Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ExoS Controls the Cell Contact-Mediated Switch to Effector Secretion in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT Type III secretion is used by many gram-negative bacterial pathogens to directly deliver protein toxins (effectors) into targeted host cells. In all cases, secretion of effectors is triggered by host cell contact, although the mechanism is unclear. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, expression of all type III secretion-related genes is up-regulated when secretion is triggered. We were able to visualize this process using a green fluorescent protein reporter system and to use it to monitor the ability of bacteria to trigger effector secretion on cell contact. Surprisingly, the action of one of the major type III secreted effectors, ExoS, prevented triggering of type III secretion by bacteria that subsequently attached to cells, suggesting that triggering of secretion is feedback regulated. Evidence is presented that translocation (secretion of effectors across the host cell plasma membrane) of ExoS is indeed self-regulated and that this inhibition of translocation can be achieved by either of its two enzymatic activities. The translocator proteins PopB, PopD, and PcrV are secreted via the type III secretion system and are required for pore formation and translocation of effectors across the host cell plasma membrane. Here we present data that secretion of translocators is in fact not controlled by calcium, implying that triggering of effector secretion on cell contact represents a switch in secretion specificity, rather than a triggering of secretion per se. The requirement for a host cell cofactor to control effector secretion may help explain the recently observed phenomenon of target cell specificity in both the Yersinia and P. aeruginosa type III secretion systems.
Extracardiac Fontan conversion, cryoablation, and pacemaker placement for patients with a failed Fontan.

OBJECTIVE We review our experience with Fontan conversion and cryoablation in patients with an atriopulmonary Fontan in low cardiac output from arrhythmia or venous obstruction, including two patients with protein losing enteropathy. METHODS Fifteen patients (mean age 25.0 +/- 8.4 years) underwent extracardiac Fontan conversion, cryoablation, and pacemaker placement between November 1999 and December 2004. Twelve patients were in NYHA class III and three were in NYHA class IV. Twelve had clinically important intraatrial reentry tachycardia refractory to medical therapy. RESULTS Follow-up was between 2 and 62 months (mean 38.4 +/- 17.7). One death occurred at seven days after surgery due to sepsis and multisystem organ failure. The second death occurred at five days from myocardial depression following surgery. One patient with PLE preoperatively died to malnutrition and sepsis on POD number 52. The second patient with protein losing enteropathy had improved NYHA classification, cessation of albumin transfusions, and a normal stool alpha antitrypsin level (down from 4.1 mg/g preoperatively). All surviving patients improved NYHA classification to class I or II. Sustained arrhythmias could not be induced in any patient. One patient had recurrence of intraatrial reentrant tachycardia eleven months postoperatively that required electrical cardioversion and is currently well controlled on one medication. The other patients are not on any antiarrhythmic medical therapy. CONCLUSION Extracardiac Fontan, cryoablation, and pacemaker placement reduced atrial arrhythmias and improved NYHA classification. In selected patients, this operation offers improvement in clinical outcome and is an alternative to transplantation. Protein losing enteropathy may not be a contraindication to performing Fontan conversion with cryoablation.
Attitudes toward mentally ill patients: a comparison between Romanian and international medical students

Background Stigmatizing attitudes to mental illness, and especially schizophrenia, are not limited to the general population but are also common among health professionals. Health professionals are in a position to model health related attitudes both in the general public and patients. Medical students are an interesting group to focus upon, since they are future health professionals and correcting stigmatizing attitudes is still possible during their educational curriculum. Methods This study investigated the attitude toward mental illness in medical students at the Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy. We surveyed first year students, since they have not yet received specific classes or internships in psychiatry; 322 students from the Romanian and English sections participated, representing a response rate of 94.7%. The questionnaire consisted of the Romanian and English versions of Link’s Social Distance Scale towards people with mental illness scale. Results Overall, medical students had a relatively negative attitude towards people with mental illness, with moderate social distance and stereotypical attitudes. The level of personal contact with people with mental illness was correlated with positive attitudes. International students had scored lower then Romanian students on social distance toward mentally ill patients. Conclusions Medical education can play an important role in the attitudes of students toward mental illness. Medical students have stigmatizing attitudes about mentally ill patients. Personal contact with people suffering from mental illness might contribute to a positive attitude from the medical students toward mentally ill patients.
Course of psychomotor agitation during pharmacotherapy of depression: Analysis from double‐blind controlled trials with fluoxetine

