Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changing of the guard

After a quarter of a century Barry Kay and Stephen Holgate have sheathed their editorial pens and passed the baton to a new team. They have done an outstanding job, with unfailing support from Jennifer Mitchell, Christine Vincent and more recently Yasmin Mallu, guiding the journal (then Clinical Allergy) from a national publication produced bimonthly to a truly international journal with papers submitted from all over the world (Fig. 1), which has been a showcase for the scientific endeavours of the allergy community for two decades. As well as one change in name and several in style they have successfully shepherded the journal into the web-based age of publishing. Through its pages we have marked the major developments in allergy since the early 1980s witnessing the hygiene hypothesis, the genetics revolution and the discovery of T helper type-2 (Th2) and then T regulatory (Treg) cells. Many of these developments have been supported by groundbreaking research from their own laboratories. The last 18 months have been a period of transition, but now we stand alone ready, we hope with vision and dynamism, to maintain the tradition of excellence so firmly established by Barry and Stephen.
Decomposing Components of Task Preparation with Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

It is widely acknowledged that the prefrontal cortex plays a major role in cognitive control processes. One important experimental paradigm for investigating such higher order cognitive control is the task-switching paradigm. This paradigm investigates the ability to switch flexibly between different task situations. In this context, it has been found that participants are able to anticipatorily prepare an upcoming task. This ability has been assumed to reflect endogenous cognitive control. However, it is difficult to isolate task preparation process from task execution using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). In the present study, we introduce a new experimental manipulation to investigate task preparation with fMRI. By manipulating the number of times a task was prepared, we could demonstrate that the left inferior frontal junction (IFJ) area (near the junction of inferior frontal sulcus and inferior precentral sulcus), the right inferior frontal gyrus, and the right intraparietal sulcus are involved in task preparation. By manipulating the cue-task mapping, we could further show that this activation is not related to cue encoding but to the updating of the relevant task representation. Based on these and previous results, we assume that the IFJ area constitutes a functionally separable division of the lateral prefrontal cortex. Finally, our data suggest that task preparation does not differ for switch and repetition trials in paradigms with a high proportion of switch trials, casting doubt on the assumption that an independent task set reconfiguration process takes place in the preparation interval.
Bone Mineral Density, 25‐OH Vitamin D and Inflammation in Patients with Psoriasis

Low levels of vitamin D may play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and is related to increased risk of osteoporosis. There are a few studies showing increased rate of osteoporosis in patients with psoriasis; however, none of them investigated impact of vitamin D levels and gender status together. We aimed to evaluate relationship between vitamin D and osteoporosis in psoriasis patients with an emphasis on gender difference.
Addressing Racial Disparities in Social Welfare Programs

Abstract The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) allows states considerable discretion in developing and implementing their Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) programs. Little research so far has compared the implementation of TANF programs across racial groups. Without such analysis, it is difficult to interpret program outcomes. Using client survey data from a large Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC) study, the Project on Devolution and Urban Change, this article compares African—American, Hispanic and White Clients' experiences with diversion, case management, sanctioning, exiting welfare, and dispute resolution. Using residual differences analysis, this article identifies significant differences in treatment among racial and ethnic groups.
Component analysis of verbal fluency performance in younger participants with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury

Abstract Primary objective: To investigate phonemic and semantic verbal fluency performance in a group of young adult participants with and without traumatic brain injury. Research design: Group comparison. Methods and procedures: Twenty-five participants with moderate-to-severe TBI and 25 participants with no brain damage (NBD) were given phonemic and semantic verbal fluency tasks. Responses were analysed quantitatively and qualitatively. Main outcomes and results: Young participants with moderate-to-severe TBI generated significantly fewer total correct words and sub-categories for both fluency conditions when compared to controls. The total number of correct words generated on the phonemic condition and for the semantic category of animals was positively correlated with the number of category switches produced during the task. Conclusions: While young participants with moderate-to-severe TBI produced fewer total correct words on both verbal fluency conditions in comparison to controls, these differences were greater on the phonemic condition. Participants with moderate-to-severe TBI switched less frequently on both fluency tasks and produced smaller cluster sizes only on the phonemic task in comparison to controls. These results are in contrast with previous investigations that have observed greater age-related declines on semantic tasks when compared to phonemic tasks.
Identification of six types of endocrine cells in the gastrointestinal mucosa of the rabbit.

