Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiorespiratory modifications, and limitations, in post-smolt growth hormone transgenic Atlantic salmon Salmo salar

SUMMARY In recent years, there has been a great deal of interest in how growth hormone (GH) transgenesis affects fish physiology. However, the results of these studies are often difficult to interpret because the transgenic and non-transgenic fish had very different environmental/rearing histories. This study used a stable line of size-matched GH Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that were reared in a shared tank with controls (at 10°C, for∼ 9 months) to perform a comprehensive examination of the cardiorespiratory physiology of GH transgenic salmon, and serves as a novel test of the theory of symmorphosis. The GH transgenic salmon had a 3.6× faster growth rate, and 21 and 25% higher values for mass-specific routine and standard oxygen consumption (ṀO2), respectively. However, there was no concurrent increase in their maximum ṀO2, which resulted in them having an 18% lower metabolic scope and a 9% reduction in critical swimming speed. This decreased metabolic capacity/performance was surprising given that the transgenics had a 29% larger heart with an 18% greater mass-specific maximum in situ cardiac output, a 14% greater post-stress blood haemoglobin concentration, 5–10% higher red muscle and heart aerobic enzyme (citrate synthase or cytochrome oxidase) activities, and twofold higher resting and 1.7× higher post-stress, catecholamine levels. However, gill surface area was the only cardiorespiratory parameter that was not enhanced, and our data suggest that gill oxygen transfer may have been limiting. Overall, this research: (1) shows that there are significant metabolic costs associated with GH transgenesis in this line of Atlantic salmon; (2) provides the first direct evidence that cardiac function is enhanced by GH transgenesis; (3) shows that a universal upregulation of post-smolt (adult) GH transgenic salmon cardiorespiratory physiology, as suggested by symmorphosis, does not occur; and (4) supports the idea that whereas differences in arterial oxygen transport (i.e. cardiac output and blood oxygen carrying capacity) are important determinants of inter-specific differences in aerobicity, diffusion-limited processes must be enhanced to achieve substantial intra-specific improvements in metabolic and swimming performance.
Pneumonia and inflammation in acute decompensated heart failure: a registry-based analysis of 1939 patients

Background: The prognostic impact of pneumonia and signs of systemic inflammation in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) has not been fully elucidated yet. The aim of the present study was thus to investigate the association of pneumonia and the inflammation surrogate C-reactive protein with all-cause mortality in patients admitted for ADHF. Methods: We analysed data of 1939 patients admitted for ADHF. Patients were dichotomised according to the presence or absence of pneumonia. The primary endpoint of all-cause mortality was determined by death registry linkage. Results: In total, 412 (21.2%) patients had concomitant pneumonia. Median C-reactive protein levels were higher in patients with compared to patients without pneumonia (24.9 versus 9.8 mg/l, respectively; P<0.001). All-cause mortality was significantly higher in patients with pneumonia (P<0.001). In adjusted Cox regression models, pneumonia as well as C-reactive protein were independently associated with in-hospital mortality. Only C-reactive protein remained as independent predictor for long-term mortality. Conclusion: Pneumonia is relatively common in ADHF and a predictor for in-hospital mortality. However, inflammation in general seems to be more important than pneumonia itself for long-term prognosis. Compared to community-acquired pneumonia studies, C-reactive protein levels were rather low and therefore pneumonia might be over-diagnosed in ADHF patients.
First Report of Three Kudoa Species from Eastern Australia: Kudoa thyrsites from Mahi mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), Kudoa amamiensis and Kudoa minithyrsites n. sp. from Sweeper (Pempheris ypsilychnus)

