Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bacterial colonisation in patients with bronchiectasis: microbiological pattern and risk factors

Background: A study was undertaken to investigate the incidence, diagnostic yield of non-invasive and bronchoscopic techniques, and risk factors of airway colonisation in patients with bronchiectasis in a stable clinical situation. Methods: A 2 year prospective study of 77 patients with bronchiectasis in a stable clinical condition was performed in an 800 bed tertiary university hospital. The interventions used were pharyngeal swabs, sputum cultures and quantitative protected specimen brush (PSB) bacterial cultures (cut off point ≥102 cfu/ml) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) (cut off point ≥103 cfu/ml). Results: The incidence of bronchial colonisation with potential pathogenic microorganisms (PPMs) was 64%. The most frequent PPMs isolated were Haemophilus influenzae (55%) and Pseudomonas spp (26%). Resistance to antibiotics was found in 30% of the isolated pathogens. When the sample was appropriate, the operative characteristics of the sputum cultures were similar to those obtained with the PSB taken as a gold standard. Risk factors associated with bronchial colonisation by PPMs in the multivariate analysis were: (1) diagnosis of bronchiectasis before the age of 14 years (odds ratio (OR)=3.92, 95% CI 1.29 to 11.95), (2) forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) <80% predicted (OR=3.91, 95% CI 1.30 to 11.78), and (3) presence of varicose or cystic bronchiectasis (OR=4.80, 95% CI 1.11 to 21.46). Conclusions: Clinically stable patients with bronchiectasis have a high prevalence of bronchial colonisation by PPMs. Sputum culture is a good alternative to bronchoscopic procedures for evaluation of this colonisation. Early diagnosis of bronchiectasis, presence of varicose-cystic bronchiectasis, and FEV1 <80% predicted appear to be risk factors for bronchial colonisation with PPMs.
Video Microscopy

tunately we can only add halo eczema to the list. The round, circumscribed patches of eczema are simitar to thosf seen in discoid eczema, but in our patients the areas were centered on multiple random nevi symmetrically distributed over the trunk and proximal limbs, in contrast to the usual symmetric patches concentrated on theextensor surfaces of the limbs in discoid eczema. We were unable to document previous evidence of atopy or a constitutional basis for the eczema except for one patient with hayfeverand two patients with a family history of atopy. The presence of eosinophils is an interesting feature and may imply a hypersensitivity phenomenon. Despitethis, we were unable to find a common link or to document a contactant to explain the development of the eczema around the nevi in our patients. The reason why all but one ofour cases were in men is unexplained. We can only speculate that the environment surrounding the nevus is different from the general skin and serves to act in a synergistic fashion to produce these striking lesions. We were somewhat surprised to find no reference to this condition in major dermatologic textbooks and only a few reports in the literature, but we feel that this distinctive condition must be more common than the sparse documentation would suggest. The phenomenon is best named halo eczema, which highlights the characteristic clinical features.
Identification of a Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor for Arf3, the Yeast Orthologue of Mammalian Arf6

Small G proteins of the Arf and Rab families are fundamental to the organisation and activity of intracellular membranes. One of the most well characterised of these G proteins is mammalian Arf6, a protein that participates in many cellular processes including endocytosis, actin remodelling and cell adhesion. Exchange of GDP for GTP on Arf6 is performed by a variety of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), principally of the cytohesin (PSCD) and EFA6 (PSD) families. In this paper we describe the characterisation of a GEF for the yeast orthologue of Arf6, Arf3, which we have named Yel1 (yeast EFA6-like-1) using yeast genetics, fluorescence microscopy and in vitro nucleotide exchange assays. Yel1 appears structurally related to the EFA6 family of GEFs, having an N-terminal Sec7 domain and C-terminal PH and coiled-coil domains. We find that Yel1 is constitutively targeted to regions of polarised growth in yeast, where it co-localises with Arf3. Moreover the Sec7 domain of Yel1 is required for its membrane targeting and for that of Arf3. Finally we show that the isolated Yel1 Sec7 domain strongly stimulates nucleotide exchange activity specifically on Arf3 in vitro.
Article the Neural Circuitry of a Broken Promise

