Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Recent trends in acute myocardial infarction among the young.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW In recent decades, the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) has declined among the general population. However, MI rates in the young have not decreased as much as has been observed among older individuals. This review will focus on recent trends of MI in young patients, factors that may account for these trends, and implications for future prevention. RECENT FINDINGS MI rates in young patients, particularly in women, have not decreased in the same fashion as they have for their older counterparts, with some studies reporting an increase. The reasons for these findings include underestimation of cardiovascular risk, and accordingly treatment, in the young, as well as an increasing prevalence of risk factors such as obesity and diabetes. SUMMARY Better recognition and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors among young adults may improve outcomes. There is a need for improved methods to assess and treat cardiovascular risk in young individuals.
Faculty Education in Addiction Training (Feat): Evaluating An Online Training Program for Multidisciplinary Health Professions Educators

Background: Many health professionals lack adequate training needed to effectively address alcohol and other drug (AOD)-related problems. Building upon our previously successful in-person faculty training programs, we designed and pilot tested the brief online Faculty Education in Addiction Training (FEAT) Program for social work and internal medicine residency faculty. The present study examines baseline and post-FEAT Program AOD knowledge and teaching confidence and preparedness among faculty participants. Methods: The FEAT Program curriculum included didactic videos, online engagement with content experts, recommended readings, and a live virtual classroom experience. Participants completed self-assessments of knowledge and teaching confidence and preparedness pre- and post-FEAT program. Results: In this pilot test, thirty faculty completed the FEAT program: 15 social work and 15 internal medical residency program faculty. Both groups showed significant improvement (p < 0.001) in overall AOD-related knowledge with medium-to-large effects (Cohen's d = 1.83 [social work], 0.72 [medicine]). Both groups showed significant increases in teaching confidence (p < 0.001) for all items with large effects (Cohen's d values range from 1.08 to 1.92) and significant increases and large effects for all teaching preparedness items for social work (at least p < 0.01 | Cohen's d range = 1.03–1.56) and internal medical residency faculty (p < 0.001 | Cohen's d range = 1.08–1.69). Conclusions: Multidisciplinary health professions educators’ AOD knowledge and teaching confidence and preparedness can be improved by participation in a brief online program designed to circumvent the logistical and fiscal challenges presented by in-person programs.
Cloning and over-expression of Penicillin G acylase in Escherichia coli BL21

Penicillin G acylase (PGA) is one of the most important enzymes in the pharmaceutical industry. It is utilized in the process for production of semi-synthetic penicillins. Several different penicillin acylases with various characteristic have been isolated from different bacteria and identification of bacterial isolates harboring PGA enzyme with higher industrial compatibilities is of high interest. The aim of this study is to screen for PGA producing Escherichia coli isolates as well as the cloning and recombinant expression of PGA for high level enzyme production. Bacteria isolated from environmental and clinical samples were identified by standard microbiological tests and then E. coli isolates were subjected to DNA extraction and PCR screening using primers designed on conserved region of PGA genes. The PCR product from a positive isolate were cloned and subjected to sequencing. The gene encoding for full length PGA was expressed in E. coli under the T7 promoter. PCR screening identified several PGA positive E. coli. One of the positive isolates was cloned in pGEM -T easy vector. Sequencing of the cloned gene revealed that the gene encoding Penicillin G acylase from this wild E. coli isolate contains an open reading frame of 2538 nucleotide encoding 846 amino acids. Analysis of the sequencing results showed that the PGA gene is highly conserved among E. coli strains. Recombinant expression of PGA from wild isolate in E. coli BL 21 resulted in a high level expression of recombinant PGA which appeared as a dense band in SDS-PAGE analysis of induced culture.
International Conference on Innovative Technologies in Engineering 2018 ( ICITE OU ) An Indian facial database highlighting the Spectacle Problems

