Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative structure‐reactivity relationships of hydroxyl radical rate constants for linear and cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes

An accurate understanding of the fate of volatile methylsiloxanes (VMS) in air is crucial for determining their persistence and concentrations in the environment. Although oxidation by atmospheric hydroxyl radicals (•OH) is considered as a major degradation mechanism for airborne VMS, the existing bimolecular rate constants with •OH measured and modeled for any given VMS compound varied greatly, depending on the approaches used to generate the data. The objectives of the present study were to measure •OH reaction rate constants for 4 cyclic and 4 linear VMS based on a relative rate method using a newly designed atmospheric chamber and to establish structure–reactivity relationships for the kinetics. In the past, the reaction rate constants for VMS were generally recognized to increase with the number of the methyl groups per molecule, the only differential factor in the existing models. However, the new measurements indicated that molecular structure should also be considered in the prediction of the reaction rates. Better empirical models were developed by simple and multiple linear regressions of the measured values from the present study and the literature. A high correlation existed for the reaction rates with the number of the methyl group attached at 2 distinct siloxane structures (i.e., linear and cyclic VMS). Even better correlations were obtained with one or 2 molecular descriptors that are directly related to the size of VMS, which, in turn, not only depend on the number of methyl groups, but the linear/cyclic structures as well for permethylsiloxanes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:3240–3245. © 2017 SETAC
Food Shopping and Acquisition Behaviors in Relation to BMI among Residents of Low-Income Communities in South Carolina

Low-income areas in which residents have poor access to healthy foods have been referred to as “food deserts. ” It is thought that improving food access may help curb the obesity epidemic. Little is known about where residents of food deserts shop and if shopping habits are associated with body mass index (BMI). We evaluated the association of food shopping and acquisition (e.g., obtaining food from church, food pantries, etc.) with BMI among 459 residents of low-income communities from two South Carolina counties, 81% of whom lived in United States Department of Agriculture-designated food deserts. Participants were interviewed about food shopping and acquisition and perceptions of their food environment, and weight and height were measured. Distances to food retail outlets were determined. Multivariable linear regression analysis was employed. Our study sample comprising largely African-American women had an average BMI of 32.5 kg/m2. The vast majority of study participants shopped at supermarkets (61%) or supercenters/warehouse clubs (27%). Shopping at a supercenter or warehouse club as one’s primary store was significantly associated with a 2.6 kg/m2 higher BMI compared to shopping at a supermarket, independent of demographics, socioeconomics, physical activity, and all other food shopping/acquisition behaviors. Persons who reported shopping at a small grocery store or a convenience or dollar store as their tertiary store had a 2.6 kg/m2 lower BMI. Respondents who perceived lack of access to adequate food shopping in their neighborhoods as a problem had higher BMI. Living in a food desert census tract was not significantly associated with BMI. Other shopping attributes, including distance to utilized and nearest grocery stores, were not independently associated with BMI. These findings call into question the idea that poor spatial access to grocery stores is a key underlying factor affecting the obesity epidemic. Future research should consider assessing foods purchased and dietary intake within a comprehensive study of food shopping behaviors and health outcomes among persons living in food deserts.
Provider variability in the initial diagnosis and treatment of congenital hypothyroidism

Abstract Background: Early diagnosis and expeditious treatment of newborns with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is necessary to avoid mental retardation. Methods: A survey of 44 practitioners in the southern US was conducted to better understand common practices regarding neonatal CH and the findings were compared with current guidelines in the US and Europe. Results: Responses indicated some consensus that 10–15 μg of thyroid hormone/kg/day was the appropriate dosage. However, despite guidelines advocating their use, practitioners reported that they did not commonly use imaging or laboratory tests, though experienced providers apparently used them more often. Conclusions: Together, these results show moderate adherence to published guidelines for treating and diagnosing CH. Further research is needed to determine why providers deviate from these guidelines and to generalize these results to other populations.
Evaluation of CpxRA as a Therapeutic Target for Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Infections

