Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutrition in Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease: From Etiology to Treatment. A Systematic Review

Nutrition is involved in several aspects of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), ranging from disease etiology to induction and maintenance of disease. With regards to etiology, there are pediatric data, mainly from case-control studies, which suggest that some dietary habits (for example consumption of animal protein, fatty foods, high sugar intake) may predispose patients to IBD onset. As for disease treatment, exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is an extensively studied, well established, and valid approach to the remission of pediatric Crohn’s disease (CD). Apart from EEN, several new nutritional approaches are emerging and have proved to be successful (specific carbohydrate diet and CD exclusion diet) but the available evidence is not strong enough to recommend this kind of intervention in clinical practice and new large experimental controlled studies are needed, especially in the pediatric population. Moreover, efforts are being made to identify foods with anti-inflammatory properties such as curcumin and long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3, which can possibly be effective in maintenance of disease. The present systematic review aims at reviewing the scientific literature on all aspects of nutrition in pediatric IBD, including the most recent advances on nutritional therapy.
Detection by Reverse Transcription-PCR and Genetic Characterization of Field Isolates of Swine Hepatitis E Virus from Pigs in Different Geographic Regions of the United States

ABSTRACT Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an important public health concern in many developing countries. HEV is also endemic in some industrialized counties, including the United States. With our recent discovery of swine HEV in pigs that is genetically closely related to human HEV, hepatitis E is now considered a zoonotic disease. Human strains of HEV are genetically heterogenic. So far in the United States, only one strain of swine HEV has been identified and characterized from a pig. To determine the extent of genetic variations and the nature of swine HEV infections in U.S. pigs, we developed a universal reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assay that is capable of detecting genetically divergent strains of HEV. By using this universal RT-PCR assay, we tested fecal and serum samples of pigs of 2 to 4 months of age from 37 different U.S. swine farms for the presence of swine HEV RNA. Thirty-four of the 96 pigs (35%) and 20 of the 37 swine herds (54%) tested were positive for swine HEV RNA. The sequences of a 348-bp region within the ORF2 gene of 27 swine HEV isolates from different geographic regions were determined. Sequence analyses revealed that the 27 U.S. swine HEV isolates shared 88 to 100% nucleotide sequence identities with each other and 89 to 98% identities with the prototype U.S. strain of swine HEV. These U.S. swine HEV isolates are only distantly related to the Taiwanese strains of swine HEV, with about 74 to 78% nucleotide sequence identities; to most known human strains of HEV worldwide, with <79% sequence identities; and to avian HEV, with 54 to 56% sequence identities. Phylogenetic analysis showed that all the U.S. swine HEV isolates identified in this study clustered in the same genotype with the prototype U.S. swine HEV and the two U.S. strains of human HEV. The data from this study indicated that swine HEV is widespread and enzoonotic in U.S. swine herds and that, as is with human HEV, swine HEV isolates from different geographic regions of the world are also genetically heterogenic. These data further raise potential concerns for zoonosis, xenozoonosis, and food safety.
What factors in early pregnancy indicate that the mother will be hit by her partner during the year after childbirth? A nationwide Swedish survey.

BACKGROUND To be hit by one's intimate partner during the first year after childbirth may affect a woman's health and ability to take care of her newborn. The purpose of this study was to document the prevalence and indicators in early pregnancy of a woman being hit by her partner during the year after childbirth. METHOD Information was collected by a postal questionnaire in early pregnancy and 12 months after childbirth from the approximately 5,550 women in Sweden who visited an antenatal care clinic for the first time during one of three chosen weeks in 1999 and 2000. RESULTS Of the 3,266 recruited women, 2,563 returned the follow-up questionnaire. Being hit during the first year after childbirth was reported by 52 of the 2,563 (2%) women: 32 (61%) had been hit by their partner once, 12 (23%) twice, and 8 (15%) three or more times. Risk increased in women who were age 24 years or younger (3.9% had been hit), unmarried (7.1%), born in countries outside Europe (6.8%), with a partner born outside Europe (5.4%), had a low level of education (8.9%), and were unemployed (5.0%). In early pregnancy, women with back pain (4.0%), a chronic illness (4.1%), coital pain (6.1%), frequent depression-related symptoms (8.1%), stomach pain (3.8%), or a urinary tract problem (6.3%) were hit more often than others after childbirth. CONCLUSIONS At least 2 percent of Swedish women giving birth in 2000 were hit by their partner during the year after childbirth. Using identified predictors during antenatal care may increase the likelihood of finding women at risk, thereby enhancing the possibility of interventions to prevent this crime and health hazard.
Oral and Vaginal Epithelial Cell Lines Bind and Transfer Cell-Free Infectious HIV-1 to Permissive Cells but Are Not Productively Infected

