Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Semiquantitative culture results and pathogenic significance of obligate anaerobes in peritonsillar abscesses

We studied the bacteria in consecutive peritonsillar abscesses using semiquantitation of the primary culture findings and correlated the results to clinical parameters. Puncture-aspirated pus from 42 abscesses yielded 133 isolates. Group A streptococci were isolated 10 times and, unlike other bacteria, were isolated 4 times in pure culture; other beta-hemolytic streptococci were found in 8 abscesses, and anaerobes were found in 28. The infections were polymicrobial, with two to seven bacteria in 83%. Anaerobes were more abundant than nonanaerobes; members of the genera Streptococcus, Bacteroides, Peptostreptococcus, and Fusobacterium were the most important quantitatively, considering both frequency and abundance. In patients with ongoing antibiotic treatment, nonanaerobes (but not anaerobes) were less abundant than in untreated patients. The abundance of obligate anaerobes (specifically cocci and gram-positive rods) correlated to the severity of illness as defined by fever and short duration before hospitalization. With other groups of bacteria, no such correlation was found. The correlation was not explained by a difference between the antibiotic-treated and the untreated patients. The results indicate the value of the semiquantitation of culture data and the frequency and pathogenic significance of obligate anaerobes in peritonsillar abscesses.
Money-Income Causality in Bangladesh: An Error Correction Approach

The causal relationship between money and income remains a contentious and lively issue in the literature. Even though the literature on this issue is voluminous, however, for Bangladesh it is quite nascent. A few earlier studies suffer from methodological deficiency as they did not take into consider the time series properties of the variables. The objective of this paper is to look on the causality between money and income in Bangladesh. The paper differs from the earlier ones regarding data used and econometric techniques applied. The main contribution of the paper is to address the issue of short run dynamics of the money income relationship within a long run relationship. The empirical results show that money supply and income are cointegrated, implying that there is stable long run relationship between them. The estimated error correction model shows that there is bidirectional causality between money and income, implying that monetary policy should be undertaken to realise the basic macroeconomic goals of achieving higher level of output.
A 3-D Stacked High- $Q$  PI-Based MEMS Inductor for Wireless Power Transmission System in Bio-Implanted Applications

This paper presents high-Q factor 3-D stacked MEMS inductors on polyimide substrate for wireless power transmission systems. The 3-D double layer stacked structure was designed, fabricated, and characterized, and self-planarization of polyimide was realized. The 3-D inductor achieves an inductance of 7.189 μH with a high-Q factor of 26.1 at 4.3 MHz. An inductively coupled wireless power transmission system was set up using the 3-D inductor in combination with a solenoid transmitting coil. At the resonant frequency of 1.6 MHz, the peak-to-peak output open circuit voltage could reach 5.2 V with a maximum power transmission efficiency of 11.74% and an output power of 35.5 mW. Effects of the load impedance and transmission distance on the output power were also investigated. Using this wireless transmission system, the driving of an implanted 3-D microelectrode array for neural prosthesis was demonstrated successfully, indicating that this 3-D stacked MEMS inductor design shows promise for applications in supplying power for implanted medical devices.
Exposure to bisphenol A is associated with recurrent miscarriage.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the influence of high exposure to bisphenol A on recurrent miscarriage and immunoendocrine abnormalities. METHODS Serum bisphenol A, antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs), antinuclear antibodies (ANAs), natural killer cell (NK) activity, prolactin, progesterone, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free T4 were examined in 45 patients with a history of three or more (3-11) consecutive first-trimester miscarriages and 32 healthy women with no history of live birth and infertility. Subsequent pregnancy outcome and embryonic karyotype of abortuses were examined prospectively. RESULTS The mean+/-SD values for bisphenol A in patients were 2.59+/-5.23 ng/ml, significantly higher than the 0.77+/-0.38 ng/ml found for control women (P=0.024). High exposure to bisphenol A was associated with the presence of ANAs but not hypothyroidism, hyperprolactinaemia, luteal phase defects, NK cell activity or aPLs. A high level of bisphenol A in itself did not predict subsequent miscarriage. CONCLUSION Exposure to bisphenol A is associated with recurrent miscarriage.
The Moderating Effect of Environmental Variables on the Entrepreneurial and Marketing Orientation of Entrepreneur-led Firms

