Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of alternate fasting or very low calorie diet and low calorie diet on metabolic syndrome in severely obese patients.

BACKGROUND AND AIM Weight loss improves the metabolic syndrome (MetS) features and related clinical abnormalities in obese subjects. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a non-surgical therapeutic program on the MetS in severely obese patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS Sixty-four extremely obese patients were involved in the therapeutic program, which consisted of two alternating phases: the three-week therapeutic fasting or semi-fasting in hospital conditions and the low calorie diet with dosed physical activity in outpatient conditions. At the baseline we measured: anthropometric parameters, blood pressure and lipid profile. Subjects underwent an oral glucose tolerance test and insulin resistance/sensitivity was evaluated by the homeostasis model assessment and the oral glucose insulin sensitivity. After weight reduction by at least 10%, all mentioned assessments were repeated. RESULTS None of the patients had significant adverse effects. Forty-one patients aged 43.0±11.5 years completed the study. The mean weight loss was 27 kg or 18% of the initial weight (p<0.01), which was followed by a significant decrease of the insulin resistance, the overall prevalence of MetS (32%) and all MetS parameters, without the significant change in high-density lipoprotein. This weight loss pogram substantially improves the MetS in extremely obese patients. CONCLUSION The tailored alternating either fasting or semi- fasting should be considered as an optional approach to manage extreme obesity and related metabolic abnormality.
PREVENTION OF VISION LOSS AFTER CATARACT SURGERY IN DIABETIC MACULAR EDEMA WITH INTRAVITREAL BEVACIZUMAB: A Pilot Study

Purpose: To determine whether an intravitreal bevacizumab injection after phacoemulsification can improve cataract surgery visual outcomes in patients with diabetic macular edema by acting on the degree of edema. Setting: Fundación Oftalmológica del Mediterráneo, Valencia, Spain. Methods: We selected 26 consecutive diabetic patients with nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy and macular edema who were to undergo cataract surgery, and we divided them into two randomized groups to be studied prospectively. Group I included 13 eyes that were injected with intravitreal bevacizumab upon completion of cataract surgery; Group II included 13 control eyes that were injected with balanced salt solution. Results: Preoperative macular thickness was 282.62 &mgr;m ± 57.64 in Group I and 310.38 &mgr;m ± 82.99 in Group II. Preoperative Snellen best-corrected visual acuity was 0.27 ± 0.17 and 0.24 ± 0.16 in Groups I and II, respectively. Best-corrected visual acuity at 3 and 6 months was better in Group I—0.4 ± 0.28 and 0.4 ± 0.27—whereas poorer results were observed in the control group—0.21 ± 0.13 and 0.14 ± 0.13. These mean macular thickness values differed significantly between groups at 3 months (P = 0.040) and 6 months (P = 0.004). Optical coherence tomography measured macular thickness was also better in Group I, 292.46 ± 104.75 &mgr;m at 3 months and 277.62 ± 92.99 &mgr;m at 6 months. For Group II, the results were 367.62 ± 75.24 &mgr;m at 3 months and 387.46 ± 74.11 &mgr;m at 6 months. These mean macular thickness values differed significantly between groups at 3 months (P = 0.046) and 6 months (P = 0.002). Conclusion: Intravitreal bevacizumab immediately after phacoemulsification prevents exacerbation of the macular edema seen in many diabetic patients undergoing cataract surgery. In addition, this effect seems to hold in the short term.
Current status of bariatric surgery in the treatment of type 2 diabetes

