Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Entamoeba histolytica EhCP112 Dislocates and Degrades Claudin-1 and Claudin-2 at Tight Junctions of the Intestinal Epithelium

During intestinal invasion, Entamoeba histolytica opens tight junctions (TJs) reflected by transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) dropping. To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying this, we studied in vitro and in vivo the damage produced by the recombinant E. histolytica cysteine protease (rEhCP112) on TJ functions and proteins. rEhCP112 reduced TEER in Caco-2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner; and EhCP112-overexpressing trophozoites provoked major epithelial injury compared to control trophozoites. rEhCP112 penetrated through the intercellular space, and consequently the ion flux increased and the TJs fence function was disturbed. However, macromolecular flux was not altered. Functional in vitro assays revealed specific association of rEhCP112 with claudin-1 and claudin-2, that are both involved in regulating ion flux and fence function. Of note, rEhCP112 did not interact with occludin that is responsible for regulating macromolecular flux. Moreover, rEhCP112 degraded and delocalized claudin-1, thus affecting interepithelial adhesion. Concomitantly, expression of the leaky claudin-2 at TJ, first increased and then it was degraded. In vivo, rEhCP112 increased intestinal epithelial permeability in the mouse colon, likely due to apical erosion and claudin-1 and claudin-2 degradation. In conclusion, we provide evidence that EhCP112 causes epithelial dysfunction by specifically altering claudins at TJ. Thus, EhCP112 could be a potential target for therapeutic approaches against amoebiasis.
Alleles of the gene encoding IL-1α may predict control of plasma viraemia in HIV-1 patients on highly active antiretroviral therapy

Objective: Some HIV patients treated with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) do not resolve their plasma viraemia or HIV RNA can reappear after a period of virological control. We investigate whether polymorphisms in cytokine genes affect the control of plasma HIV RNA over 5 years on HAART. Design: The study utilized adult HIV-infected patients in Western Australia. Plasma HIV-RNA levels were assessed from commencement of HAART in patients who had a CD4 T-cell count less than 100 cells/μl before HAART and achieved immune reconstitution assessed by CD4 T-cell counts. Results: Control of plasma viraemia could be predicted from carriage of allele 2 at position −889 in the IL1A gene (IL1A−889*2). This was significant when assessed by the proportion of patients with a plasma HIV-RNA level of 400 copies/ml or less (P = 0.002). At 48 months post-HAART, proportions were approximately 0.76, 0.51 and 0.32 for IL1A (1,1), (1,2) and (2,2) patients, respectively. The outcome was independent of the patients’ CD4 T-cell counts before or on therapy, drug regimen or age. Polymorphisms in IL6, TNFA, IL1B or IL12B had less significant effects, which became marginal when IL1A was included in the statistical model. IL1A−889 was in linkage disequilibrium with a non-synonymous polymorphism at IL1A+4845. Conclusion: Alleles carried at IL1A−889 or IL1A+4845 may predict the control of HIV replication in previously immunodeficient patients responding to HAART.
Expressed emotion and depression in caregivers of older adults with dementia: results from Taiwan

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between (1) expressed emotion (EE) and characteristics of Taiwanese dementia patients and their family caregivers and (2) EE and depressed mood, burden, and perception of health in Taiwanese caregivers of elderly persons with dementia. Methods: Sixty-five primary caregivers of elderly persons with mild to severe dementia were recruited from institutions in Taiwan and they completed four standardized questionnaires: Level of Expressed Emotion (LEE) scale, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI), and General Health Perceptions subscale of the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 Health Survey (MOS SF-36). Results: EE was positively associated with caregiver depression (r = .543; p < .001) and burden (r = .532; p < .001), and negatively associated with caregivers’ perceived health (r = −.316; p = .010). The higher the caregivers’ depression and burden, the greater was their EE and the lower the caregivers’ perceived health, the higher was their EE. EE was negatively associated with caregiver education (r = −.279; p = .024) and income (r = −.261; p = .036). The lower the caregivers’ education and income, the higher was their EE. Conclusion: The significant relationship between EE and caregivers’ mood and perceived burden suggests that caregivers with elevated mood or burden may put persons with dementia at greater risk for toxic, negative interactions from them. Although this study's design precludes attributing directionality, more depressed caregivers are at a greater risk of higher EE which may affect care of their elderly demented family members. Additional research is warranted with a larger sample size and/or a longitudinal design.
Fertility desires, unmet need for family planning, and unwanted pregnancies among HIV-infected women in care in Kinshasa, DR Congo

