Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing of an Enterobacteriaceae species from a bone marrow transplant recipient

Aims—To ascertain the clinical relevance of a strain of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from the stool of a bone marrow transplant recipient with diarrhoea. The isolate could not be identified to the genus level by conventional phenotypic methods and required 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing for full identification. Methods—The isolate was investigated phenotypically by standard biochemical methods using conventional biochemical tests and two commercially available systems, the Vitek (GNI+) and API (20E) systems. Genotypically, the 16S bacterial rRNA gene was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequenced. The sequence of the PCR product was compared with known 16S rRNA gene sequences in the GenBank database by multiple sequence alignment. Results—Conventional biochemical tests did not reveal a pattern resembling any known member of the Enterobacteriaceae family. The isolate was identified as Salmonella arizonae (73%) and Escherichia coli (76%) by the Vitek (GNI+) and API (20E) systems, respectively. 16S rRNA sequencing showed that there was only one base difference between the isolate and E coli K-12, but 48 and 47 base differences between the isolate and S typhimurium (NCTC 8391) and S typhi (St111), respectively, showing that it was an E coli strain. The patient did not require any specific treatment and the diarrhoea subsided spontaneously. Conclusions—16S rRNA gene sequencing was useful in ascertaining the clinical relevance of the strain of Enterobacteriaceae isolated from the stool of the bone marrow transplant recipient with diarrhoea.
Development of the home and community environment (HACE) instrument.

OBJECTIVE To develop and pilot test the Home and Community Environment instrument (HACE), a self-report measure designed to characterize factors in a person's home and community environment that may influence level of participation. DESIGN A cross-sectional survey. SUBJECTS Sixty-two adults recruited from community organizations and an outpatient rehabilitation center. METHODS Six environmental domains were assessed: (i) home mobility; (ii) community mobility; (iii) basic mobility devices; (iv) communication devices; (v) transportation factors; and (vi) attitudes. Descriptive statistics, Kappa statistics and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to ascertain whether persons were capable of assessing characteristics of their environment, could do so reliably and whether the distribution of environmental factors differed by type of living situation. RESULTS Participants were capable of characterizing their home environment and most aspects of their community with acceptable reliability. The median percent agreement of the 6 environmental domains ranged from 75% to 100% (median Kappa values ranged from 0.47 to 1.0). Percent agreement for individual HACE items ranged from 58% to 100%. The lowest reliability values were observed in the community mobility domain. As hypothesized, individuals who lived in private homes characterized home and community mobility factors differently from those who lived in multi-unit complexes; evidence of HACE's validity. CONCLUSION HACE is a promising self-report instrument for assessing characteristics of an individual's home and community environments. Additional research is needed to assess its utility for rehabilitation research.
Comparative pharmacokinetics of two diastereoisomers dexamethasone and betamethasone in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid in rabbits

Summary— The two diastereoisomers dexamethasone (DXM) and betamethasone (BTM) were infused at two different doses (2, 10 mg·kg−1) in anesthetized rabbits. Samples of plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were collected over a 180‐min period. Steroid concentrations were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. The terminal half life (85.7 ± 20.8 min and 102.2 ± 29.6 min for DXM; 117.6 ± 19.8 min and 118.5 ± 15.8 min for BTM) and the mean residence time (121.4 ± 27.7 min and 146.1 ± 41.3 min for DXM; 168.6 ± 28.1 min and 172.2 ± 20.6 min for BTM) were unchanged between the doses. Dose‐dependent changes in the area under the curve normalized by the dose, then volume distribution and clearance were observed. The average percentage of DXM and BTM bound to plasma proteins were 78.1 ± 11.5% and 88.3 ± 5.1% respectively at the lower dose, and decreased significantly with 10 mg·kg−1. DXM appeared more rapidly in the CSF, the highest concentrations of DXM were obtained within 15 min after the end of the injection. The CSF levels were lower than that of plasma unbound and the passage through the blood‐brain barrier was saturable. These results will complicate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis.
Prolonged Recruitment Efforts in Health Surveys: Effects on Response, Costs, and Potential Bias

