Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Microbial succession of Debaryomyces hansenii strains during the production of Danish surfaced-ripened cheeses.

Surface-ripened cheeses of the Danbo type were analyzed for the presence of yeasts with special emphasis on Debaryomyces hansenii. Samples were taken from pasteurized milk, brine, and inoculation slurries and from cheese surfaces during ripening at a Danish dairy. D. hansenii was found to be the dominant yeast species throughout the ripening period, whereas other yeast species such as Trichosporon spp. , Rhodotorula spp. , and Candida spp. were found in minor concentrations during early stages of cheese ripening. Mitochondrial DNA RFLP was used to show that several strains of D. hansenii were present from the onset of ripening. Thereafter, a microbial succession among the strains took place during the ripening. After 3 d of ripening, only one strain was found. This particular strain was found to be dominant in 16 additional batches of surface-ripened cheeses. We investigated the cause of the observed microbial succession by determining the variation in strains with regard to their ability to grow on lactate and at different pH and NaCl concentrations. The strains were shown to vary in their ability to grow on lactate. In a full factorial design at three levels with factor levels close to the actual levels on the cheese surface, differences in pH and NaCl tolerances were observed. The dominant strain was found to be better adapted than other strains to the environmental conditions existing in surface-ripened cheeses during production [e.g., lactate as the main carbon source, pH 5.5 to 6.0 and NaCl concentrations of 7 to 10% (wt/vol)].
Measurements of the anaplerotic rate in the human cerebral cortex using 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy and [1‐13C] and [2‐13C] glucose

Recent studies in rodent and human cerebral cortex have shown that glutamate‐glutamine neurotransmitter cycling is rapid and the major pathway of neuronal glutamate repletion. The rate of the cycle remains controversial in humans, because glutamine may come either from cycling or from anaplerosis via glial pyruvate carboxylase. Most studies have determined cycling from isotopic labeling of glutamine and glutamate using a [1‐13C]glucose tracer, which provides label through neuronal and glial pyruvate dehydrogenase or via glial pyruvate carboxylase. To measure the anaplerotic contribution, we measured 13C incorporation into glutamate and glutamine in the occipital‐parietal region of awake humans while infusing [2‐13C]glucose, which labels the C2 and C3 positions of glutamine and glutamate exclusively via pyruvate carboxylase. Relative to [1‐13C]glucose, [2‐13C]glucose provided little label to C2 and C3 glutamine and glutamate. Metabolic modeling of the labeling data indicated that pyruvate carboxylase accounts for 6 ± 4% of the rate of glutamine synthesis, or 0.02 μmol/g/min. Comparison with estimates of human brain glutamine efflux suggests that the majority of the pyruvate carboxylase flux is used for replacing glutamate lost due to glial oxidation and therefore can be considered to support neurotransmitter trafficking. These results are consistent with observations made with arterial–venous differences and radiotracer methods.
Exploring nurse leader fatigue: a mixed methods study

AIM To describe hospital nurse leaders' experiences of fatigue. BACKGROUND Fatigue is a critical challenge in nursing. Existing literature focuses on staff nurse fatigue, yet nurse leaders are exposed to high demands that may contribute to fatigue and associated risks to patient, nurse and organisational outcomes. METHODS A mixed method approach comprising semi-structured interviews and the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion Recovery scale with 21 nurse administrators (10 nurse managers and 11 nurse executives) from hospitals in a Midwestern state. RESULTS Most nurse leaders experience fatigue; nurse managers reported higher levels of chronic fatigue. Participants identified multiple sources of fatigue including 24 h accountability and intensity of role expectations, and used a combination of wellness, restorative, social support and boundary setting strategies to cope with fatigue. The consequences of nurse leader fatigue include an impact on decision-making, work-life balance and turnover intent. CONCLUSIONS The high prevalence of nurse leader fatigue could impact the turnover intent of nurse administrators and quality of care. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT This study highlights the significance and consequences of nurse leader fatigue. As health care organisations continue to raise awareness and establish systems to reduce nurse fatigue, policies and programmes must be adapted to address nurse leader fatigue.
Periodicity of dental recall visits for young children first seen in community health centers.

