Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Specific alcoholic beverages and physical and mental health among adolescents.

OBJECTIVE This study investigated the longitudinal inter-relationships among the consumption of specific alcoholic beverages (beer, wine and distilled spirits), physical symptoms and psychological distress. Two causal processes were examined for each type of beverage: (1) the use of alcohol to cope with pre-existing psychological distress and physical symptoms; (2) the impairment effects of alcohol on subsequent physical and mental health. METHOD Data were collected at three points in time (baseline, 3-year follow-up, 6-year follow-up) from a household sample of 1,270 youths who were ages 12, 15 and 18 at the baseline interview. RESULTS Consumption of all three beverages increased through early adolescence and leveled off at ages 18 and 21, and males reported more beer use than females. Structural equation models showed that the use of all three alcoholic beverages contributed significantly to longitudinal increases in physical symptoms, but not to changes in psychological distress. In contrast, no evidence supported the coping hypothesis. Finally, there were no significant interaction effects involving beverage type, gender or age on physical symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The results suggested that the physical impairment process operated similarly for beer, wine and distilled spirits, for males and females, and for adolescents of different ages.
Remarkable Lethal G-to-A Mutations in vif-Proficient HIV-1 Provirus by Individual APOBEC3 Proteins in Humanized Mice

ABSTRACT Genomic hypermutation of RNA viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), can be provoked by intrinsic and extrinsic pressures, which lead to the inhibition of viral replication and/or the progression of viral diversity. Human APOBEC3G was identified as an HIV-1 restriction factor, which edits nascent HIV-1 DNA by inducing G-to-A hypermutations and debilitates the infectivity of vif-deficient HIV-1. On the other hand, HIV-1 Vif protein has the robust potential to degrade APOBEC3G protein. Although subsequent investigations have revealed that lines of APOBEC3 family proteins have the capacity to mutate HIV-1 DNA, it remains unclear whether these endogenous APOBEC3s, including APOBEC3G, contribute to mutations of vif-proficient HIV-1 provirus in vivo and, if so, what is the significance of these mutations. In this study, we use a human hematopoietic stem cell-transplanted humanized mouse (NOG-hCD34 mouse) model and demonstrate the predominant accumulation of G-to-A mutations in vif-proficient HIV-1 provirus displaying characteristics of APOBEC3-mediated mutagenesis. Notably, the APOBEC3-associated G-to-A mutation of HIV-1 DNA that leads to the termination of translation was significantly observed. We further provide a novel insight suggesting that HIV-1 G-to-A hypermutation is independently induced by individual APOBEC3 proteins. In contrast to the prominent mutation in intracellular proviral DNA, viral RNA in plasma possessed fewer G-to-A mutations. Taken together, these results provide the evidence indicating that endogenous APOBEC3s are associated with G-to-A mutation of HIV-1 provirus in vivo, which can result in the abrogation of HIV-1 infection.
Feasibility and pharmacokinetic study of bendamustine hydrochloride in combination with rituximab in relapsed or refractory aggressive B cell non‐Hodgkin’s lymphoma 6

Although bendamustine plus rituximab has demonstrated efficacy in indolent B cell non‐Hodgkin’s lymphoma (B‐NHL), data for this combination in aggressive B‐NHL are extremely limited. The present dose‐escalation study evaluated the safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics of bendamustine hydrochloride in combination with rituximab in patients with relapsed/refractory, CD20‐positive, aggressive B‐NHL. Patients received rituximab 375 mg/m2, i.v. , on Day 1 and bendamustine at either 90 (Cohort 1) or 120 mg/m2 (Cohort 2), i.v. , on Days 2 and 3 of a 21‐day cycle. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients experiencing dose‐limiting toxicity (DLT). Secondary endpoints were adverse events (AE), the overall response rate (ORR), and pharmacokinetic parameters. Nine patients received rituximab plus bendamustine: three in Cohort 1 and six in Cohort 2. Histologies included diffuse large B cell lymphoma (n = 5), mantle cell lymphoma (n = 2), and transformed lymphoma (n = 2). No DLT was observed at either dose level. Grade 3/4 hematologic AE included lymphocytopenia, leukocytopenia, and neutropenia (n = 9 each; 100%), and thrombocytopenia (n = 2; 22%). No Grade 3/4 gastrointestinal AE were reported. The ORR was 33% (one partial response) in Cohort 1 and 100% (five complete and one partial response) in Cohort 2. The maximum drug concentration and area under the blood concentration–time curve for bendamustine increased dose dependently, with time to maximum blood concentration = 1.0 h in both cohorts; these pharmacokinetic data were similar to those reported previously for single‐agent bendamustine in patients with indolent B‐NHL. In conclusion, bendamustine 120 mg/m2 plus rituximab 375 mg/m2 was feasible and generally well tolerated, with promising efficacy in relapsed or refractory aggressive B‐NHL. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 1687–1692)
Pathways governing development of stem cell‐derived pancreatic β cells: lessons from embryogenesis

