Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Anthocyanin on Oxidative Stress and Testis Structure in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of anthocyanin on oxidative stress, sperm, and testis structure in diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin (STZ). Materials and Methods: In this experimental research, diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ (50 mg/ kg). A total of 64 rats were assigned into four groups as follows: a control group, a diabetic control group, a diabetic group daily administrated with anthocyanin at a dose of 100 mg/kg, and a healthy group daily administrated with anthocyanin for 56 days. After intervention, all the rats were anesthetized, their blood samples were taken, and the serum levels of insulin, glucose, and oxidative stress markers were measured. Finally, the testicles were removed and histological parameters were assessed. Results: Treating diabetic rats with anthocyanin significantly improved the testis tissue damage, glucose, and insulin plasma levels (P=0.001). Furthermore, the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was up-surged and the serum levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) were reduced (P=0.001). Also, anthocyanin administration (100 mg/kg BW) significantly rectified these parameters (P<0.05). Conclusions: Our results confirmed the antioxidant role of anthocyanin in improving the sperm parameters and testicular oxidative damage caused by diabetes.
Human Microglia Synthesize Neurosteroids to Cope with Rotenone-Induced Oxidative Stress

We obtained evidence that mouse BV2 microglia synthesize neurosteroids dynamically to modify neurosteroid levels in response to oxidative damage caused by rotenone. Here, we evaluated whether neurosteroids could be produced and altered in response to rotenone by the human microglial clone 3 (HMC3) cell line. To this aim, HMC3 cultures were exposed to rotenone (100 nM) and neurosteroids were measured in the culture medium by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Microglia reactivity was evaluated by measuring interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels, whereas cell viability was monitored by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. After 24 h (h), rotenone increased IL-6 and reactive oxygen species levels by approximately +37% over the baseline, without affecting cell viability; however, microglia viability was significantly reduced at 48 h (p < 0.01). These changes were accompanied by the downregulation of several neurosteroids, including pregnenolone, pregnenolone sulfate, 5α-dihydroprogesterone, and pregnanolone, except for allopregnanolone, which instead was remarkably increased (p < 0.05). Interestingly, treatment with exogenous allopregnanolone (1 nM) efficiently prevented the reduction in HMC3 cell viability. In conclusion, this is the first evidence that human microglia can produce allopregnanolone and that this neurosteroid is increasingly released in response to oxidative stress, to tentatively support the microglia’s survival.
A unified fractional-step, artificial compressibility and pressure-projection formulation for solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations

This paper introduces a unified concept and algorithm for the fractional-step (FS), artificial compressibility (AC) and pressure-projection (PP) methods for solving the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. The proposed FSAC-PP approach falls into the group of pseudo-time splitting high-resolution methods incorporating the characteristics-based (CB) Godunov-type treatment of convective terms with PP methods. Due to the fact that the CB Godunov-type methods are applicable directly to the hyperbolic AC formulation and not to the elliptical FS-PP (split) methods, thus the straightforward coupling of CB Godunov-type schemes with PP methods is not possible. Therefore, the proposed FSAC-PP approach unifies the fully-explicit AC and semi-implicit FS-PP methods of Chorin including a PP step in the dual-time stepping procedure to a) overcome the numerical stiffness of the classical AC approach at (very) low and moderate Reynolds numbers, b) incorporate the accuracy and convergence properties of CB Godunov-type schemes with PP methods, and c) further improve the stability and efficiency of the AC method for steady and unsteady flow problems. The FSAC-PPmethod has also been coupled with a non-linear, full-multigrid and fullapproximation storage (FMG-FAS) technique to further increase the efficiency of the solution. For validating the proposed FSAC-PP method, computational examples are presented for benchmark problems. The overall results show that the unified FSAC-PP approach is an efficient algorithm for solving incompressible flow problems.
Ovarian Cancer and Parkinson’s Disease: A Bidirectional Mendelian Randomization Study

