Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Overlapping but Distinct Patterns of Histone Acetylation by the Human Coactivators p300 and PCAF within Nucleosomal Substrates*

A number of transcriptional coactivators possess intrinsic histone acetylase activity, providing a direct link between hyperacetylated chromatin and transcriptional activation. We have determined the core histone residues acetylated in vitro by recombinant p300 and PCAF within mononucleosomes. p300 specifically acetylates all sites of histones H2A and H2B known to be acetylated in bulk chromatin in vivo but preferentially acetylates lysines 14 and 18 of histone H3 and lysines 5 and 8 of histone H4. PCAF primarily acetylates lysine 14 of H3 but also less efficiently acetylates lysine 8 of H4. PCAF in its native form, which is present in a stable multimeric protein complex lacking p300/CBP, primarily acetylates H3 to a monoacetylated form, suggesting that PCAF-associated polypeptides do not alter the substrate specificity. These distinct patterns of acetylation by the p300 and PCAF may contribute to their differential roles in transcriptional regulation.
Characterisation by multilocus sequence and porA and flaA typing of Campylobacter jejuni isolated from samples of dog faeces collected in one city in New Zealand

Abstract AIMS: To investigate the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. and C. jejuni in dog faecal material collected from dog walkways in the city of Palmerston North, New Zealand, and to characterise the C. jejuni isolates by multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and porA and flaA antigen gene typing. METHODS: A total of 355 fresh samples of dogs faeces were collected from bins provided for the disposal of dog faeces in 10 walkways in Palmerston North, New Zealand, between August 2008–July 2009. Presumptive Campylobacter colonies, cultured on modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate plates, were screened for genus Campylobacter and C. jejuni by PCR. The C. jejuni isolates were subsequently characterised by MLST and porA and flaA typing, and C. jejuni sequence types (ST) were assigned. RESULTS: Of the 355 samples collected, 72 (20 (95% CI=16–25)%) were positive for Campylobacter spp. and 22 (6 (95% CI=4–9)%) were positive for C. jejuni. Of the 22 C. jejuni isolates, 19 were fully typed by MLST. Ten isolates were assigned to the clonal complex ST-45 and three to ST-52. The allelic combinations of ST-45/flaA 21/porA 44 (n=3), ST-45/flaA 22/porA 53 (n=3) and ST-52/ flaA 57/porA 905 (n=3) were most frequent. CONCLUSIONS: The successful isolation of C. jejuni from canine faecal samples collected from faecal bins provides evidence that Campylobacter spp. may survive outside the host for at least several hours despite requiring fastidious growth conditions in culture. The results show that dogs carry C. jejuni genotypes (ST-45, ST-50, ST-52 and ST-696) that have been reported in human clinical cases. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Although these results do not provide any evidence either for the direction of infection or for dogs being a potential risk factor for human campylobacteriosis, dog owners are advised to practice good hygiene with respect to their pets to reduce potential exposure to infection.
A Reconfigurable Monopole Antenna With Fluorescent Tubes Using Plasma Windowing Concepts for 4.9-GHz Application

This paper aimed at investigating the performance of plasma windowing concept in terms of radiation pattern, gain, and S-parameter. The antenna structure consists of 12 tubes of commercial fluorescent lamps that contain a mixture of mercury vapor and argon gas, which upon electrification, forms plasma. After getting sufficient voltage, the gas inside the fluorescent tube will ionize to plasma and form a plasma column. When all of the tubes surrounding the antenna are electrified, the radiation is trapped inside. By leaving one or more of the tubes in a nonelectrified state, apertures are formed in the plasma shield, which allow radiation to escape. The plasma frequency in this experiment is equal to 5.634e11 Hz. This antenna design is at 4.9 GHz. The designing of plasma antenna using fluorescent tubes has created advancement in antenna industry especially in reconfigurable antenna field.
Differential Contribution of Insulin and Amino Acids to the mTORC1-Autophagy Pathway in the Liver and Muscle*

