85 research outputs found

    Enhancing the Fake News Classification Model Using Find-Tuning Approach

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    Over the last few years, the rise of fake news on social media has emerged as a significant issue, posing a potential threat to individuals, organizations, and society as a whole. As a solution to this issue, researchers have been using various natural language processing (NLP) techniques to detect fake news. In this study, we introduce a new strategy for fake news detection and classification. Our approach involves enhancing the performance of accuracy through fine-tuning, by merging BEART model with the proposed model DCNN. We have collected the data from secondary sources and combined it into a unified dataset. To improve its quality, we performed various processes such as data cleaning, transformation, integration, and reduction, which involved techniques like stop word removal, tokenization, and stemming, resulting in binary classification. Therefore, DCNN" was trained to classify news articles as real or fake, and the experiments on the dataset show that this approach performs better than several recent studies for detecting fake news, achieving high accurac

    Deletion and Functional Analysis of Hepatitis B Virus X Protein: Evidence for an Effect on Cell Cycle Regulators

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    Background/Aims: The hepatitis B virus X protein (HBx) is a viral trans-activator that plays a crucial role in pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) via an unknown mechanism. The role of HBx in modulating cell proliferation and programmed cell death is replete with controversies. Thus, the goal of this study was to elucidate the effect of HBx and its deletion mutants on cell cycle progression in human hepatoma cells. Methods: Huh7 cells transfected with either full-length or truncated HBx were tested for their mitogenic potential based on their effect on the expression of key cell cycle-related proteins (p27, cyclin D1, p21, and p53) and pro-apoptotic proteins such as cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and Bax. Western blotting and immunofluorescence techniques were applied to detect changes in the expression levels and intracellular localization, respectively, of the investigated proteins. Also, Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was used to detect changes in RNA levels. Results: An increased anchorage-independent growth of cells transfected with HBx-WT and its deletion mutants was observed. The cell cycle regulatory molecules were differentially modulated by full-length HBx (1-154) and its different N- and C-terminal truncated forms (HBx (31-154), HBx (61-154), HBx (1-94), and HBx (61-124)). An enhanced modulation of p27, p21, and cyclin D1 was associated with HBx (1-154), whereas p53 expression was significantly inhibited by HBx (61-124). Similarly, the expression of cleaved PARP and Bax was efficiently suppressed by HBx (1-94) and HBx (61-154). Conclusion: The HBx-WT and its mutants play a critical role in the pathogenesis and progression of HCC by modulating cell cycle regulatory proteins

    Inhibition of growth of Leishmania donovani promastigotes by newly synthesized 1,3,4-thiadiazole analogs

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    AbstractLeishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, is transmitted by sand flies and replicates intracellularly in their mammalian host cells. The emergence of drug-resistant strains has hampered efforts to control the spread of the disease worldwide. Forty-four 1,3,4-thiadiazole derivatives and related compounds were tested in vitro for possible anti-leishmanial activity against the promastigotes of L. donovani. Micromolar concentrations of these agents were used to study the inhibition of multiplication of L. donovani promastigotes. Seven compounds were identified with potential antigrowth agents of the parasite. Compound 4a was the most active at 50ÎĽM followed by compound 3a. These compounds could prove useful as a future alternative for the control of visceral leishmaniasis

    RNase L Mediates Transient Control of The Interferon Response Through Modulation of The Double-stranded RNA-Dependent Protein Kinase PKR

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    The transient control of diverse biological responses that occurs in response to varied forms of stress is often a highly regulated process. During the interferon (IFN) response, translational repression due to phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α, eIF2α, by the double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase, PKR, constitutes a means of inhibiting viral replication. Here we show that the transient nature of the IFN response against acute viral infections is regulated, at least in part, by RNase L. During the IFN antiviral response in RNase L-null cells, PKR mRNA stability was enhanced, PKR induction was increased, and the phosphorylated form of eIF2α appeared with extended kinetics compared with similarly treated wild type cells. An enhanced IFN response in RNase L-null cells was also demonstrated by monitoring inhibition of viral protein synthesis. Furthermore, ectopic expression of RNase L from a plasmid vector prevented the IFN induction of PKR. These results suggest a role for RNase L in the transient control of the IFN response and possibly of other cytokine and stress responses

    RNase L Mediates Transient Control of The Interferon Response Through Modulation of The Double-stranded RNA-Dependent Protein Kinase PKR