(1) Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) represent a huge public health burden. The relationship of these two diseases is suggested in the literature while not fully understood. To better understand this relationship, we conducted a bidirectional Mendelian ran-domization analysis using genetic markers as a proxy. (2) Methods: Utilizing single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with PD risk, we assessed the association between genetically predicted PD and OC risk, overall and by histotypes, using summary statistics from previously conducted genome-wide association studies of OC within the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium. Similarly, we assessed the association between genetically predicted OC and PD risk. The inverse variance weighted method was used as the main method to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations of interest. (3) Results: There was no significant association between genetically predicted PD and OC risk: OR = 0.95 (95% CI: 0.88–1.03), or between genetically predicted OC and PD risk: OR = 0.80 (95% CI: 0.61–1.06). On the other hand, when examined by histotypes, a suggestive inverse association was observed between genetically predicted high grade serous OC and PD risk: OR = 0.91 (95% CI: 0.84–0.99). (4) Conclusions: Overall, our study did not observe a strong genetic association between PD and OC, but the observed potential association between high grade serous OC and reduced PD risk warrants further investigation.
TIGIT in Lung Cancer: Potential Theranostic Implications

TIGIT (T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains) is a co-inhibitory receptor expressed on various immune cells, including T cells, NK cells, and dendritic cells. TIGIT interacts with different ligands, such as CD155 and CD112, which are highly expressed on cancer cells, leading to the suppression of immune responses. Recent studies have highlighted the importance of TIGIT in regulating immune cell function in the tumor microenvironment and its role as a potential therapeutic target, especially in the field of lung cancer. However, the role of TIGIT in cancer development and progression remains controversial, particularly regarding the relevance of its expression both in the tumor microenvironment and on tumor cells, with prognostic and predictive implications that remain to date essentially undisclosed. Here, we provide a review of the recent advances in TIGIT-blockade in lung cancer, and also insights on TIGIT relevance as an immunohistochemical biomarker and its possible theranostic implications.
Large deviations for the travel cost of the simple random walk in random potentials

We consider the simple random walk in i.i. d. nonnegative potentials on the multidimensional cubic lattice. The travel cost from the origin to a remote point is, roughly speaking, an average over all random walk paths connecting those points weighted by potentials. It is known that if the remote point tends to infinity, then the corresponding travel cost grows asymptotically linearly with the so-called Lyapunov exponent for the remote point. Therefore, the aim of this work is to prove large deviation estimates around the Lyapunov exponent under an exponential moment for potentials.
Effect of soil moisture regimes and fertility levels on growth, yield and water use efficiency of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Investigations were carried out at the Agricultural Research Farm, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (India) during two consecutive rabi seasons of 2001-02 and 2002-03. soil is typically Gangetic alluvium (order-inceptions). The factors under study comprised of two depth of irrigation water (D1- 45 mm and D2-60 mm), 4 IW/CPE ratio (I1-0.8 IW/CPE ratio, I2-1.0 IW/CPE ratio, I3-0.6 IW/CPE during vegetative phase and 1.0 IW/CPE ratio during reproductive phase and I4-0.8 IW/CPE ratio during vegetative phase and 1.0 IW/CPE ratio during reproductive phase) and three fertility levels (F1-60, 30, 30; F2-120, 60,60 and F3-180,90,90 kg N, P2O5, K2O ha-1). Combination of depth of irrigation water and irrigation based on IW/CPE ratio formed the main plot while fertility levels were allotted to sub plot treatment in Split Plot Design replicated thrice. The highest consumptive use was associated with 45 mm irrigation water in 2001-02 and 60 mm irrigation water during 2002-03. However, 45 mm irrigation resulted in 6.76 per cent increase in WUE over 60 mm in 2001-02 and 12.22 per cent during 2002-03 grain yield significant increase in yield was recorded upto F2 level at 45 mm irrigation water (D1F2).
Teacher’s Strategy in Growing Student Creativity through the Pancasila Student Profile Strengthening Project

