Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of oral omeprazole on basal and pentagastrin‐stimulated gastric secretion in young female horses

Summary Omeprazole (0.7 mg/kg bwt), as enteric-coated pellets in capsules, was administered to 8 horses with chronic gastric cannulae to determine its effect on gastric juice acidity, acid output, pH, and volume. Omeprazole was given via nasogastric tube once daily for 5 days and gastric secretion tests were done on the 1st and 5th day of dosing. Gastric juice samples were collected every 15 mins from the cannula, starting 5 h after the administration of omeprazole. Basal secretion was determined in the first hour of collection followed by a 2-h determination of pentagastrin (6 μg/kg/h)-stimulated secretion. Lactose placebo studies were carried out in the same horses for comparison. Basal and stimulated gastric acid output were inhibited by 69% and 76%, respectively, by the 5th day of dosing, when compared with control values. Basal gastric juice pH increased from 3.2 in placebo-treated horses to 4.6 by the 5th day of omeprazole treatment. Stimulated gastric juice pH was similarly increased from 1.7 to 4.6 by the 5th day of treatment. Omeprazole (0.7 mg/kg bwt) given orally once daily significantly inhibited basal and stimulated gastric acid secretion in horses by the 5th day of administration.
The FasX Small Regulatory RNA Negatively Regulates the Expression of Two Fibronectin-Binding Proteins in Group A Streptococcus

ABSTRACT The group A Streptococcus (GAS; Streptococcus pyogenes) causes more than 700 million human infections each year. The success of this pathogen can be traced in part to the extensive arsenal of virulence factors that are available for expression in temporally and spatially specific manners. To modify the expression of these virulence factors, GAS use both protein- and RNA-based regulators, with the best-characterized RNA-based regulator being the small regulatory RNA (sRNA) FasX. FasX is a 205-nucleotide sRNA that contributes to GAS virulence by enhancing the expression of the thrombolytic secreted virulence factor streptokinase and by repressing the expression of the collagen-binding cell surface pili. Here, we have expanded the FasX regulon, showing that this sRNA also negatively regulates the expression of the adhesion- and internalization-promoting, fibronectin-binding proteins PrtF1 and PrtF2. FasX posttranscriptionally regulates the expression of PrtF1/2 through a mechanism that involves base pairing to the prtF1 and prtF2 mRNAs within their 5′ untranslated regions, overlapping the mRNA ribosome-binding sites. Thus, duplex formation between FasX and the prtF1 and prtF2 mRNAs blocks ribosome access, leading to an inhibition of mRNA translation. Given that FasX positively regulates the expression of the spreading factor streptokinase and negatively regulates the expression of the collagen-binding pili and of the fibronectin-binding PrtF1/2, our data are consistent with FasX functioning as a molecular switch that governs the transition of GAS between the colonization and dissemination stages of infection. IMPORTANCE More than half a million deaths each year are a consequence of infections caused by GAS. Insights into how this pathogen regulates the production of proteins during infection may facilitate the development of novel therapeutic or preventative regimens aimed at inhibiting this activity. Here, we have expanded insight into the regulatory activity of the GAS small RNA FasX. In addition to identifying that FasX reduces the abundance of the cell surface-located fibronectin-binding proteins PrtF1/2, fibronectin is present in high abundance in human tissues, and we have determined the mechanism behind this regulation. Importantly, as FasX is the only mechanistically characterized regulatory RNA in GAS, it serves as a model RNA in this and related pathogens.
Informed Consent—Uninformed Participants

