Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultrasound Assessment Of Bladder Dysfunction In Children With Primary Nocturnal Enuresis Before And After Treatment Saneya

Introduction: The exact etiology of primary nocturnal enuresis is probably multi factorial and remains to be undetermined, ultrasound bladder measurements have the potential advantages of being highly reproducible, sensitive and non invasive. Objectives: to evaluate ultrasound role in assessment of bladder dysfunction in children with primary nocturnal enuresis before and after treatment. Patients and methods: this study included 30 children with primary nocturnal enuresis (NE) and 40 healthy children as a control group. Ultrasound measures of urinary bladder including :bladder volume index (BVI), bladder emptying efficiency (BEE), functional bladder capacity, bladder wall thickness (BT), bladder volume and wall thickness index (BVWI) before treatment with oxybutynin (anti cholinergic) drug and clomipramin (tricyclic anti-depressant) for three months and after treatment were assessed. Results: Although, there was statistically high significant difference between cases and control regarding mean bladder volume index (BVI), there was no improvement after treatment. The mean (BVWI) and (BEE) were improved in patients after administration of both oxybutynine and imipramine as well as the mean bladder wall thickness (BT). Post voiding residual volume were significantly more in NE patients than controls improved in patients after treatment. 53.3% of cases become completely dry, 26.7% showed partial improvement and 20% showed no improvement after treatment. Conclusion: Ultrasound measured bladder volume, bladder wall thickness and residual volume are strongly correlated to PNE and are highly predictive for response to therapy.
Agrobotanical, nutritional and bioactive potential of unconve___

Unconventional legumes are promising in terms of nu trition, providing food security, agricultural deve lopment and in crop rotation in developing countries. The wild leg ume, Mucuna consists of about 100 varieties/accessions and are in great demand as food, livestock feed and pharmaceut ically valued products. Mucuna seeds consist of high protein, high carbohydrates, high fiber, low lipids, adequate min erals and meet the requirement of essential aminoac ids. The seeds also possess good functional properties and in vitro protein digestibility. Hydrothermal treatments, fe rm ntation and germination have been shown to be most effective in r ducing the antinutrients of Mucuna seeds. Several antinutritional compounds of Mucuna seeds serve in health care and considerable intere st has been drawn towards their antioxidant properties and potential health benefits. All parts of Mucuna plant are reported to possess useful phytochemical s of high medicinal value of human and veterinary importance and also constitute as an important raw m terial in Ayurvedic and folk medicines. Mucuna seeds constitute as a good source of several alkaloids, antioxidants, a ntitumor and antibacterial compounds. Seeds are the major source of L-DOPA, which serve as a potential drug in providin g symptomatic relief for Parkinson's disease. As cu ltivar differences in Mucuna influences the quantity of L-DOPA and lectin in se eds, future investigations should direct towards th e selection of germplasm with low L-DOPA and lectin f or human and animal consumption, while high L-DOPA for pharmaceutical purposes. Inexpensive means of proce ssing techniques needs to be implemented to exploit the nutraceutical potential of Mucuna for the benefit of poor and rural development in d eveloping countries.
Latitudinal differences in the circadian system of Nasonia vitripennis

Daily and seasonal environmental changes are initiated by gradual variation of temperature and day length, following different patterns across a latitudinal cline. These recurring events are predictable by an adaptive circadian clock. The circadian clock times molecular, physiological and behavioural processes in near all organism on a daily and annual bases and can synchronise to the environment, mainly by light. The circadian core clock mechanism is conserved through various organisms like bacteria, insects and mammals. Strategies how the circadian and annual timing system interact to anticipate to different environment and its specific conditions are divers and species specific. With this thesis we have investigated the circadian clock of Nasonia vitripennis, a small cosmopolitan parasitoid wasp. Our interest was the ability of the circadian clock to adapt to different environments and day lengths (as at different latitudes) and the mechanism that drives this adaptation and seasonal timing. For this purpose we performed comparative studies between two European Nasonia lines, one from Finland and one from France. Our results let us assume that probably a natural mutation of a specific clock gene leads to a longer internal period in the northern Nasonia which allows them to enter diapause (= dormancy) earlier in the year so they can survive the harsher winter condition in polar regions. Additionally, in order to enable daily circadian adaptation, it seems that the northern line is more sensitive to light, resulting in a daily reset of the internal clock by light.
Estimating the Large-Scale Structure of the Universe Using Quasi-Stellar Object Carbon Absorbers

