Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High‐resolution mouse kidney perfusion imaging by pseudo‐continuous arterial spin labeling at 11.75T

Quantitative measure of blood flow provides important information regarding renal function, nephropathies and viability of kidney transplantation. Therefore, a method that would allow quantitative and reliable assessment of the renal microvascular perfusion would be very valuable. Arterial spin labeling Magnetic Resonance Imaging has started to be widely used for human studies. For rodents though, despite the increasing number of transgenic mouse models, renal perfusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging has been only sparsely reported. This study investigated the use of FAIR (flow‐sensitive alternating inversion recovery) and pseudo‐continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) for mouse renal blood flow measurements.
Potentially zoonotic helminthiases of murid rodents from the Indo-Chinese peninsula: impact of habitat and the risk of human infection.

In this study, we report the potential rodent-borne zoonotic helminths in wild-caught murid rodents from four categorized habitats-forest, nonflooded land, irrigated land, and human settlement in seven localities of Thailand, Cambodia, and Lao PDR. Out of 2478 rodent samples, 735 (29.7%) were infected by at least one of the following zoonotic helminth species: Echinostoma malayanum, Echinostoma ilocanum, Plagiorchis muris, Raillietina spp. , Hymenolepis diminuta, Hymenolepis nana, Cyclodontostomum purivisi, and Moniliformis moniliformis. Raillietina spp. showed the highest prevalence (13.8%), followed by H. diminuta (8.6%), H. nana (6.7%), and C. purvisi (1.0%). Habitat affected the intensity of helminth infection in murid rodent hosts. Specific habitats favoring each zoonotic helminth species are discussed in relation to the risk of human infection. Season and host maturity influenced intensity of total zoonotic helminths, but there was no influence of host gender. However, in terms of individual helminth species, female rodents were more infected by E. malayanum, E. ilocanum, and C. purvisi than males. Among the rodent species, Rattus tanezumi seems to play the most important role as a reservoir by hosting seven zoonotic heminth species. This rat is ubiquitously found in all types of the habitats, suggesting that it can act as an important bridge species, carrying parasites across different habitats.
‘Careless pork costs lives’: Risk stories from science to press release to media

In 2007, British newspapers reported on a league table of local authorities in England according to their level of ‘hazardous drinking’, showing that typically middle-class areas such as Harrogate topped the hazardous drinking league. The table however was a synthetic estimate: what the study showed was the pattern of hazardous drinking within the British middle classes as a whole, regardless of location. At the same time, a report was published on the influences of nutrition on cancer. Although the press release particularly highlighted the connection between obesity and cancer, much of the press coverage eventually focused on the possible dangers of red and processed meat in general, and bacon sandwiches in particular. These stories received substantial media coverage, and in both cases the press releases strongly influenced the way the story was reported. Through these case studies, we examine how risk stories evolve from the actual scientific studies or reports through to the press releases, the new reports and eventually the public discussion of the issues. We will look at how decisions made in the presentation of the press release influences the reception of a story and guide the discussion of it into directions possibly not intended by the scientists involved.
A long-lasting outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium U323 associated with several pork products, Denmark, 2010

SUMMARY This paper shows that control of foodborne disease outbreaks may be challenging even after establishing the source of infection. An outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium U323 infections occurred in Denmark from March to September 2010, involving 172 cases. Before the detection of human cases, several positive isolates of the outbreak strain had been found in a particular pig slaughterhouse and thus early traceback, investigation and control measures were possible. Several batches of pork and pork products were recalled and the slaughterhouse was closed twice for disinfection. No single common food item was identified as the outbreak source, but repeated isolation of the outbreak strain from the slaughterhouse environment and in pork and products as well as patient interviews strongly suggested different pork products as the source of infection. Furthermore, a matched case-control study identified a specific ready-to-eat spreadable pork sausage (teewurst) as the source of a sub-outbreak (matched odds ratio 17, 95% confidence interval 2·1–130).
Fruit illumination stimulates cell division but has no detectable effect on fruit size in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum).

Light affects plant growth through assimilate availability and signals regulating development. The effects of light on growth of tomato fruit were studied using cuvettes with light-emitting diodes providing white, red or blue light to individual tomato trusses for different periods during daytime. Hypotheses tested were as follows: (1) light-grown fruits have stronger assimilate sinks than dark-grown fruits, and (2) responses depend on light treatment provided, and fruit development stage. Seven light treatments [dark, 12-h white, 24-h white, 24-h red and 24-h blue light, dark in the first 24 days after anthesis (DAA) followed by 24-h white light until breaker stage, and its reverse] were applied. Observations were made between anthesis and breaker stage at fruit, cell and gene levels. Fruit size and carbohydrate content did not respond to light treatments while cell division was strongly stimulated at the expense of cell expansion by light. The effects of light on cell number and volume were independent of the combination of light color and intensity. Increased cell division and decreased cell volume when fruits were grown in the presence of light were not clearly corroborated by the expression pattern of promoters and inhibitors of cell division and expansion analyzed in this study, implying a strong effect of posttranscriptional regulation. Results suggest the existence of a complex homeostatic regulatory system for fruit growth in which reduced cell division is compensated by enhanced cell expansion.
Neuroticism Modulates the Functional Connectivity From Amygdala to Frontal Networks in Females When Avoiding Emotional Negative Pictures

