Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of iron status on vascular health

The effect of increased iron stores on the progression of atherosclerosis and endothelial health remains inconclusive. This study was designed to evaluate the relationship between hemochromatosis genotypes, serum ferritin levels and presymptomatic vascular abnormalities in a cohort of healthy subjects. Carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) and brachial flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) were assessed by high-resolution ultrasound in 907 male (47 ± 10 years) participants enrolled in the Firefighters and their Endothelium (FATE) study. Analyses of the hemochromatosis C282Y, H63D and S65C alleles were simultaneously determined by a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) primer extension method. It was found that brachial FMD was not related to serum ferritin or hemochromatosis genotype status. The presence of a hemochromatosis-associated genotype (n = 18) or heterozygosity for the C282Y genotype (n = 98) was not associated with an increased mean CIMT. After adjustment for conventional risk factors, serum ferritin was also not associated with mean CIMT. In conclusion, neither ferritin nor a hemochromatosis genotype was related to brachial endothelial function or carotid atherosclerosis. The present study does not support the hypothesis that mild to moderately increased iron stores are associated with enhanced atherosclerosis risk.
Trust and monitoring in the workplace

Successful living in groups or in relationships requires some trust. In this paper, the idea of trust is explored and an account is given in terms of "seeing as". While trust is perhaps not a moral notion, it is closely related to important moral notions, e.g. trustworthiness (obviously), and respect for others. It is difficult to have a well-functioning and happy community or workplace without a high level of trust. It is also difficult to have a high level of self-respect without the trust of others, and lack of trust in others indicates lack of respect for others. This discussion of trust is applied to workplace monitoring of employees.
Potential breakthroughs with investigational drugs for hairy cell leukemia

Introduction: Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare subtype of B-cell chronic lymphoid leukemia. It is characterized by progressive pancytopenia, splenomegaly and infiltrations of the bone marrow, liver and spleen. Over the last few years, several new immunological drugs, particularly immunotoxins, BRAF inhibitors and B-cell receptor (BCR) pathway inhibitors have been developed and investigated as potential treatment options. Areas covered: This article summarizes recent investigational therapies of HCL, looking at their: mechanism of action, pharmacological properties, clinical activity and toxicity, as well as their emerging role in its treatment. The authors conducted a literature review of the MEDLINE database for articles in English concerning immunotoxins, BRAF inhibitors and BCR pathway inhibitors via PubMed. Publications from 2000 through to June 2015 were scrutinized. The search terms used were: BRAF, vemurafenib, dabrafenib, ibrutinib, monoclonal antibodies, immunotoxins, moxetumomab pasudotox, and rituximab in conjunction with HCL. The authors also searched manually the conference proceedings from the previous 5 years of the American Society of Hematology, European Hematology Association, American Society of Clinical Oncology, and ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meetings were searched manually. Additional relevant publications were obtained by reviewing the references from the chosen articles. Expert opinion: The use of vemurafenib and moxetumomab pasudotox is a promising new strategy for the treatment of HCL. Data from ongoing and future clinical trials will aid in better defining the status of new drugs in the treatment of HCL.
Survival analysis for respiratory failure in patients with food-borne botulism

Introduction. Botulism is a rare presynaptic neuromuscular junction disorder caused by potent toxins produced by the anaerobic, spore-forming, Gram-positive bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Food-borne botulism is caused by the ingestion of foods contaminated with botulinum toxin. In March 2006, there was a large outbreak of food-borne botulism associated with the ingestion of home-canned bamboo shoots in Thailand. The survival analyses for respiratory failure in these patients were studied and are reported here. Methods. A prospective observational cohort study was conducted on this outbreak. The primary outcome of interest was the time to respiratory failure. The secondary outcome was the time to weaning off ventilator. The prognostic factors associated with respiratory failure and weaning off ventilator are presented. Results. A total of 91 in-patients with baseline clinical characteristics were included. Most cases first presented with gastrointestinal symptoms followed by neurological symptoms, the most striking of which being difficulty in swallowing. Common clinical features included ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, proximal muscle weakness, pupillary abnormality, and respiratory failure. Forty-two patients developed respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation and the median duration on ventilator was 14 days. The median length of hospital stay for all patients was 13.5 days. Difficulty in breathing, moderate to severe ptosis, and dilated and fixed pupils were associated with respiratory failure. Among patients who were on ventilators, a short incubation period and pupillary abnormality were associated with a longer period of mechanical ventilation. All patients had antitoxin injection and there was no mortality in this outbreak. Conclusion. The history of difficult breathing and the findings of moderate to severe ptosis and pupillary abnormality were associated with severe illness and respiratory failure. A long incubation time was associated with a better prognosis. Although botulism is a potentially fatal disease, there was no mortality in this outbreak. All patients had antitoxin injection and good intensive care that resulted in good clinical outcomes.
Relationship between Formation of a Filtering Bleb and an Intrascleral Aqueous Drainage Route after Trabeculectomy:Evaluation Using Ultrasound Biomicroscopy

