Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Probiotics and Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Rationale, Putative Mechanisms, and Evidence of Clinical Efficacy

The irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) follows an acute, presumably infectious diarrheal illness in ∼15% of patients. There may be a persistent, mild inflammatory state with changes in mucosal function or structure. Changes in the colonic bacterial flora reported in IBS seem related to predominant bowel. Colonic bacteria normally metabolize nutrients with the formation of gas and short chain fatty acids. The latter may induce propulsive contractions and accelerate colonic transit or they may enhance fluid and sodium absorption in the colon. This review addresses the mechanisms, rationale and current evidence for the efficacy of probiotics, including Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria, and VSL♯3, in the treatment of IBS. The mechanisms influenced by probiotics include immune function, motility, and the intraluminal milieu. Probiotics may suppress the low-grade inflammation associated with IBS or restore normal local immune function. Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria subspecies are able to deconjugate and absorb bile acids, potentially reducing the colonic mucosal secretion of mucin and fluids that may contribute to functional diarrhea or IBS with diarrhea. Therapeutic trials show the potential benefit of Bifidobacteria or Lactobacilli species alone or in the specific probiotic combination, VSL♯3, on symptoms in IBS. Colonic transit was retarded in IBS patients treated with VSL♯3 without induction of significant changes in bowel function. In summary, probiotics are promising therapies in IBS.
Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitor, Allopurinol, Prevented Oxidative Stress, Fibrosis, and Myocardial Damage in Isoproterenol Induced Aged Rats

We evaluated the preventive effect of allopurinol on isoproterenol (ISO) induced myocardial infarction in aged rats. Twelve- to fourteen-month-old male Long Evans rats were divided into three groups: control, ISO, and ISO + allopurinol. At the end of the study, all rats were sacrificed for blood and organ sample collection to evaluate biochemical parameters and oxidative stress markers analyses. Histopathological examinations were also conducted to assess inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrosis in heart and kidneys. Our investigation revealed that the levels of oxidative stress markers were significantly increased while the level of cellular antioxidants, catalase activity, and glutathione concentration in ISO induced rats decreased. Treatment with allopurinol to ISO induced rats prevented the elevated activities of AST, ALT, and ALP enzymes, and the levels of lipid peroxidation products and increased reduced glutathione concentration. ISO induced rats also showed massive inflammatory cells infiltration and fibrosis in heart and kidneys. Furthermore, allopurinol treatment prevented the inflammatory cells infiltration and fibrosis in ISO induced rats. In conclusion, the results of our study suggest that allopurinol treatment is capable of protecting heart of ISO induced myocardial infarction in rats probably by preventing oxidative stress, inflammation, and fibrosis.
Perceptual effects in real-time tone mapping

Tremendous progress in the development and accessibility of high dynamic range (HDR) technology that has happened just recently results in fast proliferation of HDR synthetic image sequences and captured HDR video. When properly processed, such HDR data can lead to very convincing and realistic results even when presented on traditional low dynamic range (LDR) display devices. This requires real-time local contrast compression (tone mapping) with simultaneous modeling of important in HDR image perception effects such as visual acuity, glare, day and night vision. We propose a unified model to include all those effects into a common computational framework, which enables an efficient implementation on currently available graphics hardware. We develop a post processing module which can be added as the final stage of any real-time rendering system, game engine, or digital video player, which enhances the realism and believability of displayed image streams.
A Calcium-Based Simple Model of Multiple Spike Interactions in Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity

Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) is a form of synaptic modification that depends on the relative timings of presynaptic and postsynaptic spikes. In this letter, we proposed a calcium-based simple STDP model, described by an ordinary differential equation having only three state variables: one represents the density of intracellular calcium, one represents a fraction of open state NMDARs, and one represents the synaptic weight. We shown that in spite of its simplicity, the model can reproduce the properties of the plasticity that have been experimentally measured in various brain areas (e.g., layer 2/3 and 5 visual cortical slices, hippocampal cultures, and layer 2/3 somatosensory cortical slices) with respect to various patterns of presynaptic and postsynaptic spikes. In addition, comparisons with other STDP models are made, and the significance and advantages of the proposed model are discussed.
Anaplasma phagocytophilum PSGL‐1‐independent infection does not require Syk and leads to less efficient AnkA delivery

Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an obligate intracellular bacterium that infects neutrophils to cause granulocytic anaplasmosis in humans and mammals. P‐selectin glycoprotein ligand‐1 (PSGL‐1) and the tetrasaccharide sialyl Lewis x (sLex), which caps the PSGL‐1 N‐terminus, are confirmed A. phagocytophilum receptors. A. phagocytophilum is capable of sLex‐modified PSGL‐1‐dependent and ‐independent infection. PSGL‐1 N‐terminus‐mediated entry is dependent on spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk). Here, we determined that PSGL‐1‐independent entry does not alter bacterial replication and investigated whether it involves Syk using NCH‐1A2, an enriched subpopulation of A. phagocytophilum NCH‐1 obtained through cultivation in a sLex‐deficient HL‐60 cell line, HL‐60 A2. Pharmacological inhibition of Syk nearly abolishes NCH‐1 infection, but does not alter NCH‐1A2 invasion and only marginally reduces NCH‐1A2 propagation. This phenomenon was confirmed by a competitive infection assay using PSGL‐1‐dependent and ‐independent A. phagocytophilum organisms transformed to express mCherry or green fluorescent protein respectively. We also assayed for delivery and tyrosine phosphorylation of the A. phagocytophilum effector, AnkA, following NCH‐1or NCH‐1A2 incubation with HL‐60 or HL‐60 A2 cells in the presence of PSGL‐1 blocking antibody. PSGL‐1 N‐terminus recognition promotes optimal AnkA delivery while binding to sLex or the unknown receptor is comparably less important for this process.
Household based treatment of drinking water with flocculant-disinfectant for preventing diarrhoea in areas with turbid source water in rural western Kenya: cluster randomised controlled trial

Abstract Objective To compare the effect on prevalence of diarrhoea and mortality of household based treatment of drinking water with flocculant-disinfectant, sodium hypochlorite, and standard practices in areas with turbid water source in Africa. Design Cluster randomised controlled trial over 20 weeks. Setting Family compounds, each containing several houses, in rural western Kenya. Participants 6650 people in 605 family compounds. Intervention Water treatment: flocculant-disinfectant, sodium hypochlorite, and usual practice (control). Main outcome measures Prevalence of diarrhoea and all cause mortality. Escherichia coli concentration, free residual chlorine concentration, and turbidity in household drinking water as surrogates for effectiveness of water treatment. Results In children < 2 years old, compared with those in the control compounds, the absolute difference in prevalence of diarrhoea was –25% in the flocculant-disinfectant arm (95% confidence interval –40 to –5) and –17% in the sodium hypochlorite arm (–34 to 4). In all age groups compared with control, the absolute difference in prevalence was –19% in the flocculant-disinfectant arm (–34 to –2) and –26% in the sodium hypochlorite arm (–39 to –9). There were significantly fewer deaths in the intervention compounds than in the control compounds (relative risk of death 0.58, P = 0.036). Fourteen per cent of water samples from control compounds had E coli concentrations < 1 CFU/100 ml compared with 82% in flocculant-disinfectant and 78% in sodium hypochlorite compounds. The mean turbidity of drinking water was 8 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU) in flocculant-disinfectant households, compared with 55 NTU in the two other compounds (P < 0.001). Conclusions In areas of turbid water, flocculant-disinfectant was associated with a significant reduction in diarrhoea among children < 2 years. This health benefit, combined with a significant reduction in turbidity, suggests that the flocculant-disinfectant is well suited to areas with highly contaminated and turbid water.
In vitro induction of CD25+ CD4+ regulatory T cells by the neuropeptide alpha‐melanocyte stimulating hormone (α‐MSH)

