Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polish validation of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis (BICAMS battery): correlation of cognitive impairment with mood disorders and fatigue.

BACKGROUND Cognitive impairment is recognised as a significant clinical issue in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). It can occur at any stage of the disease, affecting quality of life, occupational activity, and adherence to therapy. This makes the availability of a validated assessment tool for detecting and monitoring cognitive dysfunction in multiple sclerosis essential. The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis is a practical and simple means of administering a battery of three neuropsychological tests, and does not require any formal neuropsychological training. OBJECTIVE To establish the validity of BICAMS in the Polish MS population; to assess the correlations of cognitive status with demographic and clinical factors, including affective symptoms and fatigue. METHODS BICAMS was administered to 61 MS patients and 61 HC subjects. Examination of 20 participants with MS was repeated after one to three weeks to assess test-retest reliability. The patients with MS and HC subjects also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS). RESULTS The MS group performed worse than the HC group in all three BICAMS components, obtaining the following values respectively: 51.7 and 56.1 (p = 0.02) for CVLT, 25 and 28 (p = 0.03) for BVMT-R, and 48.8 and 57.2 (p < 0.001) for SDMT. All BICAMS tests had very significant correlations in test-retest reliability (r = 0.83, p < 0.001 for CVLT; r = 0.84, p < 0.001 for BVMTR; r = 0.9, p < 0.001 for SDMT). 34% of MS patients presented cognitive dysfunction based on the criterion of one or more test scores below the 5th percentile value of the HC group. Significant anxiety and depressive symptoms were reported by 31.1% and 18.0% of MS patients. 31.1% of PwMS reported significant fatigue. BICAMS test results were not associated with HADS or MFIS scores. CONCLUSIONS The Polish version of BICAMS is a valid and reliable tool for the assessment of cognitive impairment in patients with MS.
Outcomes of Liver Transplantation Among Older Recipients With Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis in a Large Multicenter US Cohort: the Re‐Evaluating Age Limits in Transplantation Consortium

The liver transplantation (LT) population is aging, with the need for transplant being driven by the growing prevalence of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Older LT recipients with NASH may be at an increased risk for adverse outcomes after LT. Our objective is to characterize outcomes in these recipients in a large multicenter cohort. All primary LT recipients ≥65 years from 2010 to 2016 at 13 centers in the Re‐Evaluating Age Limits in Transplantation (REALT) consortium were included. Of 1023 LT recipients, 226 (22.1%) were over 70 years old, and 207 (20.2%) had NASH. Compared with other LT recipients, NASH recipients were older (68.0 versus 67.3 years), more likely to be female (47.3% versus 32.8%), White (78.3% versus 68.0%), Hispanic (12.1% versus 9.2%), and had higher Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease–sodium (21 versus 18) at LT (P < 0.05 for all). Specific cardiac risk factors including diabetes with or without chronic complications (69.6%), hypertension (66.3%), hyperlipidemia (46.3%), coronary artery disease (36.7%), and moderate‐to‐severe renal disease (44.4%) were highly prevalent among NASH LT recipients. Graft survival among NASH patients was 90.3% at 1 year and 82.4% at 3 years compared with 88.9% at 1 year and 80.4% at 3 years for non‐NASH patients (log‐rank P = 0.58 and P = 0.59, respectively). Within 1 year after LT, the incidence of graft rejection (17.4%), biliary strictures (20.9%), and solid organ cancers (4.9%) were comparable. Rates of cardiovascular (CV) complications, renal failure, and infection were also similar in both groups. We observed similar posttransplant morbidity and mortality outcomes for NASH and non‐NASH LT recipients. Certain CV risk factors were more prevalent in this population, although posttransplant outcomes within 1 year including CV events and renal failure were similar to non‐NASH LT recipients.
Multivitamin intake does not affect the risk of preterm and very preterm birth.

