Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dietary nitrate supplementation effect on dynamic cerebral autoregulation in normoxia and acute hypoxia

We tested the hypothesis that increasing the nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability by dietary nitrate would recover the hypoxia-induced reduction in dynamic cerebral autoregulation (CA). Twelve healthy males (age 21 ± 2 years) completed four days of dietary supplementation with a placebo or inorganic nitrate drink (140-ml beetroot juice per day) followed by 60-min of normoxia or hypoxia (fraction of inspired oxygen [FiO2] = 13%). Duplex ultrasonography was used to perform volumetric change-based assessment of dynamic CA in the internal carotid artery (ICA). Dynamic CA was assessed by rate of regulation (RoR) of vascular conductance using the thigh-cuff method. Four days of beetroot supplementation increased circulating nitrate by 208 [171,245] μM (mean difference [95% confidence interval]) compared with placebo. Dynamic CA was lower in hypoxia than normoxia (RoR Δ−0.085 [−0.116, −0.054]). Compared with placebo, nitrate did not alter dynamic CA in normoxia (RoR Δ−0.022 [−0.060, 0.016]) or hypoxia (RoR Δ0.017 [−0.019, 0.053]). Further, nitrate did not affect ICA vessel diameter, blood velocity or flow in either normoxia or hypoxia. Increased bioavailability of NO through dietary nitrate supplementation did not recover the hypoxia-induced reduction in dynamic CA. This suggests the mechanism of hypoxia-induced reduction in dynamic CA does not relate to the availability of NO.
Human Plasmodium vivax diversity, population structure and evolutionary origin

More than 200 million malaria clinical cases are reported each year due to Plasmodium vivax, the most widespread Plasmodium species in the world. This species has been neglected and understudied for a long time, due to its lower mortality in comparison with Plasmodium falciparum. A renewed interest has emerged in the past decade with the discovery of antimalarial drug resistance and of severe and even fatal human cases. Nonetheless, today there are still significant gaps in our understanding of the population genetics and evolutionary history of P. vivax, particularly because of a lack of genetic data from Africa. To address these gaps, we genotyped 14 microsatellite loci in 834 samples obtained from 28 locations in 20 countries from around the world. We discuss the worldwide population genetic structure and diversity and the evolutionary origin of P. vivax in the world and its introduction into the Americas. This study demonstrates the importance of conducting genome-wide analyses of P. vivax in order to unravel its complex evolutionary history.
Kinetics of Human and Murine Mobilization of Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Response to AMD3100.

