Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Evaluation of differentiation potential of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells to cartilage and bone cells].

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to identify the characteristics and surface antigen properties of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) isolated and cultured from bone marrow of healthy subjects and to assess their differentiation potential to osteoblast and chondroblast lineage cells. METHODS Mononuclear cells were isolated by density-gradient separation from 1-3 ml of bone marrow collected from 10 donors of bone transplantation aged between 4 months and 18 years. These mononuclear cells were cultured in flasks containing 10% fetal calf serum, which resulted in growth of fibroblast-like cells showing adhesion onto the culture flask. Physical properties of the cells were identified and flow cytometric immunophenotyping was performed to specify surface antigen properties. Differentiation of mesenchymal stromal cells in specific media to chondroblasts and osteoblasts was evaluated. Osteoblasts and chondroblasts were stained with Alizarin red and Alcian blue, respectively, and microphotographed. RESULTS In vitro yield of MSCs showed no age-related differences in terms of morphological and adhesive properties. While cells of stromal origin showed strong positivity (90% to 99%) to characteristic CD105, CD44, CD166, CD29, CD90, and CD73 antibodies, hematopoietic cells remained negative (0% to 5%) to CD45, CD34, CD14, and HLA-DR antibodies. It was observed that MSCs produced in cell-specific media differentiated to osteoblasts and chondroblasts in all passages (p1-15) tested, including late passages. CONCLUSION It seems that the use of MSCs would provide promising treatment strategies in bone marrow transplantation, inherited diseases, and organ repair; in in vitro assessment of biological effects of biomaterials in orthopedics; and in repair of bone and cartilage injuries.
Pharmacokinetics of Minocycline in Renal Failure

The pharmacokinetics of minocycline have been studied after single intravenous infusions and repeated oral doses to human subjects with varying degrees of renal impairment. There was no evidence of reduced drug clearance with reduced renal function after intravenous doses although there appeared to be an increase in the tissue distribution of antibiotic in the body in uremia. After identical multiple oral dosage regimens serum levels of antibiotic were comparable in normal and mildly uremic subjects. There was no evidence of renal toxicity in normal or uremic subjects with the repeated dosage regimen used.
Texture Softening of Beef and Chicken by Enzyme Injection Process

This research focuses on a new softening technology for use with chicken breast and eye of round beef in order to assist elderly individuals who have difficulty with eating due to changes in their ability to chew (masticatory function) or swallow. We investigated the hardness of chicken breast and eye of round beef through use of a texture analyzer after injection of a commercial enzyme. Among 7 commercial enzymes, bromelain and collupulin exhibited a marked softening effect on the tested chicken breast and eye of round beef given a 1.00% enzyme concentration. The hardness of bromelain-treated chicken breast reached 1.4×104 N/m2, of collupulin-treated chicken breast reached 3.0×104 N/m2, and of bromelain-treated eye of round beef reached 3.2×104 N/m2, respectively, while their original shapes did not change. To find the level of tissue degradation with specific enzyme concentrations, enzyme injections at 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.50%, and 1.00% concentration of bromelain and papain were also evaluated. The results of this research could be useful for softening chicken breast and eye of round beef and will contribute to the development of foods that can be more easily eaten as part of a balanced diet for elderly adults.
The propofol infusion syndrome in infants and children: can we predict the risk?

&NA; Propofol has been an immensely successful anaesthetic induction agent but there is an increasing number of reports of serious complications when it has been used as an infusion to provide sedation for prolonged periods. The first reports involved children who died from intractable myocardial failure preceded by a metabolic acidosis, lipaemic plasma, fatty infiltration of the liver and evidence of muscle damage. As more cases have been reported the association between propofol and the syndrome has become more certain. Recently adult cases have appeared and a metabolic explanation has been suggested. The syndrome has a high mortality and the only effective treatment appears to be dialysis. Curr Opin Anaesthesiol 15:339‐342. © 2002 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Stress as a Determinant of Saliva‐Mediated Adherence and Coadherence of Oral and Nonoral Microorganisms

