Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advanced PCR-based molecular diagnosis of gastrointestinal infections: challenges and opportunities

ABSTRACT Acute infections of the gastrointestinal tract are among the most common infectious diseases. The etiological agents of gastroenteritis may be bacteria, viruses or protozoa. Identification of the etiological agents of acute diarrhea is important for the treatment and management of diarrheal diseases. Conventional stool culture for bacteria shows a low sensitivity and requires more than 24 hours. In addition, other approaches to detect viruses and protozoa mainly involve antigen detection, but this is not available for all enteropathogens, and microscopic observation requires training and is of low sensitivity. In this review, the authors describe currently available molecular methods to detect different enteropathogens and analyze the main advantages and disadvantages of these methods for laboratory diagnosis of gastroenteritis.
Retraction: Naringin Alleviates Diabetic Kidney Disease through Inhibiting Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Reaction

The PLOS ONE Editors retract this publication [1] due to ethical concerns raised postpublication. After publication of this article, the corresponding author notified PLOS ONE that this work had been submitted and published without his knowledge or consent, and that the email address listed on the article was not his own. During subsequent discussions with the authors and the institution, it was confirmed that the manuscript had been submitted without the corresponding author’s knowledge by one of the authors using a third-party that provided editing services. In addition, the ethics statement included in the article is false. The ethics statement in the Methods section states, “The experiments were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of China Medical University. ” However, the authors did not obtain ethical approval for the reported animal experiments. Hence, this work does not comply with PLOS ONE’s policy on animal research. These issues were investigated by the First Hospital of China Medical University Professor Committee, who confirmed the above concerns. In light of the ethical concerns raised, and in line with the institution’s recommendation, the PLOS ONE Editors retract this article. The journal editors contacted all co-authors on the manuscript by email. QW made the initial request for retraction; all of the authors agreed with the retraction.
Thermal conductivity of PLA-bamboo fiber composites

'Green' composites were fabricated from poly lactic acid (PLA) and bamboo fibers by using a conventional hot pressing method. The insulating properties of the PLA-bamboo fiber 'green' composites were evaluated by determination of the thermal conductivity, which was measured using a hot-wire method. The thermal conductivity values were compared with theoretical estimations. It was demonstrated that thermal conductivity of PLA-bamboo fiber 'green' composites is smaller than that of conventional composites, such as glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRPs) and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs). The thermal conductivity of PLA-bamboo fiber 'green' composites was significantly influenced by their density, and was in fair agreement with theoretical predictions based on Russell's model. The PLA-bamboo fiber composites have low thermal conductivity comparable with that of woods.
Genome-Wide Analyses of Radioresistance-Associated miRNA Expression Profile in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Using Next Generation Deep Sequencing

Background Rapidly growing evidence suggests that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in a wide range of cancer malignant behaviours including radioresistance. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate miRNA expression patterns associated with radioresistance in NPC. Methods The differential expression profiles of miRNAs and mRNAs associated with NPC radioresistance were constructed. The predicted target mRNAs of miRNAs and their enriched signaling pathways were analyzed via biological informatical algorithms. Finally, partial miRNAs and pathways-correlated target mRNAs were validated in two NPC radioreisitant cell models. Results 50 known and 9 novel miRNAs with significant difference were identified, and their target mRNAs were narrowed down to 53 nasopharyngeal-/NPC-specific mRNAs. Subsequent KEGG analyses demonstrated that the 53 mRNAs were enriched in 37 signaling pathways. Further qRT-PCR assays confirmed 3 down-regulated miRNAs (miR-324-3p, miR-93-3p and miR-4501), 3 up-regulated miRNAs (miR-371a-5p, miR-34c-5p and miR-1323) and 2 novel miRNAs. Additionally, corresponding alterations of pathways-correlated target mRNAs were observed including 5 up-regulated mRNAs (ICAM1, WNT2B, MYC, HLA-F and TGF-β1) and 3 down-regulated mRNAs (CDH1, PTENP1 and HSP90AA1). Conclusions Our study provides an overview of miRNA expression profile and the interactions between miRNA and their target mRNAs, which will deepen our understanding of the important roles of miRNAs in NPC radioresistance.
Development of a Neutron Tomography at HANARO

