Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developmental switch of S‐layer protein synthesis in Bacillus anthracis

Adjustment of the synthesis of abundant protein to the requirements of the cell involves processes critical to the minimization of energy expenditure. The regulation of S‐layer genes might be a good model for such processes because expression must be controlled, such that the encoded proteins exactly cover the surface of the bacterium. Bacillus anthracis has two S‐layer genes, sap and eag, encoding the S‐layer proteins Sap and EA1 respectively. We report that the production and surface localization of Sap and EA1 are under developmental control, suggesting that an exponential phase ‘Sap layer’ is subsequently replaced by a stationary phase ‘EA1 layer’. This switch is controlled at the transcriptional level: sap is most certainly transcribed by RNA polymerase containing σA, whereas eag expression depends on σH. More importantly, Sap is required for the temporal control of eag, and EA1 is involved in strict feedback regulation of eag. This control may be direct because both S‐layer proteins bind, in vitro, the eag promoter, specifically suggesting that they might act as transcriptional repressors.
Classification of young children's sleep problems: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVES This study examines videotaped sleep in infancy in an attempt to predict the development of disturbed sleep during toddlerhood. In addition, a tentative classification scheme that quantifies night waking and sleep onset problems in young children is proposed. METHOD The sleep patterns of 33 children were assessed at two points in time. At 12 months of age (time 1), sleep was videotaped on two consecutive nights. A self-soothing/signaling index for 12-month-olds was constructed. At time 2 (mean age = 39 months), a follow-up telephone interview assessed current sleep patterns and the presence or absence of sleep problems. RESULTS The data suggest that the self-soothing/signaling index obtained at 12 months of age predicts night waking approximately 2 years later. CONCLUSIONS The preliminary classification scheme for night waking and sleep onset problems in young children warrants further study. Night waking in toddlers might be predictable from sleep behaviors at 1 year of age.
Repeated Botulinum Toxin A Injections in the Treatment of Spastic Equinus Foot

Equinus foot disorder is a common problem for patients with cerebral palsy who are able to ambulate. Botulinum toxin A is a recommended method of treatment for temporary reduction of muscle tone. The efficacy of repeated botulinum toxin A injections in the calf muscles was evaluated in a clinical trial involving 21 children with cerebral palsy and dynamic equinus foot deformity who were able to ambulate. The mean age of the children was 5.7 years. All patients received at least two injections, six patients received at least three injections, and three patients received four injections. The outcome was evaluated using observational and three-dimensional instrumented gait analysis. Significant improvements of the gait parameters were observed at 6 and 18 weeks after the first and second injections. Botulinum toxin A injections in gastrocnemius and soleus muscles may change the natural history of equinus foot deformity in patients with spastic diplegia. Orthopaedic surgery may be postponed or avoided.
Detection of androgenic activity in emissions from diesel fuel and biomass combustion

The present study evaluated both diesel fuel exhaust and biomass (wood) burn extracts for androgen receptor–mediated activity using MDA‐kb2 cells, which contain an androgen‐responsive promoter‐luciferase reporter gene construct. This assay and analytical fractionization of the samples were used as tools to separate active from inactive fractions, with the goal of identifying the specific compounds responsible for the activity. A significant androgenic response was detected from the diesel emission. High‐performance liquid chromatographic fractionation of the sample indicated that significant androgenic activity was retained in three fractions. 4‐Hydroxybiphenyl was identified from the most active fraction using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. This purified compound was then tested at doses from 1 nM to 100 μM. 4‐Hydroxybiphenol exhibited antagonist activity at low concentrations and agonist activity at high concentrations. A competitive‐binding assay confirmed binding to the androgen receptor, with a median inhibitory concentration for radioligand binding of approximately 370 nM. Significant androgenic activity also was detected in the wood burn samples, but we were unable to identify the specific chemicals responsible for this endocrine activity. The present study demonstrates that in vitro bioassays can serve as sensitive bioanalytical tools to aid in characterization of complex environmental mixtures.
Estrogen and LH dynamics during the follicular phase of the estrous cycle in the Asian elephant

