Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stressor Exposure Disrupts Commensal Microbial Populations in the Intestines and Leads to Increased Colonization by Citrobacter rodentium

ABSTRACT The gastrointestinal tract is colonized by an enormous array of microbes that are known to have many beneficial effects on the host. Previous studies have indicated that stressor exposure can disrupt the stability of the intestinal microbiota, but the extent of these changes, as well as the effects on enteric infection, has not been well characterized. In order to examine the ability of stressors to induce changes in the gut microbiota, we exposed mice to a prolonged restraint stressor and then characterized microbial populations in the intestines using both traditional culture techniques and bacterial tag-encoded FLX amplicon pyrosequencing (bTEFAP). Exposure to the stressor led to an overgrowth of facultatively anaerobic microbiota while at the same time significantly reducing microbial richness and diversity in the ceca of stressed mice. Some of these effects could be explained by a stressor-induced reduction in the relative abundance of bacteria in the family Porphyromonadaceae. To determine whether these alterations would lead to increased pathogen colonization, stressed mice, as well as nonstressed controls, were challenged orally with the enteric murine pathogen Citrobacter rodentium. Exposure to the restraint stressor led to a significant increase in C. rodentium colonization over that in nonstressed control mice. The increased colonization was associated with increased tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) gene expression in colonic tissue. Together, these data demonstrate that a prolonged stressor can significantly change the composition of the intestinal microbiota and suggest that this disruption of the microbiota increases susceptibility to an enteric pathogen.
Oxygen utilization and cardiovascular function in head-injured patients.

Factors that influenced resting metabolic expenditure (RME) and the cardiovascular response associated with an elevated RME were examined in 55 patients with penetrating and closed head injuries who were kept normovolemic and hyperalimented during the acute phase of injury. The severity of the neurological injury had a strong effect on the RME; those with a GCS of 4-5 had the highest RME, 168 +/- 53% of that expected, whereas those with a GCS of 6-7 had a lower RME, 129 +/- 31% of that expected. Increased body temperature was associated with increased RME by 45%/degrees C in patients with a GCS of 4-5 and by 15%/degrees C in those with a GCS 6-7. The increase in oxygen utilization was associated with an increase in plasma catecholamines. Sedatives, paralyzing agents, and propranolol all decreased RME. The cardiovascular response associated with increased oxygen utilization was an elevated cardiac output and, when RME was very high, a widened mean arterial-venous oxygen content difference, indicating that the tissues were more fully extracting oxygen. The increased cardiac output was dependent upon the presence of an adequate intravascular volume. During the 2-year period of study, a total of 99 patients with closed head injuries (including 44 patients who underwent studies) were admitted. The mortality rate of this consecutive series of comatose patients was 25%. The incidence of intracranial hypertension (30%) and of death from uncontrolled intracranial hypertension (12%) was not different from that reported in other recent series. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Two Novel Membrane Proteins, TcpD and TcpE, Are Essential for Conjugative Transfer of pCW3 in Clostridium perfringens

ABSTRACT The anaerobic pathogen Clostridium perfringens encodes either toxin genes or antibiotic resistance determinants on a unique family of conjugative plasmids that have a novel conjugation region, the tcp locus. Studies of the paradigm conjugative plasmid from C. perfringens, the 47-kb tetracycline resistance plasmid pCW3, have identified several tcp-encoded proteins that are involved in conjugative transfer and form part of the transfer apparatus. In this study, the role of the conserved hypothetical proteins TcpD, TcpE, and TcpJ was examined. Mutation and complementation analyses showed that TcpD and TcpE were essential for the conjugative transfer of pCW3, whereas TcpJ was not required. To analyze the TcpD and TcpE proteins in C. perfringens, functional hemagglutinin (HA)-tagged derivatives were constructed. Western blots showed that TcpD and TcpE localized to the cell envelope fraction independently of the presence of other pCW3-encoded proteins. Finally, examination of the subcellular localization of TcpD and TcpE by immunofluorescence showed that these proteins were concentrated at both poles of C. perfringens donor cells, where they are postulated to form essential components of the multiprotein complex that comprises the transfer apparatus.
Consistent Testing for Pairwise Dependence in Time Series

