Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular Characterization of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains Isolated in Poland

Abstract Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) strains also called verotoxin-producing E. coli (VTEC) represent one of the most important groups of food-borne pathogens that can cause several human diseases such as hemorrhagic colitis (HC) and hemolytic – uremic syndrome (HUS) worldwide. The ability of STEC strains to cause disease is associated with the presence of wide range of identified and putative virulence factors including those encoding Shiga toxin. In this study, we examined the distribution of various virulence determinants among STEC strains isolated in Poland from different sources. A total of 71 Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains isolated from human, cattle and food over the years 1996–2010 were characterized by microarray and PCR detection of virulence genes. As stx1a subtype was present in all of the tested Shiga toxin 1 producing E. coli strains, a greater diversity of subtypes was found in the gene stx2, which occurred in five subtypes: stx2a, stx2b, stx2c, stx2d, stx2g. Among STEC O157 strains we observed conserved core set of 14 virulence factors, stable in bacteria genome at long intervals of time. There was one cattle STEC isolate which possessed verotoxin gene as well as sta1 gene encoded heat-stable enterotoxin STIa characteristic for enterotoxigenic E. coli. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive analysis of virulence gene profiles identified in STEC strains isolated from human, cattle and food in Poland. The results obtained using microarrays technology confirmed high effectiveness of this method in determining STEC virulotypes which provides data suitable for molecular risk assessment of the potential virulence of this bacteria.
Perspectives on : Local calcium signaling Subcellular Ca 2 + signaling in the heart : the role of ryanodine receptor sensitivity

Local Ca signaling in the heart enables the triggering and regulation of the time-dependent changes of intracellular Ca concentration ([Ca]i) to be flexibly modulated with a high degree of stability and safety. The elementary physiological and pathophysiological components of subcellular Ca signaling are regulated through a process of Ca-induced Ca release (CICR), not by store overload–induced Ca release (SOICR). The central element of CICR regulation is the sensitivity of the SR Ca release channel, the RYR type 2 (RYR2), to [Ca]i. Here, in terms of past discoveries and future work, we discuss how RYR2 sensitivity to [Ca]i is influenced by key factors, including SR luminal Ca ([Ca]SR), RYR2 phosphorylation, mutations in RYR2 and its interacting proteins, as well as cellular stretch. Finally, we explore the pathophysiological consequences of dysfunctional tuning of these regulatory factors in the context of dystrophic cardiomyopathy. The spatial organization of the cardiac ventricular myocyte enables precise regulation of the cardiac [Ca]i transient (Bers, 2001; Cheng and Lederer, 2008). The details of this regulation at the subcellular level, however, remain both controversial and exciting. There is consensus that the “global” or cell-wide [Ca]i signal in ventricular myocytes is central to cardiac function; it underlies contraction and contributes to the regulation of electrical activity. Despite the certainty and clarity of these contributions, the subcellular details of Ca signaling remain unsettled. How do subcellular organelles contribute to Ca sparks? Although it is clear that sparks originate almost exclusively at the junctional SR (jSR), many aspects of Ca spark signaling are still being investigated. For example, do mitochondria serve as dynamic Ca stores? What “triggers” spontaneous Ca sparks versus synchronized sparks? How does a propagating Ca wave arise? What sustains the propagating wave of
The human obesity gene map: the 1996 update.

An update of the human obesity gene map up to October 1996 is presented. Evidence from Mendelian disorders exhibiting obesity as a clinical feature, single-gene mutation rodent models, quantitative trait loci uncovered in crossbreeding experiments with mouse, rat, and pig models, association and case-control studies with candidate genes, and linkage studies with genes and other markers is reviewed. All chromosomal locations of the animal loci are converted into human genome locations based on syntenic relationships between the genomes. A complete listing of all these loci reveals that only 4 of the 24 human chromosomes are not yet represented, i.e., 9, 18, 21, and Y. Several chromosome arms are characterized by the presence of several putative loci. The following arms include at least three such loci: 1p, 1q, 3p, 4q, 6p, 7q, 8p, 8q, 11p, 11q, 15q, 20q, and Xq. Studies with negative association and linkage results are also reviewed.
Quality of life following laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication: assessing short-term and long-term outcomes.