SUMMARY Promises are one of the oldest human-specific psychological mechanisms fostering cooperation and trust. Here, we study the neural underpinnings of promise keeping and promise breaking. Subjects first make a promise decision (promise stage), then they anticipate whether the promise affects the interaction partner's decision (anticipation stage) and are subsequently free to keep or break the promise (decision stage). Findings revealed that the breaking of the promise is associated with increased activation in the DLPFC, ACC, and amygdala, suggesting that the dishonest act involves an emotional conflict due to the suppression of the honest response. Moreover, the breach of the promise can be predicted by a perfidious brain activity pattern (anterior insula, ACC, inferior frontal gyrus) during the promise and anticipation stage, indicating that brain measurements may reveal malevolent intentions before dishonest or deceitful acts are actually committed.
White Collar-1, a Circadian Blue Light Photoreceptor, Binding to the frequency Promoter

In the fungus Neurospora crassa, the blue light photoreceptor(s) and signaling pathway(s) have not been identified. We examined light signaling by exploiting the light sensitivity of the Neurospora biological clock, specifically the rapid induction by light of the clock componentfrequency (frq). Light induction offrq is transcriptionally controlled and requires two cis-acting elements (LREs) in the frq promoter. Both LREs are bound by a White Collar–1 (WC-1)/White Collar–2 (WC-2)–containing complex (WCC), and light causes decreased mobility of the WCC bound to the LREs. The use of in vitro–translated WC-1 and WC-2 confirmed that WC-1, with flavin adenine dinucleotide as a cofactor, is the blue light photoreceptor that mediates light input to the circadian system through direct binding (with WC-2) to the frq promoter.
The Kv4.2 mediates excitatory activity‐dependent regulation of neuronal excitability in rat cortical neurons

Neuronal excitability can cooperate with synaptic transmission to control the information storage. This regulation of neuronal plasticity can be affected by alterations in neuronal inputs and accomplished by modulation of voltage‐dependent ion channels. In this study, we report that enhanced excitatory input negatively regulated neuronal excitability. Enhanced excitatory input by glutamate, electric field stimulation or high K+ increased transient outward K+ current, whereas did not affect the delayed rectifier K+ current in rat cultured cortical neurons. Both the voltage‐dependent K+ channel 4.2 and 4.3 subunits contributed to the increase. The increase in the K+ current density by Kv4.2 was ascribed to its cytoplasmic membrane translocation, which was mediated by NMDA type of glutamate receptor. Furthermore, enhanced excitatory input inhibited neuronal excitability. Taken together, our results suggest that excitatory neurotransmission affects neuronal excitability via the regulation of the K+ channel membrane translocation.
Learning from the Past: Intelligent On-Line Weather Monitoring Based on Matrix Completion

Matrix completion has emerged very recently and provides a new venue for low cost data gathering in WSNs. Existing schemes often assume that the data matrix has a known and fixed low-rank, which is unlikely to hold in a practical monitoring system such as weather data gathering. Weather data varies in temporal and spatial domain with time. By analyzing a large set of weather data collected from 196 sensors in ZhuZhou, China, we reveal that weather data have the features of low-rank, temporal stability, and relative rank stability. Taking advantage of these features, we propose an on-line data gathering scheme based on matrix completion theory, named MC-Weather, to adaptively sample different locations according to environmental and weather conditions. To better schedule sampling process while satisfying the required reconstruction accuracy, we propose several novel techniques, including three sample learning principles, an adaptive sampling algorithm based on matrix completion, and a uniform time slot and cross sample model. With these techniques, our MC-Weather scheme can collect the sensory data at required accuracy while largely reduce the cost for sensing, communication and computation. We perform extensive simulations based on the real weather data sets and the simulation results validate the efficiency and efficacy of the proposed scheme.
Federal Reserve Bank of New York Staff Reports Too Big to Fail after All These Years

