Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stair climbing at home for health benefits

Climbing stairs is a lifestyle physical activity with effects on a range of CVD risk factors. This thesis explored the potential of stair climbing at home as a public health intervention in three empirical studies. A pilot study tested the feasibility of progressive increases in stair climbing and descent at home. Eight participants progressed from 10 floors.day-1 in week one to 19 floors.day-1 in week four. Percent body fat, SBP and leg power were improved at the end of the brief intervention. The second study randomly allocated 24 healthy weight (BMI = 22.1) and 26 overweight (BMI = 31.7) sedentary women to gym-based and home-based stair climbing for 5 days.week-1 over 8 weeks, with a healthy weight control group recruited for comparison. Intervention participants progressed from 2 continuous 32.8m ascents.day-1 in weeks 1-2 to 5 ascents.day-1 in weeks 7-8. Stair climbing improved body composition, cardio-respiratory fitness and serum lipid profiles. Increases in leg power were found in the stair climbing group. Overall, effects were similar for gym-based and home-based interventions. Given the effects of leg power, and the importance of leg power in the elderly, the third study investigated the potential psychological determinants of increased stair climbing at home for an older population. Participants (n = 281; age = 69.2 years) reported the number of floors that they were willing to climb continuously at home, as well as potential barriers and facilitators of the behaviour. Positive beliefs about the benefits of regular stair climbing and fear of falling, both on stairs and in general, were the major predictors of willingness to climb stairs at home. Discussion focuses on the potential of home-based stair climbing as a cost-effective intervention for preservation of function and CVD risk in public health.
Fall Prediction Index for Patients in Stroke Rehabilitation

Background and Purpose The identification of stroke patients who are prone to falls is essential to the development of prevention strategies. This study aimed at developing an easily administered fall risk index for patients in stroke rehabilitation. Methods A consecutive series of 135 patients in geriatric stroke rehabilitation was studied. Patient characteristics viewed as potential fall predictor variables were assessed at admission. Univariate and multiple Cox regression analyses of these variables were used in the development of a fall prediction index. Results The final index included the following items: male sex, poor performance of activities of daily living, urinary incontinence, impaired postural stability, bilateral motor impairment, presence of bilateral cortical or white matter lesions, visuospatial hemineglect, and use of diuretics, antidepressants, or sedatives. The index score correlated significantly with the fall risk (odds ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.26 to 1.69). The score .
Method for diagnosing tuberculosis in a urine sample

A method of diagnosing tuberculosis disease or infection from a urine sample of a subject is provided, wherein the urine sample is tested for the presence of at least one Mycobacterium tuberculosis-specific biomarkers selected from Rv1475c, Rv1977, Rv0014c, Rv2748c, Rv1664, Rv1 161, Rv2280, Rv2694c, Rv2490c, Rv0578c, Rv1450c, Rv1522c, Rv2737c, Rv2981 c, Rv0765c, Rv2126c, Rv1759c, Rv1464, Rv3202c, Rv0668, Rv3345c, Rv3775, Rv3736, Rv2455c, Rv3885c and Rv1235. The method can distinguish active tuberculosis disease from latent tuberculosis infection. A point-of-care diagnostic device and a kit for use in the method are also provided.
Metabolic effects of hypoxia and chronic hepatitis C

Hypoxia has been linked to the pathogenesis of hepatic steatosis in murine and human models. There is an abundance of data suggesting that HIFs play a central role in regulating hepatic lipid metabolism. This study suggested that hypoxia-induced hepatic lipid accumulation is through de novo lipogenesis and free fatty acid uptake, and is dependent on hypoxia inducible factors la and 2a. On the contrary, hepatitis C infection reduced de novo lipogenesis and free fatty acid uptake in both normoxic and hypoxic conditions in vitro, and this inhibition is viral strain-dependent. In the clinical setting, chronic hepatitis C {CHC) and non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases {NAFLD) are associated with hepatic steatosis and insulin resistance. Using an integrative physiological approach that measures lipid and carbohydrate flux in vivo we demonstrated that patients with CHC had modest increase in insulin resistance and that the relative contribution of tissue specific insulin sensitivity in patients with CHC and NASH varied. Furthermore, curing HCV infection improved hepatic and subcutaneous adipose tissue insulin resistance. The improvement in hepatic and adipose tissue insulin resistance was more pronounced in patients infected with genotype 3 HCV, whilst the improvement in skeletal muscle insulin resistance was more evident in genotype 1 infection, demonstrating a genotype-specific effect in the metabolic perturbation in CHC. Further studies are required to confirm that genotype specific effect of HCV on insulin resistance and its link with NASH.
Abdominal muscular endurance in Brazilian children and adolescents: systematic review of cross-sectional studies

