Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low‐dose in utero exposure to finasteride promotes developmental changes in both male and female gerbil prostates

The prostate is an accessory reproductive gland that is sensitive to the action of exogenous compounds known as endocrine disrupters that alter normal hormonal function. Finasteride is a widely used chemical that acts to inhibit the conversion of testosterone in its most active form, dihydrotestosterone. It is known that intrauterine exposure to finasteride causes changes in the male prostate even at low dosages; however, it is not known whether these dosages are capable of causing changes in the female prostate, which is present in a large number of mammalian species, including humans. In the present study, histochemistry, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, serological dosages, and three‐dimensional reconstruction techniques were employed to evaluate the effects of intrauterine exposure to a low dose of finasteride (100 μg.BW/d) on postnatal prostate development in male and female Mongolian gerbils. The results indicate that the gerbil female prostate also undergoes alterations following intrauterine exposure to finasteride, exhibiting a thickening of periductal smooth muscle and increased stromal proliferation. There are also intersex differences in the impact of exposure on the expression of the androgen receptor, which was increased in males, and of the estrogen‐α receptor, which was decreased in the male prostate but unchanged in females. Altogether, this study indicates there are sex differences in the effects of finasteride exposure even at low dosages.
ESTABLISHMENT PRACTICE ON FROST-PRONE SITES AT KAINGAR 0 , 4 FOREST

Kaingaroa Forest is located on an elevated inland plateau at altitudes in excess of 500 m. It experiences a cold winter climate, and frosls (which occur throughout rhe year) haw7 a major influence on forest establishment practices. Most of the first-rotation crop at Kaingaroa was established in less than a decade l rom 1924 and, despite the tise of frost-hardy species, 5% of Ihe area remained unstocked owing to frost problems. Establishment of the second-rotofion forest commenced in 1946 on easy country, and it ~ i m s n o until 1964 that any serious attempts were made to establish or re-estnblisiz the higher frost flats and terraces abovle 6610 rn in southern Kaingavoa Forest. Radiata pine ha3 noiv been successfulZy established on cold sites u p to 885 m and undev extreme suminer/winter frost level^ of -43°C to -14.0"C. The species had not previously been established on such sites. Trials showed that successful establishment requires: ( I ) Ctdtivation of t1ze site prior to planting; ( 2 ) the use of well conditioned planting stock; (3) planting no earlier in the winter than July; ( 4 ) the positioning of sepdlings on mounds or ridges wherever possible; and ( 5 ) maintenance of a weed-free site for two years following estab2ishmenf.
Correlation between the Time Up to Go and Functionality in Patients Undergoig Cardiac Surgery

1Master in Medicine and Human Health by the Bahian School of Medicine and Public Healt, Salvador, Bahia, Professor of Nobre College, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil 2Physiotherapist by Nobre College, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil 3Graduate in physiotherapy by Nobre College, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil 4Heart surgeon for Instituto Nobre de Cardiologia, Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil 5Bahia School of Medicine and Human Health, Salvador University, Social Faculty, Salvador Bahia; Adventist College of Bahia, Cahoeira Bahia
A study on Topic Identification using K means clustering algorithm : Big vs . Small Documents

Document clustering is a technique which groups similar content documents from the collection. It can further be extended to extract topics of each groups. Document clustering and Topic identification form back bone of information retrieval, but size of documents to be grouped in terms of number of words affects these processes negatively. The sparsity of terms present in big documents impacts weight of individual term and in turn quality of clusters adversely. This paper presents application of cluster analysis for document collection of small documents and document collection of big documents for topic identification from document collection. Results are presented as comparisons to emphasize the concerns with respect to big documents.
Novel Route of Synthesis of PCL-CuONPs Composites With Antimicrobial Properties

