Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protective effect of breastfeeding against urinary tract infection. Commentary

Aim: To assess the possible protective effect of exclusive breastfeeding against first-time febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) in children. Methods: Two children's hospitals and local child health centres in the Goteborg area, Sweden, participated in a prospective case-control study. In total, 200 consecutive cases (89M, 111F), aged 0-6 y, presenting with first-time febrile UTI were enrolled. The mean ± SD age was 0.98 ± 1.15 y. As control subjects, 336 children (147M, 189F) were recruited from the child health centre of the case, matched for age and gender and included consecutively for each case during the first days after diagnosis. The duration of exclusive breastfeeding was obtained from the case and controls by a standardized procedure. Results: Ongoing exclusive breastfeeding gave a significantly lower risk of infection. A longer duration of breastfeeding gave a lower risk of infection after weaning, indicating a long-term mechanism. The protective role of breastfeeding was strongest directly after birth, then decreased until 7 mo of age, after which age no effect was demonstrated. Conclusion: A protective role of breastfeeding against UTI was demonstrated. The study provides statistical support to the view that breast milk is a part of the natural defence against UTI.
Enterobacter asburiae sp. nov., a new species found in clinical specimens, and reassignment of Erwinia dissolvens and Erwinia nimipressuralis to the genus Enterobacter as Enterobacter dissolvens comb. nov. and Enterobacter nimipressuralis comb. nov

Enterobacter asburiae sp. nov. is a new species that was formerly referred to as Enteric Group 17 and that consists of 71 strains, 70 of which were isolated from humans. Enterobacter asburiae sp. nov. strains gave positive reactions in tests for methyl red, citrate utilization (Simmons and Christensen's), urea hydrolysis, L-ornithine decarboxylase, growth in KCN, acid and gas production from D-glucose, and acid production from L-arabinose, cellobiose, glycerol (negative in 1 to 2 days, positive in 3 to 7 days), lactose, D-mannitol, alpha-methyl-D-glucoside, salicin, D-sorbitol, sucrose, trehalose, and D-xylose. They gave negative reactions in the Voges-Proskauer test and in tests for indole, H2S production, phenylalanine, L-lysine decarboxylase, motility, gelatin, utilization of malonate, lipase, DNase, tyrosine clearing, acid production from adonitol, D-arabitol, dulcitol, erythritol, i(myo)-inositol, melibiose, and L-rhamnose. They gave variable reactions in tests for L-arginine dihydrolase (25% positive after 2 days) and acid production from raffinose (69% positive after 2 days). Thirty-four Enterobacter asburiae sp. nov. strains were tested for DNA relatedness by the hydroxyapatite method with 32PO4-labeled DNA from the designated type strain (1497-78, ATCC 35953). The strains were 69 to 100% related in 60 degrees C reactions and 63 to 100% related in 75 degrees C reactions. Divergence within related sequences was 0 to 2.5%. Relatedness of Enterobacter asburiae sp. nov. to 84 strains of members of the Enterobacteriaceae was 5 to 63%, with closest relatedness to strains of Enterobacter cloacae, Erwinia dissolvens, Enterobacter taylorae, Enterobacter agglomerans, Erwinia nimipressuralis, and Enterobacter gergoviae. All strains tested were susceptible to gentamicin and sulfdiazine, and most were susceptible to chloramphenicol, colistin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, carbenicillin and streptomycin. All strains were resistant to ampicillan, cephalothin, and penicillin, and most were resistant or moderately resistant to tetracycline. Enterobacter asburiae sp. nov strains were isolated from a variety of human sources, most prevalent of which were urine (16 strains), respiratory sources (15 strains), stools (12 strains), wounds (11 strains), and blood (7 strains). The clinical significance of Enterobacter aburiae is not known. As a result of this and previous studies, proposals are made to transfer Erwinia dissolvens and Erwinia nimipressuralis to the genus Enterobacter as Enterobacter dissolvens comb. nov. and Enterobacter nimipressuralis comb. nov., respectively.
Development of a family functioning scale for major depressive disorder

