Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy metabolism and protein balance in growing rats fed different levels of dietary fibre and protein

A study was performed to investigate the effect of different levels of dietary fibre (DF) and dietary protein on visceral organ size, digestibility, nitrogen balance and energy metabolism in rats. Thirty-six male Wistar rats, initial body weight about 76 g, were used in a factorial design consisting of three levels of DF (low, 100 g/kg DM; medium, 250 g/kg DM and high, 290 g/kg DM) and two levels of dietary protein (low, 120 g/kg DM and high, 223 g/kg DM). The added fibre source was soybean hulls and Danish fish meal was used as sole source of dietary protein. Measurements of gas-exchange were done on six rats (one group) while urine and faeces were collected individually. The ratio of food/empty body gain increased (P < 0.05) with increasing DF and decreasing levels of dietary protein. The weight of the digestive tract was larger (P < 0.05) in rats fed the high fibre diet than in those fed the low fibre diet. The digestibility of nutrients and energy decreased linearly with increasing level of soybean fibre (P < 0.05). An increased intake of DF was associated with a concomitant loss of protein and energy to faeces. The microbial degradation of NSP and other unabsorbed carbohydrates caused considerably changes in N metabolism of the colon. In rats fed the low protein diets increased levels of DF decreased N excretion in urine and increased N excretion in faeces, while the ratio of retained/digested protein remained constant. When rats were fed the high protein diet protein retention dropped in response to DF both absolute and relative to digested amount, indicating that energy intake could be a limiting factor. Heat production as a percentage of metabolizable energy (HP/ME) was higher (P < 0.05) in rats fed the low protein diet than in rats fed the high protein diet, but no significant difference was found among DF levels.
Understanding the Molecular Determinants of Substrate and Inhibitor Specificities in the Carbapenemase KPC-2: Exploring the Roles of Arg220 and Glu276

ABSTRACT β-Lactamases are important antibiotic resistance determinants expressed by bacteria. By studying the mechanistic properties of β-lactamases, we can identify opportunities to circumvent resistance through the design of novel inhibitors. Comparative amino acid sequence analysis of class A β-lactamases reveals that many enzymes possess a localized positively charged residue (e.g., R220, R244, or R276) that is critical for interactions with β-lactams and β-lactamase inhibitors. To better understand the contribution of these residues to the catalytic process, we explored the roles of R220 and E276 in KPC-2, a class A β-lactamase that inactivates carbapenems and β-lactamase inhibitors. Our study reveals that substitutions at R220 of KPC-2 selectively impact catalytic activity toward substrates (50% or greater reduction in kcat/Km). In addition, we find that residue 220 is central to the mechanism of β-lactamase inhibition/inactivation. Among the variants tested at Ambler position 220, the R220K enzyme is relatively “inhibitor susceptible” (Ki of 14 ± 1 μM for clavulanic acid versus Ki of 25 ± 2 μM for KPC-2). Specifically, the R220K enzyme is impaired in its ability to hydrolyze clavulanic acid compared to KPC-2. In contrast, the R220M substitution enzyme demonstrates increased Km values for β-lactamase inhibitors (>100 μM for clavulanic acid versus 25 ± 3 μM for the wild type [WT]), which results in inhibitor resistance. Unlike other class A β-lactamases (i.e., SHV-1 and TEM-1), the amino acid present at residue 276 plays a structural rather than kinetic role with substrates or inhibitors. To rationalize these findings, we constructed molecular models of clavulanic acid docked into the active sites of KPC-2 and the “relatively” clavulanic acid-susceptible R220K variant. These models suggest that a major 3.5-Å shift occurs of residue E276 in the R220K variant toward the active S70 site. We anticipate that this shift alters the shape of the active site and the positions of two key water molecules. Modeling also suggests that residue 276 may assist with the positioning of the substrate and inhibitor in the active site. These biochemical and molecular modeling insights bring us one step closer to understanding important structure-activity relationships that define the catalytic and inhibitor-resistant profile of KPC-2 and can assist the design of novel compounds.
Versatility of the Limberg flap and the V-Y flap (based on a distal perforator) for covering sacral ulcers

