Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Anti-inflammatory, Antimicrobial and Antioxidant activities of the stem bark extract of Croton penduliflorus Hutch (Euphorbiaceae)

Croton penduliflorus is used in folklore medicine for the treatment of dysmenorrhea, fever, wounds, gastro-intestinal and others. The study evaluated the anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of a hydro-ethanolic extract of stem bark of Croton penduliflorus. Carrageenan-induced oedema model in chicks was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of the extract. Total phenol content (TPC), DPPH radical scavenging and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assays were used for assessment of antioxidant capacities. Agar well diffusion and micro-dilution methods were used to assess the antimicrobial activity of the extract. The extract caused a dose-dependent decrease (P<0.05) in foot oedema with the highest inhibition of 69.23 ±1.05% at a dose of 300 mg/kg whereas diclofenac and dexamethasone gave 92.46 ±1.15% and 89.77 ±0.95 at 100 mg/kg and 3 mg/kg body weight of the chicks respectively. The TPC and TAC were 1238 mg TAE/g and 362.33 mg AAE/g respectively. The MICs of the extracts ranged between 25-50 mg/ml for the test organisms. The hydro-ethanol extract of the stem bark of Croton penduliflorus shows considerable anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities.
Gene Expression Signature of Acquired Chemoresistance in Neuroblastoma Cells

Drug resistance of childhood cancer neuroblastoma is a serious clinical problem. Patients with relapsed disease have a poor prognosis despite intense treatment. In the present study, we aimed to identify chemoresistance gene expression signatures in vincristine resistant neuroblastoma cells. We found that vincristine-resistant neuroblastoma cells formed larger clones and survived under reduced serum conditions as compared with non-resistant parental cells. To identify the possible mechanisms underlying vincristine resistance in neuroblastoma cells, we investigated the expression profiles of genes known to be involved in cancer drug resistance. This specific gene expression patterns could predict the behavior of a tumor in response to chemotherapy and for predicting the prognosis of high-risk neuroblastoma patients. Our signature could help chemoresistant neuroblastoma patients in avoiding useless and harmful chemotherapy cycles.
Structure, Folding and Stability of Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases

Nucleoside diphosphate kinases (NDPK) are oligomeric proteins involved in the synthesis of nucleoside triphosphates. Their tridimensional structure has been solved by X-ray crystallography and shows that individual subunits present a conserved ferredoxin fold of about 140 residues in prokaryotes, archaea, eukaryotes and viruses. Monomers are functionally independent from each other inside NDPK complexes and the nucleoside kinase catalytic mechanism involves transient phosphorylation of the conserved catalytic histidine. To be active, monomers must assemble into conserved head to tail dimers, which further assemble into hexamers or tetramers. The interfaces between these oligomeric states are very different but, surprisingly, the assembly structure barely affects the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme. While it has been shown that assembly into hexamers induces full formation of the catalytic site and stabilizes the complex, it is unclear why assembly into tetramers is required for function. Several additional activities have been revealed for NDPK, especially in metastasis spreading, cytoskeleton dynamics, DNA binding and membrane remodeling. However, we still lack the high resolution structural data of NDPK in complex with different partners, which is necessary for deciphering the mechanism of these diverse functions. In this review we discuss advances in the structure, folding and stability of NDPKs.
Detection of Adulteration of Tapioca Starch with Dolomite by near Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging

Tapioca starch adulterated with dolomite is sold in markets, but this adulteration cannot be identified by normal visual inspection. Near infrared (NIR) hyperspectral imaging has been successfully used as a non-destructive method of identifying various characteristics of food, therefore it was tested to identify dolomite adulteration. Adulterated tapioca starch samples were prepared by adding dolomite in the range of 0.5-100% (wt/wt). Samples (N=400) of pure tapioca starch (0) and adulterated tapioca starch (1) were divided into calibration set (N=300) and a prediction set (N=100). All samples were scanned using NIR hyperspectral imaging (935-1720 nm) and spectra were pre-processed using Savitzky-Golay first derivative differentiation pretreatment in order to obtain the optimal conditions for establishing a classification model. Partial least squares-discriminant analysis was carried out to evaluate the accuracy of classification tapioca starch adulterated with dolomite. The results showed the total accuracy of prediction for classification was 100%. Therefore, NIR hyperspectral imaging was demonstrated to have a potential for use in detecting adulteration of tapioca starch with dolomite.
Prediction of the Tensile Strength and Electrical Resistivity of Concrete with Organic Polymer and their Influence on Carbonation Using Data Science and a Machine Learning Technique

