Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Peripheral nervous system

Background: HIV-associated distal sensory peripheral neuropathy is a growing problem because of longer survival times and intense antiretroviral usage. Feline immunode ciency virus (FIV) is a lentivirus that causes neurological disease and immunosuppression in domestic cats. Objective: To determine the extent of peripheral nervous system disease in animals infected with the infectious FIV molecular clone, FIV-Ch, which contains the full FIV-V1CSF env-encoding region in a laboratory-adapted FIV background vector. Methods: Neonatal cats were infected with live FIV-Ch (nD 9) or heat-inactivated (nD 8) virus, followed by weekly measurements of weight and neurobehavioral performance. At weeks 8 and 12 post-infection (PI), animals underwent necropsy and we harvested blood, sural and sciatic nerves, lumbar-sacral spinal cord and hind limb footpads for morphological, FACS and PCR analysis. Results: FIV-Ch infected animals showed reducedCD4 and CD8 T-lymphocyte levels in blood at 12 weeks PI, together with diminished neurobehavioral performance (p<0.01). Morphological studies of sural nerve revealed reduced ber areas in 12-week FIV-infected animals (33.0C 1.6 mm2) compared to age-matched control animals (42.6C2.1 mm2) (p< 0.05), which was accompanied by reduced myelin sheath thickness (p<0.05). Immunocytochemical studies of foot pads displayed reduced intraepidermal ber density of FIV-infected animals at 12 weeks PI (5.7C1.6 mm2) compared to control animals (15.7C5.4 mm2) (p<0.01). PCR studies of sciatic nerves and lumbar-sacral spinal cord indicated that provirus was detectable in both tissues among all infected animals at 12 weeks but not in controls. Viral RNA was found in both nerve and spinal cord of FIV-infected animals with concomitant detection of TNF-a mRNA. Conclusions: FIV infection results in the rapid onset of peripheral neuropathy that is de ned by axonal loss and reduced intraepidermal innervation with detection of viral genome in peripheral nerves, resembling HIV-associated neuropathy. These results suggest that peripheral neuropathy may be common among lentiviral infections and is associated with immune suppression. 66 Macrocytosis in HIV associated vacuolar myelopathy L. Monsha,1 L. Banks,2 J. Gobold,1 A. DiRocco2 1. Mount Sinai Medical Center (New York, USA) 2. Beth Israel Medical Center (New York, USA)
Janeway lesions with inconspicuous histological features

Septic‐embolic diseases are life threatening; survival critically depends on rapid diagnosis. Clinically, cutaneous manifestations like Janeway lesions are infrequently occurring but highly characteristic. In contrast, histological features are not clearly defined. We report the case of a 59‐year‐old male patient in deteriorating general condition and fever of unknown origin with lesions suggestive for Janeway lesions. Histology showed dilated blood vessels and extravasated erythrocytes throughout the dermis. Only serial sections revealed single, deep dermal vessels occluded by fibrin thrombi. Computed tomography scan identified multiple pulmonary round masses. Blood cultures showed growth of Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. The knowledge of the described subtle histological features and a clinical‐pathological correlation is essential for the diagnosis of certain cases of septic‐embolic conditions.
Binding characteristics of 125I-labelled human FSH to granulosa cells from Booroola ewes which were homozygous, heterozygous or non-carriers of a major gene(s) influencing their ovulation rate.

At 37 degrees C 125I-labelled human (h) FSH (NIAMDD-hFSH-I-3) bound rapidly to granulosa cells from Booroola and Romney ewes with 50% maximum binding achieved after 3 min and equilibrium being reached within 45 min, irrespective of whether the cells were obtained from the FF, F+ or ++ Booroola genotypes or from Romney ewes. Binding of 125I-labelled FSH followed second order kinetics and there was no effect of follicle diameter (1-2.5 mm vs greater than or equal to 3 mm). Irrespective of breed, genotype or follicle size, the mean (+/- s.e.m.) calculated association rate constant, (ka) was 7.3 (+/- 0.8) x 10(5) litres mol-1 sec-1 (n = 12). Dissociation of receptor bound 125I-labelled hFSH was less than 5% after 30 min and low but variable (i.e. between 0 and 30%) after 2-6 h irrespective of breed, genotype or follicle size. No gene-specific differences were noted in binding specificity between F+ and ++ genotypes: studies were not performed with cells from FF ewes because of insufficient cells. The binding of 125I-labelled hFSH could be displaced with sheep FSH (NIH-FSH-S16; 10% cross-reaction) and FSH-P (2.5% cross-reaction) but other sheep pituitary hormones and hCG showed little or no cross-reaction (less than or equal to 0.1%). The calculated binding capacities (Bmax) and equilibrium dissociation constants (Kd) for 125I-labelled hFSH binding to granulosa cells did not differ between the Booroola genotypes or between Booroola or Romney follicles of different diameter (i.e. 1-2.5 mm; or greater than or equal to 3 mm). The overall mean +/- s.e. m. (n = 24) Bmax and Kd values were 16.7 +/- 0.8 fm/mg protein (i.e. approximately 800 available receptor binding sites/cell) and 1.1 +/- 0.1 nM respectively. Collectively, these findings suggest that the earlier maturation of follicles in FF or F+ ewes compared to ++ ewes is unlikely to be due to gene-specific differences in the FSH binding characteristics of the granulosa cells.
Totally tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy: is it safe and effective in preschool children?

