Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Varicella-zoster virus p32/p36 complex is present in both the viral capsid and the nuclear matrix of the infected cell

Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) directs the synthesis of numerous glycosylated and nonglycosylated infected-cell-specific proteins, many of which are later incorporated into the virion as structural components. In this study, we characterized a nonglycosylated polypeptide complex with the aid of a VZV-specific murine monoclonal antibody clone, 251D9. As detected by indirect immunofluorescence, the antibody bound mainly to antigens located within the nuclei of infected cells and did not attach to an uninfected cell substrate. The polypeptide specificity of the monoclonal antibody was determined by immunoblot analysis of electrophoretically separated infected cell extracts to react with a 32,000-molecular-weight VZV-specific protein (p32); in addition, the antibody also bound to a 36,000-molecular-weight polypeptide. The synthesis of these antigens was unaffected by inhibitors of glycosylation. Nonionic or ionic detergents were only marginally effective in solubilization of the p32-p36 complex, and relatively small amounts were eluted from nuclei by high salt concentrations (2 M NaCl). The same proteins remained associated with the nuclear matrix of VZV-infected cells. We also demonstrated that the protein complex was a major component of purified VZV nucleocapsids; p32 was especially prominent in both full and empty capsids. Immunoblot analysis of the nucleocapsid preparation revealed two additional species (p34 and p38) in the p32-p36 complex. Phosphorylation was a distinctive feature of some of the constituents. In summary, these results indicate that the p32-p36 complex represents a family of structural proteins closely associated with the assembly of VZV nucleocapsids and the encapsidation of viral DNA.
Meta-evaluation of published studies on evaluation of health disaster preparedness exercises through a systematic review

OBJECTIVE: Exercise evaluation is one of the most important steps and sometimes neglected in designing and taking exercises, in this stage of exercise, it systematically identifying, gathering, and interpreting related information to indicate how an exercise has fulfilled its objectives. The present study aimed to assess the most important evaluation techniques applied in evaluating health exercises for emergencies and disasters. METHODS: This was meta-evaluation study through a systematic review. In this research, we searched papers based on specific and relevant keywords in research databases including ISI web of science, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Ovid, ProQuest, Wiley, Google Scholar, and Persian database such as ISC and SID. The search keywords and strategies are followed; “simulation,” “practice,” “drill,” “exercise,” “instrument,” “tool,” “questionnaire,” “ measurement,” “checklist,” “scale,” “test,” “inventory,” “battery,” “evaluation,” “assessment,” “appraisal,” “emergency,” “disaster,” “cricise,” “hazard,” “catastrophe,: “hospital”, “prehospital,” “health centers,” “treatment centers,” were used in combination with Boolean operators OR and AND. RESULTS: The research findings indicate that there are different techniques and methods for data collection to evaluate performance exercises of health centers and affiliated organizations in disasters and emergencies including debriefing inventories, self-report, questionnaire, interview, observation, shooting video, and photographing, electronic equipment which can be individually or collectively used depending on exercise objectives or purposes. CONCLUSION: Taking exercise in the health sector is one of the important steps in preparation and implementation of disaster risk management programs. This study can be thus utilized to improve preparedness of different sectors of health system according to the latest available evaluation techniques and methods for better implementation of disaster exercise evaluation stages.
Critical Role of NOD2 in Regulating the Immune Response to Staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT NOD2 (the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain containing protein 2) is known to be involved in host recognition of bacteria, although its role in the host response to Staphylococcus aureus infection is unknown. NOD2-deficient (Nod2−/−) mice and wild-type (WT) littermate controls were injected intraperitoneally with S. aureus suspension (107 bacteria/g of body weight), and their survival was monitored. Cultured bone marrow-derived neutrophils were harvested from Nod2−/− and WT mice and tested for cytokine production and phagocytosis. Compared to WT mice, Nod2−/− mice were significantly more susceptible to S. aureus infection (median survival of 1.5 days versus >5 days; P = 0.003) and had a significantly higher bacterial tissue burden. Cultured bone marrow-derived neutrophils from Nod2−/− and WT mice had similar levels of peritoneal neutrophil recruitment and intracellular killing, but bone marrow-derived neutrophils from Nod2−/− mice had significantly reduced ability to internalize fluorescein-labeled S. aureus. Nod2−/− mice had significantly higher levels of Th1-derived cytokines in serum (tumor necrosis factor alpha, gamma interferon, and interleukin-2 [IL-2]) compared to WT mice, whereas the levels of Th2-derived cytokines (IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10) were similar in Nod2−/− and WT mice. Thus, mice deficient in NOD2 are more susceptible to S. aureus. Increased susceptibility is due in part to defective neutrophil phagocytosis, elevated serum levels of Th1 cytokines, and a higher bacterial tissue burden.
Oligoclonal Measles Virus‐Specific IgG Antibodies Isolated from Cerebrospinal Fluids, Brain Extracts, and Sera from Patients with Subacute Sclerosing Panencephalitis and Multiple Sclerosis

