Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence, Antimicrobial Susceptibility, and Clonal Diversity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Chronic Wounds

PURPOSE: Our purposes in this study were to (1) identify Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains collected from swabs of chronic wounds, (2) evaluate the susceptibility of P. aeruginosa strains to various antimicrobials, (3) detect the presence of virulence factors exoenzyme S (exoS) and exoenzyme U (exoU) in P. aeruginosa strains, and (4) evaluate wound colonization by P. aeruginosa via pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). DESIGN: Descriptive research using a quantitative approach. SAMPLE AND SETTING: Swabs from 43 adults with chronic wounds treated in an outpatient setting in Niterói City, Brazil, were included using convenience sampling. METHODS: Swabs were collected at 2 points during treatment, 30 to 45 days apart. P. aeruginosa isolates were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method. The presence of exoS and exoU genes was evaluated using polymerase chain reaction. Genotyping diversity was determined through PFGE. RESULTS: Forty-eight P. aeruginosa isolates were detected in chronic wounds, and 3 were multidrug resistant (6%). Resistance to aztreonam and ciprofloxacin was observed in 48% and 27% of isolates, respectively. The presence of the exoS gene was verified in 54% of isolates, and 27% were positive for the exoU gene. In most wounds, P. aeruginosa strains had the same genetic characteristics at the 2 time points analyzed, indicating that the wound beds remained colonized. CONCLUSIONS: P. aeruginosa was present in 75% of tested chronic wound samples, and the same clones persisted for more than 1 month. In addition, most bacteria contained virulence genes that were associated with high potential to establish infection. The use of silver in chronic wounds may be associated with multidrug resistance in P. aeruginosa; therefore, it is important to avoid colonization by these bacteria.
A Reconfigurable Filter Based on Doublet Configuration

A surrogate model is proposed to model a previously published second-order tunable filter. The surrogate model can be represented by a coupling matrix in a doublet configuration, and a simple method based on the even-odd mode bisection is given to extract the coupling matrix. From the extracted parameters, one can decide how to design a filter with prescribed quasi-elliptic responses and how to adjust varactors to reconfigure the response. Using the proposed methods, the second-order filter can be configured to have a finite transmission zero on either the lower side or the upper side of the passband in a prescribed location even when the center frequency of the filter is tuned. Both simulated and measured results of an example are presented.
Flammability and fire resistance of composites reinforced by natural fibers

Natural fiber-reinforced composites are more and more frequently applied to building industry and transportation. Therefore, the knowledge of their behavior during fire is of high importance. Flammability is one of very important parameters that often limits the application of composites to a given area. It is well-known that addition of lignocellulosic fibers to polymer changes mechanical properties of the product obtained. However, little information is available on their fire performance. The purpose of this review was to obtain fire performance data for several types of composites reinforced by lignocellulosic fibers. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Newly Engineered Magnetic Erythrocytes for Sustained and Targeted Delivery of Anti-Cancer Therapeutic Compounds

Cytotoxic chemotherapy of cancer is limited by serious, sometimes life-threatening, side effects that arise from toxicities to sensitive normal cells because the therapies are not selective for malignant cells. So how can they be selectively improved? Alternative pharmaceutical formulations of anti-cancer agents have been investigated in order to improve conventional chemotherapy treatment. These formulations are associated with problems like severe toxic side effects on healthy organs, drug resistance and limited access of the drug to the tumor sites suggested the need to focus on site-specific controlled drug delivery systems. In response to these concerns, we have developed a new drug delivery system based on magnetic erythrocytes engineered with a viral spike fusion protein. This new erythrocyte-based drug delivery system has the potential for magnetic-controlled site-specific localization and highly efficient fusion capability with the targeted cells. Here we show that the erythro-magneto-HA virosomes drug delivery system is able to attach and fuse with the target cells and to efficiently release therapeutic compounds inside the cells. The efficacy of the anti-cancer drug employed is increased and the dose required is 10 time less than that needed with conventional therapy.
Antagonism of type II, but not type I glucocorticoid receptors results in elevated basal luteinizing hormone release in male rats.

