Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the genomes of attenuated equine herpesvirus-1 strains with their parent virulent strain.

To elucidate the virulence factors of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), we compared the genomic architecture of the HH1 strain, a Japanese isolate of EHV-1, with that of its four descendant strains obtained by serial passage in bovine kidney (BK) cells, i.e. BK77, BK161, BK271, and BK343. In preliminary studies high-passaged BK271 and BK343 lost virulence in colts, and in the present study digestion with restriction endonuclease BamHl showed that the DNAs of BK271 and BK343 differed markedly from the DNA profiles of HH1, BK77, and BK161. Employing all the molecularly cloned BamHl fragments of the HH1 strain as probes, Southern blot analysis revealed seven variable fragments. All BamHl fragments of BK343 were subsequently cloned into plasmid pUC18 and on mapping to the HH1 DNA maps, two additional variable fragments were disclosed. Finally, the precise variable regions identified in these nine fragments were fine mapped on the viral prototype genome, and among the open reading frames (ORFs) located in the variable fragments, three (ORFs 1,24, and 71) were found to have changed via serial passage in the BK cells. Thus these three ORFs are thought to play an important role on the pathogenicity of EHV-1.
Fat accumulation and obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors in middle-aged Japanese men and women.

OBJECTIVE A cluster of multiple risk factors has been noted to constitute the background of cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the visceral fat area (VFA) or subcutaneous fat area (SFA) and a cluster of obesity-related cardiovascular risk factors, including hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and elevated blood pressure, in middle-aged Japanese men and women. METHODS A total of 571 subjects (m=434; f=137; age: 53 ± 9 years) who underwent health examinations with evaluations of body fat distribution using computed tomography scans and assessments of 75-g oral glucose tolerance tests were enrolled in this study. RESULTS The VFA and SFA were linearly correlated with the number of risk factors in both men and women. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve of VFA (m=0.741, f=0.763) was significantly higher than that of SFA (m=0.636, f=0.689) with respect to the clustering of risk factors (one or more). The men exhibited larger VFA values and smaller SFA values than the women in similar body mass index (BMI) categories. Men with a VFA of ≥100 cm(2) irrespective of BMI and women with a VFA of ≥100 cm(2) and a BMI of ≥25 kg/m(2) demonstrated a high prevalence of diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance. Men and women with a VFA of ≥100 cm(2) irrespective of BMI demonstrated a high prevalence of type IIb dyslipidemia. CONCLUSION These results suggest that the absolute value of VFA rather than SFA is more closely associated with a cluster of risk factors irrespective of sex and is a good marker for selecting subjects to whom weight reduction should be recommended in order to prevent cardiovascular disease in the general population.
Cohort Profile: Mandela's children: the 1990 Birth to Twenty study in South Africa.

The late 1980s were a period of profound sociopolitical change in South Africa. It was clear that the Apartheid state was crumbling and amongst acts of civil disobedience which characterized the struggle Black Africansy began to disregard restrictive legislation that constrained where they lived and worked. Very rapid unplanned urbanization began and shanty towns mushroomed around formerly White cities and towns. It was anticipated that this rapid urbanization with urban growth estimated at the time to be 3.5% per year. would have profound effects on childrens health and development. While improved access to health care education and employment in urban areas could decrease preventable childhood morbidity and mortality the inability of government to establish and maintain services to meet the needs of the growing urban population could exacerbate existing infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. Non-infectious conditions related to the interaction of lifestyle urban stressors and socio-cultural changes-for example childhood injuries substance use and obesity-were predicted to increase. In 1988 as a result of discussions on these issues Noel Cameron at the University of the Witwatersrand and Derek Yach at the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) approached the then MRC President Andries Brink for funds to begin a birth cohort study in Soweto-Johannesburg with Lucy Wagstaff also from the University of the Witwatersrand. The aim was to track a group of urban children for 10 years not knowing at the time that these children would also be the first cohort born into a democratic South Africa. At the start the study was called Birth to Ten (BT10) but changed to Birth to Twenty (BT20) in 2000 when we reached the 10-year follow-up goal and resolved to continue the study to age 20. The children came to be known colloquially as Mandelas Children because they were born in the 7 weeks following Nelson Mandelas release from prison on the February 11 1990 an event that heralded in radical social and political changes. Linda Richter was part of the original investigator group. Shane Norris has been the Project Manager since 2001. With seed funding we undertook several pilot studies to determine amongst other things the seasonality of births in the area and the optimum months for recruitment into a birth cohort study; the nature and accuracy of routinely collected health service data; and follow-up rates of children from birth to six months. The date for enrolling the birth cohort was set for February but a national hospital strike delayed enrolment which occurred from April 23 to June 8 1990. (excerpt)
Impact of Trap Design and Density on Effectiveness of a Commercial Pheromone Lure for Monitoring Navel Orangeworm (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

