Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Descriptive analysis in time and space of recorded data for Buruli Ulcer occurrence in Victoria over 22 years

Background Buruli ulcer (BU) is a subcutaneous necrotic infection of the skin caused by Mycobacterium ulcerans. There has been increasing BU incidence in Victoria, Australia. The aim of this study to provide an epidemiological update of BU cases in Victoria to understand the pattern of distribution over time and space and attempt to identify local risk factors. Methods A comprehensive descriptive epidemiological analyses were performed on BU notification data from 1994 to 2016. In addition, retrospective temporal, spatial and spatio-temporal analyses were conducted to understand the distribution of cases. Quantum GIS was used to generate maps. Demographic, new housing settlements and historical rainfall data were analysed to assess their effects on BU incidence in Victoria. Findings There were a total of 902 patients notified from 1994-2016. The incidence rate was 0.8/100,000 persons in Victoria. Space and time analyses showed that the most likely disease cluster was the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas with incidence rate 50 times higher than the State of Victoria rate. Gender was not a risk factor, but age was, with increased susceptibility among the over 60 year old group. There was an unusual high risk in the 15-24 age group in Point Lonsdale. Correlation analyses indicated that increase in population and construction of new settlements might be some of the reasons contributing to the rise in cases in Victoria. Interpretation The findings agreed with published works in Australia of the increase in BU cases in Victoria. However, our findings also highlights the endemic nature of cases. The identified spatial disease clusters could be relevant for future environmental sampling studies or screening tests for M. ulcerans exposure. Author Summary Buruli ulcer (BU) has been reported in 33 countries, mainly from the Tropics and Sub-tropics. Tropical cases are mainly within the West African region. Australia is the only country outside Africa in the top six highest incidence countries for BU. The exact mode of transmission remains unclear. Disease cases are rising in Australia, especially in Victoria for reasons that remains unclear. We have provided a descriptive epidemiological analyses in space and time of 22 years of recorded data on BU cases in Victoria from 1994 to 2016. We have also discussed demographic and new settlement dynamics over the study period. There were a total of 902 PCR-confirmed BU cases from 245 suburbs. Five suburbs on the Bellarine and Mornington Peninsulas were identified as the most endemic locations in Victoria. Spatial analyses detected a wider disease cluster area on the Peninsulas. We propose environmental sampling for risk factors analyses should focus on the endemic regions and some secondary clusters.
Strongyloides stercoralis infection among HIV infected individuals in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

Strongyloides stercoralis is endemic in tropical and subtropical regions and hyper-infection and dissemination could occur in immunocompromised patients. Regular parasitic assessment of HIV patients is needed to prevent disseminated S. stercoralis infection. This study therefore determined the prevalence of S. stercoralis among HIV individuals in Osogbo, Nigeria using stool microscopy and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISA) . Stool and serum samples were collected from HIV individuals who were receiving antiretroviral treatment at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) Teaching Hospital Osogbo, Nigeria. Stool samples were examined for S. stercoralis by microscopy. Serology was performed using commercially available ELISA kit to detect parasite-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG). Out of 188 (55 males and 133 females) HIV-infected individuals recruited for the study, 8.5% were positive for S. stercoralis by microscopy while 16.0% were positive by ELISA and 39 (20.7%) HIV individuals were positive with any of the two methods. The highest detection rate (73.1%) was observed with ELISA while microscopy recorded a detection rate of 39%. HIV individuals with CD4 ≤200 had a significantly higher prevalence (29.5%) compared with those with CD4 ≥200 (22.4%) (p = 0.0064). The findings of this study show that the combination of both ELISA and microscopy may improve the problem associated with the diagnosis of S. stercoralis in Nigeria.
Effect of crude venom from the spider Chilobrachys jingzhao on the proliferation and differentiation of C17.2 neural stem cells

Abstract Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the ability to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. They are self-renewing and sufficient to provide large amounts of brain tissue cells. NSCs have promising application prospects for the treatment of central nervous system diseases. Spider toxins are important tools for use in neurobiology and neuropharmacology. In this study, a Cell Counting Kit (CCK-8), immunofluorescence staining, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and Western blotting were used to qualitatively and quantitatively analyse the effects of different concentrations (1, 10 and 20 μg/mL) of Chilobrachys jingzhao crude venom on the proliferation and differentiation of C17.2 cells in vitro. At low concentrations, C. jingzhao crude venom did not significantly inhibit the proliferation of NSCs; however, the highest concentration of 20 μg/mL partially inhibited the NSC proliferation. In the differentiation medium, addition of C. jingzhao crude venom effectively promoted the differentiation of NSCs towards neuronal cells, with a final concentration of 10 μg/mL having the most obvious effect. These results suggest that C. jingzhao crude venom exerts a regulatory effect on the proliferation and differentiation of C17.2 cells. Therefore, spider venom can be used as an ‘ammunition library’ to find factors that regulate the proliferation and differentiation of NSCs, laying the groundwork for the application of NSCs in the treatment of central nervous system diseases.
TRANSABDOMINAL ULTRASONOGRAPHY IN STAGING OF WILMS TUMOR