OBJECTIVES To study the factors associated with young children who had their first dental visit (FDV) at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and returned within 12 months for a second dental episode. METHODS Two hundred Medicaid-enrolled children who were less than 6 years old were randomly selected from five Iowa FQHCs. Dental utilization was followed for 36 months using dental charts and Medicaid medical and dental claims data, regardless of provider. Child's birth certificate data were also used as covariates. Multivariable logistic regression, using backward elimination, was used to identify variables that were associated with whether a child returned for a dental recall visit within 1 year of the initial dental episode. RESULTS About 56% of the children returned for dental care within 1 year of their initial episode. The number of children in the household had a positive impact on children returning for a second dental episode. However, an increase in the frequency of medical well-child visits at the FQHC prior to the FDV had a negative influence. Unadjusted analysis demonstrated that children with dental caries at the FDV were less likely to return within 12 months; however, this variable failed to make the final regression model. Moreover, age at FDV did not make a difference in regard to returning for a second episode within 12 months. CONCLUSIONS The experience gained from having other Medicaid-enrolled children in the household appears to be important for younger children entering into continuous and comprehensive dental care.
Prevalence and Predictors of Postpartum Depression Among Arabic Muslim Jordanian Women Serving in the Military

The purpose of this cross-sectional correlational study was to investigate the prevalence of symptoms and psychosocial predictors of postpartum depression (PPD) among Arabic Muslim Jordanian women serving in the military. Jordanian active-duty military women who had given birth within the last year (n = 300) and were working in 4 military hospitals participated in the study. Tools used included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Impact of Event Scale–Revised, and the Multidimensional Perception of Social Support. Sixty-seven percent of study participants had mild to moderate symptoms of PPD, and 16% had high levels of symptoms of PPD. Seventy-five percent reported having adequate social support, and 75% reported perceived stress above the cutoff score. There was a strong positive significant relationship between symptoms of PPD and perceptions of stress. There was a significant moderate negative relationship between symptoms of PPD and perception of social support. Income, intendedness of pregnancy, mode of birth, family social support, and perception of stress were the strongest predictors of PPD. There was a reciprocal relationship between PPD and psychosocial variables, with women having low levels of perceived stress and satisfaction with social support having fewer symptoms of postpartum. These findings demonstrate the need to address the psychosocial needs of Arabic Muslim Jordanian childbearing women serving in the military through comprehensive interventions. Findings highlight the importance of social support in decreasing perceived stress and symptoms of PPD in these women.
A reporter gene assay for high-throughput screening of G-protein-coupled receptors stably or transiently expressed in HEK293 EBNA cells grown in suspension culture.

We describe in detail a robust, sensitive, and versatile functional assay for G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293-EBNA (Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen) (designated 293E) cells. The ability to grow these cells in suspension, in conjunction with the use of the secreted form of the human placental alkaline phosphatase (SEAP) as the reporter enzyme transcriptionally regulated by 5-cyclic AMP (cAMP) response elements (CREs) (Chen et al., Anal. Biochem. 226, 349-354 (1995)), makes this CRE-SEAP assay potentially attractive for high-throughput screening (HTS). A 293E clonal cell line, stably transfected with the CRE-SEAP plasmid, was initially characterized with compounds known to activate intracellular signal transduction pathways similar to those activated by GPCRs. Forskolin and cAMP analogues were potent at inducing SEAP expression but calcium ionophores (A23187 and ionomycin) were without effect. The forskolin response was also potentiated by the protein kinase C activator phorbol myristate acetate as well as the phosphodiesterase inhibitor isobutylmethylxanthine. Previously established cell lines expressing the G(alphas)-coupled DP or the G(alphaq)-coupled-EP(1) prostanoid receptors were stably transfected with the reporter gene construct and clones were selected based on their ability to secrete SEAP upon agonist challenge. Pharmacological characterization of the DP and EP(1) receptors displayed a similar rank order of potency for several known prostanoids and related compounds to that previously reported using classical binding assays or other functional assays. The CRE-SEAP assay was also used to characterize the EP(1) receptor antagonists SC-51322, SC-51089, and AH6809. In summary, we have established a reporter gene assay for GPCRs that couple to both G(alphas) and G(alphaq) and is amenable to HTS of both agonists and antagonists.
TRANSPARENT TESTA1 interacts with R2R3-MYB factors and affects early and late steps of flavonoid biosynthesis in the endothelium of Arabidopsis thaliana seeds.

