Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Staphylococcus aureus extracellular adherence protein (Eap) adopts an elongated but structured conformation in solution

The extracellular adherence protein (Eap) of Staphylococcus aureus participates in a wide range of protein–protein interactions that facilitate the initiation and dissemination of Staphylococcal disease. In this report, we describe the use of a multidisciplinary approach to characterize the solution structure of full‐length Eap. In contrast to previous reports suggesting that a six‐domain isoform of Eap undergoes multimerization, sedimentation equilibrium analytical ultracentrifugation data revealed that a four‐domain isoform of Eap is a monomer in solution. In vitro proteolysis and solution small angle X‐ray scattering studies both indicate that Eap adopts an extended conformation in solution, where the linkers connecting sequential EAP modules are solvent exposed. Construction of a low‐resolution model of full‐length Eap using a combination of ab initio deconvolution of the SAXS data and rigid body modeling of the EAP domain crystal structure suggests that full‐length Eap may present several unique concave surfaces capable of participating in ligand binding. These results also raise the possibility that such surfaces may be held together by additional interactions between adjacent EAP modules. This hypothesis is supported by a comparative Raman spectroscopic analysis of full‐length Eap and a stoichiometric solution of the individual EAP modules, which indicates the presence of additional secondary structure and a greater extent of hydrogen/deuterium exchange protection in full‐length Eap. Our results provide the first insight into the solution structure of full‐length Eap and an experimental basis for interpreting the EAP domain crystal structures within the context of the full‐length molecule. They also lay a foundation for future studies into the structural and molecular bases of Eap‐mediated protein–protein interactions with its many ligands.
Association between hepatitis C virus infection and oral lichen planus in Israeli patients.

BACKGROUND Oral lichen planus is a cell-mediated immune condition of unknown etiology. A possible association of OLP with hepatitis C virus infection has been documented in specific populations. However, no such possible association has been studied in Israel. OBJECTIVES To assess the prevalence of HCV antibodies among patients with OLP in Israel. METHODS The prevalence of HCV seropositivity was studied in OLP patients (n=62) and compared with that of a control group (n=65) and with the prevalence among healthy volunteer blood donors (n=225,452) as representatives of the general population. RESULTS The prevalence of HCV, as detected by the presence of anti-HCV antibodies screened by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and confirmed by recombinant immunoblot assay, was 4.8%, 1.5% and 0.1%, respectively. HCV seropositivity in the OLP patients was significantly higher than in the healthy blood donors (P< 0.001). CONCLUSIONS A possible association between OLP and HCV is suggested. Therefore, screening OLP patients for antibodies to HCV is recommended.
Low‐amplitude high frequency vibration down‐regulates myostatin and atrogin‐1 expression, two components of the atrophy pathway in muscle cells

Whole body vibration (WBV) is a very widespread mechanical stimulus used in physical therapy, rehabilitation and fitness centres. It has been demonstrated that vibration induces improvements in muscular strength and performance and increases bone density. We investigated the effects of low‐amplitude, high frequency vibration (HFV) at the cellular and tissue levels in muscle. We developed a system to produce vibrations adapted to test several parameters in vitro and in vivo. For in vivo experiments, we used newborn CD1 wild‐type mice, for in vitro experiments, we isolated satellite cells from 6‐day‐old CD1 mice, while for proliferation studies, we used murine cell lines. Animals and cells were treated with high frequency vibration at 30 Hz. We analyzed the effects of mechanical stimulation on muscle hypertrophy/atrophy pathways, fusion enhancement of myoblast cells and modifications in the proliferation rate of cells. Results demonstrated that mechanical vibration strongly down‐regulates atrophy genes both in vivo and in vitro. The in vitro experiments indicated that mechanical stimulation promotes fusion of satellite cells treated directly in culture compared to controls. Finally, proliferation experiments indicated that stimulated cells had a decreased growth rate compared to controls. We concluded that vibration treatment at 30 Hz is effective in suppressing the atrophy pathway both in vivo and in vitro and enhances fusion of satellite muscle cells. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antibodies to neutrophil granulocyte myeloperoxidase and elastase: autoimmune responses in glomerulonephritis due to hydralazine treatment