The CXCR4-SDF-1 axis possesses a central role in the trafficking and retention of both normal and malignant stem cells in the bone marrow. Previous work from our laboratory established that in a murine model, a single dose of the CXCR4 antagonist, AMD3100, sensitizes AML blasts to chemotherapy supporting the premise that the interaction between AML blasts and the marrow microenvironment confers resistance to genotoxic stress (Nervi et al. , ASH 2006). Here we examine the effects of repetitive dosing of AMD3100 on the kinetics of normal and leukemic mobilization. Following SQ injection of AMD3100 5mg/kg into B6/129 F1 mice daily for 5 days (n=8), we observed a 2.4 fold increase in total leukocyte counts with a 12.4 increase in CFU-GM when compared to 3 hours post injection (Fig 1A). No differences were seen in the degree of mobilization between d1 and d5 with WBC and CFU-GM counts returning to baseline after 24 hours. We next tested repetitive doses of AMD3100 in our mouse model of AML in which 106 blasts derived from leukemic mice carrying the PML-RARα fusion gene in the murine cathepsin G locus are adoptively transferred into genetically compatible secondary recipients. AMD3100 at 5mg/kg was then administered to these AML mice for 4 consecutive days. At 3 hrs post AMD3100 injection, we observed a 1.8 fold increase in peripheral leukocyte counts with a 4.5 fold increase in circulating blasts compared to baseline (n=3). Again, no significant differences are seen in the degree of mobilization from d1 to d4 (Fig 1B). Based on these preclinical data, we have initiated a phase I/II trial of AMD3100 plus mitoxantrone, etoposide and cytarabine (MEC) in relapsed or refractory AML in which AMD3100 is administered 4 hours prior to MEC daily for 5 consecutive days. To study the kinetics of human AML mobilization, we administered AMD3100 by SQ injection followed by 24hr observation period prior to chemotherapy. Two patients have been treated at the first dose level of AMD3100, 80 μg/kg. In pt #1 following AMD3100 mobilization, total WBC increased from 3 × 103/mm3 to a peak of 17 × 103/mm3 at 6 hours post-AMD3100 representing a 5.7 fold increase in total white count (Fig 2). In addition, the blasts (CD45dim, SSlow) increased by 7.3 fold. Similarly in pt #2, we observed a 2 fold increase in the total WBC from 2.5 to 5.1 × 103/mm3 with a 2.3 fold increase in blasts (CD45dim, SSlow). Mobilization of AML was confirmed in both patients through informative FISH for 11q23 (MLL). No adverse events have been observed during mobilization. These data provide the preclinical rationale for repetitive dosing of AMD3100 and direct clinical evidence that AMD3100 mobilizes human AML blasts into the peripheral circulation. Our trial of AMD3100 plus MEC in relapsed or refractory AML is ongoing. [Figure 1. ][1] Figure 1. AMD3100 induced mobilization of (A) normal progenitors and (B) AML blasts ! [Figure 2. ][1] Figure 2. AMD3100 mobilization of human AML [1]: pending:yes
The Interactions Between HBV and the Innate Immunity of Hepatocytes

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects ~350 million people and poses a major public health problem worldwide. HBV is a major cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Fewer than 5% of HBV-infected adults (but up to 90% of HBV-infected infants and children) develop chronic HBV infection as indicated by continued, detectable expression of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) for at least 6 months after the initial infection. Increasing evidence indicates that HBV interacts with innate immunity signaling pathways of hepatocytes to suppress innate immunity. However, it is still not clear how HBV avoids monitoring by the innate immunity of hepatocytes and whether the innate immunity of hepatocytes can be effective against HBV if re-triggered. Moreover, a deep understanding of virus–host interactions is important in developing new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of HBV infection. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge regarding how HBV represses innate immune recognition, as well as recent progress with respect to in vitro models for studying HBV infection and innate immunity.
Reconceptualizing Measurement of Emergency Contraceptive Use: Comparison of Approaches to Estimate the Use of Emergency Contraception

Abstract Estimated use of emergency contraception (EC) remains low, and one reason is measurement challenges. The study aims to compare EC use estimates using five approaches. Data come from Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 surveys from 10 countries, representative sample surveys of women aged 15 to 49 years. We explore EC use employing the five definitions and calculate absolute differences between a reference definition (percentage of women currently using EC as the most effective method) and each of the subsequent four, including the most inclusive (percentage of women having used EC in the past year). Across the 17 geographies, estimated use varies greatly by definition and EC use employing the most inclusive definition is statistically significantly higher than the reference estimate. Impact of using various definitions is most pronounced among unmarried sexually active women. The conventional definition of EC use likely underestimates the magnitude of EC use, which has unique programmatic implications.
Phytochemicals and Antioxidant Activity of Korean Black Soybean (Glycine max L.) Landraces