Amygdala activity was previously found to correlate with neuroticism as an effect of valence, but so far few studies have focused on motivational context. The network subserving altered amygdala activity has not yet been investigated although some studies showed strong effective connections with prefrontal cortex (PFC). The goal of this study was to test the modulatory role of neuroticism on the functional connectivity (FC) between amygdala and other brain regions, especially PFC, during emotion processing from motivational direction. We applied an emotional picture viewing paradigm with different motivational directions (approaching and avoiding) in a large participant sample. The results showed that neuroticism predicted the amount of amygdala FC to dorsomedial PFC (dmPFC) and middle cingulate cortex (MCC). Increased FC during negative vs. positive pictures was found primarily in low neuroticism subjects, especially during the avoid condition. This valence and motivation dependent connectivity increase were disrupted for high neurotic participants. No effect of neuroticism was found for the approach condition. We showed that neuroticism, especially in the context of passive affect regulation, may have impaired connectivity between amygdala and putative regulatory cortical networks.
Rehabilitation of patellofemoral pain syndrome: TENS versus diadynamic current therapy for pain relief

AbstractThis study compared the efficacy of two electrotherapy modalities for pain treatment in rehabilitation programs of patellofemoral pain syndrome. In a prospective randomized study, 16 patients (23 affected knees) were treated with TENS and 14 patients (19 affected knees) were treated for the same period with diadynamic current (DDC). Subjective pain, knee function, and activity level of the patients were measured before and after the treatment. Subjective pain and functional levels were assessed by visual analogue scale, the Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale and Squat Testing for 30 seconds. To assess their activity level a 4-Level Activity Test was used. All the parameters in each group showed significant improvements after 12 weeks of physical therapy (p < 0.05). Statistical analyses demonstrated that there were no significant differencess between the groups in pain relief, improvements in knee functions and activity level after the treatments, although DDC seemed to have slightly better pain modulation.
Identifying the seasonal origins of human campylobacteriosis

SUMMARY Human campylobacteriosis exhibits a distinctive seasonality in temperate regions. This paper aims to identify the origins of this seasonality. Clinical isolates [typed by multi-locus sequence typing (MLST)] and epidemiological data were collected from Scotland. Young rural children were found to have an increased burden of disease in the late spring due to strains of non-chicken origin (e.g. ruminant and wild bird strains from environmental sources). In contrast the adult population had an extended summer peak associated with chicken strains. Travel abroad and UK mainland travel were associated with up to 17% and 18% of cases, respectively. International strains were associated with chicken, had a higher diversity than indigenous strains and a different spectrum of MLST types representative of these countries. Integrating empirical epidemiology and molecular subtyping can successfully elucidate the seasonal components of human campylobacteriosis. The findings will enable public health officials to focus strategies to reduce the disease burden.
Microstructural origins of gadolinium‐enhanced susceptibility contrast and anisotropy

MR histology based on magnetic susceptibility can be used to visualize diamagnetic myelin (and its deterioration) in the central nervous system and is facilitated by the application of high magnetic field strengths and paramagnetic contrast agents. Characterizing the effect of these tools will aid in assessing white matter myelin content and microstructure.
Is a Healthy Diet Affordable and Accessible in the City of Yarra, Victoria-Australia? An Analysis of Cost Disparity and Nutritional Choices