Abstract Fish species around the world are parasitized by myxozoans of the genus Kudoa, several of which infect and cause damage of commercial importance. In particular, Kudoa thyrsites and Kudoa amamiensis infect certain cultured fish species causing damage to muscle tissue, making the fish unmarketable. Kudoa thyrsites has a broad host and geographic range infecting over 35 different fish species worldwide, while K. amamiensis has only been reported from a few species in Japanese waters. Through morphological and molecular analyses we have confirmed the presence of both of these parasites in eastern Australian waters. In addition, a novel Kudoa species was identified, having stellate spores, with one polar capsule larger than the other three. The SSU rDNA sequence of this parasite was 1.5% different from K. thyrsites and is an outlier from K. thyrsites representatives in a phylogenetic analysis. Furthermore, the spores of this parasite are distinctly smaller than those of K. thyrsites, and thus it is described as Kudoa minithyrsites n. sp. Although the potential effects of K. minithyrsites n. sp. on its fish hosts are unknown, both K. thyrsites and K. amamiensis are associated with flesh quality problems in some cultured species and may be potential threats to an expanding aquaculture industry in Australia.
Involvement of platelets in stimulating osteogenic activity

Osteoblast‐like cells have been shown to be sensitive to the proliferative action of a wide variety of growth factors. Many of these growth factors have been isolated from platelets and are thought to be released at local sites in response to injury. In this study, we tested whether human platelet concentrate, as a supplement to basic medium, would support the proliferative and functional activity of human fetal osteoblast‐like cells in both short‐term and long‐term culture. In short‐term studies, uptake of [3H]thymidine was increased in platelet‐treated cultures by more than 4‐fold compared with 10% serum‐supplemented controls. When cultured for prolonged periods on coverslips, the cells formed multilayers, with a collagen‐based matrix separating the layers. Long‐term cultures that were treated with 1.5% (vol/vol) platelets in serum‐supplemented medium showed increases in the depth of the multilayers of as much as 36‐fold at 30 days after confluence, compared with the 10% serum‐supplemented controls; this difference persisted until day 50. Incorporation of growth factor in the matrix was examined with the use of colloidal gold immunoelectron microscopy. Immunogold labeling intensities for transforming growth factor‐β1 were significantly lower in the platelet‐treated cultures at 20 days and then increased to a maximum level of 2.1‐fold more than in the controls at 40 days. Labeling intensities for insulin‐like growth factor‐I and basic fibroblast growth factor were significantly lower in the platelet‐treated cultures than in the controls at all stages of culture. These results indicate that platelet‐supplemented medium stimulates proliferation and maintains the differentiated function of human osteoblast‐like cells. Platelets may play an important role in early healing of fractures and also may be useful as a cheap autologous source of multiple growth factors to enhance osteoblast proliferation in vivo and in vitro.
Identification and Characterization of Avian Retroviruses in Chicken Embryo-Derived Yellow Fever Vaccines: Investigation of Transmission to Vaccine Recipients

ABSTRACT All currently licensed yellow fever (YF) vaccines are propagated in chicken embryos. Recent studies of chick cell-derived measles and mumps vaccines show evidence of two types of retrovirus particles, the endogenous avian retrovirus (EAV) and the endogenous avian leukosis virus (ALV-E), which originate from the chicken embryonic fibroblast substrates. In this study, we investigated substrate-derived avian retrovirus contamination in YF vaccines currently produced by three manufacturers (YF-vax [Connaught Laboratories], Stamaril [Aventis], and YF-FIOCRUZ [FIOCRUZ-Bio-Manguinhos]). Testing for reverse transcriptase (RT) activity was not possible because of assay inhibition. However, Western blot analysis of virus pellets with anti-ALV RT antiserum detected three distinct RT proteins in all vaccines, indicating that more than one source is responsible for the RTs present in the vaccines. PCR analysis of both chicken substrate DNA and particle-associated RNA from the YF vaccines showed no evidence of the long terminal repeat sequences of exogenous ALV subgroups A to D in any of the vaccines. In contrast, both ALV-E and EAV particle-associated RNA were detected at equivalent titers in each vaccine by RT-PCR. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR revealed 61,600, 348,000, and 1,665,000 ALV-E RNA copies per dose of Stamaril, YF-FIOCRUZ, and YF-vax vaccines, respectively. ev locus-specific PCR testing of the vaccine-associated chicken substrate DNA was positive both for the nondefective ev-12 locus in two vaccines and for the defective ev-1 locus in all three vaccines. Both intact and ev-1 pol sequences were also identified in the particle-associated RNA. To investigate the risks of transmission, serum samples from 43 YF vaccine recipients were studied. None of the samples were seropositive by an ALV-E-based Western blot assay or had detectable EAV or ALV-E RNA sequences by RT-PCR. YF vaccines produced by the three manufacturers all have particles containing EAV genomes and various levels of defective or nondefective ALV-E sequences. The absence of evidence of infection with ALV-E or EAV in 43 YF vaccine recipients suggests low risks for transmission of these viruses, further supporting the safety of these vaccines.
Reference intervals for common coagulation tests of preterm infants (CME)