Psychomotor agitation, a common clinical feature of major depression, may first emerge or intensify during pharmacotherapy. Whether agitation is part of the underlying course of depression or iatrogenic complicates treatment planning. We analyzed data from blinded clinical trials involving 4,737 patients with major depression assigned to a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (fluoxetine), a comparator antidepressant (usually a tricyclic antidepressant [TCA]), or placebo. Item 9 of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was used to assess the degree of psychomotor agitation. The vast majority of depressed patients exhibited baseline psychomotor agitation. The rate of increased agitation from baseline during acute pharmacotherapy was comparable between fluoxetine and either placebo or TCAs. Substantial emergence of psychomotor agitation also occurred at a similar incidence across the three treatment groups and typically appeared within the first 3 wk. Improvement in agitation was significantly more prominent (P < 0.001) among fluoxetine‐treated than among placebo‐treated patients. Fluoxetine‐treated patients demonstrated numerically superior improvement rates compared with TCA‐treated patients; however, this difference was not significant. Data derived from this large series of clinical trials suggested no evidence that either fluoxetine or TCAs induced psychomotor agitation at rates exceeding the natural course of the disorder over time (placebo cohort). On the contrary, pharmacotherapy with either fluoxetine or TCAs was typically associated with diminished agitation, probably as part of the response pattern of depression. Depression and Anxiety 4:294–311, 1996/1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Deficient CD4+ T Cell Priming and Regression of CD8+ T Cell Functionality in Virus-Infected Mice Lacking a Normal B Cell Compartment 1

In this study, we investigate the state of T cell-mediated immunity in B cell-deficient (B−/−) mice infected with two strains of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus known to differ markedly in their capacity to persist. In B−/− C57BL mice infected with the more persisting virus, virus-specific CD8+ T cells are initially generated that are qualitatively similar to those in wild-type mice. However, although cell numbers are well sustained over time, the capacity to produce cytokines is rapidly impaired. In similarly infected B−/− BALB/c mice, virus-specific CD8+ T cells are completely deleted, indicating that host genotype influences the severity of the T cell defect. In B−/− C57BL mice infected with the less persisting virus, CD8+ T cell dysfunction was not as pronounced, although it was clearly present. Most importantly, the appearance of dysfunctional CD8+ T cells clearly precedes recrudescence of detectable virus, indicating that the T cell defect is not simply a secondary event due to virus buildup resulting from the failure of B−/− mice to produce neutralizing Abs. In contrast with CD8+ T cells, which initially respond almost as in wild-type mice, the priming of virus-specific CD4+ T cells was markedly impaired in B−/− mice infected with either virus strain. Thus, our results indicate that B cells play an important role in antiviral immunity not only as Ab producers, but also in promoting an optimal and sustained T cell response. The T cell defects are likely to contribute to the chronic course of viral infection in B−/− mice.
Correlation of Peripapillary Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness by Scanning Laser Polarimetry with Visual Field Defects in Patients with Glaucoma