The present studies utilized a pharmacologic approach to evaluate the role of corticosterone-preferring mineralocorticoid receptors (type I or MR) versus classic glucocorticoid receptors (type II or GR) in the regulation of basal pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in vivo in male rats. Animals bearing indwelling intracardiac venous catheters received a subcutaneous (s.c.) injection of either vehicle, the MR antagonist, RU 752 (0.5 or 5.0 mg/kg body weight), or the GR antagonist, RU 486 (0.5 or 5.0 mg/kg body weight). Additional groups of rats were implanted with indwelling intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) cannulas and intravenous catheters for drug administration and blood withdrawal, respectively, and injected i.c. v. with vehicle or graded doses (0.1, 1.0 or 10.0 micrograms/rat) of RU 752 or RU 486. The MR RU 752 failed to alter plasma LH concentrations regardless of dose or route of administration. In contrast, the GR antagonist, RU 486, elicited significant, dose-dependent increases in circulating LH when given either s.c. or i.c. v. Animals injected s.c. with either 0.5 or 5.0 mg RU 486/kg body weight showed elevated plasma LH levels; while the magnitude of this secretory response was not different between the two drug-treated groups, hormone levels remained elevated over baseline for a longer period of time in rats given the higher dose. Central administration of RU 486 at a dose of either 1.0 or 10.0 micrograms also resulted in elevated LH release; both the magnitude and duration of this increase in plasma LH were dose-dependent. In additional experiments, groups of rats were pretreated with vehicle or the synthetic GR agonist, RU 362, before administration of RU 486. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effects of a physiotherapy and occupational therapy intervention on mobility and activity in care home residents: a cluster randomised controlled trial

Objective To compare the clinical effectiveness of a programme of physiotherapy and occupational therapy with standard care in care home residents who have mobility limitations and are dependent in performing activities of daily living. Design Cluster randomised controlled trial, with random allocation at the level of care home. Setting Care homes within the NHS South Birmingham primary care trust and the NHS Birmingham East and North primary care trust that had more than five beds and provided for people in the care categories “physical disability” and “older people. ” Participants Care home residents with mobility limitations, limitations in activities of daily living (as screened by the Barthel index), and not receiving end of life care were eligible to take part in the study. Intervention A targeted three month occupational therapy and physiotherapy programme. Main outcome measures Scores on the Barthel index and the Rivermead mobility index. Results 24 of 77 nursing and residential homes that catered for residents with mobility limitations and dependency for activities of daily living were selected for study: 12 were randomly allocated to the intervention arm (128 residents, mean age 86 years) and 12 to the control arm (121 residents, mean age 84 years). Participants were evaluated by independent assessors blind to study arm allocation before randomisation (0 months), three months after randomisation (at the end of the treatment period for patients who received the intervention), and again at six months after randomisation. After adjusting for home effect and baseline characteristics, no significant differences were found in mean Barthel index scores at six months post-randomisation between treatment arms (mean effect 0.08, 95% confidence interval −1.14 to 1.30; P=0.90), across assessments (−0.01, −0.63 to 0.60; P=0.96), or in the interaction between assessment and intervention (0.42, −0.48 to 1.32; P=0.36). Similarly, no significant differences were found in the mean Rivermead mobility index scores between treatment arms (0.62, −0.51 to 1.76; P=0.28), across assessments (−0.15, −0.65 to 0.35; P=0.55), or interaction (0.71, −0.02 to 1.44; P=0.06). Conclusions The three month occupational therapy and physiotherapy programme had no significant effect on mobility and independence. On the other hand, the variation in residents’ functional ability, the prevalence of cognitive impairment, and the prevalence of depression were considerably higher in this sample than expected on the basis of previous work. Further research to clarify the efficacy of occupational therapy and physiotherapy is required if access to therapy services is to be recommended in this population. Trial registration ISRCTN79859980
Neutrophil depletion protects against murine acetaminophen hepatotoxicity: Another perspective