Objective: To determine the sensitivity and specificity of transabdominal ultrasonography (US) in stagingof Wilms tumor, taking transabdominal contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT) of abdomen as goldstandard.Study Design: Cross sectional/validation study.Place and Duration of Study: Radiology department, Children Hospital, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences,Islamabad, from Apr 2006 to Mar 2007.Material and Methods: Thirty patients presenting with Wilms tumor underwent transabdominal ultrasound and CT abdomen with contrast for staging. All of them were evaluated for age, gender, presenting complaints, signs and symptoms. As patients were children so consent was taken from their parents. X-ray chest of all of the patients was done to exclude pulmonary metastasis.Results: For stage-I: Ultrasound correctly staged 10 out of 15 cases of stage-I (66.6%) and over staged 5 out of 15 cases of stage-I (33.3%). For stage-II: Ultrasound correctly staged 2 out of 8 cases of stage-II (25%) and incorrectly staged 6 out of 8 cases of stage-II (75%). For stage-III: Ultrasound correctly staged 4 out of 7 cases of stage-III (57%) and incorrectly staged 3 out of 7 cases of stage-III (43%). Conclusion: In children, ultrasound abdomen plays a vital role in cases of renal tumors for differential diagnosis, staging, monitoring of therapy and surgical planning. Diagnostic information obtained from CT and ultrasound examinations are complementary in many instances, however, computed tomography (CT) has been shown to be superior to ultrasound (US) in this regard.
Continental patterns in the diet of a top predator: Australia's dingo

Conserving large carnivores is controversial because they can threaten wildlife, human safety, and livestock production. Since large carnivores often have large ranges, effective management requires knowledge of how their ecology and functional roles vary biogeographically. We examine continental‐scale patterns in the diet of the dingo – Australia's largest terrestrial mammalian predator. We describe and quantify how dingo dietary composition and diversity vary with environmental productivity and across five bioclimatic zones: arid, semi‐arid, tropical, sub‐tropical, and temperate. Based on 73 published and unpublished data sets from throughout the continent, we used multivariate linear modelling to assess regional trends in the occurrence of nine food groups (arthropods, birds, reptiles, European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus, medium‐sized [25–125 kg] and large [169–825 kg] exotic ungulates [including livestock], and other small [<0.5 kg], medium‐sized [0.5–6.9 kg] and large [≥7 kg] mammals) in dingo diets. We also assessed regional patterns in the dietary occurrence of livestock and the relationship between dietary occurrence of rabbits and small, medium‐sized and large mammals. Dingoes eat at least 229 vertebrate species (66% mammals, 22% birds, 11% reptiles, and 1% other taxa). Dietary composition varied across bioclimatic zones, with dingo diets in the arid and semi‐arid zones (low‐productivity sites) having the highest occurrence of arthropods, reptiles, birds, and rabbits. Medium‐sized mammals occurred most frequently in temperate and sub‐tropical zone diets (high‐productivity sites), large mammals least in the arid and sub‐tropical zones, and livestock most in the arid and tropical zones. The frequency of rabbits in diets was negatively correlated with that of medium‐sized, but not small or large mammals. Dingoes have a flexible and generalist diet that differs among bioclimatic zones and with environmental productivity in Australia. Future research should focus on examining how dingo diets are affected by local prey availability and human‐induced changes to prey communities.
Redating of the To’aga site (Ofu Island, Manu’a) and a revised chronology for the Lapita to Polynesian Plainware transition in Tonga and Samoa

Radiocarbon dating Pacific archaeological sites is fraught with difficulties. Often situated in coastal beach ridges or sand dunes, sites exhibit horizontal and vertical disturbances, while datable materials such as wood charcoal are typically highly degraded, or derived from old trees or drift wood and bone collagen rarely survives in the tropical conditions. Shell, therefore, is the most logical material for dating Pacific sites since it is resistant to alteration, can be sampled to ensure only the last few seasons of growth are represented and is often closely tied to human economic activities. However, shell radiocarbon (14C) dating has been plagued by interpretive problems largely due to our limited knowledge of the 14C cycle in near shore marine and estuarine environments. Consequently, shell dates are typically ignored in regional chronometric evaluations and often avoided for dating altogether. Recent advances in our understanding of the source of shell 14C content as well as the development of the first South Pacific Gyre model of changing marine 14C over time, combined with Bayesian statistical modelling, have now provided us with insight into the value of these shell radiocarbon dates, enabling a revision of the age of the To’aga site on Ofu Island, an early occupation site associated with the initial Polynesian Plainware period in Samoa, the earliest use of which is now dated to between 2782 and 2667 cal BP.
Theoretical aspects and computer modeling of the molecular solid state