AIM To investigate the quality of life following laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication by assessing short-term and long-term outcomes. METHODS From 1992 to 2005, 249 patients underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication. Short-term outcome data including symptom response, side effects of surgery, endoscopy, and patient's perception of overall success were collected prospectively. Long-term outcomes were investigated retrospectively in patients with a median follow-up of 10 years by assessment of reflux symptoms, side effects of surgery, durability of antireflux surgery, need for additional treatment, patient's perception of success, and quality of life. Antireflux surgery was considered a failure based on the following criteria: moderate to severe heartburn or regurgitation; moderate to severe dysphagia reported in combination with heartburn or regurgitation; regular proton pump inhibitor medication use; endoscopic evidence of erosive esophagitis Savary-Miller grade 1-4; pathological 24-h pH monitoring; or necessity to undergo an additional surgery. The main outcome measures were short- and long-term cure rates and quality of life, with patient satisfaction as a secondary outcome measure. RESULTS Conversion from laparoscopy to open surgery was necessary in 2.4% of patients. Mortality was zero and the 30-d morbidity was 7.6% (95%CI: 4.7%-11.7%). The median postoperative hospital stay was 2 d [interquartile range (IQR) 2-3 d]. Two hundred and forty-seven patients were interviewed for short-term analysis following endoscopy. Gastroesophageal reflux disease was cured in 98.4% (95%CI: 95.9%-99.6%) of patients three months after surgery. New-onset dysphagia was encountered postoperatively in 13 patients (6.7%); 95% reported that the outcome was better after antireflux surgery than with preoperative medical treatment. One hundred and thirty-nine patients with a median follow-up of 10.2 years (IQR 7.2-11.6 years) were available for a long-term evaluation. Cumulative long-term cure rates were 87.7% (81.0%-92.2%) at 5 years and 72.9% (64.0%-79.9%) at 10 years. Gastrointestinal symptom rating scores and RAND-36 quality of life scores of patients with treatment success were similar to those of the general population but significantly lower in those with failed antireflux surgery. Of the patients available for long-term follow-up, 83% rated their operation a success. CONCLUSION For the long-term, our results indicate decreasing effectiveness of laparoscopic antireflux surgery, although most of the patients seem to have an overall quality of life similar to that of the general population.
Factors Influencing Health Knowledge and Behaviors among the Elderly in Rural China

Objectives: Health knowledge and behaviors are the key elements that ensure high quality of health for the elderly. This study explored and determined the conditions and factors of health knowledge and behaviors that affect the elderly in rural China. Methods: A cross-sectional research approach and random stratified sampling method were used in 12 towns and 48 villages in the Chongqing Municipality, Henan, and Zhejiang Provinces in China from June to September 2013. The collected data included: (1) socio-demographic characteristics of 1593 elderly people; (2) accuracy rate on health knowledge of the elderly, which was analyzed and compared among the three sample areas by using Chi-square test; and (3) mean scores on the health behaviors of the elderly, which were analyzed and compared by using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The multiple-linear regression method was used to analyze the factors affecting the health knowledge and behaviors of the elderly. Results: Significant differences were observed among the nine items in the health knowledge questionnaire (p = 0.000 < 0.001). The average accuracy rate of the nine items was 57.43%. Significant differences were observed among the eleven items on the health behaviors of the elderly in the sample rural areas (p = 0.000 < 0.001). Age, economic level, degree of education, distance from home to medical institutions and disposable personal income (DPI) can affect the scores of the health knowledge and behaviors of the elderly (p = 0.000 < 0.001). Conclusions: Lack of health knowledge and poor health behaviors are common among the elderly in the sample areas of rural China. This deficiency poses a serious threat on the promotion of health conditions and the improvement of the level of health quality among the elderly. Different types of access to sources of health knowledge should be used to increase health knowledge scores of the elderly. Various potential intervening measures should also be adopted to improve their health behaviors of elderly people.
Next generation corrosion protection for the automotive industry