A firm's marketing orientation and entrepreneurial orientation intuitively should relate to organizational performance. Considerable theory can be found concerning the causes and consequences of each orientation as well as their relationship, but little empirical evidence exists, especially for small-firm samples. This paper examines the relationship between the two concepts and how this relationship is moderated by the firm's external environment. In addition, the relationship of marketing orientation and entrepreneurial orientation to firm performance and the moderating effects of the environment on these two relationships are examined. The sample consists of entrepreneurs, defined as those individuals who have started or purchased a small business, and who are still leading the business they started or purchased.
Regional replication of association with refractive error on 15q14 and 15q25 in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study cohort

Purpose Refractive error is a complex trait with multiple genetic and environmental risk factors, and is the most common cause of preventable blindness worldwide. The common nature of the trait suggests the presence of many genetic factors that individually may have modest effects. To achieve an adequate sample size to detect these common variants, large, international collaborations have formed. These consortia typically use meta-analysis to combine multiple studies from many different populations. This approach is robust to differences between populations; however, it does not compensate for the different haplotypes in each genetic background evidenced by different alleles in linkage disequilibrium with the causative variant. We used the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) cohort to replicate published significant associations at two loci on chromosome 15 from two genome-wide association studies (GWASs). The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that exhibited association on chromosome 15 in the original studies did not show evidence of association with refractive error in the AREDS cohort. This paper seeks to determine whether the non-replication in this AREDS sample may be due to the limited number of SNPs chosen for replication. Methods We selected all SNPs genotyped on the Illumina Omni2. 5v1_B array or custom TaqMan assays or imputed from the GWAS data, in the region surrounding the SNPs from the Consortium for Refractive Error and Myopia study. We analyzed the SNPs for association with refractive error using standard regression methods in PLINK. The effective number of tests was calculated using the Genetic Type I Error Calculator. Results Although use of the same SNPs used in the Consortium for Refractive Error and Myopia study did not show any evidence of association with refractive error in this AREDS sample, other SNPs within the candidate regions demonstrated an association with refractive error. Significant evidence of association was found using the hyperopia categorical trait, with the most significant SNPs rs1357179 on 15q14 (p=1.69×10−3) and rs7164400 on 15q25 (p=8.39×10−4), which passed the replication thresholds. Conclusions This study adds to the growing body of evidence that attempting to replicate the most significant SNPs found in one population may not be significant in another population due to differences in the linkage disequilibrium structure and/or allele frequency. This suggests that replication studies should include less significant SNPs in an associated region rather than only a few selected SNPs chosen by a significance threshold.
The small regulatory RNA FasX enhances group A Streptococcus virulence and inhibits pilus expression via serotype‐specific targets

Bacterial pathogens commonly show intra‐species variation in virulence factor expression and often this correlates with pathogenic potential. The group A Streptococcus (GAS) produces a small regulatory RNA (sRNA), FasX, which regulates the expression of pili and the thrombolytic agent streptokinase. As GAS serotypes are polymorphic regarding (a) FasX abundance, (b) the fibronectin, collagen, T‐antigen (FCT) region of the genome, which contains the pilus genes (nine different FCT‐types), and (c) the streptokinase‐encoding gene (ska) sequence (two different alleles), we sought to test whether FasX regulates pilus and streptokinase expression in a serotype‐specific manner. Parental, fasX mutant and complemented derivatives of serotype M1 (ska‐2, FCT‐2), M2 (ska‐1, FCT‐6), M6 (ska‐2, FCT‐1) and M28 (ska‐1, FCT‐4) isolates were compared. While FasX reduced pilus expression in each serotype, the molecular basis differed, as FasX bound, and inhibited the translation of, different FCT‐region mRNAs. FasX enhanced streptokinase expression in each serotype, although the degree of regulation varied. Finally, we established that the regulation afforded by FasX enhances GAS virulence, assessed by a model of bacteremia using human plasminogen‐expressing mice. Our data are the first to identify and characterize serotype‐specific regulation by an sRNA in GAS, and to show an sRNA directly contributes to GAS virulence.
Effects of rutin and harmaline on rat reflux oesophagitis.