Black soybean (Glycine max L.) has been used as a traditional medicine because its seed coat contains various natural phenolic compounds such as anthocyanins. The objective of this study was to reveal the genetic variation in the agricultural traits, phytochemicals, and antioxidant activity of 172 Korean black soybean landraces (KBSLs) and establish a relationship among them. The evaluation of three agricultural traits (days to 50% flowering, maturity, and 100-seed weight), six phytochemicals (delphinidin-3-glucoside, cyaniding-3-glucoside, petunidin-3-glucoside, daidzin, glycitin, and genestin), and four antioxidant activities (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and the total polyphenol content (TPC) of 172 KBSLs were analyzed in 2012 and 2015. The agricultural traits, phytochemicals, and antioxidant activities of the 172 KBSLs showed wide variation among the accessions and years. In correlation analysis, the agricultural traits and phytochemicals showed positive and negative correlations with phytochemicals and antioxidant activity, respectively. The principal component analyses result indicated that phytochemicals accounted for most of the variability in the KBSLs. In clustering analysis, the 172 KBSLs were classified into four clusters. These results could lead to expanding the knowledge of the agricultural traits, phytochemicals, and antioxidant activity of the KBSLs, which are valuable materials for the development of new soybean varieties.
Hydraulic acclimation in a Mediterranean oak subjected to permanent throughfall exclusion results in increased stem hydraulic capacitance.

Stem water storage capacity and hydraulic capacitance (CS ) play a crucial role in tree survival under drought-stress. To investigate whether CS adjusts to increasing water deficit, variation in stem water content (StWC) was monitored in vivo for two years and related to periodical measurements of tree water potential in Mediterranean Quercus ilex trees subjected either to permanent throughfall exclusion (TE) or to control conditions. Seasonal reductions in StWC were larger in TE trees relative to control ones, resulting in greater seasonal CS (154 and 80 kg m-3 MPa-1 , respectively), but only during the first phase of the desorption curve, when predawn water potential was above -1.1 MPa. Below this point, CS decreased substantially and did not differ between treatments (<20 kg m-3 MPa-1 ). The allometric relationship between tree diameter and sapwood area, measured via electrical resistivity tomography, was not affected by TE. Our results suggest that (i) CS response to water deficit in the drought-tolerant Q. ilex might be more important to optimize carbon gain during well-hydrated periods than to prevent drought-induced embolism formation during severe drought stress, and (ii) enhanced CS during early summer does not result from proportional increases in sapwood volume, but mostly from increased elastic water. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Interrelation of Individual, Country and Activity Constraints in Motor Activities of Daily Living among Typically Developing Children: A Cross-sectional Comparison of Spanish and Dutch Populations

Motor performance is influenced by individual, environmental, and task constraints. Children perform differently according to individual (i.e., sex), environmental (i.e., country), and task (i.e., type of activity) factors. However, little is known about the effect of the interaction between sex and country factors across different activities of daily living (ADL) learning, participation, and performance. The main aim of this study was to examine the relationship between sex, country, and type of activity in motor-based ADL learning, participation, and performance in five-to-eight-year-old, typically developing children. Additionally, we aimed to compare the prevalence of probable Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) across sex and country. The DCDDaily-Q was used to assess ADL learning, participation, and performance in 300 age and sex-matched children from Spain and The Netherlands. The prevalence of probable DCD was determined based on the total ADL performance score. Results showed that differences in ADL learning, participation and performance differed across sex and country (p < 0.05). Prevalence of probable DCD was statistically similar in both countries. These findings show that daily participation and performance in typically developing children may be influenced by individual, country, and task constraints, and that country and sex may have different influences on particular tasks.
VE1 Immunohistochemistry Improves the Limit of Genotyping for Detecting BRAFV600E Mutation in Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Detection of BRAFV600E is useful for making diagnosis and risk stratification of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Molecular testing, however, is not always available for routine clinical use. To assess the clinical utility and reliability of VE1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) for detecting BRAFV600E mutation in PTC, VE1 IHC was performed on the tissue microarrays of 514 patients with PTC and was compared with Sanger sequencing results. Of 514 PTC cases, 433 (84.2%) were positive for VE1 expression. Among 6 discordant cases between VE1 IHC and Sanger sequencing, 3 initial VE1-false negative cases turned out to be true false negative on repeat testing, and 3 VE1-false positive cases showed BRAFV600E mutation using digital PCR analysis. PTCs with low variant allele fraction were positive for VE1 IHC but were not detected using sequencing. VE1 IHC showed 99.3% sensitivity, 100% specificity, 100% positive predictive value, and 96.4% negative predictive value. The BRAFV600E mutation was significantly associated with older age, multifocality, extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis, and advanced tumor stage. In conclusion, VE1 IHC is a reliable method for detecting BRAFV600E mutation in PTC specimens.
The effect of emotional intelligence training on general health promotion among nurse