The loss of functional β cells leads to development of diabetes. Several studies have shown that β cells are specified through several stages of progenitors during pancreas development, each stage defined by the expression of specific transcription factors (TFs). Understanding signalling pathways that control the differentiation and specification processes during embryogenesis will facilitate efforts to obtain functional β cells in vitro. Our current knowledge of the mechanisms involved in pancreatic β cell development and survival under normal or diabetic conditions has come largely from animal studies. However, there are marked differences in islet structure and physiological properties between humans and animals, and not all phenotypes of human diabetes can be recapitulated in animal models. Therefore, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced PSCs (hiPSCs) offer a great opportunity for increasing our understanding of the pathways regulating human pancreatic β‐cell development and survival. Furthermore, hPSCs provide a renewable source of functional pancreatic β cells for cell replacement therapy as well as disease modelling. Herein, we discuss the signalling pathways involved in the development of pancreatic β cells during embryogenesis. Additionally, we describe how these pathways are manipulated in vitro to differentiate hPSCs into functional β cells. Finally, we highlight the progress that has been made for the applications of those cells in treating and modelling diabetes.
Glucose turnover in pregnant women with acute malaria.

1. Hypoglycaemia is a serious complication of falciparum malaria, especially in pregnant patients. To investigate malaria-associated changes in glucose metabolism in pregnancy, steady-state [6,6-2H2] glucose turnover and clearance were measured in 10 women (eight with uncomplicated falciparum malaria and two with vivax malaria at 16-30 weeks gestation) before treatment, after intravenous quinine infusion (patients with falciparum malaria) and in convalescence. 2. Admission basal plasma glucose concentrations were higher than those in convalescence [median (range); 4.8 (3.6-7.0) versus 4.0 (3.6-4.6) mmol/l, P = 0.02], and there was a significant fall during initial quinine treatment in patients with falciparum malaria [5.0 (4.3-7.6) to 3.6 (3.2-5.4) mmol/l, P < 0.01]. Basal plasma insulin levels were comparable at presentation and follow-up (P = 0.35) and rose an average of only 2m-units/l during quinine infusion (P < 0.05). Pretreatment glucose turnover rates [3.37 (2.57-4.16) mg min-1 kg-1] were comparable with those found in a previously reported study of non-pregnant severely ill patients [3.22 (2.12-4.82) mg min-1 kg-1, n = 11] and correlated significantly with the admission parasitaemia (P < 0.025). In the eight patients with falciparum malaria, there was a significant fall in turnover during intravenous quinine infusion [3.42 (2.58-4.16) to 2.66 [1.94-3.94) mg min-1 kg-1] whereas clearance did not change significantly. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Export Restrictions in relation to Extractive Industries

This paper considers concrete policy options to better regulate the use of export restrictions in relation to extractive industries. It briefly describes recent trends in the use of export restrictions on mineral and energy resources. It gives an account of the main shortcomings in the WTO legal treatment of export restrictions. It accordingly discusses possible avenues for reforming existing WTO disciplines in the interest of secure access to supplies, while still taking into account the need to preserve some policy space for host countries to use such measures as legitimate development tools.
Serum free fatty acid levels in PCOS patients treated with glucophage, magnesium oxide and spironolactone