Introduction We assessed the fertility desires, utilization of family planning (FP) methods, and incidence of pregnancies among HIV-infected women receiving care in an HIV clinic with an onsite FP services in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Methods Between November 2011 and May 2012, all HIV-infected women who attended a routine visit at the clinic were interviewed about their fertility desires and utilization of contraceptive methods using a structured questionnaire. Routine follow-up visit data were used to identify pregnancies recorded between the interview and June 2013. Results Overall, of the 699 HIV-infected women interviewed. 249 (35.7%) reported not wanting another child. Of the 499 (72.2%) participants who were sexually active at the time of interview, 177 (35.5%) were using an effective contraceptive method, including 70 (14.0%) women who reported using condoms consistently and 104 (20.8%) who were using injectable contraception. Overall, 88 (17.6%) sexually active participants who did not want another child were not using an effective FP method, and thus are considered to have had unmet need. During the median follow-up time of 22.2 (IQR: 20.2, 23.6) months, among all women interviewed, 96 (14.1%) became newly pregnant [pregnancy rate 9.3 (95%CI: 7.6, 11.4) per 100 women-years] including 21 (8.7%) among women who initially reported not wanting another child [unwanted pregnancy rate 5.8 (95%CI: 3.6, 9.3) per 100 women-years]. Conclusion The persistence of relatively high unmet need among women receiving HIV care in a clinic with onsite FP services suggests the existence of barriers that must be identified and addressed.
A Profile of the Organic Produce Consumer

Our paper explores the factors influencing the consumers who buy organic food. Analysis of these factors enabled us to sort the consumers into groups based on their gender, age, education, and other identifiers. Further research then revealed more detailed shopping preferences of each one of those groups. The findings generated recommendations for producers and organic produce vendors on the best way to provide target marketing for different groups of consumers and therefore increase their sales of organic produce and food made from organic produce. Considering the use of categorical data, contingency tables and correspondence maps served as the best representation and processing tools. Data analysis showed that organic produce is most frequently purchased by respondents in the age of 45+ years, who also tend to spend more money for this range of products. At the same time, these would be the respondents, who struggle the most when recognizing organic produce and who have often never seen any advertisement for it. The respondents aged 25 years and less tend to purchase organic produce least frequently; they also often do not care about the origin of organic produce. Almost the same applies to families with multiple children. However, young respondents often grow their own organic produce. There is still a not insignificant percentage of consumers, who consider organic produce to be expensive and who do not believe in their qualities. As it turns out, when it comes to organic produce the respondents purchase most frequently fruits and vegetables, milk and dairy products.
The Outcome of Pregnancy in Women with Lupus Nephritis

We analysed the outcome of pregnancy in patients with pre-existing lupus nephritis, seen in a tertiary referral centre for nephrology. Fifty-three pregnancies in 25 patients who already had clinical and histological evidence of lupus nephritis were recorded between January 1970 and June 1989, and data were analysed retrospectively. All 53 pregnancies occurred in patients with more or less stable disease, while three pregnancies during which lupus first presented were excluded. Six pregnancies were ended by therapeutic abortions (four for social reasons), and in eight spontaneous abortion occurred. Thus, 39 deliveries occurred, 28 at 36 weeks or more, while 11 were delivered prematurely, of which one was a stillbirth. After allowance was made for therapeutic abortions, the fetal loss rate (9/47) was 19%. Seventeen Caesarian sections were performed in the 39 completed pregnancies (44%), 11 as emergencies. Although the overall fetal loss, incidence of premature births and Caesarian section rate were all higher than expected for a population of normal women, neither initial histology, treated hypertension, the presence of proteinuria or a nephrotic syndrome showed statistically significant relationships with the outcome of completed pregnancies. In no case was maternal renal function affected irreversibly, although proteinuria increased substantially during pregnancy in six patients, and creatinine clearance fell during pregnancy, also in six patients. No 'flares' in systemic disease were seen, but all patients save five were treated with a brief period of high-dose oral corticosteroids or intravenous methylprednisolone in the postpartum period. No case of neonatal lupus or congenital heart block was observed. Pregnancy in patients with stable lupus nephritis established on treatment usually has a good outcome, even in the presence of initially severe disease, persisting treated hypertension, and continued immunosuppression with prednisolone and azathioprine, although a higher fetal loss is observed. The outcome for patients with lupus and even severe nephritis is no worse than that previously reported in women with lupus without nephritis.
Out-of-School English Language Use by Newcomer English Learners from Korea.