ABSTRACT We consider the problem of testing pairwise dependence for stationary time series. For this, we suggest the use of a Box–Ljung-type test statistic that is formed after calculating the distance covariance function among pairs of observations. The distance covariance function is a suitable measure for detecting dependencies between observations as it is based on the distance between the characteristic function of the joint distribution of the random variables and the product of the marginals. We show that, under the null hypothesis of independence and under mild regularity conditions, the test statistic converges to a normal random variable. The results are complemented by several examples. This article has supplementary material online.
Allograft‐Prosthesis Composite Versus Megaprosthesis in Proximal Femoral Reconstruction

A review of 33 patients who underwent proximal femoral resection for primary bone tumor and reconstruction with an allograft-prosthesis composite or a megaprosthesis is presented to consider the relative merits of the 2 procedures. Clinical function, reconstruction survival, and associated complications were analyzed. Eighteen composites in 16 patients and 18 megaprostheses in 17 patients were analyzed. Infection in the composite group and instability in the megaprosthesis group were the common causes of failure and removal of reconstructions. The average functional evaluation in 14 surviving patients with composites was 87% of normal. In 10 surviving patients with megaprostheses, the average function was 80% when complications were avoided. Survival analysis of the patients with reconstructions showed a 10 year survival of 76% for the patients with composites and 58% for those with megaprostheses. Both composite and megaprosthetic reconstruction of the proximal femur seem to function equally well from the perspective of function and survival because no statistically significant difference could be shown by this review.
Impaired regulation of immune responses in cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease: lessons from genetic association studies

Altered levels of cytokines and acute-phase proteins have been described in the blood and brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Microglia are resident cells of the brain and metabolic upregulation of these cells may play a crucial role in the development of the neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Studies focusing on gene polymorphisms of molecules with immune regulatory function have demonstrated an association with increased risk of the disease and confirmed the pivotal role of immune responses in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. Several gene variants may also influence the rate of the cognitive decline associated with the disease. A definite immune-related gene polymorphism profile may be a feature of a limited group of patients with early onset of the disease and fast clinical deterioration. Only this group of patients may benefit from anti-inflammatory treatment.
Ophthalmic manifestations of epidemic nephropathy

Abstract An ophthalmic examination was performed on 29 epidemic nephropathy patients consequently treated in the Central Hospital of Central Finland during the acute phase of the disease. Twentysix of those patients were reexamined after an interval of one month. In the acute phase of the disease pathological ophthalmic changes were found in 15 cases (52%). The symptoms observed were conjunctival injection, oedema, flare and cell reaction in anterior chamber, anisochoria, retinal oedema, acute glaucoma and myopic shift of refraction. The main effect of disease on intraocular pressure was pressure‐lowering. The myopic shifts were not dependent on initial refraction. In one case of acute glaucoma this shift could be explained by swelling and forward movement of the lens.
Homology model of Juvenile Hormone Esterase from the crop pest, Heliothis virescens

Juvenile Hormone Esterase (JHE) plays an essential role in the development of insects since it is partially responsible for clearing juvenile hormone (JH), one of the hormones that is responsible for insect metamorphosis. JHE is a 60 kDa enzyme that selectively hydrolyzes the α/β unsaturated ester of JH. Because of its pivotal role in insect development, we have targeted JHE for use as a biopesticide. In this study, we have constructed a homology‐based molecular model of JHE from the agricultural crop pest, Heliothis virescens. JHE is a member of the α/β hydrolase fold family of enzymes and was built according to two structures in the same family: acetylcholinesterase from Torpedo californica and lipase from Geotrichum candidum. Analysis of the active site region reveals extensive conservation between JHE and its templates. A surprise was the presence of a conserved Ser near the catalytic triad. Docking of JH III into the active site has provided insight into protein‐substrate interactions that are corroborated by experimental observation. The model is being used as a predictive basis to design biopesticides. In this regard, we have identified a site on the protein surface that is suggestive of a recognition site for the putative JHE receptor. Proteins 1999; 34:184–196. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Understanding the formation of woody debris jams at bridge piers

