Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Combination enzyme therapy for gastric digestion of dietary gluten in patients with celiac sprue.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Celiac sprue is a multifactorial disease characterized by an inflammatory response to ingested gluten in the small intestine. Proteolytically resistant, proline- and glutamine-rich gluten peptides from wheat, rye, and barley persist in the intestinal lumen and elicit an immune response in genetically susceptible persons. We investigated a new combination enzyme product, consisting of a glutamine-specific endoprotease (EP-B2 from barley) and a prolyl endopeptidase (SC PEP from Sphingomonas capsulata), for its ability to digest gluten under gastric conditions. METHODS The ability of this combination enzyme to digest and detoxify whole-wheat bread gluten was investigated. In vitro and in vivo (rat) experimental systems were developed to simulate human gastric digestion, and the resulting material was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography, enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay, and patient-derived T-cell proliferation assays. RESULTS The analysis revealed that EP-B2 extensively proteolyzes complex gluten proteins in bread, whereas SC PEP rapidly detoxifies the residual oligopeptide products of EP-B2 digestion. In vitro dose variation data suggests that an approximate 1:1 weight ratio of the 2 enzymes should maximize their synergistic potential. The efficacy of this 2-enzyme glutenase was verified in a rat model of gastric gluten digestion. CONCLUSIONS By combining 2 enzymes with gastric activity and complementary substrate specificity, it should be possible to increase the safe threshold of ingested gluten, thereby ameliorating the burden of a highly restricted diet for patients with celiac sprue.
Intra-articular volume and hip joint instability in dogs with hip dysplasia.

UNLABELLED The nature of the instability of the hip joint in dogs with dysplasia of the hip was investigated. In the experimental canine model, instability of the joint, as shown by subluxation of the femoral head on a roentgenogram, was accompanied by an increase in the volume of the synovial fluid and of the ligamentum teres and, therefore, an increase in the intra-articular volume. Injection of a buffered solution of hyaluronic acid into non-subluxated hip joints in situ increased subluxation, whereas withdrawal of synovial fluid from one joint with severe subluxation reduced the degree of subluxation. The withdrawal of varying amounts of synovial fluid from excised but intact joints resulted in a decrease in the lateral displacement of the femoral heads. Injection of the hyaluronic acid solution into excised joints resulted in increased lateral displacement of the femoral heads. The results suggest that the joint instability associated with canine hip dysplasia is related to increased intra-articular volume. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Instability of the hip joint (abnormal laxity) is a feature of hip dysplasia in dogs and congenital dislocation of the hip in children. The canine disease can provide a valuable model in which to examine the pathogenesis of hip instability. The model may be useful to test prophylactic procedures to prevent joint instability and thus ameliorate disease.
Bayesian approach to non-inferiority trials for normal means

Regulatory framework recommends that novel statistical methodology for analyzing trial results parallels the frequentist strategy, e.g. the new method must protect type-I error and arrive at a similar conclusion. Keeping these in mind, we construct a Bayesian approach for non-inferiority trials with normal response. A non-informative prior is assumed for the mean response of the experimental treatment and Jeffrey's prior for its corresponding variance when it is unknown. The posteriors of the mean response and variance of the treatment in historical trials are then assumed as priors for its corresponding parameters in the current trial, where that treatment serves as the active control. From these priors, a Bayesian decision criterion is derived to determine whether the experimental treatment is non-inferior to the active control. This criterion is evaluated and compared with the frequentist method using simulation studies. Results show that both Bayesian and frequentist approaches perform alike, but the Bayesian approach has a higher power when the variances are unknown. Both methods also arrive at the same conclusion of non-inferiority when applied on two real datasets. A major advantage of the proposed Bayesian approach lies in its ability to provide posterior probabilities for varying effect sizes of the experimental treatment over the active control.
Serology of oral Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans and serotype distribution in human periodontal disease

Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans from the human oral cavity was serologically characterized with rabbit antisera to the type strain NCTC 9710; a number of reference strains, including Y4, ATCC 29522, ATCC 29523, ATCC 29524, NCTC 9709; and our own isolates representative of each of 10 biotypes. Using immunoabsorbed antisera, we identified three distinct serotypes by immunodiffusion and indirect immunofluorescence. Serotype a was represented by ATCC 29523 and SUNYaB 75; serotype b was represented by ATCC 29522 and Y4; and serotype c was represented by NCTC 9710 and SUNYaB 67. Indirect immunofluorescence revealed no reaction between the three A. actinomycetemcomitans serotype-specific antisera and 62 strains representing 23 major oral bacterial species. Distinct from the serotype antigens were at least one A. actinomycetemcomitans species common antigen and an antigen shared with other Actinobacillus species, Haemophilus aphrophilus, and Haemophilus paraphrophilus. All serotype a A. actinomycetemcomitans strains failed to ferment xylose, whereas all serotype b organisms fermented xylose. Serotype c included xylose-positive as well as xylose-negative strains. A total of 301 isolates of A. actinomycetemcomitans from the oral cavity of 74 subjects were serologically categorized by indirect immunofluorescence with serotype-specific rabbit antisera. Each patient harbored only one serotype of A. actinomycetemcomitans. Fourteen healthy subjects, five diabetics, and seventeen adult periodontitis patients exhibited serotypes a and b in approximately equal frequency, whereas serotype c was found less frequently. In contrast, in 29 localized juvenile periodontitis patients, the incidence of serotype b was approximately two times higher than that of serotypes a or c, suggesting a particularly high periodontopathic potential of A. actinomycetemcomitans serotype b strains. In subjects infected with A. actinomycetemcomitans, serum antibodies were detected to the serotype antigens, indicating that these antigens may play a role in the pathogenesis of periodontal disease.
TITLE : Mechanism of Tumor Metastasis Suppression by the KAI 1 Gene PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR :

presentation 1. Bandyopadhyay, S. , Wang, Y. , Pai, S.K. , Hirota, S. , Hosobe, S. , Tsukada, T. , Miura, K. , Takano U. , Saito, K. , Commes, T. , Piquemal, D. , Watabe, M. , and Watabe K. (2005) The metastasis suppressor gene Drg-1 downregulates the expression of ATF3 in prostate and breast carcinoma. American Association for Cancer Research. Anaheim, CA.
Sudden Cardiac Death

Over the past decade, there has been a significant decrease in the hospital mortality of patients with coronary artery disease. However, sudden cardiac death, which accounts for the majority of deaths from coronary artery disease, hasbeen little affected. This report reviews the pathology, electrophysiology, demographics and clinical presentation of sudden cardiac death. Emergency care and possible preventative measures are examined.
A Comparison of the Multicultural and Colorblind Perspectives on the Intergroup Attitudes of College Students

This investigation examined whether exposure to a multicultural or colorblind orientation influenced social tolerance in racially diverse students. Students were randomly assigned to a colorblind, multicultural, or control ideology. They completed group-specific measures and general measures of diversity. Results indicate that successful anti-bias interventions require focus on the particular level from which intergroup attitudes are being formed. Second, the effectiveness of these opposing theories is a factor of the history of within group socialization practices. Finally, widespread use of these prominent ideologies in different sectors of society poses a threat to social tolerance in more diverse group settings.
Realignment and Division in the Amish Community of Allen County, Indiana: A Historical Narrative

The Amish have long faced disagreement over matters of internal policy and adoption of external ideas like evangelical emphases. In Allen County, Indiana, several branches of Anabaptists have developed from the original Swiss Amish settlers because of such differences. This article first reviews the history of new movements among the Amish. It then provides a historical narrative of the events that led to a New Order Amish schism in 2004, emphasizing how fundamental differences between the New Order’s evangelical theology and the Old Order Amish worldview played out on several symbolic fronts, including young adult behavior, home Bible studies, lines of fellowship, understanding of the Ordnung, church membership, re-baptism, excommunication and shunning, and language use in services. Even after the division, neither the New Orders nor the Old Orders were completely unified. The New Order church eventually dispersed with a Charity Church replacing it. Within the Old Order, a toned-down evangelical pulse continues, giving rise to some reforms in youth behavior and stress on internal religious experience. This case of Allen County Amish points to the importance of doctrinal, theological, and practical differences in shaping collective behaviors that leads to new movements among the Amish.
Specialists achieve better outcomes than generalists for lung cancer surgery.