    Get PDF
    The transient control of diverse biological responses that occurs in response to varied forms of stress is often a highly regulated process. During the interferon (IFN) response, translational repression due to phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α, eIF2α, by the double-stranded RNA-dependent protein kinase, PKR, constitutes a means of inhibiting viral replication. Here we show that the transient nature of the IFN response against acute viral infections is regulated, at least in part, by RNase L. During the IFN antiviral response in RNase L-null cells, PKR mRNA stability was enhanced, PKR induction was increased, and the phosphorylated form of eIF2α appeared with extended kinetics compared with similarly treated wild type cells. An enhanced IFN response in RNase L-null cells was also demonstrated by monitoring inhibition of viral protein synthesis. Furthermore, ectopic expression of RNase L from a plasmid vector prevented the IFN induction of PKR. These results suggest a role for RNase L in the transient control of the IFN response and possibly of other cytokine and stress responses

    Dissemination of multiple carbapenem-resistant clones of Acinetobacter baumannii in the Eastern District of Saudi Arabia

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    It has previously been shown that carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii are frequently detected in Saudi Arabia. The present study aimed to identify the epidemiology and distribution of antibiotic resistance determinants in these bacteria. A total of 83 A. baumannii isolates were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and screened by PCR for carbapenemase genes and insertion sequences. Antibiotic sensitivity to imipenem, meropenem, tigecycline, and colistin were determined. Eight different PFGE groups were identified, and were spread across multiple hospitals. Many of the PFGE groups contained isolates belonging to World-wide clone 2. Carbapenem resistance or intermediate resistance was detected in 69% of isolates. The blaVIM gene was detected in 94% of isolates, while blaOXA–23–like genes were detected in 58%. The data demonstrate the co-existence and wide distribution of a number of clones of carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii carrying multiple carbapenem-resistance determinants within hospitals in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia

    The Association of Toll-Like Receptor 4 Polymorphism with Hepatitis C Virus Infection in Saudi Arabian Patients

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    Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a single stranded RNA virus. It affects millions of people worldwide and is considered as a leading cause of liver diseases including cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. A recent study reported that TLR4 gene polymorphisms are good prognostic predictors and are associated with protection from liver fibrosis among Caucasians. This study aims to investigate the implication of genetic polymorphisms of TLR4 gene on the HCV infection in Saudi Arabian patients. Two SNPs in the TLR4 gene, rs4986790 (A/G) and rs4986791 (C/T), were genotyped in 450 HCV patients and 600 uninfected controls. The association analysis confirmed that both SNPs showed a significant difference in their distribution between HCV-infected patients and uninfected control subjects ( < 0.0001; OR = 0.404, 95% CI = 0.281-0.581) and ( < 0.0001; OR = 0.298, 95% CI = 0.201-0.443), respectively. More importantly, haplotype analysis revealed that four haplotypes, AC, GT, GC, and AT (rs4986790, rs4986791), were significantly associated with HCV infection when compared with control subjects. One haplotype AC was more prominently found when chronic HCV-infected patients were compared with cirrhosis/HCC patients (frequency = 94.7% and = 0.04). Both TLR4 SNPs under investigation were found to be significantly implicated with HCV-infection among Saudi Arabian population

    The Correlation Between Hepatitis B Virus Precore/Core Mutations and the Progression of Severe Liver Disease

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    Viral mutations acquired during the course of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection are known to be associated with the progression and severity of HBV-related liver disease. This study of HBV-infected Saudi Arabian patients aimed to identify amino acid substitutions within the precore/core (preC/C) region of HBV, and investigate their impact on disease progression toward hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Patients were categorized according to the severity of their disease, and were divided into the following groups: inactive HBV carriers, active HBV carriers, liver cirrhosis patients, and HCC patients. Two precore mutations, W28* and G29D, and six core mutations, F24Y, E64D, E77Q, A80I/T/V, L116I, and E180A were significantly associated with the development of cirrhosis and HCC. Six of the seven significant core mutations that were identified in this study were located within immuno-active epitopes; E77Q, A80I/T/V, and L116I were located within B-cell epitopes, and F24Y, E64D, and V91S/T were located within T-cell epitopes. Multivariate risk analysis confirmed that the core mutations A80V and L116I were both independent predictors of HBV-associated liver disease progression. In conclusion, our data show that mutations within the preC/C region, particularly within the immuno-active epitopes, may contribute to the severity of liver disease in patients with chronic hepatitis. Furthermore, we have identified several distinct preC/C mutations within the study population that affect the clinical manifestation and progression of HBV-related disease. The specific identity of HBV mutations that are associated with severe disease varies between different ethnic populations, and so the specific preC/C mutations identified here will be useful for predicting clinical outcomes and identifying the HBV-infected patients within the Saudi population that are at high risk of developing HCC
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