ABSTRACT CpxRA is an envelope stress response system found in all members of the family Enterobacteriaceae; CpxA has kinase activity for CpxR and phosphatase activity for phospho-CpxR, a transcription factor. CpxR also accepts phosphate groups from acetyl phosphate, a glucose metabolite. Activation of CpxR increases the transcription of genes encoding membrane repair and downregulates virulence determinants. We hypothesized that activation of CpxR could serve as an antimicrobial/antivirulence strategy and discovered compounds that activate CpxR in Escherichia coli by inhibiting CpxA phosphatase activity. As a prelude to testing such compounds in vivo, here we constructed cpxA (in the presence of glucose, CpxR is activated because of a lack of CpxA phosphatase) and cpxR (system absent) deletion mutants of uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) CFT073. By RNA sequencing, few transcriptional differences were noted between the cpxR mutant and its parent, but in the cpxA mutant, several UPEC virulence determinants were downregulated, including the fim and pap operons, and it exhibited reduced mannose-sensitive hemagglutination of guinea pig red blood cells in vitro. In competition experiments with mice, both mutants were less fit than the parent in the urine, bladder, and kidney; these fitness defects were complemented in trans. Unexpectedly, in single-strain challenges, only the cpxA mutant was attenuated for virulence in the kidney but not in the bladder or urine. For the cpxA mutant, this may be due to the preferential use of amino acids over glucose as a carbon source in the bladder and urine by UPEC. These studies suggest that CpxA phosphatase inhibitors may have some utility for treating complex urinary tract infections.
Reproductive Effort and Reproductive Values in Periodic Environments

Life‐history theory concerns the optimal spread of reproduction over an organism’s life span. In variable environments, there may be extrinsic differences between breeding periods within an organism’s life, affecting both offspring and parent and giving rise to intergenerational trade‐offs. Such trade‐offs are often discussed in terms of reproductive value for parent and offspring. Here, we consider parental life‐history optimization in response to varying offspring values of a population regulated by territoriality, where the quality of the environment varies periodically. Periods are interpreted as either within‐year (seasonality) or between‐years variation (cyclicity). The evolutionarily stable strategy in a general model with two‐phased periodicity in the environment can generate either higher or lower effort in the more favorable of the two phases; hence knowing survival prospects of offspring does not suffice for predicting reproductive effort—the future of all descendants and the parent must be tracked. We also apply our method to data on the Ural owl Strix uralensis, a species preying on cyclically fluctuating voles. The observed dynamics are best predicted by assuming delayed reproductive costs and Type II functional response. Accounting for varying offspring values can lead to cases where both reproductive effort and recruitment of offspring are higher in the phase when voles are not maximally abundant, a pattern supported by our data.
Cognitive Evaluation of Cochlear Implanted Adults Using CODEX and MoCA Screening Tests.

OBJECTIVE The relationship between hearing loss and cognitive function has already been established. The objective of our study was to determine whether the two short cognitive tests, COgnitive Disorders EXamination (CODEX) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), could be used in daily clinical practice to detect cognitive impairment, and its changes after cochlear implantation. PATIENTS Eighteen patients with severe to profound postlingual progressive hearing loss (mean age ± SEM: 64 ± 3.5 yr; range, 23-83 yr) were tested before, and 12 months after cochlear implantation, with adapted visual presentation of CODEX and MoCA tests. Auditory performance was tested under best-aided conditions in quiet and noise. RESULTS Twelve months after cochlear implantation, hearing performance had clearly improved (paired t tests, p < 0.05). In addition, among the eight patients who had an abnormal cognitive score before implantation, four improved their cognitive performance, and were thus considered to be normal. No major alteration of cognitive performance was observed in the 10 patients who had normal cognitive performance before implantation. CONCLUSION CODEX and MoCA are rapid tests that could be considered to be relevant cognitive performance screening tests. They could be used in daily clinical practice to improve the multidisciplinary sensory-cognitive monitoring of the elderly population.
Bayesian Analysis of Two-Level Fractional Factorial Experiments with Non-Normal Responses