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to assess the association between multivitamin intake during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth and very preterm birth. METHODS The study population comprised 15,629 women from the Copenhagen Pregnancy Cohort with data on pregnancy multivitamin intake during their first trimester who gave birth to singletons from October 2012 to October 2016. Data on pregnancy multivitamin intake were linked to the Medical Birth Registry to identify the birth outcome. The main outcome measures were preterm birth before 37 weeks of gestation and very preterm birth before 32 weeks of gestation. RESULTS Among the included women, 85.6% had taken daily pregnancy multivitamins during their first trimester. We found no evidence that pregnancy multivitamin intake during the first trimester was associated with a decreased risk of preterm birth (adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.01; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77-1.33) or very preterm birth (adjusted OR = 1.06; 95% CI: 0.63-1.77). Stratification for BMI into lesser-than 25 kg/m2 and ≥ 25 kg/m2 did not alter these findings. CONCLUSIONS Pregnancy multivitamin intake during the first trimester was not associated with a decreased risk of preterm birth or very preterm birth among women in a high-income population. FUNDING none. TRIAL REGISTRATION not relevant.
Horizontally acquired regulatory gene activates ancestral regulatory system to promote Salmonella virulence

Abstract Horizontally acquired genes are typically regulated by ancestral regulators. This regulation enables expression of horizontally acquired genes to be coordinated with that of preexisting genes. Here, we report a singular example of the opposite regulation: a horizontally acquired gene that controls an ancestral regulator, thereby promoting bacterial virulence. We establish that the horizontally acquired regulatory gene ssrB is necessary to activate the ancestral regulatory system PhoP/PhoQ of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) in mildly acidic pH, which S. Typhimurium experiences inside macrophages. SsrB promotes phoP transcription by binding upstream of the phoP promoter. SsrB also increases ugtL transcription by binding to the ugtL promoter region, where it overcomes gene silencing by the heat-stable nucleoid structuring protein H-NS, enhancing virulence. The largely non-pathogenic species S. bongori failed to activate PhoP/PhoQ in mildly acidic pH because it lacks both the ssrB gene and the SsrB binding site in the target promoter. Low Mg2+ activated PhoP/PhoQ in both S. bongori and ssrB-lacking S. Typhimurium, indicating that the SsrB requirement for PhoP/PhoQ activation is signal-dependent. By controlling the ancestral genome, horizontally acquired genes are responsible for more crucial abilities, including virulence, than currently thought.
Sexual difficulties and associated factors among patients with psoriasis in Malaysia: data from the Malaysian Psoriasis registry

ABSTRACT The impact of psoriasis on quality of life may have implications for the sexual function of patients. We aimed to determine the frequency of sexual difficulties and associated factors among adult patients with psoriasis. This cross-sectional study involved 13 673 patients notified to the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry. Sexual function was defined based on the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Sexual difficulties were reported among 9.5% of subjects with significant predictors identified as younger age, male gender, married status, ethnicity, nail involvement, face and neck involvement and severity of disease. Smokers were more likely to report experiencing sexual difficulties. However, the presence of either ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension or dyslipidemia was associated with lower odds of sexual issues due to psoriasis. Clinicians should be aware of factors associated with sexual health in psoriasis to implement targeted interventions. Further studies need to be conducted to delineate the different aspects of sexual function and the magnitude of the problem.
The SWI/SNF ATPase BRG1 stimulates DNA end resection and homologous recombination by reducing nucleosome density at DNA double strand breaks and by promoting the recruitment of the CtIP nuclease