Crystal Symmetry and Molecular Recognition (A. Gavezzotti). Intermolecular Forces - From the Molecular Charge Distribution to the Molecular Packing (S. Price). Energetic Aspects of Crystal Packing: Experiment and Computer Simulations (A. Gavezzotti & G. Filippini). Energy Minimization and Molecular Dynamics Calculations for Molecular Crystals (B. van Eijck, et al.). Nucleation and Phase Transition in Molecular Clusters: Molecular Dynamics Simulation and Experiment (L. Bartell). Ab Initio Prediction of Possible Molecular Crystal Structures (R. Gdanitz). The Crystal Habit of Molecular Materials: A Structural Perspective (G. Clydesdale, et al.). Index.
Effect of Mental Health Promotion Intervention on Well-Being of Formal Caregivers of Patients with Dementia

The study aim of to find out the outcome of the mental health promotion intervention program in formal caregivers of patients with Dementia. For this investigation The Connor-Davidson Resilience scale, Brief Cope Inventory, and Wellbeing of the caregiver were used. 18 Formal caregivers of patients with Dementia who belong to 20-35 years of age were selected from different residential care units of Bangalore through purposive sampling and questionnaires were administered after seeking the informed consent. The analysis says that the mean score of ADL in the current study has shown an increase from 72.22 to 84.17. This is an indication that mental promotive intervention program has enabled the formal caregivers to pay more attention to their ADL. This also explains improved well being as ADL is also part of the individuals well being. During the course of the intervention the subjects had mentioned that there is a lack of familial support when they try to put in the effort to change certain things or even in terms of fun activities that would incur financial loss.
The characterization of the mesenchymal stem cells derived from fat, cord blood, placenta tissues

1 Purpose: Mesenchymal stem cells, which exist in every part of the human body, have the ability to differentiate into various kinds of tissue. If cells isolated from these tissues can differentiate into hepatocytes, they can be used to supply a secure source of cells, which is a major limitation in liver targeted cell therapy. Prior to evaluating the possibility of differentiating these cells into hepatocytes, cells from fat, cord blood and placenta tissues were tested to see if they have stem cell characteristics. Method: After the fat tissue had been chopped into small piece and treated with collagenase I for 60 minutes, the fat derived mesenchymal stem cells were separated. Umbilical cord blood monocytes were separated from the umbilical cord blood following centrifugation for 25 minutes in 2000 rpm. Using Percoll density gradient centrifugation, following treatment with trypsin and DNAase, monocytes were isolated from the placental tissues. Cells isolated from each tissue were immunophenotyped by Flow cytometry, using CD14, 29, 31, 34, 44, 45, 73, 90, 105 and 106 antibodies, to search for mesenchymal stem cells markers after 3 5 orders of cultivation in each special culture media. Result: The cultured cells all had a single nucleus and square shape. The CD29, 44 and 73 antibodies were all positive in the cells detached inform the umbilical cord blood, placenta and fat tissues. The CD 14, 31, 34, 45 and 106 antibodies were negative in all the cells. The CD90 antibody was positive in the cells isolated from the placenta and fat tissues, but the CD105 antibody was only positive in the cells from fat tissue. Conclusion: Cells isolated from the umbilical cord blood, placenta and fat tissues are assumed to be mesenchymal stem cells, but have no characteristics of hematopoietic cells. Especially, cells from fat tissue seem to have more mesenchymal stem cell characteristics. Validations, through differentiation into the various cell types, will be required to confirm their special quality as stem cells. The characterization of the mesenchymal stem cells derived from fat, cord blood, placenta tissues Feng Ji Cui, Sung Hoon Kim, Ja-Young Kwon, M.D., You Jeong Choi, Jin A Cho, Kyung Sik Kim, M.D., Hyun Ok Kim, M.D Dept. of Surgery, Dept of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dept. of Laboratory Medicine, Cell therapy center, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
Overview of Molecular Diagnosis in Medical Microbiology

Clinical microbiology diagnosis became objectively possible at the end of 19th century with the seminar contributions of researchers such as Louis Pasteur, Robert Koch and other colleagues. The concept of diagnosis then was the ‘culture and isolate’ paradigm, which accelerated to a large extent the growth of bacteriology, as a number of bacteria were able to fulfill the Koch’s postulates, but delayed the growth of other fields of microbiology most especially virology because viruses were not culturable outside of host cells. This paradigm, together with the application of micros-copy, serology and the use of animal models in research in the early 20th century, constituted the ‘first revolution’ in the field of microbiology that is referred to as the conventional microbiological diagnosis. Although this conventional diagnosis has remained valuable, assessments have shown that many of the conventional techniques are not demonstrably ‘fit for purpose’ in the 21st century. This has necessitated the consideration of complementary or alternative technologies, the molecular diagnosis, which has ushered in a ‘second revolution’ in microbiology that is as profound as the first in its impact on our understanding of the microbe-human interactions in health and disease. In this mini-review, an overview of the technologies underlying molecular diagnosis in microbiology is presented. The application of these molecular methods in clinical microbiology laboratory to ensure accurate, reliable and timely release of microbiological test results for better patients’ management and outcome is highlighted.
Nutrient release patterns and decomposing rates of wheat and rapeseed straw incorporated into the field.