Our simple criteria for selection of two efficient flaps achieves consistently good results for most sacral ulcers. One hundred and ten patients had their sacral ulcers reconstructed with the Limberg flap (n=48) or the distal-perforator-based V-Y (DPVY) flap (n=62). The criteria for selection were based on pinching of the donor skin to estimate the feasibility of the Limberg flap. Overall, 101/110 (92%) of the flaps healed primarily, 43/48 (90%) in the Limberg flap group, and 58/62 (94%) in the DPVY flap group. The advantages of reconstruction using our two flaps include simple and consistent design of, and procedure for, both flaps, wide excursion of the DPVY flap, and consistency of the surgeons’ skill because they used only two flaps.
Bovine lymphosarcoma.

Lymphosarcoma is the pathologic term that describes a fatal cancer of lymph glands or lymphoid tissue. Other terms that have been used to describe this condition in cattle are leukemia and leukosis. The designation of leukosis was given by European veterinarians who first recognized the disease in an area near the Baltic Sea in the latter part of the 19th century. During the next few decades it became clear that the disease was spreading westward across Europe and this epidemiologic observation suggested the tumor was due to an infectious agent. Although death losses from lymphosarcoma were not severe, many European countries already had eradicated the more lethal infectious diseases, or at least reduced them to a very low incidence, so they were interested in doing whatever they could to maintain their high standards of animal health.
PROTECTION AGAINST GAS EXCHANGE ABNORMALITIES BY PRE-AEROSOLIZED PGE 1, ILOPROST AND NITROPRUSSIDE IN LUNG ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION1

Background. Development of severe gas exchange abnormalities and respiratory failure is a major threat in lung transplantation. Methods. We used a model of ischemia-reperfusion injury in buffer-perfused rabbit lungs, with gas exchange conditions being analyzed in detail by the multiple inert gas elimination technique. A total of 150 min of warm ischemia was performed, and anoxic ventilation and a positive intravascular pressure were maintained throughout the ischemic period. Results. Reperfusion provoked a transient, mostly precapillary pulmonary artery pressure elevation and progressive lung edema formation attributable to increased capillary permeability. Severe ventilation-perfusion mismatch with predominance of shunt flow became apparent within minutes after onset of reperfusion. 5 min-aerosolization maneuvers for alveolar deposition of prostaglandin E1, the long-acting prostacyclin analogue iloprost or the nitric oxide donor agent sodium nitroprusside were undertaken at the onset of ischemia. All preaerosolized vasodilator agents markedly reduced the pulmonary artery pressure elevation and the leakage response upon reperfusion. Most impressively, maintenance of physiological ventilation-perfusion matching was achieved by these maneuvers, and the development of shunt flow was largely suppressed. Conclusions. Preischemic alveolar deposition of PGE1, iloprost, and sodium nitroprusside by aerosol technique is highly effective in conserving normal pulmonary hemodynamics, microvascular integrity, and physiological gas exchange conditions upon reperfusion. This approach may offer as new strategy for maintenace of pulmonary function in lung transplantation.
Impact of a modified nursing handover model for improving nursing care and documentation in the emergency department: A pre- and post-implementation study.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether implementation of a new nursing handover model led to improved completion of nursing care activities and documentation. A pre- and post-implementation study, using a survey and document audit, was conducted in a hospital ED in Melbourne. A convenience sample of nurses completed the survey at baseline (n = 67) and post-intervention (n = 59), and the audit was completed at both time points. Results showed significant improvements in several processes: handover in front of the patient (P < 0.001), patients contributed and/or listened to handover discussions (P < 0.001), and provision of adequate information about all patients in the department (P < 0.001). Nurses also reported a reduction in omission of vital signs (P = 0.022) during handover. Three hundred sixty-eight medical records were audited in the two study periods: 173 (pre-intervention) and 195 (post-intervention). Statistically significant improvements in the completion of two nursing care tasks and three documentation items were identified. The findings suggest that implementation of a new handover model improved completion of nursing care activities and documentation, and transfer of important information to nurses on oncoming shifts.
Periosteal readhesion after brow-lift in New Zealand white rabbits.