test). By contrast, the platelet counts at baseline and M6 were similar (166 64 109/l versus 165 62 109/l) among nonresponders. Thus, the platelet component of APRI may more closely reflect the ongoing change in hepatic fibrosis after interferon-based therapy than the present proposed scoring systems. Taken together, the APRI determined after interferon-based therapy may not only correlate well with SVR and sustained biochemical response, but also with the slow, but significant regression of hepatic fibrosis. All the factors have been important factors associated with long-term outcome of liver disease.4,7 Because patients with cirrhosis with and without an SVR are at risk of HCC, universal close follow-up is recommended in clinical practice and may overcome the limitation of APRI-M6 prediction for the subgroup. Nevertheless, with optimized cut-off values of APRI-M6, we could identify patients at risk for HCC development in low-risk groups (sustained responders and patients without cirrhosis). These results could provide decision-making information for scheduling follow-up intervals to detect HCC early.
Influenza RNA not Detected in Archival Brain Tissues from Acute Encephalitis Lethargica Cases or in Postencephalitic Parkinson Cases

Encephalitis lethargica (EL) was a mysterious epidemic, temporally associated with the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic. Numerous symptoms characterized this disease, including headache, diplopia, fever, fatal coma, delirium, oculogyric crisis, lethargy, catatonia, and psychiatric symptoms. Many patients who initially recovered subsequently developed profound, chronic parkinsonism. The etiologic association of influenza with EL is controversial. Five acute EL autopsies and more than 70 postencephalitic parkinsonian autopsies were available in the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) tissue repository. Two of these 5 acute EL cases had histopathologic changes consistent with that diagnosis. The remaining 3 cases were classified as possible acute EL cases as the autopsy material was insufficient for detailed histopathologic examination. RNA lysates were prepared from 29 CNS autopsy tissue blocks from the 5 acute cases and 9 lysates from blocks containing substantia nigra from 2 postencephalitic cases. RNA recovery was assessed by amplification of beta-2-microglobulin mRNA and 65% of the tissue blocks contained amplifiable RNA. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for influenza matrix and nucleoprotein genes was negative in all cases. Thus, it is unlikely that the 1918 influenza virus was neurotropic and directly responsible for the outbreak of EL.
Mechanical alloying for fabrication of aluminium matrix composite powders with Ti-Al intermetallics reinforcement

Purpose: The aim of this work is to report the effect of the high energy milling processes, on fabrication of aluminium matrix composite powders, reinforced with a homogeneous dispersion of the intermetallic Ti3Al reinforcing particles. Design/methodology/approach: MA process are considered as a method for producing composite metal powders with a controlled fine microstructure. It occurs by the repeated fracturing and re-welding of powders particles mixture in a highly energetic ball mill. Findings: Mechanical alloying, applied for composite powder fabrication, improves the distribution of the Ti3Al intermetallic reinforcing particles throughout the aluminium matrix, simultaneously reducing their size. Observed microstructural changes influence on the mechanical properties of powder particles. Research limitations/implications: Contributes to the knowledge on composite powders production via MA. Practical implications: Gives the answer to evolution of the powder production stages, during mechanical alloying and theirs final properties. Originality/value: Broadening of the production routes for homogeneous particles reinforced aluminium matrix
ACTN3 GENOTYPE IS ASSOCIATED WITH TESTOSTERONE LEVELS OF ATHLETES