Pituitary and corpus luteum hormone patterns throughout the elephant estrous cycle have been well characterized. By contrast, analysis of follicular maturation by measurement of circulating estrogens has been uninformative. This study tested the ability of a urinary estradiol-3-glucuronide radioimmunoassay to noninvasively assess follicular development during the nonluteal phase of the elephant estrous cycle, and to determine the relationship between estrogen production and the “double LH surge. ” Daily urine and serum samples were collected throughout seven estrous cycles from three Asian elephants, and urine was collected from an additional three females, for a total of 13 cycles. Serum was analyzed for luteinizing hormone (LH), and urine was analyzed for estrogens and progestins. Elephants exhibited a typical LH pattern, with an anovulatory LH (anLH) surge occurring approximately 21 days before the ovulatory LH (ovLH) surge. The urinary estrogen pattern indicated the presence of two follicular waves during the nonluteal phase. The first wave (anovulatory) began 5 days before the anLH surge and reached a maximum concentration the day before the peak. Thereafter, urinary estrogens declined to baseline for 2 weeks before increasing again to peak concentrations on the day of the ovLH surge. Urinary progestins were baseline throughout most of the follicular phase, increasing 2–3 days before the ovLH surge and continuing into the luteal phase. These results support previous ultrasound observations that two waves of follicular growth occur during the nonluteal phase of the elephant estrous cycle. Each wave is associated with an increase in estrogen production that stimulates an LH surge. Thus, in contrast to serum analyses, urinary estrogen monitoring appears to be a reliable method for characterizing follicular activity in the elephant. Zoo Biol 22:443–454, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Multigene Assessment of the Species Boundaries and Sexual Status of the Basidiomycetous Yeasts Cryptococcus flavescens and C. terrestris (Tremellales)

Cryptococcus flavescens and C. terrestris are phenotypically indistinguishable sister species that belong to the order Tremellales (Tremellomycetes, Basidiomycota) and which may be mistaken for C. laurentii based on phenotype. Phylogenetic separation between C. flavescens and C. terrestris was based on rDNA sequence analyses, but very little is known on their intraspecific genetic variability or propensity for sexual reproduction. We studied 59 strains from different substrates and geographic locations, and used a multilocus sequencing (MLS) approach complemented with the sequencing of mating type (MAT) genes to assess genetic variation and reexamine the boundaries of the two species, as well as their sexual status. The following five loci were chosen for MLS: the rDNA ITS-LSU region, the rDNA IGS1 spacer, and fragments of the genes encoding the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II (RPB1), the translation elongation factor 1 alpha (TEF1) and the p21-activated protein kinase (STE20). Phylogenetic network analyses confirmed the genetic separation of the two species and revealed two additional cryptic species, for which the names Cryptococcus baii and C. ruineniae are proposed. Further analyses of the data revealed a high degree of genetic heterogeneity within C. flavescens as well as evidence for recombination between lineages detected for this species. Strains of C. terrestris displayed higher levels of similarity in all analysed genes and appear to make up a single recombining group. The two MAT genes (STE3 and SXI1/SXI2) sequenced for C. flavescens strains confirmed the potential for sexual reproduction and suggest the presence of a tetrapolar mating system with a biallelic pheromone/receptor locus and a multiallelic HD locus. In C. terrestris we could only sequence STE3, which revealed a biallelic P/R locus. In spite of the strong evidence for sexual recombination in the two species, attempts at mating compatible strains of both species on culture media were unsuccessful.
UTILIZAÇÃO DO FMEA PARA PRIORIZAÇÃO DE RISCO OCUPACIONAL: UMA NOVA ABORDAGEM DIRECIONADA A CONSTRUÇÃO CIVIL