The low character of students, one of which is the level of creativity possessed by students, has decreased after experiencing online learning due to Covid-19. The purpose of this study was to analyse the teacher's strategy in fostering student creativity through project learning to strengthen Pancasila students and to describe the constraints experienced by the teacher and the solutions made by the teacher in carrying out project learning. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach with a phenomenological model. The subjects in this study were teachers and 4th-grade elementary school students. Researchers collect data through observation, interviews, and documentation. The data analysis technique used is an interactive model from Miles and Haberman. The results showed that teachers used two strategies in cultivating students' character and creativity: differentiation learning and project learning to strengthen the Pancasila student profile. Constraints found in addition to the low creativity of students are the limited references to the independent curriculum books for grades 1 and 4, the low availability of facilities, and project learning support tools. Another obstacle is time management because project-based learning usually takes a long time. For this reason, the teacher needs the right strategy to foster student creativity. It is hoped that the implications of this research can be studied in more depth to complement and be used as a basis for other research.
“You Feel a Sense of Accomplishment”: Outdoor Adventure Experiences of Youths with Visual Impairments during a One-Week Sports Camp

There are many cognitive, physical, and social–emotional benefits for youths from participating in outdoor adventure activities. However, youths with visual impairments are not given the same opportunities to participate in outdoor adventure activities as their peers without disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine the outdoor adventure experiences of youths with visual impairments participating in a week-long sports camp. Thirty-seven youths with visual impairment (ages 9–19 years) attending a one-week sports camp participated in this study. Participants engaged in a variety of outdoor adventure activities throughout the week of camp (e.g., sailing, hiking, rock climbing, biking, kayaking). Participants provided written accounts about their outdoor adventure experiences and were observed throughout the week during each activity to examine instructional strategies and task modifications. Additionally, 10 randomly chosen athletes, their one-on-one coaches, and five outdoor recreation specialists participated in focus group interviews. The data analysis revealed three major themes: (1) Benefits, (2) Support, and (3) Barriers. The subthemes of benefits were enjoyment, independence, and relationships; the subthemes of support were instructional strategies and task modifications; and subthemes for barriers were fear and anxiety, exclusion and low expectations, and lack of equipment. These findings support the inclusion of youths with visual impairments in all outdoor adventure programming with appropriate instruction and modification.
Leaf nutrient status and soil properties in Khasi mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) cultivation as influenced by bio-fertiliser enriched organic amendments

ABSTRACT Intensive use of synthetic fertilisers in fruit crops has resulted in negative impacts on the environment and biodiversity. The use of organic nutrient regimes is regarded as an alternative solution for agricultural sustainability and human health. This case study investigated effects of organic nutrient regimes on soil properties and nutrient status of leaves of Khasi mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco) at Mizoram University, Aizawl, India. The experiment included 13 treatments: T1: farm yard manure (FYM); T2: vermicompost (VC); T3: pig manure (PM); T4: mustard oil cake (MOC); T5: FYM +Azospirillum + phosphate solubilising bacteria (PSB) + potash solubilising bacteria (KSB); T6: VC + Azospirillum + PSB + KSB; T7: PM + Azospirillum + PSB + KSB; T8: MOC + Azospirillum + PSB + KSB; T9: FYM + Azotobacter + arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) + KSB; T10: VC + Azotobacter + AMF + KSB; T11: PM + Azotobacter + AMF + KSB; T12: MOC + Azotobacter + AMF + KSB and T13: Control (RDF). The results demonstrated that the application of organic amendments and bio-fertilisers enhanced leaf nutrient status as well soil health parameters. The highest concentrations of total N, K, Fe and Zn in the leaves and concentrations of organic, inorganic and total carbon, total N, available N, K, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn and abundance of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes in the soil were recorded with T10. Thus, T10 was considered the most effective in terms of increasing leaf nutrient status and soil physico-chemical properties in the Khasi mandarin production system.
Targeted Large-Volume Lymphocyte Removal Using Magnetic Nanoparticles in Blood Samples of Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: A Proof-of-Concept Study