As informed consent forms continue to lengthen, are these lengthening forms helping to create better informed participants? The aim of this research was to determine whether the length of consent forms affected reading frequency and comprehension, and to provide recommendations on how to improve consent forms in the social sciences so they are more likely to be read. A quasi-experiment was conducted using actual consent forms at two liberal arts schools, one requiring a long form (463 words, n = 73) and one requiring a shorter form (236 words, n = 57). Participants exposed to the shorter form reported fully reading, or at least skimming the form more frequently than those exposed to the longer form. Those exposed to the shorter form also comprehended more of the form’s information. The majority of participants indicated consent forms need to be shortened if researchers want future participants to be more likely to read these forms’ contents. Additional recommendations are discussed.
Localization and Cellular Amounts of the WalRKJ (VicRKX) Two-Component Regulatory System Proteins in Serotype 2 Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT The WalRK two-component regulatory system coordinates gene expression that maintains cell wall homeostasis and responds to antibiotic stress in low-GC Gram-positive bacteria. Phosphorylated WalR (VicR) of the major human respiratory pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae (WalR Spn ) positively regulates transcription of several surface virulence genes and, most critically, pcsB, which encodes an essential cell division protein. Despite numerous studies of several species, little is known about the signals sensed by the WalK histidine kinase or the function of the WalJ ancillary protein encoded in the walRKSpn operon. To better understand the functions of the WalRKJ Spn proteins in S. pneumoniae, we performed experiments to determine their cellular localization and amounts. In contrast to WalK from Bacillus subtilis (WalK Bsu ), which is localized at division septa, immunofluorescence microscopy showed that WalK Spn is distributed throughout the cell periphery. WalJ Spn is also localized to the cell surface periphery, whereas WalR Spn was found to be localized in the cytoplasm around the nucleoid. In fractionation experiments, WalR Spn was recovered from the cytoplasmic fraction, while WalK Spn and the majority of WalJ Spn were recovered from the cell membrane fraction. This fractionation is consistent with the localization patterns observed. Lastly, we determined the cellular amounts of WalRKJ Spn by quantitative Western blotting. The WalR Spn response regulator is relatively abundant and present at levels of ≈6,200 monomers per cell, which are ≈14-fold greater than the amount of the WalK Spn histidine kinase, which is present at ≈460 dimers (920 monomers) per cell. We detected ≈1,200 monomers per cell of WalJ Spn ancillary protein, similar to the amount of WalK Spn .
Men Who Have Sex With Men and Recruit Bareback Sex Partners on the Internet: Implications for STI and HIV Prevention and Client Education

Men who have sex with men (MSM) frequently use Internet-based Web sites to recruit sex partners. Although many MSM users of such sites advocate for safe sex practices in their personal profiles, some users actively recruit sexual partners who wish to participate in anal sexual intercourse without the use of condoms, also known as “bareback” sex. Participating in this sexual practice places both sexual partners at higher risk of HIV transmission. In addition, data indicate this behavior is associated with other high-risk activities such as drug use and communication of other sexually transmitted infections. This article summarizes the literature assessing this phenomenon on the Internet. Specific recommendations are provided for clinicians, health educators, and researchers.
Prediction of Long-Term Outcome after Primary Intracerebral Haemorrhage: The Importance of the Site of Lesion

Many studies have addressed prognostic factors in patients with intracerebral haemorrhage on early outcome, but thesis paucity of data on prognostic factors for functional outcome in the long term. We studied prognostic factors for long-term outcome in a consecutive series of 155 patients admitted to the university department of Neurology in Utrecht. After a mean period of follow-up of 54 months, 89 (57%) patients had died; 49 (32%) were independent. Multivariate analysis identified three characteristics to be independently related with independence in the long run: lobar location of the haematoma (odds ratio [OR] 5.8; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3–15), age younger than 60 years (OR 9.1; 95% CI 3.7–25) and haematoma size less than 40 cm3 (OR 6.3; 95% CI 2.2–17). We conclude that besides young age and a medium-sized haematoma also a lobar rather than deep location of the haematoma relates to better outcome in the long term.
Silent Mischief: Bacteriophage Mu Insertions Contaminate Products of Escherichia coli Random Mutagenesis Performed Using Suicidal Transposon Delivery Plasmids Mobilized by Broad-Host-Range RP4 Conjugative Machinery

ABSTRACT Random transposon mutagenesis is the strategy of choice for associating a phenotype with its unknown genetic determinants. It is generally performed by mobilization of a conditionally replicating vector delivering transposons to recipient cells using broad-host-range RP4 conjugative machinery carried by the donor strain. In the present study, we demonstrate that bacteriophage Mu, which was deliberately introduced during the original construction of the widely used donor strains SM10 λpir and S17-1 λpir, is silently transferred to Escherichia coli recipient cells at high frequency, both by hfr and by release of Mu particles by the donor strain. Our findings suggest that bacteriophage Mu could have contaminated many random-mutagenesis experiments performed on Mu-sensitive species with these popular donor strains, leading to potential misinterpretation of the transposon mutant phenotype and therefore perturbing analysis of mutant screens. To circumvent this problem, we precisely mapped Mu insertions in SM10 λpir and S17-1 λpir and constructed a new Mu-free donor strain, MFDpir, harboring stable hfr-deficient RP4 conjugative functions and sustaining replication of Π-dependent suicide vectors. This strain can therefore be used with most of the available transposon-delivering plasmids and should enable more efficient and easy-to-analyze mutant hunts in E. coli and other Mu-sensitive RP4 host bacteria.
Audit of Management of Acute Infective Conjunctivitis in Primary Care

