Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low rates of Helicobacter pylori reinfection in children.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Reinfection after treatment for Helicobacter pylori is uncommon in adults. It is more likely to occur in children because they acquire primary infection. The aim of this study was to determine whether children are likely to become reinfected with H. pylori and if there are any risk factors for reinfection. METHODS A prospective study of children who had documented evidence of successful treatment for H. pylori infection was performed. Sixty children were eligible for inclusion; results for 52 are presented. Children, parents, and siblings underwent [(13)C]urea breath tests. Details of family size and socioeconomic status were documented. Cox logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for reinfection. RESULTS The duration of follow-up was 103.8 patient-years (mean +/- SD, 24 +/-14.0 months). Forty-six (88.5%) of the index children remained clear of infection, and 6 (11.5%) children were reinfected. The mean age of those who became reinfected was 5.8 +/- 5.6 years compared with 12.3 +/- 3.0 years for those who remained clear of infection (P = 0.00001). Only 2 of 46 (4.3%) children older than 5 years of age were reinfected, although 80.8% had 1 infected parent and 65% of siblings were infected. Reinfection rate was 2.0% per person per year in children older than 5 years. Living with infected parents and siblings and low socioeconomic status were not risk factors for reinfection. In logistic regression analysis, age was the only risk factor for reinfection. CONCLUSIONS Reinfection with H. pylori occurs rarely in children older than 5 years of age regardless of socioeconomic group or number of infected family members. These findings also indicate that it is not necessary to treat all family members to achieve long-term eradication of H. pylori.
Influence of electrical stimulation on carcass and meat quality of Kosher and conventionally slaughtered cattle

In a previous study regarding the effects of Kosher and conventional slaughter techniques on carcass and meat quality of cattle, it was speculated that electrical stimulation may have affected some of the meat qualities. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the effects of electrical stimulation (ES) and non-electrical stimulation (NES) on key carcass and meat quality attributes of cattle slaughtered by Kosher vs. conventional slaughter methods. Carcass pH and temperature profiles over a 24 h post mortem (pm) period, meat shear force and water holding capacity were investigated in feedlot type cattle of comparable weights and breed types. Results showed that the combined effects of slaughter methods did not influence the meat quality attributes, but there were differences within the slaughter groups. The effect of ES on carcass pH lasted longer within the conventionally slaughtered group (12 h), than in the Kosher slaughter group (6 h). Muscle samples from the ES groups for both slaughter methods were more tender. Electrical stimulation also had a significant effect on the cooking loss from Kosher meat, while there was no significant difference in meat from the conventional slaughter methods. The results show that ES influences certain meat and carcass quality attributes of cattle, based on the way cattle were slaughtered.
Measurement of Subfoveal Choroidal Thickness in Normal-tension Glaucoma in Korean Patients

Purpose:To evaluate subfoveal choroidal thickness (CT) in eyes with normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) in patients who were visualized by enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography. Methods:In this observational, comparative case series, subfoveal CT was measured with enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography in 35 eyes of normal individuals and 32 eyes of patients with NTG. Subfoveal CT in each eye was analyzed by measuring the vertical distance from Bruch membrane to the innermost sclera layer. Results:The mean subfoveal CT in the normal individual group and the NTG patient group were 300.0±52.7 and 289.5±100.4 µm, respectively. There was no difference in subfoveal CT in the 2 groups (P=0.60). The mean subfoveal CT in all subjects was significantly correlated negatively with age only (P=0.03). Conclusions:The subfoveal CT does not differ between the eyes of the normal individual group and the eyes in the NTG patient group, suggesting that CT may not play a role in the pathogenesis of NTG.
Role for p27(Kip1) in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Migration.