This study reports the major findings of an in-depth survey and interview with a group of students and parents who recently immigrated to the U.S. from Korea. The study was conducted to identify how they engage in out-of-school English language use and to what extent parents and teachers are involved and supportive in the process. All the participating students and parents were newcomers and had lived in the U.S. or other English-speaking countries for fewer than three years. The interview questions centered on the following aspects of English language use: amount and frequency, types of engagement, and degree of support from teachers, schools and parents in practicing English outside of the school setting. Findings of the study shed light on unique challenges that these newcomers face in developing second-language proficiency in an English-dominant society, and on how parents and teachers might be oblivious to these challenges. The findings also suggest that out-of-school English language practice could be guided and supported more effectively by teachers and parents.
The visual number world: A dynamic approach to study the mathematical mind

In the domain of language research, the simultaneous presentation of a visual scene and its auditory description (i.e., the visual world paradigm) has been used to reveal the timing of mental mechanisms. Here we apply this rationale to the domain of numerical cognition in order to explore the differences between fast and slow arithmetic performance, and to further study the role of spatial-numerical associations during mental arithmetic. We presented 30 healthy adults simultaneously with visual displays containing four numbers and with auditory addition and subtraction problems. Analysis of eye movements revealed that participants look spontaneously at the numbers they currently process (operands, solution). Faster performance was characterized by shorter latencies prior to fixating the relevant numbers and fewer revisits to the first operand while computing the solution. These signatures of superior task performance were more pronounced for addition and visual numbers arranged in ascending order, and for subtraction and numbers arranged in descending order (compared to the opposite pairings). Our results show that the “visual number world”-paradigm provides on-line access to the mind during mental arithmetic, is able to capture variability in arithmetic performance, and is sensitive to visual layout manipulations that are otherwise not reflected in response time measurements.
Ventilatory sensitivity to mild asphyxia: prone versus supine sleep position

AIMS To compare the effects of prone and supine sleep position on the main physiological responses to mild asphyxia: increase in ventilation and arousal. METHODS Ventilatory and arousal responses to mild asphyxia (hypercapnia/hypoxia) were measured in 53 healthy infants at newborn and 3 months of age, during quiet sleep (QS) and active sleep (AS), and in supine and prone sleep positions. The asphyxial test mimicked face down rebreathing by slowly altering the inspired air: CO2, maximum 5% and O2, minimum 13.5%. The change in ventilation with inspired CO2 was measured over 5–6 minutes of the test. The slope of a linear curve fit relating inspired CO2 to the logarithm of ventilation was taken as a quantitative measure of ventilatory asphyxial sensitivity (VAS). Sleep state and arousal were determined by behavioural criteria. RESULTS At 3 months of age, prone positioning in AS lowered VAS (0.184 prone v0.269 supine, p = 0.050). At newborn age, sleep position had no effect on VAS. Infants aged 3 months were twice as likely to arouse to the test than newborns (p = 0.013). Placing infants prone as opposed to supine increased the chances of arousal 1.57-fold (p = 0.035). CONCLUSION Our findings show 3 month old babies sleeping prone compared to supine have poorer ventilatory responses to mild asphyxia, particularly in AS, but the increased prevalence of arousal is a protective factor.
The Simple Empirics of Optimal Online Auctions