In the past, our research group was able to successfully remove circulating tumor cells with magnetic nanoparticles. While these cancer cells are typically present in low numbers, we hypothesized that magnetic nanoparticles, besides catching single cells, are also capable of eliminating a large number of tumor cells from the blood ex vivo. This approach was tested in a small pilot study in blood samples of patients suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a mature B-cell neoplasm. Cluster of differentiation (CD) 52 is a ubiquitously expressed surface antigen on mature lymphocytes. Alemtuzumab (MabCampath®) is a humanized, IgG1κ, monoclonal antibody directed against CD52, which was formerly clinically approved for treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and therefore regarded as an ideal candidate for further tests to develop new treatment options. Alemtuzumab was bound onto carbon-coated cobalt nanoparticles. The particles were added to blood samples of CLL patients and finally removed, ideally with bound B lymphocytes, using a magnetic column. Flow cytometry quantified lymphocyte counts before, after the first, and after the second flow across the column. A mixed effects analysis was performed to evaluate removal efficiency. p < 0.05 was defined as significant. In the first patient cohort (n = 10), using a fixed nanoparticle concentration, CD19-positive B lymphocytes were reduced by 38% and by 53% after the first and the second purification steps (p = 0.002 and p = 0.005), respectively. In a second patient cohort (n = 11), the nanoparticle concentration was increased, and CD19-positive B lymphocytes were reduced by 44% (p < 0.001) with no further removal after the second purification step. In patients with a high lymphocyte count (>20 G/L), an improved efficiency of approximately 20% was observed using higher nanoparticle concentrations. A 40 to 50% reduction of B lymphocyte count using alemtuzumab-coupled carbon-coated cobalt nanoparticles is feasible, also in patients with a high lymphocyte count. A second purification step did not further increase removal. This proof-of-concept study demonstrates that such particles allow for the targeted extraction of larger amounts of cellular blood components and might offer new treatment options in the far future.
High-pressure synchrotron X-ray diffraction study of spessartine and uvarovite: A comparison between different equation of state models

Abstract The lattice parameters of natural spessartine and uvarovite garnets were measured as a function of pressure up to 25 and 35 GPa, respectively, by synchrotron radiation powder diffraction. The bulk modulus and its first and second derivatives were determined by fitting three equation of state (EoS) models to the pressure-volume data: the Birch-Murnaghan EoS, the Vinet EoS, and the Poirier- Tarantola logarithmic EoS. The third-order Birch-Murnaghan EoS, assuming V0 at its experimental value, yields K0 = 171 (1) GPa and K0ʼ = 5.4 (2) with V0 = 1573 Å3 for spessartine, and K0 = 160(1) GPa and K0ʼ = 5.8(1) with V0 = 1697.5 Å3 for uvarovite. The results obtained by the EoS models are consistent with each other within the experimental uncertainties. A comparison is made with earlier results from the literature.
The Effect of Sclerostin and Monoclonal Sclerostin Antibody Romosozumab on Osteogenesis and Osteoclastogenesis Mediated by Periodontal Ligament Fibroblasts