Background: The in vivo mechanism of autophagy regulation remains unclear. Results: The effect of insulin on mTORC1-autophagy is greater in muscle than in the liver, whereas that of amino acids is greater in liver than in muscle. Conclusion: Autophagy is differentially regulated by insulin and amino acids in a tissue-dependent manner. Significance: This information increases the understanding of protein homeostasis in vivo. Autophagy is a highly inducible intracellular degradation process. It is generally induced by nutrient starvation and suppressed by food intake. Mammalian (or mechanistic) target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is considered to be the major regulator of autophagy, but the precise mechanism of in vivo regulation remains to be fully characterized. Here, we examined the autophagy-suppressive effect of glucose, insulin, and amino acids in the liver and muscle in mice starved for 1 day. Refeeding after starvation with a standard mouse chow rapidly suppressed autophagy in both tissues, and this suppression was inhibited by rapamycin administration almost completely in the liver and partially in muscle, confirming that mTORC1 is indeed a crucial regulator in vivo. As glucose administration showed no major suppressive effect on autophagy, we examined the role of insulin and amino acids using hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp and intravenous amino acid infusion techniques. Insulin administration showed a clear effect on the mTORC1-autophagy pathway in muscle, but had only a very weak effect in the liver. By contrast, amino acids were able to regulate the mTORC1-autophagy pathway in the liver, but less effectively in muscle. These results suggest that autophagy is differentially regulated by insulin and amino acids in a tissue-dependent manner.
Aggressive and nonaggressive rejected students : An analysis of their differences

The present study aimed to analyze differences between aggressive and nonaggressive rejected students in four sets of variables: personal, family, school, and social. Participants in the study were 843 Spanish adolescents ranging in age from 11 to 16 years old, of whom 47% were boys. Results indicated that these two subgroups of rejected students show a different profile. Aggressive rejected students informed of lower levels of family self-esteem, less parental support, higher levels of aggression between their parents at home, and a more offensive parent–child communication in comparison with nonaggressive rejected adolescents. Moreover, aggressive rejected students showed lower levels of academic self-esteem, a more negative attitude toward school and studies, poorer relationships with teachers, and more academic difficulties than did adolescents in the nonaggressive rejected subgroup. Finally, aggressive rejected students indicated the presence of more undesirable life events and changes in their lives and, in general, higher levels of perceived stress. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Detection and characterization of human caliciviruses in hospitalized children with acute gastroenteritis in Blantyre, Malawi

The human caliciviruses (HuCVs), including Norovirus and Sapovirus, are recognized causes of acute gastroenteritis in children and adults. A 1‐year study was undertaken in Blantyre, Malawi, to examine the prevalence, and genetic diversity, of human caliciviruses (HuCVs) amongst children under 5 years of age hospitalized with acute gastroenteritis. Using the reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR), combined with nucleotide sequencing of the RT‐PCR products, HuCVs were detected in 34/398 (8.5%) of children. Twelve (35.3%) of the children were co‐infected with additional enteric viruses (predominantly rotavirus). The HuCVs comprised 26 Noroviruses (6.5%) and 8 Sapoviruses (2.0%). Each of the Noroviruses belonged to genogroup II, and could be further classified into six genotypes, including GII/3 (18 strains), GII/4 (2 strains), GII/11 (1 strain), GII/13 (1 strain), GII/16 (2 strains), and a putative new genotype GII/20 (2 strains). Each of the Sapoviruses belonged to genogroup GIII. HuCVs are the second most commonly identified viral enteropathogens (after rotavirus) among hospitalized children with gastroenteritis in Malawi. J. Med. Virol. 77:522–527, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, inc.
Measuring the use and career histories of drug users in treatment: reliability of the Lifetime Drug Use History (LDUH) and its data yield relative to clinical case notes.

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS There is no generally accepted clinical or research instrument available for recording the longitudinal course of a drug-using 'career'. This paper reports on an initial examination of the properties of the Lifetime Drug Use History Questionnaire (LDUH), built around monthly mapping of drug use patterns in relation to other life events. DESIGN AND METHODS Forty heroin and cocaine users completed structured interviews at two treatment sites. Twenty subjects were interviewed on two occasions separated by a 3-day interval, using either the same interviewer (n = 10) or two different interviewers (n = 10) as assessments of inter-rater and test - retest reliability. RESULTS Very good inter-rater agreements were observed, demonstrated by Cronbach's alpha and intraclass correlation coefficients generally higher than 0.8 and 0.7, respectively. Additionally, concordance with clinical notes was assessed for four drug use history variables, resulting in poorer rates of agreement. An exact matching with clinical records was obtained for the variable 'age of first use of heroin' in 47.2% (n = 17) of the heroin users, while a good agreement (only 1 or 2 years' difference) was found in 36.1% of cases (n = 5). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS The LDUH method resulted in high reliability for heroin and cocaine and suggests an effective, clinically applicable method for history-taking. The paucity and inconsistency of similar information in the clinical notes would further justify the use of a standardised method for recording drug histories.
Adsorption of heavy metals on to sugar cane bagasse: Improvement of adsorption capacities due to anaerobic degradation of the biosorbent

