Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical characteristics of congenital toxoplasmosis with poor outcome in Japan: A nationwide survey and literature review

The clinical characteristics of congenital toxoplasmosis cases with poor outcomes in Japan were analyzed. Ten cases were selected, identified from a nationwide survey by the Japan Society for Neonatal Health and Development and a literature review. Based on outcomes, two fatal cases showed generalized symptoms at birth; four cases with neurological sequelae showed the three main congenital toxoplasmosis manifestations (chorioretinitis, intracranial calcification, hydrocephalus); four cases with ophthalmological sequelae showed only one or two of the three main manifestations. Eight cases with poor outcomes were not prenatally diagnosed with congenital toxoplasma infection or suspected maternal toxoplasma infection. The outcome of congenital toxoplasmosis might differ depending on the symptomology.
Alkyl and Aryl Derivatives Based on p-Coumaric Acid Modification and Inhibitory Action against Leishmania braziliensis and Plasmodium falciparum

In low-income populations, neglected diseases are the principal cause of mortality. Of these, leishmaniasis and malaria, being parasitic, protozoan infections, affect millions of people worldwide and are creating a public health problem. The present work evaluates the leishmanicidal and antiplasmodial action of a series of twelve p-coumaric acid derivatives. Of the tested derivatives, eight presented antiparasitic activities 1–3, 8–12. The hexyl p-coumarate derivative (9) (4.14 ± 0.55 μg/mL; selectivity index (SI) = 2.72) showed the highest leishmanicidal potency against the Leishmania braziliensis amastigote form. The results of the molecular docking study suggest that this compound inhibits aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), mitogen-activated kinase protein (MPK4), and DNA topoisomerase 2 (TOP2), all of which are key enzymes in the development of Leishmania braziliensis. The data indicate that these enzymes interact via Van der Waals bonds, hydrophobic interactions, and hydrogen bonds with phenolic and aliphatic parts of this same compound. Of the other compounds analyzed, methyl p-coumarate (64.59 ± 2.89 μg/mL; IS = 0.1) demonstrated bioactivity against Plasmodium falciparum. The study reveals that esters presenting a p-coumarate substructure are promising for use in synthesis of derivatives with good antiparasitic profiles.
2,4-D Rate Response, Absorption, and Translocation of Two Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea) Populations1

Ground ivy is a stoloniferous, perennial weed that persists in lawn turf. With the widespread use of 2,4-D on turf sites, the development of 2,4-D–tolerant ground ivy is a possibility. Ground ivy populations showed a highly variable response to foliar 2,4-D application. Ground ivy from Nebraska (NE) was tolerant to 2,4-D, whereas Ohio (OH) ground ivy was susceptible. The 2,4-D–susceptible OH population absorbed 37% more foliar-applied 14C–2,4-D than the 2,4-D–tolerant NE population. Although OH and NE populations total translocation of applied 14C was similar and averaged 5%, the OH population translocated 42% more toward the apical meristem of the primary stolon than the NE population, primarily because of the OH population's higher 14C–2,4-D absorption. The variation in response to 2,4-D found between these two populations occurred after exposure of roots to 2,4-D, but the effect was less pronounced. These results suggest that the difference in foliar uptake may partially contribute to differences in response to 2,4-D between these two populations. Likewise, differences in acropetal translocation may contribute to the differential sensitivity of 2,4-D–tolerant and –susceptible ground ivy populations. Nomenclature: 2,4-D; ground ivy, Glechoma hederacea L. #3 GLEHE. Additional index words: Dose response, ecotype, herbicide, resistance, root uptake, tolerance. Abbreviations: DAT, days after treatment; HAT, hours after treatment; LCO, lawn care operators; NE, Nebraska; OH, Ohio.
Sense of external agency is sustained by multisensory functional integration in the somatosensory cortex