Vehicle bodies are generally constructed from galvanized steel, which, together with phosphate and e-coat paint treatments, ensures corrosion resistance. The use of these materials alone cannot provide adequate corrosion protection to certain features that are inherent to vehicle body construction but are also vulnerable to corrosion, such as cut edges of panels and creviced joints. The use of further corrosion protection measures, (e.g. sealers, lacquers and waxes), is undesirable because they require additional manufacturing processes, increase weight and reduce recyclability of the vehicle. The potential benefits of using zinc-magnesium alloy coated steel (ZMG) as a substitute for conventional galvanized steel were investigated in this work. Cyclic corrosion testing in sodium chloride and acid rain-based environments was conducted on panels of ZMG and conventional galvanized steel and the resistance of each material to red rust initiation and propagation was assessed. ZMG offered approximately a 3-fold improvement in red rust resistance compared to galvanized steel in the sodium chloride test but ZMG's corrosion benefit was attenuated in the acid rain environment. Cyclic corrosion testing was also conducted on painted test panels incorporating geometric features; enhanced edge and crevice corrosion resistance was also observed for panels constructed from ZMG. Corrosion products formed in each environment were characterized using a suite of analysis techniques and mechanisms to explain the enhanced corrosion resistance of ZMG were proposed based on these products and on the literature. An inhibiting corrosion protection mechanism was suggested for ZMG whereby cathodic activity was retarded via the precipitation of insulating, sparingly soluble magnesium hydroxide. Further inhibition of cathodic activity has been attributed to the specific oxide layer (possibly magnesium oxyhydroxide doped with zinc) present at the ZMG surface. The observed efficacy of the corrosion protection mechanisms suggests that ZMG may allow improvement of the vehicle body corrosion protection system for vehicle weight and recyclability targets.
Mineralogical and Chemical Characteristics of Clays Consumed in the District of Abidjan (Côte D'Ivoire)

Clay materials of the quarry of Bingerville (district of Abidjan) have been characterized by chemical analysis, X-rays diffraction, infrared spectroscopy and thermal analysis. These materials contain kaolinite (41% - 84%), illite (4% - 10%), quartz (14% - 27%), goethite (2% - 5%) and small amount of rutile (1%) that are not toxic minerals. They also contain some heavy metals which are beneficial to human biological activity (cobalt, copper, molybdenum, zinc) in tiny quantities. Some other heavy metals (lead, cadmium) which are considered as poisonous for human are present in very low content. The samples characterized by relatively fine grains are moderately crystallized. Their specific surface area varied from 26 to 43 m2·g—1. The mineralogical and physicochemical characteristics of these samples are like ones known for their healing properties. The consumption by internal way of studied materials, although it may be beneficial, requires a sifting to remove coarse grains (Φ > 2 μm) and a previous microbiological control.
Differences in 3-Dimensional Shoulder Kinematics between Persons with Multidirectional Instability and Asymptomatic Controls

Background Evidence that persons with multidirectional instability (MDI) of the shoulder have abnormal shoulder kinematics is limited. A kinematic description of scapulothoracic and glenohumeral motion can assist both conservative and surgical rehabilitative programs. Hypothesis Persons with MDI of the shoulder demonstrate increased anterior and inferior glenohumeral translation and decreased scapular upward rotation and increased scapular internal rotation compared with age-matched and gender-matched asymptomatic controls. Study Design Controlled laboratory study. Methods Sixty-two subjects were recruited from an outpatient orthopaedic clinic. Subjects with MDI were matched according to age, gender, and hand dominance to asymptomatic controls. An electromagnetic motion capture system evaluated the 3-dimensional position of the trunk, scapula, and humerus during frontal and scapular plane elevation. A repeated measures analysis of variance evaluated joint positions and glenohumeral translations during 4 phases of elevation (0°-30°, 31°-60°, 61°-90°, and 91°-120°). Results When averaged across the 4 phases of elevation, persons with MDI demonstrated a significant decrease in scapular upward rotation in scapular plane abduction (8°, P = .006) and abduction (5.8°, P = .016) and increased internal rotation during scapular plane abduction (12.2°, P = .03). Alterations in glenohumeral translations in the MDI group did not reach statistical significance (P = .54-.71). Conclusion Abnormal scapular kinematics are seen in the MDI shoulder, highlighting the importance of incorporating scapular positioning and stability exercises during rehabilitation. Additional study is warranted concerning the efficacy of various rehabilitation programs, and also both surgical and nonsurgical interventions in this population.
Effects of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass on Fasting and Postprandial Levels of the Inflammatory Markers YKL-40 and MCP-1 in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Glucose Tolerant Subjects