PurposeTo assess the correlation between the results of peripapillary scanning laser polarimetry of the retinal nerve fiber layer (NFL) and automated visual field testing in patients with open-angle glaucoma. MethodsVisual fields from 42 patients with varying stages of glaucoma were scored using Collaborative Initial Glaucoma Treatment Study (CIGTS) criteria. Mean deviation, pattern standard deviation, and CIGTS total and hemifield visual field scores were correlated with peripapillary NFL thickness measured by scanning laser polarimetry using summed, ratio-based, and modulation parameters. ResultsMean deviation and CIGTS total and upper hemifield score were significantly correlated with NFL retardation values using summed, ratio-based, or modulation parameters. The CIGTS lower hemifield score was significantly correlated with modulation parameter values only. Correlation of CIGTS scores was significantly stronger with modulation parameters than with summed parameters (total and lower hemifield scores) and ratio-based parameters (lower hemifield only) by the Hotelling t test. ConclusionRelative NFL thickness measured by scanning laser polarimetry correlates well with visual field defects seen on Humphrey perimetry of patients with open-angle glaucoma. Modulation parameters, in which the superior and inferior peak NFL thickness (as measured by scanning laser polarimetry) are adjusted for the patient's average minimum NFL thickness in the nasal and temporal quadrants, provided stronger correlation than summed parameters and ratio-based parameters.
Nucleotide sequence of yst, the Yersinia enterocolitica gene encoding the heat-stable enterotoxin, and prevalence of the gene among pathogenic and nonpathogenic yersiniae

The gene encoding the heat-stable enterotoxin (yst) was cloned from the chromosome of Yersinia enterocolitica W1024 (serotype O:9), and the nucleotide sequence was determined. The yst gene encodes a 71-amino-acid polypeptide. The C-terminal 30 amino acids of the predicted protein exactly correspond to the amino acid sequence of the toxin extracted from culture supernatants (T. Takao, N. Tominaga, and Y. Shimonishi, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 125:845-851, 1984). The N-terminal 18 amino acids have the properties of a signal sequence. The central 22 residues are removed during or after the secretion process. This organization in three domains (Pre, Pro, and mature Yst) resembles that of the enterotoxin STa of Escherichia coli. The degree of conservation between the E. coli and Y. enterocolitica toxins is much lower in the Pre and the Pro domains than in the mature proteins. The mature toxin of Y. enterocolitica is much larger than that of E. coli, but the active domain appears to be highly conserved. The yst gene of Y. enterocolitica introduced in E. coli K-12 directed the secretion of an active toxin. The cloned yst gene was used as an epidemiological probe among a collection of 174 strains representative of all Yersinia species except Yersinia pestis and numerous Y. enterocolitica subgroups. In Y. enterocolitica, there was a clear-cut difference between pathogenic and nonpathogenic strains: 89 of 89 pathogenic and none of 51 nonpathogenic strains contained yst-homologous DNA, suggesting that Yst is involved in pathogenesis. Among the other Yersinia species, only four strains of Yersinia kristensenii had DNA homologous to yst.
The dependence potential of short half-life benzodiazepines: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES The dependence potential of benzodiazepine medications is now widely recognized, but uncertainty exists as to whether use of short half-life vs long half-life drugs results in greater dependence. The present study reports a meta-analysis of the extant research to evaluate the dependence potential of different types of benzodiazepines. METHOD Seven studies were found that specifically compared long half-life and short half-life benzodiazepines and allowed statistical comparison by their homogeneous dependent variables. Drugs in these studies were used as daytime sedatives. RESULTS Substantial evidence was found for differential effects of short vs long half-life drugs at withdrawal. In all studies, dropouts were higher among short half-life subjects. In the random-assignment short-term use studies, Hamilton Anxiety Scale scores showed higher incidence of rebound among subjects who used the short half-life drugs. CONCLUSIONS The present meta-analysis confirms clinical impressions of the greater dependence potential of short vs long half-life benzodiazepines. Doctors, patients, and policymakers need to be informed so as to avoid harm to the public health through unintended drug dependence.
Private Equity Characteristics and Performance: An Analysis of North American Venture Capital and Buyout Funds

