Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finding Needles in Haystacks: The Use of Quantitative Proteomics for the Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common and treatable disease if diagnosed early. Current population screening programs are suboptimal, and consequently, there is a need for the development of new methodologies for early diagnosis of CRC. In the past 10 years, unprecedented technological advancements in the field of mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics have progressively increased the sophistica-tion and utility of these investigations, leading to the draft mapping of the human proteome. These exciting studies have shaped our mechanistic understanding of the human genome and begun to provide us with a suite of novel biomarkers to predict the onset, progression and severity of many debilitating diseases. Thus, sophisticated MS workflows coupled with revolutionary protein quantification techniques hold promise for the field of MS-based plasma proteomics, particularly valuable in the context of early stage identification of curable CRC. However, within the last 40 years, no new plasma protein biomarkers of CRC have been translated into clinical practice. Here. we discuss the application of proteomic technologies within the field of CRC, highlighting contemporary MS-based plasma proteomic strategies that could be exploited to deliver on the promise of a panel of sensitive and specific plasma-based biomarkers with which to non-invasively detect early stage CRC.
Rectotumoral fistula formation occurring more than 5 years after carbon ion radiotherapy for sacral chordoma: A case report

Chordoma is a rare tumor that originates from the notochord. Half of chordomas involve the sacral region. Surgery is considered to be the standard treatment for sacral chordoma. However, carbon ion radiotherapy (CIRT) has recently emerged as a promising treatment for unresectable sacral chordoma. Little is known about the long-term complications of CIRT. We present two cases of rectotumoral fistula formation that occurred >5 years after CIRT for sacral chordoma. We considered two possible explanations for fistula formation: radiation enterocolitis after CIRT might cause formation of the fistula long-term, and tumor regrowth might compress the rectum and cause fistula formation. A biopsy in Case 1 showed that regrowth tumor was post-CIRT. It is important to be aware of the possibility of rectal complications after CIRT, and if found, resection of the rectum should be considered. This is a first report of rectotumoral fistula formation that occurred >5 years after CIRT for sacral chordoma.
NUMBER OF OVARIOLES AND FECUNDITY IN THE BLACK BEAN APHID, APHIS FABAE

The number of ovarioles in the gonads of the host alternating aphid, Aphis fabae Scop. , is not constant. The apterous generations on spindle, emigrants and initial apterous colonists of the secondary host each have a characteristic range of number of ovarioles; subsequent generations in the yearly life cycle have twelve, except for alate exules which have a range and the lowest average number of ovarioles. Ovariole number is programmed and is not a function of adult weight or food quality. The generations with the largest number of ovarioles have the greatest fecundity, highest reproductive rate and smallest offspring, and develop early in the season when the environment is favourable. Later generations have a low fecundity and proportionately more fat, a possible adaptation to the harsher environment these aphids experience.
An appraisal of the extracellular toxins of Aeromonas salmonicida ssp. salmonicida

Aeromonas salmonicida produces many extracellular enzymes, some of which are known to play an important role in pathogenesis and virulence, while the role of others is presently speculative. The latter group includes amylase, aryl-sulphatase, glucosidases, esterases and lysophospholipase. There are two enzymes which are known to be of prime importance in pathogenesis: a 70-kDa protease (caseinase) and a 25-kDa phospholipase (glycerophospholipid: cholesterol acyltransferase, GCAT). The protease causes extensive tissue liquefaction, activates the blood clotting system and is lethal for fish at 2·4 μg/g fish. It is inhibited by α2-macroglobulin but resistant to all the other serum protease inhibitors. Its role in vivo appears to be as a broad spectrum protease providing amino acids for in vivo growth. The GCAT is mainly present in a high molecular weight complex with LPS. The complex is extremely haemolytic for fish (but not mammalian) erythrocytes. It is the most lethal component of the exotoxins (lethal dose 45 ng/g fish). The complex with LPS confers enhanced toxicity to the GCAT and stability to heat and proteolytic degradation. In vitro, this toxin also has high leucocytolytic and cytolytic (RTG-2) activity. On injection into fish, it causes very little histopathology other than a marked degranulation of eosinophilic granular cells (EGCs) in the gills. Its precise mode of pathogenesis is uncertain and appears complex. The protease and the GCAT/LPS have an additive relationship in respect to lethal doses and mixtures of the two produce extensive liquefactive and haemorrhagic lesions typical of furuncles. The possible relationship of the GCAT/LPS to other less well characterized factors (cytotoxin, leucocytolysin, haemolysin, salmolysin) is discussed.
Prevalence and risk factors of gastroesophageal reflux disease among Shaqra University students, Saudi Arabia