Background. The inflammatory markers YKL-40 and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) are elevated in morbidly obese patients and decline after weight loss. The objective of our study was to investigate the possible changes of YKL-40 and MCP-1, in both the fasting and the postprandial states, following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) in subjects with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and normal glucose tolerance (NGT). Methods. Ten obese patients with T2D and 10 subjects with NGT were examined in the fasting state and after a standard meal prior to and after (1 week, 3 months, and 1 year) RYGB. Results. Fasting state MCP-1 levels decreased after RYGB in both groups (P values < 0.0001) whereas fasting YKL-40 levels were unchanged (P values ≥ 0.120). Postprandial MCP-1 levels showed a tendency towards a decrease on most study days; however, the changes were only significant at 1 week (P = 0.001) and 1 yr (P < 0.0001) in the T2D group and at 3 mo after RYGB in the NGT group (P = 0.009). YKL-40 levels showed a slight, postprandial suppression on all study days in the T2D group (all P values ≤ 0.021). Conclusions. Fasting MCP-1 levels, but not YKL-40 levels, decrease after RYGB in subjects with T2D and NGT. Postprandial changes of inflammatory markers are discrete and inconsistent.
The Use of Xanthan Gum as Vaccine Adjuvant: An Evaluation of Immunostimulatory Potential in BALB/c Mice and Cytotoxicity In Vitro

The successful production of new, safe, and effective vaccines that generate immunological memory is directly related to adjuvant feature, which is responsible for increasing and/or modulating the immune response. Several compounds display adjuvant activity, including carbohydrates. These compounds play important roles in the immune response, as well as having biocompatible properties in vaccine formulations. One such carbohydrate is xanthan gum, a polysaccharide that is produced by the plant-pathogenic bacterium Xanthomonas spp. , which has adjuvant attributes. This study evaluated the immune response induced by xanthan gum associated with ovalbumin in BALB/c mice, which were subcutaneously immunized, in terms of antibody production (IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b, and IgG3), and assessed the levels of IFN-γ in the splenocyte culture using indirect ELISA. Furthermore, we investigated in vitro cytotoxicity of xanthan in the embryo fibroblasts cell line of the NIH/3T3 mouse by MTT assay and propidium iodide uptake assay. The mice immunized with ovalbumin plus xanthan gum exhibited higher antibody IgG1 responses than control groups. Furthermore, the xanthan polysaccharide was capable of increasing the immunogenicity of antigens by producing IFN-γ and did not exhibit cytotoxicity effects in NIH/3T3 mouse fibroblast cells, considered a promising candidate for vaccine adjuvant.
The Role of Persistent Graphs in the Agreement Seeking of Social Networks

This paper investigates the role persistent relations play for a social network to reach a global belief agreement under discrete-time or continuous-time evolution. Each directed arc in the underlying communication graph is assumed to be associated with a time-dependent weight function, which describes the strength of the information flow from one node to another. An arc is said to be persistent if its weight function has infinite L1 or l1 norm for continuous or discrete belief evolutions, respectively. The graph that consists of all persistent arcs is called the persistent graph of the underlying network. Three necessary and sufficient conditions on agreement or ε-agreement are established. We prove that the persistent graph fully determines the convergence to a common opinion in a social network. It is shown how the convergence rate explicitly depends on the diameter of the persistent graph. For a social networking service like Facebook, our results indicate how permanent friendships need to be and what network topology they should form for the network to be an efficient platform for opinion diffusion.
Intraductal cisplatin treatment in a BRCA-associated breast cancer mouse model attenuates tumor development but leads to systemic tumors in aged female mice