Abstract Objective: To better understand depression’s impact on family functioning from the perspectives of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and their partners; to develop and test patient and partner versions of a new self-reported measure, the Depression and Family Functioning Scale (DFFS), for use in clinical trials. Methods: Concept elicitation interviews were conducted with 32 adults with clinician-diagnosed moderate-to-severe MDD and their respective partners. Twenty-six items were drafted to address relevant aspects of family functioning and were then tested and refined through two iterative sets of cognitive debriefing interviews, each conducted by the same pair of highly experienced researchers, including a licensed clinical psychologist. Results: Depression negatively affects family functioning through poorer communication, increased conflicts, decreased family interaction, and decreased intimacy. No existing instrument measured all domains of interest, or had been rigorously developed and psychometrically validated in the target populations. The draft DFFS items generally tested well and only minor modifications were made to the items after the second set of interviews. Both patients and partners indicated that the final set of 15 DFFS items addresses all concepts of importance. Conclusions: The DFFS evaluates the impact of depression on family functioning and has the potential to provide important information that can facilitate a more comprehensive evaluation of new treatments in clinical trial settings. Although MDD severity was not confirmed with a standardized interview, in clinical practice in the US, MDD is generally not diagnosed with the use of a structured clinical interview or clinician-administered tool. In the current study, depression severity had little (if any) impact on the specific concepts elicited as being important to family functioning. In fact, patients with milder depression had more insight and were able to better articulate changes in family functioning with treatment.
Cerebral MR imaging in uninfected children born to HIV-seropositive mothers and perinatally exposed to zidovudine.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Mitochondrial dysfunction has been reported in HIV-negative children perinatally exposed to zidovudine, a drug often used in HIV-seropositive mothers during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence of cerebral MR imaging findings in HIV-uninfected children exposed to zidovudine who present with unexplained neurologic symptoms. METHODS Two expert groups conducted a systematic, retrospective review of all cerebral MR images available in a multicentric, nationwide French prospective cohort of children born to HIV-seropositive mothers to identify imaging abnormalities. Experts were blinded to each others' interpretations, to the children's neurologic symptoms, and to laboratory evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction. The incidence of abnormalities was determined and compared with the neurologic presentation and laboratory evidence of mitochondrial dysfunction. RESULTS MR images from 49 HIV-uninfected children (mean age, 26 months) were available for study. All children were perinatally exposed to zidovudine. Twenty-two had probable or established mitochondrial dysfunction according to their symptoms and laboratory data. Twenty-seven children without mitochondrial dysfunction presented with unexplained neurologic symptoms (n = 14) or nonneurologic symptoms (n = 7), and six were asymptomatic. Sixteen of 22 MR images in children with mitochondriopathy were considered abnormal in both independent analyses. Diffuse hyperintensity in the supratentorial white matter (n = 9) and in the tegmentum pons (n = 9) were the most frequent anomalies. Imaging abnormalities were often multifocal (n = 10) and sometimes associated with necrotic areas (n = 3) and volume loss (n = 8). Although 19 of 27 MR images of children without mitochondrial dysfunction were mainly normal, abnormal images were observed in five of 14 children with unexplained neurologic symptoms and in three of six asymptomatic children. CONCLUSION Images observed in children with antiretroviral-induced mitochondrial dysfunction are similar to those observed in congenital mitochondrial diseases. These images were also observed in symptomatic or asymptomatic children without evidence of systemic mitochondrial dysfunction.
Moringa Oleifera Leaves Extract Attenuates Male Sexual Dysfunction