The inclusion of additions to concrete blends helps to improve performance in certain conditions. The analysis of two concrete blends was performed, a blend with the addition of a natural organic polymer and a control blend to make predictive models and find a correlation. Tree tests were performed: Electrical resistivity (Er) test, Tensile strength (Ft) and Carbonation resistance. One of the most popular non-destructive tests on concrete is , due to the simplicity of measuring readings on concrete elements. It is a non-destructive test that determines the interconnectivity that exists in the concrete cementitious matrix by determining the quality of the concrete. The blend with the addition showed improved performance in all the tests. Data science techniques were used to generate artificial data, the Machine Learning technique (ML) is based on Tree regression (Tr) with satisfactory accuracy to assess the reliability.
Enhancement of Electrical Conductivity of Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile Fibres Using Carbon Nanomaterials Synthesised from Polypropylene Waste

Incorporation of carbon nanomaterials (CNMs) into polymer such as Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fibres allow electric current to pass through easily. Therefore in this study, bulk quantities of CNMs are synthesised using Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) method by manipulating the reaction time and catalyst ratio. Polypropylene wastes are used as the carbon precursor and ferrocene as metal catalyst in the CVD experiment. Addition of 1 wt% synthesised-CNMs into electrospun PAN fibres successfully increased the electrical conductivity by 50%. Addition of CNMs improved the crystallinity of electrospun-PAN/CNMs fibres as proven by XRD analysis. Electrospun PAN/CNMs-A fibres show larger diameter than the diameter of electrospun PAN/CNMs-B. Large bead formations contained densely-packed CNMs-A within the structure of electrospun PAN/CNMs-A fibres hindered their effectiveness to conduct the electricity. On the contrary, PAN/CNMs-B shows remarkable improvement in electrical conductivity when loosely-packed CNMs-B are added to the PAN fibres.
Research progress in disposition of flavonoids in vivo

Flavonoids exist extensively in plants and possess important biological activities.In this paper,we summarized the absorption,distribution,metabolism and excretion of flavonoids in the body by searching the literature at home and abroad in recent years.The reported results show that flavonoids can be absorbed in stomach,small intestine and large intestine.The absorption rate and absorption location of flavonoids are different according to their chemical structures.Distribution of most flavonoids in vivo is consistent with their pharmacological action sites.Flavonoids are metabolized in the body primarily via hydrolysis,binding,cleavage and oxidation.They are mainly excreted from the body through kidney and bile,more by their metabolites,few by original forms.
Electronic Properties of Calcium and Zirconium Co-Doped BaTiO3

Barium titanate (BaTiO3) is a perovskite based oxides with many potential application in electronic devices. From experimental report BaTiO3 has wide energy band gap of about 3.4 eV which by doped with Ca and Zr at A- and B- sites respectively can enhance their piezoelectric properties. Using first principles method within the density functional theory (DFT) as implement in Quantum Espresso (QE) with the plane wave pseudo potential function, the influence of the Ca and Zr doping in BaTiO3 are studied via electronic properties: band structure, total density of states (TDOS) and partial density of states (PDOS). The energy band gap calculated was underestimation which is similar to other DFT work. Two direct band gap where observed in Ba0.875Ca0. 125Ti0.875Zr0. 125O3 sample at Γ- Γ (2.31 eV) and X- X (2.35 eV) symmetry point.
CaCO3 Nanopowder Production by Co-Precipitation of Aerosols of Precursor Solutions of Na2CO3 and CaCl2

