Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The cell division cycle of Trypanosoma brucei brucei: timing of event markers and cytoskeletal modulations.

We have analysed the timing and order of events occurring within the cell division cycle of Trypanosoma brucei. Cells in the earliest stages of the cell cycle possess a single copy of three major organelles: the nucleus, the kinetoplast and the flagellum. The first indication of progress through the cell cycle is the elongation of the pro-basal body lying adjacent to the mature basal body subtending the flagellum. This newly elongated basal body occupies a posterior position within the cell when it initiates growth of the new daughter flagellum. Genesis of two new pro-basal bodies occurs only after growth of the new daughter flagellum has been initiated. Extension of the new flagellum, together with the paraflagellar rod, then continues throughout a major portion of the cell cycle. During this period of flagellum elongation, kinetoplast division occurs and the two kinetoplasts, together with the two flagellar basal bodies, then move apart within the cell. Mitosis is then initiated and a complex pattern of organelle positions is achieved whereby a division plane runs longitudinally through the cell such that each daughter ultimately receives a single nucleus, kinetoplast and flagellum. These events have been described from observations of whole cytoskeletons by transmission electron microscopy together with detection of particular organelles by fluorescence microscopy. The order and timing of events within the cell cycle has been derived from analyses of the proportion of a given cell type occurring witin an exponentially growing culture.
Identifying the Intergenerational Effects of Prenatal Exposure to Nutritional Deprivation on Infant Mortality : Using the 1959-1961 Chinese Great Leap Forward Famine as a Natural Experiment

Using data from the 2001 Chinese National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Survey, I studied the relationship between prenatal exposure to the 1959-1961 Great Leap Forward Famine and the risk of infant death of the next generation. The results show that, on one hand, prenatal exposure to mild malnutrition reduced children’s risk of infant death; on the other hand, prenatal exposure to severe malnutrition increased children’s risk of infant death. Such a findings provides the first human-based supportive evidence to the developmental origins of health and disease argument and demonstrates the crucial role played by famine severity in determining the relationship between the effect of developmental plasticity and the effect of developmental disruption, the two distinctive forms of the developmental origins effects.
Coagulase-Negative Staphylococci: Comparison of Phenotypic and Genotypic Oxacillin Susceptibility Tests and Evaluation of the Agar Screening Test by Using Different Concentrations of Oxacillin

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the oxacillin susceptibilities of 152 coagulase-negative staphylococcal (CoNS) strains of 12 species by disk diffusion; agar dilution; E-test; the slide latex agglutination test (Slidex MRSA Detection test; bioMérieux S/A, Paris, France); the agar screening test with 1, 2, 4, or 6 μg of oxacillin per ml and incubation for 24 or 48 h; and detection of the mecA gene by PCR. The results revealed that the agar screening test with 4 μg of oxacillin per ml and incubation for 48 h was superior to any single phenotype-based susceptibility assay, presenting a sensitivity and a specificity of 100% each. For the different methods evaluated, the sensitivities and specificities were as follows: for disk diffusion, 94.2 and 91.8%, respectively; for the agar dilution test 100 and 73.5%, respectively; for E-test, 100 and 71.4%, respectively; and for the slide latex agglutination test, 97.1 and 98%, respectively. A good correlation was observed between oxacillin susceptibility testing results and PCR results for Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. haemolyticus, S. hominis subsp. hominis, and all mecA-positive strains. However, at least 60% of the mecA-negative isolates of the species S. saprophyticus, S. cohnii subsp. urealyticum, S. lugdunensis, and S. sciuri were erroneously classified as oxacillin resistant by the agar dilution test. Conversely, the slide latex agglutination test presented a high sensitivity (97.1%) and a high specificity (98%) for all CoNS species. Our results demonstrated the accuracy of the agar screening test with 4 μg of oxacillin per ml and incubation for 48 h and the slide latex agglutination test for the appropriate detection of the oxacillin susceptibilities of CoNS isolates. Both assays are technically simple and can be easier to perform in routine laboratories than PCR.
Comparison sodium ipodate (oragrafin) and propylthiouracil in early treatment of hyperthyroidism.

