Dataset of biopellet characteristics from various lignocellulosic agricultural waste and shrubs produced using different method.

The data presented here is the characteristics of biopellets and its raw materials. The raw materials of lignocellulosic waste (coffee skin, corncob, patchouli waste) and shrubs ( and ) were collected from certain districts in Indonesia which provided quite abundant stocks of these raw materials. The raw material preparation and pelletization at room temperature (25 °C) using a manual press machine were carried out at Hasanuddin University, Makassar, Indonesia.

Optimizing Healthcare Expenditure for Spinal Cord Stimulation in Italy: The Value of Battery Longevity Improvement and a Direct-to-Implant Approach.

Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a treatment for chronic intractable pain powered by an implantable pulse generator that may be rechargeable or not rechargeable (NR). It is performed in 2 stages (a trialing phase followed by permanent device implantation) and necessitates 2 hospitalizations, which may increase infection risk. This analysis explores the cost impact of improvements in battery longevity and the adoption of 1-step (direct-to-implant [DTI]) SCS implantation.

Genetic variation in the dopamine system is associated with mixed-strategy decision-making in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Decision-making during mixed-strategy games requires flexibly adapting choice strategies in response to others' actions and dynamically tracking outcomes. Such decisions involve diverse cognitive processes, including reinforcement learning, which are affected by disruptions to the striatal dopamine system. We therefore investigated how genetic variation in dopamine function affected mixed-strategy decision-making in Parkinson's disease (PD), which involves striatal dopamine pathology.

Enhancement of the Mechanical, Self-Healing and Pollutant Adsorption Properties of Mortar Reinforced with Empty Fruit Bunches and Shell Chars of Oil Palm.

This study aims to produce mortar through the addition of oil palm shells (OPS)-activated charcoal and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) hydrochar, which has high mechanical properties, self-healing crack capabilities, and pollutant adsorption abilities. The cracking of mortar and other cementitious materials is essential in anticipating and reducing building damages and ages due to various reasons, such as chemical reactions, foundation movements, climatic changes, and environmental stresses. This leads to the creation of self-healing mortar, which is produced by adding reductive crack size materials to form calcium carbonate (CaCO) and silicate hydrate (3CaO.

Long-term Inhibition of Soleus H-reflex with Epidural Adhesiolysis and Pulsed Radiofrequency in Lumbosacral Neuropathic Pain.

Introduction: Scientific data about neurophysiological changes subsequent to pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) are still lacking. The goal of this study was to evaluate sural nerve conduction and Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex) in soleus muscle following adhesiolysis and PRF in patients with unilateral chronic lumbosacral L5-S1 neuropathic radiating pain.

Methods: Seventeen patients received two cycles of 240 seconds high-voltage PRF and epidural adhesiolysis.

Integrated robotics platform with haptic control differentiates subjects with Parkinson's disease from controls and quantifies the motor effects of levodopa.

Background: The use of integrated robotic technology to quantify the spectrum of motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease (PD) has the potential to facilitate objective assessment that is independent of clinical ratings. The purpose of this study is to use the KINARM exoskeleton robot to (1) differentiate subjects with PD from controls and (2) quantify the motor effects of dopamine replacement therapies (DRTs).

Methods: Twenty-six subjects (Hoehn and Yahr mean 2.

Electrocatheter-mediated High-voltage Pulsed Radiofrequency of the Dorsal Root Ganglion in the Treatment of Chronic Lumbosacral Neuropathic Pain: A Randomized Controlled Study.

Objectives: Despite the interest in scientific community, there is still poor evidence about pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) efficacy in the treatment of neuropathic pain. In order to determine whether high-voltage PRF and epidural adhesiolysis (PRF-EA) showed better results than epidural adhesiolysis alone (EA), a randomized, double-blind, comparative-effectiveness study was conducted in patients with chronic lumbosacral radiating pain and neuropathic features.

Materials And Methods: A total of 41 patients were randomly allocated to 2 groups.

Interventional treatment for neuropathic pain due to combined cervical radiculopathy and carpal tunnel syndrome: a case report.

The coexistence of median and cervical nerve root damage might hide a complex pathophysiology. Here, we describe and discuss the case of a patient suffering from numbness and painful tingling of the hand, whose symptoms were effectively treated with pulsed radiofrequency and epidural administration of bupivacaine and morphine.

Combined epidural morphine and bupivacaine in the treatment of lumbosacral radicular neuropathic pain: a noncontrolled prospective study.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effectiveness of epidural morphine and bupivacaine in patients with chronic lumbosacral radicular neuropathic pain after the cessation of treatment.

Methods: Twenty-two patients with chronic lumbosacral pain with neuropathic features were enrolled. An indwelling catheter was placed into the epidural space, and each patient received an epidural injection of morphine chlorhydrate and bupivacaine up to three times a day.

Disruption of pupil size modulation correlates with voluntary motor preparation deficits in Parkinson's disease.

Pupil size is an easy-to-measure, non-invasive method to index various cognitive processes. Although a growing number of studies have incorporated measures of pupil size into clinical investigation, there have only been limited studies in Parkinson's disease (PD). Convergent evidence has suggested PD patients exhibit cognitive impairment at or soon after diagnosis.

Effectiveness of pulsed radiofrequency with multifunctional epidural electrode in chronic lumbosacral radicular pain with neuropathic features.

Background: Lumbosacral radicular pain is a common clinical finding with a statistical prevalence ranging from 9.9% to 25% in the general population.

Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of dorsal root ganglion pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) in patients with chronic lumbosacral radicular pain and neuropathic features.