We evaluated the relationship between the development of filtering bleb and the thickness of the aqueous drainage route beneath the scleral flap in patients who had undergone trabeculectomy. The relationship between the postoperative intraocular pressure and the size of the filtering bleb was also studied. We studied 29 eyes of 21 patients who had been followed for at least 1 (mean 9.9) month after the trabeculectomy. Ultrasound biomicroscopy was used to examine the filtering bleb and aqueous drainage route beneath the scleral flap. The thickness of the aqueous drainage route beneath the center of the scleral flap was found to be correlated with the development of a filtering bleb (r = 0.391, p < 0.05). The size of the bleb was correlated with the intraocular pressure (r = –0.560, p < 0.05) which had not been treated with antiglaucoma medication during follow-up. Thus, preservation of the aqueous drainage route beneath the scleral flap probably influenced the development of a filtering bleb following trabeculectomy.
A Xyloglucan-Specific Endo-1,4-[beta]-Glucanase Isolated from Auxin-Treated Pea Stems

A xyloglucan-specific endo-1,4-[beta]-glucanase was isolated from the apoplast fraction of auxin-treated pea (Pisum sativum) stems, in which both the rate of stem elongation and the amount of xyloglucan solubilized were high. The enzyme was purified to apparent homogeneity by sequential cation-exchange chromatographies, affinity chromatography, and gel filtration. The purified enzyme gave a single protein band on sodium dodecyi sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and the molecular size was determined to be 77 kD by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 70 kD by gel filtration. The isoelectric point was about 8.1. The enzyme specifically cleaved the 1,4-[beta]-glucosyl linkages of the xyloglucan backbone to yield mainly nona- and heptasaccharides but did not hydrolyze carboxymethylcellulose, swollen cellulose, and (1->3, 1->4)-[beta]-glucan. By hydrolysis, the average molecular size of xyloglucan was decreased from 50 to 20 kD with new reducing chain ends in the lower molecular size fractions. This suggests that the enzyme has endo-1,4-[beta]-glucanase activity against xyloglucan. In conclusion, a xyloglucan-specific endo-1,4-[beta]-glucanase with an activity that differs from the activities of cellulase and xyloglucan endotransglycosylase has been isolated from elongating pea stems.
Age of exposure to infections and risk of childhood leukaemia.

Between January and August 1992 in Greece, researchers conducted telephone interviews with parents of children with leukemia (136 cases, most in Attica [Athens and its environs] and the others on the island of Crete) and with parents of children not afflicted with leukemia (187 controls) to determine whether childhood leukemia may be a result of a subclinical infection at an earlier age. They controlled for place of residence when they conducted the multiple logistic regression analyses. They used attendance at a day care facility as a proxy for earlier infection because children come in close contact with each other at day cares, thereby exposing them to many infectious agents. Children who attended a day care had a lower relative risk of developing leukemia than those who did not attend day care (.67), but attendance did not have a significant protective effect. It did appear to have a significant protective effect for children who attended day care during infancy (for at least 3 months during the first 2 years of life), however, (relative risk = .28; p = .03). Significance remained even when the researchers considered different operational definitions of early attendance. Exposure to magnetic fields appeared to have a protective effect also against the development of childhood leukemia, but this effect did not reach significance (p = .07). The relative risk for 100 m from an electricity substation was 0.35. There was a slight, but insignificant increase in the relative risk for children living close to power lines, however (1.19 for 5 m; p = .63). Significant risk factors included young age at diagnosis and mothers with less than high school education.
Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor induces NMDA receptor subunit one phosphorylation via ERK and PKC in the rat spinal cord

Brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in the modulation of synaptic transmission in the spinal cord, and several circumstantial lines of evidence suggest that it has the ability to modulate the activity of the NMDA receptor. Here we dissect the signalling mechanisms by which BDNF exerts its neuromodulatory role on the NMDA receptor subunit 1 (NR1). Using a preparation of adult isolated dorsal horn with dorsal roots attached, we found that electrical stimulation of roots induced a concomitant release of BDNF and an increased phosphorylation of NR1, which was partly prevented by the BDNF sequestering molecule, TrkB‐IgG. Using a second approach in vitro, we confirmed that both exogenous glutamate and BDNF (but not other neurotrophins) were able to induce NR1 phosphorylation, in particular at residue Ser‐897. NR1 phosphorylation induced by BDNF was blocked by a TrkB inhibitor, an ERK inhibitor and a PKC inhibitor but not a PKA inhibitor. Activation of PKC using exogenous PMA also led to NR1 phosphorylation. Together these data suggest that BDNF modulates the activity of the receptor by phosphorylation via the kinases ERK and PKC.
Molecular Characterization and Subcellular Localization of Arabidopsis Class VIII Myosin, ATM1*

