Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of early neonatal breast-feeding on psychomotor and neuropsychological development in children of diabetic mothers.

OBJECTIVE In general, breast-feeding positively influences development of psychomotor function and cognition in children. Offspring of diabetic mothers (ODM) have delayed psychomotor and cognitive development. Recently, we observed a dose-dependent negative effect of early neonatal ingestion of breast milk from diabetic mothers (diabetic breast milk [DBM]) on the risk of overweight during early childhood. Here, we investigated the influence of early neonatal intake of DBM on neurodevelopment in ODM. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 242 ODM were evaluated for age of achieving major developmental milestones (Denver Developmental Scale) according to the volume of DBM ingested during the first week of life, using Kruskal-Wallis and Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS Children in the upper tertile of early neonatal ingestion of DBM achieved early psychomotor developmental milestones ("lifting head while prone," "following with eyes") earlier than those in lower tertiles (P = 0.002). In contrast, a delay in the onset of speaking was observed in children who had ingested larger volumes of DBM compared with those with lower DBM intake (P = 0.002). This negative impact of DBM ingestion was not confounded by birth characteristics, total milk intake, or socioeconomic/educational status. CONCLUSIONS Our data indicate differential effects of early neonatal DBM ingestion on psychomotor and cognitive development. Ingesting larger compared with smaller volumes of DBM may normalize early psychomotor development in ODM but delays onset of speaking as a parameter indicative of cognitive development. This effect may result from qualitative alterations in the composition of DBM. Further studies are urgently recommended on the benefits and harms of breast-feeding in ODM.
Chemoprevention of colon carcinogenesis by phenylethyl-3-methylcaffeate.

Previous studies from this laboratory have established that caffeic acid esters present in propolis, a natural resin produced by honey bees, are potent inhibitors of human colon adenocarcinoma cell growth, carcinogen-induced biochemical changes, and preneoplastic lesions in the rat colon. The present study was designed to investigate the chemopreventive action of dietary phenylethyl-3-methylcaffeate (PEMC) on azoxymethane-induced colon carcinogenesis and to examine the modulating effect of PEMC on phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC), phospholipase A2, lipoxygenase (LOX), and cyclooxygenase activities in the colonic mucosa and tumor tissues in male F344 rats. At 5 weeks of age, groups of rats were fed the control (modified AIN-76A) diet, or a diet containing 750 ppm of PEMC. At 7 weeks of age, all animals except those in the vehicle (normal saline)-treated groups were given 2 weekly s.c. injections of azoxymethane at a dose rate of 15 mg/kg body weight/week. All groups were maintained on their respective dietary regimen until the termination of the experiment 52 weeks after the carcinogen treatment. Colonic tumors were evaluated histopathologically. Both colonic mucosa and tumors were analyzed for PI-PLC, phospholipase A2, cyclooxygenase, and LOX activities. The results indicate that dietary administration of PEMC significantly inhibited the incidence and multiplicity of invasive, noninvasive, and total (invasive plus noninvasive) adenocarcinomas of the colon (P < 0.05-0.004). Dietary PEMC also suppressed the colon tumor volume by 43% compared to the control diet. Animals fed the PEMC diet showed significantly decreased activities of colonic mucosal and tumor PI-PLC (about 50%), but PEMC diet had no effect on phospholipase A2. The production of 5(S)-, 8(S)-, 12(S)-, and 15(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids via the LOX pathway from arachidonic acid was reduced in colonic mucosa and tumors (30-60%) of animals fed the PEMC diet as compared to control diet. PEMC had no effect on the formation of colonic mucosal cyclooxygenase metabolites but inhibited the formation in colonic tumors by 15-30%. The precise mechanism by which PEMC inhibits colon tumorigenesis remains to be elucidated. It is likely that the chemopreventive action may be related, at least in part, to the modulation of PI-PLC-dependent signal transduction and LOX-mediated arachidonic acid metabolism.
Characterization of Vibrio parahaemolyticus Manganese‐Resistant Mutants in Reference to the Function of the Ferric Uptake Regulatory Protein