BACKGROUND Rapamycin is a potent inhibitor of smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation and migration. Rapamycin-mediated inhibition of SMC proliferation is associated with upregulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1). Previously, we showed that mixed embryonic fibroblasts obtained from p27(Kip1)(-/-) mice were relatively rapamycin-resistant, suggesting that p27(Kip1) plays an integral role in modulating the antiproliferative effects of rapamycin. We hypothesized that the antimigratory effect of rapamycin may also be mediated by p27(Kip1). METHODS AND RESULTS Rapamycin (1 to 10 nmol/L) inhibited basic fibroblast growth factor-induced migration of wild-type (WT) but not p27(Kip1)(-/-) SMCs in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05) in a modified Boyden chamber. The effects of rapamycin on aortic SMC explant migration were also studied with WT, p27(+/-), and p27(-/-) mice. Rapamycin 4 mg. kg(-1). d(-1) IP for 5 days inhibited SMC migration by 90% in the WT and p27(Kip1)(+/-) (P<0.05) but not p27(Kip1)(-/-) animals. CONCLUSIONS Lack of p27(Kip1) reduces rapamycin-mediated inhibition of SMC migration. These novel findings suggest a role for p27(Kip1) in the signaling pathway(s) that regulates SMC migration.
Population-specific risk of type 2 diabetes ( T 2 D ) conferred by HNF 4 A P 2 promoter variants : a lesson for replication studies

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK 2 MRC Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Metabolic Science, Cambridge, UK Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Oxford, UK Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Institute of Biomedical and Clinical Science, Peninsula Medical School, Exeter, UK Endocrine and Metabolism Service, The Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Israel Diabetes Research Group, School of Clinical Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, UK Centre for Diabetes and Metabolic Medicine, Barts and the London, Queen Mary School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of London, London, UK
A Theory of Open Trade with Heterogeneous Firms ∗ In

Endowment based economic models with constant returns to scale and perfect competition have been a primary theoretical basis for analyzing political preferences of domestic actors. However, it is well known that such class of model is inadequate in explaining the large volume of intra-industry trade. How do we understand distributive consequences of trade policy of industrialized countries especially when intra-industry trade account for more than 70% of total trade volume of them? In this paper, I offer an alternative political economy model with increasing returns to scale and imperfect competition building on recent trade theories with heterogeneous firms. Specifically, I show that there exist heterogeneous political incentives and capabilities of firms even within a same industry: exporting firms lobby foreign government directly to eliminate trade barriers. In addition, I construct a novel dataset based on lobbying reports in the U.S. and financial statements of firms in global market. I find that domestic firms lobby their own government to reduce trade barriers in foreign countries. This suggests that open trade for sale is at least as important as protection for sale.
Fibre in nutrition.

The physical properties and the chemical variety of the substances which make up the plant cell wall are inadequately described by any one term such as "fibre". It would seem that an understanding of the role of the unavailable carbohydrates and lignin in the diet in the functioning of the gastro-intestinal tract and on possible pathological process must be based on a better knowledge of the chemical and physical properties of these substances as they occur in foods than is at present available. It is suggested that this knowledge can come from a synthesis of the findings of the plant anatomists, plant biochemists and structural organic chemists and the application of this synthesis to studies in man.
Ringlike Structure of the Deinococcus radiodurans Genome: A Key to Radioresistance?

The bacterium Deinococcus radiodurans survives ionizing irradiation and other DNA-damaging assaults at doses that are lethal to all other organisms. How D. radioduransaccurately reconstructs its genome from hundreds of radiation-generated fragments in the absence of an intact template is unknown. Here we show that the D. radiodurans genome assumes an unusual toroidal morphology that may contribute to its radioresistance. We propose that, because of restricted diffusion within the tightly packed and laterally ordered DNA toroids, radiation-generated free DNA ends are held together, which may facilitate template-independent yet error-free joining of DNA breaks.
Morselized Bone Grafting of Defects in Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

In a prospective, multicenter study evaluating one revision knee system, 33 of 409 patients underwent morselized bone grafting for tibial and femoral defects. Fifty-four percent of defects were bicondylar and the defect volumes averaged 36 cc 3 . There was no difference in preoperative or postoperative knee scores between patients undergoing morselized grafting and the entire group. Radiographic evaluation showed remodeling of the grafted areas consistent with viable incorporation of the graft. The incidence of radiolucent lines, at 2 years followup, was not different between the patients who received grafting and the patients who did not receive grafting. There have been no clinical failures or reoperations in the patients who received morselized bone grafting. Morselized bone grafting seems to offer a viable alternative in the reconstruction of osseous defects in patients undergoing revision total knee arthroplasty.
TBP mutants defective in activated transcription in vivo.