INTRODUCTION: The hospitals are a stressful environment for employees, especially nurses. Stress and other health problems may lead to occupational burnout and reduction of nurses’ efficiency. The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of emotional intelligence training on health promotion of nurses in Sabzevar Hospitals. METHODOLOGY: The current study is a field trial with a random control group. The sample group was 135 nurses of Sabzevar Hospitals. They were then divided randomly into experimental and control groups. First, all of the samples answered the questionnaire of personal information, Bar-On Emotional Intelligence, and General Health Questionnaire. The first group (intervention) was trained by giving the speech, and the second group (control) did not receive any intervention about the subject of the study. The experimental group was then trained for the components of emotional intelligence and answered the questionnaire again. The significance level was considered as P < 0.05. RESULTS: The results showed that the distribution of qualitative variables in the study was similar and also the scores of emotional intelligence and the dependent variables after intervention in the intervention group had a significant and inverse relationship, meaning that the score of emotional intelligence decreased with the score of general health score. This could be significant in comparison to the two groups. Findings showed that emotional intelligence at the beginning of the study in the intervention and control groups were 35.03 ± 32 and 30.89 ± 33, respectively, and after the intervention, it was 29.68 ± 35 and 42.89 ± 34, respectively. Total general health was 19.76 ± 84 and 18.77 ± 77 in the case group before intervention and 14.55 ± 56 in the case group and 17.68 ± 52 in the control group, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Findings indicated the significant mutual effect of emotional intelligence changes and general health variables. It means as the score of emotional intelligence gets more, health score decreases and the rate of general health increases.
Factors Differentiating the Level of Functional Fitness in Polish Seniors

In this study, functional fitness is defined as the level of independence and self-sufficiency of an elderly person, which facilitates leading an independent life, without the need for assistance from other people. A decrease in functional fitness among older adults is influenced by a variety of factors. In addition to changes occurring in the human body in accordance with the laws of ontogenetic development, they can also be analyzed in terms of somatic parameters and the age of the subjects. The aim of this research was to find the factors differentiating the level of functional fitness of older adults. It involved 509 people divided into a group of people involved in regular physical activity and an inactive group. The Fullerton Functional Fitness Test was used to measure the level of physical fitness, and anthropometric measurements (body weight and height) were also performed. The level of functional fitness of Polish seniors was compared with the American standards established by R. E. Rikli and C. J. Jones. The results of our research confirm a higher level of functional fitness in active older adults, both women and men. In this group, BMI—(Body Mass Index is a measure of body fat based on height and weight) showed a greater correlation with shoulder girdle and back muscles strength, complex coordination, balance, agility, and endurance in women than in men. Finally, the surveyed Polish seniors exhibited a higher level of functional fitness than their American peers.
Induction of Protective Antiplague Immune Responses by Self-Adjuvanting Bionanoparticles Derived from Engineered Yersinia pestis