Abstract. Autoantibodies against myeloperoxidase and elastase were found in a study of nine patients who had developed glomerulonephritis after treatment with hydralazine, but not in patients who were treated with hydralazine without side‐effects. Circulating IgM isotype antibodies against myeloperoxidase, and IgM and IgG anti‐elastase, were mainly present during the initial months after withdrawal of the drug. By contrast, IgG isotype antibodies against myeloperoxidase, initially found in seven patients, had increased in concentration and were present in all patients at follow‐up after 4–12 years.
A comparative effectiveness evaluation of percutaneous adhesiolysis and epidural steroid injections in managing lumbar post surgery syndrome: a randomized, equivalence controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Speculated causes of post lumbar surgery syndrome include epidural fibrosis, acquired stenosis, and facet joint pain among other causes. Even though fluoroscopically directed caudal epidural injections and facet joint interventions are effective in some patients, others continue to suffer with chronic persistent pain. Percutaneous adhesiolysis with target delivery of medications has been demonstrated to be effective in these patients. However, the evidence for percutaneous adhesiolysis in managing post surgery syndrome has been questioned, coupled with a paucity of controlled trials. STUDY DESIGN A randomized, equivalence, controlled trial. SETTING An interventional pain management practice, a specialty referral center, a private practice setting in the United States. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis in patients with chronic low back and lower extremity pain in post surgery syndrome and compare with fluoroscopically directed caudal epidural steroid injections. METHODS Patients were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups: Group I (60 patients) receiving caudal epidural injections with catheterization up to S3 with local anesthetic, steroids, and 0.9% sodium chloride solution serving as the control group, and Group II (60 patients) receiving percutaneous adhesiolysis with targeted delivery of lidocaine, 10% hypertonic sodium chloride solution, and non-particulate Betamethasone serving as the intervention group. Randomization was performed by computer-generated random allocation sequence by simple randomization. OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT Multiple outcome measures were utilized including the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), the Oswestry Disability Index 2.0 (ODI), employment status, and opioid intake with assessment at 3, 6, and 12 months post treatment. Significant pain relief was described as 50% or more, whereas significant improvement in the disability score was defined as a reduction of 40% or more. RESULTS Significant pain relief (>or= 50%) and functional status improvement was recorded in 73% of patients in Group II versus 12% in Group I (P < 0.001). The average procedures per year were 3.5 with an average total relief of 42 out of 52 weeks in Group II and 2.2 procedures with total relief per year of 13 weeks in Group I (P < 0.001). LIMITATIONS The results of this study are limited by potentially inadequate double blinding, by the lack of a placebo group, and the preliminary report of one-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Percutaneous adhesiolysis in chronic function-limiting, recalcitrant low back pain in post lumbar surgery syndrome demonstrated effectiveness in 73% of the patients.
The Relationship between Chill-Coma Onset and Recovery at the Extremes of the Thermal Window of Drosophila melanogaster

Critical thermal minimum (CTmin), a measure of chill-coma onset temperature, and chill-coma recovery (CCR), the time taken to recover from chill coma, are common metrics of thermal tolerance in insects. We investigated the relationship between CTmin and CCR in a single population of adult Drosophila melanogaster exposed to a range of rearing (14°, 21.5°, and 27°C), acclimation (5 d at 6° or 29°C), and hardening (1 h at 0° or 36°C) conditions. CTmin ranged from −4.2° to 8.8°C and CCR from 12.1 to 55.1 min, and CTmin and CCR varied in the same direction: populations with low CTmin tended to have short CCR. Acclimation had a greater effect on CTmin and CCR than short-term hardening. There was a significant positive rank correlation between CTmin and CCR, but the relationship was demonstrably curvilinear, suggesting that although plasticity in these measures is correlated through the central part of the relationship, there is no relationship between CTmin and CCR across a range of values generated by phenotypic plasticity. This implies that the mechanisms underlying plasticity in CTmin are not entirely shared with those underlying CCR.
Asbestos and the lung: highlights of a detrimental relationship