Wild type seed coats of Arabidopsis thaliana are brown due to the accumulation of proanthocyanidin pigments (PAs). The pigmentation requires activation of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis genes and mutations in some of these genes cause a yellow appearance of seeds, termed transparent testa (tt) phenotype. The TT1 gene encodes a WIP-type zinc finger protein and is expressed in the seed coat endothelium where most of the PAs accumulate in wild type plants. In this study we show that TT1 is not only required for correct expression of PA-specific genes in the seed coat, but also affects CHS, encoding the first enzyme of flavonoid biosynthesis. Many steps of this pathway are controlled by complexes of MYB and BHLH proteins with the WD40 factor TTG1. We demonstrate that TT1 can interact with the R2R3 MYB protein TT2 and that ectopic expression of TT2 can partially restore the lack in PA production in tt1. Reduced seed coat pigmentation was obtained using a TT1 variant lacking nuclear localisation signals. Based on our results we propose that the TT2/TT8/TTG1 regulon may also comprise early genes like CHS and discuss steps to further unravel the regulatory network controlling flavonoid accumulation in endothelium cells during A. thaliana seed development.
The Children's Depression Inventory: error in cutoff scores for screening purposes.

The Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) is used to screen for depression in school-age children. Such screening uses the manual's reported information on suggested cutoff scores. These cutoff scores are based on an erroneous base-rate calculation and an inadequate methodology. Data are provided showing that for the suggested cutoff scores of 13 or 20, the CDI has poor receiver-operating characteristics. Indeed, for the cutoff score of 20, suggested as being suitable for screening in the general population (e.g., schools), clinicians will miss 86% of depressed children. In conclusion, it is recommended that the CDI is better suited as a continuous measure of mood and that cutoff scores should not be used to screen for the likely presence or absence of depression.
Differential Diagnosis between Chronic versus Aggressive Periodontitis and Staging of Aggressive Periodontitis: A Cross-sectional Study

Background: Differentiating between chronic periodontitis (CP) and aggressive periodontitis (AgP) is challenging. The aim of this study was to assess the variations in diagnosis between CP versus AgP and the staging of AgP based on the disease-staging index for AgP among periodontists, specialists in oral medicine, and general dental practitioners (GDPs). Materials and Methods: Fifteen cases diagnosed as either CP or AgP were included in a “case document” and sent electronically to 75 respondents. Case document included a detailed history with periodontal charting, clinical features, images, and radiographs for all the cases. Diagnosis and staging for the case (if diagnosed as AgP) were requested. A reordered case document (cases in a different sequence) was again sent to respondents after a gap of 1 month. Statistical analysis: Descriptive statistics including frequency and percentage were calculated. Pearson's Chi-square test was used to analyze the data collected. Results: For the “case document,” 10.17% of the responses were different from those of the authors for diagnosis, whereas 4.48% of the responses were different from those of the authors for the staging of AgP. The agreement in the overall responses was in the range of 0.69–0.84, which was considered good. Comparison of the responses for diagnosis showed statistically significant (P = 0.009) difference between specialists in oral medicine and GDPs. Conclusions: Variations exist among respondents regarding the diagnosis of CP versus AgP. Staging of AgP based on the listed criteria showed low variations.
Cellular senescence and cancer