Bariatric surgery (from the Greek words baros meaning ‘weight’ and iatrikos‘the art of healing’) is a rapidly evolving branch of surgical science. The aim is to induce major weight loss in those whose obesity places them at high risk of serious health problems. In an attempt to balance the risks of surgery against the benefits of weight loss, bariatric operations are currently performed only in the morbidly obese, or those with a body mass index (BMI) > 35 kgm−2 who already have developed comorbidity such as type 2 diabetes. Although weight loss is beneficial for obese patients with diabetes, current medical treatment for obesity is difficult. In contrast, observational studies show a major impact of bariatric surgery on diabetes, raising the question whether this approach should be used more widely to treat diabetes in obese patients? If bariatric surgery were shown to be the best way to treat diabetes in obese subjects the implications for health services would be wide‐ranging. Bariatric surgery leads to withdrawal of diabetic treatment in about 60% or more of patients, and reductions of therapy for many others. Although data on bariatric surgery in subjects with diabetes are provocative, most studies have been uncontrolled or flawed in other ways. Most importantly, bariatric surgery has not yet been compared against standard medical treatment for diabetes in randomized controlled trials with diabetes‐specific endpoints in all relevant patient groups. Potential indications for bariatric surgery are discussed, and the unanswered questions that need to be addressed by clinical trials are summarized. Although small numbers of patients may be interested in bariatric surgery for type 2 diabetes, current data are insufficient to endorse its wide scale use for this indication. Until essential studies are undertaken the role and economics of bariatric surgery in the diabetic clinic will remain uncertain.
The Bacterium Pantoea stewartii Uses Two Different Type III Secretion Systems To Colonize Its Plant Host and Insect Vector

ABSTRACT Plant- and animal-pathogenic bacteria utilize phylogenetically distinct type III secretion systems (T3SS) that produce needle-like injectisomes or pili for the delivery of effector proteins into host cells. Pantoea stewartii subsp. stewartii (herein referred to as P. stewartii), the causative agent of Stewart's bacterial wilt and leaf blight of maize, carries phylogenetically distinct T3SSs. In addition to an Hrc-Hrp T3SS, known to be essential for maize pathogenesis, P. stewartii has a second T3SS (Pantoea secretion island 2 [PSI-2]) that is required for persistence in its flea beetle vector, Chaetocnema pulicaria (Melsh). PSI-2 belongs to the Inv-Mxi-Spa T3SS family, typically found in animal pathogens. Mutagenesis of the PSI-2 psaN gene, which encodes an ATPase essential for secretion of T3SS effectors by the injectisome, greatly reduces both the persistence of P. stewartii in flea beetle guts and the beetle's ability to transmit P. stewartii to maize. Ectopic expression of the psaN gene complements these phenotypes. In addition, the PSI-2 psaN gene is not required for P. stewartii pathogenesis of maize and is transcriptionally upregulated in insects compared to maize tissues. Thus, the Hrp and PSI-2 T3SSs play different roles in the life cycle of P. stewartii as it alternates between its insect vector and plant host.
Singular Value Decomposition Based Sub-band Decomposition and Multi-resolution (SVD-SBD-MRR) Representation of Digital Colour Images

Contemporary digital image processing applications require a suitable tool for further applications and processing. In this paper, a Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) based new sub-band decomposition and multi-resolution representation of digital colour images is proposed. Simulation was performed using MATLAB on Lenna image and the resultant sub-bands, which contained different directional details, are shown. Through a quantitative analysis, it is justified that the proposed method is better than other contemporary methods as it is suitable for compression and other image processing applications
Rotational vertebral artery occlusion: a mechanism of vertebrobasilar insufficiency.