The literature has demonstrated the importance of musculoskeletal fitness in the prevention of chronic noncommunicable diseases. Although current recommendations of physical activities include strengthening and muscular endurance aspects, little is known about the muscular endurance levels of children and adolescents in a national scope. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature to identify the prevalence of Brazilian children and adolescents who meet health criteria for muscular endurance. A hierarchical search was conducted in four databases (MEDLINE; Scopus; SciELO; LILACS) using the following terms: “muscular endurance”, “muscle endurance”, “physical fitness”, “child”, “adolescent”, “adults” “school” and correspondents in the Portuguese language. Overall, 2,652 articles (2,269 had their title and abstract read) were found and 70 were eligible for reading in full. Seventeen studies were reviewed and evaluated for risk of bias. Among 32,661 children and adolescents, only 40.2% of boys and 31.9% of girls presented abdominal muscular endurance adequate for health, and most studies were conducted in the southern region of Brazil. The variability in procedures for evaluating abdominal muscular endurance and cut-points used for interpretation occurred due to the use of different standardizations (PROESP/BR®, FITNESSGRAM® and AAHPERD®). Less than half of Brazilian adolescents of both sexes have adequate abdominal muscular endurance for health. Studies investigating the causes and consequences of inadequate abdominal muscular endurance may contribute to strategies for disease prevention and health promotion of children and adolescents.
Investigation into the twin-arginine translocation pathway of halophilic and thermophilic archaea

The Twin arginine translocation pathway translocates fully folded proteins across cellular membranes and is only utilised by proteins that fold before translocation. It is a unique process that is found in many bacteria, archaea and also in plant chloroplasts. Investigation of the bacterial and thylakoidal systems has revealed much of the substrates and the components involved in their translocation. Unfortunately, there are still many unanswered questions such as how substrates are directed to the membrane and the actual mechanism of translocation. This thesis specifically investigates the Tat pathway of halophilic and thermophilic archaea. To date, there has been a lack of research into the archaeal Tat pathway and it is possible that there are unique adaptations because of the extreme environments that these organisms inhabit. Chapter 3 specifically investigates the thermophiles Sulfolobus solfataricus and Sulfolobus tokodaii and attempts to purify their Tat complexes. By doing so it was hoped to learn more about the Tat components and their interactions. Further experiments were also performed to determine if the two S. solfataricus Tat operons provide specificity to the Tat substrates that translocate. Four separate areas of the Tat pathway of halophilic archaea (haloarchaea) were investigated in Chapters 4-7. Firstly, site-directed mutagenesis was used to analyse the signal peptides of haloarchaeal Tat substrates in more detail. Consequently, the resulting data led to the use of bioinformatics to analyse the Haloarchaeal signal peptide. The bioenergetics of the Tat system was then determined by analysing the effect of a variety of ionophores on translocation of the Tat substrates AmyH and SptA. Finally, a series of folding and stability assays were used to increase our understanding of AmyH, which could provide further information on why this protein, like many other haloarchaeal proteins, requires the Tat pathway for translocation.
Description Logics for Conceptual Data Modeling in UML

Part 1: Motivation, Intro to UML Class Diagrams, UML Class Diagrams and First-Order-Logic, forms of reasoning on UML Class Diagrams G. De Giacomo (days 1, 2) – references [2,3] Part 2: Intro to Description Logics, reasoning, complexity D. Calvanese (days 3,4) – reference [1] Part 3: UML Class Diagrams and Description Logics, EXPTIME-hardness of reasoning on UML Class Diagrams, EXPTIME-membership of reasoning on UML Class Diagrams D. Calvanese (day 5) – references [1,2] + Demo of i.COM: a system based on DLs for reasoning on UML Class Diagrams Special guest E. Franconi (day 5)
Novel mechanisms of cytokine signaling on T-cell and MDSC function in glioma development

