181 research outputs found
Advancing public health: enabling culture-fair and education-independent automated cognitive assessment in low- and middle-income countries
No full textCITATION Garuma D, Lamba D, Abessa TG and Bonnechère B () Advancing public health: enabling culture-fair and education-independent automated cognitive assessment in low-and middle-income countries.The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the NASCERE program
Edible fungi consumed by the Lamba and Bemba people of Haut-Katanga (DR Congo)
No full textThe objective of this work is to establish a list of species of edible fungi consumed by the Lamba and Bemba people of Haut-Katanga (DR Congo). This study contributes to the valorization of edible fungi gathered in the miombo woodlands of Haut-Katanga. A survey was conducted among Lamba and Bemba people of the peri-urban area of Lubumbashi. The first author conducted structured and semi-structured surveys among 331 people, mostly women aged 30-50.
The results show the existence of thirty-eight edible species belonging to 9 genera and 8 families. The majority is ectomycorrhizal (66%) followed by Termitomyces (21%), while only a few are saprotrophic (13%). Lamba and Bemba people consume all taxa. Twenty-three local names have been recorded in their respective languages, i.e., Kilamba and Kibemba, two closely related Bantu languages belonging to the family’s Eastern clade. The Lamba and Bemba do not consume species of the genera Russula (Russulaceae) and Boletus (Boletaceae). We succeeded in reconstructing the conceptualization underlying the creation of several Kibemba and Kilamba mushroom names. Popular and scientific taxonomies rarely overlap: one and the same species may have different names in Kilamba and Kibemba, while one and the same name in Kilamba and/or Kibemba is often used for several congeneric species. Species considered toxic and not consumed do not have a Kilamba or Kibemba name of their own. Instead, they are collectively referred to by a term fyana fya bene, literally meaning “big (dangerous) children of them” and signaling that local consumers reject those species
Vaya que lo lamba un sapo
No full textVaya que lo lamba un sapo se encuentra conformado por seis cuentos independientes, que pueden conectarse por medio de la aparición de personajes recurrentes. Dichos relatos no comparten temáticas realmente claras: cada historia pretende ser distinta, pues, son vivencias especiales, y probablemente únicas, que dotan de un sentido singular a cada personaje. Sin embargo, la colección de cuentos se entrelaza bajo una propuesta estética que, a pesar de ser claramente realista, tiende a guiarse por valores grotescos, absurdos y cómicos hasta el punto de rayar en lo fantástico. Asimismo, pretende ejemplificar una corriente lingüística clara que dota de color y tono los distintos niveles en donde se desarrollan las narrativas. Tales tendencias, por las que la autora se inclina, se ven permeadas por un estilo laxo e inteligible que permite un acercamiento sencillo a los distintos relatos y una comprensión clara de lo expuesto. No obstante, esa fácil accesibilidad no le arrebata a los cuentos su capacidad de alterar y conmover al lectorVaya que lo lamba un sapo is made of up six independent stories, that can be connected by recurrent characters. These stories don't share clear themes: each tale pretend to be different, because they are special and unique experiences that give to each character a remarkable meaning. Nevertheless, the tales collection intertwines under an aesthetic proposal that, despite being clearly realistic, tends to be guided by grotesque, absurd and comic values bordering on the fantastic. Likewise, it aims to exemplify a clear linguistic current that gives color and tone to the different levels where the narratives unfold. Such tendencies, towards which the author leans, are permeated by a loose and intelligible style that allows a simple approach to the different stories and a clear understanding of what is exposed. However, this easy accessibility does not rob stories of their ability to alter and move the readerLiteratoPregrad
Functional Characterization of Human ProNGF and NGF Mutants: Identification of NGF P61SR100E as a “Painless” Lead Investigational Candidate for Therapeutic Applications
No full textNerve Growth Factor (NGF) holds a great therapeutic promise for Alzheimer's disease, diabetic neuropathies, ophthalmic diseases, dermatological ulcers. However, the necessity for systemic delivery has hampered the clinical applications of NGF due to its potent pro-nociceptive action. A “painless” human NGF (hNGF R100E) mutant has been engineered. It has equal neurotrophic potency to hNGF but a lower nociceptive activity. We previously described and characterized the neurotrophic and nociceptive properties also of the hNGF P61S and P61SR100E mutants, selectively detectable against wild type hNGF. However, the reduced pain-sensitizing potency of the “painless” hNGF mutants has not been quantified., demonstrating an expanded therapeutic window with a ten-fold increase in potency.This structure-activity relationship study has led to validate the concept of developing painless NGF as a therapeutic, targeting the NGF receptor system and supporting the choice of hNGF P61S R100E as the best candidate to advance in clinical development. Moreover, this study contributes to the identification of the molecular determinants modulating the properties of the hNGF “painless” mutants