Introduction: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of the most common chronic gastrointestinal disorders in adults, it develops when the stomach contents reflux and rise up into the esophagus as a result from lower esophageal sphincter dysfunction. Stomach acid that touches the lining of the esophagus causes symptoms and complications. The classical symptoms of GERD include heartburn, usually after eating, chest pain, and regurgitation. Aim: To measure the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease and determine its risk factors among the students of Shaqra University. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using a structured questionnaire distributed among Shaqra University students after multistage stratification and random sampling technique to stratify students according to gender and the three main colleges in Shaqra city, Saudi Arabia. The sample size was determined to be 435 with the precision of ± 5% and a 95% confidence interval (CI). The questionnaire included demographic data like age, gender, height and weight, lifestyle, and dietary habits. Statistical data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. Results with a P value of <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 400 [227 (56%) male and 173 (43%) female] participants were evaluated. And 95 participants got a gastroesophageal reflux disease questionnaire score of ≥8 thus determining the prevalence of GERD to be 23.8%. Univariate analysis revealed that gender, smoking, familial history of GERD, high body mass index (>25 kg/m2), fast food, tea, carbonated beverages consumption, quick eating, and sleeping within 1 hour of dinner are associated with symptomatic GERD (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The results show a high prevalence of GERD in Shaqra university students and the presence of many modifiable risk factors which merits the conduction of public health campaigns to raise awareness about the disease and its risk factors.
Influence of Steam-Pelleting Temperatures and Grain Variety of Finely-Ground, Sorghum-Based Broiler Diets on Small Intestinal Starch and Nitrogen Digestion Dynamics in Broiler Chickens

The effects of sorghum grain variety and conditioning temperature at which broiler diets were steam-pelleted on small intestinal digestion dynamics of starch and nitrogen were assessed. A 2×3 factorial array of treatments comprised two sorghum varieties, with white (Liberty) and red (Venture) pericarps and three conditioning temperatures (70, 80, 90°C). Both sorghums were finely-ground through a 2.0 mm hammer-mill screen prior to incorporation into the diets. Each of the dietary treatments was offered to six replicate cages (6 birds per cage) from 7 to 28 days post-hatch. Digesta samples were collected at day 28 for determination of starch and nitrogen digestibilities and mean retention time in the proximal jejunum, distal jejunum, proximal ileum and distal ileum. The digestion dynamics of starch and nitrogen were determined using an exponential mathematical model to relate digestion coefficients with mean retention times in each small intestinal segment. Increasing conditioning temperatures generated a 'concav e response' in starch digestion rates in white sorghum diets; whereas, there was a 'convex response' in red sorghum diets. Thus, at the intermediate 80°C conditioning temperature, starch digestion rates were at a minimum value for white, but at a maximum value for red sorghum-based diets, which is consistent with the significant sorghum type×temperature interaction (p<0.05). Conditioning temperatures increased potential digestible starch (r = 0.336, p<0.05), predicted glucose absorption (r = 0.468, p<0.01), retention time in the distal ileum (r = 0.362, p<0.05) and the entire small intestine (r = 0.371, p<0.05). There was a quadratic relationship between potential digestible starch (p<0.05) and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), which indicated that the optimal FCR was attained with a potential digestible starch value of 0.862. These results suggested that starch and protein digestion may influence feed conversion efficiency.
Longer Forms of Amyloid β Protein: Implications for the Mechanism of Intramembrane Cleavage by γ-Secretase