Occlusion, glare and secondary reflections formed due to and on the spectacles results in poor detection, localization, and recognition of eye/face features. We term all the problems related to the usage of spectacles as The spectacle problem. Though several studies on the spectacle detection and removal have been reported in the literature, the study focusing on spectacle problem removal is very limited. One of the main reasons being, the nonavailability of a facial image database highlighting the spectacle problems. Therefore, we created an Indian facial image database consisting of corresponding facial images with and without spectacle problems. The release of database Version 1 contains a total of 270 images from 10 subjects each image marked with 19 facial landmarking. This database is released now to promote research and development of Spectacle problem removal algorithms. In this paper, we describe the recording procedure and present the results of few baseline face detection algorithms.
Relationship between breastfeeding and obesity in high school girls

Abstract Objectives Some factors in infancy can play a role in the development of adolescent obesity. Understanding these factors can help prevent early complications in adolescents associated with obesity in adulthood. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity among high school girls in Khorramabad and its relationship with breastfeeding history. Methods This was a cross-sectional study. This study was conducted in 832 high school girls during the academic year 2016–2017. Samples were selected by multi-stage random sampling. General questionnaires, physical activity, and 24-h food questions were completed through interviews with students. Data regarding breastfeeding was obtained by mothers. Results The prevalence of overweight and obesity in the study population was 16.3 and 5.8%, respectively. Overweight and obesity had a significant association with breastfeeding history (p = 0.001), while there was no significant relationship between overweight and obesity with school type, student’s age, parental occupation, education Parents, household size, birth rate, physical activity, and energy intake. Conclusions The results of this study showed that breast feeding has a protective effect on overweight and obesity during adolescence. To reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity, necessary education regarding breastfeeding should be provided.
Effect of supplemental nutrition in pregnancy on offspring’s risk of cardiovascular disease in young adulthood: Long-term follow-up of a cluster trial from India

Background Undernutrition during intrauterine life and early childhood is hypothesised to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Hypothesis), but experimental evidence from humans is limited. This hypothesis has major implications for control of the cardiovascular disease epidemic in South Asia (home to a quarter of world’s population), where a quarter of newborns have low birth weight. We investigated whether, in an area with prevalent undernutrition, supplemental nutrition offered to pregnant women and their offspring below the age of 6 years was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in the offspring when they were young adults. Methods and findings The Hyderabad Nutrition Trial was a community-based nonrandomised controlled intervention trial conducted in 29 villages near Hyderabad, India (1987–1990). Protein-calorie food supplement was offered daily to pregnant and lactating women (2.09 MJ energy and 20–25 g protein) and their offspring (1.25 MJ energy and 8–10 g protein) until the age of six years in the 15 intervention villages, but not in the 14 control villages. A total of 1,826 participants (949 from the intervention villages and 877 from the control villages, representing 70% of the cohort) at a mean age of 21.6 years (62% males) were examined between 2009 and 2012. The mean body mass index (BMI) of the participants was 20 kg/m2 and the mean systolic blood pressure was 115 mm Hg. The age, sex, socioeconomic position, and urbanisation-adjusted effects of intervention (beta coefficients and 95% confidence intervals) on outcomes were as follows: carotid intima-media thickness, 0.01 mm (−0.01 to 0.03), p = 0.36; arterial stiffness (augmentation index), −1.1% (−2.5 to 0.3), p = 0.097; systolic blood pressure, 0.5 mm Hg (−0.6 to 1.6), p = 0.36; BMI, −0.13 kg/m2 (−0.75 to 0.09), p = 0.093; low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, 0.06 mmol/L (−0.07 to 0.2), p = 0.37; and fasting insulin (log), −0.06 mU/L (−0.19 to 0.07), p = 0.43. The limitations of this study include nonrandomised allocation of intervention and lack of data on compliance, and potential for selection bias due to incomplete follow-up. Conclusions Our results showed that in an area with prevalent undernutrition, protein-calorie food supplements offered to pregnant women and their offspring below the age of 6 years were not associated with lower levels of cardiovascular risk factors among offspring when they were young adults. Our findings, coupled with evidence from other intervention studies to date, suggest that policy makers should attach limited value to cardiovascular health benefits of maternal and child protein-calorie food supplementation programmes.
Seasonal population dynamics of the primary yellow fever vector Haemagogus leucocelaenus (Dyar & Shannon) (Diptera: Culicidae) is mainly influenced by temperature in the Atlantic Forest, southeast Brazil