Author-Topic Modeling of DESIDOC Journal of Library and Information Technology (2008-2017), India
No full textThis study presents a method to analyze textual data and applying it to the field of Library and Information Science. This paper subsumes a special case of Latent Dirichlet Allocation and Author-Topic models where each article has one unique author and each author has one unique topic. Topic Modeling Toolkit is used to perform the author-topic modeling. The study further which considers topics and their changes over time by taking into account both the word co-occurrence pattern and time. 393 full-text articles were downloaded from DESIDOC Journal of Library and Information Technology and were analyzed accordingly. 16 core topics have been identified throughout the period of ten years. These core topics can be considered as the core area of research in the journal from 2008 to 2017. This paper further identifies top five authors associated with the representative articles for each studied year. These authors can be treated as the subject-experts for the modeled topics as indicated. The results of the study can serve as a platform to determine the research trend; core areas of research; and the subject-experts related to those core areas in the field the Library and Information Science in India
Mutational Profiling of Cancer Candidate Genes in Glioblastoma, Melanoma and Pancreatic Carcinoma Reveals a Snapshot of Their Genomic Landscapes
No full textA recent systematic analysis of 18.191 well annotated coding sequences (RefSeq) in breast and colorectal cancers has led to the identification of somatic mutations in 1.718 genes (Wood et al., 2007). Based on statistical parameters 280 of these have been denominated candidate cancer (CAN) genes. This analysis has provided an interesting snapshot of the landscape of tumor genomes by showing that they contain a few frequently mutated genes (denominated 'mountains'). On the contrary, the large majority of CAN genes are altered at low frequency (designated 'hills'). Whether 'hill' type CAN genes are tumor specific is largely unknown. To address this question we evaluated the mutational profiles of 27 'hill' CAN genes in glioblastoma, melanoma and pancreatic carcinoma by sequencing the exons previously found mutated by Wood and colleagues. Only 4 of the breast/colorectal 'hill' type CAN genes (SMAD4, MYO18B, NAV3 and MMP2) were also mutated in melanoma and pancreatic carcinoma, while none was altered in glioblastoma. These results suggest that 'hill' type CAN genes are not frequently shared by different tumor types and that their mutation patterns are tissue specific. Tumor-specific genome wide mutational profiling will be required to identify 'hill' type CAN genes that characterize the genomic landscapes of each cancer lineage. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, In
Functional Characterization of Human ProNGF and NGF Mutants: Identification of NGF P61SR100E as a "Painless" Lead Investigational Candidate for Therapeutic Applications.
No full textNerve Growth Factor (NGF) holds a great therapeutic promise for Alzheimer's disease, diabetic neuropathies, ophthalmic diseases, dermatological ulcers. However, the necessity for systemic delivery has hampered the clinical applications of NGF due to its potent pro-nociceptive action. A "painless" human NGF (hNGF R100E) mutant has been engineered. It has equal neurotrophic potency to hNGF but a lower nociceptive activity. We previously described and characterized the neurotrophic and nociceptive properties also of the hNGF P61S and P61SR100E mutants, selectively detectable against wild type hNGF. However, the reduced pain-sensitizing potency of the "painless" hNGF mutants has not been quantified.Aiming at the therapeutic application of the "painless" hNGF mutants, we report on the comparative functional characterization of the precursor and mature forms of the mutants hNGF R100E and hNGF P61SR100E as therapeutic candidates, also in comparison to wild type hNGF and to hNGF P61S. The mutants were assessed by a number of biochemical, biophysical methods and assayed by cellular assays. Moreover, a highly sensitive ELISA for the detection of the P61S-tagged mutants in biological samples has been developed. Finally, we explored the pro-nociceptive effects elicited by hNGF mutants in vivo, demonstrating an expanded therapeutic window with a ten-fold increase in potency.This structure-activity relationship study has led to validate the concept of developing painless NGF as a therapeutic, targeting the NGF receptor system and supporting the choice of hNGF P61S R100E as the best candidate to advance in clinical development. Moreover, this study contributes to the identification of the molecular determinants modulating the properties of the hNGF "painless" mutants
IN VITRO RECEPTOR BINDING PROPERTIES OF A "PAINLESS" NGF MUTEIN, LINKED TO HEREDITARY SENSORY AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY TYPE V