In many bacteria, the ferric uptake regulatory protein (Fur) has a central role in the negative regulation of genes affected by iron limitation. In this study, Vibrio parahaemolyticus strains carrying mutations in the fur gene encoding Fur were isolated by the manganese selection method to assess the function of Fur in connection with alternations in the coordinate expression of the siderophore vibrioferrin (VF) and iron‐repressible outer membrane proteins (IROMPs). Ten out of 25 manganese‐resistant mutants constitutively produced VF and expressed at least two IROMPs irrespective of the iron concentration in the medium. PCR‐direct DNA sequencing of the fur genes in these mutants identified four different point mutations causing amino acid changes. Moreover, a fur overexpressing plasmid was constructed to prepare antiserum against V. parahaemolyticus Fur. Western blotting with this antiserum revealed that the intracellular abundance of the wild‐type Fur was not significantly affected by the iron concentrations in the growth medium, and that the Fur proteins of the mutant strains occurred at substantially smaller amounts and/or migrated more rapidly in sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis than the wild‐type Fur. These data afford an additional insight into the structure‐function relationship of Fur and imply its involvement in the iron acquisition systems of V. parahaemolyticus, although it is yet unknown whether its action on the target genes is direct or indirect.
The Contingent Meaning of Neighborhood Stability for residents’ psychological well-being

According to a cohesiveness perspective, neighborhood stability is good for communities and the individuals who live in them, and may be especially beneficial in poor neighborhoods. In contrast, a social isolation perspective proposes that neighborhood stability has negative effects on residents’ psychological well-being in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. This analysis of multilevel data—data in which survey information from a representative sample of Illinois residents is linked to census-tract information about poverty and stability in their neighborhood—supports a social isolation perspective. In affluent neighborhoods, stability is associated with low levels of distress; under conditions of poverty the opposite is true. In part this occurs because residents of poor, stable neighborhoods face high levels of disorder in their neighborhoods. Stability does not reduce perceived disorder under conditions of poverty, as it does in more affluent neighborhoods, which leaves residents feeling powerless to leave a dangerous place. Finally, the negative effects of poor, stable neighborhoods on residents’ psychological well-being do not stem from a lack of social ties among neighbors.
Utility of paired box gene 8 (PAX8) expression in fluid and fine‐needle aspiration cytology

Metastases from ovarian neoplasms are commonly encountered in peritoneal fluids. In addition, reactive mesothelial cells in effusion specimens can mimic ovarian serous carcinoma, making the diagnosis difficult. Calretinin has been recognized as a reliable immunohistochemical marker for mesothelial cells, whereas WT1 has proven useful in the diagnosis of ovarian serous carcinoma. This can present a diagnostic pitfall in effusion cytology, because mesothelial cells can demonstrate immunoreactivity for WT1. Recently, paired box gene 8 (PAX8) has been used in distinguishing ovarian from mammary carcinoma. To the authors' knowledge, no studies using PAX8 have been performed on peritoneal cytology specimens to date, and its expression in metastatic ovarian serous carcinoma has not been studied.
IL-10 administration reduces PGE-2 levels and promotes CR3-mediated clearance of Escherichia coli K1 by phagocytes in meningitis

Ineffectiveness of antibiotics in treating neonatal Escherichia coli K1 meningitis and the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains evidently warrants new prevention strategies. We observed that administration of interleukin (IL)-10 during high-grade bacteremia clears antibiotic-sensitive and -resistant E. coli from blood of infected mice. Micro-CT studies of brains from infected animals displayed gross morphological changes similar to those observed in infected human neonates. In mice, IL-10, but not antibiotic or anti-TNF antibody treatment prevented brain damage caused by E. coli. IL-10 administration elevated CR3 expression in neutrophils and macrophages of infected mice, whereas infected and untreated mice displayed increased expression of FcγRI and TLR2. Neutrophils or macrophages pretreated with IL-10 ex vivo exhibited a significantly greater microbicidal activity against E. coli compared with cells isolated from wild-type or IL-10−/− mice. The protective effect of IL-10 was abrogated when CR3 was knocked-down in vivo by siRNA. The increased expression of CR3 in phagocytes was caused by inhibition of prostaglandin E-2 (PGE-2) levels, which were significantly increased in neutrophils and macrophages upon E. coli infection. These findings describe a novel modality of IL-10–mediated E. coli clearance by diverting the entry of bacteria via CR3 and preventing PGE-2 formation in neonatal meningitis.
Methodological Frameworks and Interdisciplinary Research on Gated Communities