Nanoparticles of metals can be toxic to bacteria, showing biocidal activities at low concentrations. Metal, oxide, or compounds based on copper are applied like antimicrobial agents. The capacity of integration of metallic nanoparticles in polymer matrices has improved the antimicrobial behavior, resulting in the search for composites with increased bactericidal properties. A polycaprolactone (PCL) film polymer with copper oxide nanoparticles (CuONPs) was prepared. Dynamic light scattering analysis showed the sizes from 88 to 97 nm of CuONPs. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed CuONPs with semispherical shapes with diameter 35 nm. The prepared PCL-CuONPs exhibited a nanoporous structure by SEM. The antibacterial applicability of the composite was evaluated to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration in 6 different bacteria and the experimental tests were carried by disk diffusion and spectrophotometric methods. The PCL-CuONPs exhibit a considerable antibacterial effect in gram-positive bacteria in contrast to gram-negative bacteria. The preparation of PCL-CuONPs was simple, fast, and low cost for practical application as wound dressings.
Screening Options and Role of Biochemical Markers in the Risk Assessment of Down Syndrome , Trisomy 18 , and Neural Tube Defects

Prenatal screening to identify genetic disorders gaining importance for the past few years. The goal of present maternal serum screening programs is to identify women at increased risk of having a baby affected with Down syndrome, trisomy 18 or neural tube defects and that will benefit from diagnostic testing. The ultimate goal is to have fewer invasive procedures as well as fewer procedure related losses of normal fetuses. The options available are first trimester, second trimester, and sequential screening. When a woman at high-risk or with a positive screen is identified, genetic counseling and a diagnostic procedure such a chorionic villus sampling (CVS) in the first trimester or amniocentesis in the second trimester is offered to determine if the fetus has the genetic defect. The first trimester screening (Double marker) which has a detection rate slightly higher than second trimester (Triple marker) and results will be available early in the pregnancy. If a woman wants to know her risk with highest detection rate, the combination of first and second trimester screening in a sequential manner should be the test of choice. In this review, we highlighted the options available for screening, detection rate, benefits and limitations of the test and hope this will provide useful information for physicians order such screening.
Mechanical properties of North Sea Tertiary mudrocks: investigations by triaxial testing of side-wall cores

Abstract In the North Sea Tertiary section, wellbore instability problems are frequently reported in Palaeocene-Early Oligocene smectite-rich mudrocks. Analysis of the mechanical properties of these Tertiary mudrocks is generally hampered by the lack of suitable core material. This study represents an attempt to study the geomechanical behaviour of mudrocks by triaxial tests of side-wall cores obtained from the borehole wall. The tests performed include measuring the changes in pore pressure during shearing and undrained shear strength in specimens initially consolidated to in situ effective stress levels. The coefficients of permeability (kf), estimated from the consolidation time behaviour range from 2.6 × 10–11 to 2.4 × 10–12 m/s. The tested cores behaved like slightly overconsolidated to normally consolidated materials with an initial near constant volume (elastic behaviour) for low deviatoric load followed by an increasingly contractant behaviour approaching failure. Compared with results from onshore analogues, the strength properties of the investigated mudrocks appear to be related to their content of expandable clay minerals. A wellbore stability chart to forecast adequate drilling fluid pressures for future wells has been developed by the use of linear (Mohr-Coulomb) failure criteria based on the peak strength data. It is demonstrated that side-wall cores can provide satisfactory test materials for rock mechanical analysis, and their use may serve to improve our knowledge of the rock mechanical behaviour of typically troublesome mudrocks for which no conventional cores are available.
Global fault-lines model and global political economy

Abstract The 21st century has witnessed a significant transformation of the economies of many developing countries. Consequently, many studies have argued that the centre of gravity of the global economy is shifting from the Western core to the semi-peripheral East. Vassilis Fouskas and Bülent Gökay’s global fault-lines model detailed in their book titled The Fall of the US Empire: Global Fault-Lines and the Shifting Imperial Order is an attempt to use some ideas of the theory of plate tectonics to explain the historical-geographic tectonic shifts in the global political economy. This paper shows the major arguments of the global fault-lines model and shows the link between the plate tectonics theory and the global fault-lines model. Finally, it highlights the implications of the tectonic shifts in the global political economy and by so doing argues for the expansion of BRICS and strengthening of the south-south cooperation paradigm.
ICT and Quality Teaching and Learning for National Development

