Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serial Peripheral Blood Gene Expression Profiling to Assess Immune Quiescence in Kidney Transplant Recipients with Stable Renal Function

Background TruGraf is a blood-based biomarker test that measures differential expression of a collection of genes that have been shown to correlate with surveillance biopsy results. However, in the majority of U.S. transplant centers, surveillance biopsies are not performed. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the clinical validity of TruGraf in stable kidney transplant recipients and to demonstrate the potential clinical utility of serial TruGraf testing in a center not utilizing surveillance biopsies. Material/Methods Serum creatinine levels, TruGraf testing at multiple time points, and subsequent clinical follow-up were obtained for 28 patients. Results Overall concordance of TruGraf results, when compared with independent clinical assessment of testing, was 77% (54/70) for all tests; 79% (22/28) for test 1, 75% (21/28) for test 2, and 79% (11/14) for test 3. The negative predictive value (NPV) was 98.0%. Analysis of clinical utility indicated that 77% of TruGraf results would have been useful in patient management. Conclusions Our results indicate the value of serial TruGraf testing in those transplant centers that do not perform surveillance biopsies as part of their standard of care. The high negative predictive value indicates the ability of TruGraf to confirm immune quiescence with a high degree of probability in patients with a Transplant eXcellence (TX) result, without the need to perform a surveillance biopsy.
PHYTOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION, ANTIMICROBIAL EFFECT OF AZADIRACHTA INDICA AND CARICA PAPAYA EXTRACTS ON FUNGI ISOLATED FROM GMELINA ARBOREA SEEDLING

Gmelina arborea Roxb has important economic value in Nigeria and worldwide. It has been used as timber, for pulp and paper, furniture, plywood and for particle board. Due to the menace caused by fungal diseases in nurseries and sites where the seedlings are raised and the observed disease severity at the Awi Gmelina Forestry Project Nursery in Cross River State, Nigeria. It became necessary to provide a viable environmentally friendly measure to curb the diseases, hence, a trial on the antifungal effects of leaf extracts of Carica papaya and Azadirachta indica in-vitro using different extract solvents on some pathogenic fungi isolated from Gmelina arborea seedlings. The isolated fungi were Trichoderma viride (from stem and leaf) and Mucor mucedo (stem and leaf). The solvents used were ethanol, methanol, propanol, butanol, acetone, chloroform and distilled water. Phytochemical screening of extracts of C. papaya from the different solvents showed that there was no tannin and hydroxymethyl anthraquinine. Flavonoids and polyphenols were in excess in acetone and methanol extracts respectively. For A. indica, polyphenols were only found in excess in ethanol and methanol extracts. Application of the extracts at different percentages of 0% (control), 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90% and 100% showed that Carica papaya extracted with butanol was more potent on Trichoderma viride and Mucor mucedo at 60%, 70%, 80% and 100% while the growth of Trichoderma viride and Mucor mucedo was checked by butanol extracts of A. indica at 70%, 80%, 90% and 100%. Conclusively, butanol extracts of C. papaya and A. indica at higher concentrations is recommended for use as spray to control the diseases.
Differential Activation of P-TEFb Complexes in the Development of Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy following Activation of Distinct G Protein-Coupled Receptors