Problem statement: At present, the novel agent that is effective, che ap and easy to approach for treating male sexual dysfunction is re quired due to the current poor therapeutic efficacy . Though Moringa oleifera is reputed for aphrodisiac activity in traditional folklore, no scientific evidence is available. Therefore, we aimed to deter mine the effect of M.oleifera leaves extract on male sexual behaviors in animal model of sexual dysfunct ion. Moreover, the possible underlying mechanisms were also investigated. Approach: Male Wistar rats, weighing 200-250 g, had been ora lly given M.oleifera leaves extract at doses of 10, 50 and 250 mg kg -1 BW once daily at 30 min before the exposure to 12-h immobilization stress for 14 days. They were assessed male sexual behaviors including mounting, intromission and ejaculation nu mbers and latencies after single administration and every 7 days until the end of experiment. To furthe r investigate the possible mechanisms of action, we also determined serum testosterone level of all rat s at the end of experiment together with the determination of suppression effect of the plant ex tract on MAO B and PDE-5 activities. Results: The results showed that after single administration, ra ts subjected to M.oleifera extract at dose of 10 mg kg -1 BW significantly enhanced mounting number. When the treatment was prolonged to 7 days rats subjected to the low dose of extract showed the enh anced intromission number whereas rats subjected to high dose of extract showed the enhanced mounting number. Our data also showed no significant change in serum testosterone level. However, the ex tract could also suppress MAO B and PDE-5 activities. Taken all together, the extract could e nhance male sexual desire and performance via the suppression of MAO B and PDE-5 activities. Conclusion: M.oleifera can be the potential sexual enhancer particularly for acute and short term appl ication. However, further researches are necessary.
“A Distant Land of Snow …”: Russian Language Learners’ Representations of Russia

Abstract Extensive research has been done on language learners’ perceptions and representations of the target language country, culture and speaking community. However, first of all, there is a lack of such studies in the context of Russian language teaching and learning. Secondly, no attempts have been made in the previous studies to quantitatively assess the favourabillity of the country images held by the language learners. The present study addresses these gaps in research literature. It employs an interdisciplinary approach to explore the content of Russian language learners’ stereotypical representations of Russia and to assess favourability of these stereotypes. The findings indicate that the students’ representations of Russia were predominantly positive though their knowledge about the country was limited. The study offers a discussion on pedagogical implications of its findings.
When Seed Dispersal Matters

Abstract A profusion of fruit forms implies that seed dispersal plays a central role in plant ecology, yet the chance that an individual seed will ultimately produce a reproductive adult is low to infinitesimal. Extremely high variance in survival implies that variations in fruit production or transitions from seed to seedling will contribute little to population growth. The key issue is that variance in survival of plant life-history stages, and therefore the importance of dispersal, differs greatly among and within plant communities. In stable communities of a few species of long-lived plants, variances in seed and seedling survival are immense, so seed-to-seedling transitions have little influence on overall population dynamics. However, when seedlings in different circumstances have very different chances of survival—in ecological succession, for example, or when dispersed seeds escape density-dependent mortality near parent trees—the biased survival of dispersed seeds or seedlings in some places rather than others results in pervasive demographic impacts.
The Effect of Cue-Familiarity, Cue-Distinctiveness, and Retention Interval on Prospective Remembering

Five experiments investigated the effects of cue familiarity, cue distinctiveness, and retention interval on prospective remembering. Results showed that (1) performance in a prospective memory task is facilitated when the cue is unfamiliar and/or distinctive; and (2) it is impaired by 3-minutes’ delay between the instructions and the task (Experiment 1). A beneficial effect of distinctiveness was also found when perceptual rather than semantic distinctiveness was tested (Experiment 2). Experiments 3 and 4 ruled out the hypotheses that “unfulfilled expectancy” of an event (i.e. non-appearance of the cue during training) (Experiment 3), or some sort of “habituation” in the target context (Experiment 4), may have caused the low performance observed in the delayed conditions. Finally, results from Experiment 5 showed that delay negatively affected prospective remembering when it was filled with either a demanding interpolated activity (practice in a STM task) or an undemanding motoric activity (repetitive hands movements). Unfilled delay and an undemanding verbal activity (counting) were found not to affect prospective memory. Implications for the mechanisms underlying prospective remembering are discussed.
FEELING TIRED PREDICTS FUNCTIONAL STATUS, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, AND MORTALITY IN ELDERLY PEOPLE