“Asbestos” is a term used to characterise a number of natural mineral fibres of silica that can be categorised according to their structure in the serpentine-type fibres, mainly represented by chrysotile, and the amphibole-type fibres, which include crocidolite, amosite, anthophyllite, actinolite and tremolite [1]. Due to its remarkable durability and fire resistance, asbestos has been used in pottery and clothing since for at least 4500 years. However, modern commercial production of asbestos began during the second half of the 19th century when industry started to exploit its unique chemical characteristics for manufacturing various products, such as pipe insulation, brake linings, cement pipes, protective clothing, etc. With the increasing use of such materials, individuals working in the construction (e.g. builders, plumbers, etc.) and ship building (e.g. dockyard workers) industries began to be exposed to high concentrations of inhaled asbestos fibres. Approximately 50–70 years after the introduction of asbestos in commercial use, the first reports of asbestos-related diseases emerged [1]. Since then, multiple studies have connected asbestos exposure with a variety of malignant and non-malignant lung disorders. Novel aspects of the pathogenesis of asbestos-related diseases are still coming to light http://ow.ly/EPDa30e8JqK
Genetics, Cellular Expression and Function of IgD and IgM Receptors

In the last three years, the understanding of B cell receptors for antigen has undergone a revolution. The conflict between the early biochemical studies which showed only IgM (Marchalonis & Cone 1973, Vitetta & "Uhr 1973) and the studies involving the binding of anti-immunoglobulin antisera, which suggested that many B cells bore IgM, IgG and IgA receptors (see Wamer 1974) has now been resolved in terms of technical difficulties. It is now clear that immature B cells bear only IgM on their surface, while the great majority of mature B cells bear both IgM and IgD receptors. Cells bearing classes other than IgM or IgD imdoubtedly exist, but are uncommon in most lymphoid organs.
Substrates available for colonic fermentation from oat, barley and wheat bread diets. A study in ileostomy subjects

Nutrients not absorbed in the small bowel will form substrates for microbial growth in the colon which may have implications for the development of colon cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether fibre-rich oat and barley diets increase the excretion of energy-supplying nutrients from the small bowel compared with a low-fibre wheat diet, and whether a possible. increase could be related to the β-glucan content. Nine ileastomy subjects were served four types of bread together with a low-fibre basal diet (12 g dietary fibre/d). The breads were based on either wheat flour (W diet, 7 g dietary fibre/d), oat bran (OB diet, 29 g dietary fibre/d), the same amount of oat bran with addition of β-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.4) (OBE diet, 19 g dietary fibre/d) or a fibre-rich barley fraction (B diet, 35 g dietary fibre/d). An increased ileal excretion of starch was observed with the barley diet but no effect of the oat β-glucan on starch recovery was found. The NSP + Klason lignin in the ileostomy effluents accounted only for 24, 31, 24 and 35% of the gross energy excretion in the W, OB, OBE and B diet periods respectively. A large part of the dry weight and energy (30, 21, 28 and 27%, in the W, OB, OBE and B diets respectively) in the effluents could not be identified as fat, protein, total starch or NSP + Klason lignin. This unidentified part was probably made up of oligosaccbarides, endogenous losses and nutrient complexes. Methods for identifying and analysing these components should be developed and their role as substrates for colonic fermentation and colon cancer development ought to be investigated.
XWH-081-0468 TITLE : Neural Stem Cell Delivery of Therapeutic Antibodies to Treat Breast Cancer Brain Metastases