Recently, we have found that the neuropeptide alpha‐melanocyte stimulating hormone (α‐MSH) not only suppresses IFN‐γ production, but also induces TGF‐β1 production by activated effector T cells. These α‐MSH‐ treated effector T cells function as regulatory T cells in that they suppress IFN‐γ production and hypersensitivity mediated by other effector T cells. Experimental autoimmune uveoretinitis (EAU) was suppressed in its severity and incidence in mice that were injected with primed T cells activated in vitro by APC and antigen in the presence of α‐MSH. Moreover, it appeared that α‐MSH had converted a population of effector T cells polarized to mediate hypersensitivity into a population of T cells that now mediated immunoregulation. To characterize these α‐MSH‐ treated T cells, primed T cells were TCR‐stimulated in the presence of α‐MSH in vitro and their lymphokine profile was examined. Such effector T cells displayed enhanced levels of TGF‐β1 production and no IFN‐γ or IL‐10, with IL‐4 levels remaining unchanged in comparison with inactivated T cells. In addition, if soluble TGF‐β receptor II was added to cocultures of α‐MSH‐treated T cells and activated Th1 cells, the α‐MSH‐treated T cells could not suppress IFN‐γ production by the Th1 cells. These results suggest that α‐MSH induces T cells with a regulatory lymphokine pattern, and that through their production of TGF‐β1 these cells suppress other effector T cells. Examination of the α‐MSH‐treated T cells showed that α‐MSH did not alter the phosphorylation of CD3 molecules following TCR engagement. Primed T cells express the melanocortin 5 receptor (MC5r), a receptor that is linked to an intracellular signalling pathway shared by other cytokine receptors. Blocking the receptor with antibody prevented α‐MSH from suppressing IFN‐γ production by the activated regulatory T cells, suggesting that α‐MSH immunoregulation is through the MC5r on primed T cells. Surface staining and cell sorting of the α‐MSH‐ treated primed T cells showed that the regulatory T cells are CD25+ CD4+ T cells. From these results we find that α‐MSH can mediate the induction of CD25+ CD4+ regulatory T cells. These regulatory T cells require specific antigen for activation, but through non‐specific TGF‐β1‐mediated mechanisms they can suppress other effector T cells.
ENHANCING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES MAPPING WITH PRIMARY DATA: OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPAND NOVA SCOTIA’S MANAGED POLLINATION SERVICES CAPACITY

Spatially explicit ecosystem services modelling is on the rise, and one of the most common aspects in the field is the reliance on secondary data. To date, few studies involving ecosystem services mapping have integrated primary data into the modelling process. This study utilized the InVEST pollination model to investigate the impacts of primary data on ecosystem services mapping studies by using potential pollination services in Cumberland and Colchester counties in Nova Scotia, Canada as a case study. The model was run using two different sources of data to inform the floral resource component of the model. First, the model was run driven by proxies and approximate values gathered from the literature. The second iteration of the model utilized field based primary data to generate floral resource values. Results indicated that in no land uses or land cover classes did the value of floral resources drop with the addition of field based data. In all cases, the values either remained the same or increased, resulting in a 9.5% increase in the amount of land designated as high quality when the model was informed by field based primary data. Such discrepancies are important when considering the potential implications of ecosystem services mapping studies on policy. As a tool, ecosystem services mapping provides the opportunity to spatially evaluate the impact that different land use planning regimes could have on the supply and provision of various ecosystem services. However, as its popularity rises it is important to keep in mind the accuracy and resolution of the data used to inform the modelling process. Locally collected field based data enhances ecosystem services mapping and allows for more informed decision making. 2.
Influences on the quality of young children's diets: the importance of maternal food choices