Woody debris accumulations at bridge piers can significantly increase the risk of flooding and bridge failure because of increased afflux upstream of bridges, additional structural loads and exacerbated scour. Despite the importance of this problem, limited research has been conducted on the topic. In this study we experimentally analyse the process of accumulations of woody debris (modelled with twigs and natural sticks) at single piers exposed to flow and a continuous supply of debris. Results show that these debris jams follow a three-phase growth: unstable (where growth occurs rapidly but debris are easily disengaged); stable (growth assumes a less pronounced trend and debris are less likely to be escaped); critical (the accumulation begins to oscillate about the pier and ultimately drifts away, i.e. fails). The dimensions of the accumulation at failure were observed to plot as well-defined functions of the flow and debris characteristics, and provide a worst-case scenario that can be useful for engineering design. In particular, while the cross-sectional and longitudinal dimensions of the accumulations were observed to decrease with increasing flow, the vertical component displays an opposite trend.
Definition, Assessment, and Staging of Treatment—Resistant Refractory Major Depression: A Review of Current Concepts and Methods

Objective: Up to 15% of depression patients eventually present with treatment-resistant or refractory depression (TRD), a condition that causes significant social and economic burdens. Our paper aims to summarize the current medical literature on the conceptual and methodologic issues involved in the definition, assessment, and staging of TRD. Method: We reviewed the recently published medical literature to identify papers that specifically discuss TRD. For this, we searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO for potentially relevant English-language articles published between January 1996 and June 2006. Results: Recent methodologic and conceptual advances have contributed to the achievement of an acceptable level of theoretical consensus on the general meaning of TRD. Accordingly, depression is usually considered resistant or refractory when at least 2 trials with antidepressants from different pharmacologic classes (adequate in terms of dosage, duration, and compliance) fail to produce a significant clinical improvement. Regarding diagnostic assessments, an accurate and systematic evaluation should be made to elicit the potential role of several contributing factors, such as medical and psychiatric comorbidity. Conclusion: Recently, 3 staging methods for TRD have been described, but they currently require extensive empirical support. Future research on TRD should include prospective studies addressing the validity of the proposed criteria, the impact of depression comorbid with other psychiatric disorders and (or) physical conditions, and the possible predictors of treatment outcome. There is an important and clear need for studies that empirically test current definitions, assessment strategies, and staging methods of TRD.
The Participation in Childhood Occupations Questionnaire (PICO-Q): A Pilot Study

There is a need, among practitioners and researchers, for a feasible, user-friendly assessment tool that evaluates overall participation and guides intervention. This paper describes the process of construction and development of the Participation in Childhood Occupations Questionnaire (PICO-Q) and the establishment of its primary psychometric properties. The 22-item instrument measures the level, enjoyment, and frequency of performance for children's participation in daily occupations in a variety of environments. The questionnaire was completed by the mothers of 41 children between the ages of 6 and 10 years (24 children with and 17 children without sensory modulation disorder). Cronbach's alpha varied from. 86 to. 89, indicating internal consistency of items. Test–retest reliability varied from. 69 to. 86, indicating that the instrument provides a stable measurement over time. The PICO-Q was found to differentiate between children with and without participation restrictions. The PICO-Q shows initial reliability and validity and has both research and clinical application potential.
Relationship between Empathy and the Big Five Personality Traits in a Sample of Spanish Adolescents

Empathy has been considered a central feature of our temperamental dispositions in childhood and adolescence. It plays a central role in the development of prosocial behavior and moral reasoning. However, the links between empathy and the major factors of personality have not yet been well described. This study explores the relationships between an index of empathy and the Big-Five personality model in a sample of 832 Spanish adolescents. As expected, results show that empathy correlates strongly with Friendliness. Positive correlations with Conscientiousness, Energy, and Openness traits have also been observed, but regression analyses show that relationships of empathy with those three factors were of negligible importance. Contrary to expectations, empathy did not correlate with Emotional stability. This pattern of results was replicated across boys and girls.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa A-band and B-band lipopolysaccharides