The naming of eleven banks as “too big to fail (TBTF)” in 1984 led bond raters to raise their ratings on new bond issues of TBTF banks about a notch relative to those of other, unnamed banks. The relationship between bond spreads and ratings for the TBTF banks tended to flatten after that event, suggesting that investors were even more optimistic than raters about the probability of support for those banks. The spread-rating relationship in the 1990s remained flatter for TBTF banks (or their descendants) even after the passage of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act of 1991 (FDICIA), suggesting that investors still see those banks as TBTF. Until investors are disabused of such beliefs, investor discipline of big banks will be less than complete.
Zoobenthos as Indicators of Ecological Status in Coastal Brackish Waters: A Comparative Study from the Baltic Sea

Abstract A new method for classifying soft-bottom zoobenthic assemblages along the Finnish coasts (northern Baltic Sea) is presented and tested against traditional physicochemical monitoring data in the complex Archipelago Sea. Although multivariate methods for assessing the state of the marine environment have become widely used, few numerical indices can operate over a wide salinity range. We compare indices currently in use and propose a new index, BBI (brackish water benthic index), for the low-saline and species-poor Baltic coastal waters. BBI offers a salinity-corrected tool for classification of the soft-bottom zoobenthos under the demands of the European Union Water Framework Directive.
Rapid response to stroke symptoms: the Delay in Accessing Stroke Healthcare (DASH) study.

OBJECTIVE To assess the determinants of prehospital delay for patients with presumed acute cerebral ischemia (ACI) in order to provide the background necessary to develop interventions to shorten such delays. METHODS A prospective registry of patients presenting to the ED with signs and symptoms of stroke was established at a university hospital from July 1995 to March 1996. Trained nurses performed a structured ED interview, which assessed prehospital delay and potential confounders. RESULTS The median delay (interquartile range) from symptom onset to ED arrival for all patients seeking care for stroke-like symptoms (n = 152) was 3.0 hours (1.5-7.8 hr). The median delay from symptom onset to ED arrival was less in cases where a witness first recognized that there was a serious problem than it was when the patient first identified the problem. A heightened sense of urgency by the patient about his or her symptoms, and use of 911/emergency medical services (EMS) transport were also associated with rapid arrival in the ED within 3 hours of symptom onset. After adjusting for all predictor variables in a multivariable logistic regression model, only recognition of symptoms by a witness and calling 911/EMS transport remained statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that future efforts to intervene on prolonged prehospital delay for patients with ACI should include strategies for the community as a whole as well as persons at risk for stroke and should reinforce the use of 911 and EMS transport.
Measured Prenatal and Estimated Postnatal Levels of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) and ADHD-Related Behaviors in 8-Year-Old Children

Background Epidemiologic studies of postnatal PCB exposure and behavior have not reported consistent evidence of adverse associations, possibly because of challenges in exposure estimation. We previously developed a pharmacokinetic model to improve estimation of children’s PCB exposure. Objectives We aimed to assess whether estimated serum PCB levels in infancy are associated with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)–related behaviors at 8 years of age among children whose cord serum PCB levels were previously shown to be associated with ADHD-related behaviors. Methods We used a pharmacokinetic model to estimate monthly serum polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)–153 levels in 441 infants (ages 1–12 months) based on parameters such as breastfeeding and cord serum PCB-153 levels. Behavior was evaluated at age 8 using the Conners’ Rating Scale for Teachers (CRS-T). Associations between PCB-153 levels and ADHD-related CRS-T indices were assessed using multivariable quantile regression at the 50th and 75th percentiles of CRS-T scores, where higher percentiles reflect more adverse behaviors. Results Cord serum PCB-153 levels (median, 38 ng/g lipids) were associated with ADHD-related behaviors, although statistical significance was observed with quantile regression models only at the 75th percentile. Associations with postnatal exposure estimates were attenuated. For example, hyperactive-impulsive behavior scores at age 8 years were 0.9 points (95% CI: 0.2, 2.5), 0.5 points (95% CI: 0.3, 2.3), and 0.3 points (95% CI: –0.2, 1.5) higher in association with interquartile range increases in serum PCB-153 at birth, 2 months, and 12 months of age, respectively. Conclusions Associations between estimated postnatal PCB-153 exposures and ADHD-related behaviors at 8 years of age were weaker than associations with PCB-153 concentrations measured in cord serum at birth. Citation Verner MA, Hart JE, Sagiv SK, Bellinger DC, Altshul LM, Korrick SA. 2015. Measured prenatal and estimated postnatal levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and ADHD-related behaviors in 8-year-old children. Environ Health Perspect 123:888–894; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1408084
Caffeine d Not just a stimulant

