Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum Immunoglobulin Profiles of Conversion Disorder Patients

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the serum immunoglobulin profiles of conversion disorder patients and to compare those parameters with control subjects. Method: Forty conversion disorder patients were recruited randomly from the Department of Psychiatry, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh for this study. The control group included 34 healthy individuals matched by age and sex to the patient group. Serum immunoglobulin concentrations were determined by turbidimetry method using immunoglobulin kits. Result: The serum concentrations of IgG, IgA and IgM of conversion disorder patients were 22.32 ± 5.9 g/L, 4.83 ± 1.43 g/L and 3.45 ± 1.24 g/L, while these were 20.02 ± 2.04 g/L, 3.65 ± 1.03 g/L and 2.70 ± 0.63 g/L in control subjects respectively. The concentration of IgA and IgM were increased significantly (P < 0.05), but the change of IgG was not significant (P > 0.05). Socioeconomic data revealed that most of the patients were young female and unmarried. The mean BMI of patients (21.27 ± 3.56) were not significantly different (P > 0.05) from the control subjects (20.9 ± 1.78). Moreover statistical analysis revealed that there were no significant correlation between immunoglobulin concentrations and socioeconomic factors and nutritional status. Conclusion: These findings may suggest a possible immune dysfunction as all the immunoglobulins were increased in conversion disorder patients. But study with larger number of population is required for further evaluation of the relationship between the immune response and disease state to confirm these findings (German J Psychiatry 2008; 11: 141-145).
Quantification of infectious duck hepatitis B virus by radioimmunofocus assay

A simple method is described for the precise quantification of infectious duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) in cell culture, using a radioimmunofocus assay (RIFA). Primary duck hepatocyte cell cultures were infected with serial dilutions of viral samples as for a plaque assay, but then maintained with liquid overlay medium. After incubation for up to 14 days, cell monolayers were fixed with acetone, then stained with a monoclonal antibody to DHBV L protein followed by secondary antibody labelled with I. Foci of infection (representing individual infectious particles in the inoculum) were detected by autoradiography. The number of foci recovered was increased by addition of dimethyl sulphoxide to culture medium, but was not appreciably altered by the use of semi‐solid medium. The titre of virus suspensions determined by RIFA correlated well with titration in ducklings. The RIFA is a useful method for titration of DHBV, as it has a wide dynamic range and is well suited to parallel titration of large numbers of samples. This assay will have wide use for the analysis of DHBV growth kinetics, antiviral efficacy, and virus inactivation procedures. J. Med. Virol. 52:354–361, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The effects of mouth rinses on the color stability of resin-based restorative materials.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the color stability of three direct resin-based restorative materials: IPS Empress Direct (Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein), Nano-filled composite (Filtek Z 350 XT, 3 M ESPE, St. Paul, MN, USA), and Nano-hybrid composite (Tetric Evo Ceram, Ivoclar Vivadent, Schaan, Liechtenstein) upon immersion into the following three mouth rinses: Antiseptol (Kahira Pharmaceuticals and Chemical Industries Co. Cairo-Egypt), Flucal (Alexandria Co. Pharmaceuticals Alexandria, Egypt), and Listerine (Johnson & Johnson, UK). MATERIALS AND METHODS Ninety disc-shaped, 12 mm × 1 mm specimens were divided into three groups according to the type of direct resin-based restorative material used. The specimens were randomly subdivided into three different subgroups (N = 10) in terms of immersion medium. Color change was evaluated prior to and after immersion into the mouth rinses for 24 hours by spectrophotometry (Shimadzu, UV-3101 PC Shimadzu Corporation. Kyoto, Japan). RESULTS Data were statistically analyzed using two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to assess the color stability of the restorative materials. The post hoc Scheffe's test was applied to clarify pair-wise statistical significance. Results with p-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. IPS Empress Direct (ΔE = 1.48) exhibited more favorable stability than the other tested composite resins, Filtek Z 350 X (ΔE = 3.05) and Tetric Evo Ceram (ΔE = 10.35). The immersion media elicited a significant effect on the color stability of the tested, resin-based restorative materials, where Flucal elicited the most significant color change, followed by Listerine and Antiseptol, which elicited the least significant color change. CONCLUSIONS Within the limitation of this laboratory study, the following conclusions could be drawn: (1) The composite structure, namely the resin formulation, which includes the filler size and type of photo-initiator, has a direct impact on its susceptibility to stain by external agents; (2) Mouth rinses can be considered stainable solutions; (3) The chemical formulation of individual mouth rinses can significantly control their ability to stain. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Patient use of mouth rinses should be subject to dental supervision to control their adverse effects on the aesthetic quality of the restoration. Knowing the composition of the restorative material is important, as is its polymerization cycle and the promotion of adequate surface texture in order to select the appropriate material for each clinical application, and to use it in an effective way to promote its best properties.
Protein kinase CK2: an enzyme with multiple substrates and a puzzling regulation

