miRTarBase: a database curates experimentally validated microRNA–target interactions

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), i.e. small non-coding RNA molecules (∼22 nt), can bind to one or more target sites on a gene transcript to negatively regulate protein expression, subsequently controlling many cellular mechanisms. A current and curated collection of miRNA–target interactions (MTIs) with experimental support is essential to thoroughly elucidating miRNA functions under different conditions and in different species. As a database, miRTarBase has accumulated more than 3500 MTIs by manually surveying pertinent literature after data mining of the text systematically to filter research articles related to functional studies of miRNAs. Generally, the collected MTIs are validated experimentally by reporter assays, western blot, or microarray experiments with overexpression or knockdown of miRNAs. miRTarBase curates 3576 experimentally verified MTIs between 657 miRNAs and 2297 target genes among 17 species. miRTarBase contains the largest amount of validated MTIs by comparing with other similar, previously developed databases. The MTIs collected in the miRTarBase can also provide a large amount of positive samples to develop computational methods capable of identifying miRNA–target interactions. miRTarBase is now available on http://miRTarBase.mbc.nctu.edu.tw/, and is updated frequently by continuously surveying research articles

Facile and mass-producible Ni-added iron nanowires with excellent microwave absorbing performance

The application of magnetic nanocrystalline powders as radar absorption materials is increasingly attracting R&D interest. Severe agglomeration and mass production, however, are critical issues for practical application of magnetic nanoparticles. In the present study, iron nanowires with varying amounts of nickel addition (0, 1, 10, 30, and 50 wt%) were synthesized via direct reduction of iron salts with the aid of strong NdFeB magnets. The yield rate of these Ni-added iron nanowires (NiFe NWs) exceeded 1 g/min, making them suitable and was feasible for mass production. The characteristics of the so-obtained NiFe NWs were confirmed using field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. Composite resins with NiFe NWs additions (3, 5, and 10 wt%) were prepared and examined using the coaxial line method to reveal their microwave absorption characteristics. Experimental results showed that composite resins with 10 wt% NiFe NWs additions possessed superior microwave absorbing properties, with the Ni1Fe99 NWs-added product exhibiting the best performance. When produced with a thickness of 1.7 mm, the reflection loss of the composites reached −39.28 dB at 12.53 GHz. Additionally, the efficient maximum absorption bandwidth was 3.33 GHz, ranging from 14.27 to 17.60 GHz

Combining Yoga Exercise with Rehabilitation Improves Balance and Depression in Patients with Chronic Stroke: A Controlled Trial

Background: We combined yoga with standard stroke rehabilitation and compared it to the rehabilitation alone for depression and balance in patients. Methods: Forty patients aged from 30 to 80 who had suffered a stroke 90 or more days previously were divided evenly with age stratification and patients’ will (hence not randomized). In the intervention group 16 completed 8-week stroke rehabilitation combined with 1 h of yoga twice weekly. Another 19 patients completed the standard rehabilitation as the control group. Results: The yoga group showed significant improvement in depression (Taiwanese Depression Questionnaire, p = 0.002) and balance (Berg Balance Scale, p p = 0.001) but not in depression (p = 0.181). Further analysis showed both sexes benefitted in depression, but men had a greater improvement in balance than women. Depression in left-brain lesion patients improved more significantly than in those with right-brain lesion, whereas balance improved equally despite lesion site. For patients under or above the age of 60, depression and balance both significantly improved after rehabilitation. Older age is significantly related to poor balance but not depression. Conclusions: Combining yoga with rehabilitation has the potential to improve depression and balance. Factors related to sex, brain lesion site and age may influence the differences

The Effects of Yoga Exercise on Blood Pressure and Hand Grip Strength in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Pilot Controlled Study

Background: We investigated the beneficial effect of add-on yoga with rehabilitation on blood pressure (BP) and hand grip strength in patients with chronic stroke (more than 90 days). Methods: The study included patients 30–80 years of age who could stand independently for 1 min. Patients with psychiatric diseases or undergoing other therapies (like acupuncture) were excluded. The yoga group received training (1 h session twice weekly) with standard rehabilitation for 8 weeks. The control group received standard rehabilitation only. There were no differences in age, gender, hand grip strength, or BP between the two groups (16 subjects in each group) at baseline. Results: The systolic BP (p = 0.01) decreased significantly, and the diastolic BP also decreased but not significantly in the yoga group (p = 0.11). For hand grip strength, both the unaffected hand (p = 0.00025) and the affected hand (p = 0.027) improved significantly. The control group showed no significant change in systolic or diastolic BP, nor did the grip strength change in both hands. Gender and age also affected the results of overall rehabilitation in that women benefited more from a decrease in BP, while men and young people (lower than the mean age of 60) benefited from hand grip strength improvement. Conclusions: Combining yoga with rehabilitation in chronic stroke patients can improve hand grip strength and decrease systolic BP