To investigate further the usefulness of sodium ipodate (Oragrafin) in the management of hyperthyroidism, we studied the effects of a 21-day treatment of Graves’ disease patients with either ipodate (1 g/day) or propylthiouracil (PTU; 600 mg/day) on serum T3, T4, rT3) pulse rate, pulse pressure, and body weight. Baseline serum concentrations of immunoassayable T3, T4, and rT3 were (mean ± SEM) 405 ± 64 ng/dl, 20.9 ± 3.9 μg/dl, and 142 ± 20 ng/dl, respectively, in the ipodatetreated group (n = 6) and 504 ± 87 ng/dl, 23.0 ± 3.6 μg/dl, and 164 ± 29 ng/dl, respectively, in the PTU-treated group (n = 6). Within 24 h after the first does of ipodate, serum T3 decreased by 58% (P < 0.005), remained decreased thereafter (67-76%), and stayed within the normal range throughout treatment. The decreases in serum T3 concentration in the PTU-treated group of 23% at 24 h, 27% at 72 h, and 56% on day 21 were significantly less than the corresponding values in the ipodate group. At 24 h, the serum T4 concentration decrease.
A simple method for the determination of resistance to gas diffusion in plant organs.

A simple method was developed for the determination of resistance coefficients for ethylene diffusion in plant tissues based on the kinetic analysis of the efflux of preloaded ethane gas. Efflux curves were analyzed to obtain first-order rate constants and resistance coefficients. Resistance coefficients determined by the ethane efflux and steady-state methods were found to agree well. Employing the ethane efflux method, it was shown that over 97% of gas exchange of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill., cv. ;Ace') fruits occurs through the stem scar. The resistances to diffusion of tomato skin and stem scar were found to be 280,000 and 300 seconds per centimeter, respectively; the combined resistance of intact tomato fruits was approximately 7,800 seconds per centimeter. The ethane efflux method was employed to show that plastic shrink-wrapping of English cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L. var anglicus Bailey) increased the resistance to ethane diffusion from 1.1 x 10(3) to 23 x 10(3) seconds per centimeter.
Heterogeneity of the mutation rates of influenza A viruses: isolation of mutator mutants

The rates of mutation to the mar (monoclonal antibody-resistant) genotype of individual influenza virus plaque isolates, obtained from a stock generated after two successive cloning steps, have been determined by the fluctuation test. When a random sample of 60 clones was analyzed, 7 contained a proportion of mar mutants significantly higher than the average, and among them, 2 showed a mutation rate two to three times higher than the average value obtained for the virus population when the hemagglutinin-specific monoclonal antibody 2G10 was used. In order to look for mutants with higher mutation rates, a systematic search was carried out with a nonmutagenized virus stock, and several clones with increased mutation rates were isolated. One of them (mut43) was characterized further and was shown to have a mutation rate three to four times higher than that of the virus population at the sites defined by two nonoverlapping, hemagglutinin-specific monoclonal antibodies as well as at the site defined by a neuraminidase-specific monoclonal antibody. These results indicate that the mutation rate of an influenza virus is a weighted average of the contributions of a heterogeneous population. The consequences of this fact for the adaptive evolution of influenza viruses are discussed.
The Impact of Pharmacotherapy on Substance Use in Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Variations Across Subtypes