Recently, Dasgupta and Lam (1) reported on the identification of a gene involved in biosynthesis of the lipopolysaccharide of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This report starts out stating ‘‘Many strains of P. aeruginosa coexpress two chemically and antigenically distinct forms of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), namely, A-band LPS (common antigen) and a serotype-specific B-band (O-antigenic) LPS. ’’ Yet of the two references cited to support this concept, one (4) is a serologically based study of the occurrence of a particular LPS epitope among clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa while the other (7) is a report that concludes that there are two LPSs produced by P. aeruginosa. However, in the latter paper the data do not actually demonstrate that the so-called A-band and B-band LPSs can be separated. Specifically, while Rivera and McGroarty have twice reported on the separation of the A-band and B-band LPSs produced by P. aeruginosa PAO1 (6, 7), in both instances they documented that the ‘‘purified’’ A-band component was contaminated with B-band LPS (see Fig. 4 in reference 6 and Fig. 2 in reference 7). While they also reported that the purified A band was chemically distinct from B-band LPS, it is unclear how such a conclusion can be supported when the chemical analysis was performed on contaminated material. The demonstration, for example, that the peak containing the A-band LPS fraction (peak X in Table 1 of reference 7) has more sulfate than peaks containing B-band LPS can no more be ascribed to the A-band LPS component of peak X than it can be ascribed to the B-band component of peak X, or perhaps other, unidentified contaminants. Since we have clearly demonstrated that antibodies to both the common antigen component of A bands and antibodies to the O-antigenic component of B bands each immunoprecipitate both structures (3) and since no group, to our knowledge, has been able to separate A-band and B-band LPSs when LPS is isolated from a wild-type P. aeruginosa strain (8, 9), it appears that the common antigens and O antigens are on the same molecule. Differential migration of A-band and B-band LPSs in gels, when visualized with antibodies in immunoblots, does not indicate that these are separate molecules but merely validates the well-described principal of structural variation in gram-negative LPS, in which there are various amounts of different polysaccharides (i.e., core and O side chains) on the same basic set of molecules. The conclusion that P. aeruginosa produces two distinct LPSs is unwarranted and lacks support from any published study showing that A-band LPS can be purified without O antigens also present in the fractions. Finally, this report also states ‘‘Lightfoot and Lam were the first to report the cloning of genes involved in expression of A-band and B-band LPS,’’ citing as a reference for the statement a report published in 1993 (5). However, we reported in 1992 the cloning and expression of P. aeruginosa O antigen in Escherichia coli (2), which was cited in the report of Dasgupta and Lam.
Automatic External Defibrillators for Public Access Defibrillation: Recommendations for Specifying and Reporting Arrhythmia Analysis Algorithm Performance, Incorporating New Waveforms, and Enhancing Safety

These recommendations are presented to enhance the safety and efficacy of AEDs intended for public access. The task force recommends that manufacturers present developmental and validation data on their own devices, emphasizing high sensitivity for shockable rhythms and high specificity for nonshockable rhythms. Alternative defibrillation waveforms may reduce energy requirements, reducing the size and weight of the device. The highest levels of safety for public access defibrillation are needed. Safe and effective use of AEDs that are widely available and easily handled by non-medical personnel has the potential to dramatically increase survival from cardiac arrest.
Activated methane on small cationic platinum clusters.