OBJECTIVE Symptomatic dynamic changes in blood flow secondary to vertebral artery compression with rotational head motion are evaluated in a series of patients as a cause for posterior circulation transient ischemic attacks. These cases are classic examples of rotational vertebral artery occlusion and allow for the discussion of the anatomic basis, angiographic features, and treatment options. ILLUSTRATIVE CASES In our series, symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency were reproducible with rotational head movement. Compression of the vertebral artery was demonstrated angiographically. The correct site of occlusion of the vertebral artery was apparent only by dynamic angiography with progressive head rotation. All of the patients presented in the illustrative cases had occlusion at the C2 level; however, one patient had been previously misdiagnosed and another had an additional site of occlusion. The anatomic course of the vertebral artery is described in addition to the sites of rotational occlusion. CONCLUSION Rotational vertebral occlusion is an important cause of vertebrobasilar symptoms, which may lead to permanent neurological deficit if left undiagnosed. Dynamic angiography is the established method of diagnosis. Great care must be taken to avoid misdiagnosing the site of occlusion or missing a second occlusive site. For this reason, it is crucial to have a thorough understanding of the anatomic course of the vertebral artery and the muscular and tendinous insertions, which may cause rotational occlusion. The decision for treatment must be based on the site of occlusion as well as the assessment of the patient as a surgical candidate. A review of the literature reveals that surgical treatment is effective and must be considered to avoid further morbidity.
Localization of the origin of retinal efferents in the turtle brain and the involvement of nitric oxide synthase

Previous studies have used selective neurochemical markers or retrograde tracers to localize the cells in the brain giving rise to efferents to the turtle retina. Because of the relative selectivity of the neurochemical markers or the lack of sensitivity of the previously employed retrograde tracers, these studies did not locate all the efferent cell bodies, or they could not describe the anatomy of the efferent cells. In the present study, cholera toxin B was used as a highly sensitive retrograde tracer to investigate the distribution, number, and morphology of the retinal efferent or centrifugal cell system in turtle brain. Previous studies of the turtle retina have indicated that nitric oxide synthase may be found in some retinal efferents. Therefore, we also did colocalization studies of the retrograde tracer with reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)‐diaphorase histochemistry to investigate nitric oxide as a possible transmitter used by efferent fibers and to localize these NADPH‐diaphorase‐positive efferent cell bodies in the turtle brain. We found that each eye received projections from approximately 40 efferent cell bodies that were located primarily in the contralateral midbrain. The majority of efferent cell bodies were centered in the isthmic tegmentum; other efferent cells extended more rostrally into the substantia nigra, and some efferent cells extended more caudally into the nucleus raphes superior. The double‐label results showed that 30% of the cholera toxin B‐like immunoreactive cells were also positive for NADPH‐diaphorase. The location of these double‐labeled cells around the locus coeruleus corresponded to the NADPH‐diaphorase‐positive efferent cells in the avian isthmo‐optic field. The localization of NADPH‐diaphorase in these efferents indicated that they may use nitric oxide to modulate retinal function. J. Comp. Neurol. 393:185–195, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Role of Hemagglutinin Surface Density in the Initial Stages of Influenza Virus Fusion: Lack of Evidence for Cooperativity

ABSTRACT Membrane fusion mediated by influenza virus hemagglutinin (HA) is believed to proceed via the cooperative action of multiple HA trimers. To determine the minimal number of HA trimers required to trigger fusion, and to assess the importance of cooperativity between these HA trimers, we have generated virosomes containing coreconstituted HAs derived from two strains of virus with different pH dependencies for fusion, X-47 (optimal fusion at pH 5.1; threshold at pH 5.6) and A/Shangdong (optimal fusion at pH 5.6; threshold at pH 6.0), and measured fusion of these virosomes with erythrocyte ghosts by a fluorescence lipid mixing assay. Virosomes with different X-47-to-A/Shangdong HA ratios, at a constant HA-to-lipid ratio, showed comparable ghost-binding activities, and the low-pH-induced conformational change of A/Shangdong HA did not affect the fusion activity of X-47 HA. The initial rate of fusion of these virosomes at pH 5.7 increased directly proportional to the surface density of A/Shangdong HA, and a single A/Shangdong trimer per virosome appeared to suffice to induce fusion. The reciprocal of the lag time before the onset of fusion was directly proportional to the surface density of fusion-competent HA. These results support the notion that there is no cooperativity between HA trimers during influenza virus fusion.
Transforming growth factor-beta 2 and TGF-beta 3 regulate fetal rat cranial suture morphogenesis by regulating rates of cell proliferation and apoptosis.