Submicron-sized calcium carbonate (CaCO3) particles were prepared using an aerosol method in which two commercial air humidifiers containing 0.05 M of Na2CO3 and CaCl2 aqueous solutions were utilized as aerosol suppliers. Two streams of aerosols evaporated from the separate humidifiers were allowed to meet in 17-meter long, spiral reaction tube where collisions between two types of droplets containing precursor reagents leaded to grow of CaCO3 particles and precipitate onto the inner walls. XRD and SEM analysis revealed that CaCO3 particles were formed in calcite phase almost entirely.
Comparison between Solid State Reaction and Coprecipitation Method of Titanium Oxide Addition on the YBa2Cu3Oδ Ceramics

In this work, comparison of TiO2 additions on the physical properties of YBa2Cu3Oδ superconductor system with nominal starting compositions at x= 0, 1, 2, and 5 wt. % was studied derived via solid state reaction and co-precipitation method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The result from XRD shown that all the samples were polycrystalline for solid state reaction, while single phase appear for co-precipitation methods. The intensity of the peak become higher with increasing amount of TiO2 addition indicating the presence of increased amount of the unreacted in the samples. The refine lattice parameters indicated that all the samples have an orthorhombic crystal structure without occurrence of orthorhombic-tetragonal phase transformation. Furthermore, from SEM images for solid state reaction and co-precipitation method showed that the grain size of the samples decreased with TiO2 increased. Small addition of TiO2 derived from co-precipitation method enhanced the YBCO microstructures.
Integration of microarray data and literature mining identifies a sex bias in DPP4+CD4+ T cells in HIV-1 infection

HIV-1 infection exhibits a significant sex bias. This study aimed at identifying and examining lymphocyte associated sex differences in HIV-1 pathogenesis using a data-driven approach. To select targets for investigating sex differences in lymphocytes, data of microarray experiments and literature mining were integrated. Data from three large-scale microarray experiments were obtained from NCBI/GEO and screened for sex differences in gene expression. Literature mining was employed to identify sex biased genes in the microarray data, which were relevant to HIV-1 pathogenesis and lymphocyte biology. Sex differences in gene expression of selected genes were investigated by RT-qPCR and flowcytometry in healthy individuals and persons living with HIV-1. A significant and consistent sex bias was identified in 31 genes, the majority of which were related to immunity and expressed at higher levels in women. Using literature mining, three genes (DPP4, FCGR1A and SOCS3) were selected for analysis by qPCR because of their relevance to HIV, as well as, B and T cell biology. DPP4 exhibited the most significant sex bias in mRNA expression (p = 0.00029). Therefore, its expression was further analyzed on B and T cells using flowcytometry. In HIV-1 infected controllers and healthy individuals, frequencies of CD4+DPP4+ T cells were higher in women compared to men (p = 0.037 and p = 0.027). In women, CD4 T cell counts correlated with a predominant decreased in DPP4+CD4+ T cells (p = 0.0032). Sex differences in DPP4 expression abrogated in progressive HIV-1 infection. In conclusion, we found sex differences in the pathobiology of T cells in HIV-1 infection using a data-driven approach. Our results indicate that DPP4 expression on CD4+ T cells might contribute to the immunological sex differences observed in chronic HIV‑1 infection.
Comparative studies of X inactivation within Eutheria

