Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Citrobacter rodentium Infection in Mice Elicits a Mucosal Th1 Cytokine Response and Lesions Similar to Those in Murine Inflammatory Bowel Disease

ABSTRACT Citrobacter rodentium is a classically noninvasive pathogen of mice that is similar to enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) in man. Following oral infection of young mice, the organism colonizes the distal colon, and within 1 week the colonic mucosa doubles in thickness and there is massive epithelial cell hyperplasia. Since T-cell responses in mouse models of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) also cause epithelial hyperplasia, we have investigated the possibility that C. rodentium promotes similar T-cell responses in the mucosa, thereby increasing epithelial shedding, transmission, and replication of the organism. Beginning 6 days after infection, bacteria were observed to be in close association with the epithelial surface and were also visible scattered throughout the lamina propria and in the submucosa. There was a CD3+-cell infiltrate into the colonic lamina propria and epithelium as well as mucosal thickening and crypt hyperplasia. The majority of CD3+ cells were CD4+ and were not γδ+. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis of cytokines also revealed a highly polarized Th1 response (interleukin-12, gamma interferon, and tumor necrosis factor alpha) in the mucosa and a large increase in the epithelial cell mitogen keratinocyte growth factor. None of the changes were seen in mice inoculated with bacteria lacking intimin (which is necessary for colonization), but they were seen in mice inoculated with C. rodentium complemented with intimin from EPEC. This is the first example of a classically noninvasive bacterial pathogen which elicits a strong mucosal Th1 response and which produces pathology similar to that seen in mouse models of IBD, which is also characterized by a strong Th1 response. These results also suggest that the colonic mucosa responds in a stereotypic way to Th1 responses.
Skeletal and dental changes after rapid maxillary expansion: a computed tomography study

Abstract Objectives To investigate the skeletal and dental changes induced by rapid maxillary expansion, using computed tomography (CT) scans and three-dimensional (3-D) reconstructed images. Methods Twenty patients (Mean age: 12.3 ± 1.9 years) who required rapid maxillary expansion as a part of their comprehensive orthodontic treatment underwent pretreatment (T1) and post-treatment (T2) CT scans. The T2 – T1 differences between selected skeletal and dental measurements on the coronal CT and 3-D volumetric images were compared using the Wilcoxon signed ranks test. Results At T2 the Maxillary alveolar width (4.5 ± 3.5 mm) was greater than the Maxillary base width (1.7 ± 0.9 mm). The greatest transverse dental change was in the Intermolar width (6.3 ± 2.1 mm and 2.7 ± 1.9 mm at the crown and the apex, respectively). On the 3-D volume, significant increases occurred in the Bicondylar width (1.2 ± 1.3 mm), Bimaxillo-mandibular width (2.1 ± 2.3 mm) and the Maxillary width (2.5 ± 1.6 mm). The greatest change in the dental measurements was in the Maxillary first molar width (6.4 ± 0.1 mm). The Maxillary central incisor angle decreased significantly (-7.9 ± 8.4 mm), indicating an increase in the distance between the apices of the central incisors. Conclusion Volumetric 3-D CT scanning provides a useful method for assessing skeletal and dental changes after rapid maxillary expansion. Although significant increases occurred in most skeletal and dental measures, it appears that dental tipping explains most of the expansion.
Popliteal Sciatic Nerve Block for Postoperative Analgesia

Eighty-six patients were evaluated prospectively following the placement of a sciatic nerve block in the popliteal fossa after a major foot or ankle operation. Needle placement was guided by a peripheral nerve stimulator and 30 ml of 0.5% bupivacaine with epinephrine was used. Ninety-seven percent of patients had a successful block. Only one patient had severe discomfort during the block placement. The block lasted an average of 20 hours. During the first 24 hours after surgery, patients took an average of three hydrocodone tablets. Twenty-two of the 23 patients who had had previous major foot or ankle surgery found that the block was better than their previous pain control regimen. No patient had complications related to the block and 95% were satisfied and would have the block again.
Identification of Staphylococcus aureus α‐hemolysin as a protein drug that is secreted by anticancer bacteria and rapidly kills cancer cells