Cranial vault sutures are the major intramembranous bone growth sites during rapid expansion of the neurocranium. To function as bone growth sites, sutures need to remain patent, while allowing rapid bone formation at the edges of the bone fronts. Premature osseous obliteration of sutures (craniosynostosis) by fusion of bone fronts across the suture site prevents further bone formation at this site, often leading to severe facial dysmorphology. Although several growth factor receptor and transcription factor mutations have been implicated in craniosynostosis, the underlying mechanisms leading to sutural obliteration remain unclear. Previous studies have shown that dura secreted soluble factors responsible for maintaining suture patency and that suture fusion observed in the absence of dura was preceded by elevated levels of DNA synthesis and collagen production in the suture region. The use of neutralizing antibodies in a fetal calvarial culture model further demonstrated that removal of transforming growth factor (TGF) -beta 3 activity induced premature sutural obliteration, whereas removal of TGF-beta 2 activity prevented sutural obliteration. Data presented here demonstrate that suture obliteration induced by removal of TGF-beta 3 activity was preceded by elevated levels of DNA synthesis, similar to that seen upon removal of the dura. Addition of exogenous TGF-beta 3 to calvaria cultured without dura both prevented suture obliteration and reduced DNA synthesis to levels comparable to those seen with intact dura. Addition of exogenous TGF-beta 2 to calvarial cultures induced sutural fusion accompanied by elevated levels of cell proliferation. However, sutures rescued from obliteration by removal of TGF-beta 2 activity did not have decreased levels of cell proliferation, but rather appeared to be due to inhibited differentiation. In all calvaria in which sutures remained patent in culture, numbers of apoptotic cells were high within the suture, whereas in sutures destined to fuse, numbers of apoptotic cells were low. Results indicate that one of the critical regulators of suture patency is cell number. Alterations in cell number can trigger premature differentiation of cells, resulting in sutural obliteration. Furthermore, a complex interplay between closely related molecules is required to maintain cranial vault sutures in an unossified state, while allowing new bone to be formed at the edges of the bone fronts.
Understanding Stakeholders’ Views and the Influence of the Socio-Cultural Dimension on the Adoption of Solar Energy Technology in Lebanon

In light of climate change and global commitments, a great amount of programs and policies have been implemented by governments targeting the diffusion of renewable energy technologies. Successful diffusion relies on the understanding, persuasion and acceptance by consumers and other stakeholders. This article investigates the views, roles and influence of stakeholders on the adoption of solar energy technology in Lebanon. The main research questions are: What are the stakeholders’ views, roles and influence on the diffusion process of solar energy technologies? And are specific socio-cultural factors therein that influenced adoption? The influence of different stakeholders (end users, public representatives, banking sector, suppliers, consultants and NGOs) was assessed via qualitative data analysis, in particular semi-structured interviews. Our research perspective combines grounded and critical theoretical approaches with a case study research design allowing for a semi-inductive process to elaborate and complement new insights to the current body of literature on adoption of clean technology innovation, with a particular focus on the socio-cultural dimension. The results show that contextual factors, specifically related to the social, cultural, geographic and market dimensions, played a crucial role in shaping market development, especially in relation to the uptake of solar energy technology by different consumer groups. Based on the results of this study we argue that more scholarly attention should be awarded to the influence of the socio-cultural dimension and stakeholders’ perspectives on adoption of renewable energy technology.
Housing Wealth Effects for Private and Subsidized Homeowners