BRCA deficiency predisposes to the development of invasive breast cancer. In BRCA mutation carriers this risk can increase up to 80%. Currently, bilateral prophylactic mastectomy and prophylactic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy are the only preventive, albeit radical invasive strategies to prevent breast cancer in BRCA mutation carriers. An alternative non-invasive way to prevent BRCA1-associated breast cancer may be local prophylactic treatment via the nipple. Using a non-invasive intraductal (ID) preclinical intervention strategy, we explored the use of combined cisplatin and poly (ADP)-ribose polymerase 1 (PARP1) inhibition to prevent the development of hereditary breast cancer. We show that ID cisplatin and PARP-inhibition can successfully ablate mammary epithelial cells, and this approach attenuated tumor onset in a mouse model of Brca1-associated breast cancer from 153 to 239 days. Long-term carcinogenicity studies in 150 syngeneic wild-type mice demonstrated that tumor incidence was increased in the ID treated mammary glands by 6.3% due to systemic exposure to cisplatin. Although this was only evident in aged mice (median age = 649 days), we conclude that ID cisplatin treatment only presents a safe and feasible local prevention option if systemic exposure to the chemotherapy used can be avoided.
Observation of ion bombardment damage in silicon

Abstract Thin films of single crystals of both n-type and p-type silicon contain disordered zones ∼ 50 A in diameter, discernible in the electron microscope after bombardment with ∼ 1013 Ne+ ions cm−2. As the dose increases these zones become more numerous until eventually (≳ 1014 ions cm−2) they overlap, creating a continuous surface layer which electron diffraction shows to be amorphous silicon. The individual zones disappear on annealing between 400 and 500°C, and at ∼630°C the amorphous layer recrystallizes epitaxially upon the underlying silicon, leaving an array of dislocation loops and dipoles. The bombarded regions exhibit various hues until eventually when they become completely amorphous they appear ‘milky’ due to the Rayleigh scattering of light. This appearance has been used as a convenient method to study the ion dose needed to form amorphous silicon as a function of the temperature of the silicon during bombardment.
MEDITERRANEAN DIET IS ASSOCIATED WITH LIVER HISTOLOGY IN PATIENTS WITH NON ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE.

BACKGROUND clinical data on impact of the Mediterranean diet on the the stage of non alcoholic fatty liver disease are limited and these studies have heterogeneous designs. AIM we decide to explore any potential associations between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and histological characteristics of patients with NAFLD. METHODS a sample of 82 patients was analyzed in a cross sectional study. To evaluate the level of adherence to the Mediterranean dietary pattern the 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Assessment Tool was used. RESULTS thirty five patients (42.7%) had a low grade of steatosis (grade 1 of classification) and 47 patients (57.3%) had a high grade of steatosis (grade 2 and 3). Fifty-six patients (68.3%) had liver steatohepatitis and forty-two patients (51.2%) had liver fibrosis. In the logistic regresion analysis, one unit of the 14-Item Mediterranean Diet Assessment Tool was associated with a lower likehood of having steatohepatitis odds ratio 0.43 (CI:95%: 0.29-0.64) and steatosis 0.42 (CI:95%: 0.26- 0.70). Secondly, one unit of HOMA-IR was associated with higher likehood of having steatosis odds ratio 2.01 (CI:95%: 1.08-3.71) and liver fibrosis 1.38 (CI:95%: 1.10-1.80) . CONCLUSIONS greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with lower likelihood of high grade of steatosis and presence of steatohepatitis.
A Parameter-Optimized Symplectic FDTD Method Based on the (4,4) Stencil

A parameter-optimized (4,4) stencil-based symplectic finite-difference time-domain method [PO-SFDTD(4,4)] is proposed to tailor the numerical dispersion behavior according to different specifications such as zero dispersion error at designated directions or zero dispersion anisotropy, either at a certain frequency or for a given bandwidth. The effect of the proposed parameter optimization on numerical stability is also discussed. Compared to the conventional higher-order symplectic methods, the proposed PO-SFDTD(4,4) method yields better flexibility in handling dispersion and anisotropy errors.