α-Actinin-3 (ACTN3) has been proposed to regulate skeletal muscle differentiation and hypertrophy through its interaction with the signalling protein calcineurin. Since the inhibition of calcineurin potentiates the production of testosterone, we hypothesized that α-actinin-3 deficiency (predicted from the ACTN3 XX genotype) may influence serum levels of testosterone of athletes. Objective: To investigate the association of ACTN3 gene R577X polymorphism with resting testosterone levels in athletes. Methods: A total of 209 elite Russian athletes from different sports (119 males, 90 females) were genotyped for ACTN3 gene R577X polymorphism by real-time PCR. Resting testosterone was examined in serum of athletes using enzyme immunoassay. Results: The mean testosterone levels were significantly higher in both males and females with the ACTN3 R allele than in XX homozygotes (males: RR: 24.9 (5.7), RX: 21.8 (5.5), XX: 18.6 (4.9) ng · mL-1, P = 0.0071; females: RR: 1.43 (0.6), RX: 1.21 (0.71), XX: 0.79 (0.66) ng · mL-1, P = 0.0167). Conclusions: We found that the ACTN3 R allele was associated with high levels of testosterone in athletes, and this may explain, in part, the association between the ACTN3 RR genotype, skeletal muscle hypertrophy and power athlete status.
State-Dependent Population Coding in Primary Auditory Cortex

Sensory function is mediated by interactions between external stimuli and intrinsic cortical dynamics that are evident in the modulation of evoked responses by cortical state. A number of recent studies across different modalities have demonstrated that the patterns of activity in neuronal populations can vary strongly between synchronized and desynchronized cortical states, i.e., in the presence or absence of intrinsically generated up and down states. Here we investigated the impact of cortical state on the population coding of tones and speech in the primary auditory cortex (A1) of gerbils, and found that responses were qualitatively different in synchronized and desynchronized cortical states. Activity in synchronized A1 was only weakly modulated by sensory input, and the spike patterns evoked by tones and speech were unreliable and constrained to a small range of patterns. In contrast, responses to tones and speech in desynchronized A1 were temporally precise and reliable across trials, and different speech tokens evoked diverse spike patterns with extremely weak noise correlations, allowing responses to be decoded with nearly perfect accuracy. Restricting the analysis of synchronized A1 to activity within up states yielded similar results, suggesting that up states are not equivalent to brief periods of desynchronization. These findings demonstrate that the representational capacity of A1 depends strongly on cortical state, and suggest that cortical state should be considered as an explicit variable in all studies of sensory processing.
Fiberglass and glass technology : energy-friendly compositions and applications

Fiberglass and Glass Technology: Energy-Friendly Compositions and Applications provides a detailed overview of fiber, float and container glass technology with special emphasis on energy- and environmentally-friendly compositions, applications and manufacturing practices which have recently become available and continue to emerge. Energy-friendly compositions are variants of incumbent fiberglass and glass compositions that are obtained by the reformulation of incumbent compositions to reduce the viscosity and thereby the energy demand. Environmentally-friendly compositions are variants of incumbent fiber, float and container glass compositions that are obtained by the reformulation of incumbent compositions to reduce environmentally harmful emissions from their melts. Energy- and environmentally-friendly compositions are expected to become a key factor in the future for the fiberglass and glass industries. This book consists of two complementary sections: continuous glass fiber technology and soda-lime-silica glass technology.
Magnetoencephalography as a Research Tool in Neuroscience: State of the Art

Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a noninvasive neuroimaging method for detecting, analyzing, and interpreting the magnetic field generated by the electrical activity in the brain. Modern hardware can capture the MEG signal at hundreds of points around the head in a snapshot lasting only a fraction of a millisecond. The sensitivity of modern hardware is high enough to permit the extraction of a clean signal generated by the brain well above the noise level of the MEG hardware. It is possible to identify signatures of superficial and often deep generators in the raw MEG signal, even in snapshots of data. In a more quantitative way, tomographic images of the electrical current density in the brain can be extracted from each snapshot of MEG signal, providing a direct correlate of coherent collective neuronal activity. A number of recent studies have scrutinized brain function in the new spatiotemporal window that real-time tomographic analysis of MEG signals has opened. The results have allowed the variability in a single area to be seen in the context of activity in other areas and background rhythmic activity. In this view, normal brain function is seen as a cascade of extremely fast events and the unfolding of specialized processes, segregated in space and time and organized into well-defined stages of processing.
Influenza virus targets the mRNA export machinery and the nuclear pore complex