The TATA box binding protein (TBP) plays a central and essential role in transcription initiation. At TATA box‐containing genes transcribed by RNA polymerase II, TBP binds to the promoter and initiates the assembly of a multiprotein preinitiation complex. Several studies have suggested that binding of TBP to the TATA box is an important regulatory step in transcription initiation in vitro. To determine whether TBP is a target of regulatory factors in vivo, we performed a genetic screen in yeast for TBP mutants defective in activated transcription. One class of TBP mutants identified in this screen comprises inositol auxotrophs that are also defective in using galactose as a carbon source. These phenotypes are due to promoter‐specific defects in transcription initiation that are governed by the upstream activating sequence (UAS) and apparently not by the sequence of the TATA element. The finding that these TBP mutants are severely impaired in DNA binding in vitro suggests that transcription initiation at certain genes is regulated at the level of TATA box binding by TBP in vivo.
Isolation and Characterization of Papillomavirus DNA from Nasal Inverting (Schneiderian) Papillomas

To elucidate the possible role of papillomaviruses as etiological agents in nasal inverting papillomas, DNA hybridization techniques were used. Total DNA from two nasal inverting papillomas was examined for the presence of DNA from human papillomavirus (HPV) types 6 and 11 under stringent conditions of hybridization. Both lesions contained DNA hybridizing with HPV 11. Restriction enzyme digestion and subsequent Southern blotting of the DNA samples revealed that one lesion contained viral DNA identical to HPV 11a. The DNA of the other lesion contained an extra 500 base pair insertion. These results provide definitive evidence for the first time for the association of HPV with nasal inverting papillomas.
Comparison of zotarolimus-eluting stents versus sirolimus-eluting stents versus paclitaxel-eluting stents for primary percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: results from the Korean Multicentre Endeavor (KOMER) acute myocardial infarction (AMI) trial.

AIMS The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of zotarolimus-eluting stents (ZES), sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) and paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS AND RESULTS This study was a prospective, single-blind, multicentre, randomised trial. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months post-procedure, defined as cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction (MI), or ischaemia-driven target lesion revascularisation (TLR). An angiographic substudy was performed at nine months among 348 patients. From October 2006 to April 2008, 611 patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI were randomly assigned to treatment with ZES (n=205), SES (n=204), or PES (n=202). The cumulative incidence of MACE was 5.9% in the ZES group, 3.4% in the SES group and 5.7% in the PES group at 12-month follow-up (p=0.457). There was a trend towards a lower rate of ischaemia-driven TLR at 12- (p=0.092) and 18-month (p=0.080) follow-up in the SES group compared to the ZES and PES groups. No difference was observed in rates of cardiac death, recurrent MI and combined death and/or recurrent MI among three groups at 12- and 18-month follow-up. The rate of stent thrombosis was similar among the three groups (2.0% in each group, p=1.000). CONCLUSIONS As compared with SES and PES, the use of ZES in patients with STEMI undergoing primary PCI, showed similar rates of MACE, cardiac death and recurrent MI at 12 and 18 months. There was a trend towards a higher rate of TLR with ZES or PES compared to SES.
Precursor Structure of Cephalosporin Acylase: Insights into Auto-Proteolytic Activation in a New N-Terminal Hydrolase Family