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of housing wealth on household consumption when there are resale and refinancing constraints that prevent housing assets from being cashed out. Design/methodology/approach Based on Household Expenditure Survey data in Hong Kong from 1999 to 2010, regression analysis is applied to compare the housing wealth effects of private and subsidized homeowners. Propensity score matching is adopted to ensure that the two groups of homeowners share similar household income. Further regression analysis is conducted to examine private homeowners’ consumption when their recourse mortgages are in negative equity. Findings Subsidized homeowners, who are not allowed to resell their units before sharing their capital gain with the government, experienced an insignificant housing wealth effect. While private homeowners experienced a significant housing wealth effect, the effect was weakened in the presence of a resale constraint induced by negative equity. The results remain robust after the application of more rigorous sample selection through propensity score matching. Research limitations/implications The analyses are subject to two potential data limitations. One is a relatively small sample size. The other is that data on financial assets and mortgages are unavailable and have to be indirectly controlled through household characteristics. Nevertheless, our estimated marginal propensity to consume out of housing wealth is 0.03 of the annual household consumption for private homeowners, which is within the range of estimates reported in previous literature. Practical implications This study shows that the housing wealth effect enjoyed in the private sector does not necessarily apply to the subsidized sector where resale and refinancing constraints exist. This is not to suggest that the constraints be removed. Rather, policymakers should be aware of the tradeoff: while the constraints ensure that government subsidies are used to assist home ownership, not capital gain, they also bring about consumption inequality in a society, especially in a booming housing market. Originality/value Our findings extend the literature on the housing wealth effect, which has been exclusively focusing on private homeowners, to subsidized homeowners. This study also adds to the literature on housing welfare by highlighting that the resale constraints of subsidized housing can weaken the housing wealth effect.
Molecule-hugging graphene nanopores

It has recently been recognized that solid-state nanopores in single-atomic-layer graphene membranes can be used to electronically detect and characterize single long charged polymer molecules. We have now fabricated nanopores in single-layer graphene that are closely matched to the diameter of a double-stranded DNA molecule. Ionic current signals during electrophoretically driven translocation of DNA through these nanopores were experimentally explored and theoretically modeled. Our experiments show that these nanopores have unusually high sensitivity (0.65 nA/Å) to extremely small changes in the translocating molecule’s outer diameter. Such atomically short graphene nanopores can also resolve nanoscale-spaced molecular structures along the length of a polymer, but do so with greatest sensitivity only when the pore and molecule diameters are closely matched. Modeling confirms that our most closely matched pores have an inherent resolution of ≤0.6 nm along the length of the molecule.
Distinct substrate preference of human and mouse N-methylpurine-DNA glycosylases.

N-Methylpurine-DNA glycosylase (MPG), a ubiquitous DNA repair protein, removes several N-alkylpurine adducts, hypoxanthine, cyclic ethenoadducts of adenine, guanine and cytosine and 8-oxoguanine from DNA. The recombinant human and mouse MPGs, purified from Escherichia coli, show a significant difference in substrate preference. While both proteins prefer 3-methyladenine over other N-alkylpurines in DNA, the mouse MPG removes 7-methylguanine and 3-methylguanine at an approximately 2- to 3-fold higher rate than the human protein when adjusted for equal activity for the release of 3-methyladenine from DNA. Hybrid recombinant proteins containing N-terminal and C-terminal halves of the human and mouse glycosylases were partially purified from MPG-negative E.coli. Their substrate preferences suggest that the N-terminal half is more critical for the recognition of 3-methylguanine and 7-methylguanine.
Resilience in household water systems and quality of life after the earthquake: a mixed-methods study in urban Nepal

Building resilience into water systems is very important in urban areas, particularly in less-developed countries, as poor-quality systems have adverse effects on human development and poverty reduction. This mixed-methods study aims to assess the resilience of household water systems and their impact on the quality of life (QOL) after the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. Data were obtained from 1,500 households using a questionnaire and six focus group discussions. The resilience of each household's water system was assessed in terms of residents' pre- and post-earthquake perceptions of water security. Approximately 60% of the households considered their water systems to be resilient. Piped water and wells were associated with stronger perceptions of water system resilience. Participants who considered their household water system to be resilient had higher QOL than those who considered their water systems vulnerable after the earthquake. Qualitative data showed that both the quality and quantity of water deteriorated due to an earthquake. To mitigate the adverse effects of natural disasters on water security, we recommend strengthening the water system infrastructure and operations as well as implementing collaboration between governments and local people.