The catalytic activation of C H bonds in small hydrocarbons, particularly methane, is a reaction that is of significant technological interest, as it allows valuable, functionalized products to be made from plentiful, cheap feedstocks. However, even on well-characterized platinum surfaces, the determination of the details of methane activation, in particular the earliest steps, remains difficult. Challenges include the weak physisorption of molecular methane on platinum surfaces, its ready dissociation, and the difficulty associated with determining hydrogen atom positions in many surface experiments, as hydrogen atoms are weak scatterers of X-rays or electrons and have no electronic core levels. Despite these challenges, Yoshinobu et al. have used infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy to show that CH4 adsorbed on Pt(111) has at most C3v symmetry. [4] strçm et al. have determined the adsorption geometry of methane on Pt(977) using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, reporting methane to bind by a single hydrogen atom, though they were unable to determine whether it was bound atop or in hollow sites. Partially dehydrogenated reaction intermediates/products, including methyl, methylene, and methylidyne, have been extensively studied (see for example Ref. [6]). The reactions of methane with platinum atoms and clusters have been studied in some detail. In the case of small ionic clusters reacting with CH4 under single collision conditions, Ptn[C,2H] + complexes were found to be the favored products. There have been a number of computational studies of the interactions of platinum clusters and surfaces 14, 15] with methane, primarily using density functional theory (DFT). Such calculations are challenging, owing to the large system size, number of electrons and possible paths, and the fact that several electronic states and crossings between them may need to be treated. Experimental spectroscopic characterization of these species, particularly the reaction intermediates, can therefore provide important information about their structures and benchmark data for theory. Recently, we have demonstrated the possibility of forming reactive intermediate species under thermalized conditions in a flow reactor. This approach was unsuccessful for the Ptn +
Selective Attention

注意は,一部の刺激を取り入れ,それ以外のものご とを排除する心的能力である。 これは感覚器官から情 報を取得するときだけに関わるのではなく,行動,記 憶,思考や情動を制御するはたらきをもつ。 また,覚 醒状態や集中している状態を維持することも注意の側 面のひとつである。 このように注意には多くの側面が あり,さまざまなレベルではたらくバイアスを総称し て注意と呼んでいる (河原・横澤,2015)。 このうち, 選ぶという側面に注目するのが選択的注意の研究であ る。 何を選択の基準とするかという点で大まかに分類す ると,空間,特徴,物体に基づく選択的注意に分ける ことができる。 例えば,道路の左側に注意を向けて運 転する場合は,空間的な注意選択が働いているといえ る。 実験室事態では,広く知られる空間的手がかり課 題もこのカテゴリに含まれる。 一方,赤色のものを探 す,動くものを探すという場合には特徴に基づく注意 選択をしているといえる。 空間に関わらず,共通の物 体上に含まれるものはすべて同時に選択されるとい う,物体に基づく注意選択も知られている。 注意を向けるメカニズムにも多様性がある。 教示や 知識にしたがって意図的・能動的に注意を向ける場合 と,緊急車両の回転灯やフラッシュが明滅する位置に 自動的・受動的に注意が引きつけられる場合では異な る注意の成分がはたらく。 これらに加えて,報酬や過 去の経験が関わる注意成分を考える立場 (Anderson, 2015) もある。
Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) abuse in combination with alcohol causes premeditated, grievous violence in male juvenile offenders.

This study focuses on 19 juvenile offenders who were frequently intoxicated by flunitrazepam (FZ), almost exclusively under the brand name Rohypnol. Street names for Rohypnol tablets are Rophies, Ropies, Roofies, Ropes, Roches, Rochas, Rochas Dos, Rophs, Ropers, Ribs, R-25, Roach-2s, Trip and Fall, Remember All, Mind Erasers, Forget Pills, and the Date Rape Drug. An overdose of FZ gives an increased feeling of power and self-esteem, reduces fear and insecurity, and provides the belief that everything is possible. FZ is also associated with loss of episodic memory and with impulsive violence, particularly when combined with alcohol. The subjects were taken from a subpopulation of 47 male juvenile offenders from Swedish national correctional institutions. Background information for subjects was obtained by in-depth interviewing and personality inventories including the Zuckerman Sensation-Seeking Scales, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and the Karolinska Scales of Personality. Data concerning previous criminal offenses was obtained from the Swedish National Police Board. Almost all of the FZ abusers had been previously sentenced for serious violent offenses. Our data suggest that FZ abused by psychiatrically vulnerable subjects (i.e., with high scores on boredom susceptibility and verbal aggression) poses a serious hazard both to the abusers as well as the community. Our results support the finding that FZ should be classified as a Schedule I drug (i.e., a drug similar to heavy narcotics).