This study aimed to examine cost disparity and nutritional choices within the City of Yarra (Yarra), targeting three suburbs that have low- and high-rise estates: Richmond, Fitzroy, and Collingwood. The healthy food basket (HFB) was modeled on the Queensland Healthy Food Access Basket for a six-person family for a fortnight and was constructed to include food items that are common to ethnic groups living in Yarra. The HFB food item costs were sampled across 29 food outlets in Yarra. The average cost of HFB per fortnight for a family of six was significantly lower in Richmond (Mean = $419.26) than in Collingwood (Mean = $519.28) and in Fitzroy (Mean = $433.98). While costs for cereal groups, dairy, meats and alternatives, and non-core were comparable across the suburbs, significant differences were noticed for fruit, legumes and vegetables. Geographic location alone explained 54% of the variance in HFB price (F2,26 = 15.23, p < 0.001) and 32.7% in the variance of fruit, vegetable and legumes (F2,26 = 7.72, p < 0.001). The effect of geographic location remained consistent after controlling for the type of food outlets. The type of food outlets had a non-significant effect on the variance of prices. Richmond had a greater number variety of fruit, vegetables, and legumes (F2, 26 = 5.7, p < 0.01) and an overall lower number of missing items (F2, 26 = 3.9, p < 0.05) than Collingwood and Fitzroy. The diversity of food available in the three suburbs was more likely to reflect the Vietnamese, Chinese and East-Timorese shopping pattern than the rest of other ethnic groups. These findings indicate that there is inequality in food access in terms of cost and availability in Yarra and such inequality is function of location and not the type of food outlets. The differential economic access to a HFB in Yarra could be addressed using a multi-faceted approach, including implementing policies that encourage diversity of food outlets and putting in place incentive-based policies to encourage the consumption of fruit, vegetables and legumes, and taking actions toward promoting supply of ethnic foods.
AMELIORATION OF COLLAGEN-INDUCED ARTHRITIS AND SUPPRESSION OF INTERFERON- (cid:103) , INTERLEUKIN-12, AND TUMOR NECROSIS FACTOR (cid:97) PRODUCTION BY INTERFERON- (cid:98) GENE THERAPY

Objective. To investigate the therapeutic effects and possible mechanisms of action of constitutive expression of interferon- (cid:98) (IFN (cid:98) ) by syngeneic fibroblasts from DBA/1 mice in the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. Methods. Immortalized embryonic DBA/1 fibroblasts were infected with a retrovirus expressing murine IFN (cid:98) . IFN (cid:98) -expressing fibroblasts were then implanted intraperitoneally into mice immunized with bovine type II collagen. The effect of IFN (cid:98) on paw swelling, anticollagen antibody levels, IgG1/IgG2a isotype profiles, arthritis score, histologic joint damage, and cytokine secretion from lymph node cells and from bone marrow– derived macrophages was assessed. Results. A single injection of IFN (cid:98) -secreting fibroblasts was sufficient to prevent arthritis or to ameliorate existing disease. Thus, IFN (cid:98) reduced the clinical score and paw swelling irrespective of whether the injection was administered before or after disease onset in treated mice, compared with that in the untreated control group ( P < 0.05). Histologic findings in the IFN (cid:98) -treated mice were markedly less severe than in the control group ( P < 0.001). This effect was accom-panied by a decrease in total anticollagen IgG levels, a decrease in anticollagen IgG2a, and
What Drives the Trickle-Down Effect of Calling Orientation From Supervisors to Subordinates? The Perspective of Social Learning Theory

Despite an increase in research on calling orientation, few studies have investigated its antecedents. Drawing on social learning theory, we hypothesized that subordinates’ perceptions of their supervisor’s role modeling mediate the relationship between supervisor’s and subordinates’ calling orientations. Supervisor’s organizational status is supposed to augment the trickle-down process for calling orientation. We used multilevel modeling to test these hypotheses in a sample of 738 subordinates nested in 77 work teams in Chinese firm. We found that supervisor’s calling orientation was positively related to subordinate’s calling orientation and that the relationship was fully mediated by subordinates’ perceptions of role modeling. Additionally, the relationship between supervisor’s calling orientation and subordinates’ calling orientation via role modeling was moderated by supervisor’s organizational status at the second stage.
Children With Mathematical Learning Difficulties Are Sluggish in Disengaging Attention

Mathematical learning difficulties (MLD) refer to a variety of deficits in math skills, typically pertaining to the domains of arithmetic and problem solving. The present study examined the time course of attentional orienting in MLD children with a spatial cueing task, by parametrically manipulating the cue-target onset asynchrony (CTOA). The results of Experiment 1 revealed that, in contrast to typical developing children, the inhibitory aftereffect of attentional orienting – frequently referred to as inhibition of return (IOR) – was not observed in the MLD children, even at the longest CTOA tested (800 ms). However, robust early facilitation effects were observed in the MLD children, suggesting that they have difficulties in attentional disengagement rather than attentional engagement. In a second experiment, a secondary cue was introduced to the cueing task to encourage attentional disengagement and IOR effects were observed in the MLD children. Taken together, the present experiments indicate that MLD children are sluggish in disengaging spatial attention.
Severe hand, foot and mouth disease in Shenzhen, South China: what matters most?