γ-Cleavage of β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) in the middle of the cell membrane generates amyloid β protein (Aβ), and ϵ-cleavage, ∼10 residues downstream of the γ-cleavage site, releases the APP intracellular domain (AICD). A significant link between generation of Aβ and AICD and failure to detect AICD41-99 led us to hypothesize that ϵ-cleavage generates longer Aβs, which are then processed to Aβ40/42. Using newly developed gel systems and an N-end-specific monoclonal antibody, we have identified the longer Aβs (Aβ1-43, Aβ1-45, Aβ1-46, and Aβ1-48) within the cells and in brain tissues. The production of these longer Aβs as well as Aβ40/42 is presenilin dependent and is suppressed by {1S-benzyl-4R-[1S-carbamoyl-2-phenylethylcarbamoyl-1S-3-methylbutylcarbamoyl]-2R-hydroxy-5-phenylpentyl}carbamic acid tert-butyl ester, a transition state analog inhibitor for aspartyl protease. In contrast, N-[N-(3,5-difluorophenacetyl)-l-alanyl]-S-phenylglycine t-butyl ester, a potent dipeptide γ-secretase inhibitor, builds up Aβ1-43 and Aβ1-46 intracellularly, which was also confirmed by mass spectrometry. Notably, suppression of Aβ40 appeared to lead to an increase in Aβ43, which in turn brings an increase in Aβ46, in a dose-dependent manner. We therefore propose an α-helical model in which longer Aβ species generated by ϵ-cleavage is cleaved at every three residues in its carboxyl portion.
Metagenomics - An advanced approach for non- cultivable micro-organisms

It is known that only 0.1 - 10% of all microorganisms observed in nature can be cultured under conventional laboratory conditions. This leaves researchers unable to study more than 99% of microorganisms in some environments - microorganisms that sometimes have unique and potentially very useful abilities such as waste degradation or synthesis of compounds that could find use as drugs or antibiotics. Metagenomics, the genomic reconstruction of unculturable microorganisms, is a powerful new tool for accessing the untapped resources of biodiversity in environmental samples. The ability to extract and purify high MW DNA from difficult samples such as waste effluents and soil, attempts to provide a breakthrough in representative metagenomic library construction for metagenomics that may enable the discovery of many future drugs and antibiotics.
Gibberellin status and responsiveness in shoots of tall and dwarf genotypes of diploid rye (Secale cereale)

The recessive dwarfing alleles of rye (Secale cereale L.), ct1 and ct2, caused a 35–55% reduction in the length of leaf 2 compared with corresponding tall lines grown at both 10°C and 20°C. The dwarf lines were 45–50% as responsive to applied GA3 as the tall lines at 20°C but the absolute GA-responsiveness of the dwarfs was greater at 10°C than at 20°C. There was no significant difference in the contents of GA19, GA20, GA29, GA1, GA3 and GA8 in the leaf extension zone of tall and dwarf seedlings grown at 20°C. It was concluded that the mechanism whereby GA homeostasis is maintained is functional in both tall and dwarf lines despite marked differences in leaf extension rate. The recessive rye mutations may cause loss of function late in the GA-cell elongation pathway or, alternatively, indirectly affect GA-responsiveness in vegetative tissues. The genetic and physiological evidence indicates that ct1 and ct2 are unrelated to the GA-insensitive Rht genes in hexaploid bread wheat.
Plants Employed for Hypotensive Infusions in Urban Areas of Argentina

Different products of botanical origin employed to prepare infusions for the therapy of hypertension were obtained by means of ethnographic methodology. Studies of the macroscopic and microscopic features of the plant preparations in comparison with described plant species in the literature were performed to identify the composition of these plant products. The analysis of the mixtures showed that 17 species are employed in variable numbers and proportions and also undeclared species were found. The possible therapeutical action as well as eventual toxicity of the identified taxa are discussed.
Communication by Scent in the Honeybee-A Theory