1. Panza F, D’introno A, Capurso C et al. Lipoproteins, vascular-related genetic factors, and human longevity. Rejuvenat Res 2007;10:441–458. 2. Frisoni GB, Louhija J, Geroldi C et al. Longevity and the epsilon2 allele of apolipoprotein E: The Finnish Centenarians Study. J Gerontol A: Biol Sci Med Sci 2001;56A:M75–M78. 3. Louhija J, Viitanen M, Aguero-Torres H et al. Survival in Finnish centenarians in relation to apolipoprotein E polymorphism. J Am Geriatr Soc 2001;49: 1007–1008. 4. Bathum L, Christiansen MSC, Bernard J et al. Apolipoprotein E genotypes: Relationship to cognitive functioning, cognitive decline, and survival in nonagenarians. J Am Geriatr Soc 2006;54:654–658. 5. Formiga F, Alia P, Navarro MA et al. Apolipoprotein e genotypes in nonagenarians. J Am Geriatr Soc 2006;54:1471–1473. 6. Lewis SJ, Brunner EJ. Methodological problems in genetic association studies of longevityFthe apolipoprotein E gene as an example. Int J Epidemiol 2004; 33:962–970. 7. Ewbank DC. Mortality differences by APOE genotype estimated from demographic synthesis. Genet Epidemiol 2002;22:146–155. 8. Hayden KM, Zandi PP, Lyketsos CG et al. Apolipoprotein E genotype and mortality: Findings from the Cache County Study. J Am Geriatr Soc 2005; 53:935–942. 9. Rosvall L, Rizzuto D, Wang HX et al. APOE-related mortality: Effect of dementia, cardiovascular disease and gender. Neurobiol Aging 2008 Jan 29. [Epub ahead of print]. 10. Seripa D, Franceschi M, Matera MG et al. Sex differences in the association of apolipoprotein E and angiotensin-converting enzyme gene polymorphisms with healthy aging and longevity: A population-based study from southern Italy. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2006;61A:918–923.
Distribution of hippocampal CA1 and subicular efferents in the prefrontal cortex of the rat studied by means of anterograde transport of Phaseolus vulgaris‐leucoagglutinin

Projections of the hippocampal formation to the prefrontal cortex were visualized in the rat by means of the anterograde tracer Phaseolus vulgaris‐leucoagglutinin. These projections distribute only to the prelimbic and the medial orbital cortices and arise exclusively from restricted portions of field CA1 of the Ammon's horn and the subiculum. The most dorsal portion of CA1 does not contribute fibers to this projection. In the subiculum, its origin is restricted to the proximal half, i.e., the portion that directly borders field CA1. Fibers from field CA1 and the subiculum have comparable distribution patterns in the prelimbic and medial orbital cortices. The density and distribution in the prefrontal cortex of the projections from the proximal portion of the subiculum depends on the location of the injections along the dorsoventral axis of the hippocampal formation: the intermediate portion of the subiculum projects more densely and diffusely than its dorsal and ventral portions.
Production of Refractory Dissolved Organic Matter by Bacteria

Most of the oceanic reservoir of dissolved organic matter (DOM) is of marine origin and is resistant to microbial oxidation, but little is known about the mechanisms of its formation. In a laboratory study, natural assemblages of marine bacteria rapidly (in <48 hours) utilized labile compounds (glucose, glutamate) and produced refractory DOM that persisted for more than a year. Only 10 to 15% of the bacterially derived DOM was identified as hydrolyzable amino acids and sugars, a feature consistent with marine DOM. These results suggest that microbial processes alter the molecular structure of DOM, making it resistant to further degradation and thereby preserving fixed carbon in the ocean.
Association between characteristics of locomotion and accomplishment of life habits in children with cerebral palsy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE "Handicap situation" is defined in the literature as "a disruption in the accomplishment of a person's life habits (activities of daily living and social roles). " The purpose of this study was to determine the strength of association between various types of locomotion and the accomplishment of life habits, which is an indicator of the occurrence of handicap situations in children with cerebral palsy. SUBJECTS Ninety-eight children with cerebral palsy, aged 5 to 17.8 years (mean = 10.5, SD = 3.5), were recruited. METHODS The Life Habits Assessment was used to evaluate handicap situations in activities of daily living and social roles. Types of locomotion, the Pediatric Functional Independence Measure (locomotion section), and 2 tests representing functional activities (walking speed and stair climbing) were used as characteristics of locomotion. RESULTS Locomotion capabilities were associated with the accomplishment of activities of daily living and social roles. Performance in variables related to locomotion, number of associated problems, and type of cerebral palsy explained 17% to 74% of the total variance in accomplishment of life habits in children who walked without technical aids. CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION The results suggest that locomotion might influence the accomplishment of life habits. Other factors, however--such as environmental barriers--should also be examined to determine their impact on the occurrence of handicap situations.
Digital integrated circuit implementations