Protein kinase CK2 (also known as casein kinase II) is a ubiquitous eukaryotic ser/thr protein kinase present in the nucleus and cytoplasm. CK2 is known to phosphorylate more than 100 substrates, many of which are involved in the control of cell division and in signal transduction. The review centers on the structure and function of CK2 α and β subunits and on the regulation of its activity, a topic that remains to be elucidated. An analogy is drawn between CK2 and the cyclin‐dependent kinases (cdks); both types of protein kinases share many substrates and are activated by regulatory subunits. —Allende, J. E. , Allende, C. C. Protein kinase CK2: an enzyme with multiple substrates and a puzzling regulation. FASEB J. 9, 313–323 (1995)
Characterization of plaques using 18F-FDG PET/CT in patients with carotid atherosclerosis and correlation with matrix metalloproteinase-1.

UNLABELLED High tissue matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity has been associated with advanced atherosclerosis and plaque rupture. 18F-FDG uptake has been reported to detect inflammation. This investigation examined the vascular 18F-FDG uptake by PET/CT and its correlation with circulating MMP-1 levels. METHODS We examined 25 consecutive patients with significant carotid stenosis and 22 healthy control subjects using 18F-FDG PET/CT. The leukocyte counts, C-reactive protein (CRP), and MMP-1 were measured. RESULTS 18F-FDG arterial uptake, as well as calcifications, was significantly higher in extensive distributions in patients with established carotid stenosis. However, their distribution was not consistently overlapping. The values of circulating MMP-1 and leukocyte counts were significantly higher in patients with carotid stenosis (all P < 0.05). In addition, subjects with higher 18F-FDG uptake (maximum SUV > 2.0) in target lesions had higher baseline and poststenting MMP-1 levels (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSION We provide a link between 18F-FDG uptake and circulating MMP-1. 18F-FDG PET/CT could be used as an adjunct to the clinical management of high-risk atherosclerosis and an in vivo tool to study plaque biology.
Intracellular innate resistance to bacterial pathogens

Mammalian innate immunity stimulates antigen‐specific immune responses and acts to control infection prior to the onset of adaptive immunity. Some bacterial pathogens replicate within the host cell and are therefore sheltered from some protective aspects of innate immunity such as complement. Here we focus on mechanisms of innate intracellular resistance encountered by bacterial pathogens and how some bacteria can evade destruction by the innate immune system. Major strategies of intracellular antibacterial defence include pathogen compartmentalization and iron limitation. Compartmentalization of pathogens within the host endocytic pathway is critical for generating high local concentrations of antimicrobial molecules, such as reactive oxygen species, and regulating concentrations of divalent cations that are essential for microbial growth. Cytosolic sensing, autophagy, sequestration of essential nutrients and membrane attack by antimicrobial peptides are also discussed.
Ductal enhancement on MR imaging of the breast.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and positive predictive value of ductal enhancement among MR imaging-detected breast lesions that had biopsy and to assess the histologic findings associated with ductal enhancement. MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective review was performed of 427 nonpalpable, mammographically occult lesions that had MR imaging-guided needle localization and surgical biopsy. Lesions were reviewed by one radiologist who was unaware of the histologic outcomes and were classified according to a standardized lexicon. MR imaging and histologic findings of ductal enhancing lesions were reviewed. RESULTS Ductal enhancement accounted for 88 (21%) of 427 lesions and 88 (59%) of 150 nonmass lesions. Histologic finding in these 88 lesions were ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in 18 (20%); infiltrating carcinoma in five (6%), including three with DCIS; lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) in nine (10%); atypical ductal hyperplasia in eight (9%); and benign in 48 (55%). Among the 48 benign lesions, the dominant histologic findings were fibrocystic change (n = 16); ductal hyperplasia (n = 8); fibrosis (n = 8); postbiopsy change (n = 5); benign breast tissue (n = 3); sclerosing adenosis (n = 2); and single cases of fibroadenoma, fibroadenomatoid change, lymph node, mastitis, papilloma, and radial scar. Factors associated with a trend toward a higher frequency of carcinoma included clumped enhancement (p = 0.05) and synchronous ipsilateral cancer (p = 0.07). CONCLUSION Ductal enhancement accounted for 21% of MR imaging-detected lesions that had biopsy and had a positive predictive value of 26%. Differential diagnosis of ductal enhancement includes carcinoma (usually DCIS); atypical ductal hyperplasia; LCIS; and benign findings such as fibrocystic change, ductal hyperplasia, and fibrosis.
A Silurian Soft-Bodied Biota

A new Silurian (Llandoverian) biota from Wisconsin with a significant soft-bodied and lightly sclerotized component is dominated by arthropods and worms. The fauna includes the earliest well-preserved xiphosure, a possible marine uniramian, three new arthropods of uncertain affinity, and possibly the first Paleozoic leech. This may be only the second locality to yield a conodont animal. Lack of a normal shelly fauna suggests an unusual environment. The discovery adds significantly to the few such exceptionally preserved faunas known from Lower Paleozoic rocks.
Reasons for drinking and alcohol use in young adults at high risk and at low risk for alcoholism.