ABSTRACT Objective: The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pharmacotherapy on the risk of substance use within each ADHD subtype. Methods: The study used data from the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent supplement, a nationally representative sample of US adolescents (ages 13–18) collected from 6,483 adolescent-parent interviews conducted between 2001 and 2004. ADHD was categorized into three subtypes: ADHD-predominantly hyperactive-impulsive type (ADHD-H); ADHD-predominantly inattentive type (ADHD-I); and ADHD-combined type (ADHD-C) using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV criteria. Substance use information was obtained from the adolescents’ interview. The impact of ADHD-pharmacotherapy on substance use was examined using multivariable logistic regression analysis. Results: Among the adolescents with ADHD, ADHD pharmacotherapy significantly associated with reduced risk of substance use (OR = 0.53, 95%CI [0.31–0.90]); with regards to ADHD subtypes, ADHD pharmacotherapy is negatively associated with substance use in adolescents with ADHD-C (OR = 0.53, 95%CI [0.24–0.97]) and those with ADHD-H (OR = 0.23, 95% CI [0.07–0.78]), but it did not have statistically significant effect on risk of substance use in those with ADHD-I subtype (OR = 0.49, 95%CI [0.17–1.39]). Among the group who never received ADHD-pharmacotherapy before the interview, individuals with ADHD-H and ADHD-C had a similar risk of substance use compared to adolescents with ADHD-I (ADHD-C: OR = 1.5, 95%CI [0.77–2.95] and ADHD-H: OR = 2.10, 95%CI [0.87–4.95]). Conclusions: Adolescents with ADHD were equally susceptible to future substance use disregard their ADHD subtypes. Receipt of pharmacotherapy could decrease risk of substance use in adolescents with ADHD-H and ADHD-C, but it may not affect risk of substance use among individuals with ADHD-I.
Sexual behaviour of institutionalised residents with dementia--a qualitative study.

AIMS The purpose of this study was to explore the characteristics of and the contexts related to sexual behaviours among institutionalised residents with dementia. BACKGROUND Institutionalised residents with dementia are frequently unable to manage their sexual needs properly resulting in caregivers having a more conservative and passive attitude toward residents with dementia than those with higher cognitive status. DESIGN A grounded theory study. METHODS The participants in this study were institutionalised older people with dementia and their formal caregivers. Data were collected using in-depth, face-to-face interviews of 12 formal caregivers and by observing 12 institutional older people with dementia for three days. All observations were recorded and interview data were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. RESULTS The results indicated that the predisposing factors included having opportunity, presence of a cooperative target and personal space without privacy. The sexual expressions of institutionalised older people with dementia included: physically intimate touch, sexual expression without touching others and sexual talk. Responses by individuals to sexual behaviour from another resident included neutral response, negative response and positive response. CONCLUSION To provide better care, it is recommended that an inventory regarding sexual expression for clinical and research usage be constructed from the research results. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE The findings of this study can provide the basis to develop on-the-job training programmes for sexual education of residents with dementia in institutions. Regular seminars on sexual care for the residents with dementia might be beneficial for managing sexual issues among residents and to decrease caregivers' burden.
Maxillofacial Injuries in Infants and Preschools: A 2.5-Year Study

PurposeThis study aims to evaluate the epidemiology of maxillofacial injuries in infants and preschools. Patients and MethodsThe data from 110 infants and preschools with maxillofacial injuries from October 2010 to March 2013 were analyzed retrospectively. ResultsThe male-to-female ratio was 1.89:1. The peak age was 1 to 3 years (53.64%). Accident falls (76.36%) were the major cause. A total of 166 soft-tissue injuries were found in 103 patients, 102 dental traumas in 36 patients, and 53 maxillofacial fractures in 33 patients. The most common sites of soft-tissue injuries included the gingiva (17.47%), lower lip (13.86%), upper lip (13.25%), and chin (12.05%), and the majority were lacerations (77.71%). Dental traumas occurred mainly in incisors (81.37%) and the lower arch (60.78%). Of the 53 fractures, the most common sites were the condyle (45.28%), symphysis (22.64%), and mandibular body (16.98%); 28 (52.83%) were treated by operation and 25 (47.17%) by conservative treatment. ConclusionsMaxillofacial injuries in infants and preschools exhibit specific epidemiological features. These are related to anatomic, physiologic, and psychologic development in infants and preschools.
Improving Learning Disabled Students' Skills at Composing Essays: Self-Instructional Strategy Training

This study was conducted to determine if self-instructional strategy training would improve learning disabled students' writing. Students were taught a strategy designed to facilitate the generation, framing, and planning of argumentative essays. Training effects were investigated using a multiple-baseline across-subjects design, with multiple probes in baseline. Strategy instruction had a positive effect on students' writing performance and self-efficacy. Effects were maintained over time and transferred to a new setting and teacher. Evidence for generalization to a second genre, story writing, was also obtained. The students and their special education teacher recommended the use of the strategy with other students.
Phase II study of pentostatin in patients with corticosteroid-refractory chronic graft-versus-host disease.