O ramo da construcao civil obteve grande crescimento nos ultimos anos e possui uma grande necessidade de utilizacao da mao de obra em seus processos. Sendo uma atividade de alto risco laboral, possui inumeros fatores que podem ocasionar os acidentes com os trabalhadores, com as obras de pequeno porte se destacando pela ausencia de gestao em seguranca do trabalho. Neste trabalho foi abordado a aplicacao do FMEA ( failure mode and effects analysis ) no ambiente da construcao civil em uma obra de pequeno porte no municipio de Imperatriz-MA. Atraves de levantamento fotografico realizados in loco foram enumerados quais sao os principais riscos aos trabalhadores e, a partir dos dados obtidos, foi realizada analise para priorizacao do risco com a aplicacao do FMEA. Foi observado que as atividades em altura possuem maiores indices de risco – ou risk priority number (RPN) - e que o comportamento inseguro, aliado a ma gestao em seguranca do trabalho foram as principais causas de acidentes de trabalho na obra estudada.
On the Nature of Bacterial Lag

(1) If B. coli be subcultured into another sample of the same medium when growing at full pace, it will continue to grow at the same pace. (2) If the maximum rate of growth be interrupted by a short application of cold, growth will recommence without lag on the temperature being raised. If the cold be long continued, lag will tend to reappear. (3) Differences in the size of inoculum have practically no effect on lag in the case of large inoculums, in the case of small ones, on the other hand, diminution of the seeding has the effect of lengthening lag, and this lengthening effect is more marked the smaller the seedings become. (4) Lowering the temperature lengthens the lag. The effect is very similar to the effect on growth. (5) The older a parent culture (within limits) the longer the lag. (6) The length of lag varies with the medium even if adaptation has been arranged for beforehand. (7) Heat-stable products in B. coli cultures on peptone water have, in the case of overnight cultures, but little effect on lag. (8) After washing the bacteria for two hours with saline in order to remove possible inhibiting agents, it was found that the lag, on subculture, still occurred and was indeed slightly longer. (9) If a peptone water culture of B. coli be centrifuged, it is found that the few bacteria remaining in the supernatant commence to grow again at a quick rate but not without a period of lag.
Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy versus nasogastric tube feeding for adults with swallowing disturbances.

BACKGROUND A number of conditions compromise the passage of food along the digestive tract. Nasogastric tube (NGT) feeding is a classic, time-proven technique, although its prolonged use can lead to complications such as lesions to the nasal wing, chronic sinusitis, gastro-oesophageal reflux, and aspiration pneumonia. Another method of infusion, percutaneous endoscopy gastrostomy (PEG), is generally used when there is a need for enteral nutrition for a longer time period. There is a high demand for PEG in patients with swallowing disorders, although there is no consistent evidence about its effectiveness and safety as compared to NGT. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of PEG as compared to NGT for adults with swallowing disturbances. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and LILACS from inception to August 2009, as well as contacting main authors in the subject area. There was no language restriction in the search. SELECTION CRITERIA We planned to include randomised controlled trials comparing PEG versus NGT for adults with swallowing disturbances or dysphagia and indications for nutritional support, with any underlying diseases. The primary outcome was intervention failures (feeding interruption, blocking or leakage of the tube, no adherence to treatment). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Review authors performed selection, data extraction and evaluation of methodological quality of studies. For dichotomous and continuous variables, we used risk ratio (RR) and mean difference (MD), respectively with the random-effects statistical model and 95% confidence interval (CI). We assumed statistical heterogeneity when I(2) > 50%. MAIN RESULTS We included nine randomised controlled studies. Intervention failure occurred in 19/156 patients in the PEG group and 63/158 patients in the NGT group (RR 0.24 (95%CI 0.08 to 0.76, P = 0.01)) in favour of PEG. There was no statistically significant difference between comparison groups in complications (RR 1.00, 95%CI 0.91 to 1.11, P = 0.93). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS PEG was associated to a lower probability of intervention failure, suggesting the endoscopic procedure is more effective and safe as compared to NGT. There is no significant difference of mortality rates between comparison groups, and pneumonia irrespective of underlying disease (medical diagnosis). Future studies should include previously planned and executed follow-up periods, the gastrostomy technique, and the experience of the professionals to allow more detailed subgroup analysis.
Ocular Blood Flow and Influencing Factors for Glaucoma