Measles virus‐specific antibodies were isolated from sera, cerebrospinal fluids (CSF), and brain extracts of patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) and multiple sclerosis (MS) by absorption with measles antigens and subsequent acid elution of the antigen–antibody precipitates. Electrophoretically homogeneous measles antibodies were isolated from CSF or brain extracts in five patients with SSPE and in five out of seven patients with MS. Homogeneous IgG antibodies were also demonstrated in the sera from all SSPE patients and from three of the MS patients. The antibodies isolated from various control sera and from pooled CSF were electrophoretically heterogeneous. The results support the concept of a local synthesis in the nervous system of oligoclonal IgG antibodies to measles virus in all patients with SSPH and in some patients with MS. In SSPE, most or all oligoclonal IgG proteins of the CSF or brain carry measles antibody activities. In MS, only part of the oligoclonal IgG appears to be associated with measles antibody activity
Reverse Genetics Demonstrates that Proteolytic Processing of the Ebola Virus Glycoprotein Is Not Essential for Replication in Cell Culture

ABSTRACT Ebola virus, a prime example of an emerging pathogen, causes fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans and in nonhuman primates. Identification of major determinants of Ebola virus pathogenicity has been hampered by the lack of effective strategies for experimental mutagenesis. Here we exploit a reverse genetics system that allows the generation of Ebola virus from cloned cDNA to engineer a mutant Ebola virus with an altered furin recognition motif in the glycoprotein (GP). When expressed in cells, the GP of the wild type, but not of the mutant, virus was cleaved into GP1 and GP2. Although posttranslational furin-mediated cleavage of GP was thought to be an essential step in Ebola virus infection, generation of a viable mutant Ebola virus lacking a furin recognition motif in the GP cleavage site demonstrates that GP cleavage is not essential for replication of Ebola virus in cell culture.
Underwater caves sonar data set

This paper describes a data set collected with an autonomous underwater vehicle testbed in the unstructured environment of an underwater cave complex. The vehicle is equipped with two mechanically scanned imaging sonar sensors to simultaneously map the caves horizontal and vertical surfaces, a Doppler velocity log, two inertial measurement units, a depth sensor, and a vertically mounted camera imaging the sea floor for ground truth validation at specific points. The testbed collected the data in July 2013, guided by a human diver, to sidestep autonomous navigation in a complex environment. For ease of use, the original robot operating system bag files are provided together with a version combining imagery and human-readable text files for processing on other environments.
Infinite-variance, alpha-stable shocks in monetary SVAR

