Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The use of acacia gum in end stage renal failure.

OBJECTIVE To describe a new model for the management of end-stage renal failure (ESRF) associated with longest period of dialysis freedom (4-year) achieved with this novel form of renal replacement therapy (RRT). The research was done in accordance with Helsinki declaration and approved the scientific committee in the hospital. Conservative management of chronic renal failure (CRF) can only be successful in nonterminal CRF, and patients with ESRF cannot sustain life in the absence of renal replacement therapy. A new regimen combining the traditional conservative management of CRF (dietary and pharmacologic) with addition of Acacia gum (AG) 1 g kg(-1) per day has been reported to provide patients with ESRF dialysis freedom. An 11-year-old girl with ESRF initially required four sessions of intermittent peritoneal dialysis to control uremic symptoms despite conservative measures. The parents refused further treatment by dialysis. Thereafter, she was managed with a new regimen combining the traditional conservative management of CRF with addition of AG. Four year dialysis and improved well-being was achieved. The chronicity of her illness was confirmed by the presence of small contracted kidneys, a finding that has not changed during the subsequent follow-up. During these 4 years she continued experiencing improved well-being and good participation in outdoor activities, had never been acidotic or experienced significant uremic symptoms. CONCLUSION This is the longest period of dialysis freedom reported in children with ESRF.
Single-Event Transient Modeling in a 65-nm Bulk CMOS Technology Based on Multi-Physical Approach and Electrical Simulations

This paper presents a SET predictive methodology based on coupled MUSCA SEP3 and electrical simulations (CADENCE tool). The method is validated by SET measurements on an inverters chain based on 65-nm bulk CMOS technology, and two designs were considered (respectively for same-well and separate-well designs). These methodologies have been validated in the case of 1000 inverters chain and for heavy ions and demonstrate the impact of the quenching effect. Furthermore, both the designs were considered and the analyses are consistent with experiments and this allows for identification of the quenching effect as the main mechanism responsible for the difference in SET sensitivity. However, the modeling approach can be also used for other logical cells or/and complex radiation environments, to determine SET cross sections, SET cartographies and SET characteristics. This method is applied to SEU analyses, i.e., SBU (Single Bit Upset) and MCU (Multiple Cell Upset) for 65-nm bulk SRAM memory and neutron/proton SET modeling.
Investigation of the Effect of Traffic Parameters on Road Hazard Using Classification Tree Model

This paper presents a method for the identification of hazardous situations on the freeways. For this study, about 18 km long section of Eastern Freeway in Melbourne, Australia was selected as a test bed. Three categories of data i.e. traffic, weather and accident record data were used for the analysis and modelling. In developing the crash risk probability model, classification tree based model was developed in this study. In formulating the models, it was found that weather conditions did not have significant impact on accident occurrence so the classification tree was built using two traffic indices; traffic flow and vehicle speed only. The formulated classification tree is able to identify the possible hazard and non-hazard situations on freeway. The outcome of the study will aid the hazard mitigation strategies.
Molecular characterization of the nisin resistance region of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis DRC3

The nisin resistance determinant of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis DRC3 was localized onto a 1.3-kb EcoRI-NdeI fragment by subcloning and interrupting the NdeI site by cloning random NdeI fragments into it; the nisin resistance determinant was then sequenced. The nucleotide sequence revealed a large open reading frame containing 318 codons. Putative transcription and translation signal sequences were located directly upstream from the initiation codon. Immediately downstream of the termination codon was a palindromic region resembling a rho-independent termination sequence. This 957-nucleotide open reading frame and its associated transcription and translation signal sequences were cloned into plasmid-free L. lactis subsp. lactis LM0230 and conferred an MIC of 160 IU of nisin per ml. This level of nisin resistance is equivalent to that of the initial nisin-resistant subclone, pFM011, used for further subcloning in this study. The inferred amino acid sequence would result in a protein with a molecular mass of 35,035 Da. This value was in agreement with the molecular mass of a protein detected after in vitro transcription and translation of DNA encoding the nisin resistance gene, nsr. This protein contained a hydrophobic region at the N terminus that was predicted to be membrane associated but did not contain a typical signal sequence cleavage site. No significant homology was detected when the DNA sequence of the nsr gene and the amino acid sequence of its putative product were compared with other available sequences. When subjected to Southern hybridization, a 1.2-kb DraI fragment encoding the nsr gene did not hybridize with the genomic DNA of the nisin-producing strain L. lactis subsp. lactis 11454.
Intention, Choice, and the Medial Frontal Cortex

The medial frontal cortex (MFC) has been identified with voluntary action selection. Recent evidence suggests that there are three principal ways in which the MFC is an essential part of the neural circuit for voluntary action selection. First, the MFC represents the reinforcement values of actions and is concerned with the updating of those action values. Because it is particularly concerned with the rate at which action values should be updated, it mediates the influence that the past reinforcement history has over the next choice that is made and it may determine the learning rate. The MFC's representation of action value does not just reflect the potential reward associations of an action but instead represents both the reward and effort costs that are intrinsic to the action. Second, the MFC is important when an exploratory action is generated in order to obtain more information about action values and the environment. Third, the MFC is critical when conflicting information in the immediate environment instructs more than one possible response. In such situations the MFC exerts an influence over how actions will be chosen by other motor regions of the brain.
Molecular analysis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa protease IV expressed in Pseudomonas putida.