OBJECTIVES To define the postoperative time interval required for elevated periosteum to readhere to the skull and regain its preoperative strength, and to evaluate whether fixation of the periosteum affects this interval or the strength of postoperative readhesion. DESIGN Prospective analysis of variance and covariance with repeated measures. SUBJECTS Thirty-six New Zealand white rabbits, each serving as its own control. INTERVENTIONS Subperiosteal elevation was performed on one side of the skull, leaving the contralateral periosteum untouched. The periosteum in half of the subjects was lifted and fixed to a resorbable screw, with the comparison group undergoing subperiosteal elevation only, without lifting and fixation. Several adhesion characteristics were subsequently examined at postoperative weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Half of the subjects were assessed histologically to determine attachment of periosteum onto underlying bone. The other half underwent analysis of periosteal readhesion strength. RESULTS The 3 independent measures of periosteal adherence to the skull all lacked significant differences between sides after the first postoperative week. Blinded histologic analysis showed no evidence of ongoing periosteal healing and demonstrated no difference between operated-on and nonoperated-on sides. Analysis of periosteal stiffness (P =.76) and energy density (P =.74) also demonstrated no significant differences between sides. CONCLUSIONS Periosteal readhesion after surgical elevation is virtually complete by the seventh postoperative day. In addition, tension secondary to periosteal elevation with suspension has no influence on postoperative healing. These findings will contribute to the debate regarding the most appropriate brow-lift fixation technique.
Evaluation of Endocarditis Caused by Methicillin-Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus Developing Nonsusceptibility to Daptomycin

ABSTRACT We examined sequential methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus isolates from a patient with mitral valve endocarditis recovered during persistent bacteremia on standard therapy and relapse after treatment with daptomycin. An isolate obtained after 5 days of antimicrobial therapy, but before exposure to daptomycin, showed subtle physiological changes in response to daptomycin, with significant regrowth in the daptomycin killing assay compared to the treatment-naive strain. Once daptomycin was started, the population became more heterogeneous and tested as nonsusceptible. These organisms were examined in a simulated-vegetation in vitro pharmacodynamic model, which confirmed progressive decreases in killing with daptomycin concentrations that simulate those attained in humans with 6-mg/kg of body weight daily dosing. Early surgical intervention or combination therapy or both might have prevented the loss of daptomycin susceptibility.
Psychosomatic interrelations following liver transplantation

It is well described that quality of life (QoL) improved after liver transplantation. The aim of the present study was to investigate how psychosocial parameters develop after liver transplantation (LTX) and whether post‐operative complaints are the result of osteoporosis or patient somatization. The prospective study looks into biomedical and psychosocial parameters of 82 LTX patients before, 1 and 3 yrs after transplantation. Osteoporosis was measured by bone mineral density (BMD) and psychosocial parameters were assessed with validated questionnaires measuring complaints, mood and overall QoL. Overall QoL and mood improved after liver transplantation, while back and limb pain increased continuously. Back and limb pain were highly correlated with reduced bone density and high values for tiredness and depressive anxiety. Back and limb pain of patients following liver transplantation may indicate the development of a post‐operative depression in some cases. The treatment offered by an essentially biologically based medicine may promote the manifestation of this depression as a somatization disorder.
Degradation of the interferon-induced 68,000-M(r) protein kinase by poliovirus requires RNA