Sclerostin is a bone formation inhibitor produced by osteocytes. Although sclerostin is mainly expressed in osteocytes, it was also reported in periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts, which are cells that play a role in both osteogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. Here, we assess the role of sclerostin and its clinically used inhibitor, romosozumab, in both processes. For osteogenesis assays, human PDL fibroblasts were cultured under control or mineralizing conditions with increasing concentrations of sclerostin or romosozumab. For analyzing osteogenic capacity and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, alizarin red staining for mineral deposition and qPCR of osteogenic markers were performed. Osteoclast formation was investigated in the presence of sclerostin or romosozumab and, in PDLs, in the presence of fibroblasts co-cultured with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). PDL-PBMC co-cultures stimulated with sclerostin did not affect osteoclast formation. In contrast, the addition of romosozumab slightly reduced the osteoclast formation in PDL-PBMC co-cultures at high concentrations. Neither sclerostin nor romosozumab affected the osteogenic capacity of PDL fibroblasts. qPCR analysis showed that the mineralization medium upregulated the relative expression of osteogenic markers, but this expression was barely affected when romosozumab was added to the cultures. In order to account for the limited effects of sclerostin or romosozumab, we finally compared the expression of SOST and its receptors LRP-4, -5, and -6 to the expression in osteocyte rich-bone. The expression of SOST, LRP-4, and LRP-5 was higher in osteocytes compared to in PDL cells. The limited interaction of sclerostin or romosozumab with PDL fibroblasts may relate to the primary biological function of the periodontal ligament: to primarily resist bone formation and bone degradation to the benefit of an intact ligament that is indented by every chew movement.
Impact of Scatterometer Winds on Hydrologic Forcing and Convective Heating through Surface Divergence

Abstract One of the difficulties in estimating atmospheric heat and moisture budgets lies in resolving the near-surface heat and moisture convergence and vertical velocities, each of which is highly dependent on the divergence of the surface wind. A kinematic approach is proposed to utilize scatterometer winds to improve the estimate of surface wind divergence, the omega profile, and, therefore, estimates of the hydrologic forcing and convective heating over the tropical ocean. Improvements in these estimates over those obtained using analyses of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) alone are found when the ERS-1 scatterometer ground tracks passed over the TOGA COARE intensive flux array. The spatial patterns of precipitation estimated from GMS IR temperatures and radar reflectivities agree better with the divergence fields derived from the ERS-1 scatterometer winds than with those derived from either ECMWF or rawinsonde winds. The use of ERS-1 surface winds also changes the omeg.
‘Male circumcision’ and ‘female genital mutilation’: why parents choose the procedures and the case for gender bias in medical nomenclature

ABSTRACT Cutting of boys’ and girls’ genitalia is a debated human rights topic. Here, the first aim was to summarise why parents choose to have these procedures performed on their children. Results from 22 survey studies on ‘male circumcision’ and 27 studies on ‘female genital mutilation’ revealed that non-medical reasons, such as tradition, are prominent in the decisions for both procedures. The second aim was to describe researchers’ use of medical words (i.e. ‘circumcision’) and non-medical words (i.e. ‘cutting’, ‘mutilation’) when referring to these procedures. Relevant phrases were searched in titles and abstracts of articles indexed in PubMed. Total article count was similar for male (1721 articles) and female (1906 articles) procedures. However, for female procedures, ‘genital mutilation’ was used most frequently (61.7% of articles), whereas for males, ‘circumcision’ was used almost exclusively (99.4%). Because both procedures involve significant alteration of genitalia, and social/culture reasons are prominent in parents’ decisions for both, the results suggest a gender bias in medical ethics applied to bodily integrity, which manifests itself in nomenclature that expresses negative value judgement toward the female procedure (‘mutilation’) but not the male procedure (‘circumcision’). The results add to emerging evidence of a ‘male empathy gap’ in public health.
Differences between Nonprecipitating Tropical and Trade Wind Marine Shallow Cumuli

AbstractMarine nonprecipitating cumulus topped boundary layers (CTBLs) observed in a tropical and in a trade wind region are contrasted based on their cloud macrophysical, dynamical, and radiative structures. Data from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) observational site previously operating at Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, and data collected during the deployment of ARM Mobile Facility at the island of Graciosa, in the Azores, were used in this study. The tropical marine CTBLs were deeper, had higher surface fluxes and boundary layer radiative cooling, but lower wind speeds compared to their trade wind counterparts. The radiative velocity scale was 50%–70% of the surface convective velocity scale at both locations, highlighting the prominent role played by radiation in maintaining turbulence in marine CTBLs. Despite greater thicknesses, the chord lengths of tropical cumuli were on average lower than those of trade wind cumuli, and as a result of lower cloud cover, the hourly averaged (cloudy .