The majority of HIV-1 infections worldwide are acquired via mucosal surfaces. However, unlike the vaginal mucosa, the issue of whether the oral mucosa can act as a portal of entry for HIV-1 infection remains controversial. To address potential differences with regard to the fate of HIV-1 after exposure to oral and vaginal epithelium, we utilized two epithelial cell lines representative of buccal (TR146) and pharyngeal (FaDu) sites of the oral cavity and compared them with a cell line derived from vaginal epithelium (A431) in order to determine (i) HIV-1 receptor gene and protein expression, (ii) whether HIV-1 genome integration into epithelial cells occurs, (iii) whether productive viral infection ensues, and (iv) whether infectious virus can be transferred to permissive cells. Using flow cytometry to measure captured virus by HIV-1 gp120 protein detection and western blot to detect HIV-1 p24 gag protein, we demonstrate that buccal, pharyngeal and vaginal epithelial cells capture CXCR4- and CCR5-utilising virus, probably via non-canonical receptors. Both oral and vaginal epithelial cells are able to transfer infectious virus to permissive cells either directly through cell-cell attachment or via transcytosis of HIV-1 across epithelial cells. However, HIV-1 integration, as measured by real-time PCR and presence of early gene mRNA transcripts and de novo protein production were not detected in either epithelial cell type. Importantly, both oral and vaginal epithelial cells were able to support integration and productive infection if HIV-1 entered via the endocytic pathway driven by VSV-G. Our data demonstrate that under normal conditions productive HIV-1 infection of epithelial cells leading to progeny virion production is unlikely, but that epithelial cells can act as mediators of systemic viral dissemination through attachment and transfer of HIV-1 to permissive cells.
Transcriptional profiling of phenotypically different Epo‐Fc expressing CHO clones by cross‐species microarray analysis

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells exhibit large variabilities regarding growth, recombinant protein production and post‐translational processing during cell line development and clone selection. To accelerate the development of stable high quality cell factories, new efficient strategies for cell screening and clone selection are required. In our work, we combined phenotypic characterisation of recombinant CHO clones during early cell line development with transcription profile analysis using cross‐species microarrays. The objective was to identify genes or gene patterns that correlate with clone specific alterations in terms of productivity, sialylation capacity and stress resistance. In all high producer clones transcriptional profiling revealed a common enrichment of gene ontology categories related to protein metabolism, transcription, nucleus and nucleolus, whereas no common genes were differentially regulated in clones showing higher sialylation capacities. Furthermore, we identified predictive stress‐related marker genes that were up‐regulated in one clone without showing the corresponding phenotype at an early stage of development. Thus, we successfully applied gene expression profiling to allocate transcriptomal differences to specific phenotypes that changed during cell line development. These promising results will further increase our efforts to develop CHO specific microarrays that deliver information about the suitability of a clone candidate for industrial production.
Knowledge-Aided Reweighted Belief Propagation LDPC Decoding using Regular and Irregular Designs

In this paper a new message passing algorithm, which takes advantage of both tree-based re-parameterization and the knowledge of short cycles, is introduced for the purpose of decoding LDPC codes with short block lengths. The proposed algorithm is called variable factor appearance probability belief propagation (VFAP-BP) algorithm and is suitable for wireless communications applications, where both good decoding performance and low-latency are expected. Our simulation results show that the VFAP-BP algorithm outperforms the standard BP algorithm and requires a significantly smaller number of iterations than existing algorithms when decoding both regular and irregular LDPC codes.
High performance ultra-thin CdTe solar cell with Lead Telluride BSF