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is driven by neurohormonal activation of specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in cardiomyocytes and is accompanied by large-scale changes in cardiomyocyte gene expression. These transcriptional changes require activity of positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb), which is recruited to target genes by the bromodomain protein Brd4 or the super elongation complex (SEC). Here, we describe GPCR-specific regulation of these P-TEFb complexes and a novel mechanism for activating Brd4 in primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. ABSTRACT Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is driven by neurohormonal activation of specific G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in cardiomyocytes and is accompanied by large-scale changes in cardiomyocyte gene expression. These transcriptional changes require activity of positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb), which is recruited to target genes by the bromodomain protein Brd4 or the super elongation complex (SEC). Here, we describe GPCR-specific regulation of these P-TEFb complexes and a novel mechanism for activating Brd4 in primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. The SEC was required for the hypertrophic response downstream of either the α1-adrenergic receptor (α1-AR) or the endothelin receptor (ETR). In contrast, Brd4 inhibition selectively impaired the α1-AR response. This was corroborated by the finding that the activation of α1-AR, but not ETR, increased Brd4 occupancy at promoters and superenhancers of hypertrophic genes. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that the activation of both receptors initiated similar gene expression programs, but that Brd4 inhibition attenuated hypertrophic genes more robustly following α1-AR activation. Finally, we show that protein kinase A (PKA) is required for α1-AR stimulation of Brd4 chromatin occupancy. The differential role of the Brd4/P-TEFb complex in response to distinct GPCR pathways has potential clinical implications, as therapies targeting this complex are currently being explored for heart failure.
Association between sleep duration and osteoarthritis and their prevalence in Koreans: A cross-sectional study

Objective To determine the association of radiological and symptomatic osteoarthritis with sleep duration in a representative sample of the Korean population. Methods Using data from the national cross-sectional fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2010–2012. Of the 16,528 participants in KNHANES-V, 8,918 were adults aged≥ 50 years who had completed the survey questions on sleep duration and osteoarthritis, and had diagnostic X-ray results. We evaluated the association between sleep duration as the primary predictor for osteoarthritis involving the hip, knee, and spinal joints. A complex sample logistic regression analysis was performed to adjust for the covariates. Results Proportions of participants with total daily sleep duration of ≤6 hours, 7–8 hours, and ≥9 hours were 47.1%, 45.2, and 7.7%, respectively. The rate of osteoarthritis diagnoses in the ≤6 hours, 7–8 hours, and ≥9 hours of sleep duration groups was 24.1%, 17.6%, and 21.8%, respectively (p <0.0001). The odds ratios (OR) were significantly higher in the ≤6 hours of sleep group than in the 7–8 hours of sleep group (OR, 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03–1.39; p = 0.02), but no significant difference in the ≥9 hours of sleep group was found after adjusting the confounding variables. When we compared knee joint pain (Numeric Rating Scale 0 versus 1–10) in participants with grade 2–4 Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) classification after adjusting these same confounding variables, the ≤6 hours of sleep group (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.10–1.58) and the ≥9 hours of sleep group (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.03–1.95) showed significantly higher ORs. Conclusion This study confirmed the significant association between sleep duration and osteoarthritis in adults aged ≥50 years. Participants’ positive for both radiological (KL grade ≥2) and symptomatic osteoarthritis showed a strong association between knee joint pain and not enough sleep duration.
ABC Efflux Transporters and the Circuitry of miRNAs: Kinetics of Expression in Cancer Drug Resistance

Cancer drug resistance (CDR) is a major problem in therapeutic failure. Over 90% of patients with metastatic cancer present CDR. Several mechanisms underlie CDR, including the increased expression of efflux ABC transporters and epigenetic phenomena. Nevertheless, a topic that is not usually addressed is the mechanism underlying the loss of CDR once the challenge to these cells is withdrawn. A KCR cell line (doxorubicin-resistant, expressing ABCB1) was used to induce loss of resistance by withdrawing doxorubicin in culture medium. ABCB1 activity was analysed by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry through substrate (DiOC2) retention assays. The expression of 1008 microRNAs was assessed before and after doxorubicin withdrawal. After 16 weeks of doxorubicin withdrawal, a decrease of ABCB1 activity and expression occurred. Moreover, we determined a signature of 23 microRNAs, 13 underexpressed and 10 overexpressed, as a tool to assess loss of resistance. Through pathway enrichment analysis, “Pathways in cancer”, “Proteoglycans in cancer” and “ECM-receptor interaction” were identified as relevant in the loss of CDR. Taken together, the data reinforce the assumption that ABCB1 plays a major role in the kinetics of CDR, and their levels of expression are in the dependence of the circuitry of cell miRNAs.
The Association Between Clinicopathological Features and Molecular Markers in Bahraini Women With Breast Cancer.