ABSTRACT DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) are among the most toxic DNA lesions and can be repaired accurately through homologous recombination (HR). HR requires processing of the DNA ends by nucleases (DNA end resection) in order to generate the required single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) regions. The SWI/SNF chromatin remodelers are 10–15 subunit complexes that contain one ATPase (BRG1 or BRM). Multiple subunits of these complexes have recently been identified as a novel family of tumor suppressors. These complexes are capable of remodeling chromatin by pushing nucleosomes along the DNA. More recent studies have identified these chromatin remodelers as important factors in DNA repair. Using the DR-U2OS reporter system, we show that the down regulation of BRG1 significantly reduces HR efficiency, while BRM has a minor effect. Inactivation of BRG1 impairs DSB repair and results in a defect in DNA end resection, as measured by the amount of BrdU-containing ssDNA generated after DNA damage. Inactivation of BRG1 also impairs the activation of the ATR kinase, reduces the levels of chromatin-bound RPA, and reduces the number of RPA and RAD51 foci after DNA damage. This defect in DNA end resection is explained by the defective recruitment of GFP-CtIP to laser-induced DSBs in the absence of BRG1. Importantly, we show that BRG1 reduces nucleosome density at DSBs. Finally, inactivation of BRG1 renders cells sensitive to anti-cancer drugs that induce DSBs. This study identifies BRG1 as an important factor for HR, which suggests that BRG1-mutated cancers have a DNA repair vulnerability that can be exploited therapeutically.
Haplotypes of (−794(CATT)5–8/−173G>C) MIF gene polymorphisms and its soluble levels in basal cell carcinoma in western Mexican population

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common dermatological neoplasms in Caucasian populations. In Mexico, a prevalence of 3.9 per 1000 habitants is estimated. Recently, the macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has been related to different types of cancer. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the genetic association of haplotypes of [-794(CATT)5-8/-173G>C]MIF gene polymorphisms and its soluble levels in BCC. A total of 360 individuals were recruited for the study, that is, 180 of the total amounts were patients with BCC histologically confirmed and the remaining 180 individuals were identified as control subjects (CS). Both polymorphisms were genotyped by PCR and PCR-RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism), and MIF serum levels were measured by ELISA kit. A borderline difference was found between the 55 genotype and the susceptibility to BCC (5.6% vs 1.7% in BCC and CS, respectively, OR=3.7 and p=0.04). Furthermore, the haplotype 7G showed a significant association with BCC (p=0.02, OR=1.99). Concerning MIF soluble levels, patients with BCC showed a media of 2.1 ng/mL and CS showed 4.4 ng/mL, the comparison between groups was significant (p<0.01). Our findings suggest that the 55 genotype and the haplotype 7G are associated with the susceptibility to BCC; furthermore, a significant difference was found between MIF soluble levels in both study groups.
Comparison of Analgesic Effects of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

ABS TRACT Objective: Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and paracetamol (P) are frequent constituents of multimodal postoperative analgesia. The aim of this study was to compare analgesic effects of intravenous (IV) paracetamol and ibuprofen (IB) administered intraoperatively and in repeated doses postoperatively to the patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Material and Methods: A total of 40 patients with class of American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I-III who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomized into Groups-P and IB in this randomized, prospective and double-blind study. After anesthesia induction and initiation of the surgery, Group-P patients received 1 g IV paracetamol and Group-IB patients received 800 mg IV ibuprofen. At skin closure, 1.5 mg/kg of IV tramadol was administered. For postoperative analgesia, a patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) pump with tramadol was used. During the first 24h postoperatively, Group-P patients received 1 g of IV paracetamol and Group-IB patients received 400 mg of IV ibuprofen at every 6h. Patients with visual analog pain scale (VAS) scores ≥ 4 received rescue analgesia. The groups were compared for postoperative first 24h VAS scores, PCA demand, total tramadol dose, and rescue analgesic requirement. Results: Compared with Group-P, Group-IB had significantly lower VAS-awakening, VAS-post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and VAS6th h scores. Postoperative rescue analgesic requirement was lower in Group-IB than in Group-P at all timepoints, most notably in the PACU. Conclusion: Compared with paracetamol, intraoperative and repeated postoperative doses of ibuprofen substantially decreased the pain scores and rescue analgesic requirement. As a component of multimodal analgesia, IV ibuprofen is an effective option for postoperative pain management.
Studies on yield and yield contributing characters in different genotypes of garlic (Allium sativum L.)