No full textNerve Growth Factor (NGF) signalling is mediated by the TrkA and p75NTR receptors. Besides its neurotrophic and survival activities, NGF displays a potent pro-nociceptive activity. Recently, a missense point mutation was found in the NGFB gene (C661T, leading to the aminoacid substitution R100W) of individuals affected by a form of hereditary loss of pain perception (hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type V, HSAN V). In order to gain insights into the functional consequences of the HSAN V NGF mutation, two sets of hNGFR100 mutants were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified, as mature NGF or proNGF, for in vitro receptor binding studies. Here, we show by Surface Plasmon Resonance analysis that the R100 mutation selectively disrupts binding of hNGF to p75NTR receptor, to an extent which depends on the substituting residue at position 100, while the affinity of hNGFR100 mutants for TrkA receptor is not affected. As for unprocessed hproNGF, the binding of the R100 variants to p75NTR receptor shows only a limited impairment, showing that the impact of the R100 mutation on p75NTR receptor binding is greater in the context of mature, processed hNGF. These results provide a basis for elucidating the mechanisms underlying the clinical manifestations of HSAN V patients, and provide a basis for the development of "painless" hNGF molecules with therapeutic potential
Novel somatic and germline mutations in cancer candidate genes in glioblastoma, melanoma, and pancreatic carcinoma
No full textA recent systematic sequence analysis of well-annotated human protein coding genes or consensus coding sequences led to the identification of 189 genes displaying somatic mutations in breast and colorectal cancers. Based on their mutation prevalence, a subset of these genes was identified as cancer candidate (CAN) genes as they could be potentially involved in cancer. We evaluated the mutational profiles of 19 CAN genes in the highly aggressive tumors: glioblastoma, melanoma, and pancreatic carcinoma. Among other changes, we found novel somatic mutations in EPHA3, MLL3, TECTA, FBXW7, and OBSCN, affecting amino acids not previously found to be mutated in human cancers. Interestingly, we also found a germline nucleotide variant of OBSCN that was previously reported as a somatic mutation. Our results identify specific genetic lesions in glioblastoma, melanoma, and pancreatic cancers and indicate that CAN genes and their mutational profiles are tumor specific. Some of the mutated genes, such as the tyrosine kinase EPHA3, are clearly amenable to pharmacologic intervention and could represent novel therapeutic targets for these incurable cancers. We also speculate that similar to other oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, mutations affecting OBSCN could be involved in cancer predispositio
Effect of virtual reality-based upper limb training on activity of daily living and quality of life among stroke survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textBackground Stroke is a leading cause of disability worldwide, significantly impairing upper limb (UL) function and reducing patients' ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life (QoL). Virtual reality (VR) has emerged as a promising tool; for UL rehabilitation, offering immersive and engaging environments for motor recovery. However, the effectiveness of VR, its integration with conventional therapy, and their efficacy across different stroke recovery stages remain unclear. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of VR-based UL interventions in improving ADL and QoL among stroke survivors. Method This study adhered to PRISMA guidelines and was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42023426256). A systematic search of PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in English. Inclusion criteria focused on studies using immersive VR (IVR) and non-immersive VR (NIVR) interventions to assess ADL and QoL in stroke survivors. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed independently by two reviewers using the PEDro scale to assess quality. Meta-analyses were conducted to determine the efficacy. Subgroup analyses were performed to compare IVR and NIVR, VR combined with conventional therapy versus standalone VR, and potential differences between stroke recovery stages. Result Thirty RCTs, representing 1,661 participants, were included. Overall, VR interventions significantly improved ADL (SMD = 0.27, 95% CI [0.11; 0.43], p < 0.001) and QoL (SMD = 0.94 [0.09; 1.79], p = 0.035) compared to conventional therapy. IVR demonstrated superior outcomes for ADL compared to NIVR (SMD = 0.54 [0.13; 0.95] Vs. 0.17 [0.02; 0.36], p = 0.03). Subacute stroke survivors exhibited the most significant gains in ADL (SMD = 0.52 [0.16; 0.88], p = 0.004), compared to chronic (SMD = 0.05 [-0.36; 0.46]) or acute patients (SMD = 0.08 [-0.11; 0.27]). Conclusion VR interventions, particularly IVR and VR combined with conventional therapy, significantly enhance ADL and QoL in stroke survivors with moderate certainty of evidence. These findings underscore the value of VR in rehabilitation, especially during the subacute phase, but highlight the need for further research into long-term effects and implementation in low-resource settings.Funding
The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the NASCERE program.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to express appreciation to all the NASCERE project coordinators and their teams, at Ghent University, Hasselt University and Jimma University, for the funding and other facilities
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