It is recognised that eating habits established in early childhood may track into adult life. Developing effective interventions to promote healthier patterns of eating throughout the life course requires a greater understanding of the diets of young children and the factors that influence early dietary patterns. In a longitudinal UK cohort study, we assessed the diets of 1640 children at age 3 years using an interviewer-administered FFQ and examined the influence of maternal and family factors on the quality of the children's diets. To describe dietary quality, we used a principal components analysis-defined pattern of foods that is consistent with healthy eating recommendations. This was termed a ‘prudent’ diet pattern and was characterised by high intakes of fruit, vegetables and wholemeal bread, but by low intakes of white bread, confectionery, chips and roast potatoes. The key influence on the quality of the children's diets was the quality of their mother's diets; alone it accounted for almost a third of the variance in child's dietary quality. Mothers who had better-quality diets, which complied with dietary recommendations, were more likely to have children with comparable diets. This relationship remained strong even after adjustment for all other factors considered, including maternal educational attainment, BMI and smoking, and the child's birth order and the time spent watching television. Our data provide strong evidence of shared family patterns of diet and suggest that interventions to improve the quality of young women's diets could be effective in improving the quality of their children's diets.
MASCIS evaluation of open field locomotor scores: effects of experience and teamwork on reliability. Multicenter Animal Spinal Cord Injury Study.

The Multicenter Animal Spinal Cord Injury Study (MASCIS) adopted a modified 21-point open field locomotor scale developed by Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) at Ohio State University (OSU) to measure motor recovery in spinal-injured rats. BBB scores categorize combinations of rat hindlimb movements, trunk position and stability, stepping, coordination, paw placement, toe clearance, and tail position, representing sequential recovery stages that rats attain after spinal cord injury. A total of 22 observers from 8 participating centers assessed 18 hindlimbs of 9 rats at 2-6 weeks after graded spinal cord injury. The observers were segregated into 10 teams. The teams were grouped into 3 cohorts (A, B, and C), consisting of one experienced team from OSU and two non-OSU teams. The cohorts evaluated the rats in three concurrent and sequential sessions. After viewing a rat for 4 min, individual observers first assigned scores without discussion. Members of each team then discussed and assigned a team score. Experience (OSU vs. non-OSU) and teamwork (individual vs. team) had no significant effect on mean scores although the mean scores of one cohort differed significantly from the others (p = 0.0002, ANOVA). However, experience and teamwork significantly influenced reliability of scoring. OSU team scores had a mean standard deviation or discordance of 0.59 points, significantly less than 1.31 points for non-OSU team scores (p = 0.003, ANOVA) and 1.30 points for non-OSU individual scores (p = 0.001, ANOVA). Discordances were greater at the upper and lower ends of the scale, exceeding 2.0 in the lower (< 5) and upper (> 15) ends of the scale but were < 1.0 for scores between 4 and 16. Comparisons of non-OSU and OSU team scores indicated a high reliability coefficient of 0.892 and a correlation index (r2) of 0.894. These results indicate that inexperienced observers can learn quickly to assign consistent BBB scores that approach those given by experienced teams, that the scores are most consistent between 4 and 16, and that experience improves consistency of team scores.
The Grasping Side of Odours

Background Research on multisensory integration during natural tasks such as reach-to-grasp is still in its infancy. Crossmodal links between vision, proprioception and audition have been identified, but how olfaction contributes to plan and control reach-to-grasp movements has not been decisively shown. We used kinematics to explicitly test the influence of olfactory stimuli on reach-to-grasp movements. Methodology/Principal Findings Subjects were requested to reach towards and grasp a small or a large visual target (i.e., precision grip, involving the opposition of index finger and thumb for a small size target and a power grip, involving the flexion of all digits around the object for a large target) in the absence or in the presence of an odour evoking either a small or a large object that if grasped would require a precision grip and a whole hand grasp, respectively. When the type of grasp evoked by the odour did not coincide with that for the visual target, interference effects were evident on the kinematics of hand shaping and the level of synergies amongst fingers decreased. When the visual target and the object evoked by the odour required the same type of grasp, facilitation emerged and the intrinsic relations amongst individual fingers were maintained. Conclusions/Significance This study demonstrates that olfactory information contains highly detailed information able to elicit the planning for a reach-to-grasp movement suited to interact with the evoked object. The findings offer a substantial contribution to the current debate about the multisensory nature of the sensorimotor transformations underlying grasping.
Inhaled corticosteroids in COPD: the case against