A recent article in the British Medical Journal (Everitt et al., 2006), looking at various options for the management of uncomplicated acute infective conjunctivitis (AIC), suggested that a delayed prescription of anti-infective eye preparations was the most appropriate choice. Up to this point, I routinely prescribed chloramphenicol or fusidic acid for all patients presenting with AIC and the partners at my practice agreed their management approach was the same as mine. A literature search of Medline, Cochrane Library and BMJ.com, using search strings ‘infective conjunctivitis’, ‘delayed prescribing’ and ‘conjunctivitis-delayed prescribing’ revealed further evidence for withholding treatment.
Chemoreceptors in Caulobacter crescentus: Trimers of Receptor Dimers in a Partially Ordered Hexagonally Packed Array

ABSTRACT Chemoreceptor arrays are macromolecular complexes that form extended assemblies primarily at the poles of bacterial cells and mediate chemotaxis signal transduction, ultimately controlling cellular motility. We have used cryo-electron tomography to determine the spatial distribution and molecular architecture of signaling molecules that comprise chemoreceptor arrays in wild-type Caulobacter crescentus cells. We demonstrate that chemoreceptors are organized as trimers of receptor dimers, forming partially ordered hexagonally packed arrays of signaling complexes in the cytoplasmic membrane. This novel organization at the threshold between order and disorder suggests how chemoreceptors and associated molecules are arranged in signaling assemblies to respond dynamically in the activation and adaptation steps of bacterial chemotaxis.
Alcohol References on Undergraduate Males’ Facebook Profiles

Perceived peer alcohol use is a predictor of consumption in college males; frequent references to alcohol on Facebook may encourage alcohol consumption. Content analysis of college males’ Facebook profiles identified references to alcohol. The average age of 225 identified profiles was 19.9 years. Alcohol references were present on 85.3% of the profiles; the prevalence of alcohol was similar across each undergraduate grade. The average number of alcohol references per profile was 8.5 but increased with undergraduate year (p = .003; confidence interval = 1.5, 7.5). Students who were of legal drinking age referenced alcohol 4.5 times more than underage students, and an increase in number of Facebook friends was associated with an increase in displayed alcohol references (p < .001; confidence interval = 0.009, 0.02). Facebook is widely used in the college population; widespread alcohol displays on Facebook may influence social norms and cause increases in male college students’ alcohol use.
Association of O-Antigen Serotype with the Magnitude of Initial Systemic Cytokine Responses and Persistence in the Urinary Tract

ABSTRACT Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common ailments requiring both short-term and prophylactic antibiotic therapies. Progression of infection from the bladder to the kidney is associated with more severe clinical symptoms (e.g., fever and vomiting) as well as with dangerous disease sequelae (e.g., renal scaring and sepsis). Host-pathogen interactions that promote bacterial ascent to the kidney are not completely understood. Prior studies indicate that the magnitude of proinflammatory cytokine elicitation in vitro by clinical isolates of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) inversely correlates with the severity of clinical disease. Therefore, we hypothesize that the magnitude of initial proinflammatory responses during infection defines the course and severity of disease. Clinical UPEC isolates obtained from patients with a nonfebrile UTI elicited high systemic proinflammatory responses early during experimental UTI in a murine model and were attenuated in bladder and kidney persistence. Conversely, UPEC isolates obtained from patients with febrile UTI elicited low systemic proinflammatory responses early during experimental UTI and exhibited prolonged persistence in the bladder and kidney. Soluble factors in the supernatant from saturated cultures as well as the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) serotype correlated with the magnitude of proinflammatory responses in vitro. Our data suggest that the structure of the O-antigen sugar moiety of the LPS may determine the strength of cytokine induction by epithelial cells. Moreover, the course and severity of disease appear to be the consequence of the magnitude of initial cytokines produced by the bladder epithelium during infection. IMPORTANCE The specific host-pathogen interactions that determine the extent and course of disease are not completely understood. Our studies demonstrate that modest changes in the magnitude of cytokine production observed using in vitro models of infection translate into significant ramifications for bacterial persistence and disease severity. While many studies have demonstrated that modifications of the LPS lipid A moiety modulate the extent of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activation, our studies implicate the O-antigen sugar moiety as another potential rheostat for the modulation of proinflammatory cytokine production.
Redundant Group A Streptococcus Signaling Peptides Exhibit Unique Activation Potentials

