Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inosine : a naturally occurring cardiotonic agent.

: For many years, Inosine was considered to be a simple metabolite of adenosine which was devoid of any cardiovascular effects. This theoretical ineffectiveness can be explained in the light of recent studies by the use of inadequate doses. In fact, higher doses of inosine, a non-toxic nucleoside, have demonstrated, experimentally, a cardiovascular activity and the pharmacological profile of this naturally occurring substance has been defined. Like adenosine, inosine is a potent coronary vasodilator. The vasodilatation induced by inosine is only partly due to increased metabolic demands. Inosine has a direct action on coronary artery relaxation independent of the inotropic effect. It alters the balance between oxygen supply and demand which is reflected by an intramyocardial redistribution of oxygen in favour of the sub-endocardial zones. Inosine acts on the coronary circulation like a "regulator of myocardial nutrition", unlike adenosine, which can be thought of as a "coronary vasoregulator". This dissociation between the two nucleosides is apparently due to different vascular sites of action. The positive inotropic action of inosine, which has been demonstrated in both healthy and pathological myocardium in all of the experimental animal species studied, is not due to stimulation of the cardiac beta-adrenergic receptors, as beta-blockers do not antagonize the positive inotropic effect of inosine. This increase in myocardial contractile dynamics is evident in infarcted as well as healthy areas of myocardium. The inotropic and coronary vasodilator effects of inosine are not associated with any modification of the chronotropic function. Inosine is not arrhythmogenic, even at high doses. Furthermore, it does not affect atrioventricular conduction. It has been demonstrated that inosine is capable of antagonizing ouabain induced arrhythmias. Various clinical studies confirm the positive inotropic action of inosine, without any alteration in the post-load, the pre-load or the heart rate. The positive inotropic action of inosine can therefore be considered to be selective. Together with these haemodynamic effects, it has been shown that the addition of inosine to cardioplegic solutions improves the functional recovery of the myocardium, by increasing the quantity of energy-rich phosphates. Similar beneficial results have been obtained in renal transplantation, both experimentally and in clinical studies. The mechanism of action of inosine remains unknown. Are the haemodynamic effects of this compound due to its metabolic effects? Are there specific myocardial purinergic receptors? (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Virulence Characteristics, Serotyping and Phylogenetic Typing of Clinical and Environmental Escherichia coli Isolates

Background: Pathogenic Escherichia coli is responsible for serious diseases; i.e.: Peritonitis, colitis, and urinary tract infections (UTIs) and even cancer, resulting in human morbidity and mortality. Environmental strains are increasingly spreading through food and dairy products, contributing to the pathogenetic burden of E. coli infections. Objectives: This study was performed to compare phylogeny, virulence factors, pathogenicity islands (PAIs), and pathotypes inbetween clinical and environmental E. coli isolates. Methods: A total of 105 clinical (72) and environmental (33) E. coli isolates were collected. All isolates were subjected to phylogenetic typing using a new quadruplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Wide array of virulence genes (VGs) and PAI markers were assessed for both subtypes, as well as, the distribution of different pathotypes among the phylogenetic groups. Results: Seven phylogenetic groups were detected; clinical isolates were more prevalent in phylogenetic groups B2 (22.2%) and D (23.6%), whereas environmental isolates were in groups A (24.2%) and B1 (60.6%). Majority of VGs were higher in clinical E. coli isolates. Environmental isolates showed higher percentage of some other VGs including; stx2 and hlyA. PAI markers were widespread among both categories, showing high extra-intestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) PAIs combination in environmental isolates. Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) was the most widespread pathotype in clinical isolates versus enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) in environmental ones. Conclusions: Escherichia coli pathogenicity armoury was not only confined to clinical isolates, but to environmental ones as well. Therefore, environmental E. coli isolates can serve as reservoirs for transmission of E. coli pathogenicity
Soil as a biological system.

