Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional activities of the Tsh protein from avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) strains

The temperature-sensitive hemagglutinin (Tsh) expressed by strains of avian pathogenic Escherichia (E.) coli (APEC) has both agglutinin and protease activities. Tsh is synthesized as a 140 kDa precursor protein, whose processing results in a 106 kDa passenger domain (Tshs) and a 33 kDa β-domain (Tshβ). In this study, both recombinant Tsh (rTsh) and supernatants from APEC, which contain Tshs (106 kDa), caused proteolysis of chicken tracheal mucin. Both rTsh (140 kDa) and pellets from wild-type APEC, which contain Tshβ (33 kDa), agglutinated chicken erythrocytes. On Western blots, the anti-rTsh antibody recognized the rTsh and 106 kDa proteins in recombinant E. coli BL21/pET 101-Tsh and in the supernatants from APEC grown at either 37℃ or 42℃. Anti-rTsh also recognized a 33 kDa protein in the pellets from APEC13 cultures grown in either Luria-Bertani agar, colonization factor antigen agar, or mucin agar at either 26℃, 37℃, or 42℃, and in the extracts of outer membrane proteins of APEC. The 106 kDa protein was more evident when the bacteria were grown at 37℃ in mucin agar, and it was not detected when the bacteria were grown at 26℃ in any of the culture media used in this study. Chicken anti-Tsh serum inhibited hemagglutinating and mucinolytic activities of strain APEC13 and recombinant E. coli BL21/pET101-Tsh. This work suggests that the mucinolytic activity of Tsh might be important for the colonization of the avian tracheal mucous environment by APEC.
Fungus Culture of the Nasal Secretion of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients: Seasonal Variations in Daegu, Korea

Background The role of fungi in the pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is being increasingly recognized. The presences of fungal spores are a necessary condition for fungal sinusitis, and fungal spore counts vary widely, both geographically and seasonally. The aim of this study was to characterize fungal seasonal variation in the nasal cavity of CRS patients and to compare it with histologic types of nasal polyps. Methods One hundred eight patients with a clinical diagnosis of CRS with polyps were enrolled in this study for 1 year. Nasal secretions were obtained by aspiration and cultured to identify fungi. Nasal polyps were divided into four histologic types: eosinophilic, fibroinflammatory, seromucinous, and atypical. Results Positive cultures for fungi were obtained in 60 of 108 (63.0%) CRS patients, and 28 of 45 (62.2%) normal volunteers. Fungus culture rates were higher during summer and fall. Cladosporium, Aspergillus, Alternaria, and Penicilium were frequently isolated from CRS patients and normal volunteers. The most common histologic type was the fibroinflammatory type (60.2%), although in the summer and fall the proportion of the eosinophilic type increased. Conclusion Fungi were commonly cultured during a hot and humid environment, during summer and fall, and cultured organism types were found to be seasonal dependent. Histologic types of nasal polyps appear to be associated with fungal culture rate, organism type, and seasonal variations.
New Perspectives of Infections in Cardiovascular Disease

Infections have been recognized as significant causes of cardiac diseases for many decades. Various microorganisms have been implicated in the etiology of these diseases involving all classes of microbial agents. All components of the heart structure can be affected by infectious agents, i.e. pericardium, myocardium, endocardium, valves, autonomic nervous system, and some evidence of coronary arteries. A new breed of infections have evolved over the past three decades involving cardiac implants and this group of cardiac infectious complications will likely continue to increase in the future, as more mechanical devices are implanted in the growing ageing population. This article will review the progress made in the past decade on understanding the pathobiology of these infectious complications of the heart, through advances in genomics and proteomics, as well as potential novel approach for therapy. An up-to-date, state-of-the-art review and controversies will be outlined for the following conditions: (i) perimyocarditis; (ii) infective endocarditis; (iii) cardiac device infections; (iv) coronary artery disease and potential role of infections.
Recombinant Activated Factor VII for Acute Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage is the least treatable form of stroke and is associated with 30% to 50% mortality rate. Early hematoma growth occurs in 18% to 38% of patients scanned within 3 hours of intracerebral hemorrhage onset, and hematoma volume is an important predictor of poor outcome. Recombinant activated factor VII, a potent initiator of hemostasis, is currently approved for the treatment of bleeding in hemophilia patients with inhibitors and has also been shown to promote hemostasis in patients with normal coagulation. A recent phase IIB randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging “proof-of-concept” trial enrolled 399 intracerebral hemorrhage patients to determine whether recombinant activated factor VII can limit ongoing bleeding and improve outcome. An approximate 50% relative reduction in hematoma growth was evident with all 3 doses that were tested (40, 80, and 160 &mgr;g/kg), which translated into an average reduction in absolute intracerebral hemorrhage volume growth of ≈5 milliliters. More importantly, recombinant activated factor VII was associated with a 38% relative reduction in mortality and significantly improved functional outcome among survivors, despite a 5% frequency of arterial thromboembolic events (primarily ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction). A large phase III trial (the FAST trial [Factor Seven for Acute Hemorrhagic Stroke Treatment]) is now in progress to confirm these findings.
l-Theanine as a Functional Food Additive: Its Role in Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Tea has been consumed for thousands of years and is an integral part of people’s daily routine, as an everyday drink and a therapeutic aid for health promotion. Consumption of tea has been linked to a sense of relaxation commonly associated with the content of the non-proteinogenic amino acid theanine, which is found within the tea leaves. The aim of this review article is to outline the current methods for synthesis, extraction and purification of theanine, as well as to examine its potential benefits related to human health. These include improvements in cognitive and immune function, cancer prevention, reduced cardiovascular risk and its potential usefulness as a functional food product.
Mortality among women in 3 catholic religious orders with special reference to cancer

