Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of physical therapy interventions on spatiotemporal gait parameters in children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review

Abstract Aim To investigate the effect of physical therapy interventions on spatiotemporal gait parameters in children with cerebral palsy. Methods Six databases were searched: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Science Direct, Lilacs, and Scopus. Two independent reviewers worked on primary study selection based on titles, abstracts, and full text reading. We included randomized controlled trials investigating the role of therapeutic interventions on gait kinematics in children with cerebral palsy. The independent reviewers extracted information about study population, intervention type, main outcomes, and methodological quality according to PEDro Scale. The body of evidence was synthesized through GRADE. Results Twenty-six studies were found addressing the following treatment categories: functional electrical stimulation, transcranial stimulation, gait training, muscular strengthening, vibratory platform training, and serial casting. A moderate level of evidence was identified for vibratory platform training, gait training, transcranial stimulation (positive effect), and isolated muscle strengthening (negative effect) in relation to gait velocity. Electrical stimulation showed a moderate level of evidence regarding stride length. The evidence for other outcomes was of low or very low quality. Conclusion Vibratory platform, gait training, electrical stimulation, and transcranial stimulation were effective to improve spatiotemporal gait parameters, especially velocity in children with cerebral palsy. Implication for rehabilitation Improvement and maintenance of gait of children with cerebral palsy is a great challenge to rehabilitation professionals Vibratory platform, gait training, electrical stimulation, and transcranial stimulation improve gait parameters. Isolated strength training was not effective to improve gait parameters in Cerebral Palsy. Long-term effect of most techniques on gait parameters until unclear.
Visualizing endogenous opioid receptors in living neurons using ligand-directed chemistry

Identifying neurons that have functional opioid receptors is fundamental for the understanding of the cellular, synaptic and systems actions of opioids. Current techniques are limited to post hoc analyses of fixed tissues. Here we developed a fluorescent probe, naltrexamine-acylimidazole (NAI), to label opioid receptors based on a chemical approach termed ‘traceless affinity labeling’. In this approach, a high affinity antagonist naltrexamine is used as the guide molecule for a transferring reaction of acylimidazole at the receptor. This reaction generates a fluorescent dye covalently linked to the receptor while naltrexamine is liberated and leaves the binding site. The labeling induced by this reagent allowed visualization of opioid-sensitive neurons in rat and mouse brains without loss of function of the fluorescently labeled receptors. The ability to locate endogenous receptors in living tissues will aid considerably in establishing the distribution and physiological role of opioid receptors in the CNS of wild type animals.
Virtual Materials Intelligence for Design and Discovery of Advanced Electrocatalysts.

Similar to the advancements gained from big data in genomics, security, internet of things, and e-commerce, the materials workflow could be made more efficient and prolific through advances in streamlining data sources, autonomous materials synthesis, rapid characterization, big data analytics, and self-learning algorithms. In electrochemical materials science, data sets are large, unstructured/heterogeneous, and difficult to process and analyze from a single data channel or platform. Computer-aided materials design together with advances in data mining, machine learning, and predictive analytics are touted to provide inexpensive and accelerated pathways towards tailor-made functionally optimized energy materials. Fundamental research in the field of electrochemical energy materials focuses primarily on complex interfacial phenomena and kinetic electrocatalytic processes. This perspective article critically ranks existing AI-driven modeling and computational approaches that are currently applied to those objects. An application-driven materials intelligence platform is also introduced, and its functionalities are scrutinized considering the development of electrocatalyst materials for CO2 conversion as a use case.
Knowledge and attitude towards hematopoietic stem cell transplantation among medical students at Jazan University, Saudi Arabia