This paper is concerned with roles of information and communication technology (ICT) in promoting quality teaching and learning for national development. Therefore, the paper suggests that; integrating ICT in teaching and learning process increases research and development, increase access to and improve the relevance and quality of education which in turn will improve human capital development. In addition, the paper also identifies some of the ways how integrating ICT in teaching and learning will improve national development, for instance, to integrate ICT into all the process of research and development in our institutions of learning and the country at large, integrating ICT right from foundation schools. The paper again states that; ICT integration in teaching and learning process is affected with numerous problems such as; shortage of technically experienced ICT teachers, inconsistent power supply, high cost of ICT equipment etc, while the paper recommends that; government of Nigeria should try to improve power supply or it should provide other alternative source of electrical energy, adequate funds needs to be provided by the government to procure ICT equipment’s, teachers needs to acquire adequate knowledge on ICT integration in teaching and learning process in order to produce educated generations that will help in national development of Nigeria.
Using Birth Cohort Data to Estimate Prenatal Chemical Exposures for All Births around the New Bedford Harbor Superfund Site in Massachusetts

Background: Children born near New Bedford, Massachusetts, have been prenatally exposed to multiple environmental chemicals, in part due to an older housing stock, maternal diet, and proximity to the New Bedford Harbor (NBH) Superfund site. Chemical exposure measures are not available for all births, limiting epidemiologic investigations and potential interventions. Objective: We linked biomonitoring data from the New Bedford Cohort (NBC) and birth record data to predict prenatal exposures for all contemporaneous area births. Methods: We used prenatal exposure biomarker data from the NBC, a population-based cohort of 788 mother–infant pairs born during 1993–1998 to mothers living near the NBH, linked to their corresponding Massachusetts birth record data, to build predictive models for cord serum polychlorinated biphenyls (expressed as a sum, ΣPCBs), p,p′-dichlorodiphenyl dichloroethylene (DDE), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), cord blood lead (Pb), and maternal hair mercury (Hg). We applied the best fit models (highest pseudo R2), with multivariable smooths of continuous variables, to predict exposure biomarkers for all 10,270 births during 1993–1998 around the NBH. We used 10-fold cross validation to validate the exposure models and the bootstrap method to characterize sampling variability in the exposure predictions. Results: The 10-fold cross-validated R2 for the ΣPCBs, DDE, HCB, Pb, and Hg exposure models were 0.54, 0.40, 0.34, 0.46, and 0.40, respectively. For each exposure model, multivariable smooths of continuous variables improved the fit compared with linear models. Other variables with significant effects on exposure estimates were paternal education, maternal race/ethnicity, and maternal ancestry. The resulting exposure predictions for all births had variability consistent with the NBC measured exposures. Conclusions: Predictive models using multivariable smoothing explained reasonable amounts of variance in prenatal exposure biomarkers. Our analyses suggest that prenatal chemical exposures can be predicted for all contemporaneous births in the same geographic area by modeling available biomarker data for a subset of that population. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP4849
Glaucoma After Corneal Trauma or Surgery—A Rapid, Inflammatory, IOP-Independent Pathway