PURPOSE Therapy for patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is based on prolonged immunosuppression with corticosteroids. There is no standard therapy for patients whose cGVHD does not resolve with corticosteroid treatment. Pentostatin, a potent inhibitor of adenosine deaminase, has activity in acute GVHD. We examined the toxicity and efficacy of pentostatin in a prospective phase II trial in corticosteroid-refractory cGVHD. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients of any age were eligible. Patients received pentostatin 4 mg/m2 intravenously every 2 weeks for 12 doses, and continued therapy as long as benefit was documented. Corticosteroid taper was begun after three doses of pentostatin. Responses were graded in real time in the skin, mouth, and liver using objective response criteria. RESULTS Fifty-eight heavily pretreated (median, four prior regimens) patients (median age, 33 years) were enrolled. Results are shown as an intent-to-treat analysis. Of the 58 patients, a total of 32 (55%; 95% CI, 42% to 68%) had an objective response, as evaluated by use of a new grading scale. Infection was the most significant toxicity, with 11 grade 3 to 4 infectious events. The survival at 1 and 2 years was 78% (95% CI, 64% to 86%) and 70% (95% CI, 57% to 80%), with cGVHD with/without infection accounting for the majority of deaths. CONCLUSION Pentostatin has immunosuppressive effects that are currently being explored further for treatment of cGVHD.
Comparison of weekly cycle of NO2 satellite retrievals and NOx emission inventories for the continental United States

[1] Spatially resolved weekly NO2 variations are obtained from 2003 to 2005 Scanning Imaging Absorption Spectrometer for Atmospheric Cartography (SCIAMACHY) tropospheric NO2 columns for three different types of regions: urban, rural, and rural-point (rural with significant electricity generation unit (EGU) emissions). Regions are compared for magnitudes and weekly profiles. Rural regions do not show any weekly pattern, whereas urban areas show a distinct decrease on the weekends. Rural regions with EGUs show a slight decrease on Sundays. When compared with estimated mobile and stationary nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from the year 2004 for seven cities, the satellite data have greater variation during weekdays (Monday–Friday). Overall comparisons show that SCIAMACHY-derived NO2 correlate well with estimated NOx emissions for urban and rural but less for rural-point regions.
Accuracy of the Contrast Sensitivity Card Test for Infants: Retest Variability and Prediction of Spatial Resolution

Purpose. We assessed the retest variability of a new contrast sensitivity (CS) card procedure and its ability to predict spatial resolution. Methods. Twenty-four 3-month-olds were tested twice with the CS cards and once with the Teller acuity cards (TAC) within a single session. Results. Coefficient of repeatability (COR) analysis revealed that retest variability of the new cards is superior to that of an earlier prototype at low to mid spatial frequencies. Furthermore, retest variability is comparable to that of infant visual evoked potential studies and the Vistech 6500, a chart commonly used to measure CS in adults. Finally, estimates of visual acuity based on the CS cards were consistent with those provided by the TAC (although CS-based estimates were generally lower overall). Conclusions. Given its reliability and accuracy, the new CS card procedure has good potential as a clinical tool for assessing spatial vision in infants and toddlers.
Diagnostic precision of carcinoembryonic antigen level in esophagealcarcinoma.

Esophageal cancers linked to lifestyle and environmental factors appears to possess varying abilities to produce Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA), hence in this study the diagnostic precision of CEA in patients initially diagnosed of esophagus cancer before receiving any anticancer therapy was evaluated. Serum CEA levels were assessed in healthy subjects and patients initially diagnosed of esophageal carcinoma by endoscopic examination and biopsy (N=50 each), both categories including male and female smokers and non-smokers. The test was performed by two site sequential Chemiluminescent Immunometric assay kit. Sensitivity, Specificity, Positive Predictive Value (PPV) and Negative Predictive Value (NPV) of CEA was found out and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve plotted. Serum CEA levels were significantly higher in esophagus cancer patients as compared to control and in healthy smokers as compared to non-smokers. The overall sensitivity and specificity of CEA for detecting esophagus cancer was 38% and 80% respectively. The AUC was 0.772 (SE=0.04) and significance level P 2.81 ng/ml. The CEA positivity rate before therapy was 38% which dropped to 18% after therapy. Serum CEA is a test with high specificity but insufficient sensitivity for detecting esophageal cancer in isolation. However, it may help as an additional parameter in screening the risk groups and monitoring of palliative therapy.
The effects of instructions and distance on judgments of off-size familial objects under natural viewing conditions.