Background: Molecular properties of class VIII myosin are not characterized. Results: Arabidopsis class VIII myosin, ATM1, has low enzymatic activity and high affinity for actin and is primarily localized at the cell cortex. Conclusion: Our data suggest that ATM1 functions as a tension sensor/generator. Significance: This is the first report of enzymatic and motile properties of class VIII myosin. Land plants possess myosin classes VIII and XI. Although some information is available on the molecular properties of class XI myosins, class VIII myosins are not characterized. Here, we report the first analysis of the enzymatic properties of class VIII myosin. The motor domain of Arabidopsis class VIII myosin, ATM1 (ATM1-MD), and the motor domain plus one IQ motif (ATM1-1IQ) were expressed in a baculovirus system and characterized. ATM1-MD and ATM1-1IQ had low actin-activated Mg2+-ATPase activity (Vmax = 4 s−1), although their affinities for actin were high (Kactin = 4 μm). The actin-sliding velocities of ATM1-MD and ATM1-1IQ were 0.02 and 0.089 μm/s, respectively, from which the value for full-length ATM1 is calculated to be ∼0.2 μm/s. The results of actin co-sedimentation assay showed that the duty ratio of ATM1 was ∼90%. ADP dissociation from the actin·ATM1 complex (acto-ATM1) was extremely slow, which accounts for the low actin-sliding velocity, low actin-activated ATPase activity, and high duty ratio. The rate of ADP dissociation from acto-ATM1 was markedly biphasic with fast and slow phase rates (5.1 and 0.41 s−1, respectively). Physiological concentrations of free Mg2+ modulated actin-sliding velocity and actin-activated ATPase activity by changing the rate of ADP dissociation from acto-ATM1. GFP-fused full-length ATM1 expressed in Arabidopsis was localized to plasmodesmata, plastids, newly formed cell walls, and actin filaments at the cell cortex. Our results suggest that ATM1 functions as a tension sensor/generator at the cell cortex and other structures in Arabidopsis.
Evaluation of scar penetrating neovascularisation in a rat epigastric flap model

Abstract Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate neovascularisation patterns in the presence of scar tissue and to compare the venous vs arterial components of the scar penetrating neovascularisation. Methods: Forty male Spraque-Dawley Rats, which were divided into four groups, were used for this study. At the beginning of the study a vertical midline abdominal incision was made to all animals. Six weeks after the incisions were made, epigastric flaps based on inferior epigastric vessels were raised. In the first group both left and right epigastric artery and veins were protected. In the second group only the right epigastric artery and vein was protected. In the third group, besides the right epigastric artery and vein, only the left epigastric artery was kept intact. In the fourth group, besides the right epigastric artery and vein, only the left epigastric vein was kept intact. Results: The percentages of necrotic areas on the flaps were statistically evaluated. The percentages of the necrotic areas on the left side of the flaps were significantly higher in the second group (p = 0.0305). Total flap area necrosis was also significantly higher in the second group (p = 0.026). In each group, vessel formations were identified which were extending through the midline scar tissue in the angiographic evaluations. Conclusions: These results suggest that scar penetrating neovascularisation on an epigastric flap with one sided pedicle, which is supported by a vein or an artery on the contralateral side, can be enough to facilitate the flap circulation.
The infectivity and antigenicity of Toxocara canis eggs can be retained after long-term preservation

Abstract Suspensions of fertilized eggs of Toxocara canis were mixed with 2% neutral formalin and preserved at 4°C. When, after storage for 0, 12, 18, 21 and 24 months, samples of the eggs were incubated at 30°C for 12 days, 96.8%, 92.6%, 74.1%, 51.0% and 19.3% of the eggs in the samples were found to embryonate. The embryonated eggs produced from the fertilized eggs preserved (in 2% neutral formalin at 4°C) for 0, 12, 18 and 21 months were then tested for their infectivity to BALB/c mice, each mouse being given 800 embryonated eggs. The numbers of larvae recovered from the mice and the sites from which they were recovered, 2 or 14 days post-infection, appeared unaffected by the length of storage of the eggs. The infected mice all had similar eosinophil counts in their peripheral blood and similar serum titres of Toxocara-specific IgM and IgG antibodies, and cultures of their spleen cells produced similar amounts of interleukin-4, interleukin-5 and interferon-γ when stimulated with concanavalin A. The results of SDS-PAGE indicated that egg preservation for at least 21 months had no effect on the excretory-secretory antigens in samples of medium from cultures of infective larvae released from the eggs. In summary, at least 50% of the fertilized eggs preserved in 2% neutral formalin at 4°C for 21 months could fully embryonate and then had the same infectivity and antigenicity as embryonated fresh eggs.
The Application of a Bayesian Approach to the Analysis of a Complex, Mechanistically Based Model