Advanced metastatic disease is difficult to manage and specific therapeutic targets are rare. We showed earlier that metastatic breast cancer cells use the activated conformer of adhesion receptor integrin avb3 for dissemination. We now investigated if targeting this form of the receptor can impact advanced metastatic disease, and we analyzed the mechanisms involved. Treatment of advanced multi-organ metastasis in SCID mice with patient-derived scFv antibodies specific for activated integrin avb3 caused stagnation and regression of metastatic growth. The antibodies specifically localized to tumor lesions in vivo and inhibited avb3 ligand binding at nanomolar levels in vitro. At the cellular level, the scFs associated rapidly with high affinity avb3 and dissociated extremely slowly. Thus, the scFvs occupy the receptor on metastatic tumor cells for prolonged periods of time, allowing for inhibition of established cell interaction with natural avb3 ligands. Potential apoptosis inducing effects of the antibodies through interaction with caspase-3 were studied as potential additional mechanism of treatment response. However, in contrast to a previous concept, neither the RGD-containing ligand mimetic scFvs nor RGD peptides bound or activated caspase-3 at the cellular or molecular level. This indicates that the treatment effects seen in the animal model are primarily due to antibody interference with avb3 ligation. Inhibition of advanced metastatic disease by treatment with cancer patient derived single chain antibodies against the activated conformer of integrin avb3 identifies this form of the receptor as a suitable target for therapy.
La leishmaniose en Grèce : Les Phlébotomes des Iles Ioniennes et de la mer Égée

Trois enquetes entomologiques ont ete effectuees durant les etes 1979, 1980 et 1982 dans les iles Ioniennes de Corfou, Cephalonie et Zante et dans quatre iles de la mer Egee : a l’ouest Andros et Tinos (Cyclades) et a l’est Samos et Ikaria. Un echantillonnage systematique pratique par la technique des pieges adhesifs a permis la recolte de 24 184 phlebotomes. Les captures sont analysees espece par espece.
Orthogonal Hypergeometric Groups with a Maximally Unipotent Monodromy

Similar to the symplectic cases, there is a family of 14 orthogonal hypergeometric groups with a maximally unipotent monodromy (cf. Table 1). We show that 2 of the 14 orthogonal hypergeometric groups associated to the pairs of parameters (0, 0, 0, 0, 0), and (0, 0, 0, 0, 0), are arithmetic. We also give a table (cf. Table 2) which lists the quadratic forms Q preserved by these 14 hypergeometric groups, and their two linearly independent Q-orthogonal isotropic vectors in ; it shows in particular that the orthogonal groups of these quadratic forms have -rank two.
Factors affecting peer‐reviewed publication of abstracts presented at meetings of the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (2008–2012)

PURPOSE To review abstracts presented at five consecutive meetings of the European College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ECVO), and identify abstract characteristics that affect the probability of their publication in peer-reviewed journals. METHODS An online search was conducted for peer-reviewed publications (PRPs) stemming from abstracts from five ECVO meetings (2008-2012). Time to publication and journal were noted. Effects of ocular tissue/discipline, species, type of presentation and study, funding acknowledgment and affiliation, professional qualifications, and nationality of the first and last authors on probability of publication were analyzed. RESULTS Of presented abstracts, 29% (87/299) were published as PRPs in Veterinary Ophthalmology (n = 50), other veterinary journals (n = 22), and nonveterinary journals (n = 15). During the 5 years studied, there was no significant difference between the impact factor of Veterinary Ophthalmology and the 25 other journals in which PRPs were published (P = 0.369). Median time to PRP acceptance or publication was 468 days. Independent variables most significant in determining the probability of PRP were oral presentation (P = 0.002), resident authorship (P < 0.0001), and species (P = 0.002), with food animal abstracts having the highest odds ratio. Ocular tissue/discipline (P = 0.13) and type of study (P = 0.33) did not affect publication probability. Funding acknowledgment (P = 0.02), author nationality (P = 0.02), and academic affiliation (P = 0.04) were also significant factors. CONCLUSIONS Publication rate of ECVO abstracts is lower, but time to publication is similar, compared with most biomedical meetings.
Opportunities for Integrated Ecological Analysis across Inland Australia with Standardised Data from Ausplots Rangelands