BACKGROUND Southeast Brazil has recently experienced a Yellow Fever virus (YFV) outbreak where the mosquito Haemagogus leucocelaenus was a primary vector. Climatic factors influence the abundance of mosquito vectors and arbovirus transmission. OBJECTIVES We aimed at describing the population dynamics of Hg. leucocelaenus in a county touched by the recent YFV outbreak. METHODS Fortnightly egg collections with ovitraps were performed from November 2012 to February 2017 in a forest in Nova Iguaçu, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The effects of mean temperature and rainfall on the Hg. leucocelaenus population dynamics were explored. FINDINGS Hg. leucocelaenus eggs were continuously collected throughout the study, with a peak in the warmer months (December-March). The climatic variables had a time-lagged effect and four weeks before sampling was the best predictor for the positivity of ovitraps and total number of eggs collected. The probability of finding > 50% positive ovitraps increased when the mean temperature was above 24ºC. The number of Hg. leucocelaenus eggs expressively increase when the mean temperature and accumulated precipitation surpassed 27ºC and 100 mm, respectively, although the effect of rainfall was less pronounced. MAIN CONCLUSIONS Monitoring population dynamics of Hg. leucocelaenus and climatic factors in YFV risk areas, especially mean temperature, may assist in developing climate-based surveillance procedures to timely strengthening prophylaxis and control.
Wortmannin inhibits translation of tumor necrosis factor-α in superantigen-activated T cells

The superantigen toxic shock syndrome toxin (TSST)-1 can induce tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a expression in T cells and monocytes, through different signaling pathways. We have stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells with TSST-1 and found that the major cell producers of TNF-a as detected by cytofluorimetry and immunocytochemistry were CD4 F T lymphocytes. The expression of TNF-a by CD4 F T cells can be inhibited by either, wortmannin (WN) or LY 294002, two phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI 3-K) inhibitors. The inhibitory effect is not transcriptional as WN does not change the mRNA steady state of TNF-a at any of the concentrations tested and LY 294002 when preincubated with mononuclear cells at its median inhibitory concentration (IC50 J 1.4 mM) significantly inhibited the expression of TNF-a but not its mRNA. Immunoprecipitation of pulse-labeled intracellular TNF-a showed a specific decrease in the synthesis of this cytokine on cells treated with PI 3-K inhibitors. The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is involved in control of TNF-a translation in human macrophages. In T cells, we have found that the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB 203580 significantly decreased the secretion of TNF-a but not its mRNA. In addition, the combined use of WN and SB 203580 had an additive inhibitory effect on secretion of TNF-a. Therefore, both PI 3-K and p38 MAPK signaling pathways control TNF-a production in T cells.
An evaluation of the tumour endothelial marker CLEC14A as a therapeutic target in solid tumours

Earlier studies identified the transmembrane cell surface C‐type lectin CLEC14A as a putative tumour endothelial marker. For CLEC14A to progress as a vascular target in solid tumours an in‐depth analysis of CLEC14A expression in human healthy and tumour tissue is needed. It is here shown that an analysis of 5332 RNA expression profiles in the public domain confirmed high expression of CLEC14A in tumour compared to healthy human tissue. It is further shown by immunohistochemistry that CLEC14A protein is absent, or expressed at a very low level, in healthy human and primate tissue. In contrast, CLEC14A is expressed on the vasculature of a range of human solid tumours, with particularly high expression in more than half of renal cell carcinomas. Elevated levels of CLEC14A transcripts were identified in some non‐cancer pathologies; such comorbidities may need to be excluded from trials of therapies targeting this marker. It is further shown that, as CLEC14A expression can be induced by the absence of shear stress, it is imperative that freshly collected as opposed to aged or post‐mortem tissue be analysed. We conclude that CLEC14A is a promising target to enable development of novel anti‐cancer therapies for solid tumours.
Una nueva especie de rana de cristal del género Hyalinobatrachium (Anura: Centrolenidae) del Delta del Río Orinoco, Venezuela