Purpose: To review clinical aspects and cellular and molecular steps in the development of long-term glaucoma after corneal surgery or acute trauma—especially the pivotal role of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), the rapidity of the secondary damage to the retinal ganglion cells, and the clinical promise of early antiinflammatory intervention. Methods: A series of laboratory studies on post-injury and post-surgery glaucoma have been compared to clinical outcome studies on the subject, focusing particularly on the vulnerability of the retinal ganglion cells. Alkali burn to the cornea of mice and rabbits served as the main experimental model. TNF-α titer, ganglion cell apoptosis, and depletion of optic nerve axons have been examined. Anti-TNF-α antibodies or corticosteroids have been used to protect the retinal ganglion cells. Intraocular pressure (IOP) postburn was recorded by manometric methods. Results: In animals with alkali burn to the cornea, damage to the retina can occur within 24 to 72 hours. This is not because of a direct pH change posteriorly—the alkali is effectively buffered at the iris–lens level. Rather, TNF-α (and other inflammatory cytokines), generated anteriorly, rapidly diffuses posteriorly to cause apoptosis of the ganglion cells. During this time, the IOP remains much lower than the reported values required to cause ganglion cell damage. The TNF-α antibody infliximab or corticosteroids, if administered promptly, are markedly protective of the ganglion cells. Conclusions: A rapidly initiated, inflammatory (TNF-α mediated), IOP-independent pathway to glaucoma, resulting from acute anterior segment trauma or surgery, has been identified in laboratory studies. Prompt prophylactic treatment with antiinflammatory agents has been shown to be markedly neuroprotective of retinal ganglion cells, presumably capable of reducing the risk of late glaucoma.
Inflammation time-axis in aseptic loosening of total knee arthroplasty: A preliminary study

Objective Aseptic loosening (AL) is the most frequent long-term reason for revision of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) affecting about 15–20% patients within 20 years after the surgery. Although there is a solid body of evidence about the crucial role of inflammation in the AL pathogenesis, scared information on inflammation signature and its time-axis in tissues around TKA exists. Design The inflammation protein signatures in pseudosynovial tissues collected at revision surgery from patients with AL (AL, n = 12) and those with no clinical/radiographic signs of AL (non-AL, n = 9) were investigated by Proximity Extension Assay (PEA)-Immunoassay and immunohistochemistry. Results AL tissues had elevated levels of TNF-family members sTNFR2, TNFSF14, sFasL, sBAFF, cytokines/chemokines IL8, CCL2, IL1RA/IL36, sIL6R, and growth factors sAREG, CSF1, comparing to non-AL. High interindividual variability in protein levels was evident particularly in non-AL. Levels of sTNFR2, sBAFF, IL8, sIL6R, and MPO discriminated between AL and non-AL and were associated with the time from index surgery, suggesting the cumulative character of inflammatory osteolytic response to prosthetic byproducts. The source of elevated inflammatory molecules was macrophages and multinucleated osteoclast-like cells in AL and histiocytes and osteoclast-like cells in non-AL tissues, respectively. All proteins were present in higher levels in osteoclast-like cells than in macrophages. Conclusions Our study revealed a differential inflammation signature between AL and non-AL stages of TKA. It also highlighted the unique patient’s response to TKA in non-AL stages. Further confirmation of our preliminary results on a larger cohort is needed. Analysis of the time-axis of processes ongoing around TKA implantation may help to understand the mechanisms driving periprosthetic bone resorption needed for diagnostic/preventative strategies.
Extrahepatic Portal Venous Obstruction With Hepatic Enzyme Elevation Resembling Hepatitis in Patients With Cancer

Background/Aim: Chemotherapy is often halted due to abnormal liver function resembling hepatitis. But the cause can be extrahepatic portal venous obstruction (EHPVO) with hepatic enzyme elevation rather than being an adverse effect of chemotherapy. We investigated EHPVO with hepatic enzyme elevation in patients with cancer. Patients and Methods: Data of these hospitalized patients with solid tumors between January 2013 and September 2017 were collected. The criteria for study inclusion were: (i) Extrahepatic malignancy; (ii) computed tomographic scans showing a tumor with external compression of the extrahepatic portal vein; and (iii) serum aminotransferase (AST) or alanine transaminase (ALT) level three times above the normal value. Results: Thirteen out of 377 (3%) patients developed EHPVO with hepatic enzyme elevation, as demonstrated from computed tomographic scan. Four cases (31%) also had vascular thrombosis (three portal vein and one inferior vena cava). Serum AST increased from 34±11 to 169±94 U/l. ALT increased from 9±38 to 177±104 U/l. There was no relationship of EHPVO with viral markers and cirrhosis. Six cases received chemotherapy with liver function improvement. Conclusion: EHPVO occurred in patients with metastatic cancer, leading to hepatic enzyme elevation resembling hepatitis without hepatitis risk factors and cirrhosis. Before withholding chemotherapy due to hepatic enzyme elevation, the possibility of EHPVO should firstly be excluded.
Twenty years on: Myoclonus‐dystonia and ε‐sarcoglycan — neurodevelopment, channel, and signaling dysfunction