The proliferative lifespan of normal mammalian cells is limited by intrinsic controls, which desensitize the cell‐cycle machinery to extrinsic stimulation after a given number of cell divisions. One underlying clock driving this process of ‘replicative senescence’ is the progressive erosion of chromosome telomeres, which occurs with each round of DNA replication. This appears to trigger growth inhibition via activation of the tumour suppressor gene (TSG) product, p53, and the consequent up‐regulation of the cell‐cycle inhibitor p21WAF1. Other inhibitory pathways are also activated (possibly by additional clocks), including the TSG p16INK4a and the less well‐defined complementation group genes. Loss of one pathway can be compensated, after a limited extension of lifespan, by further up‐regulation of the others, so that to escape mortality a developing tumour must overcome multiple ‘proliferative lifespan barriers’ (PLBs) by successive genetic events, each conferring a new wave of clonal expansion. This provides one explanation for the existence of multiple genetic abnormalities in human cancers; furthermore, the diversity in the nature and timing of these PLBs between different cell types may explain the variation in the spectrum of abnormalities observed between the corresponding cancers. Even if all senescence pathways are inactivated, immortalization can only be achieved if erosion of telomeres is halted, before their end‐protecting function is lost. This usually requires either activation of telomerase during tumour development, if the cell of origin is telomerase‐negative, or up‐regulation if the normal cell already has some activity, but not enough to prevent erosion. In either case, cancers often maintain near‐critical telomere lengths; hence pharmacological inhibition of telomerase remains an attractive approach to the selective killing of tumour cells. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Comparison of the Molecular Bases for N-Methyl-d-Aspartate-Receptor Inhibition Versus Immobilizing Activities of Volatile Aromatic Anesthetics

BACKGROUND: Aromatic anesthetics exhibit a wide range of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor inhibitory potencies and immobilizing activities. We sought to characterize the molecular basis of NMDA receptor inhibition using comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), and compare the results to those from an equivalent model for immobilizing activity. METHODS: Published potency data for 14 compounds were supplemented with new values for 2 additional agents. The anesthetics were divided into a training set (n = 12) used to formulate the activity models and a test set (n = 4) used to independently assess the models’ predictive capability. The anesthetic structures were geometry optimized using ab initio quantum mechanics and aligned by field-fit minimization to provide the best correlation between the steric and electrostatic fields of the molecules and one or more lead structures. Orientations that yielded CoMFA models with the greatest predictive capability (assessed by leave-one-out cross-validation) were retained. RESULTS: The final CoMFA model for the inhibition of NR1/NR2B NMDA receptors explained 99.3% of the variance in the observed activities of the 12 training set agents (F2,9 = 661.5, P < 0.0001). The model effectively predicted inhibitory potency for the training set (cross-validated r2CV = 0.944) and 4 excluded test set compounds (predictive r2Pred = 0.966). The equivalent model for immobility in response to noxious stimuli explained 98.0% of the variance in the observed activities for the training set (F2,9 = 219.2, P < 0.0001) and exhibited adequate predictive capability for both the training set (r2CV = 0.872) and test set (r2Pred = 0.926) agents. Comparison of pharmacophoric maps showed that several key steric and electrostatic regions were common to both activity models, but differences were observed in the relative importance of these key regions with respect to the two aspects of anesthetic activity. CONCLUSIONS: The similarities in the pharmacophoric maps are consistent with NMDA receptors contributing part of the immobilizing activity of volatile aromatic anesthetics.
Preventive attitudes towards infection transmission in dental offices in North-East Romania.

AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge and the current attitudes towards infection control in the dental offices in the Northeast Romania. MATERIAL AND METHODS Questionnaire-based study conducted on 152 dentists aged between 25-65 years practicing in 6 Northeast Romania counties. The questionnaire included questions related to current infection control procedures and attitudes. Data were statistically analyzed using SPSS 14.0 and chi-square test (p<0.05). RESULTS The majority of the dentists (83.6%) consider that universities should provide a substantial education regarding infection control through postgraduate courses, but 7.2% of the respondents are not sure about their usefulness. The clinical decision related to patient's treatment is influenced by his infectious status for 67.8% of the dentists. Of these, 19.1% have over 20 years of practice and 48.0% are females. Almost all dentists (93.4%), regardless of gender (96.4% females and 87.8% males) undergo periodic testing for blood-borne viral infections (hepatitis B, C and HIV). Full protective equipment is used for all the patients by 86.2% of the dentists, while 12.5% use it only for the infectious ones. 65.2% of the dentists use steam sterilization equipment (autoclave), and 80,8% use dry heat. The majority of the dentists (82.6%) believe that the patient must always be informed about the adopted infection control measures, but 21.7% declare to do so only in some particular cases. CONCLUSIONS Dentists knowledge and attitudes towards infection control must be improved by educational interventions in order to adhere to the European standards.
RhoA–Rho kinase and platelet‐activating factor stimulation of ovine foetal pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation

Platelet‐activating factor (PAF) is produced by pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells (PVSMC). We studied effects of Rho kinase on PAF stimulation of PVSMC proliferation in an attempt to understand the role of RhoA/Rho kinase on PAF‐induced ovine foetal pulmonary vascular remodelling. Our hypothesis is that PAF acts through Rho kinase, as one of its downstream signals, to induce arterial (SMC‐PA) and venous (SMC‐PV) cell proliferation in the hypoxic lung environment of the foetus, in utero.
Charting a Course to Competency

Consistent with other professional fields, the goals of public health training have moved from a focus on knowledge transfer to the development of skills or competencies. At least six national competency sets have been developed in the past decade pertaining to public health professionals. State and local public health agencies are increasingly using competency sets as frameworks for staff development and assessment. Mapping competencies to training has potential for enhancing the value of public health training during resource-constrained times by directly linking training content to the desired skills. For existing public health trainings, the challenge is how to identify competencies addressed in those courses in a manner that is not burdensome and that produces valid results. This article describes a process for mapping competencies to the learning objectives, assignments, and assessments of existing trainings. The process presented could be used by any training center or organization that seeks to connect public health workforce competencies to previously developed instruction. Public health practice can be strengthened more effectively if trainings can be selected for the desired practice skills or competencies.
A Phase III Study of Belatacept‐based Immunosuppression Regimens versus Cyclosporine in Renal Transplant Recipients (BENEFIT Study)

Belatacept, a costimulation blocker, may preserve renal function and improve long‐term outcomes versus calcineurin inhibitors in kidney transplantation. This Phase III study (Belatacept Evaluation of Nephroprotection and Efficacy as First‐line Immunosuppression Trial) assessed a more intensive (MI) or less intensive (LI) regimen of belatacept versus cyclosporine in adults receiving a kidney transplant from living or standard criteria deceased donors. The coprimary endpoints at 12 months were patient/graft survival, a composite renal impairment endpoint (percent with a measured glomerular filtration rate (mGFR) <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 at Month 12 or a decrease in mGFR ≥10 mL/min/1.73 m2 Month 3–Month 12) and the incidence of acute rejection. At Month 12, both belatacept regimens had similar patient/graft survival versus cyclosporine (MI: 95%, LI: 97% and cyclosporine: 93%), and were associated with superior renal function as measured by the composite renal impairment endpoint (MI: 55%; LI: 54% and cyclosporine: 78%; p ≤ 0.001 MI or LI versus cyclosporine) and by the mGFR (65, 63 and 50 mL/min for MI, LI and cyclosporine; p ≤ 0.001 MI or LI versus cyclosporine). Belatacept patients experienced a higher incidence (MI: 22%, LI: 17% and cyclosporine: 7%) and grade of acute rejection episodes. Safety was generally similar between groups, but posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder was more common in the belatacept groups. Belatacept was associated with superior renal function and similar patient/graft survival versus cyclosporine at 1 year posttransplant, despite a higher rate of early acute rejection.