Abstract To assess the effect of glucophage, magnesium oxide and spironolactone in altering free fatty acids (FFAs), 36 PCOS women were randomly divided into three groups. Group 1 (n = 14) was treated with 500 mg glucophage po bid, group 2 (n = 10) was treated with 400 mg magnesium oxide po bid and group 3 (n = 12) was treated with 50 mg spironolactone po bid for 12 weeks. A glucose tolerance test with 75 g glucose load was performed before and after treatment, collecting blood at 0, 1 and 2 h for insulin, glucose, FFA and aldosterone. Amount of FFA before and after treatment were compared by repeated measure ANOVA and represented as area under the curve. FFA levels before treatment were 0.83 ± 0.23, 0.77 ± 0.15 and 0.85 ± 0.28 and after treatment were 0.77 ± 0.48, 0.71 ± 0.18 and 0.66 ± 0.25 for glucophage, magnesium oxide and spironolactone-treated patients, respectively. The FFA levels were unchanged in the groups treated with glucophage and magnesium oxide but were significantly (p < 0.03) decreased in the group treated with spironolactone. Since FFAs are known to be involved in the development of insulin resistance, these results suggest that spironolactone may be useful for lowering insulin resistance in PCOS patients.
Identification of Type 3 Fimbriae in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Reveals a Role in Biofilm Formation

ABSTRACT Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is the most common nosocomial infection in the United States. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), the most common cause of CAUTI, can form biofilms on indwelling catheters. Here, we identify and characterize novel factors that affect biofilm formation by UPEC strains that cause CAUTI. Sixty-five CAUTI UPEC isolates were characterized for phenotypic markers of urovirulence, including agglutination and biofilm formation. One isolate, E. coli MS2027, was uniquely proficient at biofilm growth despite the absence of adhesins known to promote this phenotype. Mini-Tn5 mutagenesis of E. coli MS2027 identified several mutants with altered biofilm growth. Mutants containing insertions in genes involved in O antigen synthesis (rmlC and manB) and capsule synthesis (kpsM) possessed enhanced biofilm phenotypes. Three independent mutants deficient in biofilm growth contained an insertion in a gene locus homologous to the type 3 chaperone-usher class fimbrial genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae. These type 3 fimbrial genes (mrkABCDF), which were located on a conjugative plasmid, were cloned from E. coli MS2027 and could complement the biofilm-deficient transconjugants when reintroduced on a plasmid. Primers targeting the mrkB chaperone-encoding gene revealed its presence in CAUTI strains of Citrobacter koseri, Citrobacter freundii, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Klebsiella oxytoca. All of these mrkB-positive strains caused type 3 fimbria-specific agglutination of tannic acid-treated red blood cells. This is the first description of type 3 fimbriae in E. coli, C. koseri, and C. freundii. Our data suggest that type 3 fimbriae may contribute to biofilm formation by different gram-negative nosocomial pathogens.
Inkjet printed bandpass filters and filtennas using silver nanoparticle ink on flexible substrate

This paper presents an inkjet printed CPW filtenna designed at 5.8 GHz. The proposed structure consists of a CPW pseudo-interdigital bandpass filter and a CPW inset-fed antenna. The bandpass filter is fabricated using inkjet printing technology. The structure is printed on flexible Kapton substrate with polyimide film using silver nanoparticle ink. The filter is then used to suppress the spurious harmonics of the antenna. Measurements from the fabrication confirm the accuracy of the design method and the simulation results.
Landscape genomic approach to detect selection signatures in locally adapted Brazilian swine genetic groups

Abstract Samples of 191 animals from 18 different Brazilian locally adapted swine genetic groups were genotyped using Illumina Porcine SNP60 BeadChip in order to identify selection signatures related to the monthly variation of Brazilian environmental variables. Using BayeScan software, 71 SNP markers were identified as FST outliers and 60 genotypes (58 markers) were found by Samβada software in 371 logistic models correlated with 112 environmental variables. Five markers were identified in both methods, with a Kappa value of 0.073 (95% CI: 0.011–0.134). The frequency of these markers indicated a clear north–south country division that reflects Brazilian environmental differences in temperature, solar radiation, and precipitation. Global spatial territory correlation for environmental variables corroborates this finding (average Moran's I = 0.89, range from 0.55 to 0.97). The distribution of alleles over the territory was not strongly correlated with the breed/genetic groups. These results are congruent with previous mtDNA studies and should be used to direct germplasm collection for the National gene bank.
Syndecans and the Lymphoid System