Objective: The mucosal secretory proteins, such as the salivary proteins, play a key role in the acquisition and regulation of the mucosal microflora. Most notably, some microorganisms utilize the host's secretory proteins to adhere to the mucosa; a first step in colonization and infection. The secretory proteins also influence colonization by affecting the binding among microorganisms, a process denoted as coadherence. Previously we reported that acute stressors cause specific changes in saliva composition. The present study investigated to what extent these changes influence saliva‐mediated microbial adherence and coadherence (ex vivo). Methods: Thirty‐two male undergraduates provided unstimulated saliva before and during a control condition and two stressors: A memory test and a surgery video presentation. We used saliva‐coated microplates to test the adherence of bacteria for which the oral cavity is either a natural reservoir (eg, viridans streptococci) or a portal of entry (eg, Helicobacter pylori). We also tested the saliva‐mediated co‐adherence between Streptococcus gordonii and the yeast Candida albicans. Correlation analyses were performed to determine the relationships between changes in microbial adherence and the concentrations of potential salivary ligands, viz. cystatin S, the mucins MUC5B and MUC7, S‐IgA, lactoferrin, &agr;‐amylase, and total salivary protein. Results: During the memory test, saliva‐mediated adhesion of Streptococcus sanguis, Streptococcus gordonii, and H. pylori increased, whereas the coadherence of C. albicans with S. gordonii decreased. During the surgical video presentation the saliva‐mediated adherence of H. pylori, S. sanguis, and Streptococcus mitis increased. These changes were independent of salivary flow rate, but correlated with specific changes in salivary protein composition. Conclusion: The results show that even moderate stressors, by altering the activity of the mucosal secretory glands, may affect microbial colonization processes such as adherence and coadherence. This study hereby presents a mechanism by which stress may affect the mucosal microflora and susceptibility to infectious disease.
Stable Nitrogen Isotopes of Plankton and Benthos Reflect a Landscape-level Influence on Great Lakes Coastal Ecosystems

ABSTRACT As populations and human activities increase in coastal watersheds, an understanding of the connections of aquatic ecosystems to the adjacent terrestrial landscape is necessary to identify, monitor, and protect vulnerable coastal habitats. This study investigates the relationships between land-use patterns and δ15N values of aquatic organisms in coastal ecosystems, across a defined watershed gradient for the U.S. portion of the Great Lakes shoreline. δ15N measured in plankton and benthic invertebrates reflects a range of basin wide land-use gradients and demonstrates a strong connection between watershed-based anthropogenic activities and exposure in aquatic biota. For example, benthos δ15N values range over 12‰ across sites in our study, but regression analyses suggest that over 50% of the variability is explained by the regional landscape. Further, multiple taxa at comparable trophic position showed similar patterns in relation to watershed-scale land use. Our results suggest that within the coastal environment, the expression of landscape in aquatic biota is stronger in habitats such as embayments and wetlands than open nearshore. These results support the use of δ15N in Great Lakes coastal biota as an exposure indicator of watershed-scale N loading.
Impaired fear recognition and attentional set-shifting is associated with brain structural changes in alcoholic patients