Galaxies have long been known to form large clusters, and cosmologists are interested in characterizing this clustering as a way of studying the large-scale structure of the universe. This work is motivated by a data catalog consisting of information on lines of sight from Earth to distant quasi-stellar objects (QSO’s) and the carbon IV absorbers that lie on them. The absorbers are believed to be gas clouds near galaxies too far away to be easily observed. Thus, the absorber catalog provides a unique and interesting way to examine the large-scale structure of the universe. On large scales previous studies have mainly used pairs of absorbers on the same lines of sight to obtain estimates describing the clustering of absorbers. It is clear that absorbers on different lines of sight contain information about the degree of clustering. We develop an adaptation of the rigid motion corrected estimator of the reduced second-moment function for the absorber catalog taking into account the across-line-of-sight information. We show how to compute this estimator ef ciently using the weights for an isotropic estimator proposed in a recent study. We also show how the modi ed versions of the rigid motion estimators can be obtained. Simulations suggest that using the modi ed rigid motion correction estimator may reduce standard errors by 5–20% on scales from 50 to 250 h¡1 Mpc for a set of 100 lines of sight.
Predicting the Presence of Industrial Odors Using Crowdsourced and Air Quality Monitoring Data

Designing crowdsourcing platforms that afford collaboratively forming scientific knowledge to support community empowerment is a challenging task. In our case, Pittsburgh residents have suffered from poor air quality problems for a long time. However, the residents lack the technological fluency to report and track where industrial pollution odors are frequently concentrated. We present Smell Pittsburgh, a crowdsourced mobile application for citizens to reporting and visualizing pollution odors. The application generates push notifications on mobile devices to encourage users to submit smell reports. The underlying logic for generating notifications is a probabilistic graphical model. We collect and model air quality and user behavior data in a Gaussian Markov random field. The graph structure is learned via graphical Lasso and shows that the number of smell reports are related to total reactive nitrogen and carbon monoxide from two monitoring stations. Finally, we apply loopy Gaussian belief propagation to inference and predict the number of smell reports, which implies the presence of industrial odors.
Nanocellulose-based fibres derived from palm oil by-products and their in vitro biocompatibility analysis

Abstract Fibres with nanocellulose isolated from oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFBs) were produced. Nanocellulose and PVA-nanocellulose fibres were prepared by wet spinning in an acetone coagulation bath without drawing. The addition of nanocellulose was varied from 10% to 30%, to reveal the beneficial effects of nanocellulose content on the properties of produced spun-fibres. Higher concentration of nanocellulose increased the stiffness of spun-fibres. PVA and PVA-bacterial cellulose fibres were also produced as a control and for comparison, respectively. The nanocellulose fibre formed a compact structure, while PVA fibres had hollow structures. The effect of the produced spun-fibres on the biocompatibility of calf pulmonary artery endothelial cells was assayed by an MTT test. Based on the MTT assay the addition of nanocellulose increased the percentage of cell viability of the obtained spun-fibres slightly. These results point towards the use of sustainable sources of nanocellulose as a beneficial and biocompatible fibre material.
Therapeutic effect and prognostic life quality of renal denervation therapy and nifedipine combined with metoprolol tartrate in the treatment of resistant hypertension

Objective: This study aimed to explore the therapeutic effect and prognostic life quality of renal denervation therapy (RDN) and nifedipine combined with metoprolol tartrate in the treatment of resistant hypertension. Methods: 90 cases with resistant hypertension in our hospital were randomly divided into observation group and control group with 45 cases in each group. The observation group was treated with RDN and nifedipine combined with metoprolol tartrate, while the control group was treated with RDN and nifedipine. The therapeutic effect, the systolic and diastolic blood pressure before and after treatment, and the incidence of adverse reactions were observed. The prognostic life quality was evaluated by SF-36. The risk factors of ineffective treatment were analyzed by multivariate Logistic regression. Results: SBP and DBP in the two groups after treatment were lower than those before treatment (P<0.05). SBP and DBP after treatment, as well as total incidence of adverse reactions in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate and scores of eight dimensions in the observation group was higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The univariate analysis showed that there were obvious differences in age, course of disease, BMI, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, blood glucose, white blood cell count and treatment methods between the two groups (P<0.05). The multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the course of disease, BMI, blood glucose and LDL-C were the risk factors of ineffective treatment. Conclusion: RDN and nifedipine combined with metoprolol tartrate have better antihypertensive effect and therapeutic effect, lower incidence of adverse reactions, and higher prognostic life quality in the treatment of resistant hypertension. The course of disease, BMI, blood glucose and LDL-C are the risk factors of ineffective treatment.
Intergranular Attack in Welded Stress-Corrosion Resistant Stainless Steels