Abstract “Sense of agency” (SoA), the feeling of control for events caused by one's own actions, is deceived by visuomotor incongruence. Sensorimotor networks are implicated in SoA, however little evidence exists on brain functionality during agency processing. Concurrently, it has been suggested that the brain's intrinsic resting‐state (rs) activity has a preliminary influence on processing of agency cues. Here, we investigated the relation between performance in an agency attribution task and functional interactions among brain regions as derived by network analysis of rs functional magnetic resonance imaging. The action‐effect delay was adaptively increased (range 90–1,620 ms) and behavioral measures correlated to indices of cognitive processes and appraised self‐concepts. They were then regressed on local metrics of rs brain functional connectivity as to isolate the core areas enabling self‐agency. Across subjects, the time window for self‐agency was 90–625 ms, while the action‐effect integration was impacted by self‐evaluated personality traits. Neurally, the brain intrinsic organization sustaining consistency in self‐agency attribution was characterized by high connectiveness in the secondary visual cortex, and regional segregation in the primary somatosensory area. Decreased connectiveness in the secondary visual area, regional segregation in the superior parietal lobule, and information control within a primary visual cortex‐frontal eye fields network sustained self‐agency over long‐delayed effects. We thus demonstrate that self‐agency is grounded on the intrinsic mode of brain function designed to organize information for visuomotor integration. Our observation is relevant for current models of psychopathology in clinical conditions in which both rs activity and sense of agency are altered.
A multicenter study evaluation of the ClearLLab 10C panels

Multiparameter flow cytometry plays an important role in the diagnosis, staging, and monitoring of patients with a suspected hematological malignancy. The ClearLLab 10C Panels consist of four reagent panels (B‐Lineage Tube, T‐Lineage Tube, and 2 Myeloid Lineage Tubes), each consisting of 10 color/10 antibody conjugates utilizing Beckman Coulters proprietary dry format optimized for investigating patients with suspected leukemia or lymphoma. A multicenter study was conducted to evaluate the performance of the ClearLLab 10C Panels for qualitative assessment of normal versus abnormal phenotype in peripheral blood, bone marrow, and lymph node samples with suspected hematological malignancies. ClearLLab 10C was compared to laboratory developed tests (LDTs) and final clinical diagnosis. Four clinical sites were used to enroll patient's spent specimens (n = 453); three laboratories in North America and one in Europe. Of the 453 specimens, 198 had no malignancy and 255 contained an abnormal population. The diagnostic accuracy of the ClearLLab 10C Panels was achieved with sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 95% with respect to patient final clinical diagnosis. The agreement of phenotyping between ClearLLab10C Panels and LDTs was 98%. Any differences noted between ClearLLab 10C and LDT were due to either the presence of populations below the level of detection, the lack of clinical information provided to the evaluators, or marker(s) not present in these panels. Overall, the ClearLLab 10C demonstrated excellent agreement to LDTs and diagnosis. These four reagent panels can be adopted by individual laboratories to assess the presence or absence of malignancy.
A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled multicenter trial of Bushen Yisui and Ziyin Jiangzhuo formula for constipation in Parkinson disease

Abstract Introduction: Constipation is a common nonmotor symptom of Parkinson disease (PD). Constipation can also impact patient's quality of life. Chinese herbal medicines have been used for the treatment of constipation in PD. This trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of a Chinese herbal formula Bushen Yisui and Ziyin Jiangzhuo (BYZJ) for the treatment of constipation in PD. Methods and analysis: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial will involve 4 hospitals in Beijing, China. The study will aim to recruit 90 PD patients with constipation between 30 and 80 years-of age with a score of 1 – 4 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale. Once recruited, Patients will be randomized into a BYZJ group or a placebo group in a 2:1 ratio. The trial will include a 1-week run-in period, a 4-week double-blind treatment period, a 4-week and a 12-week follow-up period. All patients will be educated about PD-related constipation during the run-in period. BYZJ granules and simulated granules will be administered twice daily for 4 weeks to the BYZJ group and the placebo group respectively. Assessments will be performed during run-in period, before the start of treatment (baseline, week 0), and at 4, 8, and 16 weeks. The primary outcome will be measured with the Constipation Severity Instrument, and secondary outcomes will be evaluated with the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life questionnaire, Bristol Stool Form Scale, Movement Disorders–Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale, Nonmotor Symptoms Scale, PD Sleep Scale, Parkinson Fatigue Scale-16. Laxative use (dose and frequency) will also be recorded. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol set analyses will be used to compare symptom improvement between the 2 groups. Any adverse events will be recorded. Discussion: If found effective and safe, BYZJ formula will be one of Chinese herb to treat constipation and even other nonmotor or motor symptoms in PD patients. The results will sustain the broader use of BYZJ formula in PD.
In vitro anti-inflammatory activity of Lycopus europaeus Linn.