Objectives: To identify the knowledge and attitudes of medical students at Jazan University towards hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Methods: This cross-sectional study involved all medical students at the Faculty of Medicine, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia, between October 2018 and February 2019. Data were collected using a questionnaire that has been used in a previous study conducted at Mayo Medical School, Minnesota, USA. Results: Out of 800 students, 744 completed the questionnaire (the response rate was 93%). Sixty-seven students (9%) were already registered in the Saudi stem cell donor registry (SSCDR). The participants’ knowledge on donor eligibility was 37.4% and the donation process was 23.6%. Registered students were more likely to join the registry if there was a drive in their area (n=65 [97%], p=0.000), and more likely to donate stem cells to any matched patient (n=58 [86.6%], p=0.000). The main concern of the participants was the long-term side effects (48%). Conclusion: Most students lack the knowledge on HSCT. However, the students who registered in SSCDR had better knowledge and attitudes towards HSCT than the unregistered. Long-term side effects of HSCT were the most common concern of the participants. However, time commitment was the major concern of the registered students.
Odorant-Based Detection and Discrimination of Two Economic Pests in Export Apples

Abstract Detection of pest infestations in fresh produce traded internationally could offer improved prospects for reducing the movement of unwanted pests. Because immature stages of some pests can be difficult to find visually, other cues such as herbivore-induced volatiles that can potentially be detected at the early stages of infestation are worth investigating. In this study, we artificially infested postharvested apples (Malus × domestica ‘Royal Gala') with two economic apple pests, the specialist codling moth (CM, Cydia pomonella Linnaeus, Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and the generalist Queensland fruit fly (QFF, Bactrocera tryoni, Froggatt, Diptera: Tephritidae) and collected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) over time (days 0, 6, and 14–15). In both infestation experiments, we found a strong and significant interaction between time and treatment. Apples infested with the QFF emitted lower total amounts of VOCs than uninfested apples, whereas apples infested with the CM released similar total amounts of VOCs. Apples infested with CM had increases in several hexyl and butyl esters, which were particularly noticeable after 15 d. In contrast, changes in ethyl esters were characteristics of QFF infestation and could be detected from day 6. Our multilevel and multivariate statistical analysis identified specific volatile biomarkers for each species at each sampling time that can be used to design a new tool for remote detection and surveillance of these invasive pests in harvested apples. Nevertheless, other information such as the cultivar as well as the storage condition needs to be taken into consideration to increase accuracy of future odorant-based sensors for pest identification.
Variation near MTNR1A associates with early development and interacts with seasons

Melatonin is a circadian regulatory hormone with neuroprotective properties. We have previously demonstrated the association of the genetic variant rs12506228 near the melatonin receptor 1A gene (MTNR1A) with intolerance to shift‐work. Furthermore, this variant has been connected to Alzheimer's disease. Because of the previously suggested role of melatonin signalling in foetal neurocognitive and sleep development, we studied here the association of rs12506228 with early development. The study sample comprised 8‐month‐old infants from the Finnish CHILD‐SLEEP birth cohort (n = 1,301). Parental questionnaires assessed socioemotional, communication and motor development, as well as sleep length and night awakenings. The A allele of rs12506228 showed an association with slower socioemotional (p = .025) and communication (p = .0098) development, but no direct association with sleep. However, the association of the Finnish seasons with infant sleep length interacted with rs12506228. Taken together, rs12506228 near MTNR1A, which has been previously linked to adult and elderly traits, is shown here to associate with slower early cognitive development. In addition, these results suggest that the darker seasons associate with longer infant sleep time, but only in the absence of the rs12506228 AA genotype. Because the risk allele has been connected to fewer brain MT1 melatonin receptors, these associations may reflect the influence of decreased melatonin signalling in early development.
TACHINIDAE (DIPTERA) PARASITOIDS OF BERTHA ARMYWORM (LEPIDOPTERA: NOCTUIDAE)