Although austenitic stainless steels have excellent corrosion resistance in a wide variety of media, they exhibit a high susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) in hot aqueous environments containing chloride or hydroxyl ions. Industrial interest has, therefore, been increasing in ferritic and duplex-structured stainless steels (containing 17-27% chromium with 0-5%Ni) which are resistant to stress corrosion cracking. Despite their resistance to SCC, the conventional ferritic stainless steels containing about 17%Cr possess several disadvantages; in particular, their welded joints may show excessive grain growth and embritt lement, and sensitivity to intergranular corrosion. '
EFFECT ON DNA REPAIR GENES TRANSCRIPTION IN CULTURED CELLS OF 2.45 GHZ MICROWAVE EXPOSURE

The aim of the study is to investigate, in vitro, the effect of 2.45 GHz continuous (CW) and pulsed (PW) electromagnetic field exposure combined with a known mutagen on the induction of enzymes implicated in the DNA repair pathway. Microwaves do not create bonds breaks within molecules and there is no clear hypothesis for a possible mechanism supporting a biological action. Nevertheless, an indirect influence of microwaves during an intermediary step of the complex sequence of events involved in mutagenesis cannot yet be excluded. Highly sensitive real-time RTqPCR was used to monitor transcriptional variations of DNA repair genes. The experiments were carried out using the monocyte human cell line THP1 with the genotoxic compound 4-nitroquinolineN-oxide (4-NQO). The carrier frequency was 2.45 GHz CW and PW (1 kHz repetition time, 10 % duty cycle) with the same power density corresponding to an average SAR value of 0.19 W/kg in the biological samples. Non exposed (sham) and exposed (PW and CW) cell culture plates (N=6 for each condition) were incubated simultaneously in three identical incubators in the presence of 4-NQO, under shaking, at 37°C. Specially designed incubators were integrated in three identical anechoic chambers equipped with waveguide antennas. Care was taken to increase the reproducibility of the experiments and to avoid false positive or misinterpretation of the results. The presence or the absence of the electromagnetic field was the only difference between the sham and exposed assays. The different exposure conditions were applied alternatively in the three anechoics chambers in order to avoid cage effects. The temperature inside the cell plates was measured with an optic fiber probe (Luxtron). Numerical dosimetry was calculated using the Finite Difference Time Domain method. A time-scaled form of the heat transfer equation allowed to calculate the temperature distribution inside the petri dishes. Interactions between the electromagnetic fields and the Plexiglas multi-blade structure of the incubator have to be considered. The SAR distribution and the temperature depends on the petri dishes positions. The exposure power level was controlled and didn’t induce temperature increases in the cell culture medium. First, the genes implicated in DNA repair after 4-NQO treatment were screened using thematic human DNA repair GEArray (SuperArray). Four targets dramatically modified at the transcriptional level were chosen : APEX, RAD 54, RAD52, MSH6. The expression of these genes normalised using geometric average of three internal control genes (PPIA, ACTB and HPRT) was assessed using a LightCycler real-time PCR device. Each experiment was reproducibly repeated 3 times. In our experimental conditions, after the RT-PCR quantification of the target genes expression, no effect of CW and PW 2.45 GHz microwave was observed on the reactivity of the cell DNA repair system induced by the treatment with a known mutagenic agent. Research supported by the state organization supervising the manufacture and sale of armaments (DGA).
Abstract. PTEN inactivation is a frequent event in onco- genesis. Multiple regulatory mechanisms such as promoter hypermethylation, antisense regulation, histone modifications, targeting by microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) and regulation by transcription factors have all been shown to affect the tumor suppre

PTEN inactivation is a frequent event in oncogenesis. Multiple regulatory mechanisms such as promoter hypermethylation, antisense regulation, histone modifications, targeting by microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) and regulation by transcription factors have all been shown to affect the tumor suppressor functions of PTEN. More recently, the functional involvement of competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in miRNA-dependent and coding-independent regulation of genes shed light on the highly nuanced control of PTEN expression. The present study has identified and validated DNA methyltransferase 3β (DNMT3B) and TET methylcytosine dioxygenase 3 (TET3) as novel ceRNAs of PTEN, with which they share multiple miRNAs, in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells. miR‐4465 was identified and characterized as a miRNA that directly targets and regulates all 3 transcripts via their 3'untranslated regions (3'UTRs) through a combination of luciferase reporter assays, abrogation of miRNA response elements (MREs) via site-directed mutagenesis, target protection of MREs with locked nucleic acids, RT-qPCR assays and western blot analysis. Competitive miRNA sequestration was demonstrated upon reciprocal 3'UTR overexpression and siRNA-mediated knockdown of their respective transcripts. Overexpression of DNMT3B or TET3 3'UTR promoted apoptosis and decreased migratory capacity, potentially because of shared miRNA sequestration and subsequent activation of PTEN expression. Knockdown of TET3 and DNMT3B decoupled their protein-coding from miRNA-dependent, coding-independent functions. Furthermore, the findings suggested that the phenotypic outcome of ceRNAs is dictated largely by the number of shared miRNAs, and predictably, by the existence of other ceRNA networks in which they participate. Taken together, the findings of the present study identified DNMT3B and TET3 as novel ceRNAs of PTEN that may impact its dose-sensitive tumor suppressive function.
The effects of dexmedetomidine on activin A and neuron specific enolase in the serum of patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass

Objective: This paper aimed to investigate the effects of dexmedetomidine on activin A (ActA) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) in the serum of patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). Methods: Altogether 56 patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB were enrolled and evenly included into a control group and a study group. The patients in the study group were administrated dexmedetomidine, while those in the control group were administrated the same volume of normal saline. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess the patients’ cognitive function before each operation (Ta), and at 10 days (Tb), 20 days (Tc), and 30 days after each operation (Td). The incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in the patients was measured at 3, 7, 21, and 30 days after each operation. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to measure the levels of serum ActA and NSE in the patients before each operation (T1), and at 6 h (T2), 12 h (T3), and 24 h after each operation (T4). The Pearson method was used to analyze the correlations between the ActA and NSE levels and the MMSE scores, as well as between the serum ActA levels and the NSE levels. Results: At T2, T3, and T4, the MMSE scores in the study group were significantly higher than they were in the control group (P<0.05). At 3, 7, and 21 days after each operation, the incidence of POCD in the study group was significantly lower than it was in the control group (P<0.05). At T2, T3, and T4, the ActA and NSE levels in the study group were significantly lower than they were in the control group (P<0.05). The serum ActA and NSE levels were significantly negatively correlated with the MMSE scores (r=-0.572, P<0.05, r=-0.549, P<0.05); the serum ActA levels were significantly positively correlated with the NSE levels (r=0.552, P<0.05). Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine can reduce the incidence of POCD in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with CPB, which may be related to the reduction of the serum ActA and NSE levels.
A systematic elucidation of the sanguinarine mechanism in human disease using network pharmacology

Sanguinarine (SNG), [C20H14NO4] +, is a quaternary benzo phenanthridine alkaloid, which can be discovered in many Papaveraceae plants. It is chiefly collected from the roots of the hematogenous plant, the seeds of the Mexican prickly poppy, and the leaves and fruits of the plume poppy. There is no systematic analysis of its pharmacological mechanism yet. The TCMSP was used to evaluate the medicinal properties of SNG. The potential target of SNG was determined using the Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD). Utilizing the WebGestalt website, the pathways of Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) were analyzed. For visual observation, a drug-target-pathway network was established using Cytoscape. Our results indicated that SNG has excellent drug potency with 50 hypothetical target genes. Through an analysis of GO, KEGG, and the drug network, these targets were associated with apoptosis, platinum drug resistance, the p53 signaling pathways, pathways in cancer, and so on. SNG is predicted to play a systematic pharmacological role in a network of multiple targeted proteins and pathways.
Compositional and functional quality evaluation of Egyptian and Saudi triticale cultivars

Eleven triticale cultivars grown at two different locations namely; Egypt and Saudi Arabia were evaluated and compared. The effects of location and cultivar on thousand kernel weight, proximate composition, mineral content, anti-oxidants content and color of triticale cultivars were determined. Significant differences among tested lines in most of the studied characters were reported. The thousand kernel weights of triticale grown at Saudi Arabia were significantly higher than that of triticale grown in Egypt. Proximate composition i.e. dry matter; protein, ash, fat, fiber, and carbohydrates showed significant differences illustrating the effect of genetic as well as environmental factors. A wide range of mineral elements in varying concentration were detected in the tested samples but the most abundant was potassium 275.00+0.00 to 383.50+0.71ppm followed by phosphorus 75.00+0.40 to 245.30+1.84 ppm. Total phenolic content of the tested cultivars ranged from 1.54 to 2.35 mg GAE/g as measured by Folin–Ciocalteau method. DPPH radical scavenging activities (RSA) of the Saudi triticales were all higher than the Egyptian cultivar. The free RSA as a proportional of total estimated RSA ranged from 41.98% for ST07 to 48.84% for ET21. Compared to free RSA, higher levels of bound RSA were found in all samples. Tested cultivars varied in color where, ST20 showed the highest lightness 42.70 and ET21 exhibited the darkest color 34.70. Total phenolic content of tested triticale cultivars were negatively correlated at 0.05 level with degree of lightness. Significant differences in total flavonoids content were found in all triticale cultivars. Two of the developed lines showed higher values for corresponding flavoniods than all other developed lines and the Egyptian cultivar as well. Triticale cultivars possessing higher concentrations of trace minerals and polyphones could be explored for commercial exploitation and may serve as sources of valuable phenolics for food and nutraceutical applications.