We study reserve prices computed to maximize the expected profit of the seller based on historical observations of incomplete bid data typically available to the auction designer in online auctions for advertising or e-commerce. This direct approach to computing reserve prices circumvents the need to fully recover distributions of bidder valuations. We derive asymptotic results and also provide a new bound, based on the empirical Rademacher complexity, for the number of historical auction observations needed in order for revenue under the estimated reserve price to approximate revenue under the optimal reserve arbitrarily closely. This simple approach to estimating reserves may be particularly useful for auction design in Big Data settings, where traditional empirical auctions methods may be costly to implement. We illustrate the approach with e-commerce auction data from eBay. We also demonstrate how this idea can be extended to estimate all objects necessary to implement the Myerson (1981) optimal auction.
ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF SELECTED ECONOMIC VARIABLES ON SORGHUM PRICES IN NIGERIA

Nigeria is the world’s leading producer of sorghum intended for use as food grain. Likewise, there has been growing industrial demand for sorghum in the livestock breeding and brewery sectors. As sorghum prices have been on the increase, it becomes pertinent to identify the determinants of this development in order to nip the imminent food crisis in the bud. This study relied on time series data spanning from 1970 to 2015 retrieved from FAOSTAT and World Bank databases. Analytical methods employed include the unit root test, cointegration test and error correction mechanism. The diagnostic tests indicated the presence of autocorrelation which was subsequently adjusted with the Cochrane-Orcutt procedure. Subsequent tests indicated that variables fit well to the model. As shown by the ADF unit root test, the modeled variables were non-stationary but became stationary after first differencing. At a significance level of 5%, the sorghum price was determined by gross domestic product (GDP), annual money supply, official exchange rate and crude oil price, both in the long and short run, whereas the lagged price of sorghum also had an effect on prices in the short run. The study recommends that macroeconomic variables such as GDP, annual money supply and official exchange rate be taken cognizance of when planning the agricultural development in Nigeria.
Induction of alkaline phosphatase actvity by synergistic action of dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate, prednisolone, butyrate and sodium chloride in cultured cells

Human urinary bladder carcinoma cells (JTC‐32) retain a low alkaline phosphatase activity. Prednisolone or a hypertonic concentration of NaCl caused a moderate increase in the activity (10‐ to 15‐fold of control), but dibutyryl cAMP or butyrate did not. Examination of the combined effect of these four agents revealed that they acted synergistically in any combination. When the cells were incubated with the four agents together, the enzyme activity increased 60‐ to 250‐fold. Serum also contributed to this synergistic increase. These agents slightly inhibited cell growth and protein synthesis. The enzyme induction was completely inhibited by cycloheximide or actinomycin D. The synergistic effect of the four agents on the enzyme activity was also observed in other strains of carcinoma cells, human urinary bladder carcinoma cells (JTC‐30) and monkey hepatocarcinoma cells (NCLP‐6E). Thus, it is concluded that the coexistence of the four agents provides general and superior conditions for the induction of alkaline phosphatase in cultured carcinoma cells.
Injection therapy for subacute and chronic benign low back pain.