In this work, anaerobic degradation of sugar cane bagasse was studied with a dual objective: the production of biogas and the improvement of the material’s characteristics for its implementation in adsorption processes. The biogas production was determined by means of biomethane potential tests carried out over two months of incubation at 35 °C. Biogas and methane cumulative productions were assumed to follow a first‐order rate of decay. Theoretical cumulative methane and biogas productions were calculated using Buswell’s equation. The anaerobic digestion resulted in a 92% decrease in the leachable organic fraction and a 40% mass loss of bagasse. The average productions of biogas and methane from the whole set of experiments were 293 ± 6 and 122 ± 4 mL g−1 of volatile solids, respectively. The anaerobic incubation of the raw material led to an increase in adsorption capacities towards metal ions, which were multiplied by around 2.0 for Zn2+ and 2.3 for Cd2+.
Food Supply Strategies in the Romanian Eneolithic: Sheep/Goat Husbandry and Fishing Activities from Hârşova Tell and Borduşani-Popină (5th Millennium BC)

Previously observed specialization in sheep/goat kill-off patterns from Romanian Eneolithic sites raises the question of a limited duration of the slaughtering period. In order to provide reliable month of death distribution for sheep/goats, the approach developed here takes into account uncertainties regarding the age-at-death and the month of birth, based on classic archaeozoological techniques. We show that sheep slaughtering rarely occurred from late spring to early autumn or from summer to mid-fall, both at Hârşova tell and Borduşani-Popină. Conversely, it is very likely that fishing activities took place primarily from spring to early autumn. This points to the existence of seasonal and complementary food supply strategies at both sites. Several possible explanations for these seasonal strategies are discussed. We also highlight the homogeneity in the management of domestic herds between the two sites, raising the question of a certain standardization in pastoral practices on a larger scale.
Mitochondrial Ca 2 uptake is important over low [ Ca 2 ] i range in arterial smooth muscle

Kamishima, Tomoko, and John M. Quayle. Mitochondrial Ca2 uptake is important over low [Ca2 ]i range in arterial smooth muscle. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 283: H2431–H2439, 2002. First published July 26, 2002; 10.1152/ ajpheart.00865. 2001. —Mitochondrial Ca2 uptake is usually thought to occur only when intracellular Ca2 concentration ([Ca2 ]i) is high. We investigated whether mitochondrial Ca2 removal participates in shaping [Ca2 ]i signals in arterial smooth muscle over a low [Ca2 ]i range. [Ca2 ]i was measured using fura 2-loaded, voltage-clamped cells from rat femoral arteries. Both diazoxide and carbonyl cyanide mchlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) depolarized the mitochondria. Diazoxide application increased resting [Ca2 ]i, suggesting that Ca2 is sequestered in mitochondria. Over a low [Ca2 ]i range, diazoxide and CCCP slowed Ca2 removal rate, determined after a brief depolarization. When [Ca2 ]i was measured during sustained depolarization to 30 mV, CCCP application increased [Ca2 ]i. When Ca2 transients were repeatedly evoked by caffeine applications, CCCP application elevated resting [Ca2 ]i. Caffeine-induced Ca2 transients were compared before and after CCCP application using the half decay time, or time required to reduce increase in [Ca2 ]i by 50% (t1⁄2). CCCP treatment significantly increased t1⁄2. These results suggest that Ca2 removal to mitochondria in arterial smooth muscle cells may be important at a low [Ca2 ]i.
Dental arch width stability after quadhelix and edgewise treatment in complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the transverse stability of the dental arch in unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patients after orthodontic treatment with quadhelix and edgewise appliances. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty repaired complete UCLP patients with posterior crossbites were chosen as the study subjects. All had ceased retention at least 15 months previously. Measurements were carried out directly on the pretreatment, posttreatment, and postretention study models using a three-dimensional dental cast analyzer. The interdental widths were measured for the canines, first premolars, second premolars, first molars, basal bone, and the alveolar arch. Two-way analysis of variance and Fisher's LSD was performed in comparing the difference between intervals. RESULTS Lower inter-first-premolar width and upper arch widths of each region increased significantly (P < .05) after orthodontic treatment. The expansion was greater in the anterior than the posterior region in the upper arch, and the greatest increase was in the upper first premolar region. The upper arch width decreased after retention, with the decrease of the arch width in the upper canine (1.3 +/- 0.8 mm) and first premolar (1.5 +/- 0.8 mm) regions being statistically significant. The increased upper arch width in each region and the lower inter-first-premolar width maintained significant expansion after retention. CONCLUSIONS The widths of the dental arch increased significantly after expansion with a quadhelix followed by preadjusted edgewise treatment. Relapse occurred, especially in the upper canine and first premolar region, but most of the treatment effect on the upper arch remained after retention.
Various Roles of Th Cytokine mRNA Expression in Different Forms of Glomerulonephritis