Soil plays a fundamental and irreplaceable role in the biosphere because it governs plant productivity of terrestrial ecosystem, allows the completion of the biogeochemical cycles and microorganisms inhabiting soil degrade, sooner or later, all organic compounds including those more recalcitrant. The main characteristics of soil are the domination of the solid phase, the presence of aqueous and gaseous phase and its capacity of reactions by surface active particles. These characteristics influence the biological processes carried out by the organisms inhabiting soil. A peculiarity of soil as a biological system is that it is a structured, heterogeneous, discontinuous system with organisms living in discrete microhabitats called hot spots, that represents a small proportion (generally lower than 5%) of the overall available space. The chemical, physical and biological characteristics of these microhabitats differ both in time and space. To explain the capacity of soil to degrade all organic compounds the concepts of microbial consortia, acquisition of novel degradation pathways by soil microorganisms, extracellular enzymes and enzymatic combustion were introduced.
Changes of drive to recovery ratio during 2000m ergometer rowing among junior national rowers

Rowing has two stroke phases: the drive phase and recovery phase. The objective of our study was to evaluate the changes of drive to recovery ratio during rowing on a dynamic ergometer. Ten male national junior rowers participated in the study. Three-dimensional motion was recorded using nine infrared cameras. Rowing motions were captured in ten strokes for every 500m section of 2000m rowing time trial on a dynamic ergometer. Two-way ANOVA was performed to compare the duration of drive and recovery phases across 500m sections of 2000m time trial. The findings showed that there were no significant interactions between drive and recovery phases and distance covered. However, there was significant interaction between the duration of the recovery phase and distance covered. Participants were consistent in maintaining the duration of drive and recovery phase at 500m, 1000m, and 1500m; in the final 500m section, the rowers sprinted as fast as possible with high stroke rates. Drive to recovery ratio across 2000m dynamic ergometer rowing was 1:1. From the study, the strategy to minimise time to completion may be managed by adjusting the time spent during drive and recovery phases in each section of the 2000m time trial. Crew pairings can be conducted according to personal drive to recovery ratio to enhance rowing synchronisation.
Serum nitric oxide and malondialdehyde in a hypertensive population in Sokoto, Nigeria

Background: Hypertension is recognized as most common cardiovascular disorder and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Endothelial dysfunction, which is associated with impaired nitric oxide is an important risk factor for both hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. There is abnormal lipid peroxidation which suggested that oxidative stress is important in the pathogenesis of hypertension. This study assessed serum levels of nitric oxide and malondialdehyde in hypertensive population in Sokoto-Nigeria. Methods: A total of 474 subjects who are within the age range of 25 to 76 years, including 316 hypertensive patients and 158 ageand sexmatched normotensive subjects were included in this study. Clinical and anthropometric parameters, nitric oxide and malondialdehyde were measured using standard techniques. Results: The result indicated that, mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly (p˂0.001) higher in hypertensive patients (166.00±1.39mmHg) than controls (124.97±0.95 mmHg) similarly the mean BMI was significantly (p˂0.001) higher in hypertensive patients (27.13±0.31 Kg/m) than controls (23.54±0.12Kg/m). Mean serum malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly (p˂0.001) higher in hypertensive patients (3.62±0.07μmol/L) as compared to controls (1.97±0.03μmol/L), while serum nitric oxide (NO) was significantly (p=0.009) lower among hypertensive patients (7.12±0.14μmol/L) than controls (15.26±0.15μmol/L). Conclusions: Hypertension is a complex disorder that is strongly associated with other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The aetiology of the association between impaired NO bioactivity, increase MDA and hypertension has not been fully elucidated. Further clarification of the role of impaired NO bioactivity and increased MDA level in hypertension could have important implications for the management of hypertension.
Clinical Outcomes of Childhood Leukemia with Hyperleukocytosis, without Leukopheresis