Background: In health surveys, considerable effort and expense are invested to achieve a high response proportion and thereby to reduce selection bias. We investigated the interrelation of recruitment efforts and expense with potential nonresponse bias based on data from a large health survey. Methods: In a population-based health survey, a stratified sample of 6640 residents of the Augsburg (Germany) region was selected, of whom 4261 attended the main study between October 1999 and April 2001. A short telephone interview yielded additional information on nearly half of the nonparticipants. All recruitment contacts were documented, and expenses were estimated on the basis of unit costs. Different recruitment strategies were modeled retrospectively. We compared their cost savings as well as their influence on the response proportion and on prevalence estimates. Results: The distribution of total contacting cost per individual was highly skewed with 50% of the total sum spent on 17% of the sample. Late responders showed many similarities with nonresponders; both included a higher percentage of people with impaired health and with greater behavioral health risks. We were able to identify recruitment strategies that may save up to 25% of the recruitment costs without significant shift in the parameter estimates. Data collected in the short nonresponder interview proved to be important to correct for possible nonresponse bias. Conclusions: In general, prolonged recruitment efforts lead to a larger and more representative sample but at increasing marginal costs. Specific cost-saving recruitment strategies that do not enhance response bias can be suggested. Interviews of nonresponders are also useful.
A Prospective Study on Fish Bone Ingestion: Experience of 358 Patients

A prospective study was performed on 358 patients to examine the diagnosis, management, and natural history of fish bone ingestion. All patients admitted with the complaint had a thorough oral examination. Flexible endoscopy under local pharyngeal anesthesia would be performed on patients with negative findings. Of 117 fish bones encountered, 103 were removed (direct removal, 21; endoscopic removal, 82) and 12 were inadvertently dislodged. One was missed and the other one necessitated removal with rigid laryngoesophagoscopy under general anesthesia. Morbidity (1%) occurred in patients with triangular bones in the hypopharynx, resulting in one mucosal tear and two lengthy procedures. Mean hospital stay was 7 hours. Prediction of the presence of fish bones by symptoms and radiograph was poor. The location of symptoms, however, was useful in guiding the endoscopist to the site of lodgment. Of patients who refused endoscopy, only one (2.8%) developed retropharyngeal abscess. As compared to those who received endoscopy, 31.8% had fish bones detected. As the yield of fish bone detected was also inversely related to the duration of symptoms, we strongly suspect that most of the unremoved fish bones would be dislodged and passed. However, because of the serious potential complication from fish bone ingestion, we believe that a combination of oral examination followed by flexible endoscopy is indicated in all patients. When triangular bones in the hypopharynx are encountered, rigid laryngoesophagoscopy should be considered. This protocol had safely and effectively dealt with the present series of patients.
Performance analysis of deciduous morphology for detecting biological siblings.

OBJECTIVES Family-centered burial practices influence cemetery structure and can represent social group composition in both modern and ancient contexts. In ancient sites dental phenotypic data are often used as proxies for underlying genotypes to identify potential biological relatives. Here, we test the performance of deciduous dental morphological traits for differentiating sibling pairs from unrelated individuals from the same population. MATERIALS AND METHODS We collected 46 deciduous morphological traits for 69 sibling pairs from the Burlington Growth Centre's long term Family Study. Deciduous crown features were recorded following published standards. After variable winnowing, inter-individual Euclidean distances were generated using 20 morphological traits. To determine whether sibling pairs are more phenotypically similar than expected by chance we used bootstrap resampling of distances to generate P values. Multidimensional scaling (MDS) plots were used to evaluate the degree of clustering among sibling pairs. RESULTS Results indicate an average distance between siblings of 0.252, which is significantly less than 9,999 replicated averages of 69 resampled pseudo-distances generated from: 1) a sample of non-relative pairs (P < 0.001), and 2) a sample of relative and non-relative pairs (P < 0.001). MDS plots indicate moderate to strong clustering among siblings; families occupied 3.83% of the multidimensional space on average (versus 63.10% for the total sample). CONCLUSIONS Deciduous crown morphology performed well in identifying related sibling pairs. However, there was considerable variation in the extent to which different families exhibited similarly low levels of phenotypic divergence.
Adolescents with chronic pain and associated functional disability