Alcoholic patients with multiple detoxifications/relapses show cognitive and emotional deficits. We performed structural magnetic resonance imaging and examined performance on a cognitive flexibility task (intra‐extradimensional set shift and reversal; IED). We also presented subjects with fearful, disgust and anger facial emotional expressions. Participants were abstaining, multiply detoxified (MDTx; n = 12) or singly detoxified patients (SDTx; n = 17) and social drinker controls (n = 31). Alcoholic patients were less able than controls to change their behavior in accordance with the changing of the rules in the IED and they were less accurate in recognizing fearful expressions in particular. They also showed lower gray matter volume compared with controls in frontal brain areas, including inferior frontal cortex (IFC) and insula that mediate emotional processing, inferior parietal lobule and medial frontal cortex that mediate attentional and motor planning processes, respectively. Impairments in performance and some of the regional decreases in gray matter were greater in MDTx. Gray matter volume in IFC in patients was negatively correlated with the number of detoxifications, whereas inferior parietal lobule was negatively correlated with the control over drinking score (impaired control over drinking questionnaire). Performance in IED was also negatively correlated with gray matter volume in IFC/BA47, whereas recognition of fearful faces was positively correlated with the IFC gray matter. Repeated episodes of detoxification from alcohol, related to severity of dependency, are coupled with altered brain structure in areas of emotional regulation, attention and motor planning. Such changes may confer increased inability to switch behavior according to environmental demands and social incompetence, contributing to relapse.
A Systems Biology Approach Identifies Molecular Networks Defining Skeletal Muscle Abnormalities in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an inflammatory process of the lung inducing persistent airflow limitation. Extensive systemic effects, such as skeletal muscle dysfunction, often characterize these patients and severely limit life expectancy. Despite considerable research efforts, the molecular basis of muscle degeneration in COPD is still a matter of intense debate. In this study, we have applied a network biology approach to model the relationship between muscle molecular and physiological response to training and systemic inflammatory mediators. Our model shows that failure to co-ordinately activate expression of several tissue remodelling and bioenergetics pathways is a specific landmark of COPD diseased muscles. Our findings also suggest that this phenomenon may be linked to an abnormal expression of a number of histone modifiers, which we discovered correlate with oxygen utilization. These observations raised the interesting possibility that cell hypoxia may be a key factor driving skeletal muscle degeneration in COPD patients.
Core-stateless fair rate estimation fair queuing

Core-stateless mechanisms, such as core-stateless fair queuing (CSFQ), reduce the complexity of fair queuing, which usually need to maintain state, manage buffers, and perform flow scheduling on a per flow basis. However, they require executing label rewriting and dropping decision on a per packet basis. This complexity may prevent them from being widely deployed. In this paper, we proposed a novel architecture based on CSFQ without per-packet labeling. Similarly, we distinguish edge routers and core routers. Edge routers maintain per flow state; they employ a fair queuing mechanism to allocate each flow a fair bandwidth share locally and a token bucket mechanism to regulate those flows with feedback packets sent from egress edge routers. Core routers do not maintain per flow state; they use FIFO packet scheduling extended by a fair rate alarm mechanism that uses an estimate of active flow number based on a matching-mismatching algorithm. The novel scheme is called core-stateless fair rate estimation fair queuing (CSFREFQ). We present and discuss simulations on the performance under different traffic scenarios.
Digital Image Watermarking using Fibonacci Transform in YIQ Color Space

Digital watermarking is a technique for inserting ownership information to the digital data to prove the authenticity. A digital watermarking is perceptually invisible to prevent obstruction of the original image. It is also used for tamper proofing, broadcast monitoring, covert communication etc. In this paper, a wavelet-based watermarking approach for hiding watermark image in color host images is proposed. The host image is converted into YIQ color space and then Y channel decomposed into wavelet coefficients. This proposed methodology overcomes the drawback of the existing approaches and enhances the security by applying Arnold transform and Fibonacci transform for embedding the resultant pattern in the host image. The watermark embedding process does not degrade the visual quality of the image.
NO chemical events in the human airway during the immediate and late antigen-induced asthmatic response

A wealth of evidence supports increased NO (NO⋅) in asthma, but its roles are unknown. To investigate how NO participates in inflammatory airway events in asthma, we measured NO⋅ and NO⋅ chemical reaction products [nitrite, nitrate, S-nitrosothiols (SNO), and nitrotyrosine] before, immediately and 48 h after bronchoscopic antigen (Ag) challenge of the peripheral airways in atopic asthmatic individuals and nonatopic healthy controls. Strikingly, NO\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} \begin{equation*}{\mathrm{_{3}^{-}}}\end{equation*}\end{document} was the only NO⋅ derivative to increase during the immediate Ag-induced asthmatic response and continued to increase over 2-fold at 48 h after Ag challenge in contrast to controls [P < 0.05]. NO\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document} \begin{equation*}{\mathrm{_{2}^{-}}}\end{equation*}\end{document} was not affected by Ag challenge at 10 min or 48 h after Ag challenge. Although SNO was not detectable in asthmatic airways at baseline or immediately after Ag, SNO increased during the late response to levels found in healthy controls. A model of NO⋅ dynamics derived from the current findings predicts that NO⋅ may have harmful effects through formation of peroxynitrite, but also subserves an antioxidant role by consuming reactive oxygen species during the immediate asthmatic response, whereas nitrosylation during the late asthmatic response generates SNO, safe reservoirs for removal of toxic NO⋅ derivatives.
Morphological and biochemical analyses of otoliths of the ice‐fish Chionodraco hamatus confirm a common origin with red‐blooded species