Introduction: The condition of hyperleukocytosis in acute leukemia is an emergency situation; however, there is still controversy about whether leu- kopheresis is a superior treatment in preventing early mortality. Aim: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the early mortality rates in pediatric leukemia patients with hyperleukocytosis who recieved a conven- tional cytoreduction method in a healthcare center. Methods: The files of 25 pediatric acute leukemia patients with hyperleuko- cytosis, diagnosed at Harran University Pediatric Hematology Department between January 2005 and December 2012, were evaluated retrospectively. The clinical and laboratory findings were recorded. Treatments using cytore- duction, with or without methylprednisolone, were evaluated in terms of ear- ly mortality rate and duration of treatment for cytoreduction. Results: The early mortality rate (12.0%) in our center was similar to that of other centers with the ability to treat patients with leukopheresis (3.8-16%). Cytoreduction with methylprednisolone is a faster treatment method than that without methylprednisolone. Also there were no differences between the patients who survived and were lost in terms of duration for cytoreduction. Conclusion: Hyperleukocytosis in acute leukemia is considered as an emer- gency situation and should be managed promptly. Conventional methods for cytoreduction can be used with a similar early mortality rate of the centers with the ability to use leukopheresis.
The influence of vanadium (V) on the ultrastructure of hepatocytes of the Rat Liver

Vanadium is an element which shows a multidirectional mechanism of action, it has a positive influence on the physiological and biochemical processes of the body, however at high concentrations it can show toxic properties. For that reason it is important to assess the influence of a specific dose and action time of vanadium on the morphological profile of rat hepatocytes. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the changes in β-D-glucuronidase activity and the ultrastructural profile of rat hepatocytes subject to 18 weeks of sodium metavanadate in the concentration of 0,125 mg V ml-1. The experimental animals were 2-month-old male Wistar rats. The biochemical analysis was done based on the distribution of synthetic substrates using a spectrophotometric method. The biochemical research results revealed a statistically significant reduction in the activity of β-D-glucuronidase (β-Gr) in the liver cells of experimental animals. The submicroscopic assessment of the cells was performed with the use of a transmission electron microscope. In the ultrastructural image of the hepatocytes of experimental animals, changes associated mainly with mitochondria, the lysosomal system and peroxisomes were observed.
Corticosteroid injections, eccentric decline squat training and heavy slow resistance training in patellar tendinopathy

A randomized‐controlled single‐blind trial was conducted to investigate the clinical, structural and functional effects of peritendinous corticosteroid injections (CORT), eccentric decline squat training (ECC) and heavy slow resistance training (HSR) in patellar tendinopathy. Thirty‐nine male patients were randomized to CORT, ECC or HSR for 12 weeks. We assessed function and symptoms (VISA‐p questionnaire), tendon pain during activity (VAS), treatment satisfaction, tendon swelling, tendon vascularization, tendon mechanical properties and collagen crosslink properties. Assessments were made at 0 weeks, 12 weeks and at follow‐up (half‐year). All groups improved in VISA‐p and VAS from 0 to 12 weeks (P<0.05). VISA‐p and VAS improvements were maintained at follow‐up in ECC and HSR but deteriorated in CORT (P<0.05). In CORT and HSR, tendon swelling decreased (−13±9% and −12±13%, P<0.05) and so did vascularization (−52±49% and −45±23%, P<0.01) at 12 weeks. Tendon mechanical properties were similar in healthy and injured tendons and were unaffected by treatment. HSR yielded an elevated collagen network turnover. At the half‐year follow‐up, treatment satisfaction differed between groups, with HSR being most satisfied. Conclusively, CORT has good short‐term but poor long‐term clinical effects, in patellar tendinopathy. HSR has good short‐ and long‐term clinical effects accompanied by pathology improvement and increased collagen turnover.
HIV-1 infection induced microRNA expression profile and its downstream effects on cellular transcriptome

