Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epigenetic imprinting by commensal probiotics inhibits the IL‐23/IL‐17 axis in an in vitro model of the intestinal mucosal immune system

The pathophysiology of IBD is characterized by a complex interaction between genes and the environment. Genetic and environmental differences are attributed to the heterogeneity of the disease pathway and to the epigenetic modifications that lead to altered gene expression in the diseased tissues. The epigenetic machinery consists of short interfering RNA, histone modifications, and DNA methylation. We evaluated the effects of Bifidobacterium breve (DSMZ 20213) and LGG (ATCC 53103), as representatives of commensal probiotics on the expression of IL‐17 and IL‐23, which play an important role in IBD, and on the epigenetic machinery in a 3D coculture model composed of human intestinal HT‐29/B6 or T84 cells and PBMCs. The cells were treated with LPS in the presence or absence of bacteria for 48 h, and the expression of IL‐17, IL‐23, and CD40 at the mRNA and protein levels was assessed using TaqMan qRT‐PCR and ELISA, respectively. Western blotting was used to assess the expression of the MyD88, the degradation of IRAK‐1 and IκBα, the expression of the NF‐κB p50/p65 subunits, the p‐p38 MAPK and p‐MEK1, as well as histone modifications. NF‐κB activity was assessed by NF‐κB‐dependent luciferase reporter gene assays. The accumulation of Ac‐H4 and DNA methylation was quantitatively assessed using colorimetric assays. B. breve and LGG diminished the LPS‐induced expression of IL‐17, IL‐23, CD40, and histone acetylation, while slightly enhancing DNA methylation. These effects were paralleled by a decrease in the nuclear translocation of NF‐κB, as demonstrated by a decrease in the expression of MyD88, degradation of IRAK‐1 and IκBα expression of the nuclear NF‐κB p50/p65 subunits, p‐p38 MAPK and p‐MEK1, and NF‐κB‐dependent luciferase reporter gene activity in LPS‐stimulated cells. B. breve and LGG may exert their anti‐inflammatory effects in the gut by down‐regulating the expression of the IBD‐causing factors (IL‐23/IL‐17/CD40) associated with epigenetic processes involving the inhibition of histone acetylation and the optimal enhancement of DNA methylation, reflected in the limited access of NF‐κB to gene promoters and reduced NF‐κB‐mediated transcriptional activation. We describe a new regulatory mechanism in which commensal probiotics inhibit the NF‐κB‐mediated transcriptional activation of IBD‐causing factors (IL‐23/IL‐17/CD40), thereby simultaneously reducing histone acetylation and enhancing DNA methylation.
Seven evidence-based practice habits: putting some sacred cows out to pasture.

http://ccn.aacnjournals. org if validated, reliable, and useful evidence leads to such change. Nurses are at the forefront of evidence-based approaches. The Institute of Medicine defines evidence-based practice (EBP) as “the integration of best research, clinical expertise, and patient values in making decisions about the care of individualized patients. ” Research findings are a collection of facts. They become evidence when the findings are relevant and useful in particular clinical circumstances. Using research to guide clinical decision making is a shift in culture from basing decisions on opinion, past experiences, and precedents to basing decisions on science, research, and evidence. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published Making Health Care Safer: A Critical Analysis of Patient Safety Practices. This document outlines 79 evidencebased practices and targets related to patient safety. The 11 recommendations with the strongest research support have a direct connection to critical care practice (Table 1). Carol A. Rauen, RN, MS, CCNS, CCRN, PCCN Marianne Chulay, RN, PhD Elizabeth Bridges, RN, PhD, CCNS Kathleen M. Vollman, RN, MSN, CCNS Richard Arbour, RN, MSN, CCRN, CNRN Seven Evidence-Based Practice Habits: Putting Some Sacred Cows Out to Pasture Evidence-Based Practice
Decidability for non-standard conversions in typed lambda-calculi