Malignant gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors with dismal prognosis. A growing line of evidence supports significant roles of immunosurveillance for prevention and regulation of cancer development. For example, tumor infiltrating T-cells are capable of killing tumor cells and are a positive prognostic factor for cancer patients. T-cell immune responses are classified into distinct effector cell types, type-1 or type-2, based on their cytokine-secreting profiles. We have demonstrated that tumor-specific type-1 T-cells, but not type-2 T-cells, can efficiently traffic into CNS tumor sites and mediate effective therapeutic efficacy via a type-1 chemokine CXCL10 and an integrin receptor VLA-4. Despite the importance of the type-1 T cell response, cancers, including GBMs, secrete numerous type-2 cytokines that promote tumor proliferation and immune escape. The hallmark cytokines of type-1 and type-2 immune responses are IFNs and IL-4, respectively. We therefore sought to better understand the role of IL-4 and IFN signaling in gliomas. We herein demonstrate that the miR-17-92 cluster is down-regulated in T-cells in both human and mouse tumors, dependent on IL-4R signaling. Further, ectopic expression of miR-17-92 cluster in T-cells resulted in enhanced IFN-γ and IL-2 production and resistance to activation induced cell death (AICD) (Aim 1). We next examined IL-4Rα on immunosuppressive myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Interestingly we found that IL-4Rα was up-regulated on human and mouse glioma infiltrating, but not peripheral, MDSCs. Additionally, IL-4Rα expression promoted arginase activity, T-cell suppressing abilities and glioma growth (Aim 2). As type I IFNs are important for anti-glioma type-1 immunity, we further examined how type I IFNs impact glioma patient prognosis. As there are multiple type I IFNs, our collaborators assisted us to identify potentially important genes by single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. We found that IFN-pathway genes IFN- alpha receptor-1 (IFNAR1) and the IFN-alpha-8 (IFNA8) promoter both had SNPs associated with glioma prognosis. By luciferase assay and electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) we demonstrated that the A-allele, which is associated with better glioma patient survival, but not the C-allele of rs12553612 in the promoter region of IFNA8 allows for OCT-1 binding and activity of the IFNA8 promoter (Aim 3). Overall, our data suggests that type-2 promoting has a dual role in suppressing glioma immunity through decreased T-cell functioning and enhanced MDSC function. Type-2 promoted suppression of glioma immunity can thus lead to better glioma patient prognosis, a significant public health achievement.
Paediatric, adolescent, wild type, syndromic gastrointestinal stromal tumours (PAWS-GIST): Report from United Kingdom PAWS-GIST clinic.

e23519Background: Paediatric, adolescent, wild type and syndromic Gastro Intestinal Stromal Tumours (PAWS-GIST) consortium was formed in UK as a joint effort between GIST specialists, patients and carers. The aim was to raise awareness,undertake research, understand the biology and develop new treatments. The clinic was established in Cambridge, UK in 2014 and is held 3 times a year. We present our 3 years experience. Methods: Patients with wild type GISTS were invited to register for the clinic on website (www.pawsgistclinic.org.uk). Patients were reviewed by a panel of experts- oncologists, surgeon, pathologist, endocrinologist and cancer geneticist. 8 patients were seen in each clinic. Molecular testing including succinate dehydrogenase (SDH)B immunohistochemistry, sequencing of SDH genes, SDHC promoter hypermethylation were performed. Patients and families were offered germline testing of the SDH genes after counseling. All patients and carers were actively encouraged to provide feedback on their expe.
Neutron-deficient nuclei studied with stable and radioactive beams