Fresh‐frozen plasma (FFP) is sometimes administered to nonbleeding preterm neonates who are judged to be at risk for bleeding because they have abnormal coagulation tests. The benefits/risks of this practice are not well defined. One limitation to progress is lack of reference intervals for the common coagulation tests, thus limiting precision about whether coagulation tests are indeed abnormal.
A Prospective Study of Incidence and Risk Factors for the Onset and Persistence of Low Back Pain in Thai University Students

This study aimed to examine the 12-month incidence and risk factors for the onset and persistence of low back pain (LBP) in undergraduate students. A 1-year prospective study was carried out among 684 healthy students in a large public university in Thailand. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and a physical examination. Follow-up data were collected every 3 months. A total of 524 (77%) students were followed for 1 year. A total of 31% reported a new onset of LBP, of whom 31% reported persistent LBP. Having no low back support during computer work was a significant predictor for the onset and persistence of LBP. The onset of LBP was also associated with quadriceps muscle tightness. LBP is common among undergraduate students, and many of them may have persistent symptoms. Physical risk factor plays a significant role for the onset and persistence of LBP among the study population.
Food in Chinese culture. Anthropological and historical perspectives

new books in food studies asfs the following are books that have been submitted for review in food culture society be sure to look for many of these in upcoming issues, early chinese food history flavor and fortune flavor and fortune the science and art of chinese cuisine, history of chinese cuisine wikipedia the history of chinese cuisine is marked by both variety and change the archaeologist and scholar kwang chih chang says chinese people are especially preoccupied, anthropology university of washington college of arts sciences anthropology detailed course offerings time schedule are available for spring quarter 2019 summer quarter 2019 autumn quarter 2019, culture of indonesia history people traditions women culture of indonesia history people traditions women beliefs food customs family social ge it, culture of thailand history people clothing culture of thailand history people clothing traditions women beliefs food customs family sa th, the study of food sidney mintz the study of food in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries anthropologists studied the food systems of technically simpler societies and learned how self, the food timeline history notes asian american cuisine chinese food the history of chinese food is a complicated buffet of regional cuisines and world influence there are plenty of sources you can use to learn about this, general university requirements registrar s office general university requirements gurs 2019 2020 the general university requirements gurs embody western s belief that a liberal arts and sciences education, general education curriculum and degree requirements making connections the general education curriculum the university of north carolina at chapel hill strives to cultivate the range of skills knowledge values and, the food timeline history notes restaurants chefs historians tell us the genesis of food service dates back to ancient times street vendors and public cooks caterers were readily available in ancient rome, bibme free bibliography citation maker mla apa bibme free bibliography citation maker mla apa chicago harvard, ma museums heritage and material culture studies 2019 dr maria kostoglou is a lecturer in curating and museology and the co convenor of the ma in museums heritage and material culture studies she explains why soas is, course modules catalogue university of southampton discover our modules list to understand your degree options and pathways, jstor viewing subject art art history jstor is a digital library of academic journals books and primary sources
Prospective, randomized controlled trial of physiotherapy and acupuncture on motor function and daily activities in patients with ischemic stroke.