Syndecans, transmembrane proteoglycans, play an important role in cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions, as well as modulators in receptor activation. These functions are partly non-specific and related to the heparan sulfate chains attached to the ectodomain, and partly specific due to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains of the core protein. In hemopoietic cells syndecan-1 is expressed only in B cells at certain differentiation stages (pre-B and plasma cells). In lymphoproliferative conditions this selective expression is retained in myelo-mas/plasmacytomas and other lymphoplasmacytic NHL subtypes, and primary effusional lymphomas. It is probably gained in B-CLL, and lost in other NHLs of pre- or post-follicular origin. It is concluded from these empiric results that the expression of syndecan is essential for some NHLs, probably ensuring the required connections to the microenvironment. From a diagnostic point of view, syndecan-1 is a very useful phenotypic marker to indentify cells with plasmacytic differentiation. The importance of syndecan expression in CLL and Hodg-kin's lymphoma still requires further studies.
Two Methods for Rapid Serological Diagnosis of Acute Leptospirosis

ABSTRACT Leptospirosis is a common and underdiagnosed zoonosis. Two rapid assays for serological diagnosis of acute leptospirosis in diagnostic laboratories, the immunoglobulin M (IgM)-dipstick assay and the indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA), were evaluated and compared with standard assays. Sera were examined from 104 patients admitted to a hospital for investigation in a leptospirosis diagnostic protocol. Specimens for serology were taken on days 1 and 4 of the patients' hospital stay. Antibodies were detected using an IgM-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), microscopic agglutination test (MAT), an IgM-dipstick assay, and an IHA. Fifty-one patients were found to have leptospirosis. The sensitivity of the IgM-dipstick assay was 98%, its specificity was 90.6%, its positive predictive value was 90.9%, and its negative predictive value was 98%. The sensitivity of the IHA was 92.2%, its specificity was 94.4%, its positive predictive value was 95.9%, and its negative predictive value was 92.7%. The standard IgM-ELISA and MAT, were positive in the first samples tested from 67 and 55% of the cases, respectively, and the rapid IgM-dipstick assay and IHA were positive in 71 and 49%, respectively, in the first sample tested. Both rapid assays are highly sensitive and specific. Neither requires specialized equipment, and both are suitable for use in diagnostic laboratories.
Ganoderma lucidum for Cancer Treatment

The medicinal fungus Ganoderma lucidum has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for millennia to improve health and promote longevity. The idea of using G. lucidum for cancer treatment is based on numerous laboratory and preclinical studies with cancer and immune cells as well as animal models demonstrating various biological activities in vitro and in vivo. For example, G. lucidum possesses cytotoxic, cytostatic, antimetastatic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulating activities. Limited clinical studies, including case reports and randomized controlled trials, suggest G. lucidum as an alternative adjunct therapy for stimulating the immune system in cancer patients. To confirm the efficacy of G. lucidum in cancer treatment, systematic translational research programs should be started worldwide. In addition, only standardized preclinically evaluated, biologically active G. lucidum extracts should be used in alternative treatments. This approach will lead to the development of standardized G. lucidum preparations with specific chemical fingerprint-associated anticancer activities.
Convolutional recurrent neural network for question answering

Question answering has become a very important task for natural language understanding as most natural language processing problems can be posed as a question answering problem. Recurrent neural network (RNN) is a standard baseline model for various sequence prediction tasks including question answering. Recurrent networks can represent global information for a long period of time but they do not preserve local information very well. To address this problem we propose a model which is a combination of recurrent and convolutional network that can be trained end to end using backpropagation. Our experiments on bAbI dataset demonstrate that this model can achieve significant improvement over RNN model for question answering task.
From Sparse Coding Significance to Perceptual Quality: A New Approach for Image Quality Assessment