The experiments were conducted at two different locations one at the Farm of Krishi Vigyan Kendra Poonch located in the intermediate zone at an altitude of 1100 mamsl and other at Farmers Participatory Vegetable Research station Karllah Chenani in the temperate zone situated at an altitude of 1400 mamsl during Rabi seasons of 2007and 2008 to evaluate 12 local large segmented genotypes collected from different garlic growing areas of Jammu Division for plant growth characters as well as yield contributing traits. The pooled data for two years indicated that local collection LC-M-1 showed superiority for growth characters like number of leaves (9.4), leaf length (22.4 cm.), leaf weight (27.86 g) and took less number of days (168.24) for maturity as compared to other lines. The highest yield (178.45q/ha) and yield contributing traits like diameter of bulb (6.8 cm), fresh weight of bulb (65.7 g) and number of cloves per bulb (13.0) were recorded with LC-M-1 in Poonch closely followed by LC-M-2. Similarly in location 2 i.e. in temperate conditions, the genotype LC-M-2 showed superiority for growth and yield contributing traits closely followed by LC-M-1. The genotype recorded highest no. of leaves (9.7), leaf length (23.2cm.), fresh weight of leaves (28.5g) and took less no. of days to harvest(160.2). Also themaximumdiameter of bulb (7.3 cm), fresh weight of bulb (60.4 g), no. of cloves (15.0) per bulb and highest yield (189.5q/ha).
New host-parasite association of Acherontacarus rutilans (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Acherontacaridae) on Scarodytes halensis (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae)

ABSTRACT We report on a new larval host of the water mite Acherontacarus rutilans E. Angelier, 1951: the aquatic beetle Scarodytes halensis (Fabricius, 1787) (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). Among 3715 beetle specimens belonging to 14 genera of Dytiscidae collected from Bingöl province in the Eastern Anatolian Region of Turkey, two male individuals of S. halensis were found with five larvae of A. rutilans attached on the mesosternal region. The host species have not been reported previously and A. rutilans is also a new record for the Turkish fauna.
A novel gingipain regulatory gene in Porphyromonas gingivalis mediates host cell detachment and inhibition of wound closure

The black pigmentation‐related genes in Porphyromonas gingivalis are primarily involved in regulating gingipain functions. In this study, we identified a pigmentation‐related gene, designated as pgn_0361. To characterize the role of pgn_0361 in regulating P. gingivalis‐mediated epithelial cell detachment and inhibition of wound closure, PgΔ0361, an isogenic pgn_0361‐defective mutant strain, and PgΔ0361C, a complementation strain, were constructed using P. gingivalis ATCC 33277. The gingipain and hemagglutination activities, as well as biofilm formation, were examined in all three strains. The effect of P. gingivalis strains on epithelial cell detachment was investigated using the HO‐1‐N‐1 and Ca9‐22 epithelial cell lines. The inhibition of wound closure by heat‐killed P. gingivalis cells and culture supernatant was analyzed using an in vitro wound closure assay. Compared to the wild‐type strain, the PgΔ0361 strain did not exhibit gingipain or hemagglutination activity but exhibited enhanced biofilm formation. Additionally, the PgΔ0361 strain exhibited attenuated ability to detach the epithelial cells and to inhibit wound closure in vitro. Contrastingly, the culture supernatant of PgΔ0361 exhibited high gingipain activity and strong inhibition of wound closure. The characteristics of PgΔ0361C and wild‐type strains were comparable. In conclusion, the pgn_0361 gene is involved in regulating gingipains. The PGN_0361‐defective strain exhibited reduced virulence in terms of epithelial cell detachment and inhibition of wound closure. The culture supernatant of the mutant strain highly inhibited wound closure, which may be due to high gingipain activity.
Victorian Dress in Photographs

A photographic history of Victorian dress, beginning with the coming of photography in the early 19th century and its importance for giving an impression of everyday dress rather than as shown in fashion plates. Detailed captions then discuss the costumes, materials and accessories. The author works for the textiles department of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Enhanced recovery after surgery in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy: Protocol for a prospective single-arm clinical trial