SUMMARY Case report data and a matched case-control study were used to investigate the epidemiological characteristics of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in children in Shenzhen, China between 2008 and 2011. Multivariate analyses were used to evaluate factors associated with severity of infection. Laboratory tests were performed to determine aetiological identification for samples from 163 severe and fatal cases as well as an outpatient-based HFMD sentinel surveillance system (n = 446). All identified EV71 belonged to sub-genotype C4a. No major changes in the CA16 and EV71 viruses were found until the end of 2011. Annual attack rates and the case-severity ratios (CSRs) rose from 0·82/1000 and 0·56/1000, respectively, in 2008 to 2·12/1000 and 6·13/1000 in 2011. The CSR was higher in migrants than in local residents. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of having a severe attack for being a migrant was 2·45, having a fever >39°C (OR 5·77), visiting a private clinic (OR 2·65), longer time from symptom onset to diagnosis (OR 1·49), visiting a doctor (OR 1·51), early use of intramuscular pyrazolone (OR 3·36), early use of intravenous glucocorticoids (OR 2·28), or the combination of both (OR 3·75). The mortality and increasing case severity appears to be associated with socioeconomic factors including migration and is of worldwide concern.
Outbreak of Salmonella enterica serotype I 4,5,12:i:- infections: the challenges of hypothesis generation and microwave cooking

SUMMARY We investigated an outbreak of 396 Salmonella enterica serotype I 4,5,12:i:- infections to determine the source. After 7 weeks of extensive hypothesis-generation interviews, no refined hypothesis was formed. Nevertheless, a case-control study was initiated. Subsequently, an iterative hypothesis-generation approach used by a single interviewing team identified brand A not-ready-to-eat frozen pot pies as a likely vehicle. The case-control study, modified to assess this new hypothesis, along with product testing indicated that the turkey variety of pot pies was responsible. Review of product labels identified inconsistent language regarding preparation, and the cooking instructions included undefined microwave wattage categories. Surveys found that most patients did not follow the product's cooking instructions and did not know their oven's wattage. The manufacturer voluntarily recalled pot pies and improved the product's cooking instructions. This investigation highlights the value of careful hypothesis-generation and the risks posed by frozen not-ready-to-eat microwavable foods.
Treatment of intrabony defects with enamel matrix proteins or barrier membranes: results from a multicenter practice-based clinical trial.

BACKGROUND This prospective multicenter, randomized, controlled clinical trial compared the clinical outcomes of enamel matrix proteins (EMD) versus placement of a bioabsorbable membrane in conjunction with guided tissue regeneration (GTR). METHODS Seventy-five patients with advanced chronic periodontitis were recruited in seven centers in three countries. All patients had at least one intrabony defect of > or = 3 mm. Heavy smokers (> or = 20 cigarettes/day) were excluded. The surgical procedures included access for root instrumentation using the simplified papilla preservation flap and either the application of EMD or the placement of a GTR membrane. At baseline and 1 year following the interventions, clinical attachment levels (CAL), probing depths (PD), recession (REC), full-mouth plaque scores, and full-mouth bleeding scores were assessed. A total of 67 patients completed the study. RESULTS At 1 year, the EMD defects gained 3.1 +/- 1.8 mm of CAL, versus 2.5 +/- 1.9 mm for GTR defects. Probing depth reduction was 3.8 +/- 1.5 mm and 3.3 +/- 1.5 mm, respectively. A multivariate analysis indicated that the differences between EMD and GTR treatments were not significant while a center effect and baseline PD significantly influenced CAL gains. No significant differences in terms of frequency distribution of the outcomes were observed. All cases treated with GTR presented at least one surgical complication, mostly membrane exposure, while only 6% of EMD treated sites displayed complications (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS The results of this trial failed to demonstrate superiority of one treatment modality over the other. GTR outcomes in this trial were lower than anticipated based on previous evidence. This was attributed to the high prevalence of post-surgical complications in the GTR group.
Demographic Profile, Clinical Presentation & Angiographic Findings in 637 Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

Cardiovascular diseases are the commonest cause of death globally and are the major contributor to the burden of premature mortality and morbidity. This study analyses various clinical presentations, conventional risk factors, pattern and severity of coronary heart disease on angiography among 637 patients with coronary heart disease and adult congenital heart disease who underwent cardiac evaluation at National Institute of Cardiovascular Disease (NICVD), Dhaka between January 2007 to December 2008. Among them 547 (85.9%) were male and 90 (14.1%) were female. All of them were between 22 to 76 years of age with mean age 50.15±8.8. One hundred sixty nine (25.9%) patients had chronic stable angina & 398 (62.48%) patients subjected for coronary angiography for acute coronary syndrome and or old myocardial infarction and 74 (11.62%) patients with vascular and adult congenital heart disease prior to surgical treatment. Most prevalent risk factors were smoking (60%) and dyslipidaemia (60%). Thirty five percent patients were hypertensive and 10% patient had diabetes. Normal epicardial coronaries were documented in 25.59% patients which includes the patients who underwent coronary angiography prior to surgical treatment. Ninety three (14.6%) had single vessel disease, 119 (18.68%) had double vessel disease, 259 (40.66%) had triple vessel disease and 3 (0.47%) had isolated left main disease. Key words: Coronary angiogram; Coronary artery disease. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/fmcj.v6i2. 9206 FMCJ 2011; 6(2): 82-85