INTRODUCTION Breast cancer (BC) is a heterogenous disease and a major public health burden in Bahrain. Based on hormone receptor status (ER, PR, and HER2), BC can be divided into four molecular subtypes: Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2+, and Triple negative, each of which display distinct clinical behaviour. PATIENTS AND METHODS This retrospective study included 216 patients diagnosed with BC between November 2017 and May 2019 at the Bahrain oncology centre. The clinicopathological characteristics (age, size of tumour, grade, lymph node involvement, metastasis) were examined, in addition to immunohistochemical markers (ER, PR, and HER2), and BRCA 1 and 2 status (when indicated). SPSS was used to evaluate the correlation between the molecular subtypes and different clinicopathological features. RESULTS BC in Bahraini women was relatively of large size (68.5% larger than 20mm), with frequent metastasis to the lymph nodes (57.4%). The mean age at diagnosis was 51.8 years ±11.5, with invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) being the most common histological type (90.3%). The most common molecular subtype was Luminal A (60.2%), followed respectively by luminal B (19%), triple negative (13.4%) and HER-2 (7.4%). DISCUSSION Significant differences were found between the subtypes regarding grade (p=0.001) and BRCA mutation status (0.001). Triple negative subtype was associated with highly-aggressive behaviour compared to the other subtypes. It presented at younger age, with high grade, large tumor size, and predominance to distant metastasis. It was also linked with positive BRCA mutations. CONCLUSION A significant proportion of Bahraini females with BC present with aggressive features (i.e. younger age, poorly differentiated tumors, and lymph node involvement). Expectedly this was associated with underlying aggressive molecular subtypes (namely TNBC). The aggressive properties of such molecular subtype mandate further molecular testing to identify more accurate prognostic and predictive targets for effective treatment and risk reduction strategies.
Developing a Sufficient Protocol for the Enhancement of α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity by Urena lobata L. Aeroponic Hairy Roots Using Exogenous Factors, a Precursor, and an Elicitor

Aeroponics is considered as a potential method for the culture of herbal plants due to the high growth rate, quantity and quality enhancement of secondary metabolites, and substantial environmental progress associated with this method. The aim of this study was to develop a sufficient protocol for successful Urena lobata hairy root induction by Agrobacterium rhizogenes ATCC 15834, using a precursor and elicitor to enhance α-glucosidase inhibitory activity (GIA) of aeroponic hairy roots (AHRs) in greenhouse conditions. In this study, we found that the optimized procedure (10 min, Woody plant medium (WPM), 1/25 salt strength) had an outstanding effect with a reduction in the rooting time (RT), promotion of the rooting rate (RR), and increase in the fresh weight (FW) and dry weight (DW) compared with the original procedure (30 min, Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium, 1/25 salt strength) after 30 days of culture. The highest DW, GIA, flavonoid (FLA) and phenolic (PHEL) contents were observed for individual addition of 10 mM phenylalanine (PA) or 50 mM chitosan (CS) in the late exponential phase (eighth week) with 15 days of elicitation compared to the control AHRs. However, individual treatment was less effective than the combination of the two. Positive correlations among the GIA, FLA and PHEL indicate that AHRs accumulated phenolic compounds, leading to an increase in the GIA by a synergistic effect. In conclusion, the culture of Urena lobata AHRs with PA and CS is an efficient procedure to produce GIA material in greenhouse conditions.
I (Dis)Like it Like That: Gender, Pornography, and Liking Sex