An intractable issue on screening experiments is to identify significant effects and to select the best model when the number of factors is large, especially for fractional factorial experiments with non-normal responses. In such cases, a three-stage Bayesian approach based on generalized linear models (GLMs) is proposed to identify which effects should be included in the target model where the principles of effect sparsity, hierarchy, and heredity are successfully considered. Three simulation experiments with non-normal responses which follow Poisson, binomial, and gamma distributions are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed approach.
A Comparison of the Taxonomic Richness of Vascular Plants in China and the United States

Numbers of taxa at the level of order, family, genus, and species were tabulated for 12 subclass‐level taxonomic groups of vascular plants in the floras of China and the United States. Analysis of these data showed that the flora of China is significantly more diverse than that of the United States. Furthermore, the difference in diversity arises at and below the level of genera. Finally, the euasterids II and Caryophyllidae are exceptions to the general trend in being more diverse in the United States. As a result, the floras of China and the United States are different nonrandom samples of the floras of the North Temperate Zone and the world. Phylogenetically older groups have a larger proportion of genera shared between China and the United States and also tend to have larger proportions of taxa belonging to genera with tropical affinities. The two subclass‐level groups that are more diverse in the United States have primarily temperate affinities and are relatively young phylogenetically. We conclude that the patterns of diversity of Chinese and U.S. vascular plants have been influenced by the longer and more open access of temperate eastern Asia to tropical regions, the presence in southern China of a larger area of subtropical climate with complex topography, and the reduced impact of late Tertiary climate cooling in eastern Asia compared to North America. The greatest differences in diversity occur among older groups having stronger tropical affinities and, perhaps, originating in eastern Asia. In the North American flora, these groups appear to be disproportionately small relicts of a formerly widespread “boreotropical flora” that was relatively homogeneous at the genus level across the Bering Land Bridge between eastern Asia and North America. Groups that arose and diversified later, and that have fewer genera in common between Asian and North American floras, particularly the euasterids II, were better adapted to the cooler and drier climates of the Neogene temperate latitudes and evidently were relatively unaffected by late Neogene glaciations. These groups are thus as diverse, or more diverse, in North America as in eastern Asia. Understanding the relative diversity of two regions requires an appreciation of the historical development of the floras in the context of large‐scale processes and events.
Enhanced healing and anti-inflammatory effects of a carbohydrate polymer with zinc oxide in patients with chronic venous leg ulcers: preliminary results

Introduction Insufficient wound healing related to chronic inflammation of chronic venous leg ulcers (CVUs) represents an important public health problem. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a carbohydrate polymer with zinc oxide therapy on CVUs. Material and methods Forty patients with CVUs were recruited for this study and were divided into a study group and control group. Patients In the study group were instructed to use venous compression treatment andtopical carbohydrate polymer with zinc oxide twice daily, while patients In the control group were treated with only venous compression treatment. All patients were followed up for 8 weeks. Peripheral blood samples and biosy tissue specimens were obtained at the initiation of treatment and after 8 weeks to assess serum levels of inflammatory cytokines as well as the percentage of leukocytes, T-helper cells, cytotoxic-T cells, macrophages and endothelial cells in the biopsy tissue using flow cytometry. Results A significantly greater reduction in the mean percentage ulcer area from baseline to eight weeks was observed in the study group (up to 40% for large ulcers). Furthermore, the patients in the study group had reduced systemic levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-8 (p = 0.0028) and IL-6 (p = 0.0302), fewer total CD45+ cells (p = 0.0038) and more CD31+ cells (p = 0.045) present in ulcer biopsies compared to the control group. Conclusions The carbohydrate polymer with zinc oxide treatment with venous compression enhances healing of CVUs and improves quality of life due, in part, to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Comparison Between Minimally Invasive Surgery and Conventional Open Surgery for Patients With Spinal Metastasis: A Prospective Propensity Score-Matched Study