A NUMBER of minute unicellular glands open upon the intersegmnental membrane between the seventh and eighth terga of the abdomen of the honey-bee. These glands are called the glands of Nassanoff, after their discoverer. A number of suggestions have been made as to their possible use, but it remained for Sladen2 to establish the fact that they are scent-producing organs. Sladen found that these organs give off a strong odor even when the part of the back to which they are attached is removed from the abdomen. HIe also asserted that this odor is the same as that which is given off when a number of bees are shaken to the ground before a hive. Under these circumstances, as well as at the time of natural swarming, bees were known to produce a peculiar sound, sometimes called the " joyful hum. " Sladen observed that this sound is produced by those individuals which first find the entrance to the hive, later by those next to them, and finally by others farther to the rear, so that soon all are informed of the location of the entrance into which they then make their way. He also observed that the odor mentioned above is emitted at this time and accordingly he asserted that it is the odor and not the sound which is the real means of information. He held, furthermore, that the sound is incidental to the special movement of the wings produced for the purpose of blowing the odor away from the body. He argued that we
Relationships between coastal sand dune properties and plant community distribution: The case of Is Arenas (Sardinia)

Abstract Coastal dune environments are selective ecosystems characterized by a close interaction between abiotic and biotic factors in a dynamic balance. The present study focused on the psammophilous geosigmetum, the most affected by the interactions between physical processes and biological and anthropic processes. The main purpose was to study the relationships between the abiotic properties of the dune and the presence of the various plant communities, combining morpho-sedimentological, geopedological, and geobotanical data. The study was carried out on the well-preserved dune system of Is Arenas (CW Sardinia) which is one of the most important in the Mediterranean area. The analyses revealed differences at the morphodynamic, sedimentological, and geopedological levels. The micro-topography of the dunes affects the values of the main abiotic variables, and determines the presence of various microhabitats of great heterogeneity. This work shows that thedata on the geomorphological dynamics and the chemical–physical processes, correlated with the geobotanical analyses, might make it possible to identify the ecosystemic processes, and thereby plan adequate management and conservation strategies for this coastal dune system.
Performance of Four Strains of Commercial Layers With Major Changes in Dietary Energy

Abstract An experiment was conducted to determine how four strains of commercial laying hens would respond to an increase or decrease in dietary energy. Forty of each of Hy-Line Brown, Hy-Line W98, Hy-Line W36, and DeKalb White hens were fed each of three diets from 36 to 44 weeks of age. The energy contents of these diets were 2,519 (low), 2,798 (control) and 3,078 (high) kcal ME/kg. The energy of low and high diets was 10% less and 10% more than the control diets, respectively. Hens fed the low energy diet consumed 8.5% more feed than did hens fed the control diet, and hens fed the high energy diet consumed 1.5% less feed than did hens fed the control diet, which indicated that the hens were more sensitive to lowering the energy than increasing energy in the diet. The Hy-Line W98 and the Hy-Line Brown were more sensitive to the change in energy than the Hy-Line W36 and DeKalb White. Egg production (EP) was not affected by dietary energy level. The high energy diet (containing 5.963% corn oil) significantly increased egg weight (EW). This diet may be beneficial for improving early EW.
Edible composite films of wheat gluten and lipids: water vapour permeability and other physical properties

Des films composes comestibles, comprenant d'une part une structure matricielle a base de gluten de ble et d'autre part differents lipides comme barriere a l'humidite, ont ete teste pour leurs permeabilites a la vapeur d'eau, leurs dispersions dans l'eau, leurs proprietes mecaniques et leurs opacites. Les effets des lipides sur les proprietes fonctionnelles de ces films, dependent des caracteristiques des lipides utilises et des interactions lipide-structure matricielle proteique. La cire d'abeille, lipide solide et hydrophobique, est le lipide le plus efficace pour ameliorer les proprietes barrieres de ces films. Mais ces films sont opaques, fragiles et facilement degradables dans l'eau. La combinaison de proteines de gluten de ble avec un ester diacetyl tatarique de monoglycerides, reduit la permeabilite a la vapeur d'eau, augmente la force et maintient la transparence
Is it meaningful to estimate a probability of extinction