Background: Kidney disease is characterized by injurious immune responses to self or foreign antigens. The development and maintenance of immune responses generally involves activation of T lymphocytes. We evaluated mRNA expression patterns of T-cell cytokines to identify the principal Th-cell subset involved in the development of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antigen-associated pauci-immune crescentic glomerulonephritis (ANCAGN), membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), and membranous nephropathy (MN). Methods: Kidney biopsy specimens from ANCAGN (17), MPGN (11), and MN (14) patients were evaluated for mRNA expression of various T-cell cytokines. Results: Interferon-γ mRNA expression was detected in both ANCAGN and MPGN, but not in MN patients. Furthermore, mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-12, a Th1-associated cytokine, was lower in MN patients than in ANCAGN and MPGN patients. In contrast, a significantly higher expression of IL-4 and IL-5 was observed in MN than in ANCAGN and MPGN patients. In the analyses of Th17-associated cytokine expression, a significantly higher expression of IL-6 and IL-17 was observed in ANCAGN than in MPGN and MN patients. No significant differences were observed in the expression of these cytokines between MPGN and MN patients. With regard to Treg-associated cytokines, a significantly higher IL-10 expression was observed in MN than in ANCAGN patients, and a significantly higher transforming growth factor-β expression was observed in MN than in ANCAGN and MPGN patients. Similarly, Foxp3 expression was significantly higher in MN. Conclusion: Th1 and Th17 immune responses in ANCAGN, the Th1 response in MPGN, and Th2 and Treg responses in MN patients may be integral for the distinct histological features of these diseases.
Rescue from death but not from functional impairment: caspase inhibition protects dopaminergic cells against 6‐hydroxydopamine‐induced apoptosis but not against the loss of their terminals

Despite the identification of several mutations in familial Parkinson's disease (PD), the underlying mechanisms of dopaminergic neuronal loss in idiopathic PD are still unknown. To study whether caspase‐dependent apoptosis may play a role in the pathogenesis of PD, we examined 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) toxicity in dopaminergic SH‐SY5Y cells and in embryonic dopaminergic mesencephalic cultures. 6‐OHDA induced activation of caspases 3, 6 and 9, chromatin condensation and cell death in SH‐SY5Y cells. The caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl‐Val‐Ala‐Asp‐(O‐methyl)fluoromethylketone (zVAD‐fmk) or adenovirally mediated ectopic expression of the X‐chromosomal inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) blocked caspase activation and prevented death of SH‐SY5Y cells. Similarly, zVAD‐fmk provided protection from 6‐OHDA‐induced loss of tyrosine hydroxylase‐positive neurones in mesencephalic cultures. In contrast, zVAD‐fmk failed to protect mesencephalic dopaminergic neurones from 6‐OHDA‐induced loss of neurites and reduction of [3H]dopamine uptake. These data suggest that, although caspase inhibition provides protection from 6‐OHDA‐induced death of dopaminergic neurones, the neurones may remain functionally impaired.
Pathogens associated with sexually transmitted infections : Distribution patterns of Chlamydia trachomatis , Neisseria gonorrhoeae , Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum , antimicrobial resistance and molecular characterization of Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine pathogens associated with sexually transmitted infections and the antimicrobial resistance among Neisseria gonorrhoeae isolates. Methodology and results: Urethral, endocervical and anal-rectal swabs were tested for Chlamydia trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma hominis and Ureaplasma urealyticum. The molecular characterization of some N. gonorrhoeae isolates was made using NG-MAST. The total positive infection rate for C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae and Mycoplasmas on the screened samples was 13% (541/4140), 5.5% (506/9232) and 5.5% (504/9232), respectively. One of the N. gonorrhoeae isolates (ST 3158) was cefixime-resistant (MIC ≥ 0.25 μ/mL). Men are at more risk of U. urealyticum infection (p< 0.05) while women are at more risk of M. hominis infection (p< 0.05). Conclusion, significance and impact of study: We identified the first N. gonorrhoeae isolate with reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone in the area served by our center. Further studies are needed in order to elucidate the relation between sex and ureaplasmal and mycoplasmal infection. Our findings are useful to draw local and national strategies to control the emergence of new STs related with treatment failure.
Taking anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) testing beyond the limits.