Background: The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) programme is feasible and effective in reducing the length of hospital stay, overall complication rates and medical costs when applied to cases involving colonic and rectal resections. However, a recent prospective, randomised, open, parallel-controlled trial (Chinese Laparoscopic Gastrointestinal Surgery Study-01 trial), initiated by our team, indicated that under conventional peri-operative management, the reduction of the post-operative hospital stay of laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) is quite limited compared with open gastrectomy. Thus, if we could provide valuable clinical evidence for demonstrating the efficacy of the ERAS programme for gastric cancer patients undergoing LDG, it would significantly enhance the peri-operative management of gastrectomy and benefit the patients. Methods: In this prospective single-arm trial, patients who are 18–75 years of age with gastric adenocarcinoma diagnosed with cT1-4aN0-3M0 and expected to undergo curative resection through LDG, are considered eligible for this study. All participants underwent LDG with peri-operative management under the ERAS programme. The primary outcome measures included the post-operative hospital stays and rehabilitative rate of the post-operative day 4. The secondary outcome measures are morbidity and mortality (time frame: 30 days), post-operative recovery index (time frame: 30 days), post-operative pain intensity (time frame: 3 days) and the medical costs from surgery to discharge. Conclusion: With reasonable and scientific designing, the trial may be a great help to further discuss the benefit of ERAS programme and thus improving the peri-operative management of patients with gastrectomy.
Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Okara for probiotic properties.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the Okara, as a source for isolation of probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB). We have selectively screened LAB from the Okara, based on their acid tolerance and bacteriocin production. The selected cultures were further evaluated in vitro for probiotic properties such as, survival at pH 2.0, 0.3 % Ox-bile, β-galactosidase activity, β-glucosidase, antibiotic susceptibility, antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens such as Listeria sp. , E. coli, Bacillus cereus Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella etc. of the cultures were evaluated. Out of the 12 isolates selected, 2 isolates, OK2 and OK3 showed more than 50% survivability at pH 2 and pH 2.5 after 120 min of incubation and possessed bile tolerance ability. These two isolates had broad antibacterial spectrum, exhibited β-galactosidase (185 and 420 Miller units) and β-Glucosidase activities (2.2 and 2.8 U). These enzymatic activities were also observed in soya curd as a point of functional food formulation. This study indicates exploration of native isolate Pediococcus pentosaceus OK2 found in Okara, as a starter as well as a probiotic culture.
Norovirus replication and attenuation

Human norovirus is a major cause of viral gastroenteritis worldwide, yet there are no licensed antivirals or a vaccine. This is mainly due to the lack of an efficient cell culture system for human norovirus which has prevented full understanding of norovirus replication. Murine norovirus (MNV), which can be grown in permissive cells and manipulated by reverse genetics, now provides a model for studying norovirus replication. Here, to firstly identify the essential viral factors required for replication, the entire MNV genome was subjected to transposon-mediated insertional mutagenesis and insertion profiling. Validation of the technique and genome-wide profiling of over 2000 insertions revealed the essential regions of each protein and probed the importance of known functional motifs. Identification of tolerated insertion sites led to the generation of the first epitopetagged noroviruses, carrying the FLAG tag in three proteins of unknown function. This facilitated SILAC-based proteomic studies to identify host cell factors involved in norovirus replication, which may represent potential antiviral targets. With the availability of a small animal model of infection, MNV also provides the opportunity to develop rational approaches to norovirus attenuation. One approach that has been successful for attenuating other RNA viruses involves harnessing the regulatory capacity of the cellular microRNA machinery to control viral replication and tropism. This approach was applied to MNV by inserting a microglial-specific microRNA target sequence into the MNV genome which successfully attenuated norovirus replication in permissive cell lines expressing the cognate microRNA. A second rational approach to attenuation was based on manipulating the rate and fidelity of the viral polymerase, which has been shown to affect RNA virus pathogenesis and can lead to attenuation. To this aim a panel of MNV polymerase mutants were engineered and characterised for their growth and fidelity and their ability to establish acute and persistent infections in vivo.