Objective: The beneficial effects of human caffeine consumption deserve clarification. Methods: A detailed literature review was conducted and summarized. Results: A large body of scientific evidence describes the beneficial effects of human caffeine consumption on a number of physiologic systems. Conclusion: The consumption of moderate amounts of caffeine 1) increases energy availability, 2) increases daily energy expenditure, 3) decreases fatigue, 4) decreases the sense of effort associated with physical activity, 5) enhances physical performance, 6) enhances motor performance, 7) enhances cognitive performance, 8) increases alertness, wakefulness, and feelings of “energy,” 9) decreasesmental fatigue,10) quickens reactions,11) increases the accuracy of reactions,12) increases the ability to concentrate and focus attention, 13) enhances short-term memory, 14) increases the ability to solve problems requiring reasoning, 15) increases the ability to make correct decisions, 16) enhances cognitive functioning capabilities and neuromuscular coordination, and 17) in otherwise healthy non-pregnant adults is safe. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Mitochondrial cyclophilin-D as a potential therapeutic target for post-myocardial infarction heart failure

The pharmacological inhibition or genetic ablation of cyclophilin‐D (CypD), a critical regulator of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), confers myocardial resistance to acute ischemia‐reperfusion injury, but its role in post‐myocardial infarction (MI) heart failure is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine whether mitochondrial CypD is also a therapeutic target for the treatment of post‐MI heart failure. Wild‐type (WT) and CypD–/– mice were subjected to either sham surgery or permanent ligation of the left main coronary artery to induce MI, and were assessed at either 2 or 28 days to determine the long‐term effects of CypD ablation. After 2 days, myocardial infarct size was smaller and left ventricular (LV) function was better preserved in CypD–/– mice compared to WT mice. After 28 days, when compared to WT mice, in the CypD–/– mice, mortality was halved, myocardial infarct size was reduced, LV systolic function was better preserved, LV dilatation was attenuated and in the remote non‐infarcted myocardium, there was less cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis. Finally, ex vivo fibroblast proliferation was found to be reduced in CypD–/– cardiac fibroblasts, and in WT cardiac fibroblasts treated with the known CypD inhibitors, cyclosporin‐A and sanglifehrin‐A. Following an MI, mice lacking CypD have less mortality, smaller infarct size, better preserved LV systolic function and undergo less adverse LV remodelling. These findings suggest that the inhibition of mitochondrial CypD may be a novel therapeutic treatment strategy for post‐MI heart failure.
Backpropagating Action Potentials Trigger Dendritic Release of BDNF during Spontaneous Network Activity

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a major regulator of activity-dependent synapse development and plasticity. Because BDNF is a secreted protein, it has been proposed that BDNF is released from target neurons in an activity-dependent manner. However, direct evidence for postsynaptic release of BDNF triggered by ongoing network activity is still lacking. Here we transfected cultures of dissociated hippocampal neurons with green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged BDNF and combined whole-cell recording, time-lapse fluorescent imaging, and immunostaining to monitor activity-dependent dendritic release of BDNF. We found that spontaneous backpropagating action potentials, but not synaptic activity alone, led to a Ca2+-dependent dendritic release of BDNF-GFP. Moreover, we provide evidence that endogenous BDNF released from a single neuron can phosphorylate CREB (cAMP response element-binding protein) in neighboring neurons, an important step of immediate early gene activation. Therefore, together, our results support the hypothesis that BDNF might act as a target-derived messenger of activity-dependent synaptic plasticity and development.
Personality differences affect brainstem autonomic responses to visceral pain