ABSTRACT All bacterial quorum sensing (QS) systems are based on the production, secretion, and detection of small signaling molecules. Gram-positive bacteria typically use small peptides as QS effectors, and each QS circuit generally requires the interaction of a single signaling molecule with a single receptor protein. The recently described Rgg2 and Rgg3 (Rgg2/3) regulatory circuit of Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus [GAS]) is one of only a few QS circuits known to utilize multiple signaling peptides. In this system, two distinct, endogenously produced peptide pheromones (SHP2 and SHP3) both function to activate the QS circuit. The aim of this study was to further define the roles of SHP2 and SHP3 in activation of the Rgg2/3 QS system, specifically with regard to shp gene identity and dosage. Results from our studies using transcriptional reporters and isogenic GAS mutants demonstrate that shp gene dosage does contribute to Rgg2/3 system induction, as decreased gene dosage results in decreased or absent induction. Beyond this, however, data indicate that the shp genes possess distinct potentials for supporting system activation, with shp3 more readily able to support system activation than shp2. Studies using synthetic peptides and shp gene mutants indicate that the disparate activities of endogenous SHPs are due to production, rather than signaling, differences and are conferred by the N-terminal regions rather than the C-terminal signaling regions of the peptides. These data provide evidence that the N-terminal, noneffector sequences of SHP pheromones influence their production efficiencies and thereby the relative activation potentials of endogenous SHPs.
An Intersectional Approach to Social Determinants of Stress for African American Men

Stress is a key factor that helps explain racial and gender differences in health, but few studies have examined gendered stressors that affect men. This study uses an intersectional approach to examine the sources of stress in African American men’s lives from the perspectives of African American men and important women in their lives. Phenomenological analysis was used to examine data from 18 exploratory focus groups with 150 African American men, ages 30 years and older, and eight groups with 77 African American women. The two primary sources of stress identified were seeking to fulfill socially and culturally important gender roles and being an African American man in a racially stratified society. A central focus of African American men’s daily lives was trying to navigate chronic stressors at home and at work and a lack of time to fulfill roles and responsibilities in different life domains that are traditionally the responsibility of men. Health was rarely mentioned by men as a source of stress, though women noted that men’s aging and weathering bodies were a source of stress for men. Because of the intersection of racism and economic and social stressors, men and women reported that the stress that African American men experienced was shaped by the intersection of race, ethnicity, age, marital status, and other factors that combined in unique ways. The intersection of these identities and characteristics led to stressors that were perceived to be of greater quantity and qualitatively different than the stress experienced by men of other races.
The Effects of Race, Ethnicity, and Mood/Anxiety Disorders on the Chronic Physical Health Conditions of Men From a National Sample

Racial/ethnic differences in health are evident among men. Previous work suggests associations between mental and physical health but few studies have examined how mood/anxiety disorders and chronic physical health conditions covary by age, race, and ethnicity among men. Using data from 1,277 African American, 629 Caribbean Black, and 371 non-Hispanic White men from the National Survey of American Life, we examined associations between race/ethnicity and experiencing one or more chronic physical health conditions in logistic regression models stratified by age and 12-month mood/anxiety disorder status. Among men <45 years without mood/anxiety disorders, Caribbean Blacks had lower odds of chronic physical health conditions than Whites. Among men aged 45+ years with mood/anxiety disorders, African Americans had greater odds of chronic physical health conditions than Whites. Future studies should explore the underlying causes of such variation and how studying mental and chronic physical health problems together may help identify mechanisms that underlie racial disparities in life expectancy among men.
A Brotherhood Perspective

The objective of this research was to explore interview data to understand and characterize the nature of brotherhood in a sample of African American men at two historically Black colleges and universities. The authors used thematic analysis on semistructured interview data, collected by an ethnically diverse research team. Recruitment and interviews were conducted at two historically Black colleges and universities in Texas. Twenty African American men, 18 to 35 years old, were randomly selected from 62 recruited participants. Five categories framed brotherhood and health care utilization: (a) trust lessens individual barriers to action, (b) identity unites men through a process of authentication, (c) generations lead by example, (d) approaching life as a shared learning experience, and (e) social pressure and ridicule uphold collective action. Findings suggest that participants trust a group view, identify with the collective, and respond to social pressure to conform; therefore, brotherhood acts as a support mechanism, and its validation influences individual-level engagement and nonengagement.
Candidiasis and other fungal diseases of the mouth

The advent of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and the increasing prevalence of immunocompromised individuals due to surgical and medical advances have resulted in a resurgence of opportunistic infections including oral candidiasis and other rare mycoses which were once considered exotic. It is now recognized that oral candidiasis may present in many clinical guises that may confound the unwary clinician. Other mycotic diseases such aspergillosis, cryptococcosis, histoplasmosis, and mucormycosis may manifest intraorally both as primary lesions and as secondary manifestation of systemic disease. The primary oral pathology of most of the latter mycoses is ulcerations that respond well to systemic therapy with the polyene, amphotericin B. In general, the management of oral fungal infections has been revolutionized by the triazole group of drugs, fluconazole and itraconazole, although recent reports indicate an alarming increase of resistant organisms in particular to fluconazole. The first part of this review attempts to provide an overview of clinical variants of oral candidiasis and current therapeutic techniques, while the latter part outlines the rare oral mycoses and their management.