ABSTRACT The navel orangeworm is an important pest of almonds, pistachios, and walnuts. A commercial pheromone lure for this pest became publicly available in 2013. We compared effectiveness of this synthetic lure (NOW Biolure) between common commercial trap designs, and with unmated females in wing traps. Orange wing traps and delta traps captured similar numbers of males when each was baited with females, although there was a significantly greater density of captured males on the smaller glue area of the delta traps. In contrast, lure-baited wing traps captured about half the males captured in female-baited wing traps in single-night tests. In these single-night tests, wing traps baited with NOW Biolure captured significantly more males than delta traps baited with NOW Biolure, and bucket traps and delta traps baited with NOW Biolure captured similar numbers of males. When the sampling interval was extended to a week, the performance of lure-baited and female-baited wing traps was more similar. Delta and bucket traps baited with NOW Biolure generally performed more poorly than wing traps baited with NOW Biolure in these weekly monitoring tests. However, the bucket traps occasionally outperformed the other trap types during periods of peak abundance. Navel orangeworm traps at a density of one per 4 ha detected differences in abundance between adjacent walnut varieties, whereas such differences were not detected with one trap per 20 ha. The implications of these findings for monitoring for navel orangeworm in these different host crops are discussed.
Stomatal control in tomato with ABA-deficient roots: response of grafted plants to soil drying.

The hypothesis that ABA produced by roots in drying soil is responsible for stomatal closure was tested with grafted plants constructed from the ABA-deficient tomato mutants, sitiens and flacca and their near-isogenic wild-type parent. Three types of experiments were conducted. In the first type, reciprocal grafts were made between the wild type and sitiens or flacca. Stomatal conductance accorded with the genotype of the shoot, not the root. Stomates closed in all of the grafted plants in response to soil drying, regardless of the root genotype, i.e. regardless of the ability of the roots to produce ABA. In the second type of experiment, wild-type shoots were grafted onto a split-root system consisting of one wild-type root grafted to one mutant (flacca or sitiens) root. Water was withheld from one root system, while the other was watered well so that the shoots did not experience any decline in water potential or loss of turgor. Stomates closed to a similar extent when water was withheld from the mutant roots or the wild-type roots. In the third type of experiment, grafted plants with wild-type shoots and either wild-type or sitiens roots were established in pots that could be placed inside a pressure chamber, and the pressure increased as the soil dried so that the shoots remained fully turgid throughout. Stomates closed as the soil dried, regardless of whether the roots were wild type or sitiens. These experiments demonstrate that stomatal closure in response to soil drying can occur in the absence of leaf water deficit, and does not require ABA production by roots. A chemical signal from roots leading to a change in apoplastic ABA levels in leaves may be responsible for the stomatal closure.
Genetic polymorphisms associated with increased risk of developing chronic myelogenous leukemia