OBJECTIVE A push toward care provided by generalists as opposed to specialists has occurred in the health-care marketplace despite a lack of provider specific outcome data. The objective of this study was to determine whether the outcome of patients undergoing lung cancer surgery is different between general surgeons (GSs) and thoracic surgeons (TSs). DESIGN Examination of data from a state-wide severity-adjusted administrative hospital discharge database. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS Patients undergoing lung cancer resection in all nonfederal acute care hospitals within South Carolina. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mortality by specialty adjusted for case mix. RESULTS From 1991 to 1995, 1,720 resections for lung cancer were performed in South Carolina. One hundred thirty-seven cases were excluded because surgeons did not meet the predefined criteria for board certification, leaving 1,583 resections for analysis. One-half of lobectomies and nearly 60% of pneumonectomies were performed by GSs. Patients were similar in age, sex, gender, race, and the proportion in each severity of illness subclass. Mortality was significantly higher in patients who underwent lobectomy by GSs vs TSs (5.3% vs 3.0%; p<0.05) and in patients with extreme comorbidities (43.6% vs 25.4%; p=0.03) or age >65 years (7.4% vs 3.5%; p<0.05). Seventy percent of TSs performed > 10 cases in the series, whereas 75% of GSs performed <10 (p=0.05). Logistic regression analysis failed to identify any significant variable that might explain the mortality differences between TSs and GSs. CONCLUSION Mortality is lower for lung cancer resection when the surgery is performed by a TS.
[Methi-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in dermatological practice: origin, risk factors and outcome].

BACKGROUND Increased frequency of methiresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in inpatients is a day to day problem. OBJECTIVE To determine the origin of MRSA, the causes for contamination, and potential complications in a department of Dermatology. PATIENTS AND METHODS A retrospective study of patients hospitalized in a dermatology department with cutaneous MRSA during 1997-1998. We considered age, type and duration of dermatitis, geographic origin of patients on admission, previous hospitalizations, time between arrival in the ward and positive MRSA, and complications requiring systemic antibiotics. RESULTS Out of 4579 of our patients, 53 (0.011 p. 100) had positive MRSA. They were on average 70.86 years-old (26 to 97). The most common underlying dermatitis was leg ulcers (30) and foot sores (4). Dermatitis had lasted for more than 1 month in 48 patients. Most of the patients (40) had their MRSA on admission to our ward. Twenty six patients admitted from home had MRSA; only 9 had never been in an hospital. Six patients had diabetes mellitus. Thirty two patients healed with local treatment for their dermatitis. Thirteen patients have had some complications (erysipela 1, osteoarthritis 3, septicemia 2, febrile syndrome 9). DISCUSSION Most patients with MRSA had leg ulcers or foot sores, confirming liability of chronic wounds to MRSA colonizing. Thirty one out of 40 patients with MRSA at arrival had been previously hospitalized. Hospitalization increases the risk of MRSA contamination. Treatment of MRSA is essentially that of the underlying dermatitis. However, it is still necessary to monitor the lesion for complications.
Putative changes in dopaminergic neurotransmission following nicotine induced behavioural sensitisation