europaeus is an ayurvedic medicine which is used as anti-inflammatory agent. Therefore, our investigation was aimed to screen antiinflammatory activity of Lycopus europaeus by membrane stabilizing and protein inhibitory methods. The prevention of hypotonicity induced human red blood cells (HRBC) membrane lysis and protein inhibition was taken as a measure of the anti-inflammatory activity. The potency of the Lycopus europaeus was compared with standard diclofenac sodium. Lycopus europaeus showed significant membrane stabilizing activity of 73.81% and protein inhibition activity of 93.01% at concentration of 200 μg/mL.
A Novel On-Demand Password Scheme Based on BAN Logic

The technology of On-Demand Password (ODP), as an instance of authentication or other secure services technologies, is designed to assist the smart phone users accomplishing to forget their password and access any service with servers and thus having a better quality of life while preserving their privacy. The paper ﬁrstly proposed a universal and enhanced ODP scheme which can achieve two kinds of services without remembering any password for users: The ﬁrst is login service which can make users use the ODP which was sent by the registration center (RC) to login certain server, such as E-mail and E-payment service. The other is session service which can let users use the ODP to get a secure session key with certain server, such as consulting service. Furthermore, our enhanced ODP scheme does not need to input the temporary short password which was sent by RC. Because this short password was already in the right place, the user only need to adopt some conﬁrmed way, such as draw lines to conﬁrm. About practical environment, we adopt multi-server architecture which can allow the user to register at the RC once and can access all the permitted services provided by the eligible servers. Then a new universal and enhanced ODP scheme is given based on chaotic maps. Security of the scheme is based on chaotic maps hard problems, a secure one way hash function and a secure symmetric cryptosystem. Compared with the related literatures recently, our proposed scheme can not only own high eﬃciency and unique functionality, but is also robust to various attacks and achieves perfect forward secrecy. Finally, we give the security proof and the eﬃciency analysis of our proposed scheme.
Effects of Topical Application of Clay and Honey on Cutaneous Wound Healing in Rabbits. World's Vet. J. 4(2): 15-19.;

The development of resistance to anthelmintic drugs has prompted researches into alternative methods for controlling intestinal nematodes in ruminants. This study aimed to evaluate the anthelmintic efficacy, proteolytic activity, and toxicity of bromelain encapsulated in chitosan within the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of Small East African goats in Kenya. Twelve healthy indigenous male goats were divided into four groups contained three goats in each groups. Treatment groups included: G1, chitosan-encapsulated bromelain (90 mg/kg); G2, chitosanencapsulated bromelain (270 mg/kg); G3, positive control (albendazole 7.5 mg/kg); and G4, negative control. The animals were orally treated with the drugs in a single dose. The hematological and serum biochemical parameters were determined using standard methods. The strongyle fecal egg count was evaluated weekly using a modified McMaster technique. To determine the proteolytic activity of nanoencapsulated bromelain within the GIT, another set of twelve goats was used and administered 270 mg/kg of encapsulated bromelain. Every four hours, three goats were sacrificed and the proteolytic activity of the drug was determined in the different organs of the GIT. Significant differences were observed between the mean PCV of goats treated with 270 mg/kg encapsulated bromelain and nontreated goats on days 21 and 28 post-treatment. The mean aspartate aminotransferase, urea, and creatinine levels of treated and control goats did not significantly differ during the experiment period. Also, no significant difference was observed between the mean alanine aminotransferase level of treated and untreated goats 28 days posttreatment. The administration of encapsulated bromelain was not associated with any clinical sign and mortality. The reduction in fecal egg count in G1 and G2 at 28 days post-treatment was 9.5% and 22.6%, respectively. The encapsulated bromelain remained proteolytically active along the goat GIT but its protease activity varied according to the type of GIT organ and time elapsed since administration. In conclusion, chitosan-encapsulated bromelain is safe, but have low efficacy against GIT strongyle nematodes when given as a single dose. Future studies should evaluate higher and repeated doses of encapsulated bromelain for controlling GIT nematodes.
Angiopoietin-1 enhanced myocyte mitosis, engraftment, and the reparability of hiPSC-CMs for treatment of myocardial infarction.