At least six types of endocrine cells have been identified by light and electron microscopy in the gastrointestinal mucosa of the rabbit. Among them are two types of amine producing cells, the enterochromaffin and enterochromaffin-like cells, and four types of polypeptide producing cells. The pyloric G cells, very likely producing the hormone gastrin, and the functionally undefined X cells, mainly scattered in the fundic mucosa, have been characterized as gastric endocrine cells of the polypeptide type. Small granule cells (S cells), perhaps related to the hormone secretin, and large granule cells (L cells) of unknown function have been found scattered along the intestinal mucosa.Reserpine (2.5-5mg/kg intraperitoneally) depleted the 5-hydroxytryptamine stores of the duodenal enterochromaffin cells, reduced the osmiophilia of their granules without evidently affecting their protein matrix and activated the Golgi complex. Enterochromaffin-like cells of the fundic mucosa were not markedly altered by the drug.
A proteomic approach to study the acid response in Listeria monocytogenes

The responses of Listeria monocytogenes to acidic conditions were studied at the level of protein synthesis at a lethal acidic pH (acid stress) and an intermediary nonlethal acidic pH (acid adaptation). The radiolabeled acid‐induced proteins were separated by two‐dimensional (2‐D) electrophoresis and analyzed by a computer‐aided 2‐D gel analysis system. The two acidic conditions upgraded a number of constitutive proteins and induced synthesis of a number of novel proteins. The majority of these induced proteins were common to the two pHs and the lethal acidic pH induced more proteins than the mildly acidic pH, suggesting that the responses to the two acidic conditions involve many common proteins and that additional proteins are required when the bacteria have to face more severe acidic conditions. In waiting for identification of more proteins involved in order to have a wholesome mechanistic picture of the acid response in L. monocytogenes, we present here the first results obtained from identification of the most abundant of these acid‐induced proteins using peptide mass fingerprinting and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization‐time‐of‐flight (MALDI‐TOF) technique.
The tet39 Determinant and the msrE-mphE Genes in Acinetobacter Plasmids Are Each Part of Discrete Modules Flanked by Inversely Oriented pdif (XerC-XerD) Sites

ABSTRACT The tet39 tetracycline resistance determinant and the macrolide resistance genes msrE and mphE were found in an 18.2-kb plasmid, pS30-1, recovered from a global clone 2 (GC2) Acinetobacter baumannii isolate from Singapore, that conferred resistance to tetracycline and erythromycin. pS30-1 also contains mobA and mobC genes encoding MOBQ family proteins, but attempts to mobilize pS30-1 utilizing a coresident conjugative repAci6 plasmid were unsuccessful. Eight pdif sites, consisting of inversely oriented binding sites for the XerC and XerD recombinases separated by 6 bp, were detected in pS30-1. The tet39 determinant and the msrE-mphE gene pair are each surrounded by two pdif sites in inverse orientation. Identical regions in different contexts and many previously unnoticed pdif sites were found in a number of different plasmids in GenBank, showing that the tet39 and msrE-mphE dif modules are mobile. A putative toxin/antitoxin system, a gene encoding a serine recombinase, and open reading frames of unknown function were also part of dif modules in pS30-1. In general, modules with internal XerC or XerD sites alternate. Two copies of ISAjo2-1 (94% identical to ISAjo2) in pS30-1 were inserted 5 bp from a XerC site, and this appears to be the preferred insertion site for this insertion sequence (IS) group. Apparently, Acinetobacter plasmids exploit the Acinetobacter XerC-XerD recombinases to mobilize DNA units containing resistance and other genes, via an uncharacterized mechanism. The tet39 and msrE-mphE dif modules add to the oxa24 module and the oxa58 module redefined here, bringing the total of resistance gene-containing dif modules in Acinetobacter plasmids to four.
D-methioninuria due to DL-methionine ingestion. An artefact detected by a mass screening program for errors of amino acid metabolism.

THE introduction of mass screening programs for the detection of inborn errors of metabolism 1 almost inevitably reveals a variety of new artefacts which those who deal with these diseases must learn to recognize. We describe here one of these artefacts:D-methioninuria due to ingestion ofDl-methionine-fortified infant formula. Report of a Case The patient, the second-born of male dizygotic twins delivered in a hospital in a nearby community at 32 weeks' gestation, weighed 1,814 gm (4 lb) at birth. His brother weighed 1,561 gm (3 lb 7 ounces). The mother, a primipara, was convalescing from viral hepatitis complicated by myocarditis when spontaneous labor began. The infant spent the first three days in an incubator. "Very foul stools" were noted at 4 days of age, and this was more or less persistent throughout his nursery course. After initial 5% dextrose feedings, the infant was given a cow's milk formula, and
Changes in protein turnover in rat uterus during pregnancy.