Behavioural sensitisation is a progressive enhancement of stereotypic or locomotor behaviour following repeated intermittent administration of a psychostimulant or stress. It is a phenomenon thought to underlie many neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g. schizophrenia, addiction, depressive disorders, dyskinesia, and psychosis) although its own mechanism remains contentious. In this thesis a multidisciplinary approach was used to investigate the role of dopamine in behavioural sensitisation. Different in vivo and ex vivo techniques were used to assess and elucidate putative changes in dopaminergic neurotransmission of behaviourally sensitised animals. If so, this improved understanding of behavioural sensitisation could provide a better understanding of the pathophysiologies of neuropsychiatric disorders and provide more insight into why existing pharmacotherapies for these disorders are able to confer only modest benefit. Moreover, this improved understanding can lead to development of new medication and more effective therapies to treat neuropsychiatric disorders and therapies that address the specific problems associated with them. Previously, an oversimplified view of neurotransmitter release was used for the development of current available drugs, i.e. stabilising either the attenuated or increased release of neurotransmitters without considering the involvement of synaptic plasticity. Therapies being used with modest effectiveness regulate dopamine transmission levels, suggesting a putative role for dopamine. The present study used chronic intermittent nicotine administration in rodents to induce behavioural sensitisation which was monitored behaviourally by measuring locomotor activity. Further studies were performed ex vivo assessing receptor binding, intracellular cAMP accumulation and electrically stimulated dopamine release. Prior to the pharmacological assessments, a novel LC-MS/MS method to measure (cyclic-) nucleotides was developed and a fast cyclic voltammetry (FCV) technique was established to measure real-time neurotransmitter release. Specific pharmacological tools were used to identify the role of dopaminergic neurotransmission in behavioural sensitisation. Finally, the ex vivo findings using tissue from sensitised and non-sensitised animals were compared to those findings obtained in vivo.
The NAD-Dependent Deacetylase Sirtuin-1 Regulates the Expression of Osteogenic Transcriptional Activator Runt-Related Transcription Factor 2 (Runx2) and Production of Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 in Chondrocytes in Osteoarthritis

Aging is one of the major pathologic factors associated with osteoarthritis (OA). Recently, numerous reports have demonstrated the impact of sirtuin-1 (Sirt1), which is the NAD-dependent deacetylase, on human aging. It has been demonstrated that Sirt1 induces osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. However, the role of Sirt1 in the OA chondrocytes still remains unknown. We postulated that Sirt1 regulates a hypertrophic chondrocyte lineage and degeneration of articular cartilage through the activation of osteogenic transcriptional activator Runx2 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13 in OA chondrocytes. To verify whether sirtuin-1 (Sirt1) regulates chondrocyte activity in OA, we studied expressions of Sirt1, Runx2 and production of MMP-13, and their associations in human OA chondrocytes. The expression of Sirt1 was ubiquitously observed in osteoarthritic chondrocytes; in contrast, Runx2 expressed in the osteophyte region in patients with OA and OA model mice. OA relating catabolic factor IL-1βincreased the expression of Runx2 in OA chondrocytes. OA chondrocytes, which were pretreated with Sirt1 inhibitor, inhibited the IL-1β-induced expression of Runx2 compared to the control. Since the Runx2 is a promotor of MMP-13 expression, Sirt1 inactivation may inhibit the Runx2 expression and the resultant down-regulation of MMP-13 production in chondrocytes. Our findings suggest thatSirt1 may regulate the expression of Runx2, which is the osteogenic transcription factor, and the production of MMP-13 from chondrocytes in OA. Since Sirt1 activity is known to be affected by several stresses, including inflammation and oxidative stress, as well as aging, SIRT may be involved in the development of OA.
Early mechanism of negativity bias: An attentional blink study1

: The negativity bias is the perceptual phenomena whereby an emotionally negative stimulus is processed faster than a positive or neutral stimulus. We used the attentional blink paradigm to investigate whether attentional resources are required to obtain the negativity bias. Positive, negative or neutral words were used as a preceding target (T1) and/or a subsequent target (T2). Experiment 1 showed that the negativity bias occurred, because the attentional blink was reduced by a negative T2, but not by a positive or neutral T2. Experiment 2 indicated that a negative T1 grabbed attentional resources, interfering with the identification of a neutral T2. Experiment 3 demonstrated that the report of a negative T2 deteriorated when T1 was also negative. We conclude that attentional resources were required for the occurrence of the negativity bias.
Low Frequency of Mutations with Strongly Deleterious but Nonlethal Fitness Effects