AIMS To examine whether transient over-expression of angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) increases the potency of hiPSC-CMs for treatment of heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS Atrial hiPSC-CMs (hiPSC-aCMs) were differentiated from hiPSCs and purified by lactic acid and were transfected with Ang-1 (Ang-1-hiPSC-aCMs) plasmid using lipoSTEM. Ang-1 gene transfection efficiency was characterized in vitro. Gene transfected CMs (1x106) were seeded into a fibrin/thrombin patch and implanted on the rat infarcted left ventricular anterior wall after myocardial infarction (MI). Echo function was determined at 1- and 6- weeks post-MI. Immunohistochemistry study was performed at week-6 post-MI. Ang-1 (20 and 40 ng/ml) protected hiPSC-aCMs from hypoxia through up-regulating pERK1/2 and inhibiting Bax protein expressions. Ang-1-hiPSC-aCMs transiently secreted Ang-1 protein up to 14 days, with peak level on day-2 post-transfection (24.39±13.02 ng/ml) in vitro. Animal study showed that transplantation of Ang-1-hiPSC-aCM seeded patch more effectively limited rat heart apoptosis at 1-day post-MI as compared with LipoSTEM-Ang-1 or hiPSC-aCMs transplantation. Ang-1-hiPSC-aCMs transplantation induced host (rat) and donor (human) CM mitosis and arteriole formation, improved cell engraftment rate, more effectively limited left ventricle (LV) dilation (EDV=460.7±96.1 μl and ESV=219.8±72.9 μl) and improved LV global pump function (EF = 53.1±9%) as compared with the MI (EDV=570.9±91.8 μl, p = 0.033; ESV=331.6±71.2 μl, p = 0.011; EF = 42.3±4.1%, p = 0.02) or the LipoSTEM-Ang-1 injected (EDV=491.4±100.4 μl, p = 0.854; ESV=280.9±71.5 μl, p = 0.287; EF = 43.2±4.6, p = 0.039) or hiPSC-CM transplanted (EDV=547.9±55.5 μl, p = 0.095; ESV=300.2±88.4 μl, p = 0.075; EF = 46±10.9%, p = 0.166) animal groups at 6 weeks post-MI and treatment. CONCLUSIONS Transient overexpression of Ang-1 enhanced hiPSC-aCM mitosis and engraftment and increased the reparability potency of hiPSC-aCMs for treatment of MI. TRANSLATIONAL PERSPECTIVE Cellular cardiomyoplasty using hiPSC-CMs alone may be insufficient to recover the structure and function of infarcted myocardium in which blood vessels and perfusion are damaged. A combinational approach of myogenesis with vasculogenesis to repopulate CMs with functional neovascular network is necessary to recover LV structure and function post-MI. This is the first report showing evidence that transplantation of hiPSC-CM transiently overexpressing Ang-1 had better cell engraftment and improved heart structure and function post-MI. It highlights that transient genetic modification of hiPSC-CMs with Ang-1 using non-viral vectors offers a better CM based angiomyogenesis therapy for treatment of MI.
Diabetes Mellitus and Noncardiac Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease—Pathogenesis and Pharmacological Treatment Options

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is also a cause of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD). Addressing the atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) burden in DM should reduce premature death and improve quality of life. Diabetes mellitus–associated ASCVD can lead to complications in all vascular beds (carotids as well as coronary, lower extremity, and renal arteries). This narrative review considers the diagnosis and pharmacological treatment of noncardiac atherosclerotic vascular disease (mainly in patients with DM). Based on current knowledge and the fact that modern DM treatment guidelines are based on CV outcome trials, it should be noted that patients with noncardiac CVD may not have the same benefits from certain drugs compared with patients who predominantly have cardiac complications. This leads to the conclusion that in the future, consideration should be given to conducting well-designed trials that will answer which pharmacological treatment modalities will be of greatest benefit to patients with noncardiac ASCVD.
Community Stakeholders’ Perspectives on Introducing Human Papillomavirus Vaccination and Biobanking Evidence-Based Programs Within Medically Underserved Communities: A Community-Engaged Approach