The morphology and composition of the three otoliths of the Antarctic ice‐fish Chionodraco hamatus were studied by scanning electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction. The composition of the sagitta, lapillus and asteriscus protein matrices was also analysed by sodium dodecyl sulphate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, western blots and confocal laser scanning microscopy to reveal the presence of and to localize the calcium‐binding proteins calmodulin, calbindin and S‐100. Morphological results indicated that the otoliths in this ice‐fish were similar to those of Trematomus bernacchii, a red‐blooded Antarctic species [B. Avallone et al. (2003 ) J. Submicrosc. Cytol. Pathol. 35, 69–76], but rather different from those of other teleosts. These two Antarctic species possessed a completely vateritic asteriscus, whereas their sagitta and lapillus were made mostly of aragonite. Parallel analysis of protein patterns in C. hamatus and T. bernacchii revealed that the sagitta significantly differed from the lapillus and asteriscus in both species. The sagitta did not contain the S‐100 protein and showed calmodulin and calbindin located in discontinuous or incremental zones, respectively. These results demonstrate that the otoliths of C. hamatus and T. bernacchii share more resemblances than differences and support the idea of a common origin of these species.
Improved Glucose Control With Weight Loss, Lower Insulin Doses, and No Increased Hypoglycemia With Empagliflozin Added to Titrated Multiple Daily Injections of Insulin in Obese Inadequately Controlled Type 2 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE We investigated the efficacy and safety of the sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor, empagliflozin, added to multiple daily injections of insulin (MDI insulin) in obese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Patients inadequately controlled on MDI insulin ± metformin (mean HbA1c 8.3% [67 mmol/mol]; BMI 34.8 kg/m2; insulin dose 92 international units/day) were randomized and treated with once-daily empagliflozin 10 mg (n = 186), empagliflozin 25 mg (n = 189), or placebo (n = 188) for 52 weeks. Insulin dose was to remain stable in weeks 1–18, adjusted to meet glucose targets in weeks 19–40, then stable in weeks 41–52. The primary end point was change from baseline in HbA1c at week 18. Secondary end points were changes from baseline in insulin dose, weight, and HbA1c at week 52. RESULTS Adjusted mean ± SE changes from baseline in HbA1c were −0.50 ± 0.05% (−5.5 ± 0.5 mmol/mol) for placebo versus −0.94 ± 0.05% (−10.3 ± 0.5 mmol/mol) and −1.02 ± 0.05% (−11.1 ± 0.5 mmol/mol) for empagliflozin 10 mg and empagliflozin 25 mg, respectively, at week 18 (both P < 0.001). At week 52, further reductions with insulin titration resulted in changes from baseline in HbA1c of −0.81 ± 0.08% (−8.9 ± 0.9 mmol/mol), −1.18 ± 0.08% (−12.9 ± 0.9 mmol/mol), and −1.27 ± 0.08% (−13.9 ± 0.9 mmol/mol) with placebo, empagliflozin 10 mg, and empagliflozin 25 mg, respectively, and final HbA1c of 7.5% (58 mmol/mol), 7.2% (55 mmol/mol), and 7.1% (54 mmol/mol), respectively. More patients attained HbA1c <7% (<53 mmol/mol) with empagliflozin (31–42%) versus placebo (21%; both P < 0.01). Empagliflozin 10 mg and empagliflozin 25 mg reduced insulin doses (−9 to −11 international units/day) and weight (−2.4 to −2.5 kg) versus placebo (all P < 0.01) at week 52. CONCLUSIONS In obese, difficult-to-treat patients with T2DM inadequately controlled on high MDI insulin doses, empagliflozin improved glycemic control and reduced weight without increasing the risk of hypoglycemia and with lower insulin requirements.
Honesty, perception and population divergence in sexually selected traits