Most experimentally detectable effects of mutations in cellular organisms are either lethal or mildly deleterious. A possible explanation for the paucity of strongly detrimental but nonlethal mutations is that the processes constituting cellular metabolism are either essential or largely redundant. Alternatively, the partition between lethal and inconspicuous mutations exists within important biological processes. To test this, we measured maximum growth rates of yeast strains each carrying the deletion of a single gene in one of 38 protein complexes. We also used relevant data from previous high-throughput phenotypic studies of the yeast gene-deletion collection. The complexes typified well-defined sets of genes engaged in a common process. Within virtually all essential complexes there were two clear modes of phenotypic effects, that is the cessation of growth or slowdown of growth by a few percent. This uniformity is striking given that complexes differ extensively in function, size, and proportion of essential proteins. The pattern of bimodality is observed both under optimal and suboptimal environmental conditions. The generic paucity of strong effects and abundance of small ones relates to the feasibility of analyses of quantitative traits and epidemiological surveys, irrespective of the particular element of metabolism under study.
Analysis of Wind Turbine Simulation Models: Assessment of Simplified versus Complete Methodologies: Preprint

This paper presents the current status of simplified wind turbine models used for power system stability analysis. This work is based on the ongoing work being developed in IEC 61400-27. This international standard, for which a technical committee was convened in October 2009, is focused on defining generic (also known as simplified) simulation models for both wind turbines and wind power plants. The results of the paper provide an improved understanding of the usability of generic models to conduct power system simulations.
An m-Health Monitoring System for Children with Suspected Arrhythmias

Advances in wireless communications and networking technologies as well as computer and medical technologies, enable the development of small size, power efficient and more reliable medical multi-parameter recording systems, which can be used for continuous monitoring of patients. Through this paper we present the basic architecture and initial development steps of an m-Health monitoring system that will be used in order to monitor children with suspected cardiac arrhythmias. The proposed system will be based on sensor networks, in order to monitor a subject while being in a predefined area like his/her house; while a module based on PDAs and wearable ECG recorders will be used in order to extent the coverage outside the patient's house. The system will be based on a variable sampling rate to conserve power for the possible arrhythmia episode. The system design has been completed, the hardware specifications have been decided and currently the system is going through the development phase.
Initial patterns of clinical care and recovery from whiplash injuries: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the most effective pattern of clinical care for acute whiplash. We designed a cohort study to determine whether patterns of early clinical care (involving visits to general practitioners, chiropractors, or specialists) were associated with different rates of recovery. METHODS We studied 2486 Saskatchewan adults with whiplash injuries. We defined 8 initial patterns of care that integrated type of provider and number of visits. We used multivariable Cox models to estimate the association between patterns of care and time to recovery while controlling for injury severity and other confounders. RESULTS There was an independent association between the type and intensity of initial clinical care and time to recovery. We found that patients in the low-utilization general practitioner group had the fastest recovery, even after controlling for injury severity and other confounders. Compared with this group, the high-utilization general practitioner group experienced a 1-year rate of recovery that was 27% slower (adjusted hazard rate ratio [HRR], 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61-0.87); for the high-utilization chiropractic group it was 39% slower (HRR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.46-0.81); for the high-utilization general practitioner plus chiropractic combined group it was 28% slower (HRR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.57-0.91); and for those who consulted general practitioners and specialists, it was 31% slower (HRR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.55-0.87). CONCLUSIONS The type and intensity of clinical care initiated within the first month after the injury is associated with the rate of recovery from whiplash injuries. Our study does not support the hypothesis that early aggressive care promotes faster recovery.