R E D O M I N A N T among epidemiological P studies of cancer are those directed toward the description of the characteristics of pop ulation groups who do or do not develop the disease. '? Through this basic approach, valuable data concerning cancer have been amassed. For example, it has been established that cancer of the stomach is the chief site of cancer among both men and women in Finland32 and that persons long exposed to the inhalation of certain chromate dusts have a higher incidence of cancer of the lung than is found in the general population.2 Conversely, the incidence of cancer of the breast is low among Japanese women in comparison with women in many other countries. ** By determining the incidence pattern of cancer in as many diverse population groups as possible, especially subgroups that can be studied in detail, it is hoped that the mosaic picture of the behavior of the disease among human beings will one day be reasonably complete. Various attributes of the host, the agent, and the environment are deemed to be of etiological significance for cancer (as for all diseases). ls, 37 Thus, analysis of the reasons for the differences observed in such studies is a logical next step and should provide increasing knowledge for the application of cancer control measures.
Radiocarbon in marine bacteria: Evidence for the ages of assimilated carbon

It is generally accepted that marine bacteria utilize labile, recently produced components of bulk dissolved organic matter. This interpretation is based largely on indirect measurements using model compounds and plankton‐derived organic matter. Here, we present an assessment of the relative proportions of modern and older dissolved organic carbon (DOC) utilized by marine bacteria. Bacterial nucleic acids were collected from both estuarine (Santa Rosa Sound, FL) and open‐ocean (eastern North Pacific) sites, and the natural radiocarbon signatures of the nucleic acid carbon in both systems were determined. Bacterial nucleic acids from Santa Rosa Sound were significantly enriched in radiocarbon with respect to the bulk DOC and were similar to the radiocarbon signature of atmospheric CO2 at the time of sampling, indicating that these bacteria exclusively assimilate a modern component of the estuarine bulk DOC. In contrast, bacterial nucleic acids from the oceanic site were enriched in 14C relative to the bulk DOC but depleted in 14C with respect to modern surface dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and suspended particulate organic carbon (POCsusp). This suggests that open‐ocean bacteria assimilate both modern and older components of DOC. The distinct radiocarbon signatures of the nucleic acids at these two sites (i.e., +120 ± 17‰ estuarine vs. −34 ± 24‰ oceanic) demonstrate that natural 14C abundance measurements of bacterial biomarkers are a powerful tool for investigations of carbon cycling through microbial communities in different aquatic systems.
A full dimensional grid empowered simulation of the CO2 + CO2 processes

A recently introduced bond–bond formulation of the intermolecular interaction has been extended to six‐atom systems to the end of assembling a new potential energy surface (PES) and has been incorporated into a grid empowered simulator able to handle the modeling of the CO2 + CO2 processes. The proposed PES is full dimensional and accounts for the dependence of the intermolecular interaction on some basic physical properties of the colliding partners, including modulations induced by the monomer deformation. The used analytical formulation of the interaction involves a limited number of parameters, each having a clear physical meaning. Guess values for these parameters can also be obtained from analytical correlation formulae. Such estimates can then be fine tuned by exploiting experimental and theoretical information. The resulting PES well describes stretched and bent asymptotic CO2 monomers as well as the CO2–CO2 interaction in the most and less stable configurations. On this potential massive quasiclassical elastic and inelastic detailed scattering trajectories have been integrated, by exploiting the innovative computational technologies of the grid. The efficiency of the approach used and the reliability of the estimates of the dynamical properties obtained in this way is such that we can now plan a systematic evaluation of the state specific rate coefficient matrix elements needed for space craft reentry modeling. Here, we present probabilities and cross sections useful to rationalize some typical mechanisms characterizing the vibrational transitions of the CO2 + CO2 system on the flexible monomer proposed PES. On such PES, the key dynamical outcomes are: (a) there is a strong energy interchange between symmetric stretching of the reactants and bending of the products (and viceversa) while asymmetric stretching is strongly adiabatic (b) reactant energy is more efficiently allocated (with respect to the rigid monomers PES) as product vibration when reactant stretching modes are excited while the contrary is true when the reactant bending mode is excited. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Incision and stress regulation in borderline personality disorder: Neurobiological mechanisms of self-injurious behaviour