HIV-1 infected individuals show a remarkable variation in virus replication and disease progression. Host cellular gene expression as a response to virus infection is directly correlated with disease patterns. Here, we examine the role of microRNAs on mRNA regulation and its effect in HIV-1 disease progression by performing a comparative microRNA and mRNA profiling. Total RNA was extracted from subjects with high viral load (HVL)(>45,000 copies/ml), low viral load (LVL) (~<40 copies/ml), and uninfected controls. RNA was quality tested and then reverse transcribed and tested using a Megaplex Real-time PCR for the quantification of expression of 754 miRNAs, in addition to controls, using a high throughput array. Transcriptome profiling was carried out using Illumina HT-12 array, which targets more than 28,688 annotated genes with more than 47,231 probes. Computational analysis to find the mRNA targets of significantly differentially regulated miRNAs was performed with the expression values of both miRNA and mRNA, supplemented with a GenMir++. HIV-1 infection with high viral load significantly dysregulated the miRNA profile in the infected individuals compared to uninfected or LVL group, whereas infection with low viral load produced a less distinctive profile compared to the controls. These differences are independent of age within these populations. Independent validations confirmed the high throughput results in 65-85% in independent donors. GO enrichment analysis further showed 34 significant terms iv of biological processes in the high viral load compared to controls. A less distinctive profile was seen in the low viral load samples compared to controls on both the miRNA and mRNA levels. Biological validation studies also confirmed the expression of HIV induced host cellular factors in in vitro infected samples. Together, these results indicate that HIV-1 infection differentially regulates host cellular transcriptome through miRNA expression. Public health relevance: Viral load significantly upregulates miRNA expression, which translates to an altered expression on the mRNA level. The discovery of microRNAs that play a role in HIV infection could lead to the development of new biomarkers that could be used to identify disease progression within the infected individuals as well as the infected individuals’ ability to respond to antiviral treatment.
Seasonal Changes in Leaf Water Characteristics of Eucalyptus tetrodonta and Terminalia ferdinandiana Saplings in a Northern Australian Savanna

The monsoonal areas of northern Australia experience extreme seasonal variations in rainfall, with an annual dry season of 7 months or more. Seasonal changes in leaf water relations were investigated for saplings of two tree species common in northern Australian savannas: Eucalyptus tetrodonta F.Muell, an evergreen, and Terminalia ferdinandiana Excell, which is deciduous. Saplings may experience more severe water stress than mature trees because their root systems are less extensive. This study found a positive correlation between pre-dawn leaf water potential and tree height during the dry season, but not during the wet season, for both E. tetrodonta and T. ferdinandiana trees. Pressure–volume curves were constructed for leaves of E. tetrodonta saplings at 2-monthly intervals throughout the year. Osmotic potential at full turgor decreased from a maximum of −1.33 MPa in February (wet season) to −2.25 MPa in October (late dry season), then increased to an intermediate value of −1.71 MPa in December (early wet season). Leaves of T. ferdinandiana saplings were compared in February (wet season) and April (end of wet season; before leaf senescence). Osmotic potential at full turgor decreased from −1.18 MPa in February to −1.39 MPa in April. The capacity for turgor maintenance was larger for E. tetrodonta than for T. ferdinandiana, with osmotic potential at full turgor and the turgor loss point, relative water content at the turgor loss point and the ratio of turgid weight to dry weight all lower in E. tetrodonta.
Biomass production of Artemia franciscana Kellogg 1906 using different diets.

2Resumen Se realizo el cultivo semiintensivo de Artemia franciscana, cepa Peru, utilizando diferentes dietas en base a microalgas e insumos alimenticios que forman parte de algunos ingredientes que se utilizan para preparar alimento formulado de peces y crustaceos, con el fin de determinar la factibilidad del uso de estos para la obtencion de biomasa de adultos. El estudio se ejecuto en base a un diseno experimental completamente aleatorio con 7 tratamientos y 3 replicas cada uno, aplicandose a los datos obtenidos un Analisis de Varianza de una via (ANOVA) y la prueba de Tukey para establecer diferencias significativas entre los tratamientos. Los resultados del analisis proximal de las dietas, mostraron que la harina de soya presento la cantidad de proteinas requerida por A. franciscana durante su crecimiento (34.33 %), igualmente con esta dieta se obtuvo la mejor tasa de crecimiento (0.19), biomasa mas alta (113.33 g) y el mejor Factor de Conversion Alimenticia (1.4). Asi mismo la biomasa de A. franciscana producida con harina de soya, presento un nivel de proteinas adecuado para la maduracion de reproductores de crustaceos (53.38 %). Palabras clave: Artemia franciscana, cepa Peru, cultivo, dietas, biomasa
Cardio-respiratory ontogeny and the transition to bimodal respiration in an air breathing fish, the blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus): Morphological and physiological development in normoxia and hypoxia