A new species of Hyalinobatrachium of the fleischmanni group, H. mondolfii, is described from the Orinoco delta floodplains in Venezuela. This new species can be distinguished from other congeners by the following combination of characters: parietal peritoneum clear, pericardium white, visceral and hepatic peritoneum white, color in life pale green with diminute yellow spots and, in preservative, cream with small dark melanophores (visible only under magnification), bones white in life, extense webbing, snout round in dorsal view and inclinate in lateral view, dorsal skin granulate and a advertisement call with a fundamental frequency greater than 5000 Hz.
Systematic analysis of the IL‐17 receptor signalosome reveals a robust regulatory feedback loop

IL‐17 mediates immune protection from fungi and bacteria, as well as it promotes autoimmune pathologies. However, the regulation of the signal transduction from the IL‐17 receptor (IL‐17R) remained elusive. We developed a novel mass spectrometry‐based approach to identify components of the IL‐17R complex followed by analysis of their roles using reverse genetics. Besides the identification of linear ubiquitin chain assembly complex (LUBAC) as an important signal transducing component of IL‐17R, we established that IL‐17 signaling is regulated by a robust negative feedback loop mediated by TBK1 and IKKε. These kinases terminate IL‐17 signaling by phosphorylating the adaptor ACT1 leading to the release of the essential ubiquitin ligase TRAF6 from the complex. NEMO recruits both kinases to the IL‐17R complex, documenting that NEMO has an unprecedented negative function in IL‐17 signaling, distinct from its role in NF‐κB activation. Our study provides a comprehensive view of the molecular events of the IL‐17 signal transduction and its regulation.
Thymosin ß4 promotes human conjunctival epithelial cell migration

Purpose. In this study the effects of thymosin ß4 (Tß4) on migration and production of laminin-5 in the human conjunctival cell line HC0597 was analyzed. Methods. Boyden chamber assays assessed the ability of Tß4 to stimulate in vitro cell migration. Control or Tß4-treated cells were processed for immunofluorescence microscopy using antibodies to vinculin or laminin-5. Cell lysates were processed for Western blot and densitometric analysis using antibodies to laminin-5 a3 or ? 2 chains. Results. Tß4 stimulated migration in a dose-dependent manner. Focal adhesions present in Tß4-treated cells were smaller and more rounded compared to the “streaks” characteristic of controls. Western blot analysis and densitometry revealed that Tß4-treated cells expressed more laminin-5 a3 and ? 2 chain protein. Conclusions. Tß4 stimulates in vitro conjunctival epithelial cell migration, and results in altered focal adhesion formation and increased extracellular laminin-5 deposition. The increased migration may be correlated with increased production of laminin-5.
Energy-Aware Adaptive Four Thresholds Technique for Optimal Virtual Machine Placement

With the increasing expansion of cloud data centers and the demand for cloud services, one of the major problems facing these data centers is the “increasing growth in energy consumption ". In this paper, we propose a method to balance the burden of virtual machine resources in order to reduce energy consumption. The proposed technique is based on a four-adaptive threshold model to reduce energy consumption in physical servers and minimize SLA violation in cloud data centers. Based on the proposed technique, hosts will be grouped into five clusters: hosts with low load, hosts with a light load, hosts with a middle load, hosts with high load and finally, hosts with a heavy load. Virtual machines are transferred from the host with high load and heavy load to the hosts with light load. Also, the VMs on low hosts will be migrated to the hosts with middle load, while the host with a light load and hosts with middle load remain unchanged. The values of the thresholds are obtained on the basis of the mathematical modeling approach and the 𝐾-Means Clustering Algorithm is used for clustering of hosts. Experimental results show that applying the proposed technique will improve the load balancing and reduce the number of VM migration and reduce energy consumption.
Higher expression of cell division cycle-associated protein 5 predicts poorer survival outcomes in hepatocellular carcinoma