1. This study was aimed at evaluating the effect of rutin and harmaline (1-methyl-7-methoxy-3,4-dihydro-beta-carboline) on the development of the surgically induced reflux oesophagitis, on gastric secretion, lipid peroxidation, polymorphonucleocytes (PMNs) accumulation, superoxide and hydroxyl radical production in PMNs, cytokine [interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha)] production in blood and [Ca2+]i mobilization in PMNs. 2. Rutin and harmaline significantly prevented the development of reflux oesophagitis and gastric secretion. Treatments of oesophagitis rats with rutin and harmaline inhibited lipid peroxidation, and myeloperoxidase (MPO) in the oesophagus in comparison with untreated rats. 3. Superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide production in 1 microm formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fMLP)- or 0.1 microg ml-1N-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-activated PMNs was inhibited by rutin and harmaline in a dose-dependent fashion. Rutin and harmaline effectively scavenged the hydroxyl radical and hydrogen peroxide. Treatments of oesophagitis rats with rutin and harmaline inhibited IL-1beta production in the oesophagus in comparison with untreated rats, but TNF-alpha production was not affected by rutin and harmaline. The fMLP-induced elevation of [Ca2+]i was inhibited by rutin. 4. The results of this study suggest that rutin and harmaline may have beneficial protective effects against reflux oesophagitis by the inhibition of gastric acid secretion, oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokine production (i.e. IL-1beta), and intracellular calcium mobilization in PMNs in rats.
Arf tumor suppressor promoter monitors latent oncogenic signals in vivo

Induction of the Arf tumor suppressor gene by elevated thresholds of mitogenic signals activates a p53-dependent transcriptional response that triggers either growth arrest or apoptosis, thereby countering abnormal cell proliferation. Conversely, Arf inactivation is associated with tumor development. Expression of Arf in tissues of adult mice is difficult to detect, possibly because its induction leads to the arrest or elimination of incipient tumor cells. We replaced coding sequences of exon 1β of the mouse cellular Arf gene with a cDNA encoding GFP, thereby producing Arf-null animals in which GFP expression is driven by the intact Arf promoter. The Arf promoter was induced in several biologic settings previously shown to elicit mouse p19Arf expression. Inactivation of Arf in this manner led to the outgrowth of tumor cells expressing GFP, thereby providing direct evidence that the Arf promoter monitors latent oncogenic signals in vivo.
Total synthesis and absolute configuration assignment of MRSA active garcinol and isogarcinol.

A short total synthesis of (±)-garcinol and (±)-isogarcinol, two endo-type B PPAPs with reported activity against methiciline resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is presented. The separation of framework-constructing from framework-decorating steps and the application of two highly regio- and stereoselective Pd-catalysed allylations, that is, the Pd-catalysed decarboxylative Tsuji-Trost allylation and the diastereoselective Pd-catalysed allyl-allyl cross-coupling, are key elements that allowed the total synthesis to be accomplished within 13 steps starting from acetylacetone. After separation of the enantiomers the absolute configurations of the four natural products (i.e., (-)-garcinol, (+)-guttiferone E (i.e., ent-garcinol), (-)-isogarcinol, and (+)-isoxanthochymol (i.e., ent-isogarcinol)) were assigned based on ECD spectroscopy.
Planar High-efficiency Antenna Array Using New Printed Ridge Gap Waveguide Technology

High-efficiency millimeter wave antenna array is proposed. A cooperate feeding network is designed using the new printed ridge gap waveguide technology, which is self-packaged with low loss. The feeding network is designed to couple to narrow slots arranged in a planar array that is coupled to printed broadband magnetoelectric (ME) dipoles. An array of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4 \times 4$ </tex-math></inline-formula> ME dipoles is designed. The simulated results are verified with measurements. The measured reflection coefficient is less than −10 dB over 16.5% bandwidth (28.8–34 GHz). The measured antenna gain is higher than 19 dBi, and the cross polarization measured gain is around −35 dB within the main beam. Furthermore, the measured total radiation efficiency is 70%, and the measured aperture efficiency corresponds to 90% at 30.2 GHz.
Intravenous Immunoglobulin as an Immunomodulating Agent in Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody–Associated Vasculitides: A French Nationwide Study of Ninety‐Two Patients

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) represents a therapeutic alternative in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody–associated vasculitides (AAV), but its efficacy has been evaluated in only 2 small prospective trials. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of IVIG in patients with AAV.
[Triptolide affect the methylation status of HL-60cells].