Background Patients with borderline personality disorder frequently show non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). In these patients, NSSI often serves to reduce high levels of stress. Aims Investigation of neurobiological mechanisms of NSSI in borderline personality disorder Method In total, 21 women with borderline personality disorder and 17 healthy controls underwent a stress induction, followed by either an incision into the forearm or a sham treatment. Afterwards participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging while aversive tension, heart rate and heart rate variability were assessed. Results We found a significant influence of incision on subjective and objective stress levels with a stronger decrease of aversive tension in the borderline personality disorder group following incision than sham. Amygdala activity decreased more and functional connectivity with superior frontal gyrus normalised after incision in the borderline personality disorder group. Conclusions Decreased stress levels and amygdala activity after incision support the assumption of an influence of NSSI on emotion regulation in individuals with borderline personality disorder and aids in understanding why these patients use self-inflicted pain to reduce inner tension.
Comovement and Predictability Relationships between Bonds and Thecross-Section of Stocks

Government bonds comove more strongly with bond-like stocks: stocks of large, mature, lowvolatility, profitable, dividend-paying firms that are neither high growth nor distressed. Variables that are derived from the yield curve that are already known to predict returns on bonds also predict returns on bond-like stocks; investor sentiment, a predictor of the cross-section of stock returns, also predicts excess bond returns. These relationships remain in place even when bonds and stocks become “decoupled” at the index level. They are driven by a combination of effects including correlations between real cash flows on bonds and bond-like stocks, correlations between their risk-based return premia, and periodic flights to quality.
PAPR reduction in FBMC/OQAM systems using active constellation extension and tone reservation approaches

Filter Bank based Multicarrier communication with Offset Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (FBMC/OQAM) has been gaining considerable interest as an important competitor to Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing system (OFDM). However, FBMC/OQAM signal inherits the same drawback of High Peak to Average Power Ratio as OFDM signal. Because of the overlapping structure of FBMC/OQAM symbols, the direct application of the conventional PAPR reduction scheme originally proposed for OFDM is not effective. In this paper, we investigate the performance of Smart Gradient Project Active Constellation Extension (ACE-SGP) and Tone Reservation (TR) approaches in PAPR reduction for FBMC/OQAM signals. Indeed, we introduce three PAPR reduction schemes for FBMC/OQAM system based on ACE-SGP, TR and a hybrid one. The performance of the three schemes are presented and compared with those of the OFDM system.
Stimulus-evoked intrinsic optical signals in the retina: pharmacologic dissection reveals outer retinal origins.

PURPOSE To elucidate the anatomic origins of stimulus-evoked intrinsic optical signals in the mammalian retina by using selective pharmacologic blockade of specific retinal layers. METHODS Four adult cats were used to investigate the stimulus-evoked intrinsic signals. The retinas were visually stimulated with a liquid crystal display (LCD) integrated into a modified fundus camera. The evoked signals in the near infrared (NIR) were recorded with a digital camera to image the changes in the optical reflectance of the retinas. Variants of the electroretinogram (pattern ERG and long-pulse ERG) were also recorded as additional measures of retinal function. Specific retinal layers were inactivated via intravitreal injections of the voltage-gated sodium channel blocker, tetrodotoxin (TTX), the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR6) agonist, 2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid (APB), and/or the ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonist cis-2,3 piperidinedicarboxylic acid (PDA). The stimulus-evoked intrinsic signals were imaged before and after drug injection. RESULTS ERG recordings and tests of the consensual pupillary response confirmed the effectiveness of each drug. Yet despite the pharmacologic blockade of the inner retina (TTX) and postreceptoral retinal circuitry (APB and PDA), the stimulus-evoked intrinsic signals remained essentially unaltered from preinjection conditions. Similarly, the time course of the signal did not appreciably shift in time or shape. CONCLUSIONS The findings demonstrate that stimulus-evoked intrinsic signals persist after injection of APB, PDA, and TTX, drugs that work to suppress inner and postreceptoral retinal circuitry. The persistence of the intrinsic signals after administration of these drugs indicates that the dominant intrinsic signals are likely to arise from the outer retina.
Extinction learning, which consists of the inhibition of retrieval, can be learned without retrieval