This thesis studies the decidability of conversions in typed lambda-calculi, along with the algorithms allowing for this decidability. Our study takes in consideration conversions going beyond the traditional beta, eta, or permutative conversions (also called commutative conversions). To decide these conversions, two classes of algorithms compete, the algorithms based on rewriting, here the goal is to decompose and orient the conversion so as to obtain a convergent system, these algorithms then boil down to rewrite the terms until they reach an irreducible forms; and the "reduction free" algorithms where the conversion is decided recursively by a detour via a meta-language. Throughout this thesis, we strive to explain the latter thanks to the former.
Prevalence and Time Course of Acute Mountain Sickness in Older Children and Adolescents After Rapid Ascent to 3450 Meters

OBJECTIVE. Acute mountain sickness is a frequent and debilitating complication of high-altitude exposure, but there is little information on the prevalence and time course of acute mountain sickness in children and adolescents after rapid ascent by mechanical transportation to 3500 m, an altitude at which major tourist destinations are located throughout the world. METHODS. We performed serial assessments of acute mountain sickness (Lake Louise scores) in 48 healthy nonacclimatized children and adolescents (mean ± SD age: 13.7 ± 0.3 years; 20 girls and 28 boys), with no previous high-altitude experience, 6, 18, and 42 hours after arrival at the Jungfraujoch high-altitude research station (3450 m), which was reached through a 2.5-hour train ascent. RESULTS. We found that the overall prevalence of acute mountain sickness during the first 3 days at high altitude was 37.5%. Rates were similar for the 2 genders and decreased progressively during the stay (25% at 6 hours, 21% at 18 hours, and 8% at 42 hours). None of the subjects needed to be evacuated to lower altitude. Five subjects needed symptomatic treatment and responded well. CONCLUSION. After rapid ascent to high altitude, the prevalence of acute mountain sickness in children and adolescents was relatively low; the clinical manifestations were benign and resolved rapidly. These findings suggest that, for the majority of healthy nonacclimatized children and adolescents, travel to 3500 m is safe and pharmacologic prophylaxis for acute mountain sickness is not needed.
Measurement of the adhesion between single melamine-formaldehyde resin microparticles and a flat fabric surface using AFM

An understanding of the adhesion of microparticles, particularly microcapsules, containing a functional component to a fabric surface is crucial to an effective application of this component to the fibre. Fabric surface is very rough; hence, direct measurement of the adhesion of single microparticles to surfaces with a roughness greater than the particle diameter is difficult. In the study reported here, cotton films were generated by dissolving cotton powder in an organic solvent and their properties including surface roughness, thickness, contact angle and purity were characterised. The adhesive forces between single melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin microparticles and a cotton film under ambient conditions with a relative humidity of above 40% were measured using atomic force microscopy; they are considered to be dominated by capillary forces. It was found that there was little adhesion between a MF microparticle and a cotton film in an aqueous solution of sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate as surfactant. Repulsion between them was observed, but it reduced with increase in the surfactant concentration and decrease in the pH of the solution. The repulsion contributions are thought to originate mainly from electrostatic repulsion. It is believed that the studies on the adhesion between single MF microparticles and a cotton film under ambient conditions or dispersed in surfactant solutions, are beneficial to the attempts to enhance the adhesion of microcapsules to fabric surfaces via a modification of their surface composition and morphology.
Cycling-induced threshold-voltage instabilities in nanoscale NAND flash memories: Sensitivity to the array background pattern

This work investigates cycling-induced threshold-voltage instabilities in nanoscale NAND Flash cells as a function of the array background pattern. Instabilities are mainly the result of charge detrapping from the cell tunnel oxide during post-cycling idle/bake periods and represent one of the major reliability issues for multi-level devices. Results reveal, first of all, that instabilities in a (victim) cell do not depend only on its memory state, but also on the memory state of its first neighboring (aggressor) cells. This new interference effect is shown to decrease in magnitude for higher threshold-voltage levels of the victim cell and to come mainly from an interaction with aggressor cells in the bit-line direction. From this evidence, a physical picture explaining the phenomenon and its main dependences is provided.
Alterations in Oral [1-14C] 18:1n-9 Distribution in Lean Wild-Type and Genetically Obese (ob/ob) Mice