The purpose of this research was to describe the biopsychosocial characteristics of adolescents with chronic pain and functional disability. Data were obtained from a registry of 100 adolescents (mean age = 15.84, SD = 2.72; 21 males) admitted to an interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program. Clinician ratings were used to categorize coping and personality styles. The most common chief complaint at admission was limb pain (n = 44), followed by headache (n = 21) and abdominal pain (n = 17). Eighteen patients presented with other types of pain. The most frequent triggers to pain were physical trauma, medical condition or disability, and surgery or another medical procedure. Sleep problems, mental health difficulties, and high academic performance were common. Seven previously identified pain-associated disability factors, including passive or dependent coping style, chronic illness in a parent, personality consistent with alexithymia, unresolved family problems, early pain experiences, learning/developmental difficulties, and perfectionistic personality, were common. Ninety-eight adolescents presented with two or more of these contributing factors. Fifty-six adolescents had four or more of the factors. Adolescents with chronic pain and associated disability presented with numerous biopsychosocial factors that relate to their impairment. The understanding and attention to these factors will be important for successful rehabilitation.
The multifork Escherichia coli chromosome is a self-duplicating and self-segregating thermodynamic ring polymer

At all but the slowest growth rates, the E. coli chromosome is segregated into daughter cells while DNA replication is still ongoing. Here, Austin and colleagues measure the positions of marked DNA foci and replication forks to examine the behavior of the E. coli chromosome in overlapping cell cycle conditions. This study solves the chromosome organization, structural dynamics, and segregation of this constantly replicating chromosome and extends our understanding of the bacterial chromosome to rapid growth conditions.
Effects of 8-Week In-season Plyometric Training on Upper and Lower Limb Performance of Elite Adolescent Handball Players

Abstract Chelly, MS, Hermassi, S, Aouadi, R, and Shephard, RJ. Effects of 8-week in-season plyometric training on upper and lower limb performance of elite adolescent handball players. J Strength Cond Res 28(5): 1401–1410, 2014—We hypothesized that replacement of a part of the normal in-season regimen of top-level adolescent handball players by an 8-week biweekly course of lower and upper limb plyometric training would enhance characteristics important to competition, including peak power output (Wpeak), jump performance, muscle volume, and ball throwing velocity. Study participants (23 men, age: 17.4 ± 0.5 years, body mass: 79.9 ± 11.5 kg, height: 1.79 ± 6.19 m, body fat: 13.8 ± 2.1%) were randomly assigned between controls (C; n = 11) and an experimental group (E, n = 12). Measures preintervention and postintervention included force-velocity ergometer tests for upper (Wupper peak) and lower limbs (Wlower peak), force platform determinations of squat jump (SJ) and countermovement jump (CMJ) characteristics (jump height, maximal force, initial velocity, and average power), video filming of sprint velocities (first step [V1S], first 5 m [V5m], and 25–30 m [Vmax]), and anthropometric estimates of leg muscle volume. E showed gains relative to C in Wupper peak and Wlower peak (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001), SJ (height p < 0.01; force p ⩽ 0.05), CMJ (height p < 0.01; force p < 0.01 and relative power p ⩽ 0.05), and sprint velocities (p < 0.001 for V1S, V5m, and Vmax). E also showed increases in leg and thigh muscle volumes (p < 0.001), but arm muscle volumes did not differ from control. We conclude that introduction of biweekly plyometric training into the standard regimen improved components important to handball performance, particularly explosive actions, such as sprinting, jumping, and ball throwing velocity.
Surface charge accumulation and partial discharge activity for small gaps of electrode/epoxy interface in sf6 gas