The paper examines gated communities as an object of study that has received intense scholarly attention from diverse disciplines over the last 10 years. The many conference presentations and published papers on the subject have not, however, always contributed to a cohesive body of knowledge. We suggest in this paper that clearer frameworks for empirical investigations are needed; not only for specific disciplines, but also for providing an interdisciplinary perspective. The paper focuses on methodology: first highlighting three different approaches to the analysis of urban fragmentation (social, spatial and institutional); and second, outlining a framework for interdisciplinary analysis. In the latter part, we illustrate the connections that may be made between the analyses of the social, spatial and institutional fragmentation effects and causes of gated communities and suggest ways of handling phenomenological as well as linguistic complexity in this multi-disciplinary area of urban scholarship.
Acupuncture improves exercise tolerance of patients with heart failure: a placebo-controlled pilot study

Background Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a complex clinical syndrome with autonomic dysbalance and increased plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines, which further worsen the syndrome. Experimental data have shown that stimulation of certain acupoints decreases autonomic dysbalance. Objective To test the therapeutic potential of acupuncture for life-threatening diseases such as CHF. Methods 17 stable patients with CHF (New York Heart Association class II–III, ejection fraction <40%) receiving optimised heart failure medication were randomised into a verum acupuncture (VA) and placebo acupuncture (PA) group. Cardiopulmonary function, heart rate variability and quality of life were explored. Results No improvements of the cardiac ejection fraction or peak oxygen uptake were observed, but the ambulated 6 min walk distance was remarkably increased in the VA group (+32±7 m) but not the PA group (−1±11 m; p<0.01). Accordingly, post-exercise recovery after maximal exercise and the VE/VCO2 slope, a marker of ventilatory efficiency, were improved after VA but not PA. Furthermore, heart rate variability increased after VA, but decreased after PA. The ‘general health’ score and ‘body pain’ score of the quality-of-life questionnaire SF-36 tended to be improved after VA. Conclusion Acupuncture may become an additional therapeutic strategy to improve the exercise tolerance of patients with CHF, potentially by improving skeletal muscle function.
One Year Genome Evolution of Lausannevirus in Allopatric versus Sympatric Conditions

Abstract Amoeba-resisting microorganisms raised a great interest during the last decade. Among them, some large DNA viruses present huge genomes up to 2.5 Mb long, exceeding the size of small bacterial genomes. The rate of genome evolution in terms of mutation, deletion, and gene acquisition in these genomes is yet unknown. Given the suspected high plasticity of viral genomes, the microevolution of the 346 kb genome of Lausannevirus, a member of Megavirales, was studied. Hence, Lausannevirus was co-cultured within the amoeba Acanthamoeba castellanii over one year. Despite a low number of mutations, the virus showed a genome reduction of 3.7% after 12 months. Lausannevirus genome evolution in sympatric conditions was investigated by its co-culture with Estrella lausannensis, an obligate intracellular bacterium, in the amoeba A. castellanii during one year. Cultures were split every 3 months. Genome sequencing revealed that in these conditions both, Lausannevirus and E. lausannensis, show stable genome, presenting no major rearrangement. In fact, after one year they acquired from 2 to 7 and from 4 to 10 mutations per culture for Lausannevirus and E. lausannensis, respectively. Interestingly, different mutations in the endonuclease encoding genes of Lausannevirus were observed in different subcultures, highlighting the importance of this gene product in the replication of Lausannevirus. Conversely, mutations in E. lausannensis were mainly located in a gene encoding for a phosphoenolpyruvate–protein phosphotransferase (PtsI), implicated in sugar metabolism. Moreover, in our conditions and with our analyses we detected no horizontal gene transfer during one year of co-culture.
Variations in Velar Position over TimeA Nasal Videoendoscopic Study a Nasal Videoendoscopic Study