Obesity may result from altered fatty acid (FA) disposal. Altered FA distribution in obese individuals is poorly understood. Lean wild-type C57BL/6J and obese C57BL/6Job/ob mice received an oral dose of [1-14C]18:1n-9 (oleic acid), and the radioactivity in tissues was evaluated at various time points. The 14C concentration decreased rapidly in gastrointestinal tract but gradually increased and peaked at 96 h in adipose tissue, muscle and skin in lean mice. The 14C concentration was constant in adipose tissue and muscle of obese mice from 4h to 168h. 14C-label content in adipose tissue was significantly affected by genotype, whereas muscle 14C-label content was affected by genotype, time and the interaction between genotype and time. There was higher total 14C retention (47.7%) in obese mice than in lean mice (9.0%) at 168 h (P<0.05). The 14C concentrations in the soleus and gastrocnemius muscle were higher in obese mice than in lean mice (P<0.05). Perirenal adipose tissue contained the highest 14C content in lean mice, whereas subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) had the highest 14C content and accounted for the largest proportion of total radioactivity among fat depots in obese mice. More lipid radioactivity was recovered as TAG in SAT from obese mice than from lean mice (P<0.05). Gene expression suggested acyl CoA binding protein and fatty acid binding protein are important for FA distribution in adipose tissue and muscle. The FA distribution in major tissues was altered in ob/ob mice, perhaps contributing to obesity. Understanding the disparity in FA disposal between lean and obese mice may reveal novel targets for the treatment and prevention of obesity.
The role of the culture into the multifactorial approach to suicidal behaviour

The aim of the present study is to investigate deliberate self-harm (DSH) in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), with special reference to gender, age and ethnicity. Between 2001 and 2003, known hospital cases of DSH in persons aged 15 or older in the Sarajevo area were monitored using standardised methods. In total, 1428 DSH events were registered, giving an annual mean DSH event rate of 119 per 100 000 (118 for women, 120 for men) and a DSH person rate of 110 (108 for women, 111 for men). The mean person-based DSH rate was 124 for Bosniaks (Muslims), 128 for Croats (Catolics), and 88 for Serbs (Orthodox Christians). Self-poisoning was the most commonly used method in all three ethnic groups (66%), with second-most common method self-harm by a sharp object (17%). A very low proportion used guns or explosives. The rates of DSH in Sarajevo during the study period were comparable to those of many other regions in Europe, though with a quite unique pattern of higher rates among men. We identified fluctuating but significantly not different rates between ethnic groups. The general belief that religious denomination is decisive for level of DSH-rates was not supported by the findings of this study; rather the post-war situation with huge demographic changes was reflected in the results. Disruptions to social integration as a consequence of the war are put forward as possible explanations.
Bile duct‐ligated mice exhibit multiple phenotypic similarities to acute decompensation patients despite histological differences

Patients with decompensated cirrhosis are susceptible to infection. Innate immune dysfunction and development of organ failure are considered to underlie this. A rodent model of liver disease sharing these phenotypic features would assist in vivo study of underlying mechanisms and testing of therapeutics. We evaluated three models to identify which demonstrated the greatest clinical and immunological phenotypic similarity to patients with acutely decompensated (AD) cirrhosis.
Functional Characterization of Osmotically Inducible Protein C (MG_427) from Mycoplasma genitalium

ABSTRACT Mycoplasma genitalium is the smallest self-replicating bacterium and an important human pathogen responsible for a range of urogenital infections and pathologies. Due to its limited genome size, many genes conserved in other bacteria are missing in M. genitalium. Genes encoding catalase and superoxide dismutase are absent, and how this pathogen overcomes oxidative stress remains poorly understood. In this study, we characterized MG_427, a homolog of the conserved osmC, which encodes hydroperoxide peroxidase, shown to protect bacteria against oxidative stress. We found that recombinant MG_427 protein reduced organic and inorganic peroxide substrates. Also, we showed that a deletion mutant of MG_427 was highly sensitive to killing by tert-butyl hydroperoxide and H2O2 compared to the sensitivity of the wild type. Further, the fully complemented mutant strain reversed its oxidative sensitivity. Examination of the expression pattern of MG_427 during osmotic shock, oxidative stress, and other stress conditions revealed its lack of induction, distinguishing MG_427 from other previously characterized osmC genes.
Mechanisms Involved in the Development and Healing of Diabetic Foot Ulceration