The adaptive growth and protein turnover of the rat uterus were studied during the 21 days of gestation and up to 3 days after parturition. Despite large increases (13-fold) in uterine size during gestation, the fractional rate of protein synthesis (measured in vivo) remained unchanged when compared with nonpregnant tissue values of 44 +/- 5%/day. However, decreases were found in the rate of protein breakdown after implantation (i.e., 75% on day 7 and 28% on day 11) and in the activity of cathepsin D (i.e., 33 and 85% on days 8 and 16 of gestation). Changes in the degradative processes would therefore appear to be primarily responsible for the massive uterine growth during pregnancy. In contrast to the uterus the fractional rates of synthesis in the placenta and fetus progressively decreased during gestation. After parturition the uterus rapidly returned to its normal size by a combination of cellular atrophy and cell loss. After 2 days, a complementary decrease in the fractional rate of synthesis (30%) and an increase in protein degradation (2-fold) explained the process of involution.
Title : Single cell analysis reveals similar functional competence of dominant and nondominant CD 8 T-cell clonotypes

Immune protection from infectious diseases and cancer is mediated by individual Tcells of different clonal origin. Their functions are tightly regulated but not yet fully characterized. Understanding the contribution of each T-cell will improve the prediction of immune protection based on laboratory assessment of T-cell responses. Here we developed novel techniques for simultaneous molecular and functional assessment of single CD8 T-cells directly ex vivo. We studied two groups of melanoma patients, after vaccination with two closely related tumor antigenic peptides. Vaccination induced T-cells with strong memory and effector functions, as found in virtually all T-cells of the first patient group, and fractions of T-cells in the second group. Interestingly, high functionality was not restricted to dominant clonotypes. Rather, dominant and non-dominant clonotypes acquired equal functional competence. In parallel, this was also found for EBVand CMV-specific T-cells, Thus, the non-dominant clonotypes may contribute similarly to immunity as their dominant counterparts.
Inhibition of tissue plasminogen activator activity by aspirin in vivo and its relationship to levels of tissue plasminogen activator inhibitor antigen, plasminogen activator and their complexes.

The observation that aspirin inhibits the increment in tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity induced by venous occlusion of the forearm became controversial with the publication of several nonconfirmatory studies. The current study was performed to confirm the original observation and determine the mechanism by which aspirin suppresses the incremental t-PA activity induced by venous occlusion. Aspirin (650 mg/d X 2) caused no change in resting levels of t-PA antigen (t-PA:Ag) or activity, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 antigen (PAI-1:Ag), or activity or t-PA-PAI-1 complexes. In contrast, aspirin reduced the increments induced by venous occlusion as follows: t-PA:Ag by 45% (P = .001); t-PA activity (euglobulin lysis time, ELT) by 43% (P = .006); and t-PA activity (alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor-plasmin complexes, PIPC) by 41% (P = .003). The inhibition of incremental t-PA activity measured as ELT or PIPC was linearly correlated with the inhibition of incremental t-PA:Ag (respectively, r = .75, P less than .02; r = .67, P less than .05). Aspirin had no effect on the increment in PAI-1:Ag induced by venous occlusion, but similar to the effect on t-PA:Ag, aspirin induced a 51% inhibition of the increment in t-PA-PAI-1 complex formation. Aspirin did not alter the ability of alpha 2-plasmin inhibitor to bind plasmin, nor the ability of plasma to support the fibrin-catalyzed generation of plasmin by t-PA, nor the subsequent formation of PIPC. Aspirin inhibits the t-PA activity induced by venous occlusion primarily by inhibiting the release of t-PA antigen.
Coercive Control and Physical Violence in Older Adults

The most common perpetrators of physical violence against women of any age are their intimate partners. Although research on younger adults has recognized that intimate partner violence (IPV) is distinct in etiology, form, and consequence, whether the same is true for older adults has not been adequately studied. The extent and consequences of coercive controlling violence, IPV that involves physical violence coupled with psychological aggression and/or financial abuse, have not been examined in older populations. Using data from the National Elder Mistreatment Study, the current research examines if coercive control is more evident in physical violent victimizations of older adults (age 60 or older) when the perpetrator is an intimate partner compared with when the perpetrator is not an intimate partner. Findings indicate that older adults who experience emotional coercive control by intimate partners in their lifetime are more likely to experience physical abuse at age 60 or older. Furthermore, older adults who experienced trauma during their lifetime, were in poor health, and with less social support are more likely to experience physical abuse at age 60 or older. However, the victim’s sex had no significant influence on the likelihood of experiencing physical abuse.
BREEDING BIOLOGY OF A GREY EAGLE-BUZZARD POPULATION IN PATAGONIA