PURPOSE In this study, the protease IV gene of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was expressed in the nonocular pathogenic host, Pseudomonas putida, to elucidate the molecular properties and virulence contribution of the enzyme. Recent determination of the protease IV gene sequence suggests that the protein of 463 amino acids contains a signal sequence, a propeptide domain, and a mature protease. The only form of this protein that has been detected previously is the extracellular mature protease. METHODS The protease IV gene was cloned and expressed in a protease IV-negative Pseudomonas species, P. putida. The cloned protease IV gene product was analyzed to identify biochemical, enzymatic, and immunologic properties and its contribution to corneal virulence. RESULTS P. putida expressing the cloned protease IV gene had significantly greater extracellular enzyme activity than P. aeruginosa. These P. putida cell extracts produced a protein with the same molecular mass as mature protease IV and two other polypeptides representing larger precursors, all of which were recognized by protease IV-specific antibodies. P. putida producing protease IV, relative to P. putida with the vector alone, caused a threefold increase in ocular inflammation and tissue damage when intrastromally injected into rabbit corneas. CONCLUSIONS The present study demonstrates for the first time that protease IV is synthesized as a large precursor that is processed intracellularly through an intermediate form and secreted into the extracellular milieu as a mature protease. The results also confirm a significant correlation between production of protease IV and corneal virulence.
Effects of diet on the lipid and fatty acid status of full-term infants at 4 months.

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of the exogenous supply of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCP) and cholesterol on the lipid and fatty acid status in full-term, 4-month old infants. METHODS Twenty-three infants received a standard infant formula while twenty-one were given a formula enriched with LCP and cholesterol in a prospective, randomized study. The composition of the two formulas differed only in fat quality. A group of fifteen breastfed infants fed was used as reference. No one was complemented with solid foods before blood sampling at 4 months of life. RESULTS Differences in total-cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels between feeding groups were mainly gender-related. Dietary cholesterol tended to increase LDL-C plasma levels. The breastfed and the enriched formula-fed groups had higher levels of circulating LCP than the group that received the standard formula. In the erythrocytes of infants fed the standard formula, C22:6 n-3 levels were less than 50% those of the breastfed and the enriched formula-fed ones. Higher C20:4 n-6 levels were found in the erythrocytes of the enriched formula-fed group. CONCLUSIONS Formula-fed, full-term infants maintain a lipid and fatty acid status close to that of breastfed infants when supplied with dietary LCP and cholesterol.
Indoor environment, atopy and the risk of asthma in children in New Zealand

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between the indoor environment, atopy and asthma in 7–9‐year‐old children. Cases and controls were randomly selected from children who participated in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) in Wellington, New Zealand. Cases were children with a previous diagnosis of asthma and current medication use (n = 233) and controls were children with no history of wheezing and no diagnosis of asthma (n = 241). Information was recorded about the indoor environment during the first year of life and currently. Dust was sampled from floors and beds and Der p 1 and Fel d 1 measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays. Skin‐prick tests were performed with eight common allergens. Sensitization to Dermatophagoides farinae (OR = 3.19; 95% CI 1.74–5.84), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (OR = 2.06; 95% CI 1.16–3.65) and cat (OR = 3.89; 95% CI 1.06–14.30) were independently associated with current asthma. The use of a sheepskin in the first year of life (OR = 1.91; 95% CI 1.11–3.33) was also independently associated with current asthma but current Der p 1 levels showed no association with current asthma. Exposures in early life may be more important than current exposures in determining asthma at age 7–9 years. Prospective studies are needed in New Zealand to determine the relative importance of early life exposures to Der p 1 and other risk factors for asthma.
Results of surgical resection of liver metastases from non‐colorectal primaries

Advances in the field of liver surgery have lowered its associated mortality and morbidity rates, and hepatic resection for metastatic disease is increasingly performed. There are few well defined guidelines for the heterogeneous group of non‐colorectal metastases. This study analysed the risks and benefits of surgical resection for liver metastases from non‐colorectal primaries.
Prediction of the Efficacy of Pulmonary Vein Isolation for the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation by the Signal‐Averaged P‐Wave Duration

Background: The noninvasive methods for predicting a successful pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) have not been well described. The aim of this study was to assess the usefulness of the P‐wave signal‐averaged electrocardiogram (P‐SAECG) in predicting the chance of a successful PVI in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF).
Immunization to Porphyromonas gingivalis enhances the local pro-inflammatory response to subcutaneous bacterial challenge.