A Yersinia pestis mutant synthesizing an adjuvant form of lipid A (monophosphoryl lipid A, MPLA) displayed increased biogenesis of bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). To enhance the immunogenicity of the OMVs, we constructed an Asd-based balanced-lethal host-vector system that oversynthesized the LcrV antigen of Y. pestis, raised the amounts of LcrV enclosed in OMVs by the type II secretion system, and eliminated harmful factors like plasminogen activator (Pla) and murine toxin from the OMVs. ABSTRACT A Yersinia pestis mutant synthesizing an adjuvant form of lipid A (monophosphoryl lipid A, MPLA) displayed increased biogenesis of bacterial outer membrane vesicles (OMVs). To enhance the immunogenicity of the OMVs, we constructed an Asd-based balanced-lethal host-vector system that oversynthesized the LcrV antigen of Y. pestis, raised the amounts of LcrV enclosed in OMVs by the type II secretion system, and eliminated harmful factors like plasminogen activator (Pla) and murine toxin from the OMVs. Vaccination with OMVs containing MPLA and increased amounts of LcrV with diminished toxicity afforded complete protection in mice against subcutaneous challenge with 8 × 105 CFU (80,000 50% lethal dose [LD50]) and intranasal challenge with 5 × 103 CFU (50 LD50) of virulent Y. pestis. This protection was significantly superior to that resulting from vaccination with LcrV/alhydrogel or rF1-V/alhydrogel. At week 4 postimmunization, the OMV-immunized mice showed more robust titers of antibodies against LcrV, Y. pestis whole-cell lysate (YPL), and F1 antigen and more balanced IgG1:IgG2a/IgG2b-derived Th1 and Th2 responses than LcrV-immunized mice. Moreover, potent adaptive and innate immune responses were stimulated in the OMV-immunized mice. Our findings demonstrate that self-adjuvanting Y. pestis OMVs provide a novel plague vaccine candidate and that the rational design of OMVs could serve as a robust approach for vaccine development.
Do they really coexist? An empirical analysis of a conjoint implementation of Quality Management System and High Performance Work System on organizational effectiveness

Over the past few decades, Quality Management System (QMS) and High Performance Work System (HPWS) have emerged as key concepts to enhance organizational effectiveness. All over the globe, majority of contemporary manufacturing and services organizations have applied at least one of these development strategies or even both. This study proposes an integrated framework of QMS and HPWS and empirically investigates the relationship between QMS and HPWS practices and their direct and indirect effects on organizational effectiveness using structural equation modelling (SEM). This research makes a number of significant contributions: (1) The black box of the conjoint implementation is opened up for better appreciation of the interplay of QMS and HPWS practices and their influence on organizational effectiveness (2) The key QMS practices recognized as contributing factor of performance have been classified and examined at two distinct levels i.e. QMS Top Level practices and QMS Core practices (3) The mediating and interaction effects of QMS Core practices and HPWS practices on the relationship of QMS-Top Level practices and organizational effectiveness have been thoroughly investigated. The proposed framework is tested through cross-sectional data from 90 Technical Services Organizations (TSO) operating in Pakistan. The research hypotheses are supported by the test results of the SEM. The findings and implications are discussed along with limitations and future research guidelines.
The Arabidopsis GPI-Anchored LTPg5 Encoded by At3g22600 Has a Role in Resistance against a Diverse Range of Pathogens

Arabidopsis contains 34 genes for glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored LTPg proteins. A motif analysis has placed these into four groups. With one exception, all are produced with a signal peptide and are most likely attached to the cell membrane via the GPI anchor. Several of the LTPg genes across the four groups are downregulated in syncytia induced by the beet cyst nematode Heterodera schachtii. We have here studied At3g22600 encoding LTPg5, which is the most strongly downregulated LTPg gene. It is mainly expressed in roots, and a promoter::GUS line was used to confirm the downregulation in syncytia and also showed downregulation in galls of the root knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita. In contrast, infection with bacteria (Pseudomonas syringae) and fungi (Botrytis cinerea) led to the induction of the gene in leaves. This diverse regulation of LTPg5 indicated a role in resistance, which we confirmed with overexpression lines and a T-DNA mutant. The overexpression lines were more resistant to both nematode species and to P. syringae and B. cinerea, while a knock-out mutant was more susceptible to H. schachtii and P. syringae. Thus, LTPg5 encoded by At3g22600 is part of the Arabidopsis resistance mechanism against pathogens. LTPg5 has probably no direct antimicrobial activity but could perhaps act by associating with a receptor-like kinase, leading to the induction of defense genes such as PR1.