This section considers some of the alternative approaches towards modeling biological functions by digital circuits. It starts by introducing some circuit complexity issues and arguing that there is considerable computational and physiological justification that shallow threshold gate circuits are computationally more efficient than classical Boolean circuits. We comment on the tradeoff between the depth and the size of a threshold gate circuit, and on how design parameters like fan-in, weights and thresholds influence the overall area and time performances of a digital neural chip. This is followed by briefly discussing the constraints imposed by digital technologies and by detailing several possible classification schemes as well as the performance evaluation of such neurochips and neurocomputers. Lastly, we present many typical and recent examples of implementation and mention the ‘VLSI-friendly learning algorithms’ as a promising direction of research.
Esmolol Potentiates Reduction of Minimum Alveolar Isoflurane Concentration by Alfentanil

Esmolol, a short-acting beta1-receptor antagonist, decreases anesthetic requirements during propofol/N2 O/morphine anesthesia. This study was designed to determine whether esmolol affects the volatile anesthetic (isoflurane) required to prevent movement to skin incision in 50% patients (minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration [MAC]) with or without an additional opioid (alfentanil). One hundred consenting adult patients were randomly divided into five treatment groups: isoflurane alone (I), I with continuous large-dose (250 [micro sign]g [center dot] kg-1 [center dot] min-1) esmolol (E), I with alfentanil (effect site target of 50 ng/mL) via a continuous computer-controlled infusion (A), A plus continuous small-dose (50 [micro sign]g [center dot] kg-1 [center dot] min-1) esmolol (A1), or A plus large-dose esmolol (A2). Anesthesia was induced via a face mask, and steady-state target end-tidal isoflurane concentrations were maintained before incision. The MAC of isoflurane alone was 1.28% +/- 0.13%. Large-dose esmolol did not significantly alter the isoflurane MAC (1.23% +/- 0.14%). Alfentanil alone significantly decreased isoflurane MAC by 25% (0.96% +/- 0.09%). Adding small-dose esmolol did not further decrease MAC with alfentanil (0.96% +/- 0.13%). However, large-dose esmolol significantly decreased isoflurane MAC with alfentanil (0.74% +/- 0.09%). Esmolol and alfentanil both significantly reduced the increases in heart rate and mean arterial pressure associated with endotracheal intubation and incision. The mechanism of this effect is unknown. Implications: Most anesthetic techniques rely on a balance of several highly selective medications. The current results define a new anesthetic-sparing effect when volatile anesthetic, analgesic, and beta-adrenergic blocking drugs are combined. (Anesth Analg 1998;87:671-6)
Reproductive isolation among allopatric Drosophila montana populations

An outstanding goal in speciation research is to trace the mode and tempo of the evolution of barriers to gene flow. Such research benefits from studying incipient speciation, in which speciation between populations has not yet occurred, but where multiple potential mechanisms of reproductive isolation (RI: i.e., premating, postmating‐prezygotic (PMPZ), and postzygotic barriers) may act. We used such a system to investigate these barriers among allopatric populations of Drosophila montana. In all heteropopulation crosses we found premating (sexual) isolation, which was either symmetric or asymmetric depending on the population pair compared. Postmating isolation was particularly strong in crosses involving males from one of the study populations, and while sperm were successfully transferred, stored, and motile, we experimentally demonstrated that the majority of eggs produced were unfertilized. Thus, we identified the nature of a PMPZ incompatibility. There was no evidence of intrinsic postzygotic effects. Measures of absolute and relative strengths of pre‐ and postmating barriers showed that populations differed in the mode and magnitude of RI barriers. Our results indicate that incipient RI among populations can be driven by different contributions of both premating and PMPZ barriers occurring between different population pairs and without the evolution of postzygotic barriers.