Autocatalytic proteolytic cleavage is a frequently observed post-translational modification in proteins. Cephalosporin acylase (CA) is a recently identified member of the N-terminal hydrolase family that is activated from an inactive precursor by autoproteolytic processing, generating a new N-terminal residue, which is either a Ser or a Thr. The N-terminal Ser or Thr becomes a nucleophilic catalytic center for intramolecular and intermolecular amide cleavages. The gene structure of the open reading frame of CAs generally consists of a signal peptide followed by the α-subunit, a spacer sequence, and the β-subunit, which are all translated into a single polypeptide chain, the CA precursor. The precursor is post-translationally modified into an active heterodimeric enzyme with α- and β-subunits, first by intramolecular cleavage and second by intermolecular cleavage. We solved the first CA precursor structure (code 1KEH) from a class I CA from Pseudomonas diminuta at a 2.5-Å resolution that provides insight into the mechanism of intramolecular cleavage. A conserved water molecule, stabilized by four hydrogen bonds in unusual pseudotetrahedral geometry, plays a key role to assist the OG atom of Ser1βto generate a strong nucleophile. In addition, the site of the secondary intermolecular cleavage of CA is proposed to be the carbonyl carbon of Gly158α (Kim, S., and Kim, Y., (2001)J. Biol. Chem., 276, 48376–48381), which is different from the situation in two other class I CAs.
Effect of Different Dietary Proteins on Plasma and Liver Fatty Acid Compositions in Growing Rats

Abstract Weanling male rats were fed semipurified diets containing 20% protein derived from casein, soy protein, or wheat gluten for 5 weeks. The fat source was 2% safflower oil (containing 79.4% 18:2n−6). In comparison with the casein-fed rats, the growth rate of rats fed plant proteins was slower, particularly that of rats fed the wheat gluten diet. The plasma cholesterol levels were significantly lower in rats fed wheat gluten than in those fed the other dietary protein regimens. The fatty acid compositions of plasma and liver lipids were also examined. The ratios of 16:1/16:0, 18:1/18:0 and 20:4n–6/18:2n–6 in both plasma and liver phospholipids and cholesteryl esters were consistently reduced in animals fed plant protein suggesting a reduced activity of fatty acid desaturation. The reduction of fatty acid desaturation may possibly be attributed to the low lysine/arginine ratio in plant proteins.
Contribution of the ERK5/MEK5 Pathway to Ras/Raf Signaling and Growth Control*

The activity of the catalytic domain of the orphan MAP kinase ERK5 is increased by Ras but not Raf-1 in cells, which suggests that ERK5 might mediate Raf-independent signaling by Ras. We found that Raf-1 does contribute to Ras activation of ERK5 but in a manner that does not correlate with Raf-1 catalytic activity. A clue to the mechanism of action of Raf-1 on ERK5 comes from the observation that endogenous Raf-1 binds to endogenous ERK5, suggesting the involvement of regulatory protein-protein interactions. This interaction is specific because Raf-1 binds only to ERK5 and not ERK2 or SAPK. Finally, we demonstrate the ERK5/MEK5 pathway is required for Raf-dependent cellular transformation and that a constitutively active form of MEK5, MEK5DD, synergizes with Raf to transform NIH 3T3 cells. These observations suggest that ERK5 plays a large role in Raf-1-mediated signal transduction.
Effects of Combined Resistance Training and Plyometrics on Physical Performance in Young Soccer Players