Abstract The bertha armyworm, Mamestra configurata Walker, causes periodic but severe damage to canola crops in North America, particularly in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. This paper provides information on the tachinid flies (Tachinidae: Diptera) recorded from bertha armyworm in North America. A key to adults is provided for separation of the genera, and each species known from bertha armyworm is characterized with respect to recognition, biology (including hosts), and distribution. The species included are Athrycia cinerea (Coquillett), Blondelia sp. , Chetogena claripennis (Macquart) species complex, Chetogena tachinomoides (Townsend) (new record), Eurithia consobrina (Meigen), Exorista mella (Walker), Lespesia archippivora (Riley), Panzeria ampelus (Walker), Phryxe pecosensis (Townsend), Phryxe vulgaris (Fallén), Spallanzania hebes (Fallén) (new record), Winthemia rufopicta (Bigot), and Winthemia quadripustulata (Fabricius). Eurithia consobrina is a Palearctic species that has been introduced into Canada for control of M. configurata but is probably not established; it is included here in the event it is introduced again and establishment is achieved. Résumé La Légionnaire bertha, Mamestra configurata Walker, cause des dommages périodiques mais graves dans les cultures de colza d’Amérique du Nord, particulièrement dans les provinces canadiennes de l’Alberta, de la Saskatchewan et du Manitoba. On trouvera ici des informations sur les tachinaires (Tachinidae : Diptera) rencontrées chez la légionnaire en Amérique du Nord, clé des divers genres et aspects particuliers des espèces trouvées sur la légionnaire, description, biologie (y compris les hôtes) et répartition; ce sont Arthrycia cinerea (Coquillet), Biondelia sp. , le complexe Chetogena claripennis (Macquart), Chetogena tachinomoides (Townsend) (nouvelle mention), Eurithia consobrina (Meigen), Exorista mella (Walker), Lespesia archippivora (Riley), Panzeria ampelus (Walker), Phryxe pecosensis (Townsend), Phryxe vulgaris (Fallen), Spallanzania hebes (Fallen) (nouvelle mention), Winthemia rufopicta (Bigot) et Winthemia quadripustulata (Fabricius). Eurithia consobrina est une espèce paléarctique introduite au Canada pour assurer la lutte contre M. configurata, mais ne s’est probablement pas établie; elle est mentionnée ici au cas où elle serait introduite de nouveau et réussirait à s’établir. [Traduit par la Rédaction]
Tryptophan Metabolites in Irritable Bowel Syndrome: An Overnight Time-course Study

Background/Aims Patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) often report poor sleep quality. Whether poor sleep is associated with tryptophan (Trp) metabolites is unknown. We compared serum Trp metabolites in women with IBS and healthy controls (HCs) using targeted liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based profiling. In IBS only, we explored whether Trp metabolites are associated with IBS symptoms and subjective and objective sleep indices, serum cortisol, plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and cortisol/ACTH levels. Methods Blood samples were obtained every 80 minutes in 21 HCs and 38 IBS subjects following an anticipation-of-public-speaking stressor during a sleep laboratory protocol. Subjects completed symptom diaries for 28 days. Adjacent values of metabolites were averaged to represent 4 time-periods: awake, early sleep, mid-sleep, and mid-to-late sleep. Thirteen of 20 targeted Trp metabolites were identified. Results Ten of 13 Trp metabolites decreased across the night, while nicotinamide increased in both groups. A MANOVA omnibus test performed after principal component analysis showed a significant difference in these 13 principal component (P = 0.014) between groups. Compared to HCs, nicotinamide levels were higher and indole-3-lactic acid levels lower in the IBS group. Melatonin and indole-3-acetic acid levels were associated with several subjective/objective sleep measures; decreased stool consistency/frequency and abdominal pain were positively associated with melatonin and serotonin in the IBS group. The kynurenine and kynurenic acid were associated with ACTH (positively) and cortisol/ACTH (negatively). Conclusions Nighttime Trp metabolites may provide clues to poor sleep and stress with IBS. Further study of the mechanism of metabolite action is warranted.
Phylogenetic studies of larval digenean trematodes from freshwater snails and fish species in the proximity of Tshwane metropolitan, South Africa

The classification and description of digenean trematodes are commonly accomplished by using morphological features, especially in adult stages. The aim of this study was to provide an analysis of the genetic composition of larval digenean trematodes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence analysis. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) was extracted from clinostomatid metacercaria, 27-spined echinostomatid redia, avian schistosome cercaria and strigeid metacercaria from various dams in the proximity of Tshwane metropolitan, South Africa. Polymerase chain reaction was performed using the extracted DNA with primers targeting various regions within the larval digenean trematodes’ genomes. Agarose gel electrophoresis technique was used to visualise the PCR products. The PCR products were sequenced on an Applied Bioinformatics (ABI) genetic analyser platform. Genetic information obtained from this study had a higher degree of discrimination than the morphological characteristics of seemingly similar organisms.
Long non‐coding RNA GAPLINC promotes angiogenesis by regulating miR‐211 under hypoxia in human umbilical vein endothelial cells