BACKGROUND, AIMS Human and animal studies have suggested that immunization to P. gingivalis might be beneficial for controlling periodontitis, by the induction of protective antibody response. The present study was designed to examine the effect of immunization on the local cellular, cytokine and antibody response to P. gingivalis in mice. METHODS Subcutaneous chambers were implanted in 3 groups of mice. 2 groups were then immunized with P. gingivalis in either incomplete Freund's (IFA) or an Alum-based adjuvant. The 3rd group served as the control. At baseline, all mice were challenged with an intra-chamber injection of P. gingivalis. Chamber exudates were sampled at baseline, 1 and 7 days post-challenge, following by determination of leukocyte counts and the cytokines TNF-alpha, IFNgamma (pro-inflammatory) and IL-10 (anti-inflammatory). IgG levels to P. gingivalis were analyzed in both the exudates and serum. RESULTS Leukocyte accumulation increased in the chambers over the study period and was more marked in the immunized groups. P. gingivalis challenge induced the expression of the tested cytokines in all groups. Levels of IFNgamma showed a significantly greater increase in the immunized groups on day 1 post-challenge. By day 7, the levels in the controls had reached those of the immunized groups. IL-10 levels were significantly higher in the control group compared to the immunized groups on day 1 and by day 7 they were reduced significantly in all groups to barely detectable levels. While there were no significant differences in TNF-alpha levels between IFA and control groups, they were significantly higher in the Alum group on day 0 and 7. Both immunization protocols induced anti-P. gingivalis IgG. The Alum group achieved the highest antibody levels, which were due to the increased expression of IgG1, a marker of a Th2-response. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that immunization to P. gingivalis results in enhanced expression of pro-inflammatory, tissue-destructive cytokines in the inflammatory site. The nature of the adjuvant used for immunization allows manipulation of the T-cell response, and alum was more effective in reducing the inflammatory response than IFA.
Pharmacological adjuncts for chronic venous ulcer healing: a systematic review

Background The aim of this study was to systematically review the current evidence and determine whether there is a clinical benefit for using pharmacological agents as adjunctive treatment for chronic venous ulcers. Method A systematic review of the MEDLINE and EMBASE (from 1 January 1947 through 15 August 2013) and Cochrane databases (from inception through 15 August 2013) was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Inclusion criteria were all randomised controlled trials investigating pharmacological adjuncts for the treatment of venous ulcers with a minimum sample size of 20 patients for each treatment arm. Results Ten relevant articles were identified; one pilot randomised controlled trial and four Cochrane reviews were included. Pentoxifylline, aspirin, sulodexide, mesoglycan, flavonoids, thromboxane A2 antagonist (ifetroban), zinc, prostaglandin and prostacyclin analogues were the drugs reviewed. Pentoxifylline was found to be more effective than placebo in terms of complete ulcer healing or in causing a significant improvement (greater than 60% reduction in ulcer size) (RR 1.70, 95% CI 1.30 to 2.24). Aspirin and flavonoids show potential to be effective adjuncts but methodological shortcomings and issues with bias limit the validity of results from trials involving each of these drugs, respectively. There was no significant difference between placebo and Ifetroban and likewise pooled results from trials investigating sulodexide and zinc showed no benefit in comparison to placebo. Conclusion Many systemic pharmacological agents have been investigated as adjuncts to venous ulcer healing; however, pentoxifylline (400 mg, three times a day) is currently the only drug that has promising evidence to support its use. Other compounds are in early stage research.
Aging of Dry Desiccation-Tolerant Pollen Does Not Affect Protein Secondary Structure

Protein secondary structure and membrane phase behavior in aging Typha latifolia pollen were studied by means of Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy (FTIR). Membranes isolated from fresh pollen occurred mainly in the liquid crystalline phase at room temperature, whereas the membrane fluidity of aged pollen was drastically decreased. This decrease did not result in large-scale irreversible protein aggregation, as was concluded from in situ FTIR assessment of the amide-1 bands. Curve-fitting on the infrared absorbance spectra enabled estimation of the proportion of different classes of protein secondary structure. Membrane proteins had a relatively large amount of [alpha]-helical structure (48%; band at 1658 cm-1), and turn-like structures (at 1637 and 1680 cm-1) were also detected. The secondary protein structure of isolated cytoplasmic proteins resembled that of proteins in whole pollen and was conserved upon drying in the absence of sucrose. The isolated cytoplasmic proteins had a large amount of [alpha]-helical structure (43%), and also [beta]-sheet (at 1637 and 1692 cm-1) and turn structures were detected. Heat-denaturing experiments with intact hydrated pollen showed low (1627 cm-1) and high (1692 cm-1) wave number bands indicating irreversible protein aggregates. The results presented in this paper show that FTIR is an extremely suitable technique to study protein secondary structure in intact plant cells of different hydration levels and developmental stages.
Connectivity Patterns Revealed by Mapping of Active Inputs on Dendrites of Thalamorecipient Neurons in the Auditory Cortex