This paper outlines a theory of what might be going wrong in the monetary SVAR (structural vector autoregression) literature and provides supporting empirical evidence. The theory is that macroeconomists may be attempting to identify structural forms that do not exist, given the true distribution of the innovations in the reduced-form VAR. This paper shows that this problem occurs whenever (1) some innovation in the VAR has an infinite-variance distribution and (2) the matrix of coefficients on the contemporaneous terms in the VAR's structural form is nonsingular. Since (2) is almost always required for SVAR analysis, it is germane to test hypothesis (1). Hence, in this paper, we fit α-stable distributions to the residuals from 3-lag and 12-lag monetary VARs, and, using a parametric-bootstrap method, we reject the null hypotheses of finite variance (or equivalently, α = 2) for all 12 error terms in the two VARs. These results are mostly robust to a sample break at the February 1984 observations. Moreover, ARCH tests suggest that the shocks from the subperiod VARs are homoskedastic in seven of 24 instances. Next, we compare the fits of the α-stable distributions with those of t distributions and a GARCH(1,1) shock model. This analysis suggests that the time-invariant α-stable distributions provide the best fits for two of six shocks in the VAR(12) specification and three of six shocks in the VAR(3). Finally, we use the GARCH model as a filter to obtain homoskedastic shocks, which also prove to have α < 2, according to ML estimates.
Voltage-Dependent Block of Locust Muscle Glutamate Channels by Chlorisondamine

Chlorisondamine reversibly reduced the amplitude of the neurally evoked twitch of locust retractor unguis muscle in a dose-dependent manner and also blocked agonist-induced contractions. Depolarizations elicited by ionophoresis of 1-glutamate were also reduced in amplitude by chlorisondamine, but there was no effect of this drug on desensitization. Neurally evoked synaptic currents were reduced in amplitude, their rise time was decreased and their decay phase made biphasic (or more complex) by chlorisondamine (>10−5 mol 1−1). These effects of chlorisondamine were voltage-dependent, such that at very hyperpolarized potentials (−120 mV and −140 mV) there was an apparent reduction in the degree of block. Single-channel studies indicate that chlorisondamine acts to block the channel both in the open and the closed form and that these actions are dependent on concentration and voltage. The actions of chlorisondamine are discussed in relation to the basic kinetic models of channel block.
Dorsally derived spinal interneurons in locomotor circuits

During neuronal circuit formation, axons are guided to their targets by the help of axon guidance molecules, which are required for establishing functional circuits. A promising system to dissect the development and functionalities of neuronal circuitry is the spinal cord central pattern generator (CPG) for locomotion, which converts a tonic supraspinal drive to rhythmic and coordinated movements. Here we describe concepts arising from genetic studies of the locomotor network with a focus on the position and roles of commissural interneurons. In particular, this involves studies of several families of axon guidance molecules relevant for midline crossing, the Eph/ephrins and Netrin/DCC. Effects on developing commissural interneurons in mice with aberrant midline axon guidance capabilities suggest that, in addition to ventral populations, dorsal commissural interneurons also play a role in coordinating locomotor circuitry. Recent findings implicate the novel dI6 interneuron marker Dmrt3 in this role. Strikingly, mutations in Dmrt3 result in divergent gait patterns in both mice and horses.
Reference Intervals for Thyroid Function and the Negative Correlation between FT4 and HbA1c in Pregnant Women of West China.

BACKGROUND It is necessary to establish the reference intervals of thyroid hormones in the three trimesters and postpartum period of healthy pregnant women in western China. Thyroid hormones play important roles in metabolic processes. METHODS The concentrations of TPOAbs, TSH, and FT4 were measured by an ADVIA Centaur 2000 and HbA1c in the second trimester was measured by BIO-RAD D-10. RESULTS 3435 pregnant women and 834 non-pregnant women were selected to establish the reference intervals. The level of TSH was the lowest (from 0.051 to 4.489 mIU/L) in the first trimester (p < 0.001) and FT4 was lower in the second (from 10.97 to 15.49 pmol/L) or third trimester (from 9.49 to 16.25 pmol/L) compared with the other periods (p < 0.001). 20% of participants had TSH levels below the lower limit of the manufacturer's reference interval (0.55 mIU/L) in the first trimester. 6.9% in the second and 16.1% of participants in the third trimester had FT4 levels below the lower limit of the manufacturer's reference interval. In multiple regression analyses, FT4 was independently associated with HbA1c (OR = 0.191; 95% CI 0.052, 0.698; p = 0.012), BMI (OR = 0.697; 95% CI 0.525, 0.927; p = 0.013), and TSH (OR = 0.647; 95% CI 0.428, 0.978; p = 0.039). Nonpredictive variable was age. CONCLUSIONS The established reference intervals of TSH and FT4 reflected the changes of thyroid hormones veritably during gestation, and concentrations of FT4 in the first trimester were negatively correlated with HbA1c in the second trimester.
Registered Nurses’ experiences of patient participation in hospital care: supporting and hindering factors patient participation in care