The application of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) testing has received much interest since ANCA were discovered [1] and since they were reported to be useful in both the diagnosis and monitoring of disease activity in Wegener’s granulomatosis (WG) [2]. Although there is little doubt that the recognition of the association between the presence of ANCA and active vasculitis has had a very positive influence on research on the pathogenesis and treatment of ANCA-associated diseases (reviewed by Savage [3]), there are reasons to worry about the application of this recently gained knowledge in clinical practice. In this comment the problems with the clinical application of ANCA tests are categorized for the sake of clarity as (i) standardization problems, (ii) difficulties with application of the test in the appropriate clinical context and (iii) the assumption that ANCA titres alone are reliable and sufficient to monitor disease activity and therapy during follow-up of patients.
Dementia after stroke

We determined the frequency of dementia in a cohort of 251 patients aged ⩾60 years hospitalized with acute ischemie stroke, based on examinations performed 3 months after stroke onset. Using modified DSM-III-R criteria, we found dementia in 66 patients (26.3%). Diagnostic agreement among raters was excellent (kappa = 0.96). In a control sample of 249 stroke-free subjects recruited from the community and matched by age, we found dementia in eight subjects (3.2%). Using a logistic regression model to estimate the risk of dementia associated with stroke in the combined samples, the odds ratio (OR) for stroke patients compared with control subjects was 9.4 (p <0.001). Advancing age and fewer years of education were significant, independent correlates of dementia, with a trend evident for race (non-white versus white). Confining the analysis to subjects residing in the Washington Heights-Inwood community of northern Manhattan, the OR was 10.3 (p <0.001) with significant age and race effects. We conclude that ischemie stroke significantly increases the risk of dementia, with independent contributions by age, education, and race.
On the domestic political-economic sources of American military spending

Dieser Beitrag versucht, den starken Einflus innerstaatlicher politisch-okonomischer Faktoren auf den amerikanischen Verteidigungshaushalt aufzuzeigen. Es wird zwar nachgewiesen, das die amerikanischen Militarausgaben die der anderen Allierten bei weitem ubertreffen, dies konnte jedoch eher an politisch-okonomischen Zwangen als an dem Trittbrettfahrer-Effekt seitens der Allierten liegen. Die Wechselwirkung zwischen den US-Verteidigungsausgaben und der offentlichen Meinung wird anschliesend untersucht. Die vorliegenden Informationen legen die Vermutung nahe, das die Unterstiitzung der US-Fuhrung durch die Bevolkerung unter der Bedingung des Rustungswettbewerbs zwischen den USA und der Sowjet Union dann signifikant variiert, wenn die Aufmerksamkeit der amerikanischen Offentlichkeit auf die Ausenpolitik gerichtet ist. Zum Schlus wird ein politisches Konjunkturzyklusmodell der Verteidigungsausgaben fur die Zeit 1953-1986 untersucht, das sich als nutzlich fur die Erklarung der Rustungsausgaben erweist. Es wirft weiteres Licht auf die Bedeutung der Rustungsausgaben als politischem Instrument zur wirtschaftlichen Stabilisierung und als Mittel zur Sicherung der Regierungspopularitat. Der Beitrag zeigt auserdem den nicht-revolutionaren Charakter der Reagan-Verteidigungspolitik auf - es war eine Politik, die ganz in der Tradition der Nachkriegsadministrationen stand.