The polycrystalline cadmium telluride (CdTe) is a leading photovoltaic (PV) material for the possibility of high-efficiency and low-cost thin film solar cell. The absorber material CdTe has a high absorption coefficient over 5×105/cm and it has a direct bandgap of 1.45 eV, which is very close to the optimum bandgap for solar cells. In this work, numerical analysis was done utilizing AMPS (Analysis of Microelectronic and Photonic Structures) simulator to investigate the possibility of ultra-thin absorber layer of CdS/CdTe solar cell. In the proposed cell the CdTe layer was reduced and found that 1 μm CdTe layer is enough for acceptable range of cell conversion efficiency. The viability of this ultra-thin CdTe absorber layer was examined, together with 0.1 μm PbTe back surface field (BSF) layer to reduce the barrier height in valence band and to minimize the recombination losses at the back contact of the CdS/CdTe cell. It was found that the proposed ultra-thin cells have conversion efficiency of 21.11% (Voc = 1.04 V, Jsc = 23.509 mA/cm2, FF = 0.863) without BSF and with 100 nm PbTe BSF conversion efficiency increased to 21.83% (Voc = 1.05 V, Jsc = 23.895 mA/cm2, FF = 0.87) with only 0.8 μm of CdTe layer. Moreover, the normalized efficiency of the proposed cells linearly decreased with the increasing operating temperature at the gradient of -0.4%/°C, which indicated better stability of the cells with and without BSF.
Single-port retroperitoneal renal biopsy using standard urological instruments

Objective To describe the surgical technique and initial experience with a single-port retroperitoneal renal biopsy (SPRRB). Materials and Methods Between January and April 2013, five children underwent SPRRB in our hospital. A single 1.5 cm incision was performed under the 12th rib at mid-axillary line, and an 11 mm trocar was inserted. A nephroscope was used to identify the kidney and dissect the perirenal fat. After lower pole exposure, a laparoscopic biopsy forceps was introduced through the nephroscope working channel to collect a renal tissue sample. Results SPRRB was successfully performed in five children. The mean operative time was 32 minutes, and mean estimated blood loss was less than 10 mL. The hospital stay of all patients was two days because they were discharged in the second postoperative day, after remaining at strict bed rest for 24 hours after the procedure. The average number of glomeruli present in the specimen was 31. Conclusion SPRRB is a simple, safe and reliable alternative to open and videolaparoscopic approaches to surgical renal biopsy.
Metabolism and translocation of allantoin in ureide-producing grain legumes.

Transfer of the nitrogen and carbon of allantoin to amino acids and protein of leaflets, stems and petioles, apices, peduncles, pods, and seeds of detached shoots of nodulated cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp. cv. Caloona) plants was demonstrated following supply of [2-(14)C], [1,3-(15)N]allantoin in the transpiration stream. Throughout vegetative and reproductive growth all plant organs showed significant ureolytic activity and readily metabolized [2-(14)C]allantoin to (14)CO(2). A metabolic pathway for ureide nitrogen utilization via allantoic acid, urea, and ammonia was indicated. Levels of ureolytic activity in extracts from leaves and roots of nodulated cowpea were consistently maintained at higher levels than in non-nodulated, NO(3) (-) grown plants. [(14)C]Ureides were recovered in extracts of aphids (Aphis craccivora and Macrosiphum euphorbieae) feeding at different sites on cowpea plants supplied with [2-(14)C]allantoin through the transpiration stream or to the upper surface of single leaflets. The data indicated that the ureides were effectively transferred from xylem or leaf mesophyll to phloem, and then translocated in phloem to fruits, apices, and roots.
Radioprotective Efficacy of Gamma-Tocotrienol in Nonhuman Primates