Significance Blockade of the retrieval of contextual fear conditioning by intrahippocampal muscimol administration does not impede extinction of the task measured up to 1 wk later, its eventual spontaneous recovery at 14 d, or its inhibition by two different protein synthesis inhibitors given into the hippocampus. These results show that extinction and retrieval are separate processes and strongly suggest that extinction is triggered or gated by the conditioned stimulus even in the absence of retrieval. In the present study we test the hypothesis that extinction is not a consequence of retrieval in unreinforced conditioned stimulus (CS) presentation but the mere perception of the CS in the absence of a conditioned response. Animals with cannulae implanted in the CA1 region of hippocampus were subjected to extinction of contextual fear conditioning. Muscimol infused intra-CA1 before an extinction training session of contextual fear conditioning (CFC) blocks retrieval but not consolidation of extinction measured 24 h later. Additionally, this inhibition of retrieval does not affect early persistence of extinction when tested 7 d later or its spontaneous recovery after 2 wk. Furthermore, both anisomycin, an inhibitor of ribosomal protein synthesis, and rapamycin, an inhibitor of extraribosomal protein synthesis, given into the CA1, impair extinction of CFC regardless of whether its retrieval was blocked by muscimol. Therefore, retrieval performance in the first unreinforced session is not necessary for the installation, maintenance, or spontaneous recovery of extinction of CFC.
Facial Asymmetry in Unilateral Coronal Synostosis: Long-Term Results after Fronto-orbital Advancement

Background: Unilateral coronal synostosis causes asymmetry of the forehead and face. The authors set out to document asymmetry and rotation of the middle/lower facial soft tissues using three-dimensional photogrammetry in adolescent and adult patients with unilateral coronal synostosis who underwent correction in infancy. Methods: All patients older than 10 years who had bilateral fronto-orbital advancement in infancy for nonsyndromic unilateral coronal synostosis were eligible for this study. The following paired anthropometric distances were measured: medial canthus to facial midline distance (endocanthion to sellion); middle facial depth (tragion to subnasale); and lower facial depth (tragion to gnathion). Nasal tip deviation (sellion to pronasale) and facial midline deviation (sellion to subnasale to gnathion) were also measured. Results: There were 15 patients with an average age at fronto-orbital advancement of 8 months (range, 3 to 14 months). Three-dimensional digital images were taken at an average age of 14 years (range, 11 to 29 years). Digital anthropometry documented decreased mean middle facial depth (5.1 ± 3.2 mm; p < 0.00001) and lower facial depth (2.7 ± 2.5 mm; p < 0.00001) on the fused side. Average deviation of the nasal tip and facial midline to the nonfused side was 5.0 ± 1.2 degrees and 3.4 ± 0.7 degrees, respectively. All 15 patients exhibited rotation of the middle and lower face to the nonfused side (chi-square analysis, p < 0.0001). Applying the Bonferroni correction, asymmetry did not correlate with age at frontal advancement or age at digital imaging. Conclusion: Adolescents and adults with unilateral coronal synostosis who underwent fronto-orbital advancement in infancy have consistent middle and lower facial asymmetry.
Chromosomal transformation in Bacillus subtilis is a non-polar recombination reaction

Natural chromosomal transformation is one of the primary driving forces of bacterial evolution. This reaction involves the recombination of the internalized linear single-stranded (ss) DNA with the homologous resident duplex via RecA-mediated integration in concert with SsbA and DprA or RecO. We show that sequence divergence prevents Bacillus subtilis chromosomal transformation in a log-linear fashion, but it exerts a minor effect when the divergence is localized at a discrete end. In the nucleotide bound form, RecA shows no apparent preference to initiate recombination at the 3′- or 5′-complementary end of the linear duplex with circular ssDNA, but nucleotide hydrolysis is required when heterology is present at both ends. RecA·dATP initiates pairing of the linear 5′ and 3′ complementary ends, but only initiation at the 5′-end remains stably paired in the absence of SsbA. Our results suggest that during gene transfer RecA·ATP, in concert with SsbA and DprA or RecO, shows a moderate preference for the 3′-end of the duplex. We show that RecA-mediated recombination initiated at the 3′- or 5′-complementary end might have significant implication on the ecological diversification of bacterial species with natural transformation.
Differences and similarities in the developmental status of embryo‐derived stem cells and primordial germ cells revealed by global expression profiling

Embryonic germ‐line cells are unipotent cells that give rise to either sperm or oocytes. However, pluripotent stem cells can be derived from primordial germ cells (PGCs) or spermatogonia, suggesting that germ‐line cells retain a capacity for pluripotency. Here, we made genome‐wide comparisons of the gene expression profiles of freshly isolated PGCs, in vitro‐formed PGCs (iPGCs), and other stem cell lines, including embryonic stem cells (ESCs), embryonic germ cells (EGCs) and germ‐line stem (GS) cells. Comparing PGC with ESC, 382 genes/transcripts were significantly up‐regulated in ESC, while 188 were elevated in PGC. This suggests that PGCs possess transcription program distinct from that of ESC, although both share expression of many pluripotency‐associated genes.