OBJECTIVE To assess the value of acupuncture for promoting the recovery of patients with ischemic stroke and to determine whether the outcomes of combined physiotherapy and acupuncture are superior to those with physiotherapy alone. DESIGN Prospective randomized controlled trial. SETTING Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, P. R. China. PARTICIPANTS 120 inpatients and outpatients (84 men and 36 women). INTERVENTIONS Acupuncture, physiotherapy, and physiotherapy combined with acupuncture. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Motor function in the limbs was measured with the Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA). The modified Barthel index (MBI) was used to rate activities of daily living. All evaluations were performed by assessors blinded to treatment group. RESULTS On the first day of therapy (day 0, baseline), FMA and MBI scores did not significantly differ among the treatment groups. Compared with baseline, on the 28th day of therapy the mean FMA scores of the physiotherapy, acupuncture, and combined treatment groups had increased by 65.6%, 57.7%, and 67.2%, respectively; on the 56th day, FMA scores had increased by 88.1%, 64.5%, and 88.6%, respectively (p<0.05). The respective MBI scores in the three groups increased by 85.2%, 60.4%, and 63.4% at day 28 and by 108.0%, 71.2%, and 86.2% at day 56, respectively (p<0.05). However, FMA scores did not significantly differ among the three treatment groups on the 28th day. By the 56th day, the FMA and MBI scores of the physiotherapy group were 46.1% and 33.2% greater, respectively, than those in the acupuncture group p<0.05). No significant differences were seen between the combined treatment group and the other groups. In addition, the FMA subscores for the upper extremities did not reflect any significant improvement in any group on the 56th day. Although the FMA subscores for the upper and lower extremities and the MBI score in the combined treatment group were higher than those in the acupuncture group, the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Acupuncture is less effective for the outcome measures studied than is physiotherapy. Moreover, the therapeutic effect of combining acupuncture with physiotherapy was not superior to that of physiotherapy alone. A larger-scale clinical trial is necessary to confirm these findings.
Antibodies against MAEBL Ligand Domains M1 and M2 Inhibit Sporozoite Development In Vitro

ABSTRACT MAEBL is a type 1 membrane protein that is implicated in the merozoite invasion of erythrocytes and sporozoite invasion of mosquito salivary glands. This apical organelle protein is structurally similar to the ebl erythrocyte binding proteins, such as EBA-175, except that the tandem ligand domains of MAEBL are similar to part of the extracellular domain of apical membrane antigen 1 and not the Duffy binding-like domain. Although midgut and salivary gland sporozoites are morphologically similar, salivary gland sporozoites undergo a period of new gene expression after infecting the salivary glands, display distinct phenotypic differences, and are more infectious for the mammalian host. The objectives of this project were to determine the molecular form of MAEBL in the infectious salivary gland sporozoites and whether the ligand has a role in the sporozoite development to exoerythrocytic stages in hepatocytes. We determined that MAEBL is newly expressed in salivary gland sporozoites and in a form distinct from what is present in the midgut sporozoites or present in erythrocytic stages. Both ligand domains (M1 and M2) were expressed as part of a full-length membrane form of MAEBL in the salivary gland sporozoites in contrast to the other stages that retain only the M2 ligand domain as part of the membrane form of the protein. Antisera developed against the cysteine-rich regions of the extracellular portion of MAEBL inhibited sporozoite development to exoerythrocytic forms in vitro. Together these data indicate that MAEBL has a role in this third developmental stage in the life cycle of the malaria parasite. Thus, MAEBL is another target for pre-erythrocytic-stage vaccine development against malaria parasites.
The Impact of Severity of Parental Myopia on Myopia in Chinese Children