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease that encompasses emphysema, chronic obstructive bronchitis and small airway obstruction and that is characterised by largely irreversible airflow obstruction, now affects around 10% of the population over the age of 40 yrs 1. The sixth commonest global cause of death in 1990, currently fourth in developed countries, it is expected rise to third place globally by 2020 2. This increase is linked to the trends of its foremost risk factor, tobacco consumption during the twentieth century, and will track the worldwide smoking trends of this century. Besides smoking cessation and pulmonary rehabilitation, the treatment of COPD has previously consisted of bronchodilators early in the disease and oxygen in the late stages. However, because of the presence of inflammation in COPD, short courses of systemic corticosteroids have been used for decades in the treatment of exacerbations, often along with antibiotics. Their side-effects, however, made them unsuitable for the long-term treatment of stable COPD. In the early 1980s, inhaled formulations of corticosteroids were shown to be highly effective for the treatment of asthma and were readily adopted in COPD with no scientific evidence of their benefit in this indication. This transition from asthma to COPD was so natural to prescribers that a Canadian survey conducted in 1994 found that one-third of patients admitted to hospital for COPD were already using inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) 3, despite the fact that no randomised controlled trials had evaluated their effectiveness in COPD. Today, market research studies estimate that the use of these drugs has increased to the point that they are used by >70% of patients with COPD in the USA and Europe, and are currently given as initial therapy to >50% of patients newly diagnosed with COPD, mostly in combination with a long-acting β-agonist (LABA) 4 …
Leveraging network virtualization for energy-efficient cloud: Future directions

Reducing the energy consumed in cloud computing is becoming one of the most challenging research directions due to the overwhelming growth of services that are hosted and delivered by cloud computing. Indeed, the energy consumed by data transport represents a significant percentage according to the overall consumption of the cloud. Hence, by exploiting network and router virtualization technologies, we firstly propose a Green Cloud Architecture (GCA), where we can either shut down, or make in sleeping mode virtual routers; or migrate virtual routers towards another physical router according to energy-awareness. Secondly, we evaluate our green cloud architecture by proposing an energy-aware resource allocation algorithm. The mapping algorithm is evaluated through simulations and our green architecture significantly reduces the power consumption during data transport by up to 41%.
Disrupted glial fibrillary acidic protein network in astrocytes from vimentin knockout mice

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is an intermediate filament protein expressed predominantly in astrocytes. The study of its expression in the astrocyte lineage during development and in reactive astrocytes has revealed an intricate relationship with the expression of vimentin, another intermediate filament protein widely expressed in embryonic development. these findings suggested that vimentin could be implicated in the organization of the GFAP network. To address this question, we have examined GFAP expression and network formation in the recently generated vimentin knockout (Vim-) mice. We show that the GFAP network is disrupted in astrocytes that normally coexpress vimentin and GFAP, e.g., those of the corpus callosum or the Bergmann glia of cerebellum. Furthermore, Western blot analysis of GFAP protein content in the cerebellum suggests that posttranslational mechanisms are implicated in the disturbance of GFAP network formation. The role of vimentin in this process was further suggested by transfection of Vim- cultured astrocytes with a vimentin cDNA, which resulted in the normal assembly of the GFAP network. Finally, we examined GFAP expression after stab wound-induced astrogliosis. We demonstrate that in Vim- mice, reactive astrocytes that normally express both GFAP and vimentin do not exhibit GFAP immunoreactivity, whereas those that normally express GFAP only retain GFAP immunoreactivity. Taken together, these results show that in astrocytes, where vimentin is normally expressed with GFAP fails to assemble into a filamentous network in the absence of vimentin. In these cells, therefore, vimentin appears necessary to stabilize GFAP filaments and consequently the network formation.