Little is known about inherited factors associated with the risk of developing chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). We used a dedicated DNA chip containing 16 561 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) covering 1 916 candidate genes to analyze 437 CML patients and 1 144 healthy control individuals. Single SNP association analysis identified 139 SNPs that passed multiple comparisons (1% false discovery rate). The HDAC9, AVEN, SEMA3C, IKBKB, GSTA3, RIPK1 and FGF2 genes were each represented by three SNPs, the PSM family by four SNPs and the SLC15A1 gene by six. Haplotype analysis showed that certain combinations of rare alleles of these genes increased the risk of developing CML by more than two or three-fold. A classification tree model identified five SNPs belonging to the genes PSMB10, TNFRSF10D, PSMB2, PPARD and CYP26B1, which were associated with CML predisposition. A CML-risk-allele score was created using these five SNPs. This score was accurate for discriminating CML status (AUC: 0.61, 95%CI: 0.58–0.64). Interestingly, the score was associated with age at diagnosis and the average number of risk alleles was significantly higher in younger patients. The risk-allele score showed the same distribution in the general population (HapMap CEU samples) as in our control individuals and was associated with differential gene expression patterns of two genes (VAPA and TDRKH). In conclusion, we describe haplotypes and a genetic score that are significantly associated with a predisposition to develop CML. The SNPs identified will also serve to drive fundamental research on the putative role of these genes in CML development.
Maternal waterpipe smoke exposure and the risk of asthma and allergic diseases in childhood: A post hoc analysis.

INTRODUCTION This analysis was conducted with the objective of evaluating association between waterpipe passive smoking exposure and asthma, and allergies among Lebanese children. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data were taken from a crosssectional study on children from public and private schools. A sample of 22 schools participated in the study, where standardized written core questionnaires were distributed. From 5 to 12-year-old students filled in the questionnaires at home, while 13-14-year-old students filled it in in the class. In total, 5522 children were evaluated for the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic eczema, and their associated factors, including waterpipe exposure due to parents' smoking. RESULTS The descriptive results of parental smoking were, as follows: among mothers: 1609 (29%) mothers smoked cigarettes, 385 (7%) smoked waterpipe and 98 (1.8%) smoked both; among fathers: 2449 (44.2%) smoked cigarettes, 573 (10.3%) smoked waterpipe and 197 (3.5%) smoked both. Maternal waterpipe smoking was significantly and moderately associated with allergic diseases (p < 0.001; ORa = 1.71), including probable asthma, rhinitis and dermatitis (p < 0.001 for all). Quite on the opposite, father's waterpipe smoking was not associated with any of the diseases. Parental cigarette smoking demonstrated some positive effects: father's cigarette smoking did not show association with dermatitis or asthma diagnosed by a physician, while mother's cigarette smoking showed a positive association only with probable asthma. Moreover, no interactions between cigarette and waterpipe smoking were observed. CONCLUSIONS Maternal waterpipe smoking should be regarded as a high risk behavior; however, additional studies are necessary to confirm this finding.
Biofilm formation at the air–liquid interface by the Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 wrinkly spreader requires an acetylated form of cellulose

The wrinkly spreader (WS) genotype of Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25 colonizes the air–liquid interface of spatially structured microcosms resulting in formation of a thick biofilm. Its ability to colonize this niche is largely due to overproduction of a cellulosic polymer, the product of the wss operon. Chemical analysis of the biofilm matrix shows that the cellulosic polymer is partially acetylated cellulose, which is consistent with predictions of gene function based on in silico analysis of wss. Both polar and non‐polar mutations in the sixth gene of the wss operon (wssF ) or adjacent downstream genes (wssGHIJ ) generated mutants that overproduce non‐acetylated cellulose, thus implicating WssFGHIJ in acetylation of cellulose. WssGHI are homologues of AlgFIJ from P. aeruginosa, which together are necessary and sufficient to acetylate alginate polymer. WssF belongs to a newly established Pfam family and is predicted to provide acyl groups to WssGHI. The role of WssJ is unclear, but its similarity to MinD‐like proteins suggests a role in polar localization of the acetylation complex. Fluorescent microscopy of Calcofluor‐stained biofilms revealed a matrix structure composed of networks of cellulose fibres, sheets and clumped material. Quantitative analyses of biofilm structure showed that acetylation of cellulose is important for effective colonization of the air–liquid interface: mutants identical to WS, but defective in enzymes required for acetylation produced biofilms with altered physical properties. In addition, mutants producing non‐acetylated cellulose were unable to spread rapidly across solid surfaces. Inclusion in these assays of a WS mutant with a defect in the GGDEF regulator (WspR) confirmed the requirement for this protein in expression of both acetylated cellulose polymer and bacterial attachment. These results suggest a model in which WspR regulation of cellulose expression and attachment plays a role in the co‐ordination of surface colonization.
Thyroid nodules with microfollicular findings reported on fine-needle aspiration: invariably surgical treatment?