Australian rangelands ecosystems cover 81% of the continent but are understudied and continental-scale research has been limited in part by a lack of precise data that are standardised between jurisdictions. We present a new dataset from AusPlots Rangelands that enables integrative rangelands analysis due to its geographic scope and standardised methodology. The method provides data on vegetation and soils, enabling comparison of a suite of metrics including fractional vegetation cover, basal area, and species richness, diversity, and composition. Cover estimates are robust and repeatable, allowing comparisons among environments and detection of modest change. The 442 field plots presented here span a rainfall gradient of 129–1437 mm Mean annual precipitation with varying seasonality. Vegetation measurements include vouchered vascular plant species, growth form, basal area, height, cover and substrate type from 1010 point intercepts as well as systematically recorded absences, which are useful for predictive modelling and validation of remote sensing applications. Leaf and soil samples are sampled for downstream chemical and genomic analysis. We overview the sampling of vegetation parameters and environments, applying the data to the question of how species abundance distributions (SADs) vary over climatic gradients, a key question for the influence of environmental change on ecosystem processes. We found linear relationships between SAD shape and rainfall within grassland and shrubland communities, indicating more uneven abundance in deserts and suggesting relative abundance may shift as a consequence of climate change, resulting in altered diversity and ecosystem function. The standardised data of AusPlots enables such analyses at large spatial scales, and the testing of predictions through time with longitudinal sampling. In future, the AusPlots field program will be directed towards improving coverage of space, under-represented environments, vegetation types and fauna and, increasingly, re-sampling of established plots. Providing up-to-date data access methods to enhance re-use is also a priority.
Vibrio cholerae fur mutations associated with loss of repressor activity: implications for the structural-functional relationships of fur

We used the Vibrio cholerae Fur protein as a model of iron-sensitive repressor proteins in gram-negative bacteria. Utilizing manganese mutagenesis, we isolated twelve independent mutations in V. cholerae fur that resulted in partial or complete loss of Fur repressor function. The mutant fur genes were recovered by PCR and sequenced; 11 of the 12 contained point mutations (two of which were identical), and one contained a 7-bp insertion that resulted in premature truncation of Fur. All of the mutants, except that containing the prematurely truncated Fur, produced protein by Western blot (immunoblot) analysis, although several had substantially smaller amounts of Fur and two made an immunoreactive protein that migrated more rapidly on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Nine of the 11 point mutations altered amino acids that are identical in all of the fur genes sequenced so far, suggesting that these amino acids may play important structural or functional roles in Fur activity. Eight of the point mutations occurred in the amino-terminal half of Fur, which is thought to mediate DNA binding; most of these mutations occurred in conserved amino acids that have been previously suggested to play a role in the interaction between adjacent alpha-helices of the protein. Three of the point mutations occurred in the carboxy-terminal half of Fur, which is thought to bind iron. One mutation at histidine-90 was associated with complete loss of Fur function; this amino acid is within a motif previously suggested as being involved in iron binding by Fur. The fur allele mutant at histidine-90 interfered with iron regulation by wild-type fur in the same cell when the mutant allele was present at higher copy number; wild-type fur was dominant over all other fur mutant alleles studied. These results are analyzed with respect to previous models of the structure and function of Fur as an iron-sensitive repressor.
Plant-parasitic Nematodes Associated with Cotton in Florida.

A sampling of 15% of the cotton hectarage in each Florida county was assayed for nematodes and soil particle components following the 1990 harvest. The distribution of juveniles of Meloidogyne spp. , which were found in 61% of the 178 fields sampled statewide, was not influenced by soil type. Rotylenchulus reniformis was more prevalent in the heavier soils and occurred in 15% of the sampled fields. In fields with concomitant infestations (9% of the sampled fields), densities of root-knot juveniles per 10 cm(3) soil wer e negatively related to those of reniform nematodes (R(2) =-0.32; P < 0.02; df = 14). Gall ratings of cotton plants, assayed in sampled soils, were positively related to the densities of root-knot juveniles per 100 cm(3) soil (R(2) = 0.23; P < 0.01; df = 175). Other nematode genera and their frequency of occurrence were Helicotylenchus (76%), Paratrichodorus (57%), Criconemella (53%), Pratylenchus (42%), Xiphinema (7%), Heterodera (2%), and Hoplolaimus (1%).