AbstractOpen-angle glaucoma (OAG) is characterized by optic nerve fiber atrophy and deterioration of the visual field, corresponding to damage to the optic nerve head. Intraocular pressure (IOP) is currently the only evidence-based, treatable risk factor for OAG. However, normal-tension glaucoma, the most common type of OAG in Asia, is a type of glaucoma with an unclear pathogenesis. Glaucoma is suspected to be a multifactorial disease with IOP-dependent and IOP-independent risk factors, including decreased ocular blood flow (OBF), oxidative stress, decreased axoplasmic flow, and genetic background. A number of epidemiological studies have generated strong evidence that OBF may be an especially important risk factor for the progression of glaucoma. Recent innovations in laser speckle flowgraphy and optical coherence tomography–based angiography have allowed us to noninvasively monitor changes in the microcirculation of the optic nerve head with high reproducibility. Laser speckle flowgraphy–derived measurement parameters include mean blur rate and pulse wave form parameters, whereas the main optical coherence tomography angiography–derived parameter is the vessel index. Decreases in these parameters are associated with the severity of glaucomatous damage, and changes are detectible even in the earliest, preperimetric stage of glaucoma. In the future, OBF analysis may improve significantly because of continuing progress in the development of the relevant instruments. This review will summarize possible connections between systemic and OBF abnormalities and OAG, describe the scientific rationale for these connections, and discuss their potential implications. Thus, this review will summarize the role of OBF in glaucoma pathogenesis and discuss the wide range of IOP-independent risk factors.
Orientational distribution function in nematic tobacco-mosaic-virus liquid crystals measured by x-ray diffraction.

Orientational distributions of the rod-shaped tobacco-mosaic-virus particle in magnetically aligned nematic solutions ($0.05M$ borate buffer, $p\mathrm{H} 8.5$) were measured by analysis of the angular spread of x-ray diffraction patterns. We measured Gaussian orientational distributions with order parameters varying between 0.77 in a solution with coexisting nematic and isotropic phase, to 0.95 in the single-phase nematic solution at higher concentration. Our experimental results are in good agreement with model calculations based on a modified Onsager theory for suspensions of hard rods.
Anatomical and Morphological Evaluation of Pacemaker Lead Compression

In recent years, pacemaker lead failure due to compressive damage has been reported with increasing frequency. To document the mechanism of this failure, we evaluated explanted mechanically damaged leads with electrical testing, optical microscopy, and in some cases, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) In addition, we performed an autopsy study to measure the compressive loads on catheters placed percutaneously through the costoclavicular angle, as well as by cephalic cutdown. Of the 49 explanted compression damaged leads with enough clinical data for analysis, all had been placed by percutaneous subclavian puncture. Our autopsy data confirmed the significant increase in pressures generated in the costoclavicular angle for medial percutaneous subclavian catheterization (126 ± 26 mmHg) compared to a more lateral percutaneous subclavian puncture (63 ± 15 mmHg) or a cephalic cutdown (38 ± 13 mmHg) (P < 0.01). In vivo coil compression testing documented loads up to 100 pounds per linear inch of coil and a compressive morphology by SEM identical to that seen in the clinical explants. Pacemaker leads appear to be susceptible to compression damage when placed by subclavian venipuncture. When possible, leads should be placed such that they avoid the tight costoclavicular angle.
Prevalence and risk factors for a high level of postnatal depression symptomatology in Italian women : A sample drawn from antenatal classes