STUDY DESIGN The Medline and Embase databases containing randomized controlled trials of injection therapy published to 1998 were systematically reviewed. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of injection therapy with anesthetics, steroids, or both in patients with low back pain persisting longer than 1 month. METHODS Two reviewers independently assessed the trials for the quality of their methods. The primary outcome measure was pain relief. Subgroup analyses were performed between trials with different control groups (placebo and active injections), with different injection sites (facet-joint, epidural, and local injections), and with timing of outcome measurement (short- and long-term). Within the resulting 12 (2 x 3 x 2) subcategories of studies, the overall relative risks and corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated, using the random effects model of DerSimonian and Laird. In the case of trials using active injections as a control, the results were not pooled. RESULTS This review included 21 randomized trials. All the studies involved patients with low back pain persisting longer than 1 month. Only 11 studies compared injection therapy with placebo injections (explanatory trials). The methodologic quality of many studies was low: Only eight studies had a methodologic score of 50 points or more. There were only three well-designed explanatory clinical trials: one on injections into the facet joints with a short-term relative risk of 0.89 (95% confidence interval = 0.65-1.21) and a long-term relative risk of 0.90 (95% confidence interval = 0.69-1.17), one on epidural injections with a short-term relative risk of of 0.94 (95% confidence interval = 0.76-1.15) and a long-term relative risk of 1.00 (95% confidence interval = 0.71-1.41), and one on local injections with a long-term relative risk of 0.79 (95% confidence interval = 0.65-0.96). Within the six subcategories of explanatory studies, the pooled relative risks were as follows: facet joint, short-term: relative risk = 0.89 (95% confidence interval = 0.65-1.21); facet joint, long-term: relative risk = 0.90 (95% confidence interval = 0.69-1.17); epidural, short-term: relative risk = 0.93 (95% confidence interval = 0.79-1.09); epidural, long-term: relative risk = 0.92 (95% confidence interval = 0.76-1.11); local, short-term: relative risk = 0.80 (95% confidence interval = 0.40-1.59); and local, long-term: relative risk = 0.79 (95% confidence interval = 0.65-0.96). CONCLUSIONS Convincing evidence is lacking regarding the effects of injection therapy on low back pain. Additional well-designed explanatory trials in this field are needed.
Altered sleep and affect in the neurotensin receptor 1 knockout mouse.

STUDY OBJECTIVE Sleep and mood disorders have long been understood to have strong genetic components, and there is considerable comorbidity of sleep abnormalities and mood disorders, suggesting the involvement of common genetic pathways. Here, we examine a candidate gene implicated in the regulation of both sleep and affective behavior using a knockout mouse model. DESIGN Previously, we identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for REM sleep amount, REM sleep bout number, and wake amount in a genetically segregating population of mice. Here, we show that traits mapping to this QTL correlated with an expression QTL for neurotensin receptor 1 (Ntsr1), a receptor for neurotensin, a ligand known to be involved in several psychiatric disorders. We examined sleep as well as behaviors indicative of anxiety and depression in the NTSR1 knockout mouse. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS NTSR1 knockouts had a lower percentage of sleep time spent in REM sleep in the dark phase and a larger diurnal variation in REM sleep duration than wild types under baseline conditions. Following sleep deprivation, NTSR1 knockouts exhibited more wake and less NREM rebound sleep. NTSR1 knockouts also showed increased anxious and despair behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Here we illustrate a link between expression of the Ntsr1 gene and sleep traits previously associated with a particular QTL. We also demonstrate a relationship between Ntsr1 and anxiety and despair behaviors. Given the considerable evidence that anxiety and depression are closely linked with abnormalities in sleep, the data presented here provide further evidence that neurotensin and Ntsr1 may be a component of a pathway involved in both sleep and mood disorders.
ON THE RELATION BETWEEN INTEGER AND NONINTEGER SOLUTIONS TO LINEAR PROGRAMS.

* Initial results were presented to the American Mathematical Society, January 1963, and research for these was accomplished at the University of Virginia while the author held an ONR Research Fellowship. 1 Hu, Sze-Tsen, Homotopy Theory (New York: Academic Press, 1959). 2 Browder, Felix E. , "Covering spaces, fiber spaces, and local homeomorphisms," Duke Math. J., 21, 329-336 (1954). 3Whyburn, G. T. , Analytic Topology (Providence: American Mathematical Society, 1942). 4Floyd, E. E. , "Some characterizations of interior maps," Ann. Math., 51, 571-575 (1950). 5 Whyburn, G. T. , Topological Analysis (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1958). 6Whyburn, G. T. , "Open mappings on 2-dimensional manifolds," J. Math. Mech. , 10, 181198 (1961). Related references: Anderson, R. D. , "A characterization of the universal curve and a proof of its homogeneity," Ann. Math., 67, 313-324 (1958); Cernavskii, A. V. , "Finitely multiple open mappings of manifolds," Soviet Math. Doklady, 4, 946-949 (1963); Dyer, E. , and M. -E. Hamstrom, "Completely regular mappings," Fund. Math., 45, 103-118 (1957); Whyburm, G. T. , "On sequences and limiting sets," Fund. Math., 25, 408-426 (1935).