An increasing number of image processing applications require an automated quality prediction of the visual content as perceived by humans. Since, sparse coding is suggested to be an underlying strategy of the brain’s neural system, it would be logical to assume that specific tasks like quality assessment also attempt to adhere to this strategy. However, existing perceptual quality predictors, often mimicking the different stages of the human visual system and deploying machine learning strategies, such as neural networks, rarely integrate the concept of sparse coding in their design. In this paper, we first investigate the validity of such assumption by performing an empirical analysis on the relation between the structural information of the scene—captured via sparseness significance—and perceptual quality. Subsequently, we propose a new approach to integrate the significance of sparse coding features in the future imagequality measure (IQM) designs. We utilize the Fourier transform as a case study, which leads to a new IQM called sparseness significance ranking measure (SSRM). This measure essentially deploys a Fourier basis for sparse coding, a ranking mechanism based upon the amplitudes of the sparse coefficients and subsequently a complex correlation metric that assesses the correspondence between the ranked coefficient amplitude profiles of the reference and the distorted image. Moreover, we introduce a new methodology, namely separation ratio analysis, to assess the prediction quality of individual features or quality predictors given a target perceptual quality. The quality predictions by the proposed SSRM show excellent compatibility with perceptual quality scores. A set of routine benchmarking experiments utilizing the LIVE and CSIQ, IVC and TID2008 databases indicates a highly competitive performance with state of the art IQMs. Moreover, it delivers this performance at a low computational cost.
Detection of CMY-2, CTX-M-14, and SHV-12 β-Lactamases in Escherichia coli Fecal-Sample Isolates from Healthy Chickens

ABSTRACT Genes encoding the CMY-2, CTX-M-14, and SHV-12 β-lactamases were detected in three of five Escherichia coli isolates from fecal samples from healthy chickens which showed resistance or diminished susceptibility to extended-spectrum cephalosporins. A −42 mutation at the promoter region of the ampC gene was detected in the other two isolates.
Sublethal genotoxicity and cell alterations by organophosphorus pesticides in MCF‐7 cells: Implications for environmentally relevant concentrations

Organophosphorus pesticide (OPP) toxicity is believed to be mediated through inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Given their widespread distribution in aquatic systems and their ability to undergo chemical transformation, their environmental impacts at sublethal concentrations in nontarget organisms have become an important question. We conducted a number of mammalian‐cell genotoxic and gene expression assays and examined cellular biochemical changes that followed low‐dose exposure of MCF‐7 cells to fenitrothion, diazinon, and the aqueous degradate of diazinon, 2‐isopropyl‐6‐methyl‐4‐pyrimidinol (IMP). After exposure to the OPPs at low concentrations (10−12 M to 10−8 M), greater than twofold elevations in micronucleus formation were noted in MCF‐7 cell cultures that went on to exhibit greater than 75% clonogenic survival; these levels of chromosomal damage were comparable to those induced by 10−6 M benzo[a]pyrene, a known genotoxic agent. At this low concentration range, a fenitrothion‐induced twofold elevation in B‐cell leukemia/lymphoma‐2 (BCL‐2) and cytochrome P450 isoenzyme (CYP1A1) gene expressions was observed. Principal component analysis‐linear discriminant analysis (PCA‐LDA) of derived infrared (IR) spectra of vehicle control (nonexposed) and OPP‐exposed cells highlighted that both fenitrothion and diazinon induced marked biochemical alterations in the lipid, protein, and DNA/RNA absorbance regions. Our findings demonstrate that the two OPP parent chemicals and IMP degradate can mediate a number of toxic effects or cellular alterations at very low concentrations. These are independent of just selective inhibition of AChE, with potential consequences for nontarget organisms exposed at environmentally relevant concentrations. Further assays on relevant aquatic organism cell lines are now recommended to understand the mechanistic low‐dose toxicity of these chemicals present in aquatic systems. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011; 30:632–639. © 2011 SETAC