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of triptolide (TP) on the methylation status of human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) and explore a preliminary demethylation mechanism. METHODS Normal HL-60 cells as control group, the cell proliferation level of HL-60 cells was detected by MTT assay, being treated by different concentration TP (3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 25 nmol/L) for 24 h or 48 h respectively; Choosing the 3.125 nmol/L and the 6.25 nmol/L TP affected HL-60 cells for 48 h, the cell apoptosis rate and cell cycle were determined by flow cytometry, the expressions of death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK-1) and methyltransferase DNMT1, DNMT3B mRNA were measured by real time-PCR (RT-PCR), LINE-1, DAPK-1 genes'methylation variations were analyzed by methylation specific PCR (MSP). RESULTS Compared with control group, the different concentration TP could significantly inhibit the proliferation of HL-60 in a time-dose dependent manner (P<0.05, P<0.01). After being treated by TP for 48 h, the cell early apoptosis rate of control group and 6.250 nmol/L TP group were (2.07 ± 1.91)%, (9.77 ± 3.52)%, respectively (P<0.05); When the TP concentration increased, DAPK-1mRNA expression increased (P<0.01), DNMT1, DNMT3B mRNA expression significantly dampened (P<0.01); the promoter of LINE-1, DAPK-1 genes were hypermethylation state in the control group, after being treated by TP for 48 h, the brightness of LINE-1, DAPK-1 genes'methylation strips weakened, and the non-methylation strips enhanced all in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION TP could down-regulate the transcriptional expression of methyltransferase DNMT1/3B genes, indirect action to reduce the degree of DAPK-1, LINE-1 genes mathylation, thus promote DAPK-1 gene expression level and inhibit the HL 60 cell growth.
Release of reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates from monocytes of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

M. tuberculosis, the aetiological agent of tuberculosis readily infects and multiplies within the macrophages of the host. Macrophage activation is known to occur through a series of stages, which results in the production of biologically active molecules such as the reactive oxygen and nitrogen intermediates. The following study was conducted on 20 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis, before and after initiation of antituberculous therapy, and on 10 normal healthy controls. The macrophages were isolated from peripheral blood of the patients and controls at a concentration of 1 x 10(6) cells ml-1. The generation of reactive oxygen intermediates was measured by a chemiluminescence technique. Reactive nitrogen intermediates, were measured following stimulation of macrophages with latex, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and purified protein derivative-S (PPD-S). Citrulline levels and electron transport chain activity were also determined in the cell cultures. It was observed that there was a significant depression (p < 0.05) in the respiratory burst response in the patient group (0.46 x 10(3) +/- 0.11 cpm per 10(6) cells) compared with the controls (7.12 x 10(3) +/- 2.31 cpm per 10(6) cells). On the other hand, reactive nitrogen intermediates (671.03 +/- 2.18 nmol) and citrulline levels (193.07 +/- 2.38 nmol) were significantly (p < 0.001) higher before initiation of therapy compared with control values (24.36 +/- 2.81 and 18.91 +/- 2.12 nmol respectively). Their levels declined, during the post-therapy period of 3 months, to 60.81 +/- 2.03 and 38.17 +/- 2.13 nmol respectively. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Biochemical and morphogenic effects of the interaction between protein kinase C‐epsilon and actin in vitro and in cultured NIH3T3 cells