Neutron-deficient nuclei close to the proton drip-line have been studied intensively in recent years. Measurements of ground-state proton emitters have mapped out the limits of nuclear stability above 100Sn. Suchexperiments have allowed us to learn about the single-particle shell structure far from stability. Studies of γ-rays from N=Z nuclei produced in fusion–evaporation reactions have revealed that their properties vary rapidly with small changes in Z, N and A because of large oblate and prolate shell gaps at large deformation. Studies of these nuclei also reveal information about isospin mixing as a function of mass and potentially yield information about n–p pairing. The astrophysical rp-process pathway lies close to the N=Z line. Studies of fragmentation reactions have allowed us to determine a lot of the information needed to analyse the rp-process in detail. All of this information is limited, however, by the constraint of using stable beams and targets. With beams of radioactive nuclei, classical spectroscopic techniques such as Coulomb excitation and particle transfer studies will allow us to map out level properties in detail in nuclei far from stability. Studies of fusion–evaporation reactions with beams of radioactive ions by using new, more sensitive detection techniques will allow us to study nuclei up to and beyond the drip-line in nuclei above 100Sn. At the same time such studies will allow us much greater access to the lighter N=Z nuclei.
Valuing the impacts of forest fires on backcountry forest recreation

A discrete choice travel cost model was developed for backcountry forest recreation using 2 yr of backcountry canoe registrations from Nopiming Park, Manitoba. A statistically significant variable explaining choice of route was the amount of forest along the route that was burned in the last 10 yr; virtually all of which occurred in two particularly severe fires during 1983. The current economic welfare loss from these fires was estimated using a discrete choice travel cost model combined with a count model of trip demand. Since the forest grows back following fire, these losses will eventually decrease to zero. A linear intertemporal damage function for one of the fires is estimated, and the present value of damages under alternative discount rate assumptions is presented. FOR. SCI. 42(4):450-455.
Role of the ubiquitin-like modifier FAT10 in protein degradation and immunity

37 Introduction . 38 Results . 40 Discussion . 51 Experimental Procedures . 56
Effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on vascular endothelial growth factor a (VEGF-A) gene expression in gentamicin-induced acute renal nephrotoxicity -

Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) gene expression in an experimental gentamicin-induced nephrotoxicity and ameliorative effect of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) was investigated in rats. Animals were divided into four groups (n=8); control (C) group animals were given 10% dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO); gentamicin (G) group animals were given 100 mg/kg/day gentamicin; CAPE group animals were given 30 mg/kg/day CAPE and CAPE+G group animals were given 100 mg/kg/day gentamicin plus 30 mg/kg/day CAPE. Serum creatinine and BUN levels significantly increased in gentamicin group as compared to the control group (p0.05). Gene expression level of VEGF-A in gentamicin group significantly decreased as compared to the control group, however, CAPE treatment did not have any increasing effect on the gene expression level. According to histopathological investigation, gentamicin treatment caused prominent degeneration in kidney tissue and CAPE treatment had only slight beneficial effect on lowering the tissue degeneration. The results showed that gentamicin decreases VEGF-A gene expression and this might be related to the tissue degeneration at cellular level. However, CAPE treatment did not have significant ameliorative effect in lowering the gentamicin induced nephrotoxicity.
SHP-1 and PDK1 Form a Phosphotyrosine-Dependent Nucleo-Cytoplasmic Shuttling Complex: Implications for Differentiation

Education: 2007-2012 Postdoc. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (USA), Department of Neuroscience Mentor: Gang Yu 2002-2007 Ph.D. University of Saskatchewan (CAN), Department of Psychiatry “SHP-1 and PDK1 form a phosphotyrosine-dependent nucleocytoplasmic shuttling complex: implications for differentiation” Mentor: Darrell D. Mousseau 1998-2002 B.Sc. (high honors) University of Saskatchewan (CAN), Department of Biochemistry
Evaluation of analgesic efficacy of dexmedetomidine as adjuvant with ropivacaine in ultrasound-guided adductor canal block in patients following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgeries

Introduction: Local anaesthetic (LA) with highly selective alpha-2 agonist dexmedetomidine has not been evaluated in adductor canal block (ACB) for arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction surgeries. The study evaluates postoperative analgesic effect of ropivacaine with adjuvant dexmedetomidine following postoperative ultrasound-guided ACB. Methods: 105 randomized subjects received ultrasound-guided ACB using 15 mL of 0.5% ropivacaine, with 0.5 µg kg−1 of dexmedetomidine administered perineurally (Group II), intravenously (Group III) or none (Group I). Primary outcome included 24 hours’ total morphine consumption postoperatively. Secondary outcomes included haemodynamics and adverse effects. Results: The postoperative total morphine consumption was significantly reduced till 4 hours in II 0.57 mg (0.98 (0–3)) (p = 0.011) and up to 6 hours in Group III 0.77 mg (1.00 (0–4)) (p = 0.004) compared to Group I. The postoperative total morphine consumption was comparable at 24 hours in Group III 3.57 mg (1.73 (0–8)) and Group II 3.34 mg (1.92 (07)) (p = 1.000). The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were comparable in all the three groups at all the time intervals studied (p > 0.05). There were no adverse effects observed during the study. Conclusion: Use of perineural dexmedetomidine with LA for ACB in the postoperative period resulted in significant reduction in total morphine consumption in initial 4 hours as compared to 6 hours with intravenous (IV) dexmedetomidine.
Production, processing and storage techniques of african nightshade (Solanum spp.) seeds and their correlations with farmers’ characteristics in western Kenya

Nightshade (Solanum species) is a priority African indigenous vegetable of great importance that plays a significant role in nutrition, food security and income generation. Much research attention on nightshade has focused on leaf yields, nutritional value, agronomic practices and post-harvest handling. However, African nightshade production is mainly constrained by lack of quality seeds occasioned by methods of seed harvesting, processing and storage. This study sought to find out existing knowledge on methods of seed harvesting, processing and storage techniques and their associations with farmers’ characteristics. A household survey was done in Siaya, Kakamega, Vihiga, Kisumu, Busia and Kisii counties in Kenya between June 2014 and June 2015. The survey targeted farmers who produced and processed nightshade seeds in a bid to document existing methods of nightshade seed harvesting, processing and storage techniques. Purposive sampling was conducted on the targeted counties so as to survey only households that grow and process nightshade seeds. Scheduled interviews together with structured questionnaires were used to collect data. A total of 60 farmers were interviewed. Data were collected on nightshade production, cultural practices, harvesting processing and storage techniques, seed accessibility and availability, seed quality, quantity, cost and the challenges facing the nightshade seed production. Data collected were subjected to descriptive statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Significantly more women were involved in nightshade seed production than men (X2= 4.81, P = 0.028). While, the level of education of farmers significantly influenced seed sourcing (X2 = 17.99, P = 0.021), the age and sex of farmers did not affect seed sourcing. The choice of methods used for nightshade seed extraction was not significantly associated with age, sex and the level of education. Similarly, nightshade seed packaging and storage techniques are not influenced by age, sex and level of education. Nightshade seed processing techniques were predominantly traditional and the seed systems informal. Farmers produced their own seeds and stored them for periods of less than one year. Therefore, farmers should be trained on production, storage and use of quality African nightshade seeds and more studies that focus on improvement, standardising and formalizing nightshade seed systems should be done.
Ischemic cerebrovascular accident and its secondary renal impairment

Background: Renal impairment is one of the most frequent but anticipated potential complications. The objective of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the renal impairment following ischemic cerebrovascular accident (CVA) patients worldwide.Methods: Authors were using meta-analysis. Studies were obtained from several databases like Pubmed, Cochrane, Karger and JNS. Keywords were "renal" or "kidney" and "stroke" and "ischemic". Included studies were full-text observational study or randomized control trial (RCT). Subjects in study were newly diagnosed acute kidney disease (AKI) after ischemic CVA, with age range 18-100 years old. From 425 studies, total 5 studies were eligible for this study.Results: From those 5 studies, it is shown that the pooled risk ratio (RR) for mortality ischemic CVA with AKI was 2.56. AKI appeared insignificantly in both ischemic CVA and intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) (RR 0.75; p=0.01). The pooled risk ratio had wide heterogeneity (I2 = 0.95) so random effect model was used.Conclusions: Renal impairment and its mortality appeared more frequent in ischemic CVA with AKI. It still needs more multicentre and long-term period researches in the future to get better understanding AKI in ischemic CVA.