The electrical insulation reliability of solid spacers in gas insulated switchgears (GISs) is an important issue to achieve a safe operation of such equipment. Among different phenomena, charge accumulation represents the most important matter that can degrade the overall performance of these insulation systems. For this respect, this paper discusses the contribution of partial discharge (PD) activity by ac voltage application to charge accumulation in the small gap at the electrode/epoxy interface as one of the weakest points in GIS solid spacers. The partial discharge inception voltages for non-accumulated charge case (PDIV0) and after exposing to PD activity (PDIVn) are measured among different gap lengths, simulating delamination at the electrode/epoxy interface. The PD activity is generated using applied voltage with 1.2×PDIV0 for all gap lengths examined in this study (50~500 ¿m). In these measurements, PDIV increased with increasing the number of PD pulses as a result of accumulated charges. The accumulated surface charge density is estimated using the boundary equations and is compared for the different gap lengths. The accumulated charge density was larger for the smaller gap lengths. Comparing PD parameters with accumulated charge density enabled us to identify that the number of negative and positive PD pulses is the main parameter that corresponds to charge accumulation process.
Language universals in human brains

Do speakers know universal restrictions on linguistic elements that are absent from their language? We report an experimental test of this question. Our case study concerns the universal restrictions on initial consonant sequences, onset clusters (e.g., bl in block). Across languages, certain onset clusters (e.g., lb) are dispreferred (e.g., systematically under-represented) relative to others (e.g., bl). We demonstrate such preferences among Korean speakers, whose language lacks initial C1C2 clusters altogether. Our demonstration exploits speakers' well known tendency to misperceive ill-formed clusters. We show that universally dispreferred onset clusters are more frequently misperceived than universally preferred ones, indicating that Korean speakers consider the former cluster-type more ill-formed. The misperception of universally ill-formed clusters is unlikely to be due to a simple auditory failure. Likewise, the aversion of universally dispreferred onsets by Korean speakers is not explained by English proficiency or by several phonetic and phonological properties of Korean. We conclude that language universals are neither relics of language change nor are they artifacts of generic limitations on auditory perception and motor control—they reflect universal linguistic knowledge, active in speakers' brains.
Hearing thresholds in insulin-dependent diabetic patients

Abstract Hearing thresholds were studied in 53 patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and 42 randomly selected non-diabetic control subjects, aged between 20 and 40 years. The hearing level tended to be worse in diabetic patients than in control subjects, but the differences were statistically significant only at frequencies of 6000 and 8000 Hz. Microvascular complications (retinopathy and nephropathy), and the duration of diabetes were associated with the elevated hearing thresholds. In contrast, poor metabolic control (high fasting blood glucose and glycated haemoglobin Alc) was not associated with increased hearing thresholds. The changes caused by diabetic neuropathy appeared simultaneously with microvascular complications and a long duration of the diabetes, and thus a causative role of diabetic neuropathy in the pathogenesis of elevated hearing thresholds remained unsolved. It was concluded that elevated sensorineural hearing thresholds at the frequencies of 6000 and 8000 Hz in patients with IDDM are probably caused by the long duration of diabetes and the microvascular complications associated with it.
Prevalence and incidence of major depression in Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the prevalence and incidence of major depressive disorder in Alzheimer's disease. METHOD The authors retrospectively reviewed two large Alzheimer's disease databases, one at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and the other at the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD). The Dallas series contained 264 cases of Alzheimer's disease, of which 153 patients were followed up for an average of 3 years from initial evaluation. The CERAD database contained 1,095 cases and excluded patients with histories of depression at initial evaluation; 325 of these patients were followed up for at least 2 years. Alzheimer's disease was diagnosed according to the criteria of the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke and the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association; major depression was diagnosed according to the DSM-III-R criteria. Most of the patients in these series were dwelling in the community and had had Alzheimer's disease symptoms for approximately 4 years at the time of evaluation. RESULTS In the Dallas series there was a 1.5% prevalence and a 0% incidence of major depression. In the CERAD series there was a 1.3% 2-year incidence of major depression. CONCLUSIONS The low prevalence and incidence of DSM-III-R major depression in these patients suggest that for the period of time the patients were followed up, Alzheimer's disease did not predispose to major depression. However, major depression may herald the subsequent onset of dementia. Depression in dementia should perhaps be diagnosed by different criteria.
Fusions of secreted proteins to alkaline phosphatase: an approach for studying protein secretion.