The Bayesian approach has been suggested as a suitable method in the context of mechanistic pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) modeling, as it allows for efficient use of both data and prior knowledge regarding the drug or disease state. However, to this day, published examples of its application to real PK-PD problems have been scarce. We present an example of a fully Bayesian re-analysis of a previously published mechanistic model describing the time course of circulating neutrophils in stroke patients and healthy individuals. While priors could be established for all population parameters in the model, not all variability terms were known with any degree of precision. A sensitivity analysis around the assigned priors used was performed by testing three different sets of prior values for the population variance terms for which no data were available in the literature: “informative”, “semi-informative”, and “noninformative”, respectively. For all variability terms, inverse gamma distributions were used. It was possible to fit the model to the data using the “informative” priors. However, when the “semi-informative” and “noninformative” priors were used, it was impossible to accomplish convergence due to severe correlations between parameters. In addition, due to the complexity of the model, the process of defining priors and running the Markov chains was very time-consuming. We conclude that the present analysis represents a first example of the fully transparent application of Bayesian methods to a complex, mechanistic PK-PD problem with real data. The approach is time-consuming, but enables us to make use of all available information from data and scientific evidence. Thereby, it shows potential both for detection of data gaps and for more reliable predictions of various outcomes and “what if” scenarios.
Supervisory support climate and service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior in hospitality

Purpose This paper aims to examine the effect of a supervisory support climate on frontline employees’ service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) using a multilevel conceptual model. A positive group affective tone – a meaningful construct – is introduced to investigate the mediating and moderating roles in this relationship in the context of hospitality. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 41 international tourist hotels in Taiwan. A total of 476 valid questionnaires from frontline employees were received for data analysis. The results were analyzed by using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). Findings These results not only indicate that a supervisory support climate has a positive effect on service-oriented OCB but also reveal that a positive group affective tone partially mediates and notably interacts with the relationship between the supervisory support climate and service-oriented OCB. Practical implications Based on the results, this study recommends that hotels train their managers to build a supervisory support climate, because this is the key source of service-oriented OCB in frontline employees. In addition, hotel managers need to exert a positive group affective tone to reinforce the effect of a supervisory support climate on service-oriented OCB. Originality/value This study contributes to the current hospitality literature by verifying the effect of a supervisory support climate on service-oriented OCB from a multilevel perspective. It also extends the understanding of the mechanism and interaction effect of the positive group affective tone in this multilevel relationship.
Transplantation of Schwann cells and/or olfactory ensheathing glia into the contused spinal cord: Survival, migration, axon association, and functional recovery

Schwann cells (SCs) and olfactory ensheathing glia (OEG) have shown promise for spinal cord injury repair. We sought their in vivo identification following transplantation into the contused adult rat spinal cord at 1 week post‐injury by: (i) DNA in situ hybridization (ISH) with a Y‐chromosome specific probe to identify male transplants in female rats and (ii) lentiviral vector‐mediated expression of EGFP. Survival, migration, and axon‐glia association were quantified from 3 days to 9 weeks post‐transplantation. At 3 weeks after transplantation into the lesion, a 60–90% loss of grafted cells was observed. OEG‐only grafts survived very poorly within the lesion (<5%); injection outside the lesion led to a 60% survival rate, implying that the injury milieu was hostile to transplanted cells and or prevented their proliferation. At later times post‐grafting, p75+/EGFP− cells in the lesion outnumbered EGFP+ cells in all paradigms, evidence of significant host SC infiltration. SCs and OEG injected into the injury failed to migrate from the lesion. Injection of OEG outside of the injury resulted in their migration into the SC‐injected injury site, not via normal‐appearing host tissue but along the pia or via the central canal. In all paradigms, host axons were seen in association with or ensheathed by transplanted glia. Numerous myelinated axons were found within regions of grafted SCs but not OEG. The current study details the temporal survival, migration, axon association of SCs and OEG, and functional recovery after grafting into the contused spinal cord, research previously complicated due to a lack of quality, long‐term markers for cell tracking in vivo. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.