BACKGROUND Promoting patient participation in care is an international priority identified by the World Health Organization and various national bodies around the world and an important aspect of person-centred care. AIM The aim of this study was to describe Registered Nurses' experiences with patient participation in nursing care including their barriers and facilitators for participation. METHOD The study setting was a University Hospital in Sweden. Interviews were conducted with twenty Registered Nurses working at medical wards in 2013. Thematic data analysis was used to analyse the transcribed interview data. RESULTS Twenty nurses from four wards in two hospitals were included. Five themes emerged from the analysis including listening to the patient, engaging the patient, relinquishing some responsibility, sharing power and partnering with patients. The core theme 'partnering with patients' was enacted when nurses listened to and engaged patients and when they relinquished responsibility and shared power with patients. In addition, hindering and facilitating factors to participation were identified, such as patients wanted to take on a passive role, lack of teamwork which participants understood would enhance interprofessional understanding and improve patient safety. Patient participation was hindered by medical jargon during the ward round, there was a risk of staff talking over patients' heads but sometimes inevitable having conversations at the patient's bedside. However, nurses preferred important decisions to be made away from bedside. CONCLUSIONS It all came down to partnering with the patient and participants described how they made an effort to respect the patients' view and accept patient as a part of the care team. Identified hindering factors for participation were lack of teamwork, patients' taking on passive roles and communication during ward rounds having conversations at the patient's bedside. Nurses wished for a change but lacked strategies on how. Nurses preferred important decisions to be made away from bedside.
Effect of Postoperative Morbidity on Long-term Survival After Hepatic Resection for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Purpose:Resection is the most effective treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (MCRC) to the liver. However, postoperative morbidity is common and its impact on long-term oncological outcome is unclear. The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of postoperative morbidity on the long-term outcome after liver resection for MCRC. Methods:Medical records of patients who underwent liver resection for MCRC with curative intent between 1991 and 2002 were reviewed. Patients who died of postoperative complications were excluded; operative and perioperative data, including morbidity and clinicopathological variables, were analyzed. Patients were stratified by disease extent and risk of recurrence using a clinical risk scoring system. Results:A total of 1067 patients were included in the study and the median follow-up period was 41 months. The overall morbidity rate was 42%; the 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall disease-free survival (DFS) rates of patients who had complications were 41% and 25%, respectively, compared with 48% and 33%, respectively, for patients who did not have complications (P = 0.0059 for DSS, P = 0.0053 for DFS). On multivariate analysis, morbidity was not an independent predictor of either DSS or DFS; however, in a subgroup of patients with low clinical risk scores, morbidity was associated with a significant reduction in both DSS and DFS. Conclusions:Postoperative morbidity adversely affects long-term outcome after hepatic resection for MCRC in patients at lower risk for recurrence. Efforts aimed at reducing perioperative morbidity will not only reduce usage of resources but will likely further enhance the therapeutic benefit of resection for such patients.
Occupational Medicine Forum

The Occupational Medicine Forum is prepared by the ACOEM Occupational and Environmental Medical Practice Committee and does not necessarily represent an official ACOEM position. The Forum is intended for health professionals and is not intended to provide medical or legal advice, including illness prevention, diagnosis or treatment, or regulatory compliance. Such advice should be obtained directly from a physician and/or attorney. Inquiries and contributions to the Forum should be forwarded to Joseph J. Schwerha, MD, MPH by E-mail at schwer@pitt.edu.
Sumatriptan–Naproxen Migraine Efficacy in Allodynic Patients: Early Intervention