Changes in velar position during production of nonnasal speech in two adults were measured using field-by-field videoendoscopic tracking procedures. The data suggested that the changes in velar position were coordinated with syllable production. Peak velar displacement occurred during maximum oral closure for oral consonant production and was followed by lowering of velar position during vowel production. This pattern of velar movement was not altered by changes in speaking rate or by jaw fixation. The timing of peak velar elevation relative to peak intraoral air pressure and peak jaw elevation was also examined. Timing of peak velar displacement was statistically associated with timing of peak intraoral air pressure in one subject. The data are discussed with regard to the potential value of studying variations in velar position during nonnasal speech in patients with marginal velopharyngeal incompetence.
Altered Hemodynamic Response to Dobutamine in Relation to the Degree of Preoperative β‐Adrenoceplor Blockade

The relationship between the extent of preoperative β-adrenocepter blockade and the hemodynamic properties of dobutamine was investigated in patients scheduled for elective myocardial revascurization during isoflurane-nitrous oxide anesthesia. Twenty patients had been treated with β-adrenoceptor blocking drugs for at least 4 weeks before the study; 11 unblocked patients served as control group. The extent of clinical β-adrenoceptor blockade was quantified using the isoproterenol sensitivity test. The dose of isoroterenol required to increase heart rate by 25 beats/min was defined as the CD25 (chronotropic dose 25), representing the degree of β-adrenoceptor blockade. Geometric mean CD25/70 kg was 3.8 μg in the control group, and 24.5 μg in the patients receiving β-adrenoceptor blocking drugs. The authors found a significant inverse relationship between CD25 values and changes in cardiac index in response to three dobutamine infusion rates (1.0, 2.0, and 4.0 μg · kg−1 · min−1), the correlation coefficients being −0.78, −0.79, and −0.82, respectively. Compared to unblocked patients, almost no change, or even a decrease, of the cardiac index was observed at higher degrees of clinical β-adrenoceptor blockade. Moreover, there was a significant linear correlation (r = 0.66 - 0.75) between CD25 values and the effects of dobutamine on systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), i.e., SVRI decreased in control patients, but increased in patients with high degrees of preoperative β-adrenoceptor blockade. This unmasked vasocontrictive response to dobutamine was observed despite the fact that the majority of our patients had received cardioselective adrenergic blocking drugs. No correlation existed between the extent of β-blockade and the effects of dobutamine on mean arterial blood pressure, and there was no difference in the effect of dobutamine on mean arterial blood pressure, whether the patient was beta blocked or not. The authors conclude that these results could have important clinical implications for the use of dobutamine in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery who are receiving β-adrenoceptor blocking drugs for control of angina pectoris, hypertension, or arrhythmias.
Skill Development and Critical Thinking in Higher Education

Abstract The development of ‘critical thinking’ is often put forward as an ideal of higher education. However, there is a significant contention over what is meant by the phrase. This paper looks at how a critical approach might be encouraged as an aspect of skills development in higher education. In the Master of Research (MRes), degree a variety of research orientated skills is taught, the combination of which is thought to be pertinent to ‘good’ research and to professional life generally. As a result of focus group and interview sessions conducted with participating students, it appears that one of outcomes most useful to the students has been a development of a self‐awareness through reflection. This self‐awareness pertains to where their skills lie and to a more general awareness of how they learn. This, in turn, seems to have led to the development of a more thoughtful, enquiring and open‐minded approach, in both professional and personal life. This approach appears to embrace many of the ideals of.
Involving Healthcare Consumers in Knowledge Acquisition for Virtual Healthcare

Knowledge acquisition (KA) is essential to creating effective virtual healthcare systems. KA is typically done with expert users such as clinicians and psychologists. In this paper, we describe knowledge acquisition activities which we carried out with healthcare consumers, in the context of a project to generate English summaries of medical data about babies in a neonatal intensive care unit. Working directly with consumers was in many ways more challenging than working with medical professionals, but it did lead to valuable insights which benefited our projects. We hope that the discussion of our experiences will help other researchers who wish to conduct KA with healthcare consumers.
Do State Methods of Quantifying a Severe Discrepancy Result in Fewer Students with Learning Disabilities?