Summary This study examined the relationship of attitudes towards the use of alcohol and alcohol consumption among young adult offspring of alcoholic (N=130) and non-alcoholic (N = 75) parents. No differences were found between the two samples in the subjects’reported reasons for drinking or reasons for limiting consumption. In general, the greater the total amount of alcohol consumed, the more important were social enhancement and relief of unpleasant affect as reasons for drinking. Further, reasons for limiting alcohol consumption did not distinguish the high risk and low risk groups. Across both samples, lower consumption was associated with not wanting to become intoxicated, not liking the alcohol effect and not liking the taste. The associations found between reasons for not drinking and decreased consumption were smaller than the associations found between reasons for drinking and increased consumption.
Transcriptional strategy of closteroviruses: mapping the 5' termini of the citrus tristeza virus subgenomic RNAs

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) induces formation of a nested set of at least nine 3' coterminal subgenomic RNAs (sgRNAs) in infected tissue. The organization and expression of the 19,296-nucleotide (nt) CTV genome resembles that of coronaviruses, with polyprotein processing, translational frameshifting, and multiple sgRNA formation, but phylogenetically the CTV polymerase, like polymerases of other closteroviruses, belongs to the Sindbis virus-like lineage of RNA virus polymerases. Both positive-strand RNA virus supergroups, coronaviruses and Sindbis-like viruses, utilize different mechanisms of transcription. To address the mechanism of CTV transcription, 5' termini for the two most abundant sgRNAs, 1.5 and 0.9 kb, respectively, were mapped by runoff reverse transcription. The two sgRNAs were demonstrated to have 48- and 38-nt 5' untranslated regions (5'-UTRs), respectively. The 5'-UTR for the 1.5-kb RNA was cloned, sequenced, and demonstrated to be colinear with the 48-nt genomic sequence upstream of the initiator codon of the respective open reading frame 10, i.e., to be of continuous template origin. The data obtained suggest that the sgRNA transcription of CTV is dissimilar from the coronavirus transcription and consistent with the transcriptional mechanism of other Sindbis-like viruses. Thus, the Sindbis virus-like mechanism of transcription of the positive-strand RNA genomes might be successfully utilized by the closterovirus genome of up to 19.3 kb with multiple sgRNAs.
Does Agrammatic Speech Constitute a Regression to Child Language? A Three-Way Comparison between Agrammatic, Child, and Normal Ellipsis

When children are in the process of learning their mother tongue, they show frequent use of nonfinite clauses, even though they produce finite clauses at the same time, thereby demonstrating the availability of the functional domain associated with finiteness. In this study the hypothesis was tested that this behavior results from an overuse of the normal elliptical repertoire that has also been observed in agrammatic aphasia. The purpose of this overuse is prevention of computational overload. In support of the hypothesis it was found that children behaved very similar to aphasics and normal adults with respect to the following parameters: (a) distribution of types of ellipsis, (b) elaboration of ellipses, (c) word order, (d) subject omission, (e) frequency of weak subject pronouns, and (f) verb type (eventivity). The results also support the Jackson/Jakobson regression hypothesis, at least at the grammatical level.
On low repair complexity storage codes via group divisible designs

Fractional repetition (FR) codes are a family of storage codes that provide efficient node repair at the minimum bandwidth regenerating point. Specifically, the repair process is exact and uncoded, but table-based. Existing constructions of FR codes are primarily based on combinatorial designs such as Steiner systems, resolvable designs, etc. In this paper, we present a new explicit construction of FR codes, which adopts the theory of uniform group divisible designs, termed GDDFR codes. Our codes achieve the storage capacity of random access and are available for a wide range of parameters. In addition, our techniques allow for constructing FR codes with parameters that are not covered by Steiner systems, which answers an open question put forward in prior work.
Crystal Structure of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus Spike Protein Fusion Core*