Targeted bacterial delivery of anticancer proteins has the ability to overcome therapeutic resistance in tumors that limits the efficacy of chemotherapeutics. The ability of bacteria to specifically target tumors allows for delivery of aggressive proteins that directly kill cancer cells and cannot be administered systemically. However, few proteins have been tested for this purpose. To identify effective molecules, we systematically sorted proteins that have been shown to cause mammalian cell death. The genes for five proteins were selected and cloned into Escherichia coli and Salmonella. Supernatant from cultures of the transformed bacteria was applied to flasks of MCF‐7 mammary carcinoma cells to identify proteins that (1) were expressed, (2) secreted, and (3) rapidly killed cancer cells. Time‐lapse images were taken to visualize mammalian cell morphology. Of the investigated proteins, α‐hemolysin from Staphylococcus aureus (SAH) was the most promising because it was secreted, caused trauma to cellular membranes, and induced oncosis in 18 min. After exposure for 6 h, SAH decreased cell viability by 90%. In comparison, the positive control, Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (PEA), required 11 days to achieve a similar effect, when administered at 3,000 times its LC50. The maximum death rate induced by SAH was calculated to be a reduction in cell viability of 7.1% per min, which was 200‐fold faster than the PEA control. Two proteins, Dermonecrotic Toxin and Phospholipase C were active when extracted from the bacterial cytoplasm but were not secreted. This investigation revealed for the first time SAH as a potent anticancer drug for delivery by bacteria because of its ability to be secreted in a fully functional form and aggressively kill cancer cells. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 1233–1245. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Evidence that a secondary metabolic biosynthetic gene cluster has grown by gene relocation during evolution of the filamentous fungus Fusarium

Trichothecenes are terpene‐derived secondary metabolites produced by multiple genera of filamentous fungi, including many plant pathogenic species of Fusarium. These metabolites are of interest because they are toxic to animals and plants and can contribute to pathogenesis of Fusarium on some crop species. Fusarium graminearum and F. sporotrichioides have trichothecene biosynthetic genes (TRI) at three loci: a 12‐gene TRI cluster and two smaller TRI loci that consist of one or two genes. Here, comparisons of additional Fusarium species have provided evidence that TRI loci have a complex evolutionary history that has included loss, non‐functionalization and rearrangement of genes as well as trans‐species polymorphism. The results also indicate that the TRI cluster has expanded in some species by relocation of two genes into it from the smaller loci. Thus, evolutionary forces have driven consolidation of TRI genes into fewer loci in some fusaria but have maintained three distinct TRI loci in others.
Bone Marrow Stromal Cell-Mediated Tissue Sparing Enhances Functional Repair after Spinal Cord Contusion in Adult Rats

Bone marrow stromal cell (BMSC) transplantation has shown promise for repair of the spinal cord. We showed earlier that a BMSC transplant limits the loss of spinal nervous tissue after a contusive injury. Here, we addressed the premise that BMSC-mediated tissue sparing underlies functional recovery in adult rats after a contusion of the thoracic spinal cord. Our results reveal that after 2 months BMSCs had elicited a significant increase in spared tissue volumes and in blood vessel density in the contusion epicenter. A strong functional relationship existed between spared tissue volumes and blood vessel density. BMSC-transplanted rats exhibited significant improvements in motor, sensorimotor, and sensory functions, which were strongly correlated with spared tissue volumes. Retrograde tracing revealed that rats with BMSCs had twice as many descending brainstem neurons with an axon projecting beyond the contused spinal cord segment and these correlated strongly with the improved motor/sensorimotor functions but not sensory functions. Together, our data indicate that tissue sparing greatly contributes to BMSC-mediated functional repair after spinal cord contusion. The preservation/formation of blood vessels and sparing/regeneration of descending brainstem axons may be important mediators of the BMSC-mediated anatomical and functional improvements.
Aggression Replacement Training for Violent Young Men in a Forensic Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic

The effects of Aggression Replacement Training (ART) were explored in a group of Dutch violent young men aged 16 to 21 years, who were obliged by the court to follow a treatment program in a forensic psychiatric outpatient clinic. To evaluate the training, patients completed a set of self-report questionnaires at three moments in time: at intake/before a waiting period, after the waiting period/before the training, and after the training. During the waiting period, the patients did not change on most measures, although they displayed a significant increase in anger. The patients who completed the therapy scored significantly lower on psychopathy than the patients who dropped out. The training produced significant decreases in physical aggression and social anxiety and showed trends toward a decline in self-reported hostility, general aggression, and anger. After the training, the patients scored comparably with a reference group on measures of hostility and aggressive behavior. Altogether, these results provide tentative support for the efficacy of the ART for violent young men referred to forensic psychiatric outpatient settings.
Model reduction of second-order network systems using graph clustering

A general framework is proposed for structure-preserving model reduction of a second-order network system. The method is based on graph clustering, and a recursive algorithm is proposed to find an appropriate clustering. Behaviors of nodes are interpreted by transfer functions, and the similarities of the behaviors among the nodes are quantized by the norms of the differences of their transfer functions. Then, we aggregate those nodes with closer behaviors and the reduced-order system is then generated by the projection associated with the resulting clustering. This paper clarifies that the new system preserves the network structures, i.e., it can be again interpreted as a second-order system defined on a connected undirected graph but with less nodes. Furthermore, a derivation of the approximation error bound is presented, and the proposed results are illustrated by means of an example.
Cultural Similarities in Psychological Reactions to Infertility

A 74-item especially developed and validated questionnaire for Iranian culture was administered three times to 37 Iranian infertile couples and 10 fertile couples acting as control group, namely, initial consultation, during treatment, and on completion of treatment. In view of parallel data also reported for Western patients interest centered on the results of two out of the five factors measured by the questionnaire, i.e., Psychological Stress and Social Behaviour. Analysis generally showed significantly high stress and social withdrawal for the patient group, particularly at initial consultation and after an unsuccessful treatment cycle as compared to the control group. Moreover, men whose partners eventually conceived scored significantly lower on stress than men whose partners did not conceive. Similar results have also been reported for Western infertile patients. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Persistence of high CD40 and CD40L expression after restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis.

AIM To focus on the role of CD40 and CD40L in their pathogenesis. METHODS We analyzed by immunohistochemistry the CD40 and CD40L expression in the pouch mucosa of 28 patients who had undergone RPC for UC, in the terminal ileum of 6 patients with UC and 11 healthy subjects. We also examined by flow cytometry the expression of CD40 by B lymphocytes and monocytes in the peripheral blood of 20 pouch patients, 15 UC patients and 11 healthy controls. RESULTS Ileal pouch mucosa leukocytes presented a significantly higher expression of CD40 and CD40L as compared to controls. This alteration correlated with pouchitis, but was also present in the healthy pouch and in the terminal ileum of UC patients. CD40 expression of peripheral B lymphocytes was significantly higher in patients with UC and pouch, respect to controls. Increased CD40 levels in blood B cells of pouch patients correlated with the presence of spondyloarthropathy, but not with pouchitis, or inflammatory indices. CONCLUSION High CD40 expression in the ileal pouch mucosa could be implied in the pathogenesis of pouchitis following proctocolectomy for UC, whereas its increased levels on peripheral blood B lymphocytes are associated with the presence of extraintestinal manifestations.
Pecan tree biomass estimates