OBJECTIVE To assess whether fine-needle aspiration (FNA) can be a diagnostic procedure for identification of malignant thyroid nodules when the smear reveals the cytologic (microfollicular) finding of "follicular neoplasm" (FN). METHODS We reviewed a group of 79 patients with FN who underwent surgical treatment and evaluated the possible significance of the cytologic features of anisokaryosis, amount of colloid, and nuclear overlapping (NO). We excluded from the study those patients with FN who had other highly suspicious cytologic features, such as sporadic grooves and sporadic pseudonucleoli. RESULTS In our series of 79 patients with FN at FNA, we found anisokaryosis in 49.4%, scant or no colloid in 31.6%, and NO in 5.1%. Thyroid cancer (TC)--follicular cancer or follicular variant of papillary cancer--was found in six patients (7.6%): four patients (10.2%) with anisokaryosis and two patients (5.0%) without anisokaryosis (P<0.5; chi2 test). All the patients with malignant lesions had scant or no colloid in the smears, and four of them were those with NO. Therefore, TC was found in 24.0% of nodules with scant or no colloid versus 0.0% of nodules with abundant colloid (P<0.001; chi2 test), and TC was found in 100% of nodules with NO versus 2.6% of nodules without NO (P<0.001; chi2 test). CONCLUSION Because of the high prevalence of thyroid nodules and the frequency of FN at FNA, the number of unnecessary interventions may be very high. FNA cannot be diagnostic in FN because invasion of the tumor capsule and blood vessels can be evidenced only at histologic examination. Although it is common opinion that microfollicular nodules should be surgically treated, simple cytologic features can help select patients at low risk who can be monitored and reassessed clinically and by FNA. Patients with high-risk cytologic features such as NO should be advised that a total thyroidectomy may be necessary.
SCANNING LASER POLARIMETRY DEMONSTRATION OF RETINAL NERVE FIBER LAYER DAMAGE IN HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS–POSITIVE PATIENTS WITHOUT INFECTIOUS RETINITIS

Background: To use scanning laser polarimetry with variable corneal compensation to measure the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)–infected patients. Methods: Three groups were analyzed in a prospective cohort study from one center. Group A consisted of 52 eyes of HIV-positive patients whose CD4 cell counts had never fallen below 100/mm3 (1.0 × 109/L). Group B included 60 eyes of HIV-positive patients with CD4 cell counts that had fallen below 100/mm3 for at least 6 months in their history. Group C consisted of 50 eyes of HIV-negative patients. None of the eyes had a history of infectious retinitis. Retinal birefringence imaging studies were performed using a commercially available scanning laser. Superior, inferior, and ellipse averages as well as nerve fiber indicator parameters were used for comparison. Results: Group B significantly differed from group C in all parameters. Group B also differed from group A in all parameters with the exception of superior average. No difference was detected between group A and group C. Conclusion: Scanning laser polarimetry demonstrated RNFL thinning in HIV-positive patients without retinitis who had a history of low CD4 cell counts compared with HIV-positive subjects with high CD4 cell counts and HIV-negative patients.
Managing Battery Aging for High Energy Availability in Green Datacenters