we studied the breeding performance of a Grey Eagle-Buzzard (Geranoaetus melanoleucus) population in a region of northern Argentinian Patagonia where two different habitats occur; the mountains near the Andean cordillera and the plains where shrub-steppes predominate. Mean eagle density was 1 pair/l9 km2 (N = 44), with higher densities occuring in the plains (1 pair03.2 km2, N = 17) than in the mountains (1 pairI22.7 km2, N = 27). We located four communal roosts, with a maximum number of 14 immature birds roosting together. Of 1254 prey items identified from pellets, most were European hares (Lepus europaeus) (5X.2%), rodents (19.1%), and birds (16.5%). Diet varied between pairs and between those breeding in the mountains and those in the plains. The number of nests per pair was significantly higher in the plains (5.1 nests/pair, N = 9 pairs) than in the mountains (3.2 nests/pair, N = 14 pairs). Breeding success was similar in both breeding seasons. About 80% of the pairs laid eggs and over 60% successfully raised at least one young. The number of fledgling young per pair varied between one and three. The mean number of fledglings per successful pair was 1.8. The values of breeding density and success are the highest published for this species (and among the highest for other large eagles), probably because the species exploits the abundant European hare, a mammal introduced to Patagonia at the
Staphylococcus aureus Skin and Soft Tissue Infections: Can We Anticipate the Culture Result?

This prospective study was designed to evaluate predictors of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) due to community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA). Consecutive patients who were hospitalized with S aureus SSTI were enrolled. CA-MRSA infection was diagnosed in 76% of the children. MRSA SSTI was associated with black race (P = .0001) and with infection involving the lower trunk (P = .008). Only 21% of the patients in this study had S aureus colonization in their nares, and in 3 cases there was discordance between the nares and the infection site cultures. Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values of the risk factors examined were limited in their ability to predict CA-MRSA infection. Given the high prevalence of MRSA in our community and the inability of nasal cultures to reliably predict CA-MRSA infection, empirical antibiotic therapy active against CA-MRSA and contact isolation of patients are recommended.
A motivational message, external barriers, and mammography utilization.

Based on a theory of behavior, the interaction of a motivational message and external barriers on mammography utilization was tested. Participants (N = 101) had not had mammograms annually, and were identified from an urban clinic serving a disproportionally high percentage of indigent clients. Fifty-five percent were Caucasian; 45% were African-American. In an experimental design, half of the sample received a telephone discussion about rationale, feelings, and beliefs regarding mammograms, and half did not receive this contact. Four months later, nurses assessed women's recent mammography utilization and external barriers (e.g., affordability and accessibility). A logistic regression revealed an interaction between the intervention and barriers on postintervention mammography utilization (odds ratio: 2.12; p < 0.05). As proposed, the intervention was associated with a 64% rate of mammography utilization among women without barriers, but only a 26% rate among women with barriers. Not only should clinicians offer motivational messages about mammography, but also administrators should address external barriers to maximize mammography among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.
Vulnerability of the Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve in the Anterior Approach to the Lower Cervical Spine

Study Design. To perform anatomic dissections and measurements of the recurrent laryngeal nerve between the inferior thyroid artery and superior border of the clavicle (mid‐portion) on both sides. Objectives. To determine quantitatively the differences in course and location between the recurrent laryngeal nerves on both sides and to relate this to the vulnerability of the recurrent laryngeal nerve during an anterior approach to the lower cervical spine. Summary of Background Data. The midportion of the recurrent laryngeal nerve is usually encountered in the anterior approach to the lower cervical spine, especially on the right side. No quantitative regional anatomy describing the course and location of the mid‐portion of the recurrent laryngeal nerve is available in the literature. Methods. Fifteen adult cadavers were used for dissections of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. The length of the recurrent laryngeal nerve between the superior border of the clavicle and the inferior thyroid artery, and the angle of the recurrent laryngeal nerve with respect to sagittal plane, were measured bilaterally. In addition, six cross‐sections at C7 were obtained to determine the linear distances between esophagotracheal groove and the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Results. The recurrent laryngeal nerve on the right runs in a superior and medial direction, with an angle of 25.0° ± 4.7° relative to sagittal plane, compared with 4.7° ± 3.7° on the left. The length of the recurrent laryngeal nerve between the superior border of the clavicle and the inferior thyroid artery is 23.0 ± 4.4 mm on the left, and 22.8 ± 4.3 mm on the right. The recurrent laryngeal nerve lies deep within the esophagotracheal groove on the left, but 6.5 ± 1.2 mm anterior and 7.3 ± 0.8 mm lateral to the esophagotracheal groove on the right. Conclusions. The recurrent laryngeal nerve on the right side is highly vulnerable to injury if ligature of the inferior thyroid vessels is not performed as laterally as possible or if retraction of the midline structures along with the recurrent laryngeal nerve is not performed intermittently. Avoiding injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, especially on the right side, is a major consideration during an anterior approach to lower cervical spine.