Allometric equations were developed for orchard-grown pecan (Carya illinoi- nensis (Wangenh.) C. Koch) trees. Trees, ranging in size from 22 to 33 cm in trunk diameter 1.4 m above the ground, were destructively harvested from two sites. The entire above- ground portion of each tree was harvested and then divided into leaves, current season's shoots, and branches $1 year old plus trunk. Roots were sampled by digging a trench beginning beneath the trunk and extending to one-half the distance to an adjacent tree, then separating the roots from the soil. Roots were then divided into those less than 1 cm in diameter and those $1 cm in diameter. Equations in the form Y = e a X b were developed to estimate dry biomass of most tree components and the whole tree, where Y is the dry weight, e is the base of the natural logarithm, X is the trunk diameter at 1.4 m above the ground, and a and b are coefficients. A linear equation provided the best fit for estimating the weight of the current season's growth. Power equations were also developed to estimate the weights of inner bark and wood for different size trunks or branches.
A 100kV switch mode series resonant power supply for industrial electrostatic precipitators

This paper considers the design of a high voltage high frequency power supply for industrial electrostatic precipitator applications. The supply is based on a series resonant series-loaded converter. The main aim of this, university-industry partnership work is to design and experimentally validate the capability of the proposed configuration in achieving higher efficiency and more flexible transient response when compared with a traditional line frequency based power supply. Closed-loop behaviour of the power supply, during sparking events, is also investigated with a non-linear precipitator model.
Serum lidocaine concentration after epidural administration in dogs

The pharmacokinetics of lidocaine deals with the measurement of lidocaine concentration in the blood and its changes over time. The toxicity of lidocaine is a function of its peak plasma concentration, which in turn depends on several factors including total dose and rates of systemic absorption and elimination. The aim of the study was to assess serum levels of lidocaine after a single shot epidural injection in dogs seen in daily practice. The study included nine dogs undergoing different types of surgery. The animals were anesthetized with a combination of diazepam and ketamine; then lidocaine was injected epidurally. Blood samples for measurement of serum lidocaine concentration were obtained before and at 10, 30, 60 and 120 min after single injection. Basic vital parameters of heart rate, respiratory rate, mean arterial pressure and hemoglobin saturation were recorded before induction of general anesthesia (T 1 ), immediately after intubation (T 2 ), and then at 10, 30, 60 and 120 min of epidural lidocaine administration. Study results indicated that serum lidocaine concentration did not reach the levels of potential toxicity in dogs upon epidural injection of 4 mg/kg lidocaine at a concentration of 2% and there were no significant alterations in basic vital parameters.
Influence of chronic lead exposure on hormone levels in developing rats

The effect of five months' exposure to 0.5% lead acetate in drinking water on hormone levels of developing rats was studied. The hypothalamic and striatic concentrations of noradrenaline (NA) were decreased in both sexes. In female but not in male rats, blood and adrenal catecholamines and serum corticosterone concentrations were aiso increased. No changes were observed in serum thyroxine and 3,5,3′‐triiodothyronine levels. Our results indicate that female developing rats are more susceptible to lead than male rats. In female rats, both the hypothalamo‐pituitary‐adrenal and sympatho‐adrenal systems seem to be affected by this lead exposure; in male rats, only the latter system is affected.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease in Asia: A historical perspective and present challenges

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), previously uncommon in Asia, has now become an important disease in the region. Although much variability exists between studies, most endoscopy‐based studies show a prevalence of erosive esophagitis of more than 10%. Symptom‐based studies also show a prevalence of 6–10%. Two longitudinal follow‐up studies on GERD symptoms have shown an increase with time, and several endoscopy‐based time trend studies have also shown a significant increase in erosive reflux esophagitis. Studies on Barrett's esophagus have been confounded by the description of short (SSBE) and long segment (LSBE) Barrett's esophagus. Great variation in prevalence rates has been reported. SSBE vary from 0.1% to more than 20% while LSBE vary from 1–2%. Of the putative causative factors, obesity has been the most important. Many studies have linked GERD‐esophagitis as well as occurrence of reflux symptoms with an increase in body mass index (BMI), obesity, especially visceral or central obesity, and metabolic syndrome. A decline in Helicobacter pylori infection with growing affluence in Asia has been broadly thought to result in healthier stomachs and a higher gastric acid output resulting in reflux disease. However, variable results have been obtained from association and H. pylori eradication studies.
Functional differences and interactions between phenotypic subpopulations of olfactory ensheathing cells in promoting CNS axonal regeneration