A thermal neutron tomography set-up has been installed and some initial results are acquired at the research reactor HANARO of the KAERI ( Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute ). The detection system is based on a NE 426 ( 6 LiF/ZnS:Ag ) conversion screen and a CCD camera. The current beam flux and the efficiency of the detector result in about about 1 min exposure time for a single projection image of normal samples. Hence, a typical set of tomography scans can be carried out in about 3 hour. Then, 3D computed tomography objects were calculated using the conventional filtered back-projection reconstruction method after some post-processing of the raw data. Initial results of the various samples show that the neutron tomography system at HANARO can be a useful tool for several fields such as aerospace, construction material, agricultural industry and so on.
Bulgecin A: The Key to a Broad-Spectrum Inhibitor That Targets Lytic Transglycosylases

Lytic transglycosylases (Lts) are involved in recycling, cell division, and metabolism of the peptidoglycan. They have been understudied for their usefulness as potential antibacterial targets due to their high redundancy in Gram-negative bacteria. Bulgecin A is an O-sulphonated glycopeptide that targets primarily soluble lytic tranglycosylases (Slt). It has been shown that bulgecin A increases the efficacy of β-lactams that target penicillin bindings proteins (PBPs). Here, we present the high-resolution crystal structure of LtgA from Neisseria meningitidis strain MC58, a membrane bound homolog of Escherichia coli Slt, in complex with bulgecin A. The LtgA-bulgecin A complex reveals the mechanism of inhibition by bulgecin A at near atomic resolution. We further demonstrate that bulgecin A is not only a potent inhibitor of LtgA, but most importantly, it restores the efficacy of β-lactam antibiotics in strains of N. meningitidis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae that have reduced susceptibility to β-lactams. This is particularly relevant for N. gonorrhoeae where no vaccines are available. This work illustrates how best to target dangerous pathogens using a multiple drug target approach, a new and alternative approach to fighting antibiotic resistance.
Flotillins Directly Interact with γ-Catenin and Regulate Epithelial Cell-Cell Adhesion

Flotillin-1 and flotillin-2 are two homologous, membrane raft associated proteins. Although it has been reported that flotillins are involved in cell adhesion processes and play a role during breast cancer progression, thus making them interesting future therapeutic targets, their precise function has not been well elucidated. The present study investigates the function of these proteins in cell-cell adhesion in non-malignant cells. We have used the non-malignant epithelial MCF10A cells to study the interaction network of flotillins within cell-cell adhesion complexes. RNA interference was used to examine the effect of flotillins on the structure of adherens junctions and on the association of core proteins, such as E-cadherin, with membrane rafts. We here show that the cadherin proteins of the adherens junction associate with flotillin-2 in MCF10A cells and in various human cell lines. In vitro, flotillin-1 and flotillin-2 directly interact with γ-catenin which is so far the only protein known to be present both in the adherens junction and the desmosome. Mapping of the interaction domain within the γ-catenin sequence identified the Armadillo domains 6–8, especially ARM domain 7, to be important for the association with flotillins. Furthermore, depletion of flotillins significantly influenced the morphology of the adherens junction in human epithelial MCF10A cells and altered the association of E-cadherin and γ-catenin with membrane rafts. Taken together, these observations suggest a functional role for flotillins, especially flotillin-2, in cell-cell adhesion in non-malignant epithelial cells.
A Survey of Routing Protocols for Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks

number of moving vehicles, vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET) is formed. These are provided with the wireless connections. This network is one kind of class of Mobile Ad Hoc Network (MANET) where the communication occurs between various vehicles moving on the paths. VANETs have heterogeneous nature as they provide wireless communication in between various moving vehicles (V2V) together with vehicle to fixed Units present on the Road Side (RSU). This have been developed as an important research area as with this, the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) gets improved which targets for improvement in the safety of road, better traffic flow, reduction in congestion, etc. There are a lot of challenges in the VANET field, such as bandwidth limitation, scalability, security, privacy and also the routing issue. For obtaining effectual communication in between various vehicles, routing is an important element that requires to be examined. The routing protocols performance are based on the several internal factors such as movement of the nodes and external factors such as topology of the road and complications that inhibits the useful information. Basically, the routing protocols for Vanet has been divided into two categories as protocols based on topology of network and protocols based on position of vehicles. Greedy forwarding is one of the most suitable solutions for routing in the VANETs as it maintains only the location of adjacent vehicles in place of each destination entered for routing. It is also observed that carry-and-forward is the different and important consideration for designing all routing protocols in VANETs.
Fibre laser metal deposition with wire: parameters study and temperature monitoring system

This paper addresses the development of a laser metal deposition process which consists of a 2 kW Fibre Laser, a CNC table, a wire feeder and a temperature monitoring system. During its development, six infrared pyrometers were tried to compare their performance. The system utilizes two pyrometers to measure both the melt-pool and workpiece (upper layer) temperatures. Experiments have been performed to study the metal deposition parameters with stainless steel 308L wire deposited on stainless steel 304, and good quality metal deposition has been achieved. The results of the parameters study and the development of the temperature monitoring system are presented.
Diagnosis of parasites in fine needle breast aspirates.

OBJECTIVE To document the value of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in the diagnosis of parasites in breast aspirates. STUDY DESIGN Review of 8,364 breast aspirates studied over 15 years (1978-1992) for parasitic infections. RESULTS Eight cases of cysticercosis and nine of filariasis were detected among 4,714 benign breast aspirates. Diagnosis of cysticercosis was based on identification of parts of the parasite in aspirates (seven cases) and excisional biopsy (one case). Among the cases of filariasis in breast aspirates, gravid adult females of Wuchereria bancrofti were seen in three cases and microfilarial larvae in four. In the remaining two cases, an intense, eosinophilic infiltrate was seen in breast aspirates, while microfilariae were identified in aspirates from draining axillary lymph nodes. CONCLUSION In rare cases, parasitic infections present as breast lumps and can be easily diagnosed by FNAC.
Outcomes for bipolar patients assessed in the French expert center network: A 2‐year follow‐up observational study (FondaMental Advanced Centers of Expertise for Bipolar Disorder [FACE‐BD])

A new health care system for patients with bipolar disorders was established in France under the auspices of Fondation FondaMental, based on thorough clinical assessment of patients and on close collaborations between expert centers and referring practitioners. We report the results of outcomes after 2 years of observational follow‐up of adult patients assessed within the network.
Carbon Nanotube–Chitosan Composite Beads with Radially Aligned Channels and Nanotube‐Exposed Walls for Bilirubin Adsorption

Porous nanocomposite materials combine the advantages of a polymer matrix in forming a stable framework and the nanofillers that provide high surface area. Here, we use carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as nanofillers to fabricate chitosan beads with controlled porous structure. We synthesized spherical chitosan–CNT composite beads via freeze casting by dropping a mixed solution into liquid nitrogen, and the resulting highly porous composite beads contain radially oriented channels with hybrid chitosan–CNT channel walls. In particular, we observed localized regions of small CNT agglomerates embedded within the chitosan matrix at a lower CNT loading (40 wt%), and predominately exposed CNTs distributed throughout the channel walls at a higher loading (80 wt%). Owing to the hierarchical open‐porous structure and mesopores provided by exposed CNTs, these composite beads showed much higher adsorption capacity (43.6 mg g−1 within 2 h) to bilirubin than CNT‐free chitosan beads. Our nanocomposite beads with tunable pore wall structure have potential applications in environmental and biomedical areas such as efficient adsorption materials.
An Indo-Pacific damselfish (Neopomacentrus cyanomos) in the Gulf of Mexico: origin and mode of introduction