Although there have been recent changes in emphasis in the study of visual perception, space perception is still occasionally discussed within the framework of two classical and competing theories, the transactional (e.g., Ittelson, 1951) and the relational (e.g., Gibson, 1959). These two approaches differ in the role they ascribe to past experience or learning in space perception. The relationalists have maintained that space perception can be explained in terms of the information available in the optic array, information in the form of relations between the components of the retinal stimulus. On the other hand, the transactionalists have insisted that extrastimulus variables, in the form of assumptions derived from past experience, must be invoked to explain space perception whenever any projectively equivocal stimulus array results in a unique response. Traditionally, adherents of these two approaches to space perception have provided demonstrations that are consistent with one approach but appear not to relate to the other. For example, the majority of the transactionalists' demonstrations involve the illusory appearance of familiar objects (F) under reduced viewing conditions (R), while the relationalists have more often demonstrated veridical judgments of nonfamiliar objects (U) in normal, nonreduced, environments (NR). Thus, of the four possible paradigms, F-R and U-NR have received most attention. Recently, however, some experiments have explored both U-R (e.g., Landauer and Epstein, 1969; Coltheart, 1969) and F-NR (Slack, 1956; Fillenbaum, Schiffman, and Butcher, 1965; Schiffman, 1967; Franklin and Erickson, 1969).
Real-time PCR evaluation of seven DNA extraction methods for the purpose of GMO analysis

Successful DNA amplification is vital for the detection of specific DNA targets in feeds, and this in return depends on the ability of DNA extraction methods to produce good quality DNA. In this study, seven methods were compared for DNA extraction from feeds using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of single copy maize (Zea mays) endogenous hmg (high mobility group) gene. Relative levels of hmg were used to evaluate the DNA quality. Spectrophotometer determination of DNA was also carried out to assess DNA yield and DNA purity, while electrophoretic analysis of genomic DNA extracts was carried out to investigate DNA integrity. The findings illustrate that the DNA extraction methods have a significant effect on DNA quality. Statistically, the Epicentre method extracted the highest DNA yield while the Wizard method had the lowest DNA yield with high DNA purity and integrity. However, the Wizard method recovered the most amplifiable DNA per reaction, indicating that template quality and integrity had greater influence over hmg amplification than DNA yield.
Transdermal nicotine patches with low-intensity support to aid smoking cessation in outpatients in a general hospital. A placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether transdermal nicotine patches combined with low-intensity support can help outpatients in a general hospital stop smoking. DESIGN Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 12 weeks of follow-up. SETTING Department of Thoracic Medicine in an inner-city public general hospital, London, England. SUBJECTS Two hundred forty-eight outpatients in a general hospital, who smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day (the majority were being treated for smoking-related diseases), referred by clinicians at the hospital. INTERVENTION Brief advice to stop smoking and daily application of transdermal nicotine patches (delivering 15 mg over 16 hours) or placebo, with follow-up appointments at 1, 3, 6, and 12 weeks, with a doubling of the dosage for continuing smokers at week 1. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Sustained abstinence from tobacco from week 3 to week 12 validated with measurement of expired-air carbon monoxide concentration at weeks 3, 6, and 12. RESULTS Twenty-nine (23.4%) of 124 subjects assigned to the nicotine group were validated as having abstained from smoking at both weeks 3 and 6, compared with 16 (12.9%) of 124 subjects receiving placebo (P = .008). At week 12, 22 (17.7%) of the subjects in the nicotine group were validated as having abstained at all three points as were 15 (12.1%) of the subjects in the placebo group (P = .058). CONCLUSION Transdermal nicotine patches combined with low-intensity support are effective in helping outpatients in a general hospital stop smoking but do not prevent relapse after 6 weeks.