The search for treatments to counter potentially lethal radiation-induced injury over the past several decades has led to the development of multiple classes of radiation countermeasures. However, to date only granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF; filgrastim, Neupogen)and pegylated G-CSF (pegfilgrastim, Neulasta) have been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of hematopoietic acute radiation syndrome (ARS). Gamma-tocotrienol (GT3) has demonstrated strong radioprotective efficacy in the mouse model, indicating the need for further evaluation in a large animal model. In this study, we evaluated GT3 pharmacokinetics (PK) and efficacy at different doses of cobalt-60 gamma radiation (0.6 Gy/min) using the nonhuman primate (NHP) model. The PK results demonstrated increased area under the curve with increasing drug dose and half-life of GT3. GT3 treatment resulted in reduced group mean neutropenia by 3–5 days and thrombocytopenia by 1–5 days. At 5.8 and 6.5 Gy total-body irradiation, GT3 treatment completely prevented thrombocytopenia. The capability of GT3 to reduce severity and duration of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia was dose dependent; 75 mg/kg treatment was more effective than 37.5 mg/kg treatment after a 5.8 Gy dose. However, the higher GT3 dose (75 mg/kg) was associated with higher frequency of adverse skin effects (small abscess) at the injection site. GT3 treatment of irradiated NHPs caused no significant difference in animal survival at 60 days postirradiation, however, low mortality was observed in irradiated, vehicle-treated groups as well. The data from this pilot study further elucidate the role and pharmacokinetics of GT3 in hematopoietic recovery after irradiation in a NHP model, and demonstrate the potential of GT3 as a promising radioprotector.
Initiation of V(D)J Recombination by Dβ-Associated Recombination Signal Sequences: A Critical Control Point in TCRβ Gene Assembly

T cell receptor (TCR) β gene assembly by V(D)J recombination proceeds via successive Dβ-to-Jβ and Vβ-to-DJβ rearrangements. This two-step process is enforced by a constraint, termed beyond (B)12/23, which prohibits direct Vβ-to-Jβ rearrangements. However the B12/23 restriction does not explain the order of TCRβ assembly for which the regulation remains an unresolved issue. The initiation of V(D)J recombination consists of the introduction of single-strand DNA nicks at recombination signal sequences (RSSs) containing a 12 base-pairs spacer. An RSS containing a 23 base-pairs spacer is then captured to form a 12/23 RSSs synapse leading to coupled DNA cleavage. Herein, we probed RSS nicks at the TCRβ locus and found that nicks were only detectable at Dβ-associated RSSs. This pattern implies that Dβ 12RSS and, unexpectedly, Dβ 23RSS initiate V(D)J recombination and capture their respective Vβ or Jβ RSS partner. Using both in vitro and in vivo assays, we further demonstrate that the Dβ1 23RSS impedes cleavage at the adjacent Dβ1 12RSS and consequently Vβ-to-Dβ1 rearrangement first requires the Dβ1 23RSS excision. Altogether, our results provide the molecular explanation to the B12/23 constraint and also uncover a ‘Dβ1 23RSS-mediated’ restriction operating beyond chromatin accessibility, which directs Dβ1 ordered rearrangements.
SUBJECTIVE CONTOURS AND APPARENT DEPTH

Schumann (1904) investigated the physical parameters which affect the perception of contour. He reported that for a contour to be perceived the prerequisite was some relatively abrupt local change in brightness or color. In the course of these investigations, however, he noted that under certain favorable conditions contours could be made to appear in areas of the visual field where the physical stimulation was homogenous. As evidence of this, he presented the pattern shown in Figure 1. In the center of this pattern most observers see a white square, bounded by intermittent black and white on either side. Since the contours delineating this square are not actually present in the stimulation, these phenomena have been called "subjective contours" (Osgood, 1951). The subjective contours in the Schumann figure are somewhat unstable. Not all observers see these contour lines, and when they are carefully fixated, they tend to disappear. Their appearance is generally enhanced when the configuration is of small visual angle. All of these factors led Schumann to conclude that subjective contours were the result of some organizational
Insights into the emission of the blazar 1ES 1011+496 through unprecedented broadband observations during 2011 and 2012