Background. e Depression after childbirth is a major problem affecting 10e22% of all mothers. In Italy, postnatal depression has not yet been systematically studied. Methods. e In this retrospective study we have sought to identify risk factors, assessed during pregnancy, and their importance for postnatal depression symptoms in a sample of 297 Italian women attending ante-natal classes organised by the local Consultorio Familiare Unit of the National Health Service, Italy. The Postpartum Depression Predictors Inventory e revised form (PDPI-Revised), was used to identify risk factors, 8e9 month of pregnancy. A double-test strategy using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12), was administered to screen women with a higher occurrence of symptoms of postnatal depression sixeeight weeks after delivery. Women with high EPDS (<8) and high GHQ12 (<3) scores were compared with those who had scored below the EPDS and/or GHQ12 threshold scores. Results. e We found that 13% of the women studied showed high postnatal depressive symptomatology, which is very similar to rates of prevalence of postnatal depression in the first year after the birth of the child reported in other Western World studies. Feeling anxious during pregnancy is a strong predictor of high symptoms of depression at 6e8 weeks after delivery. However, University education and friends’ support appear to be important protective factors. Conclusion. e These findings could be useful both for Italian health professionals and for researchers interested in the transcultural aspects of postnatal depression. 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
1 Sleep and Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a medically unexplained illness characterized by four quadrant pain lasting at least 3 months and accompanied by multiple areas of tenderness on palpation of the body using 4 kg force. FM occurs more often in women than men but is quite common in both sexes, occurring in approximately 3% of the population. Although sleep difficulties are not part of standard diagnostic criteria, insomnia complaints of poor and nonrestorative sleep are common and have been associated with intense of pain, fatigue, sleepiness, and cognitive difficulties in FM. FM frequently occurs in conjunction with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). CFS is a medically unexplained condition characterized by persistent or relapsing fatigue lasting at least 6 months, which substantially reduces normal activity. In addition to severe fatigue, one of the eight symptoms used for diagnosing CFS is “unrefreshing sleep”, and this sleeprelated problem is the most common complaint among CFS patients. Although, FM and CFS often have similar symptoms, including sleep-related complaints, differences between FM and CFS exist. In this chapter, we will review studies on sleep in FM and CFS patients in order to better understand differences between them. Polysomnographic studies have shown sleep problems in FM by using simple descriptive statistics, for instance, increased non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) Stage 1 sleep, reduced slow-wave (Stages 3 and 4) sleep, more arousals, prolonged sleep onset, reduced sleep efficiency, etc. Sleep problems in CFS shown by polysomnographic studies are quite similar to those in FM. However, we have shown that dynamic aspects of sleep, a new way of assessing sleep, are different between patients with CFS alone compared to those with CFS+FM. The probability of transition from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep to waking in CFS is greater than in healthy controls. Probabilities of transitions from waking, Stage 1 sleep, and REM sleep to Stage 2 and those from slow-wave sleep to waking and Stage 1 sleep are greater in FM+CFS than in healthy controls. Over the course of the many decades, sleep researchers have used simple descriptive statistics to characterize and summarize sleep architecture. While this methodology has
Mutational Analysis of the Switch II Loop ofDictyostelium Myosin II*

A loop comprising residues 454–459 ofDictyostelium myosin II is structurally and functionally equivalent to the switch II loop of the G-protein family. The consensus sequence of the “switch II loop” of the myosin family is DIXGFE. In order to determine the functions of each of the conserved residues, alanine scanning mutagenesis was carried out on theDictyostelium myosin II heavy chain gene. Examination ofin vivo and in vitro motor functions of the mutant myosins revealed that the I455A and S456A mutants retained those functions, whereas the D454A, G457A, F458A and E459A mutants lost them. Biochemical analysis of the latter myosins showed that the G457A and E459A mutants lost the basal ATPase activity by blocking of the isomerization and hydrolysis steps of the ATPase cycle, respectively. The F458A mutant, however, lost the actin-activated ATPase activity without loss of the basal ATPase activity. These results are discussed in terms of the crystal structure of the Dictyosteliummyosin motor domain.