The paper investigates the relationship between fund performance and fund characteristics of North American private equity (PE) funds, by analyzing the interactions of fund size, fund sequence, and past fund performance on traditional fund return measures. The empirical evidence is based on both linear and polynomial regressions, on a sample of 345 venture capital (VC) and 411 buyout (BO) funds with vintage year over the period 1995–2010. We document a concave relationship between fund size and performance, persistence in PE performance, as well as a convex relationship between fund sequence and performance. We suggest both the optimal fund size and the optimal fund sequence number. Economic implications for investors and general partners are discussed as well.
Diagnostic criteria for chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS)

&NA; Chronic lymphocytic inflammation with pontine perivascular enhancement responsive to steroids (CLIPPERS) is a central nervous system inflammatory syndrome predominantly affecting the brainstem, cerebellum, and spinal cord. Following its initial description, the salient features of CLIPPERS have been confirmed and expanded upon, but the lack of formalized diagnostic criteria has led to reports of patients with dissimilar features purported to have CLIPPERS. We evaluated clinical, radiological and pathological features of patients referred for suspected CLIPPERS and propose diagnostic criteria to discriminate CLIPPERS from non‐CLIPPERS aetiologies. Thirty‐five patients were evaluated for suspected CLIPPERS. Clinical and neuroimaging data were reviewed by three neurologists to confirm CLIPPERS by consensus agreement. Neuroimaging and neuropathology were reviewed by experienced neuroradiologists and neuropathologists, respectively, both of whom were blinded to the clinical data. CLIPPERS was diagnosed in 23 patients (18 male and five female) and 12 patients had a non‐CLIPPERS diagnosis. CLIPPERS patients' median age of onset was 58 years (interquartile range, 24–72) and were followed a median of 44 months (interquartile range 38–63). Non‐CLIPPERS patients' median age of onset was 52 years (interquartile range, 39–59) and were followed a median of 27 months (interquartile range, 14–47). Clinical symptoms of gait ataxia, diplopia, cognitive impairment, and facial paraesthesia did not discriminate CLIPPERS from non‐CLIPPERS. Marked clinical and radiological corticosteroid responsiveness was observed in CLIPPERS (23/23), and clinical worsening occurred in all 12 CLIPPERS cases when corticosteroids were discontinued. Corticosteroid responsiveness was common but not universal in non‐CLIPPERS [clinical improvement (8/12); radiological improvement (2/12); clinical worsening on discontinuation (3/8)]. CLIPPERS patients had brainstem predominant perivascular gadolinium enhancing lesions on magnetic resonance imaging that were discriminated from non‐CLIPPERS by: homogenous gadolinium enhancing nodules <3 mm in diameter without ring‐enhancement or mass effect, and homogenous T2 signal abnormality not significantly exceeding the T1 enhancement. Brain neuropathology on 14 CLIPPERS cases demonstrated marked CD3‐positive T‐lymphocyte, mild B‐lymphocyte and moderate macrophage infiltrates, with perivascular predominance as well as diffuse parenchymal infiltration (14/14), present in meninges, white and grey matter, associated with variable tissue destruction, astrogliosis and secondary myelin loss. Clinical, radiological and pathological feature define CLIPPERS syndrome and are differentiated from non‐CLIPPERS aetiologies by neuroradiological and neuropathological findings.
Complaints of neurotic patients that are of interest for a cardiologist