Warren Burggren, Major Professor and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Mark L. Burleson, Committee Member Edward Dzialowski, Committee Member Ione Hunt von Herbing, Committee Member William T. Waller, Committee Member Art J. Goven, Chair of the Department of Biological Sciences Michael Monticino, Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies CARDIO-RESPIRATORY ONTOGENY AND THE TRANSITION TO BIMODAL RESPIRATION IN AN AIR BREATHING FISH, THE BLUE GOURAMI (Trichogaster trichopterus): MORPHOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT IN NORMOXIA AND HYPOXIA Tara M. Blank, B.S.
DISSECTING THE MECHANISM OF NLRP3 INFLAMMASOME ACTIVATION IN INDIVIDUAL CELLS: THE ROLE OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES AND ORGANELLE DAMAGE

Inflammation underlies the pathology of numerous diseases. It can be initiated by macrophages through the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-18 and IL-1β, following the activation of a molecular complex called the inflammasome. Inflammasomes are a protein scaffolding complex consisting of three known components: a sensory NLR, such as NLRP3, ASC, and caspase-1. The NLRP3 inflammasome is activated by a diverse array of stimuli, including crystals, ATP, pore-forming toxins, such as tetanolysin O (TLO), and the potassium ionophore nigericin. Here, we have explored the mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome activation using nigericin, TLO and ATP. We found that nigericin induced NLRP3 inflammasome activation in bone-marrow derived macrophages (BMDM) results in inflammasome dependent lysosomal membrane permeabilization (LMP), mitochondrial membrane permeabilization (MMP), and the processing and secretion of IL-1β. All of these events required mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS). Through combining bulk biochemical assays with live cell analysis of individual cells, we provide a kinetic analysis and sequence of events resulting from nigericin stimulation of LPS primed BMDM. We recapitulated NLRP3 inflammasome activation in a dendritic cell line, using the novel system of D2SC-1 transduced with ASC. These transduced cells undergo a similar sequence of events as macrophages, confirming that this mechanism is a general result of NLRP3 inflammasome activation applicable to multiple cell types. Furthermore, we have found that ATP and TLO stimulation of BMDM results in a similar sequence of NLRP3 dependent events. ATP, but not nigericin, requires P2X7 for activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. Surprisingly, inhibition of P2X4 blocked nigericin, but not ATP, induced, NLRP3-dependent IL-1β secretion in BMDM. Our work has demonstrated a central, common role for mitochondrial ROS in NLRP3 inflammasome activation and determined the kinetics of organelle crosstalk during inflammasome activation. These data place both the mitochondria and lysosomes in a critical position controlling NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Based on these results, we suggest mitochondrial ROS as a potential therapeutic target for treating NLRP3 inflammasome related diseases. Inhibition or scavenging of mitochondrial ROS would not only prevent the pro-inflammatory effects of IL-1β secretion in these patients, but also NLRP3 dependent organelle damage and the resulting cell death.
Classification of Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever (DHF) using SVM, naive bayes and random forest

Handling Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) becomes Indonesia’s national priority. DHF is an infectious disease whose treatment requires precision and speed of diagnosis. Data mining can be used to build prediction diagnosing DHF disease with supporting database. This paper aims to predict DHF using SVM, Naive Bayes, and Random Forest and then compare it with the accuracy of the result of third method. The accurate DHF prediction system can be used to avoid the error of diagnosing DHF and the treatment of the disorder can be done more quickly and precisely. The input systems are the patient’s medical records (i.e. temperature, spotting, rumple leed, and bleeding) and the output system is suffering from DHF or not.