We examined the role of vascular function and inflammation in the development and failure to heal diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs). We followed 104 diabetic patients for a period of 18.4 ± 10.8 months. At the beginning of the study, we evaluated vascular reactivity and serum inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. DFUs developed in 30 (29%) patients. DFU patients had more severe neuropathy, higher white blood cell count, and lower endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation in the macrocirculation. Complete ulcer healing was achieved in 16 (53%) patients, whereas 13 (47%) patients did not heal. There were no differences in the above parameters between the two groups, but patients whose ulcers failed to heal had higher tumor necrosis factor-α, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9), and fibroblast growth factor 2 serum levels when compared with those who healed. Skin biopsy analysis showed that compared with control subjects, diabetic patients had increased immune cell infiltration, expression of MMP-9, and protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP1B), which negatively regulates the signaling of insulin, leptin, and growth factors. We conclude that increased inflammation, expression of MMP-9, PTP1B, and aberrant growth factor levels are the main factors associated with failure to heal DFUs. Targeting these factors may prove helpful in the management of DFUs.
A computational study of mother rotor VF in the human ventricles

Sudden cardiac death is one of the major causes of death in the industrialized world. It is most often caused by a cardiac arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation (VF). Despite its large social and economical impact, the mechanisms for VF in the human heart yet remain to be identified. Two of the most frequently discussed mechanisms observed in experiments with animal hearts are the multiple wavelet and mother rotor hypotheses. Most recordings of VF in animal hearts are consistent with the multiple wavelet mechanism. However, in animal hearts, mother rotor fibrillation has also been observed. For both multiple wavelet and mother rotor VF, cardiac heterogeneity plays an important role. Clinical data of action potential restitution measured from the surface of human hearts have been recently published. These in vivo data show a substantial degree of spatial heterogeneity. Using these clinical restitution data, we studied the dynamics of VF in the human heart using a heterogeneous computational model of human ventricles. We hypothesized that this observed heterogeneity can serve as a substrate for mother rotor fibrillation. We found that, based on these data, mother rotor VF can occur in the human heart and that ablation of the mother rotor terminates VF. Furthermore, we found that both mother rotor and multiple wavelet VF can occur in the same heart depending on the initial conditions at the onset of VF. We studied the organization of these two types of VF in terms of filament numbers, excitation periods, and frequency domains. We conclude that mother rotor fibrillation is a possible mechanism in the human heart.
Repetitive induction of late‐phase LTP produces long‐lasting synaptic enhancement accompanied by synaptogenesis in cultured hippocampal slices

Long‐term plasticity of synaptic transmission is assumed to underlie the formation of long‐term memory. Although the cellular mechanisms underlying short‐term plasticity have been analyzed in detail, the mechanisms underlying the transformation from short‐term to long‐term plasticity remain largely unrevealed. We propose the novel long‐lasting phenomenon as a model system for the analysis of long‐term plasticity. We previously reported that the repetitive activation of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase (PKA) by forskolin application led to an enhancement in synaptic strength coupled with synaptogenesis that lasted more than 3 weeks in cultured rat hippocampal slices. To elucidate whether this long‐lasting synaptic enhancement depended on the induction of long‐term potentiation (LTP) or on the pharmacological effect of forskolin, we applied glutamate (Glu) and correlated its dose with the production of the long‐lasting synaptic enhancement. When the dose of Glu was low (10, 30 μM), only transient excitation or early‐phase LTP (E‐LTP) was induced by a single application and no long‐lasting synaptic enhancement was produced by three applications. When the dose was raised to 100 or 300 μM, late‐phase LTP (L‐LTP) was induced by a single application and long‐lasting synaptic enhancement was produced by three applications. The Glu‐produced enhancement was accompanied by an increase in the frequency (but not the amplitude) of miniature EPSC and the number of synaptic structures. The enhancement depended on the interval of repetition and protein synthesis immediately after the Glu applications. These results indicate that the repetitive induction of L‐LTP, but not E‐LTP or transient excitation, triggers cellular processes leading to the long‐lasting synaptic enhancement and the formation of new synapses. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Block of Specific Gap Junction Channel Subtypes by 2-Aminoethoxydiphenyl Borate (2-APB)

