HPV infection status of single cells isolated from Papanicolaou (Pap) smears prepared from women with multiple‐type infections. Using cytology samples from 90 patients with abnormal Pap smear results, we evaluated the efficiency of the MMD procedure and determined the HPV infection status of single squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) cells microdissected from patients with multiple‐type infection. When validating the MMD procedure, the HPV‐positive rate was 81.5% using 119 MMD samples from the Pap smear in 61 cases with single‐type infection. This MMD procedure was able to efficiently collect single cells. Of 119 MMD samples from 29 cases with multiple‐type infection, the HPV‐positive rate was 42.9%, and most (96.1%) MMD samples exhibited only one genotype. Our MMD maneuver successfully identified HPV genotypes using single cells isolated from cytology specimens. A majority of single SIL cells prepared from multiple‐type infection cases turned out to contain only one genotype. In the future, the MMD method could be applied while studying the relationship between the morphological changes exhibited by SIL cells on Pap smear and the infected HPV genotype.
Physical Activity and Psychosocial Factors Associated With Risk of Future Fractures in Middle‐Aged Men and Women

Identification of risk factors for fractures is important for improving public health. We aimed to identify which factors related to physical activity and psychosocial situation were associated with incident fractures among 30,446 middle‐aged women and men, followed from 1991–1996 to 2016, in a prospective population‐based cohort study. The association between the baseline variables and first incident fracture was assessed by Cox regression models, and significant risk factors were summed into fracture risk scores. Any first incident fracture affecting spine, thoracic cage, arms, shoulders, hands, pelvis, hips, or legs was obtained from the National Patient Register, using the unique personal identity number of each citizen. A total of 8240 subjects (27%) had at least one fracture during the follow‐up of median 20.7 years. Age, female sex, body mass index, previous fracture, reported family history of fracture >50 years (all p < .001), low leisure‐time physical activity (p = .018), heavy work (p = .024), living alone (p = .002), smoking (p < .001), and no or high alcohol consumption (p = .005) were factors independently associated with incident fracture. The fracture risk score (0–9 points) was strongly associated with incident fracture (p for trend <.001). Among men without risk factors, the incidence rate was 5.3/1000 person‐years compared with 23.2 in men with six or more risk factors (hazard ratio [HR] = 5.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.7–8.2). Among women with no risk factors, the incidence rate was 10.7 compared with 28.4 in women with six or more risk factors (HR = 3.1; 95% CI 2.4–4.0). Even moderate levels of leisure‐time physical activity in middle age are associated with lower risk of future fractures. In contrast, heavy work, living alone, smoking, and no or high alcohol consumption increase the risk of fracture. Our results emphasize the importance of these factors in public health initiatives for fracture prevention. © 2021 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Novel Photocatalyst: Titania-Coated Magnetite. Activity and Photodissolution

Magnetic photocatalysts were synthesized by coating titanium dioxide particles onto colloidal magnetite and nano-magnetite particles. The photoactivity of the prepared coated particles was lower than that of single-phase TiO2 and was found to decrease with an increase in the heat treatment. These observations were explained in terms of an unfavorable heterojunction between the titanium dioxide and the iron oxide core, leading to an increase in electron−hole recombination. Interactions between the iron oxide core and the titanium dioxide matrix upon heat treatment were also seen as a possible cause of the observed low activities of these samples. Other issues considered include the physical and chemical characteristics of the samples, such as surface area and the presence of surface hydroxyl groups. Depending on the calcination conditions, these photocatalysts were found to suffer from varying degrees of photodissolution. Photodissolution tests revealed the greater the extent of the heat treatment, the low.
Thyroid Disease Is Associated with Higher Age-Related Macular Degeneration Risk: Results from a Meta-Analysis of Epidemiologic Studies

Background: Although epidemiologic studies have suggested that thyroid disease may be a risk factor for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), this finding is still controversial. Objectives: The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate whether an association exists between thyroid disease and medication and AMD in epidemiologic studies. Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar from their inception to March 2020 for cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies that assessed thyroid function and AMD risk. Data from selected studies were extracted, and a meta-analysis was performed using fixed-effects or random-effects models. The statistical heterogeneity (I2) among studies and the possibility of publication bias were evaluated. If I2 >50%, a significant heterogeneity existed among studies, and a random-effects model was used to calculate the pooled RR. Otherwise, a fixed-effects model was performed. Results: A total of 13 epidemiologic studies that consisted of 7 thyroid disease and 7 thyroid medication studies were included. Statistically significant heterogeneity was observed in the study results (I2thyroid disease = 80.1%; I2thyroid medication = 69.0%). A significant positive association was found between thyroid disease and AMD, with an overall relative risk (RR) of 1.25 (95% CI: 1.02, 1.54). However, there was no statistical association between thyroid medication and AMD risk (pooled RR 1.26 [95% CI: 0.92–1.72]). Egger’s test indicated that there was no significant publication bias for thyroid disease (p = 0.889) or thyroid medication (p = 0.226). Conclusions: Our findings indicate that thyroid disease is associated with higher AMD risk. Thyroid disease prevention strategies may have a significant effect on the prevention of AMD and warrant further evaluation.
Interferon Regulatory Factor 3 Supports the Establishment of Chronic Gammaherpesvirus Infection in a Route- and Dose-Dependent Manner

Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) is a critical component of the innate immune response, in part due to its transactivation of beta interferon (IFN-β) expression. Similar to that observed in all acute virus infections examined to date, IRF-3 suppresses lytic viral replication during acute gammaherpesvirus infection. ABSTRACT Gammaherpesviruses are ubiquitous pathogens that establish lifelong infections and are associated with several malignancies, including B cell lymphomas. Uniquely, these viruses manipulate B cell differentiation to establish long-term latency in memory B cells. This study focuses on the interaction between gammaherpesviruses and interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3), a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor with multiple direct target genes, including beta interferon (IFN-β), a type I IFN. IRF-3 attenuates acute replication of a plethora of viruses, including gammaherpesvirus. Furthermore, IRF-3-driven IFN-β expression is antagonized by the conserved gammaherpesvirus protein kinase during lytic virus replication in vitro. In this study, we have uncovered an unexpected proviral role of IRF-3 during chronic gammaherpesvirus infection. In contrast to the antiviral activity of IRF-3 during acute infection, IRF-3 facilitated establishment of latent gammaherpesvirus infection in B cells, particularly, germinal center and activated B cells, the cell types critical for both natural infection and viral lymphomagenesis. This proviral role of IRF-3 was further modified by the route of infection and viral dose. Furthermore, using a combination of viral and host genetics, we show that IRF-3 deficiency does not rescue attenuated chronic infection of a protein kinase null gammaherpesvirus mutant, highlighting the multifunctional nature of the conserved gammaherpesvirus protein kinases in vivo. In summary, this study unveils an unexpected proviral nature of the classical innate immune factor, IRF-3, during chronic virus infection. IMPORTANCE Interferon regulatory factor 3 (IRF-3) is a critical component of the innate immune response, in part due to its transactivation of beta interferon (IFN-β) expression. Similar to that observed in all acute virus infections examined to date, IRF-3 suppresses lytic viral replication during acute gammaherpesvirus infection. Because gammaherpesviruses establish lifelong infection, this study aimed to define the antiviral activity of IRF-3 during chronic infection. Surprisingly, we found that, in contrast to acute infection, IRF-3 supported the establishment of gammaherpesvirus latency in splenic B cells, revealing an unexpected proviral nature of this classical innate immune host factor.
Histone demethylase KDM4A overexpression improved the efficiency of corrected human tripronuclear zygote development

Abstract Human zygotes are difficult to obtain for research because of limited resources and ethical debates. Corrected human tripronuclear (ch3PN) zygotes obtained by removal of the extra pronucleus from abnormally fertilized tripronuclear (3PN) zygotes are considered an alternative resource for basic scientific research. In the present study, eight-cell and blastocyst formation efficiency were significantly lower in both 3PN and ch3PN embryos than in normal fertilized (2PN) embryos, while histone H3 lysine 9 trimethylation (H3K9me3) levels were much higher. It was speculated that the aberrant H3K9me3 level detected in ch3PN embryos may be related to low developmental competence. Microinjection of 1000 ng/µl lysine-specific demethylase 4A (KDM4A) mRNA effectively reduced the H3K9me3 level and significantly increased the developmental competence of ch3PN embryos. The quality of ch3PN zygotes improved as the grading criteria, cell number and pluripotent expression significantly increased in response to KDM4A mRNA injection. Developmental genes related to zygotic genome activation (ZGA) were also upregulated. These results indicate that KDM4A activates the transcription of the ZGA program by enhancing the expression of related genes, promoting epigenetic modifications and regulating the developmental potential of ch3PN embryos. The present study will facilitate future studies of ch3PN embryos and could provide additional options for infertile couples.
Impact of resveratrol‐mediated increase in uterine artery blood flow on fetal haemodynamics, blood pressure and oxygenation in sheep

What is the central question of this study? Uterine artery blood flow helps to maintain fetal oxygen and nutrient delivery. We investigated the effects of increased uterine artery blood flow mediated by resveratrol on fetal growth, haemodynamics, blood pressure regulation and oxygenation in pregnant sheep. What is the main finding and its importance? Fetuses from resveratrol‐treated ewes were significantly larger and exhibited a haemodynamic profile that might promote peripheral growth. Absolute uterine artery blood flow was positively correlated with umbilical vein oxygen saturation, absolute fetal oxygen delivery and fetal growth. Increasing uterine artery blood flow with compounds such as resveratrol might have clinical significance for pregnancy conditions in which fetal growth and oxygenation are compromised.
Peripheral sensory stimulation elicits global slow waves by recruiting somatosensory cortex bilaterally