X chromosome inactivation has not been well studied in mammals other than humans and mice. In both species, the inactive X expresses the XIST/Xist (X-inactivation specific transcript) non-coding R N A that is crucial for dosage compensation in females. Although both species belong to the same mammalian subclass, Eutheria, they show significant differences in imprinting patterns, negative regulation of XIST/Xist, and extent of silencing on the inactive X chromosome. Furthermore, the mechanism by which the Xis t transcript coats and silences the X in cis is unknown. This study focuses on X-inactivation in other eutherians, first to unravel domains within XIST/Xist o f biological significance, and second to investigate whether incomplete silencing in humans is unique within the mammalian subclass. Comparative analysis to predict conserved secondary structures between seven eutherian orthologs revealed common stems in the sequence before the Xist A repeat, the A repeat, F repeat, and exon 4. Several complex secondary structures were also similar between rodents but were not conserved in other species. These included the D repeat; structures between the B and D , as well as A and F repeats; and the unique rodent exon 5. The significance of these conserved domains in the context of potential biological functions, and how the structural differences might account for some species-specific differences, is discussed in this thesis. To investigate the species variability in the extent of silencing, methylation analysis was performed on Zfic, JaridlC, Crsp2, Utx, Ubel, Ar, and Fmrl in the cow and coast mole, in addition to human and mouse. Results from this study suggest that mouse is distinct in its more complete inactivation at several loci Zjx, Crsp2 on the evolutionary newer part of the X , and Ubel on an evolutionary older part of the chromosome. In addition to evolutionary age, factors such as the position o f the centromere, distance from the X inactivation centre (XIC), and presence of Y homologs failed to consistently explain or predict whether the genes on the X chromosome would escape or be subject to inactivation. Further epigenetic analysis is necessary to understand the distinct mechanisms leading to escape versus inactivation amongst different mammals.
Metabolic Profiling of a Porcine Combat Trauma-Injury Model Using NMR and Multi-Mode LC-MS Metabolomics—A Preliminary Study

Profiles of combat injuries worldwide have shown that penetrating trauma is one of the most common injuries sustained during battle. This is usually accompanied by severe bleeding or hemorrhage. If the soldier does not bleed to death, he may eventually succumb to complications arising from trauma hemorrhagic shock (THS). THS occurs when there is a deficiency of oxygen reaching the organs due to excessive blood loss. It can trigger massive metabolic derangements and an overwhelming inflammatory response, which can subsequently lead to the failure of organs and possibly death. A better understanding of the acute metabolic changes occurring after THS can help in the development of interventional strategies, as well as lead to the identification of potential biomarkers for rapid diagnosis of hemorrhagic shock and organ failure. In this preliminary study, a metabolomic approach using the complementary platforms of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to determine the metabolic changes occurring in a porcine model of combat trauma injury comprising of penetrating trauma to a limb with hemorrhagic shock. Several metabolites associated with the acute-phase reaction, inflammation, energy depletion, oxidative stress, and possible renal dysfunction were identified to be significantly changed after a thirty-minute shock period.
A Clinical Report on Diagnosis and Management of Anemia in Children with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Anemia is one of the most common extraintestinal manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). It can be asymptomatic or associated with non-specific symptoms such as irritability, headaches, fatigue, dizziness and anorexia. In IBD patients, the etiology of anemia is often multifactorial. Various causes include iron deficiency, anemia of inflammation and chronic disease, vitamin deficiencies, hemolysis, or myelosuppressive effect of drugs. Anemia and iron deficiency in these patients may be underestimated due to their insidious onset, lack of standardized screening practices, and possibly underappreciation that treatment of anemia is also required when treating IBD. Practitioners may hesitate to use oral preparations due to their intolerance, while intravenous preparations are underutilized due to fear of adverse events, availability, and cost. Several publications in recent years have documented the safety and comparative efficacy of various intravenous preparations. This article reviews management of anemia in children with IBD, including diagnosis, etiopathogenesis, evaluation of a patient, protocol to screen and monitor patients for early detection and response to therapy, treatment including parenteral iron therapy, and newer approaches in management of anemia of chronic disease. This report has been compiled by a group of pediatric gastroenterologists serving on the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) IBD committee, in collaboration with a pediatric hematologist, pharmacist, and a registered dietician who specializes in pediatric IBD (IBD Anemia Working Group), after an extensive review of the current literature. The purpose of this review is to raise awareness of under-diagnosis of anemia in children with IBD and make recommendations for screening, testing, and treatment in this population.
Recent phenological shifts of migratory birds at a Mediterranean spring stopover site: Species wintering in the Sahel advance passage more than tropical winterers