The Indo-West Pacific (IWP) coral-reef damselfish Neopomacentrus cyanomos is well established across the south-west Gulf of Mexico (SwGoMx). Comparisons of mtDNA sequences of the SwGoMx population with those from conspecifics from 16 sites scattered across its native geographic range show that the SwGoMx population is derived from two of four native lineages: one from the north-west Pacific Ocean, the other from the northern Indian Ocean. Three hypotheses address how this species was introduced to the SwGoMX: (1) aquarium release; (2) borne by cargo-ship; and (3) carried by offshore petroleum platform (petro-platform). The first is unlikely because this species rarely features in the aquarium trade, and “N. cyanomos” traded to the USA from the sole IWP source we are aware of are a misidentified congener, N. taeniurus. The second hypothesis is unlikely because shipping has not been associated with the introduction of alien damselfishes, there is little international shipping between the IWP and the SwGoMx, and voyages between those areas would be lengthy and along environmentally unfavorable routes. Various lines of evidence support the third hypothesis: (i) bio-fouled petro-platforms represent artificial reefs that can sustain large and diverse populations of tropical reef-fishes, including N. cyanomos in the SwGoMx; (ii) relocation of such platforms has been implicated in trans-oceanic introductions leading to establishment of non-native populations of such fishes; and (iii) genetic characteristics of the SwGoMx population indicate that it was established by a large and diverse group of founders drawn from the IWP regions where many petro-platforms currently in the SwGoMx and other Atlantic offshore oilfields originated.
The Use of Infrared Thermography in the Analysis of Engineered Cementitious Composites

Non-destructive testing using infrared thermography has been used in civil construction basically in situations involving electrical conductors or mechanical wear that normally generate heat. In the specific case of materials, the application of thermography to metal stud is well documented, but there are few reports in the literature covering thermography in concrete; these are usually limited to the inspection of cracks and to the localization of water infiltration in prefabricated concrete structures. The present report evaluates the potential of the active infrared thermography method in the detection of changes in the macrostructure of engineering cementitious composite, as well as in order to estimate its thermal performance. The results show that thermography is able to detect changes in the macrostructure and is sensitive to temperature differences among the constituents of concrete.
Physiological intensity profile, exercise load and performance predictors of a 65-km mountain ultra-marathon

ABSTRACT The aims of the study were to describe the physiological profile of a 65-km (4000-m cumulative elevation gain) running mountain ultra-marathon (MUM) and to identify predictors of MUM performance. Twenty-three amateur trail-runners performed anthropometric evaluations and an uphill graded exercise test (GXT) for VO2max, ventilatory thresholds (VTs), power outputs (PMax, PVTs) and heart rate response (HRmax, HR@VTs). Heart rate (HR) was monitored during the race and intensity was expressed as: Zone I (VT2) for exercise load calculation (training impulse, TRIMP). Mean race intensity was 77.1%±4.4% of HRmax distributed as: 85.7%±19.4% Zone I, 13.9%±18.6% Zone II, 0.4%±0.9% Zone III. Exercise load was 766±110 TRIMP units. Race time (11.8±1.6h) was negatively correlated with VO2max (r = −0.66, P <0.001) and PMax (r = −0.73, P <0.001), resulting these variables determinant in predicting MUM performance, whereas exercise thresholds did not improve performance prediction. Laboratory variables explained only 59% of race time variance, underlining the multi-factorial character of MUM performance. Our results support the idea that VT1 represents a boundary of tolerable intensity in this kind of events, where exercise load is extremely high. This information can be helpful in identifying optimal pacing strategies to complete such extremely demanding MUMs.
Hot topics of autoimmune encephalitis