Energy storage devices (ESD), such as UPS batteries, have been repurposed in datacenter as a promising tuning knob for peak power shaving and power cost reducing. However, batteries progressively aging due to irregular usage patterns, which result in less effective capacity and even pose serious threat to server availability. Nevertheless, prior proposals largely ignore the aging issues of battery which may lead to low energy availability for datacenter servers. To fill this critical void, we thoroughly investigate battery aging on a heavily instrumented prototype system over an observation period of ten months. We propose Battery Anti-Aging Treatment Plus (BAAT-P ), a novel power delivery architecture included aging management algorithms from the perspective of computing system to hide, reduce, mitigate and plan the battery aging effects for high energy availability in datacenter. Our techniques exploit diverse battery aging mechanisms and dynamic aging management algorithms to provide system-level availability guarantee for datacenter. We evaluate the BAAT-P design with a real prototype. Compared with a battery powered datacenter without aging management policies, the results show that BAAT-P can extend battery lifetime by 72 percent, reduce battery cost by 33 percent and effectively improve energy availability for datacenter servers while maintaining workload performance for the performance critical workloads.
Atrioventricular Conduction After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement

AV Conduction After TAVI and SAVR. Introduction: Atrioventricular conduction abnormalities (AVCA) may complicate transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) and surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). The aim of this study was to prospectively evaluate AVCA after TAVI and SAVR.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in milk powders marketed in Argentina and Brazil

The aim of this study was to quantify polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels in milk powder samples commercialised in Argentina and Brazil during 2012. Thirty-one samples were available from the retail market. An HPLC method for the determination of PAHs was applied involving a clean-up step with silica cartridges. Recoveries were greater than 79% for all PAHs analysed. Reproducible determination with adequate detection and quantification limits (LOD and LOQ) were attained by HPLC with fluorescence detection for 14 PAHs. Acenaphthylene was determined with a UV–VIS detector. There is no significant difference in any PAHs or in the sum of them between the Argentinean and Brazilian samples. Therefore, the samples were evaluated together. The highest concentration of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) detected was 0.57 µg kg−1 in milk powder. Contamination of samples expressed as the sum of 15 analysed PAHs varied between 11.8 and 78.4 µg kg−1 and as PAH4 (BaP, chrysene, benzo(a)anthracene and benzo(b)fluoranthene) was between 0.02 and 10.16 µg kg−1. The correlation coefficient for PAH2 (BaP and chrysene) and PAH4 groups was 0.95, for PAH2 and PAH8 it was 0.71, and for PAH4 and PAH8 it was 0.83. All the samples were below the regulatory limit for BaP, but 65% of commercial milk powders do not comply with the European Union limit for PAH4. This is the first report of PAH contamination in powder milk from Argentina and Brazil.
Participation of ICUs in Critical Care Pandemic Research: A Province Wide, Cross-Sectional Survey*

Objective:Little information exists to identify barriers to participation in pandemic research involving critically ill patients. We sought to characterize clinical research activity during the recent influenza A pandemic and to understand the experiences, beliefs, and practices of key stakeholders involved in pandemic research implementation. Design:Cross-sectional, provincial postal questionnaire. Setting:Level III ICUs. Participants:ICU administrators and research coordinators. Measurements:We used rigorous survey methodology to identify potential respondents and to develop, test, and administer two-related questionnaires. Main Results:We analyzed responses from 39 research coordinators and 139 administrators (response rates: 70.9% and 73.2%, respectively). Compared with non-influenza A studies, influenza A studies were less likely to be randomized trials and most often investigator-initiated and peer-review funded. Whereas both respondent groups felt that pandemic research would be helpful in providing care during future pandemics, research coordinators placed significantly greater importance on their ICU’s participation in pandemic research. Both respondent groups expressed a need for rapid approval processes, designated funding for research personnel, adequate funding for start-up and patient screening, preapproved template protocols and consent forms, and clearer guidance regarding co-enrollment. Research coordinators acknowledged a need for alternative consent models to increase their capacity to participate in future pandemic research. More administrators expressed willingness to participate in the next pandemic if the required research resources were made available to them. Conclusions:Whereas research personnel and administrators support participation in pandemic ICU research, several modifiable barriers to participation exist. Pandemic research preparedness planning with regulatory bodies and dedicated funding to support research infrastructure, especially in community settings, are required to optimize future pandemic research participation.