The upregulation of cell division cycle associated protein 5 (CDCA5) has been observed in various cancer types. However, the prognostic value of CDCA5 and its underlying mechanism contributing to tumorigenesis in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain poorly understood. We used tissue microarray (TMA) to evaluate the prognosis of 304 HCC samples based on their CDCA5 expression, and analyzed the genomic features correlated with CDCA5 by using dataset from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA). Compared with adjacent normal tissues, increased expression of CDCA5 was found in HCC tissues. Moreover, higher expression of CDCA5 was associated with inferior OS and DFS outcomes in HCC patients. The enrichment plots showed that the gene signatures in cell cycle, DNA replication and p53 pathways were enriched in patients with higher CDCA5 expression. Meanwhile, statistically higher mutations burdens in TP53 could also be observed in CDCA5-high patients. Integrative analysis based on miRNAseq and methylation data demonstrated a potential association between CDCA5 expression and epigenetic changes. In conclusion, our study provided the evidence of CDCA5 as an oncogenic promoter in HCC and the potential function of CDCA5 in affecting tumor microenvironment.
Application of repeated measures designs in environmental impact and monitoring studies

Abstract Traditional environmental studies have employed sampling at different times, but based on re-randomized ‘replicate’ samples taken at each time. For example, in a 4 year monitoring study of near-shore marine benthic communities there might be three box cores collected annually at each of three depths along each of three transects. Repeated measures designs, long used in medicine and the social sciences, are based on resampling replicates (e.g. sites) at a series of times. In such designs spatial sampling variability is not used for tests of environmental impact. Error for such tests is based on variability of time trends among similar sites (similar with respect to impact). For example in a tropical oil spill study five oiled and five unoiled coral reefs were studied over 5 years. Error for tests of oil impact was based on variability among reefs (within degree-of-oiling category) in the year-to-year trends of biological response variables. It was not based on variability among field samples within reefs at given times. The two approaches (univariate and multivariate) to repeated measures analysis of variance are described. The pros and cons of each are discussed, as are the assumptions and consequences of their violations. Emphasis is especially placed on the adequacy of error degrees of freedom in the two approaches, and some exploration of power to detect impact is presented. Examples of application of repeated measures designs to various impact and monitoring studies are presented and discussed, including (i) interpretation of significant effects; (ii) decomposition of effects by contrasts (e.g. before vs after impact); and (iii) modelling time trends by polynomial and cosine functions.
Going beyond conventional parameters to unveil sperm quality in fish: the use of fibre optic technology to assess mitochondrial respiratory performance

ABSTRACT Sperm fertilisation success depends on both intrinsic quality and the interactions with the surrounding reproductive fluids. In several fish species, these interactions have a variable effect on sperm performance. Although specific responses to reproductive fluids may depend on intrinsic differences in sperm quality, variations in the traditionally recorded sperm functional traits do not fully account for the observed patterns. New methods to enhance the evaluation of sperm quality may prove to be valuable at both applied and theoretical levels, by improving the breeding protocol of reared species and the understanding of mating success in sperm competition contexts. Here we develop a fibre optic-based technique, also adequate for small ejaculate samples, to test the role of mitochondrial respiratory efficiency in deciphering sperm performance variability. We purposely used as model the grass goby, Zosterisessor ophiocephalus, a fish with guard-sneaker mating tactics where the sperm in each male tactic have similar intrinsic qualities (velocity, viability, ATP content), but sneakers' sperm exploit territorial males' seminal fuid, overall displaying better fertilization ability. We found that sperm differed in their mitochondrial respiratory efficiency, which was higher in sneakers’ sperm compared to territorial ones. This result draws the attention to an indicator of sperm quality that might be helpful in disentangling the mechanisms driving sperm-reproductive fluid interactions. Summary: A novel technique to measure sperm mitochondrial respiratory efficiency, an overlooked parameter of sperm quality that might contribute in unveiling mechanisms driving the intraspecific variability in sperm performance.