Abstract Rates of pornography consumption in the U.S. are high and increasing. With exploratory aims, this study addresses the questions: What is the association between pornography consumption and liking of sexual behaviors commonly depicted in pornography, and is enjoyment moderated by gender? Sexual scripts theory suggests that increased pornography consumption is associated with increased engagement in pornographic sex acts, but it does not speak to enjoyment of the acts when engaged. The current study seeks to fill that gap. Based on data collected from a larger sample of 1,883 heterosexual men and women (predominantly, 86.6%, college or university students) in the U.S., and comparing correlations between pornography consumption (frequency of use) and reported enjoyment of a range of sexual behaviors by gender using Fisher’s z transformations (α value set at <.0025), analysis revealed that pornography consumption, overall, was not significantly correlated with increased enjoyment of the sexual acts that comprise the pornographic sexual script. However, gender was a significant moderating factor in the enjoyment, specifically, of degrading and/or uncommon acts. Male respondents were significantly more likely to report enjoying these acts than their female counterparts. These findings have possible implications for consumers, educators, and mental health professionals.
A Review of Surface Haptics: Enabling Tactile Effects on Touch Surfaces

In this article, we review the current technology underlying surface haptics that converts passive touch surfaces to active ones (machine haptics), our perception of tactile stimuli displayed through active touch surfaces (human haptics), their potential applications (human-machine interaction), and finally, the challenges ahead of us in making them available through commercial systems. This article primarily covers the tactile interactions of human fingers or hands with surface-haptics displays by focusing on the three most popular actuation methods: vibrotactile, electrostatic, and ultrasonic.
Nitric Oxide as a Potential Adjuvant Therapeutic for Neuroblastoma: Effects of NO on Murine N2a Cells

Neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumor in children, accounts for 15% of all pediatric cancer deaths. Pharmaceutical applications of S-Nitrosylation, which, under normal conditions is involved with a host of epigenetic and embryological development pathways, have exhibited great potential for use as adjuvant therapeutics in the clinical management of cancer. Herein, an evaluation of the impact of nitric oxide (NO) as a potent anticancer agent on murine neuroblastoma cells is presented. Excitingly cell viability, colony formation, and non-carcinogenic cell analysis illustrate the significance and practicality of NO as a cytotoxic anticancer therapeutic. Resazurin, WST-8 (2-(2-methoxy-4-nitrophenyl)-3-(4-nitrophenyl)-5-(2,4-disulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, monosodium salt), and MTT (3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphyltetrazolium bromide) assays consistently displayed a moderate, ~20–25% reduction in cell viability after exposure to 1 mM S-Nitrosoglutathione (GSNO). A colony formation assay demonstrated that treated cells no longer exhibited colony formation capacity. Identically GSNO-treated Adult Human Dermal Fibroblasts (HDFa) exhibited no decrease in viability, indicating potential discrimination between neoplastic and normal cells. Collectively, our findings indicate a potential application for NO as an adjuvant therapeutic in the clinical management of neuroblastoma.
Eye tracking as an objective measure of hyperphagia in children with Prader‐Willi syndrome

This study examined sensitivity of eye tracking measures to hyperphagia severity in Prader‐Willi syndrome (PWS). Gaze data were collected in 57 children with PWS, age 3–11 years, and 47 typically developing peers at two study sites during free visual exploration of complex stimulus arrays that included images of food, animals, and household objects. Analysis of the number and duration of fixations as well as gaze perseverations revealed that food items are not exceptionally salient for children with PWS. Instead, increased attention to food in the context of other high‐interest items (e.g., animals) was associated with caregiver reports of more severe hyperphagia and more advanced nutritional phase. The study also provided preliminary evidence of possible genetic subtype and sex differences as well as demonstrated that multiple investigators in a wide range of settings can effectively implement the eye tracking protocol. The results indicate that gaze characteristics derived from eye tracking may be a promising objective marker of hyperphagia in PWS for use in research and clinical trials.
Lung ultrasound in the neonatal intensive care unit: Review of the literature and future perspectives