Control of the interferon-induced double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) activated protein kinase (referred to as P68 because of its M(r) of 68,000 in human cells) by animal viruses is essential to avoid decreases in protein synthetic rates during infection. We have previously demonstrated that poliovirus establishes a unique way of regulating the protein kinase, namely by inducing the specific degradation of P68 during infection (T. L. Black, B. Safer, A. Hovanessian, and M. G. Katze, J. Virol. 63:2244-2251, 1989). In the present study we investigated the mechanisms by which P68 degradation occurred. To do this we used an in vitro degradation assay which faithfully reproduced the in vivo events. Although viral gene expression was required for P68 degradation, the major poliovirus proteases, 2A and 3C, were found not to be directly involved with P68 proteolysis. However, the protease responsible for P68 degradation required divalent cations for maximal activity and probably has both an RNA and a protein component since trypsin and ribonuclease abrogated the activity. Despite this requirement for divalent cations and RNA, activation of the kinase was not required for proteolysis since a catalytically inactive P68 was still degraded. Mapping of P68 protease-sensitive sites by using in vitro translated truncation and deletion mutants revealed that sites required for degradation resided in the amino terminus and colocalized to dsRNA-binding domains. Finally, we found that preincubation of cell extracts with the synthetic dsRNA poly(I-C) largely prevented P68 proteolysis, providing additional evidence for the critical role of RNA. On the basis of these data, we present a hypothetical model depicting possible mechanisms of P68 degradation in poliovirus-infected cells.
Characteristics of Some Days Involving Abrupt Increases in Fire Danger

A class offire-weather events has been identified recently in which the normal,often diurnal,rise and fall of fire danger is interrupted by abruptly worsening conditions, or ‘‘spikes,’’ for which fire managers may be unprepared. Frequent observations from a site in Tasmania, Australia, show that spike events are associated with the passage of negatively tilted upper-tropospheric troughs, leading to descent into the atmospheric boundary layer of dry, high-momentum air—a result that is supported by satellite water vapor imagery. Case studies from other major fire events, both in Australia and in the Northern Hemisphere, show similar characteristics. Statistically significant differences exist between the location and placement of trough and jetstreak features during spike events and normal fire-weather events, with differences in satellite water vapor imagery features also evident. The seasonality of spike events differs significantly from other fire-weather events, with their occurrence peaking from late spring to early summer in Tasmania, in contrast to broad summer primary and midspring secondary peaks for nonspike events.
Angiotensin‐converting enzyme gene polymorphism and coronary reactivity in young men

The purpose of the study was to examine whether the insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE) gene affects the vasodilatory properties of coronary arteries in healthy men. The ACE genotypes of 128 men (mean age 35±4 years) were determined and related to myocardial blood flow. The blood flow was measured by positron emission tomography at rest and during vasodilation caused by adenosine or dipyridamole infusion. The coronary flows and resistances at rest and during stimulation with adenosine or dipyridamole did not differ between the ACE genotypes. Furthermore, this polymorphism had no effect on coronary flow reserve corrected by a rate‐pressure product. In conclusion, the ACE I/D polymorphism does not seem to affect myocardial reactivity – an early indicator of atherosclerosis – in healthy subjects.
HIV Risk Behaviors among African American Women with at-Risk Male Partners

Background HIV continues to impact African American women at alarming rates. Yet, few researchers have examined the relationship factors promoting unprotected sex within African American communities, especially instances in which women are aware that their male partners are engaging in high risk behaviors. This qualitative study explored the sexual behaviors, relationship characteristics, and HIV prevention strategies utilized by African American women in relationships with African American men at-risk for HIV. Method To understand the issues that should be addressed in a sexual risk-reduction intervention, data were collected from three, two-hour focus group discussions (n=24) comprised primarily of low-income African American women with histories of at-risk male sex partners. At-risk partners included specifically men who had sex with other men or with transgender individuals, used crack cocaine or injection drugs, had lengthy incarceration periods, or an unknown sexual history. Discussion questions examined external factors affecting sexual risk behaviors such as societal pressures, peer norms, and financial vulnerability. Discussions were audiotaped, transcribed, and analyzed using a consensual qualitative research approach. Results Five themes, including self-esteem, social influences on behavior, relationship fidelity, sexual risk behavior, and partners' sexual behaviors, were identified as placing women at increased risk for HIV. Reasons for inconsistent condom use included concern for maintaining the relationship and substance use before and during sex. African American women also believed that men who have sex with men and women (MSMW) were dishonest about their sexuality due to stigma towards homosexuality/bisexuality. Despite these challenges, participants indicated that African American women have a strong sense of pride that can positively impact behaviors in relationships. Conclusion The findings of this study support that social and contextual factor such as emotional and financial issues, culture, history, and relationship dynamics need to be considered when developing tailored sexual health interventions for this population.
Age disorientation, liminality and reality: the case of the Alzheimer's patient.