Minimizing misclassification of students with LD is a major concern for policymakers, particularly if financial incentives are available for placing children in such programs. In the current study, individual states' methods of defining a severe discrepancy for determining LD eligibility are examined, as well as the way use of such methods influences misclassification. The percentage of the total population identified as LD by individual states (as reported to the federal government) was compared. Results showed variations from 2.19% to 8.66% in the percentage of students aged 7 to 16 identified as LD across states. Seven of the states in the lowest percentage decile used a method for determining a severe discrepancy; in comparison, only two of the states in the decile identifying the most students used a method of determining a severe discrepancy. It was concluded that use of any method to determine a severe discrepancy may help reduce the number of inappropriate placements resulting from labeling students as LD.
Lymphocyte Depletion After Alemtuzumab Induction Disrupts Intestinal Fungal Microbiota in Cynomolgus Monkeys

Background The interactions of specific fungal phylotypes with immune cells have been recently documented; however, little is known whether gut fungal microbiota is influenced by aberrant immune response in immunosuppressive state. This study aimed to define the biologic impact of lymphocyte depletion on gut fungal microbiota and their relationship. Methods Fifteen male cynomolgus monkeys with CD52 antigen negative on erythrocytes were administered intravenously with a single dose (3.0 mg kg−1 body weight) of alemtuzumab. Depletion and repopulation of circulating and mucosal lymphocytes were determined. The dynamic variations of intestinal fungal microbiota were characterized using 18S ribosomal DNA-based molecular techniques. Results The fungal microbiota in colonal mucosa was perturbed during lymphocyte depletion, characterized by increased diversity and colonization of Candida albicans, Aspergillus clavatus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The diversity of the fecal fungal population decreased markedly after mucosal lymphocyte depletion, and specific fungal phylotypes, especially Candida albicans, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Botryotinia fuckeliana, were expanded (P<0.05). After reconstitution of mucosal lymphocytes, the composition and diversity of the gut fungal microbiota were both recovered. A close association of the community diversity and Candida albicans colonization with T lymphocyte subsets was also identified. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate that mucosal lymphocyte depletion leads to the dysbiosis of gut fungal microbiota, suggesting its role in maintaining host-fungus homeostasis. The pathphysiologic consequences of this altered fungal colonization might provide novel clues to uncover the underlying mechanism of enteric fungal infection in immunosuppressive therapies.
Radioprotective Effect of Lidocaine on Neurotransmitter Agonist-Induced Secretion in Irradiated Salivary Glands

Background Previously we verified the radioprotective effect of lidocaine on the function and ultrastructure of salivary glands in rabbits. However, the underlying mechanism of lidocaine's radioprotective effect is unknown. We hypothesized that lidocaine, as a membrane stabilization agent, has a protective effect on intracellular neuroreceptor-mediated signaling and hence can help preserve the secretory function of salivary glands during radiotherapy. Methods and Materials Rabbits were irradiated with or without pretreatment with lidocaine before receiving fractionated radiation to a total dose of 35 Gy. Sialoscintigraphy and saliva total protein assay were performed before radiation and 1 week after the last radiation fraction. Isolated salivary gland acini were stimulated with either carbachol or adrenaline. Ca2+ influx in response to the stimulation with these agonists was measured using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Results The uptake of activity and the excretion fraction of the parotid glands were significantly reduced after radiation, but lidocaine had a protective effect. Saliva total protein concentration was not altered after radiation. For isolated acini, Ca2+ influx in response to stimulation with carbachol, but not adrenaline, was impaired after irradiation; lidocaine pretreatment attenuated this effect. Conclusions Lidocaine has a radioprotective effect on the capacity of muscarinic agonist-induced water secretion in irradiated salivary glands.