Lung ultrasound (LU) has been increasingly used as a point‐of‐care method in recent years. LU has numerous advantages compared to traditional imaging tools such as chest X‐ray (radiography) (CXR): it is faster and portable, does not use ionizing radiation, is performed by the same physician who cares for the patient, and can be repeated to follow the progress of the disease and the response to treatment. There is a large body of evidence that LU has an excellent diagnostic effectiveness compared to CXR, not only in adults and children, but also in neonates. This review article describes how to perform LU, how to interpret findings, and how to use LU to diagnose and differentiate common neonatal pulmonary diseases. Strengths but also limits of the technique are highlighted. Finally, we describe the recent revolutionary role of LU. The development of scoring methods in neonates with respiratory distress syndrome allowed to quantify the severity of the disease and to assist the physician in the clinical management and follow‐up.
Phenological responses of temperate and boreal trees to warming depend on ambient spring temperatures, leaf habit, and geographic range

Significance Approaches to understanding change in plant function due to climate change often assume a fixed response: a given amount of climate forcing will cause a given amount of change in the measure of interest. Our study shows that this will not be the case for phenology. Effects of warming will be context dependent and vary with natural climate variability. Experimental warming in early, warm springs led to a greater advance of leafing, but more variation among species. In late, cool springs, there was a smaller effect of warming and species leafed out more simultaneously. Our results suggest that climate change could lead to more variable phenology, with consequences including greater risk of inappropriately early leafing and altered interactions among species. Changes in plant phenology associated with climate change have been observed globally. What is poorly known is whether and how phenological responses to climate warming will differ from year to year, season to season, habitat to habitat, or species to species. Here, we present 5 y of phenological responses to experimental warming for 10 subboreal tree species. Research took place in the open-air B4WarmED experiment in Minnesota. The design is a two habitat (understory and open) × three warming treatments (ambient, +1.7 °C, +3.4 °C) factorial at two sites. Phenology was measured twice weekly during the growing seasons of 2009 through 2013. We found significant interannual variation in the effect of warming and differences among species in response to warming that relate to geographic origin and plant functional group. Moreover, responses to experimental temperature variation were similar to responses to natural temperature variation. Warming advanced the date of budburst more in early compared to late springs, suggesting that to simulate interannual variability in climate sensitivity of phenology, models should employ process-based or continuous development approaches. Differences among species in timing of budburst were also greater in early compared to late springs. Our results suggest that climate change—which will make most springs relatively “early”—could lead to a future with more variable phenology among years and among species, with consequences including greater risk of inappropriately early leafing and altered interactions among species.
Susceptibility of Chinese grapes to grape phylloxera

Introduction: Grape phylloxera, Daktulosphaira vitifolia (Fitch) (Homoptera, Phylloxeridae). evolved in America, then spread to Europe, devastating viticulture there. Phylloxera rampantly reemerged in Jiading, Shanghai in 2005 and other regions, including Huaihua, Hunan province; Xi’an, Shaanxi province; Xingcheng, Liaoning province all in 2006 and 2007. The phylloxera damage to the grape industry in China is becoming similar to the damage this insect caused in late 19th century Europe. China is one of the centers of origin of the genus Vitis and has about 37 species (HE 2001). Many of these native grapes are grown domestically and also used for breeding. Information of resistance of only a few eastern Chinese species to grape phylloxera was available from BOUBALS (1966) and GALET (1988). The aim of this research is to evaluate resistance of Chinese native and wild grapes to Chinese strains of grape phylloxera using the method of GRANETT et al. (1987). GRANETT's classification was based on potential doubling time. BOUBALS’ (1966) classification of susceptibility and resistance was based on observations of tuberosities and nodosities on whole plants. Plants forming few nodosities and no or few tuberosities were resistant, those forming lots of tuberosities were susceptible. The laboratory bioassays were convenient and easily visible. Results were in agreement with those of field experiment (KING et al. 1982). This work has significance to success of viticulture in China.