Myoclonus‐dystonia is a clinical syndrome characterized by a typical childhood onset of myoclonic jerks and dystonia involving the neck, trunk, and upper limbs. Psychiatric symptomatology, namely, alcohol dependence and phobic and obsessive‐compulsive disorder, is also part of the clinical picture. Zonisamide has demonstrated effectiveness at reducing both myoclonus and dystonia, and deep brain stimulation seems to be an effective and long‐lasting therapeutic option for medication‐refractory cases. In a subset of patients, myoclonus‐dystonia is associated with pathogenic variants in the epsilon‐sarcoglycan gene, located on chromosome 7q21, and up to now, more than 100 different pathogenic variants of the epsilon‐sarcoglycan gene have been described. In a few families with a clinical phenotype resembling myoclonus‐dystonia associated with distinct clinical features, variants have been identified in genes involved in novel pathways such as calcium channel regulation and neurodevelopment. Because of phenotypic similarities with epsilon‐sarcoglycan gene–related myoclonus‐dystonia, these conditions can be collectively classified as “myoclonus‐dystonia syndromes. ” In the present article, we present myoclonus‐dystonia caused by epsilon‐sarcoglycan gene mutations, with a focus on genetics and underlying disease mechanisms. Second, we review those conditions falling within the spectrum of myoclonus‐dystonia syndromes, highlighting their genetic background and involved pathways. Finally, we critically discuss the normal and pathological function of the epsilon‐sarcoglycan gene and its product, suggesting a role in the stabilization of the dopaminergic membrane via regulation of calcium homeostasis and in the neurodevelopmental process involving the cerebello‐thalamo‐pallido‐cortical network. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Risk factors for nutrition-related chronic disease among adults in Indonesia

Objective To conduct a secondary data analysis detailing the associations between sociodemographic and behavioral factors and nutrition-related chronic disease. Methods These analyses utilized 2014 data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey, a home-based survey that collected socioeconomic, dietary intake, physical activity, and biological data among adults. We explored four outcomes in relation to sociodemographic and behavioral determinants: 1) hypertension, 2) elevated high-sensitivity c-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and 3) central obesity, as these are critical metabolic determinants in the progression to cardiovascular disease, and 4) type 2 diabetes. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90mm or current use of antihypertensive medication. Elevated hs-CRP was defined as hs-CRP >3 mg/dL. Central obesity was defined as waist circumference ≥ 90 cm if male and waist circumference ≥ 80 cm if female, which are specific to South Asia. Type 2 diabetes was defined as glycated hemoglobin ≥ 6.5%. We employed separate gender-stratified multivariate logistic regression models to test the associations between sociodemographic and behavioral determinants and each nutrition-related chronic disease outcome. All analyses employed sampling weights, which account for the survey design. Results In 2014, about 30% of adults were hypertensive and one-fifth had elevated hs-CRP. Approximately 70% of women had central obesity and 11.6% of women and 8.9% of men had diabetes. Older-age was consistently associated with nutrition-related chronic disease and being overweight was associated with hypertension, elevated hs-CRP, and type 2 diabetes. Regularly consuming instant noodles (women) and soda (men) were associated with elevated hs-CRP and soda consumption was associated with central obesity among men. Conclusions Large segments of the adult population in Indonesia now have or are at risk for non-communicable disease. Our analyses provide preliminary empirical evidence that interventions that target healthful food intake (e.g. reduce the intake of ultra-processed foods) should be considered and that the reduction of overweight is critical for preventing chronic diseases in Indonesia.