Within the last few years, a new group of diseases featured with cognitive impairment, seizures and behavior disorders was reported. And these diseases were commonly diagnosed as “viral encephalitis” and “sporadic encephalitis” than autoimmune encephalitis (AE) before AE had confirmed etiological. With the development of autoantibody serological tests, many patients who had been previously considered as patients with “viral encephalitis” can now be definitively diagnosed with AE. Currently, AE has become one of the hotspots in neuroimmunology. A retrospective review suggests that earlier treatment of N-methylD-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) antibody encephalitis in children results in better outcomes. [1] Also, there is another study that showed that people who received immunotherapy within 40 days from onset had a better recovery than those who received immunotherapy after 40 days from onset. [2] Therefore, early immunotherapy could improve the prognosis of AE. Also, treatment regimens vary from different types of AE. For example, anti-NMDAR (detected) encephalitis usually requires intensive immunosuppression, whereas encephalitis associated with LGI1 antibodies usually responds well to steroids alone. [3] The lower frequency of neurological relapses is likely due to better recognition of the disorder, earlier treatment, andincreasing use of second-line immunotherapy. [4] Early diagnosis of these disorders is, therefore, required.
Decreased Expression of Semaphorin3A/Neuropilin-1 Signaling Axis in Apical Periodontitis

Apical periodontitis (AP) is a chronic infection of endodontic origin accompanied with bone destruction around the apical region. Semaphorin3A (Sema3A) and neuropilin-1 (Nrp1) are regarded as a pair of immune regulators in bone metabolism. In this study, we firstly investigated the expression pattern of Sema3A/Nrp1 in apical periodontitis and its correlation with bone destruction. Using rat animal model, we analysed the level of mandibular bone destruction and the expression of Sema3A/Nrp1 on days 0, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 after pulp exposure. In addition, clinical samples from apical periodontitis patients were obtained to analyse the expression of Sema3A/Nrp1. These results indicated that the bone destruction level expanded from days 7 to 35. The number of positive cells and level of mRNA expression of Sema3A/Nrp1 were significantly decreased from days 7 to 35, with a negative correlation with bone destruction. Moreover, expression of Sema3A/Nrp1 in the AP group was reduced compared to the control group of clinical samples. In conclusion, decreased expression of Sema3A/Nrp1 was observed in periapical lesions and is potentially involved in the bone resorption of the periapical area, suggesting that Sema3A/Nrp1 may contribute to the pathological development of apical periodontitis.
Visualization Techniques (Colposcopy, Direct Visual Inspection, and Spectroscopic and Other Visual Methods)

Visual screening techniques include both low-technology approaches, such as direct visual inspection (DVI), and high-technology approaches, such as those that utilize electrooptical detectors to identify cervical cancer precursors and invasive cervical cancer. Simple visual screening techniques, such as DVI, consist of washing the cervix with a solution of 5% acetic acid (e.g., vinegar) and then inspecting it using either the naked eye or with a low-power magnifying device to identify areas of acetowhitening, which frequently correspond to cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions (SILs). The simple visual screening methods are being evaluated as an alternative to cytology in low-resource settings where screening using cervical cytology is not feasible. Multiple studies have shown DVI to have sensitivity similar to that of cervical cytology for identifying women with high grade SIL but much lower specificity. The novel high-technology visual screening methods that utilize electrooptical sensors to identify cervical abnormalities are still in the developmental phases but offer considerable potential.
Fatigue of cemented hip replacements under torsional loads

Fatigue resistance of hip replacement prostheses is becoming ever more important as the operation is carried out on younger and more active patients. Torsional loading of the implant, which occurs especially during activities, such as rising from a chair or climbing stairs, is implicated in the failure process. To examine fatigue failure of the implant-bone fixation, which is made using polymethylmethacrylate cement, an exper- imental model was designed and 16 specimens tested at torsional moments of 50 Nm and 80 Nm to both 1 and 2 million cycles. The numbers and lengths of cracks initiated under cyclic loading were quantified using dye penetrant to highlight the cracks and a profile projector to magnify them. The majority of cracks initiated from the PMMA/metal and PMMA/bone interfaces, more often than from pores in the PMMA. A bimaterial fracture mechanics analysis confirmed that the interfaces are too weak to sustain in vivo levels of cyclic loading. It is proposed that, under torsional loading, fatigue failure of PMMA fixated implants originates from pores located on the interfaces.