Purpose We explored the perspectives of program coordinators and community leaders from Community-based-organizations (CBOs) and Faith-based-organizations (FBOs) to determine how information on human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and biobanking is understood and supported within medically underserved communities, and identified strategies for introducing evidence-based programs (EBP) on HPV vaccination and biobanking within underserved communities. Methods The EPIS framework guided discussions in four focus groups with program coordinators (n = 27) and one-on-one interviews with community leaders (n = 15) from CBOs and FBOs. Results Participants reported that community members were aware of HPV vaccination but did not know of the link between HPV infection and cancers. Awareness for biobanking was low. HPV vaccination and biobanking were not priority health concerns among community members due to other health issues. However, HPV vaccination and biobanking were considered sensitive health topics. For HPV vaccination, sensitivity was due to concerns that HPV vaccination promoted sex among adolescents, while for biobanking, sensitivity was due to historical abuses of people of color by the medical community. Participants reported that program coordinators’ awareness of HPV vaccination and biobanking depended on their organizations’ mission. Neither were considered a priority health concern due to lack of funding. Few EBP were available on HPV vaccination and biobanking. Recommendations on culturally-appropriate strategies for engaging community members on HPV vaccination and biobanking EBP are discussed. Conclusion Given the promise of HPV vaccination and the Precision Medicine Initiative to reduce cancer disparities, findings elucidate factors to be considered when implementing EBP on HPV vaccination and biobanking into medically underserved communities.
In silico molecular modelling, structural dynamics simulation and characterization of antifungal nature of β-glucosidase enzyme from Sechium edule

Abstract β-glucosidase is an enzyme that has ability to cleave β-glycosidic bonds present in oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates. They are known to be present across all domains of living organism and have important roles in many biological processes including plant defense mechanism. In the present study, a β-glucosidase enzyme identified from seeds of Sechium edule was characterized using various bioinformatics tools. A homology model (SeBG) was generated using a β-glucosidase crystal structure from Oryza sativa (PDB ID: 3PTK) as template. In silico structural binding studies on putative β-glucosidase protein revealed a stable and strong interaction indicative of higher GOLD fitness score with the substrates: p-nitrophenyl-β-d-glucopyranoside (pNPG), laminarin, chitotriose, N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid suggesting its possible role in broad spectrum antifungal and antimicrobial activity. Assessment of the in vitro enzyme activity with pNPG showed a K m and V max values of 2.7 mM and 22 µMmin−1mL−1mg−1, respectively. While, the in vitro enzyme activity with laminarin showed a K m and V max values of 0.31 mM and 0.043 µMmin−1mL−1mg−1. The broad spectrum activity of the protein shown in our result indicates SeBG as a promising biocontrol agent against phytopathogens. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
FDM-Based 3D Printing of Polymer and Associated Composite: A Review on Mechanical Properties, Defects and Treatments

Fused deposition modelling (FDM) is one of the fastest-growing additive manufacturing methods used in printing fibre-reinforced composites (FRC). The performances of the resulting printed parts are limited compared to those by other manufacturing methods due to their inherent defects. Hence, the effort to develop treatment methods to overcome these drawbacks has accelerated during the past few years. The main focus of this study is to review the impact of those defects on the mechanical performance of FRC and therefore to discuss the available treatment methods to eliminate or minimize them in order to enhance the functional properties of the printed parts. As FRC is a combination of polymer matrix material and continuous or short reinforcing fibres, this review will thoroughly discuss both thermoplastic polymers and FRCs printed via FDM technology, including the effect of printing parameters such as layer thickness, infill pattern, raster angle and fibre orientation. The most common defects on printed parts, in particular, the void formation, surface roughness and poor bonding between fibre and matrix, are explored. An inclusive discussion on the effectiveness of chemical, laser, heat and ultrasound treatments to minimize these drawbacks is provided by this review.