“[Time] is a man‐made notion which we have projected into our environment for our own particular purposes” (Leach 1979:227). Although time is a structuring principle by which reality is ordered, it is difficult to understand. Time is measured and validated by clocks, calendars and sequence of events, but it can also be created and changed in memories, dreams, thoughts, reminiscences and speculations. It can be suspended, wasted and killed, but inevitably time determines reality. One who markedly alters time and reality so as not to be compatible with the surrounding social milieu is thought to be abnormal. As Alzheimer's victims Suffer from age and time disorientation, it is instructive to ask if such misrepresentations reveal a logic and insight into the patients’ perceptions of reality. Taking a cue from Turner (1969; 1974), the examination of the apparent abnormal behavior of self in chaos presented by the Alzheimer's patient, although seemingly superficial, reveals a complex phenomenon with a deeper s.
Alterations in cell proliferation and apoptosis in colon cancers with microsatellite instability

Colon cancers with microsatellite instability (MSI) demonstrate a host immune response characterized by tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) that may exert effects upon tumor cell apoptosis and cell proliferation. Accordingly, we compared rates of apoptosis and cell proliferation in colon cancers with defective DNA mismatch repair and their association with phenotypic features and clinical outcome. Primary Astler‐Coller stage B2 and C colon carcinomas (n = 329) were analyzed for MSI and for hMLH1 and hMSH2 protein expression. Apoptosis (TUNEL assay) and p53 expression were also analyzed by immunohistochemistry, and TILs were quantified by morphology. DNA ploidy and proliferation (PI: S phase + G2M) were evaluated using flow cytometry. MSI‐H (n = 58) colon cancers showed increased TILs that were significantly associated with increased apoptosis, higher apoptosis to proliferation (AI/PI) ratios, reduced proliferative indices (PI) and diploid DNA content. Increased TILs (p = 0.036) and reduced PI (p = 0.042), but not AI or AI/PI, were associated with improved disease‐free survival. Tumors with MSI‐H (p = 0.032) or loss of hMLH1 or hMSH2 proteins (p = 0.040), or diploidy (p = 0.0015), had better adjusted overall survival rates. Interestingly, similar rates of cell turnover and overlapping survival rates were found in diploid MSS/MSI‐L tumors and in MSI‐H cases. In conclusion, higher apoptosis/proliferation ratios and reduced cell proliferation are phenotypic features of MSI‐H tumors that are associated with increased TILs, indicating an activated immune response that may contribute to their favorable survival rates. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Neurospora 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase. I. Purification and characterization of the wild type enzyme.

Abstract A purification procedure is described for 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (6-phospho-d-gluconate:NADP oxidoreductase (decarboxylating) EC 1.1. 1.44) of Neurospora crassa. A 192-fold purification was obtained with a 30% yield and an average specific activity of 30. The purified enzyme has a molecular weight of 110,000 to 120,000 as estimated by gel filtration and consists of subunits of molecular weight 57,000. One or more reactive sulfhydryl groups influence the aggregation state of the enzyme, and are also essential for enzymatic activity as indicated by iodoacetamide inactivation. Kinetic parameters, specificity, heat stability, and inhibition by NADPH and fructose 1,6-diphosphate were measured as was photooxidation of the enzyme in the presence of Rose Bengal and pyridoxal phosphate.