We demonstrate that there are significantly more p75 neurotrophin receptor‐ (NTR)‐expressing cells in olfactory ensheathing cell (OEC) primary cultures from olfactory nerve rootlets (ONR), but a greater proportion of O4 antigen‐ and PSA‐NCAM‐expressing cells in parallel cultures from the nerve fibre layer of the olfactory bulb (OB). By co‐culturing adult rat retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) with OECs derived from either ONR or OB tissue, we compared their neurite regrowth‐promoting properties. In phenotypically unsorted cultures, there is greater RGC neurite regrowth on ONR OECs compared to OB OECs. Following immunoselection of ONR cells for p75 NTR, there is increased RGC neurite regrowth on the enriched population compared to the unselected cell population or the p75 NTR depleted population. When p75 NTR‐enriched cells from ONR and OB cultures are compared directly, tissue source‐related differences are no longer observed. Our previous work implicated a pertussis toxin (PTx)‐sensitive G protein‐linked signalling pathway in OEC regulation of neurite regrowth. We show that this pathway probably operates in interactions between the p75 NTR‐positive and ‐negative cells; separated populations lose the PTx‐mediated enhancement of neurite regrowth‐promoting properties seen in mixed cultures. Optimum neurite regrowth is observed when both phenotypes are present in cultures from either ONR or OB, and where glial G‐protein signalling is disabled by PTx before co‐culture with neurons. We thus propose that p75 NTR‐positive cells, whilst being the more effective neurite regrowth promoting subpopulation in isolation, cooperate with negative cells to provide optimum support for axonal regrowth. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An Improved Frequency Domain Focusing Method in Geosynchronous SAR

Geosynchronous (GEO) SAR has been proposed as a means for obtaining observations of the Earth with finer temporal sampling than possible with a single satellite from a lower orbit. However, standard algorithms developed for low-Earth-orbit SAR imaging are inadequate for GEO, where the typical assumptions of quasi-linear trajectory and “stop-and-go” transmit/receive propagation break down because of the long integration time and the very long range between the satellite and the Earth. This paper proposes a curved trajectory model to overcome these limitations and considers the impact of the “stop-and-go” assumption. According to the proposed range model, an accurate 2-D analytical spectrum is deduced under the curved trajectory model based on a series reversion method, leading to an improved frequency domain imaging algorithm involving a high-order-phase coupling function and a range migration correction function. An adaptive azimuth compression function overcomes the space variance for large-scene focusing. Simulation results validate that the improved imaging algorithm performs well over the expected range of applicability for GEO SAR.
Standards for the diagnosis and care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. American Thoracic Society.

SUMMARY OF APPROACH The approach to surgery in the patient with COPD is summa-rized below. Surgery Definitely indicated Lung resection. Pulmonary function studies should be performedbefore lung resection. Simple spirometry has the greatest utilityin documenting physiologic operability. FEV, > 2 L in an adultman or > 60% of predicted is acceptable for pneumonectomy.Values below this suggest that further studies, such as split func-tion assessment by quantitative lung scintigraphy and exercisetesting, are warranted.FEV, predicted after lung resection to be less than 40 to 50%of normal for the patient’s sex, age, and height suggests highermorbidity and mortality. An exercise 90, of less than 10 to 15ml/min per kg of body weight is associated with higher mor-bidity and mortality after lung resection.All elective surgery Prophylaxis against deep venous throm-bosis should be given before most procedures that will requirepostoperative bed rest or significantly reduce mobility. Heparinin low doses seems well accepted for most procedures. Externalpneumatic compression of the lower legs can be used when anti-coagulants are contraindicated.