1ES 1011+496 (z=0.212) was discovered in very high energy (VHE, E >100 GeV) γ-rays with MAGIC in 2007. The absence of simultaneous data at lower energies led to a rather incomplete characterization of the broadband spectral energy distribution (SED). We study the source properties and the emission mechanisms, probing whether a simple one-zone synchrotron-self-Compton (SSC) scenario is able to explain the observed broadband spectrum. We analyzed VHE to radio data from 2011 and 2012 collected by MAGIC, Fermi-LAT, Swift, KVA, OVRO, and Mets\"ahovi in addition to optical polarimetry data and radio maps from the Liverpool Telescope and MOJAVE. The VHE spectrum was fit with a simple power law with a photon index of 3.69±0.22 and a flux above 150 GeV of (1.46±0.16)×10−11 ph cm−2 s−1. 1ES 1011+496 was found to be in a generally quiescent state at all observed wavelengths, showing only moderate variability from radio to X-rays. A low degree of polarization of less than 10% was measured in optical, while some bright features polarized up to 60% were observed in the radio jet. A similar trend in the rotation of the electric vector position angle was found in optical and radio. The radio maps indicated a superluminal motion of 1.8±0.4c, which is the highest speed statistically significantly measured so far in a high-frequency-peaked BL Lac. For the first time, the high-energy bump in the broadband SED of 1ES 1011+496 could be fully characterized from 0.1 GeV to 1 TeV which permitted a more reliable interpretation within the one-zone SSC scenario. The polarimetry data suggest that at least part of the optical emission has its origin in some of the bright radio features, while the low polarization in optical might be due to the contribution of parts of the radio jet with different orientations of the magnetic field to the optical emission.
Synthesis and Crystal Structures of Two Novel O, N-Containing Spiro Compounds

Two novel O, N-containing spiro compounds, C16H16ClNO4 (1) and C16H16N2O6 (2), were prepared by reactions of monosubstituted benzenamine (substituent = –NO2, –Cl) and 1,5-dioxaspiro[5.5]undecane-2,4-dione in ethanol solution of trimethoxymethane. Their structures were characterized by elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Compound 1 is triclinic with space group P-1 and cell constants: a = 5.9448(12), b = 9.782(2), c = 13.480(3) A, α = 100.28(3)°, β = 100.66(3)°, γ = 97.83(3)°, Mr = 321.75, V = 746.3(3) A3, Z = 2, Dc = 1.432 g/cm3, F(000) = 336, μ(MoKa) = 0.274 mm−1, the final R = 0.0544 and wR = 0.1538. Compound 2 is monoclinic with space group P21/c and cell constants: a = 12.472(3), b = 11.856(2), c = 10.643(2) A, β = 99.83(3)°, Mr = 332.31, V = 1550.7(5) A3, Z = 4, Dc = 1.423 g/cm3, F(000) = 696, μ(MoKa) = 0.110 mm−1, the final R = 0.0444 and wR = 0.1187. In 1, there exist some intra- and inter-molecular hydrogen bonds and C–H···π supramolecular interactions, while there are still π···π stacking interactions except for some intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds in 2. Two compounds both form a three-dimensional network structure via above intermolecular interactions.
Endotoxin induces metabolic dysregulation of vascular tone.

The goals of this study were to determine 1) if endotoxin alters vascular responsiveness to metabolic stimuli and 2) if the decompensatory loss of skeletal muscle vascular tone that occurs during endotoxemia is induced by increased muscle metabolism. Vascularly isolated and denervated canine gracilis muscles were perfused in situ at a constant flow. In the first set of experiments, gracilis muscle O2 extraction (MVO2) and perfusion pressure were continuously measured during direct electrical stimulation of the muscle mass. Endotoxemia was induced by a 30-min intravenous infusion of Escherichia coli endotoxin (2 mg/kg), and the stimulations were repeated 60 min postendotoxemia. Compared with the nonendotoxic control, the endotoxemic muscle stimulation resulted in a decreased MVO2, and the vascular response (dilation) was potentiated. In the second set of experiments, the MVO2 of the experimental muscle (GMe) was lowered by cooling the temperature of the blood perfusing the muscle to 22-24 degrees C while maintaining the temperature of the contralateral control muscle (GMc) at 34-35 degrees C. After the administration of endotoxin, arterial pressure fell and the GMc showed a progressive increase in MVO2 and loss of vascular tone (decompensation). Coincidently, the GMe showed no significant change in MVO2 and did not vasodilate. The major findings of this study are 1) endotoxin induces the vasculature to become more reactive to metabolic vasodilation, and 2) the decompensatory vasodilation typically observed during endotoxemia can be abolished if MVO2 (i.e., metabolism) is kept low by cooling the muscle. The data suggest that endotoxemia increases vascular sensitivity to vasodilatory metabolites, which allows local mechanisms to dominate extrinsic nonneural forces and control vascular tone, thus inducing vasodilation.