In this study, we investigated the role of a long non‐coding RNA GAPLINC in angiogenesis using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). We found that hypoxia and hypoxia‐inducible factor 1α (HIF‐1α) increased the expression of GAPLINC in HUVEC cells. Moreover, GAPLINC overexpression down‐regulated miR‐211 and up‐regulated Bcl2 protein expression. Further rescue experiments confirmed that hypoxia directly increased GAPLINC expression. GAPLINC overexpression also increased cell migration and vessel formation which promoted angiogenesis, and these changes were attributed to the increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR) and delta‐like canonical notch ligand 4 (DLL4) receptors. Finally, we demonstrated that GAPLINC promotes vessel formation and migration by regulating MAPK and NF‐kB signalling pathways. Taken together, these findings comprehensively demonstrate that overexpression of GAPLINC increases HUVEC cells angiogenesis under hypoxia condition suggesting that GAPLINC can be a potential target for critical limb ischaemia (CLI) treatment.
Imiquimod-oleic acid prodrug-loaded cream reduced drug crystallinity and induced indistinguishable cytotoxicity and apoptosis in mice melanoma tumour

Abstract In the present investigation, imiquimod (IMQ) was coupled to oleic acid (OLA; IMQ-OLA) to synthesise prodrug to reduce crystallinity that later amalgamated with oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion cream (IMQ-OLA cream) for the treatment of melanoma tumour. The synthesis of IMQ-OLA prodrug was verified by FT-IR, 1HNMR and mass spectroscopy. The crystalline lattice of IMQ was transformed to somewhat amorphous structure in IMQ-OLA prodrug. IMQ-OLA cream retained 35.6% of IMQ within skin, significantly (p < 0.05) higher than 22.3% and 10.6% retained by marketed IMQ cream and IMQ solution, respectively. IMQ-OLA cream suppressed the melanoma tumour to 70.3 mm3 in C57BL6J mice as compared to 72.6 mm3 tumour, reduced by marketed IMQ cream with no significant difference (p > 0.05) at day 32 over 17-day period of treatment. IMQ-OLA cream followed the multiple mechanisms of cell death. IMQ-OLA cream warrants further in depth investigations for translating in to a clinically viable topical dermal product.
Sensorimotor cortex activation during anticipation of upcoming predictable but not unpredictable actions

ABSTRACT The mirror neuron system (MNS) becomes active during action execution and action observation, which is presumably reflected by reductions in mu (8–13 Hz) activity in the electroencephalogram over the sensorimotor cortex. The function of the MNS is still fiercely debated. The current study aimed to investigate a role of the MNS in anticipating others’ actions by examining whether the MNS was activated – indexed by mu power suppression – prior to the onset of observed actions when the onset and type of action could be predicted on the basis of environmental cues. Young adults performed and observed cued grasping and placing actions in a card game in a real-life setting, while the predictability of the observed actions was manipulated using rules. Significant mu suppression, relative to within-trial baseline activity, was found both prior to and during executed actions, but also during action observation, and, crucially, prior to observed actions provided they were predictable. No anticipatory mu reductions were found prior to unpredictable observed actions. These results suggest top-down modulation of MNS activity by conceptual knowledge. This is the first study to demonstrate mu suppression prior to action onset – possibly reflecting MNS anticipatory activity – by explicitly manipulating predictability.
A revised model for the role of GacS/GacA in regulating type III secretion by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000