Study Design. Prospective propensity score-matched study. Objective. To compare the outcomes of minimal invasive surgery (MIS) and conventional open surgery for spinal metastasis patients. Summary of Background Data. There is lack of knowledge on whether MIS is comparable to conventional open surgery in treating spinal metastasis. Methods. Patients with spinal metastasis requiring surgery from January 2008 to December 2010 in two spine centers were recruited. The demographic, preoperative, operative, perioperative and postoperative data were collected and analyzed. Thirty MIS patients were matched with 30 open surgery patients using propensity score matching technique with a match tolerance of 0.02 based on the covariate age, tumor type, Tokuhashi score, and Tomita score. Results. Both groups had significant improvements in Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), Karnofsky scores, visual analogue scale (VAS) for pain and neurological status postoperatively. However, the difference comparing the MIS and open surgery group was not statistically significant. MIS group had significantly longer instrumented segments (5.5 ± 3.1) compared with open group (3.8 ± 1.7). Open group had significantly longer decompressed segment (1.8 ± 0.8) than MIS group (1.0 ± 1.0). Open group had significantly more blood loss (2062.1 ± 1148.0 mL) compared with MIS group (1156.0 ± 572.3 mL). More patients in the open group (76.7%) needed blood transfusions (with higher average units of blood transfused) compared with MIS group (40.0%). Fluoroscopy time was significantly longer in MIS group (116.1 ± 63.3 s) compared with open group (69.9 ± 42.6 s). Open group required longer hospitalization (21.1 ± 10.8 days) compared with MIS group (11.0 ± 5.0 days). Conclusion. This study demonstrated that MIS resulted in comparable outcome to open surgery for patients with spinal metastasis but has the advantage of less blood loss, blood transfusions, and shorter hospital stay. Level of Evidence: 3
Genetic Resources in the “Calabaza Pipiana” Squash (Cucurbita argyrosperma) in Mexico: Genetic Diversity, Genetic Differentiation and Distribution Models

Analyses of genetic variation allow understanding the origin, diversification and genetic resources of cultivated plants. Domesticated taxa and their wild relatives are ideal systems for studying genetic processes of plant domestication and their joint is important to evaluate the distribution of their genetic resources. Such is the case of the domesticated subspecies C. argyrosperma ssp. argyrosperma, known in Mexico as calabaza pipiana, and its wild relative C. argyrosperma ssp. sororia. The main aim of this study was to use molecular data (microsatellites) to assess the levels of genetic variation and genetic differentiation within and among populations of domesticated argyrosperma across its distribution in Mexico in comparison to its wild relative, sororia, and to identify environmental suitability in previously proposed centers of domestication. We analyzed nine unlinked nuclear microsatellite loci to assess levels of diversity and distribution of genetic variation within and among populations in 440 individuals from 19 populations of cultivated landraces of argyrosperma and from six wild populations of sororia, in order to conduct a first systematic analysis of their genetic resources. We also used species distribution models (SDMs) for sororia to identify changes in this wild subspecies’ distribution from the Holocene (∼6,000 years ago) to the present, and to assess the presence of suitable environmental conditions in previously proposed domestication sites. Genetic variation was similar among subspecies (HE = 0.428 in sororia, and HE = 0.410 in argyrosperma). Nine argyrosperma populations showed significant levels of inbreeding. Both subspecies are well differentiated, and genetic differentiation (FST) among populations within each subspecies ranged from 0.152 to 0.652. Within argyrosperma we found three genetic groups (Northern Mexico, Yucatan Peninsula, including Michoacan and Veracruz, and Pacific coast plus Durango). We detected low levels of gene flow among populations at a regional scale (<0.01), except for the Yucatan Peninsula, and the northern portion of the Pacific Coast. Our analyses suggested that the Isthmus of Tehuantepec is an effective barrier isolating southern populations. Our SDM results indicate that environmental characteristics in the Balsas-Jalisco region, a potential center of domestication, were suitable for the presence of sororia during the Holocene.
Epidermal growth factor attenuates Clostridium difficile toxin A- and B-induced damage of human colonic mucosa.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) exhibits a cytoprotective effect on gastrointestinal epithelia via a receptor-mediated mechanism. We investigated the effect of EGF on Clostridium difficile toxin A (TxA)- and toxin B (TxB)-induced damage of human colon. Ussing-chambered colonic mucosa was exposed serosally to EGF before and during luminal exposure to TxA and TxB. Resistance was calculated from potential difference and short-circuit current. Epithelial damage was assessed by light microscopy and alteration of F-actin by fluoresceinated phalloidin. Luminal exposure of colonic strips to TxA and TxB caused a time- and dose-dependent decrease in electrical resistance, necrosis and dehiscence of colonocytes, and disruption and condensation of enterocyte F-actin. These effects were inhibited by prior, but not simultaneous, serosal application of EGF (20 nM). Administration of the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein (10-6 M) inhibited the protective effects of EGF. We conclude that EGF protects against TxA and TxB probably by stabilizing the cytoskeleton, the main target of these toxins.
The Frank-Starling mechanism is not mediated by changes in rate of cross-bridge detachment.