Significance Slow waves are the predominant feature of brain activity during sleep and anesthesia. Slow waves are associated with plasticity, memory consolidation, and other brain functions. However, much remains unknown about the brain circuits that coordinate slow wave propagation. Here, we demonstrate that somatosensory stimulation evokes bilateral activation of primary somatosensory cortices (S1). Under anesthesia, S1 activation is followed by a global, front-to-back cortical slow wave. Using a focal lesion model, we show that evoked global slow waves depend on bilateral S1 activation, whereas spontaneous slow wave initiation does not depend on S1. These results demonstrate the existence of mechanisms by which focal injury may disrupt brain network dynamics. Slow waves (SWs) are globally propagating, low-frequency (0.5- to 4-Hz) oscillations that are prominent during sleep and anesthesia. SWs are essential to neural plasticity and memory. However, much remains unknown about the mechanisms coordinating SW propagation at the macroscale. To assess SWs in the context of macroscale networks, we recorded cortical activity in awake and ketamine/xylazine-anesthetized mice using widefield optical imaging with fluorescent calcium indicator GCaMP6f. We demonstrate that unilateral somatosensory stimulation evokes bilateral waves that travel across the cortex with state-dependent trajectories. Under anesthesia, we observe that rhythmic stimuli elicit globally resonant, front-to-back propagating SWs. Finally, photothrombotic lesions of S1 show that somatosensory-evoked global SWs depend on bilateral recruitment of homotopic primary somatosensory cortices. Specifically, unilateral lesions of S1 disrupt somatosensory-evoked global SW initiation from either hemisphere, while spontaneous SWs are largely unchanged. These results show that evoked SWs may be triggered by bilateral activation of specific, homotopically connected cortical networks.
Clinicopathological characteristics and survival in lung signet ring cell carcinoma: A population-based study

ABSTRACT Lung signet-ring cell carcinoma (LSRCC) is a very rare type of lung cancer, the clinical characteristics, and prognosis of which remain to be clarified. In order to explore the clinicopathological and survival-related factors associated with LSRCC, we performed a large population-based cohort analysis of data included in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry from 2001 to 2015. A total of 752 LSRCC and 7518 lung mucinous adenocarcinoma (LMAC) patients were incorporated into our analysis, with respective mean ages of 63.8 and 67.5 years at the time of diagnosis. LSRCC patients were significantly more likely than LMAC patients to have distant-stage disease (72.1% vs. 45.8%, p < 0.0001), tumors of a high pathological grade (40.6% vs. 10.8%, p < 0.0001), have undergone chemotherapy (62.1% vs. 39.9%, p<0.0001), be male (52.7% vs. 48.5%, p = 0.03), and be < 40 years old (3.3% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.022), whereas they were less likely to have undergone surgical treatment (52.4% vs. 77.0%, p < 0.0001). LSRCC and LMAC patients exhibited median overall survival (OS) duration of 8 and 18 months (p < 0.0001), respectively, although these differences were not significant after adjusting for confounding variables. Independent factors associated with a favorable patient prognosis included a primary site in the middle or lower lung lobe, underwent surgery, and underwent chemotherapy. However, age ≥80 years, higher grade, distant summary stage disease, and T4 stage disease were linked to poor prognosis. Patient age, tumor grade, primary tumor site, summary stage, T stage, surgery, and chemotherapy were all significantly associated with LSRCC patient prognosis.
Clinical and Biological Correlates of White Matter Hyperintensities in Patients With Behavioral-Variant Frontotemporal Dementia and Alzheimer Disease

Objective To test the hypothesis that white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and Alzheimer disease (AD) are associated with disease variables such as disease severity, cortical atrophy, and cognition, we conducted a cross-sectional brain MRI study with volumetric and voxel-wise analyses. Methods A total of 129 patients (64 bvFTD, 65 AD) and 66 controls underwent high-resolution brain MRI and clinical and neuropsychological examination. Genetic screening was conducted in 124 cases (54 bvFTD, 44 AD, 26 controls) and postmortem pathology was available in 18 cases (13 bvFTD, 5 AD). WMH were extracted using an automated segmentation algorithm and analyses of total volumes and spatial distribution were conducted. Group differences in total WMH volume and associations with vascular risk and disease severity were examined. Syndrome-specific voxel-wise associations between WMH, cortical atrophy, and performance across different cognitive domains were assessed. Results Total WMH volumes were larger in patients with bvFTD than patients with AD and controls. In bvFTD, WMH volumes were associated with disease severity but not vascular risk. Patients with bvFTD and patients with AD showed distinct spatial patterns of WMH that mirrored characteristic patterns of cortical atrophy. Regional WMH load correlated with worse cognitive performance in discrete cognitive domains. WMH-related cognitive impairments were shared between syndromes, with additional associations found in bvFTD. Conclusion Increased WMH are common in patients with bvFTD and patients with AD. Our findings suggest that WMH are partly independent of vascular pathology and associated with the neurodegenerative process. WMH occur in processes independent of and related to cortical atrophy. Furthermore, increased WMH in different regions contributes to cognitive deficits.