Protein kinase C‐epsilon coordinately regulates changes in cell growth and shape. Cells overproducing protein kinase C‐epsilon spontaneously acquire a polarized morphology and extend long cellular membrane protrusions that are reminiscent of the morphology observed in ras‐transformed fibroblasts. Here we report that the regulatory C1 domain contains an actin binding hexapeptide motif that is essential for the morphogenic effects of protein kinase C‐epsilon in cultured NIH3T3 murine fibroblasts. The extension of elongate processes by protein kinase C‐epsilon transformed fibroblasts appeared to be driven by a kinase‐independent mechanism that required organized networks of both actin and microtubules. Flow cytometry of phalloidin‐stained cells demonstrated that protein kinase C‐epsilon significantly increased the cellular content of polymerized actin in NIH3T3 cells. Studies with a cell‐free system suggest that protein kinase C‐epsilon inhibits the in vitro disassembly of actin filaments, is capable of desequestering actin monomers from physiologically relevant concentrations of thymosin β4, and increases the rate of actin filament elongation by decreasing the critical concentration of actin. Based on these and other observations, it is proposed that protein kinase C‐epsilon may function as a terminal downstream effector in at least one of the signaling pathways that mitogens engage to initiate outgrowth of cellular protrusions. J. Cell. Biochem. 83: 532–546, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Lung Tumors Evaluated With FDG-PET and Dynamic CT: The Relationship Between Vascular Density and Glucose Metabolism

Purpose The aim of the current study was to evaluate the relationship between FDG-PET and dynamic CT in lung tumors. Method Forty consecutive patients with pulmonary tumors underwent whole-body FDG-PET and contrast-enhanced dynamic CT. The size of tumors was 2.6 ± 0.2 cm (mean ± SD) at the largest diameter. The standardized uptake value (SUV) of FDG-PET, peak attenuation (APA), and relative flow (RF) of dynamic CT were evaluated. All patients underwent surgery, and tissue samples were available to be studied. The intratumoral microvessel densities (MVDs) were counted and compared with the radiologic parameters. The duration between radiologic examinations and surgery was within 2 weeks in all patients. Results The mean SUV, APA, and RF of lung cancers were significantly higher than those of benign lesions (p < 0.05). The mean APA and RF of lung cancers correlated with mean SUV (APA: r = 0.665, p < 0.0001; RF:r = 0.848, p < 0.05) and mean MVD (APA:r = 0.801, p < 0.0001; RF:r = 0.723, p < 0.05). The mean SUV of lung cancers correlated with the mean MVD (r = 0.612, p < 0.001). No correlation was found between the mean APA, RF, SUV, and MVD in benign tumors. Conclusion The APA and RF of dynamic CT correlated with the SUV of FDG-PET imaging in lung cancer. The APA and RF of dynamic CT as an index of blood pooling may be related to increased glucose metabolism in lung cancer.
Signatures of positive selection in African Butana and Kenana dairy zebu cattle

Butana and Kenana are two types of zebu cattle found in Sudan. They are unique amongst African indigenous zebu cattle because of their high milk production. Aiming to understand their genome structure, we genotyped 25 individuals from each breed using the Illumina BovineHD Genotyping BeadChip. Genetic structure analysis shows that both breeds have an admixed genome composed of an even proportion of indicine (0.75 ± 0.03 in Butana, 0.76 ± 0.006 in Kenana) and taurine (0.23 ± 0.009 in Butana, 0.24 ± 0.006 in Kenana) ancestries. We also observe a proportion of 0.02 to 0.12 of European taurine ancestry in ten individuals of Butana that were sampled from cattle herds in Tamboul area suggesting local crossbreeding with exotic breeds. Signatures of selection analyses (iHS and Rsb) reveal 87 and 61 candidate positive selection regions in Butana and Kenana, respectively. These regions span genes and quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with biological pathways that are important for adaptation to marginal environments (e.g., immunity, reproduction and heat tolerance). Trypanotolerance QTL are intersecting candidate regions in Kenana cattle indicating selection pressure acting on them, which might be associated with an unexplored level of trypanotolerance in this cattle breed. Several dairy traits QTL are overlapping the identified candidate regions in these two zebu cattle breeds. Our findings underline the potential to improve dairy production in the semi-arid pastoral areas of Africa through breeding improvement strategy of indigenous local breeds.