Abstract Brainstem autonomic nuclei integrate interoceptive inputs including pain, with descending modulation, to produce homeostatic and defence outputs. Cardiac Vagal Control is especially implicated in psychophysiological processes for both health and disease and is indexed non‐invasively by heart rate variability. The study aim was to determine the nature of psychophysiological response profiles for visceral pain. Nineteen healthy subjects had electrocardiographic recordings at rest and during 10 painful oesophageal balloon distensions. Cardiac Vagal Control originating from nucleus ambiguus (CVCNA) was determined by polynomial filter application to the electrocardiogram inter‐beat interval series. Heart rate and ‘Cardiac Sympathetic Index (CSI)’ were also determined. Psychological state and trait, including neuroticism and extroversion, were assessed. Subjects who increased CVCNA to pain were more neurotic, anxious and sensory sensitive than those who decreased CVCNA. Cluster analysis identified two psychophysiological groups: Group 1 (n = 11) demonstrated lower baseline CVCNA (P = 0.0001), higher heart rate (P = 0.02) and CSI (P = 0.015), pain tolerance at lower balloon volumes (P = 0.04), but attenuated heart rate response to pain (P = 0.01). Group 2 (n = 8) had the converse profile. Neuroticism scores were higher (P = 0.0004) and extroversion lower (P = 0.01) for group 1 than group 2. Two distinct psychophysiological response profiles to visceral pain exist that are influenced by personality. These may reflect different psychobiological bases for active and passive defence repertoires. Prevalence and clinical relevance of these endophenotypes as vulnerability factors for pain and emotion disorders warrant further exploration.
DNA methyltransferase 1 expression and promoter methylation of E‐cadherin in mucoepidermoid carcinoma

Loss of E‐cadherin expression is found frequently in many types of human malignancies, including mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC). CpG methylation in the promoter region has proven important in the regulation of gene expression implicated in malignant transformation. DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) are the major enzymes involved in establishing genomic methylation patterns. The current study was designed to test the hypothesis that CpG methylation of the promoter region of the E‐cadherin gene may inactivate its expression and to examine DNMT 1 (DNMT1) protein expression in MEC.
EEG multiscale entropy dynamics in mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a neurological condition that is often the early stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). This pilot study explores event-related multiscale entropy (MSE) measures as features for effectively discriminating between normal aging, MCI, and AD participants. Thirty two-channel scalp EEG records recorded during a working memory task from 43 age-matched participants (mean age 75.7 years)-17 normal controls (NC), 16 MCI, and 10 early ADare examined. Multiscale entropy curves are computed for responses during the working memory task. Support vector machine models are constructed to perform binary discriminations among the three groups. Leave-one-out cross-validation accuracies of 87.9% (p-value <;1.322E-4) for MCI vs. NC, 88.9% (p-value <;2.886E-5) for AD vs. NC, and 92.3% (p-value <;4.910E-6) for MCI vs. AD are achieved. Results demonstrate links between event-related multiscale entropy dynamics of EEG and short-term memory deficits.
Blastocyst Injection of Wild Type Embryonic Stem Cells Induces Global Corrections in Mdx Mice

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an incurable neuromuscular degenerative disease, caused by a mutation in the dystrophin gene. Mdx mice recapitulate DMD features. Here we show that injection of wild‐type (WT) embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into mdx blastocysts produces mice with improved pathology. A small fraction of WT ESCs incorporates into the mdx mouse nonuniformly to upregulate protein levels of dystrophin in the skeletal muscle. The chimeric muscle shows reduced regeneration and restores dystrobrevin, a dystrophin‐related protein, in areas with high and with low dystrophin content. WT ESC injection also normalizes the amount of fat, a tissue that does not express dystrophin. ESC injection without dystrophin does not prevent the appearance of phenotypes in the skeletal muscle or in the fat. Thus, dystrophin supplied by the ESCs reverses disease in mdx mice globally.