Despite being substantially outnumbered by intracortical inputs on thalamorecipient neurons, thalamocortical projections efficiently deliver acoustic information to the auditory cortex. We hypothesized that thalamic projections may achieve effectiveness by forming synapses at optimal locations on dendritic trees of cortical neurons. Using two-photon calcium imaging in dendritic spines, we constructed maps of active thalamic and intracortical inputs on dendritic trees of thalamorecipient cortical neurons in mouse thalamocortical slices. These maps revealed that thalamic projections synapse preferentially on stubby dendritic spines within 100 μm of the soma, whereas the locations and morphology of spines that receive intracortical projections have a less-defined pattern. Using two-photon photolysis of caged glutamate, we found that activation of stubby dendritic spines located perisomatically generated larger postsynaptic potentials in the soma of thalamorecipient neurons than did activation of remote dendritic spines or spines of other morphological types. These results suggest a novel mechanism of reliability of thalamic projections: the positioning of crucial afferent inputs at optimal synaptic locations.
M2-m2 Beamforming for Virtual MIMO Broadcasting in Multi-Hop Relay Networks

The emerging demand for multi-hop relay networks requires significant improvement of the end-to-end throughput through the development of a more advanced transmission technology. Research on multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) has been actively pursued for achieving channel throughput improvements for cellular networks. In a multi-hop ad-hoc network, it is difficult for each sensor node to have multiple transmit antennas, therefore, virtual MIMO has been introduced as an extended version of cellular MIMO. The conventional virtual MIMO scheme requires additional complexity in order to implement the same functionality used for cellular systems. Therefore, we propose a new framework for the broadcast virtual MIMO system (BVMS) by developing an innovative max-min/min-max (M2-m2) beamforming technology optimized for the multi-hop relay network. Compared to the conventional singular value decomposition (SVD)-based or random beamforming technologies, M2-m2 beamforming significantly improves the end-to-end channel throughput up to the optimal bound for the BVMS over a multi-hop relay network.
Major histocompatibility complex class II hyperexpression on B cells in interleukin 4‐transgenic mice does not lead to B cell proliferation and hypergammaglobulinemia

The murine interleukin 4 (IL 4)‐encoding cDNA expressed under the control of the immunoglobulin heavy chain enhancer/promoter was inserted into the mouse germ line. All B cells present in the IL 4 transgenic mice show a marked increase in expression of class II histocompatibility (Ia) antigens compared to B cells from control mice. In vivo 5‐bromo‐2′‐deoxyuridine incorporation and cell cycle analysis revealed no significant increase in B cell proliferation in spleens of IL 4 transgenic mice compared to littermate controls. Likewise, serum immunoglobulin concentrations in IL4 transgenic mice were not increased. From these experiments we conclude that Ia hyperexpression on B cells per se does not induce activation of autoreactive T cells leading to B cell proliferation or hypergammaglobulinemia.
Haplotype structure and selection of the MDM2 oncogene in humans

The MDM2 protein is an ubiquitin ligase that plays a critical role in regulating the levels and activity of the p53 protein, which is a central tumor suppressor. A SNP in the human MDM2 gene (SNP309 T/G) occurs at frequencies dependent on demographic history and has been shown to have important differential effects on the activity of the MDM2 and p53 proteins and to associate with altered risk for the development of several cancers. In this report, the haplotype structure of the MDM2 gene is determined by using 14 different SNPs across the gene from three different population samples: Caucasians, African Americans, and the Ashkenazi Jewish ethnic group. The results presented in this report indicate that there is a substantially reduced variability of the deleterious SNP309 G allele haplotype in all three populations studied, whereas multiple common T allele haplotypes were found in all three populations. This observation, coupled with the relatively high frequency of the G allele haplotype in both and Caucasian and Ashkenazi Jewish population data sets, suggests that this haplotype could have undergone a recent positive selection sweep. An entropy-based selection test is presented that explicitly takes into account the correlations between different SNPs, and the analysis of MDM2 reveals a significant departure from the standard assumptions of selective neutrality.