Spring migration phenology is shifting towards earlier dates as a response to climate change in many bird species. However, the patterns of change might not be the same for all species, populations, sex and age classes. In particular, patterns of change could differ between species with different ecology. We analyzed 18 years of standardized bird capture data at a spring stopover site on the island of Ponza, Italy, to determine species-specific rates of phenological change for 30 species following the crossing of the Mediterranean Sea. The advancement of spring passage was more pronounced in species wintering in Northern Africa (i.e. short-distance migrants) and in the Sahel zone. Only males from species wintering further South in the forests of central Africa advanced their passage, with no effect on the overall peak date of passage of the species. The migration window on Ponza broadened in many species, suggesting that early migrants within a species are advancing their migration more than late migrants. These data suggest that the cues available to the birds to adjust departure might be changing at different rates depending on wintering location and habitat, or that early migrants of different species might be responding differently to changing conditions along the route. However, more data on departure time from the wintering areas are required to understand the mechanisms underlying such phenological changes.
Expanded genome-wide comparisons give novel insights into population structure and genetic heterogeneity of Leishmania tropica complex

Leishmania tropica is one of the main causative agents of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). Population structures of L. tropica appear to be genetically highly diverse. However, the relationship between L. tropica strains genomic diversity, protein coding gene evolution and biogeography are still poorly understood. In this study, we sequenced the genomes of three new clinical L. tropica isolates, two derived from a recent outbreak of CL in camps hosting Syrian refugees in Lebanon and one historical isolate from Azerbaijan to further refine comparative genome analyses. In silico multilocus microsatellite typing (MLMT) was performed to integrate the current diversity of genome sequence data in the wider available MLMT genetic population framework. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs), gene copy number variations (CNVs) and chromosome ploidy were investigated across the available 18 L. tropica genomes with a main focus on protein coding genes. MLMT divided the strains in three populations that broadly correlated with their geographical distribution but not populations defined by SNPs. Unique SNPs profiles divided the 18 strains into five populations based on principal component analysis. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of the protein coding genes with population specific SNPs profiles revealed various biological processes, including iron acquisition, sterols synthesis and drug resistance. This study further highlights the complex links between L. tropica important genomic heterogeneity and the parasite broad geographic distribution. Unique sequence features in protein coding genes identified in distinct populations reveal potential novel markers that could be exploited for the development of more accurate typing schemes to further improve our knowledge of the evolution and epidemiology of the parasite as well as highlighting protein variants of potential functional importance underlying L. tropica specific biology.
Diclofenac Degradation—Enzymes, Genetic Background and Cellular Alterations Triggered in Diclofenac-Metabolizing Strain Pseudomonas moorei KB4

Diclofenac (DCF) constitutes one of the most significant ecopollutants detected in various environmental matrices. Biological clean-up technologies that rely on xenobiotics-degrading microorganisms are considered as a valuable alternative for chemical oxidation methods. Up to now, the knowledge about DCF multi-level influence on bacterial cells is fragmentary. In this study, we evaluate the degradation potential and impact of DCF on Pseudomonas moorei KB4 strain. In mono-substrate culture KB4 metabolized 0.5 mg L−1 of DCF, but supplementation with glucose (Glc) and sodium acetate (SA) increased degraded doses up to 1 mg L−1 within 12 days. For all established conditions, 4′-OH-DCF and DCF-lactam were identified. Gene expression analysis revealed the up-regulation of selected genes encoding biotransformation enzymes in the presence of DCF, in both mono-substrate and co-metabolic conditions. The multifactorial analysis of KB4 cell exposure to DCF showed a decrease in the zeta-potential with a simultaneous increase in the cell wall hydrophobicity. Magnified membrane permeability was coupled with the significant increase in the branched (19:0 anteiso) and cyclopropane (17:0 cyclo) fatty acid accompanied with reduced amounts of unsaturated ones. DCF injures the cells which is expressed by raised activities of acid and alkaline phosphatases as well as formation of lipids peroxidation products (LPX). The elevated activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) testified that DCF induced oxidative stress.