We have constructed a series of plasmids containing a modified form of the phoA gene of Escherichia coli K-12 that have general utility for studies of protein secretion. In these plasmids, the promoter and signal sequence-encoding region of the phoA gene have been deleted; thus, expression of the gene, giving rise to active alkaline phosphatase [orthophosphoric-monoester phosphohydrolase (alkaline optimum), EC 3.1. 3.1], is absolutely dependent upon fusion in the correct reading frame to DNA containing a promoter, a translational start site, and a complete signal sequence-encoding region. Alkaline phosphatase, which is normally located in the periplasm of E. coli, is efficiently secreted to the periplasm when fused either to a signal sequence from another periplasmic protein, beta-lactamase (penicillin amido-beta-lactamhydrolase, EC 3.5.2.6), or to signal sequences from the outer membrane proteins LamB and OmpF. These heterologous signal sequences are processed during secretion. In the absence of a complete signal sequence, phosphatase becomes localized in the cytoplasm and is inactive. Phosphatase fusion proteins lacking up to 13 amino-terminal amino acids beyond the signal sequence show the same specific activity as that of the wild-type enzyme. However, a significant decrease in activity is seen when 39 or more amino-terminal amino acids are deleted. Addition of approximately 150 amino acids from the enzyme beta-lactamase to the amino terminus of alkaline phosphatase has little effect on the specific activity of the enzyme. The ability to change the amino terminus of phosphatase without altering its activity makes the enzyme particularly useful for construction of protein fusions. The fact that phosphatase is designed for transport across the cytoplasmic membrane makes it an ideal tool for study of protein secretion.
Evolutionary ecology of beta‐lactam gene clusters in animals

Beta‐lactam biosynthesis was thought to occur only in fungi and bacteria, but we recently reported the presence of isopenicillin N synthase in a soil‐dwelling animal, Folsomia candida. However, it has remained unclear whether this gene is part of a larger beta‐lactam biosynthesis pathway and how widespread the occurrence of penicillin biosynthesis is among animals. Here, we analysed the distribution of beta‐lactam biosynthesis genes throughout the animal kingdom and identified a beta‐lactam gene cluster in the genome of F. candida (Collembola), consisting of isopenicillin N synthase (IPNS), δ‐(L‐α‐aminoadipoyl)‐L‐cysteinyl‐D‐valine synthetase (ACVS), and two cephamycin C genes (cmcI and cmcJ) on a genomic scaffold of 0.76 Mb. All genes are transcriptionally active and are inducible by stress (heat shock). A beta‐lactam compound was detected in vivo using an ELISA beta‐lactam assay. The gene cluster also contains an ABC transporter which is coregulated with IPNS and ACVS after heat shock. Furthermore, we show that different combinations of beta‐lactam biosynthesis genes are present in over 60% of springtail families, but they are absent from genome‐ and transcript libraries of other animals including close relatives of springtails (Protura, Diplura and insects). The presence of beta‐lactam genes is strongly correlated with an euedaphic (soil‐living) lifestyle. Beta‐lactam genes IPNS and ACVS each form a phylogenetic clade in between bacteria and fungi, while cmcI and cmcJ genes cluster within bacteria. This suggests a single horizontal gene transfer event most probably from a bacterial host, followed by differential loss in more recently evolving species.