2-Aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB), an inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor modulator, inhibits capacitive current transients measured in normal rat kidney and human embryonic kidney 293 cells, an indication of blocking gap junction channels between these cells. Here, we used the dual whole-cell patch-clamp method to study the actions of 2-APB on gap junction channels formed by selected connexins expressed in a communication-deficient neuroblastoma cell line (N2A). 2-APB dose-dependently and reversibly blocked junctional currents of connexin (Cx) 50 gap junction channels. The concentration-inhibition curve of 2-APB on the junctional current indicated an IC50 of 3.7 μM, lower than that of most gap junction inhibitors. At a concentration of 20 μM, 2-APB also significantly blocked junctional conductance in cell pairs coupled by Cx26, Cx30, Cx36, Cx40, and Cx45 but did not appreciably affect coupling in cell pairs expressing Cx32, Cx43, and Cx46. Although concentration inhibition curves of 2-APB on Cx36 channels were similar to Cx50 (Cx36; IC50, 3.0 μM), IC50 values were higher for Cx43 (51.6 μM), Cx45 (18.1 μM), and Cx46 (29.4 μM). The blocking action of 2-APB did not substantially alter transjunctional voltage-dependent gating of Cx50 gap junction channels, and recordings from poorly coupled pairs of Cx50-transfected N2A cells indicated that 2-APB reduced gap junction channel open probability without changing the main state single-channel conductance. The differential efficacy of block by 2-APB of gap junction channels formed by different connexins may provide a useful tool that could be exploited in gap junction research to selectively block certain gap junction channel subtypes.
Stress Analysis of an Orthotropic Rotating Disc under Thermal Loading

In this study, a thermal stress analysis on a glass-fiber/epoxy orthotropic rotating hollow discs is investigated. A closed form solution is performed using polynomials under some considerations. The temperature distribution is chosen to vary parabolically from inner surface to outer surface along the radial sections. The distributions of the tangential and radial stress components are given in figures. When the temperature is increased further, the tangential stress component decreases at the inner surface, whereas increases at the outer surface, and radial stress component are reduced. The radial displacement is calculated analytically and has a higher value at the outer surface than at the inner surface.
Gravity’s Smoking Gun?

We present a new constraint on the biased galaxy formation picture. Gravitational instability theory predicts that the two-point mass density correlation function, ξ(r), has an inflection point at the separation r = r0, corresponding to the boundary between the linear and nonlinear regime of clustering, ξ ≃ 1. We show how this feature can be used to constrain the biasing parameter b2 ≡ ξg(r)/ξ(r) on scales r ≃ r0, where ξg is the galaxy-galaxy correlation function, which is allowed to differ from ξ. We apply our method to real data: the ξg(r), estimated from the Automatic Plate Measuring (APM) galaxy survey. Our results suggest that the APM galaxies trace the mass at separations r ≳ 5 h-1 Mpc, where h is the Hubble constant in units of 100 km s-1 Mpc-1. The present results agree with earlier studies, based on comparing higher order correlations in the APM with weakly nonlinear perturbation theory. Both approaches constrain the b factor to be within 20% of unity. If the existence of the feature that we identified in the APM ξg(r)—the inflection point near ξg = 1—is confirmed by more accurate surveys, we may have discovered gravity's smoking gun: the long-awaited "shoulder" in ξ, predicted by Gott and Rees 25 years ago.