Summary GacS/GacA is a conserved two‐component system that functions as a master regulator of virulence‐associated traits in many bacterial pathogens, including Pseudomonas spp. , that collectively infect both plant and animal hosts. Among many GacS/GacA‐regulated traits, type III secretion of effector proteins into host cells plays a critical role in bacterial virulence. In the opportunistic plant and animal pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, GacS/GacA negatively regulates the expression of type III secretion system (T3SS)‐encoding genes. However, in the plant pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas syringae, strain‐to‐strain variation exists in the requirement of GacS/GacA for T3SS deployment, and this variability has limited the development of predictive models of how GacS/GacA functions in this species. In this work we re‐evaluated the function of GacA in P. syringae pv. tomato DC3000. Contrary to previous reports, we discovered that GacA negatively regulates the expression of T3SS genes in DC3000, and that GacA is not required for DC3000 virulence inside Arabidopsis leaf tissue. However, our results show that GacA is required for full virulence of leaf surface‐inoculated bacteria. These data significantly revise current understanding of GacS/GacA in regulating P. syringae virulence.
From Strong Dichroic Nanomotor to Polarotactic Microswimmer

Light‐driven micro/nanomotors are promising candidates for long‐envisioned next‐generation nanorobotics for targeted drug delivery, noninvasive surgery, nanofabrication, and beyond. To achieve these fantastic applications, effective control of the micro/nanomotor is essential. Light has been proved as the most versatile method for microswimmer manipulation, while the light propagation direction, intensity, and wavelength have been explored as controlling signals for light‐responsive nanomotors. Here, the controlling method is expanded to the polarization state of the light, and a nanomotor with a significant dichroic ratio is demonstrated. Due to the anisotropic crystal structure, light polarized parallel to the Sb2Se3 nanowires is preferentially absorbed. The core–shell Sb2Se3/ZnO nanomotor exhibits strong dichroic swimming behavior: the swimming speed is ≈3 times faster when illuminated with parallel polarized light than perpendicular polarized light. Furthermore, by incorporating two cross‐aligned dichroic nanomotors, a polarotactic artificial microswimmer is achieved, which can be navigated by controlling the polarization direction of the incident light. Compared to the well‐studied light‐driven rotary motors based on optical tweezers, this dichroic microswimmer offers eight orders of magnitude light‐intensity reduction, which may enable large‐scale nanomanipulation as well as other heat‐sensitive applications.
Inhibition of microRNA‐327 ameliorates ischemia/reperfusion injury‐induced cardiomyocytes apoptosis through targeting apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain

Apoptosis is the major cause of cardiomyocyte death in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (MI/RI). Increasing evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) can contribute to the regulation of cardiomyocytes apoptosis by posttranscriptional modulation of gene expression networks. However, the effects of miR‐327 in regulating MI/RI‐induced cardiomyocytes apoptosis have not been extensively investigated. This study was performed to test whether miR‐327 participate in cardiomyocytes apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo, and reveal the potential molecular mechanism of miR‐327 regulated MI/RI through targeting apoptosis repressor with caspase recruitment domain (ARC). Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats were subjected to MI/RI by left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion for 30 min and reperfusion for 3 hr. H9c2 cells were exposed to hypoxia for 4 hr and reoxygenation for 12 hr to mimic I/R injury. miRNA‐327 recombinant adenovirus vectors were transfected into H9c2 cells for 48 hr and rats for 72 hr before H/R and MI/RI treatment, respectively. The apoptosis rate, downstream molecules of apoptotic pathway, and the target reaction between miRNA‐327 and ARC were evaluated. Our results showed that miR‐327 was upregulated and ARC was downregulated in the myocardial tissues of MI/RI rats and in H9c2 cells with H/R treatment. Inhibition of miR‐327 decreased the expression levels of proapoptotic proteins Fas, FasL, caspase‐8, Bax, cleaved caspase‐9, cleaved caspase‐3, and the release of cytochrome‐C, as well as increasing the expression levels of antiapoptotic protein Bcl‐2 via negative regulation of ARC both in vivo or vitro. In contrast, overexpression miR‐327 showed the reverse effect. Moreover, the results of luciferase reporter assay indicated miR‐327 targets ARC directly at the posttranscriptional level. Taken together, inhibition of miR‐327 could attenuate cardiomyocyte apoptosis and alleviate I/R‐induced myocardial injury via targeting ARC, which offers a new therapeutic strategy for MI/RI.