We investigate the evolution of female preference for one and two male ornaments, to address two issues in sexual selection: (i) what factors affect the evolution of female preferences; and (ii) how do preferences diverge between isolated populations, leading to speciation? We assume that the male traits are costly indicators of male condition (‘handicaps’), and that females benefit directly from a high-condition mate. We find that optimal female preference for a single male trait equals (benefit of condition) x (detectability of male trait) x (honesty of male trait) / (costliness of preference). With two male traits to choose from, females should prefer the one with greatest honesty x detectability, and ignore the second. These results highlight the role of perception in the evolution of both male ornaments and female preferences, and provide a theoretical illustration of ‘sensory drive’. They confirm that a less honest male trait can displace a more honest trait if its detectability is sufficiently high. Environmental differences can drive evolutionary divergence between populations in both the male trait and female preference. Even small differences between habitats in detectability of male traits can trigger dramatic change in the female preference. Finally, populations may drift apart in arbitrary directions if choice of different male traits yields equivalent benefits to females.
Compact Routing on Power Law Graphs with Additive Stretch

We present a universal routing scheme for unweighted, undirected networks that always routes a packet along a path whose length is at most an additive factor of d more than OPT (where OPT is the length of an optimal path), using O(e log2 n)-bit local routing tables and packet addresses, with d and e parameters of the network topology. For power-law random graphs, we demonstrate experimentally that d and e take on small values. The Thorup-Zwick universal multiplicative stretch 3 scheme has recently been suggested for routing on the Internet inter-AS graph; we argue, based on the results in this paper, that it is possible to improve worst-case performance on this graph by directly exploiting its power-law topology.
Effects of azithromycin on Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates from catheter-associated urinary tract infection

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common pathogenic bacterium in urinary tract infections (UTIs), particularly catheter-associated UTIs. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of azithromycin (AZM) on P. aeruginosa isolated from UTIs. Isolates were identified by biochemical assays and the Vitek system. Antimicrobial susceptibility was determined using the disk diffusion assay. Biofilm formation and adhesion were assayed using a crystal violet staining method. The swimming motility was assayed on agar plates. The elastase activity and rhamnolipid production were determined by the elastin-Congo red method and orcinol reaction, respectively. A total of 32 bacterial isolates were collected from 159 urinary catheters and eight of them were P. aeruginosa isolates. The results showed that the P. aeruginosa isolates had stronger biofilm formation capability and the biofilms were thicker than those of P. aeruginosa PAO1. AZM inhibited biofilm formation and adhesion on urinary catheters, and also decreased swimming motility and the production of virulence factors. The results of this study indicated that AZM is potentially a good choice for use in the treatment of UTIs.
Newly discovered sister lineage sheds light on early ant evolution

Ants are the world's most conspicuous and important eusocial insects and their diversity, abundance, and extreme behavioral specializations make them a model system for several disciplines within the biological sciences. Here, we report the discovery of a new ant that appears to represent the sister lineage to all extant ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae). The phylogenetic position of this cryptic predator from the soils of the Amazon rainforest was inferred from several nuclear genes, sequenced from a single leg. Martialis heureka (gen. et sp. nov.) also constitutes the sole representative of a new, morphologically distinct subfamily of ants, the Martialinae (subfam. nov.). Our analyses have reduced the likelihood of long-branch attraction artifacts that have troubled previous phylogenetic studies of early-diverging ants and therefore solidify the emerging view that the most basal extant ant lineages are cryptic, hypogaeic foragers. On the basis of morphological and phylogenetic evidence we suggest that these specialized subterranean predators are the sole surviving representatives of a highly divergent lineage that arose near the dawn of ant diversification and have persisted in ecologically stable environments like tropical soils over great spans of time.