Abstract This study aimed to determine the effects of combined resistance training and plyometrics on physical performance in under-15 soccer players. One team (n=20) followed a 6-week resistance training program combined with plyometrics plus a soccer training program (STG), whereas another team (n=18) followed only the soccer training (CG). Strength training consisted of full squats with low load (45–60% 1RM) and low-volume (2–3 sets and 4–8 repetitions per set) combined with jumps and sprints twice a week. Sprint time in 10 and 20 m (T10, T20, T10–20), CMJ height, estimated one-repetition maximum (1RMest), average velocity attained against all loads common to pre- and post-tests (AV) and velocity developed against different absolute loads (MPV20, 30, 40 and 50) in full squat were selected as testing variables to evaluate the effects of the training program. STG experienced greater gains (P<0.05) in T20, CMJ, 1RMest, AV and MPV20, 30, 40 and 50 than CG. In addition, STG showed likely greater effects in T10 and T10–20 compared to CG. These results indicate that only 6 weeks of resistance training combined with plyometrics in addition to soccer training produce greater gains in physical performance than typical soccer training alone in young soccer players.
Validity of the X-factor computation methods and relationship between the X-factor parameters and clubhead velocity in skilled golfers

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of the X-factor computation methods and to examine whether direct relationships exist between the X-factor parameters and the clubhead velocity in a group of skilled male golfers (n = 18, handicap = − 0.6 ± 2.1). Five driver trials were captured from each golfer using an optical motion capture system (250 Hz). Two plane-based methods (conventional vs. functional swing plane-based) and one Cardan rotation-based method (relative orientation) were used to compute select X-factor (end of pelvis rotation, top of backswing, ball impact (BI), and maximum), X-factor stretch (stretch and maximum stretch), and X-factor velocity (BI and maximum) parameters. The maximum clubhead velocity was extracted and normalized to golfer's body height to eliminate the effect of body size. A one-way repeated MANOVA revealed that the computation methods generated significantly different X-factor parameter values (p < 0.001). The conventional method provided substantially larger X-factor values than the other methods in the untwisting phase and the meaningfulness of select X-factor parameters generated by this method was deemed questionable. The correlation analysis revealed that the X-factor parameters were not directly related to the maximum clubhead velocity (both unnormalized and normalized).
CD81 extracellular domain 3D structure: insight into the tetraspanin superfamily structural motifs

Human CD81, a known receptor for hepatitis C virus envelope E2 glycoprotein, is a transmembrane protein belonging to the tetraspanin family. The crystal structure of human CD81 large extracellular domain is reported here at 1.6 Å resolution. Each subunit within the homodimeric protein displays a mushroom‐like structure, composed of five α‐helices arranged in ‘stalk’ and ‘head’ subdomains. Residues known to be involved in virus binding can be mapped onto the head subdomain, providing a basis for the design of antiviral drugs and vaccines. Sequence analysis of 160 tetraspanins indicates that key structural features and the new protein fold observed in the CD81 large extracellular domain are conserved within the family. On these bases, it is proposed that tetraspanins may assemble at the cell surface into homo‐ and/or hetero‐dimers through a conserved hydrophobic interface located in the stalk subdomain, while interacting with other liganding proteins, including hepatitis C virus E2, through the head subdomain. The topology of such interactions provides a rationale for the assembly of the so‐called tetraspan‐web.
Bi-variate artificial chromosomes with genetic algorithm for single machine scheduling problems with sequence-dependent setup times

Artificial chromosomes with genetic algorithm (ACGA) is one of the latest Estimation of Distribution Algorithms (EDAs). This algorithm has been used to solve different kinds of scheduling problems successfully. However, due to its probabilistic model does not consider the variable interactions, ACGA may not perform well in some scheduling problems, particularly the sequence-dependent setup times are considered because a former job influences the processing time of next job. It is not sufficient that probabilistic model just captures the ordinal information from parental distribution. As a result, this paper proposes a bi-variate probabilistic model added into the ACGA. The new algorithm is named extended artificial chromosomes with genetic algorithm (eACGA) and it is used to solve single machine scheduling problem with sequence-dependent setup times in a common due-date environment. Some heuristics are also employed with eACGA. The results indicate that the average error ratio of eACGA is one-half of the ACGA. In addition, when eACGA works with other heuristics, the hybrid algorithm achieves the best solution quality when it is compared with other algorithms in literature. Thus, the proposed algorithms are effective for solving this scheduling problem with setup consideration.