I calculate probabilities of quasi-extinction of natural populations from time series of census data or estimated abundance. The results depend sensitively upon estimated parameters. Short time series or poor fits of the model to data lead to wide confidence intervals for the probability of quasi-extinction. In many cases there are substantial errors in estimated abundance. These errors further increase the size of the confidence interval, to the point where the estimates may become meaningless. A further complication is that natural populations are subject to occasional catastrophes, and these increase the probability of extinction. Unfortunately, evidence concerning the frequency of occurrence of catastrophes and the distribution of their sizes is generally lacking. Assessments that fail to compute confidence intervals or that disregard observation errors or possible catastrophes may be unduly optimistic about the viability of natural populations.
ACTION OF CAFFEINE AND SODIUM AZIDE ON ACTIVITY OF SOME ANTIOXIDATIVE ENZYMES IN Carum carvi L. SEEDLINGS

Caffeine and sodium azide treatments determine variations of oxidative stress implied enzymes, depending both on used concentration and treatment duration. The catalase activity intensifies in 6 hours treatment, in direct relation with caffeine concentration increase, fact proving the accumulation of a bigger amount of hydrogen peroxide that it must be neutralized by catalase. Peroxidase do not displays significant variations in the applied treatments, while superoxide dismutase has a more intense activity in 12 hours treatment.
Habitat Variegation, An Alternative to Fragmentation

A recent review in Conservation Biology by Saunders et al. ( 1991 ) examined the effects of habitat fragmentation on plant and animal communities and the implications of fragmentation for biological conservation. This paper comprehensively summarized research on a topic that has been a major focus for researchers in recent years. There are few countries in the world that have not experienced extensive and major modifications to their landscapes as a result of agriculture. However, the form of the modification can vary from region to region, and our experience suggests that the fragmentation model may not be applicable in all areas. The concept of fragmentation implies that habitat remnants are isolated by areas that function as hostile environments to the organisms within the remnants. Biota must rely either on connecting corridors of habitat or on long-distance dispersal to move between fragments or they remain stranded in them. There are many instances where this is the case, for example, remnant forests surrounded by wheat paddocks in Western Australia and vegetation reserves in urban areas. This concept of habitat distribution, however, is not applicable to all examples of agricultural development. On the northern tablelands of New South Wales, agriculture has modified most of the native vegetation, leaving only small areas in close to original condition. Nonetheless, grassy vegetation still dominates the landscape matrix in various states of modification. This requires a model that differs from the examples just cited, because the intervening areas are modified versions of the original ecosystems and do not present barriers to most native species, as they do in a fragmented landscape. The original vegetation of the tablelands before European settlement was predominantly eucalypt woodlands and forests with a grassy understory (Curtis 1989). Agricultural development has been pastorally based with extensive fertilization and some pasture "improvement" involving the sowing of introduced grasses and legumes. While some areas have lost virtually all their tree populations and most of their native understory species, natural pastures are still widespread and eucalypts are present in varying densities across the landscape. The most intact grassland vegetation tends to be concentrated in nature reserves and along roadsides. These areas are also subjected to varying degrees of modification from sheep and cattle grazing, earthworks, loss of native herbivores, etc. In terms of these human-induced changes, the variegated nature of the grassy ecosystems on the tablelands must be [utilized] differently by different taxa. At one extreme, there are native plants that grow successfully over the whole range of modifications and can be found at the majority of sites sampled (S. McIntyre, unpublished data). For these species, potential habitat forms a continuum across the landscape. The other extreme results from intolerance to most forms of interference; these species exist in a truly fragmented landscape, restricted to remnants in better condition. The majority of