The NS1 protein of influenza A virus is a major virulence factor that is essential for pathogenesis. NS1 functions to impair innate and adaptive immunity by inhibiting host signal transduction and gene expression, but its mechanisms of action remain to be fully elucidated. We show here that NS1 forms an inhibitory complex with NXF1/TAP, p15/NXT, Rae1/mrnp41, and E1B-AP5, which are key constituents of the mRNA export machinery that interact with both mRNAs and nucleoporins to direct mRNAs through the nuclear pore complex. Increased levels of NXF1, p15, or Rae1 revert the mRNA export blockage induced by NS1. Furthermore, influenza virus down-regulates Nup98, a nucleoporin that is a docking site for mRNA export factors. Reduced expression of these mRNA export factors renders cells highly permissive to influenza virus replication, demonstrating that proper levels of key constituents of the mRNA export machinery protect against influenza virus replication. Because Nup98 and Rae1 are induced by interferons, down-regulation of this pathway is likely a viral strategy to promote viral replication. These findings demonstrate previously undescribed influenza-mediated viral–host interactions and provide insights into potential molecular therapies that may interfere with influenza infection.
Acetylation Regulates WRN Catalytic Activities and Affects Base Excision DNA Repair

Background The Werner protein (WRN), defective in the premature aging disorder Werner syndrome, participates in a number of DNA metabolic processes, and we have been interested in the possible regulation of its function in DNA repair by post-translational modifications. Acetylation mediated by histone acetyltransferases is of key interest because of its potential importance in aging, DNA repair and transcription. Methodology/Principal Findings Here, we have investigated the p300 acetylation mediated changes on the function of WRN in base excision DNA repair (BER). We show that acetylation of WRN increases in cells treated with methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), suggesting that acetylation of WRN may play a role in response to DNA damage. This hypothesis is consistent with our findings that acetylation of WRN stimulates its catalytic activities in vitro and in vivo, and that acetylated WRN enhances pol β-mediated strand displacement DNA synthesis more than unacetylated WRN. Furthermore, we show that cellular exposure to the histone deacetylase inhibitor sodium butyrate stimulates long patch BER in wild type cells but not in WRN depleted cells, suggesting that acetylated WRN participates significantly in this process. Conclusion/Significance Collectively, these results provide the first evidence for a specific role of p300 mediated WRN acetylation in regulating its function during BER.
Publication Preview Source Simplicity versus Optimality: The Choice of Monetary Policy Rules when Agents Must Learn

The normal assumption of full information is dropped and the choice of monetary policy rules is instead examined when private agents must learn the rule. A small, forward-looking model is estimated and stochastic simulations conducted with agents using discounted least squares to learn of a change of preferences or a switch to a more complex rule. We "nd that the costs of learning a new rule may be substantial, depending on preferences and the rule that is initially in place. Policymakers with strong preferences for inflation control incur substantial costs when they change the rule in use, but are nearly always willing to bear the costs. Policymakers with weak preferences for inflation control may actually benefit from agents' prior belief that a strong rule is in place.
Optical Sectioning Deep Inside Live Embryos by Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy

Large, living biological specimens present challenges to existing optical imaging techniques because of their absorptive and scattering properties. We developed selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM) to generate multidimensional images of samples up to a few millimeters in size. The system combines two-dimensional illumination with orthogonal camera-based detection to achieve high-resolution, optically sectioned imaging throughout the sample, with minimal photodamage and at speeds capable of capturing transient biological phenomena. We used SPIM to visualize all muscles in vivo in the transgenic Medaka line Arnie, which expresses green fluorescent protein in muscle tissue. We also demonstrate that SPIM can be applied to visualize the embryogenesis of the relatively opaque Drosophila melanogaster in vivo.