We tested the hypothesis that the Frank-Starling relationship is mediated by changes in the rate of cross-bridge detachment in cardiac muscle. We simultaneously measured isometric force development and the rate of ATP consumption at various levels of Ca2+ activation in skinned rat cardiac trabecular muscles at three sarcomere lengths (2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 μm). The maximum rate of ATP consumption was 1.5 nmol ⋅ s-1 ⋅ μl fiber vol-1, which represents an estimated adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) rate of ∼10 s-1 per myosin head at 24°C. The rate of ATP consumption was tightly and linearly coupled to the level of isometric force development, and changes in sarcomere length had no effect on the slope of the force-ATPase relationships. The average slope of the force-ATPase relationships was 15.5 pmol ⋅ mN-1 ⋅ mm-1. These results suggest that the mechanisms that underlie the Frank-Starling relationship in cardiac muscle do not involve changes in the kinetics of the apparent detachment step in the cross-bridge cycle.
Qiliqiangxin Attenuates Cardiac Remodeling via Inhibition of TGF-β1/Smad3 and NF-κB Signaling Pathways in a Rat Model of Myocardial Infarction

Background/Aims: Qiliqiangxin (QL), a traditional Chinese medicine, has been demonstrated to be effective and safe for the treatment of chronic heart failure. Left ventricular (LV) remodeling causes depressed cardiac performance and is an independent determinant of morbidity and mortality after myocardial infarction (MI). Our previous studies have shown that QL exhibits cardiac protective effects against heart failure after MI. The objective of this study was to explore the effects of QL on myocardial fibrosis in rats with MI and to investigate the underlying mechanism of these effects. Methods: A rat model of acute myocardial infarction was induced by ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. The rats were treated with QL (1.0 g/kg/day) for 4 weeks after surgery. Echocardiography and histology examination were performed to evaluate heart function and fibrosis, respectively. Protein levels of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), phosphorylated Smad3 (p-Smad3), phosphorylated Smad7 (p-Smad7), collagen I (Col- I), alpha smooth muscle actin (a-SMA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), nuclear factor κB (NF-κB), and phosphorylated inhibitor of kappa B alpha (p-IκBα) were measured by western blot analysis. Results: QL treatment ameliorated adverse cardiac remodeling 8 weeks after AMI, including better preservation of cardiac function, decreased inflammation, and reduced fibrosis. In addition, QL treatment reduced Col-I, a-SMA, TGF-β1, and p-Smad3 expression levels but increased p-Smad7 levels in postmyocardial infarct rat hearts. QL administration also reduced the elevated levels of cardiac inflammation mediators, such as TNF-α and IL-6, as well as NF-κB and p-IκBα expression. Conclusions: QL therapy exerted protective effects against cardiac remodeling potentially by inhibiting TGF-β1/Smad3 and NF-κB signaling pathways, thereby preserving cardiac function, as well as reducing myocardial inflammation and fibrosis.