Background: Patients in various areas of medicine report symptoms that are unexplained by other medical reasons than psychological/psychiatric. Some of them urgently seek treatment due to cardiovascular complaints, mostly rapid heart rate, palpitations and chest pain. Typical cardiac investigations, usually showing no organic reasons for these conditions, bring little information about stressful life events and psychological predispositions of these patients. Identification of coexistence of “cardiac” symptoms with other symptoms typical for neurotic disorders and difficult life circumstances may facilitate not only psychiatric diagnosis but also evaluation by cardiologists, primary care physicians, and other specialists. Aim: To determine the psychosocial context of psychogenic “pseudocardiac” symptoms and their coexistence with other symptoms in patients with neurotic disorders. Methods: Medical records of patients from the years 1980–2002 that included self-administered questionnaires transformed into an anonymised database were examined. An analysis of the relationship between symptoms reported in the Symptom Checklist and biographical circumstances described in the Life Inventory before admission to a psychotherapy day clinic for patients with neurotic disorders was performed using simple logistic regression with estimation of odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals. Results: The symptoms of tachycardia/palpitations and chest pain were very common, present in most subjects, and were significantly associated with such circumstances as suboptimal conflict solving by passive aggression or quarrels, uncertainty in the relationship, a sense of being inferior to the partner, and poor financial situation. In addition, these “pseudocardiac” symptoms were also associated with such childhood reminiscences as origin from a large low income family, feeling that the family of origin was inferior to others, and experience of parental hostility or lack of support. Conclusions: Physicians of all specialties who deal with patients experiencing pseudocardiac symptoms should expect their psychological background and perform a simple interview to identify the presence of adverse biographical circumstances described above. Identification and discussing these difficult experiences with the patients may help to convince them to seek psychological support or psychotherapy.
Electronic Properties and Orientation-Dependent Performance of InAs Nanowire Transistors

The electronic properties, namely, the band structures, the band gaps, and the electron effective masses of hydrogen-passivated InAs nanowires grown in 〈100〉 , 〈110〉, and 〈111〉 crystallographic directions are studied using sp<sup>3</sup>d<sup>5</sup>s* orbital-basis tight-binding model. We then parameterize the band gaps and electron effective masses to facilitate device simulation and to study the orientation-dependent performance of n-channel InAs nanowire transistors using a top-of-the-barrier model. The 〈111〉 and 〈110〉 wire transistors have better performance metrics. The quantum-confinement effect is largest in the 〈100〉 wire, which results in a higher band gap and a heavier effective mass for relatively smaller diameter wires. The consequence is lower current, higher density of states, higher quantum capacitance, and longer delay in the 〈100〉 wire transistors. The 〈110〉 and 〈111〉 wires have a very similar quantum-confinement effect, even for the smaller diameters, which results in similar band gaps, similar effective masses, and similar performance metrics.
Air pollution and emergency department visits for asthma in Windsor, Canada.

OBJECTIVES The city of Windsor is recognized to have poor air quality in comparison with other Canadian cities. However, relatively few studies have evaluated associations between day-to-day fluctuations in air pollution levels and respiratory health in Windsor. In this study, we examined associations between short-term changes in ambient air pollution and emergency department (ED) visits for asthma in Windsor. METHODS A time-stratified case-crossover design was applied to 3,728 ED visits for asthma that occurred in Windsor area hospitals between 2002 and 2009. Daily air pollution levels for the region were estimated using Environment Canada's network of fixed-site monitors. ED visits were identified through the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System (NACRS). Odds ratios and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals were estimated using conditional logistic regression, and were adjusted for the confounding influence of daily number of influenza ED visits and weather variables using natural spline functions. RESULTS Statistically significant associations were observed between ambient air pollution levels and ED visits for asthma in Windsor. Effects were particularly pronounced among children 2 to 14 years of age between April and September. Namely, increases in the interquartile range with 1-day lagged exposure to SO2, NO2 and CO levels were associated with increased risks of an asthma visit of 19%, 25% and 36%, respectively. CONCLUSION Exposure in Windsor to ambient air pollution increases the risk of ED visits for asthma, particularly among children.
Information, Prices and Efficiency in An Online Betting Market

We contribute to the discussion on betting market efficiency by studying the odds (or prices) set by fifty-one online bookmakers, for the result outcomes in over 16,000 association football matches in England since 2010. Adapting a methodology typically used to evaluate forecast efficiency, we test the Efficient Market Hypothesis in this context. We find odds are generally not biased when compared against actual match outcomes, both in terms of favourite-longshot or outcome types. But individual bookmakers are not efficient. Their own odds do not appear to use fully the information contained in their competitors' odds.