Purpose. To assess the impact of severity of parental myopia on myopia in Chinese children. Methods. Children aged 12 to 15 years were identified from a population-based sample in Guangzhou. Children's myopia was defined as a spherical equivalent refraction of ⩽0.5 D based on cycloplegic (1% cyclopentolate) autorefraction. Using a questionnaire reported by the parents, the parental myopia was confirmed and the severity of myopia on the right eyes was classified into mild (<3.0 D myopia), moderate (3.0 to 6.0 D myopia), and high (>6.0 D myopia) myopia. Results. Information was available for 1567 children aged 12 to 15 years. Analysis was restricted to children with no myopia in one parent and no, mild, moderate, or high myopia in the other. The prevalence of myopia in children was 53.5, 65.1, 76.3, and 80.6% when the severity of myopia in the second parent was no, mild, moderate, and high, and the prevalence of high myopia (spherical equivalent >6.0 D myopia) in children was 1.4, 2.9, 8.5, and 16.1% in the corresponding groups of parental myopia severity. Of the children with high myopia, 45.3% had parents with no reported myopia. Conclusions. More severe myopia in one parent results in an increased risk of myopia in the children. However, most highly myopic children did not have a highly myopic parent and also half did not have any reported parental myopia. This suggests that while genetic factors contribute to the development of more severe myopia, environmental factors also contribute to high myopia in children in Guangzhou.
Improvement of Effectiveness of Village Fund Policy in Indonesia

After the legalization of the Village Law, the amount of funds flowing into villages is geting higher and higher. Every year it continues to increase. In 2015 the amount reached Rp. 20.8 trillion, and in 2016 it was Rp. 46.96 trillion, and now it raised to Rp. 60 trillion, and in 2018 it would be increased to Rp 120 trillion. The greater authority of the village government to manage the finances and resources is not balanced with the controls in the use of the budget. Automatically, it results in the arising of some problems. Supervision and monitoring are very important things to do so that earlier detection can be carried out if there are some irregularities, dissipations, misappropriations, obstacles, and mistakes in the use of funds, also failures to achieve the goals and objectives. They are done in stages involving various stakeholders such as the community, the regional government, the ministries, Audit Board, and the Corruption Eradication Commission; House of Representaties or Parliament, Regional People’s Representative Assembly, and Village Consultative Body (BPD) (Regional Planning Agency) politically have a function of supervision of the village officials in managing the village funds. It can be started from empowering the local communities to participate in the management of the village funds to reporting the implementation of the planning of the programs. Involving the local people is highly expected that the village funds are used as optimally as possible based on the interests and needs of the local community.
Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes for Occult Hepatitis B Virus Infection Among HIV-Infected Patients

Background:Occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) is defined by the presence of HBV DNA in individuals with HBV core antibodies (anti-HBc) but without HBV surface antigen (HBsAg). The prevalence of occult HBV in HIV-infected patients remains controversial, and the risk factors and clinical significance are unknown. Objectives:To determine the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical significance of occult HBV among HIV-infected patients. Hypothesized risk factors include chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV), CD4 count <200 cells/mm3, HIV RNA level >1000 copies/mL, and lack of use of anti-HBV antiretrovirals. Methods:We examined randomly selected HBsAg−/anti-HBc+ HIV-infected patients in the Penn Center for AIDS Research Adult/Adolescent Database and Specimen Repository. HBV DNA was qualitatively detected using a transcription-mediated amplification assay. Risk factors and transaminases were ascertained at the time sera were collected. Results:A total of 699 HBsAg−/anti-HBc+ HIV-infected patients were identified. Of 179 randomly selected subjects, 17 (10%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5% to 14%) had occult HBV. Differences in the prevalence of HBV surface antibody (anti-HBs) between those with (7 [41%]) and without (94 [58%]) occult HBV were not statistically significant (P = 0.3). An HIV RNA level >1000 copies/mL (adjusted odds ratio [OR] = 4.88, 95% CI: 1.01 to 30.26) and the absence of chronic HCV (adjusted OR = 0.26, 95% CI: 0.05 to 0.95) were associated with occult HBV. Occult HBV did not increase the risk of transaminitis (adjusted OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.12 to 1.45). Conclusions:Occult HBV occurred in a sizable proportion of HIV-infected patients and was associated with detectable HIV and the absence of chronic HCV. It did not increase the risk of transaminitis. The presence of anti-HBs does not rule out occult HBV. Future studies should examine the long-term clinical implications of occult HBV in HIV-infected patients.