Objective. — This study evaluated the effectiveness of a single fixed‐dose tablet of sumatriptan 85 mg/naproxen sodium 500 mg (sumatriptan–naproxen) using a very early treatment paradigm in migraine patients whose attacks were historically accompanied by cutaneous allodynia.
Test data compression using don't-care identification and statistical encoding [logic testing]

This paper describes a method of test data compression for a given test set using statistical encoding. In order to maximize the effectiveness of statistical encoding, the method first converts some specified input values in the test set to unspecified ones without losing fault coverage, and then reassigns appropriate logic values to the unspecified inputs. Experimental results for ISCAS-89 benchmark circuits show that the proposed method can on the average reduce the test data volume to less than 25% of that required for the original test set.
Echocardiographic Estimates of Left Ventricular Diastolic Dysfunction Do Not Predict the Clinical Course in Elderly Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Atrial Septal Defect Closure: Impact of Early Diastolic Mitral Annular Velocity

OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the effect of echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction on acute congestive heart failure after transcatheter atrial septal defect (ASD) closure in elderly patients. BACKGROUND Although there is concern that LV diastolic dysfunction develops acute congestive heart failure after ASD closure, limited information is available regarding the influence, especially in elderly patients with severe LV diastolic dysfunction. METHODS Two hundred consecutive patients older than 60 years were divided into 3 groups according to echocardiographic LV diastolic dysfunction: severe (early diastolic mitral annular velocity [e'] <5.0 cm/s), mild (5.0≤ e' <8.0 cm/s), and normal (e' ≥ 8.0 cm/s). Changes in plasma B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels were evaluated. RESULTS No patients with severe LV diastolic dysfunction developed acute congestive heart failure immediately after the procedure. BNP levels unchanged after the procedure in patients with severe LV diastolic dysfunction (126 ± 181 to 131 ± 148 pg/ml, P = 0.885), and this increase in BNP levels was not different from that between the diagnosis of ASD and the procedure. The change in BNP levels in patients with severe LV diastolic dysfunction, who were frequently treated with diuretics before the procedure, was equivalent to that in patients with mild LV diastolic dysfunction and normal LV diastolic function (5 ± 119 vs. 16 ± 101 vs. 9 ± 131 pg/ml, P = 0.724). CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that transcatheter ASD closure under volume management is safe and valuable in elderly patients with echocardiographic severe LV diastolic dysfunction.
Screening elite winter athletes for exercise induced asthma: a comparison of three challenge methods

Background: The reported prevalence of exercise induced asthma (EIA) in elite winter athletes ranges from 9% to 50%. Many elite winter athletes do not report symptoms of EIA. At present there is no gold standard test for EIA. Objective: To establish the efficacy of screening for EIA and examine the role of the eucapnic voluntary hyperventilation (EVH) challenge and laboratory based and sport specific exercise challenges in the evaluation of elite winter athletes. Methods: 14 athletes (mean (SD) age 22.6 (5.7) years, height 177.2 (7.0) cm, body mass 68.9 (16.9) kg) from the Great Britain short-track speed skating (n = 10) and biathlon teams (n = 4) were studied. Each athlete completed a laboratory based and sport specific exercise challenge as well as an EVH challenge, in randomised order. Results: All 14 athletes completed each challenge. Two had a previous history of asthma. Ten (including the two with a previous history) had a positive test to at least one of the challenges. Ten athletes had a positive response to EVH; of these, only three also had a positive response to the sport specific challenge. No athletes had a positive response to the laboratory based challenge. Conclusions: Elite athletes should be screened for EIA. EVH is a more sensitive challenge in asymptomatic athletes than sport specific and laboratory based challenges. If sporting governing bodies were to implement screening programmes to test athletes for EIA, EVH is the challenge of choice.