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus is a newly emergent virus responsible for a recent outbreak of an atypical pneumonia. The coronavirus spike protein, an enveloped glycoprotein essential for viral entry, belongs to the class I fusion proteins and is characterized by the presence of two heptad repeat (HR) regions, HR1 and HR2. These two regions are understood to form a fusion-active conformation similar to those of other typical viral fusion proteins. This hairpin structure likely juxtaposes the viral and cellular membranes, thus facilitating membrane fusion and subsequent viral entry. The fusion core protein of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus spike protein was crystallized, and the structure was determined at 2.8 Å of resolution. The fusion core is a six-helix bundle with three HR2 helices packed against the hydrophobic grooves on the surface of central coiled coil formed by three parallel HR1 helices in an oblique antiparallel manner. This structure shares significant similarity with the fusion core structure of mouse hepatitis virus spike protein and other viral fusion proteins, suggesting a conserved mechanism of membrane fusion. Drug discovery strategies aimed at inhibiting viral entry by blocking hairpin formation, which have been successfully used in human immunodeficiency virus 1 inhibitor development, may be applicable to the inhibition of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus on the basis of structural information provided here. The relatively deep grooves on the surface of the central coiled coil will be a good target site for the design of viral fusion inhibitors.
‘Different concentrations’ are more than one

Sir, We thank Professor Lorenz and Professor Kolbitsch for their interest in our article (1). Our aim was to identify the effects of subanaesthetic and anaesthetic doses of sevoflurane on global cerebral blood flow (gCBF) and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the human brain using positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance (PET/MR). In the conclusion, we claimed to be the first to examine the rCBF response to different subanaesthetic doses of sevoflurane — and we are [0.2 minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) and 0.4 MAC]. The mentioned papers by Kolbitsch C, Lorenz IH, et al. deal with the effects of 0.4 MAC sevoflurane at a single concentration (1). We are well aware of the fact that our study provides different results from most recent studies of the same subject. However, previous data on rCBF during sevoflurane anaesthesia are not consistent and have revealed discrepant results. The different methods used to measure brain activity and the set-up of the study make the standard of reference difficult. Until now, the alterations in rCBF induced by sevoflurane at different subanaesthetic doses have not been examined by PET in the human brain. Our work with sevoflurane revealed that the anaesthetic state induced by sevoflurane was associated with a decrease in rCBF in the thalamus and an increase in rCBF in the anterior cingulate and insula, indicating a resetting of the balance between anterior and posterior activity. We have just completed a comparable study of isoflurane. According to these results, isoflurane, like sevoflurane, causes some of the most profound changes in rCBF in the anterior cingulate, insula regions, cerebellum and thalamus.
High salivary estrogen and risk of developing pregnancy gingivitis.

BACKGROUND Estrogen regulates the cellular functions of several tissues that may disturb the host response against bacteria. The present aim is to evaluate the contribution of estrogen to the severity of gingival inflammation during pregnancy. METHODS Salivary estrogen levels from 30 pregnant and 24 non-pregnant females were related to their periodontal health parameters, including visible plaque index (VPI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) from six sites per tooth. The pregnant group was examined three times during pregnancy and twice during postpartum, and the non-pregnant group was examined three times, once per subsequent month. RESULTS Salivary estrogen levels increased significantly during the second (P <0.01) and third (P <0.05) trimesters. In both participant groups, BOP scores correlated significantly with VPI scores (r = 0.498 to 0.870) but not with estrogen levels. In all trimesters and postpartum, the individuals with both high estrogen and high VPI levels had the highest frequency of pregnancy gingivitis. During the second and third trimesters, simultaneously enhanced estrogen levels and VPI scores brought an additional risk of developing gingivitis compared with a high VPI score alone. CONCLUSION The present findings suggest that, during pregnancy, the estrogen level determines the magnitude of gingival inflammation developed against microbial plaque at the gingival margin.
Exposure to sub-concussive head injury in boxing and other sports

Abstract Background: Current characterizations of chronic traumatic brain injury (CTBI) in boxing, football and other sports are reviewed in the context of the history of research on sub-concussive brain trauma in athletes. Methods: The utility of exposure models for understanding CTBI in boxers is examined and concerns regarding the paucity of findings supportive of an exposure model for CTBI in football players are discussed. Results and conclusions: Recommendations for development of exposure models for sport-specific phenotypic characterizations of CTBI are presented.
Emotional well-being of Vietnamese immigrant women during the transition to motherhood: A descriptive cohort study.

This study investigated the health and well-being of Vietnamese foreign brides recently immigrated to southern Taiwan. Forty-four participants were recruited during pregnancy and 23 were followed-up at six weeks post-partum. Standardized measures completed during face-to-face interviews revealed high levels of life stress, poor general health, low social support, and difficulty caring for their infant amongst participants. Estimated prevalence of probable antenatal depression was 32%, and 26% for probable post-partum depression using Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores of ≥ 13. Probable antenatal depression predicted postnatal depression. Pregnant immigrant women experienced a high level of difficult life circumstances and were significantly more likely to develop depressive symptoms after birth. Immigrant women with low social support during pregnancy were also more likely to report higher EPDS scores than well-supported women. Given these results, prevention and intervention activities are needed to promote maternal psychological well-being in disadvantaged women, especially immigrant brides.