The nutrient release patterns and decomposing rates of wheat and rapeseed straws were studied in rice fields.The straws were wrapped in net nylon bags and mulched to the fields.During the decomposing process,straw samples were taken on schedule,and were observed using electron microscope for its tissue structural images of cross sections.Results reveal that the decomposing rates of the two straws are fast at the beginning,and then slowly decrease with time.During the rice growth and development season which is about 100 d,the cumulative decomposing rates are 66.18% and 55.62% for wheat straw and rape shoot,respectively.Release rates of the nutrients of the straws are different;the K release rate is considerably greater than the rates of P and N releases.Within the first 10 d,about 98.92% of K is released from wheat straw,and 98.74% from rape shoot.Based on the electron microscopic observations,there is not noticeable tissue damage of the wheat straw at the first 50 d,and after 50 d,the tissue damage mainly take place at the parenchyma cells and its surrounded vascular bundles,while the cuticle and mechanic tissues seem not damaged significantly.For rape shoot,however,the mechanic tissue damage is observed within the first 10 d when the vascular bundle cambium outside of the secondary xylem,phloem fiber,epidermal parenchyma and cuticle are all broken.These results further demonstrate that K in the straw is water extractable and readily available to plant.Therefore,amount of K in the straws should be subtracted from the recommended fertilization,while rates of N and P should be maintained in the fertilization at early crop growth stages.
In vitro anthelmintic activity of methanolic extract of Macaranga denticulata leaves in Pheretima posthuma

Parasitic diseases cause extreme horribleness by influencing population in endemic areas with major economic and social outcomes. More than half of the population of the world suffers from various types of infection and majority of cattle suffer from worm infections. So there is a need to find new drugs to treat parasitic diseases.Methanolic extract from the leaves of Macaranga denticulata Muell. Arg. (Euphorbiaceae) was investigated for their anthelmintic activity against Pheretima posthuma. Three concentrations (25, 50 and 100 mg/ml) of the extract were studied, which involved the determination of time of paralysis and time of death of the worm. It was found that this extract exhibited significant anthelmintic activity. Albendazole in 10 mg/ml concentration was included as standard reference and 0.5% CMC as a control. Results showed that the methanolic extract was potent as it took near time of highest concentration (100 mg/ml) to cause paralysis and death of the earthworms as compared to the standard reference drug.
Enumeration, Antagonism and Enzymatic Activities of Microorganisms Isolated from Railway Station Soil

Soil is the well-known hotspot for microbial diversity. Therefore, for our investigation, we isolated, characterized, and identified microorganisms from railway station soil. Sampling was done subsequently after every 15 days interval, and from two different soil depths i.e. 0-15 cm and below during March to May of 2013. Further, soil isolates were examined for their antagonistic activity, against four soil born plant pathogens namely, Rhizoctonia solani, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium f sp pisi, and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Subsequently, isolates were screened for the presence of amylases, proteases, lipases and cellulases. For each interval of soil sampling, a gradual reduction in the microbial count was noticed from month March to May. Mucor species was observed only in the rainy days. The most promising enzymes producers were Bacillus sp. , Aspergillus and Penicillium sp. Overall, the fungal isolates were better producers of enzymes as compared to bacterial isolates.
Organ-level evaluation of the carbon starvation hypothesis in deciduous broad-leaved Catalpa bungei plants undergoing drought-induced mortality.

The carbon starvation hypothesis (CSH) is one of the current leading hypotheses regarding the mechanism of plant death, although it has not been sufficiently validated due to a lack of evidence. To help verify the role of carbon starvation in plant mortality, we measured the non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentration ([NSC]) in different organs (roots, stems, and leaves) of plants of Catlapa bungei clone 9-1 after the cessation of photosynthesis and death due to drought and in well-watered controls. Drought induced the loss of NSC reserves, which was observed in all organs at death, and carbon starvation appeared to begin after the cessation of photosynthesis. The [NSC] dynamics, occurrence time of carbon starvation, and survival time varied among the organs, and even within the same organs at different stem heights. Overall, our findings are compatible with the CSH in that carbon starvation occurs in roots, stems, and leaves and concurs with plant death during prolonged drought.