PAN's Labyrinth: Molecular biology of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) PAN RNA, a multifunctional long noncoding RNA.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is an oncogenic γ-herpesivrus, the causative agent of Kaposi's sarcoma and body cavity lymphomas. During infection KSHV produces a highly abundant long non-coding polyadenylated RNA that is retained in the nucleus known as PAN RNA. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNA) are key regulators of gene expression and are known to interact with specific chromatin modification complexes, working in cis and trans to regulate gene expression.

Maintenance and replication of the human cytomegalovirus genome during latency.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) can establish latent infection in hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) or CD14 (+) monocytes. While circularized viral genomes are observed during latency, how viral genomes persist or which viral factors contribute to genome maintenance and/or replication is unclear. Previously, we identified a HCMV cis-acting viral maintenance element (TR element) and showed that HCMV IE1 exon 4 mRNA is expressed in latently infected HPCs.

Cis and trans acting factors involved in human cytomegalovirus experimental and natural latent infection of CD14 (+) monocytes and CD34 (+) cells.

The parameters involved in human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) latent infection in CD14 (+) and CD34 (+) cells remain poorly identified. Using next generation sequencing we deduced the transcriptome of HCMV latently infected CD14 (+) and CD34 (+) cells in experimental as well as natural latency settings. The gene expression profile from natural infection in HCMV seropositive donors closely matched experimental latency models, and included two long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), RNA4.

Phosphorylation of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus processivity factor ORF59 by a viral kinase modulates its ability to associate with RTA and oriLyt.

ORF59 of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) plays an essential role in viral lytic replication by providing DNA processivity activity to the viral DNA polymerase (ORF9). ORF59 forms a homodimer in the cytoplasm and binds and translocates ORF9 into the nucleus, where it secures ORF9 to the origin of lytic DNA replication (oriLyt) in order to synthesize long DNA fragments during replication. ORF59 binds to oriLyt through an immediate early protein, replication and transcription activator (RTA).

Regulation of viral and cellular gene expression by Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus polyadenylated nuclear RNA.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the cause of Kaposi's sarcoma and body cavity lymphoma. In cell culture, KSHV results in a latent infection, and lytic reactivation is usually induced with the expression of K-Rta or by treatment with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (TPA) and/or n-butyrate. Lytic infection is marked by the activation of the entire viral genomic transcription cascade and the production of infectious virus.

High-throughput classification of clinical populations from natural viewing eye movements.

Many high-prevalence neurological disorders involve dysfunctions of oculomotor control and attention, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), and Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous studies have examined these deficits with clinical neurological evaluation, structured behavioral tasks, and neuroimaging. Yet, time and monetary costs prevent deploying these evaluations to large at-risk populations, which is critically important for earlier detection and better treatment.

KSHV PAN RNA associates with demethylases UTX and JMJD3 to activate lytic replication through a physical interaction with the virus genome.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the cause of Kaposi's sarcoma and body cavity lymphomas. KSHV lytic infection produces PAN RNA, a highly abundant noncoding polyadenylated transcript that is retained in the nucleus. We recently demonstrated that PAN RNA interacts with several viral and cellular factors and can disregulate the expression of genes that modulate immune response.

Impaired executive function signals in motor brain regions in Parkinson's disease.

Recent evidence has shown that patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) often display deficits in executive functions, such as planning for future behavior, and these deficits may stem from pathologies in prefrontal cortex and basal ganglia circuits that are critical to executive control. Using the antisaccade task (look away from a visual stimulus), we show that when the preparatory 'readiness' to perform a given action is dissociated from the actual execution of that action, PD patients off and on dopamine medication display behavioral impairments and reduced cortical brain activation that cannot be explained by a pathology related to dysfunction in movement execution. Rather, they show that the appropriate task set signals were not in place in motor regions prior to execution, resulting in impairments in the control of subsequent voluntary movement.

Analysis of the interactions of viral and cellular factors with human cytomegalovirus lytic origin of replication, oriLyt.

Human cytomegalovirus transient lytic DNA replication relies on the cis-acting element oriLyt, six viral-encoded core proteins, the proposed DNA replication initiator protein UL84, IE2, IRS1 and the gene products from the UL112/113 loci. In an effort to elucidate cellular and viral-encoded factors that may play a role in oriLyt-dependent replication we used DNA-affinity purification and mass spectrometry to isolate and identify several previously unknown cellular and viral factors that interact with HCMV oriLyt DNA. These proteins include the multifunctional hnRNP-K, BUB3, HMGB1, PTB-1, UL83, UL112/113, and IRS1.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus noncoding polyadenylated nuclear RNA interacts with virus- and host cell-encoded proteins and suppresses expression of genes involved in immune modulation.

During lytic infection, Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) expresses a polyadenylated nuclear RNA (PAN RNA). This noncoding RNA (ncRNA) is localized to the nucleus and is the most abundant viral RNA during lytic infection; however, to date, the role of PAN RNA in the virus life cycle is unknown. Many examples exist where ncRNAs have a defined key regulatory function controlling gene expression by various mechanisms.

Multiple phosphorylation sites at the C-terminus regulate nuclear import of HCMV DNA polymerase processivity factor ppUL44.

The processivity factor of human cytomegalovirus DNA polymerase, phosphoprotein ppUL44, is essential for viral replication. During viral infection ppUL44 is phosphorylated by the viral kinase pUL97, but neither the target residues on ppUL44 nor the effect of phosphorylation on ppUL44's activity are known. We report here that ppUL44 is phosphorylated when transiently expressed in mammalian cells and coimmunoprecipitates with cellular kinases.

Tremor during movement correlates well with disability in people with essential tremor.

Essential tremor is the most common movement disorder, typically characterized by the presence of both postural and kinetic tremor of the hand. In recent studies, we described the effects of altering force and load conditions on tremor amplitude and power in people with essential tremor. In the same participants, we also measured tremor-related functional disability.