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE After the introduction of tubeless percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL), many studies conducted in adult patients have confirmed its efficacy and safety. There are limited studies reporting that tubeless PNL can be safely applied in children, however. Furthermore, there are no reports that evaluate the use of totally tubeless PNL in children. The present study evaluates the results of totally tubeless PNL in preschool children. PATIENTS AND METHODS The data of children seen in our clinic who were considered suitable for totally tubeless PNL were analyzed. Of 16 children, 8 patients underwent totally tubeless PNL (group 1) and 8 standard PNL (group 2). The two groups of patients were compared with regard to length of hospitalization, analgesic requirements, transfusion rates, hemoglobin (Hb) decrease, and immediate, early, and late complications. RESULTS The mean ages of the patients were 56.6 months (9-84 mos) and 56.0 months (5-84 mos), and the mean follow-up was 21.5 months (3-44 mos) and 43.4 months (36-54 mos) in groups 1 and 2, respectively. Both groups were similar with regard to age, stone size, Hb change, and complications. Although operation duration, hospitalization period, and analgesic requirement were less in the totally tubeless PNL group, these differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS The latest application of PNL, totally tubeless PNL, is also a safe and effective procedure in very small children if they are selected properly and if the surgeon has sufficient experience with the procedure. More studies with a higher number of participants are needed, however, to confirm that totally tubeless PNL increases the comfort of pediatric patients, decreases their hospitalization period, and is more economical.
Path to Extinction: Impact of Vegetational Change on Lizard Populations on Arapaho Prairie in the Nebraska Sandhills

-Since removal of cattle from Arapaho Prairie in 1977, secondary succession has resulted in increased vegetation cover. Studies of resident lizards on a 150 X 150 m grid revealed: (1) one lizard species (Holbrookia maculata) has essentially been eliminated in 15 yr (from a maximum of 74 residents in 1979 to three residents in 1993); (2) a second lizard population (Sceloporus undulatus) has declined from 56 residents in 1979 to less than 30 residents in 1993; and (3) preferred microhabitats occupied by lizards have not changed, but their microgeographic distributions have shifted to areas of blowouts, and home ranges have decreased.
Flavonoid, hesperidine, total phenolic contents and antioxidant activities from Citrus species

Citrus has long been regarded as a food and also as a medicinal plant. Fruits of four species of citrus which are commonly available in Malaysia, namely C. hystrix (wild lime), C. aurantifolia (common lime), C. microcarpa (musk lime) and C. sinensis (orange), were chosen to investigate their total phenolic, flavonoid and hesperidine contents. Additionally, the antioxidant activities were also determined by ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. C. hystrix had the highest flavonoid and total phenolic contents while C. aurantifolia had the highest hesperidine content. The antioxidant activity of C. hystrix was highest determined by FRAP and DPPH assays compared to other citrus species. A strong positive correlation of R2 = 0.9090 between total phenolic content and FRAP values was observed in this investigation. This study indicated that C. hystrix exhibited the highest antioxidant, flavonoid and phenolic content and can be used potentially as a readily accessible source of natural antioxidant.
Uropathogenic Escherichia coliPotentiates Type 1 Pilus-Induced Apoptosis by Suppressing NF-κB

ABSTRACT Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common inflammatory diseases. Acute UTIs are typically caused by type 1-piliated Escherichia coli and result in urothelial apoptosis, local cytokine release, and neutrophil infiltration. To examine the urothelial apoptotic response, a human urothelial cell line was incubated with various E. coli isolates and was then characterized by flow cytometry. Uropathogenic E. coli(UPEC) induced rapid urothelial apoptosis that was strictly dependent upon interactions mediated by type 1 pili. Interestingly, nonpathogenic HB101 E. coli expressing type 1 pili induced apoptosis at approximately 50% of the level induced by UPEC, suggesting that pathogenic strains contribute to apoptosis by pilus-independent mechanisms. Consistent with this possibility, UPEC blocked activity of an NF-κB-dependent reporter in response to inflammatory stimuli, yet this effect was independent of functional type 1 pili and was not mediated by laboratory strains of E. coli. UPEC suppressed NF-κB by stabilizing IκBα, and UPEC rapidly altered cellular signaling pathways. Finally, blocking NF-κB activity increased the level of piliated HB101-induced apoptosis to the level of apoptosis induced by UPEC. These results suggest that UPEC blocks NF-κB and thereby enhances type 1 pili-induced apoptosis as a component of the uropathogenic program.
Marker Rescue Studies of the Transfer of Recombinant DNA to Streptococcus gordonii In Vitro, in Foods and Gnotobiotic Rats

ABSTRACT A plasmid marker rescue system based on restoration of the nptII gene was established in Streptococcus gordonii to study the transfer of bacterial and transgenic plant DNA by transformation. In vitro studies revealed that the marker rescue efficiency depends on the type of donor DNA. Plasmid and chromosomal DNA of bacteria as well as DNA of transgenic potatoes were transferred with efficiencies ranging from 8.1 × 10−6 to 5.8 × 10−7 transformants per nptII gene. Using a 792-bp amplification product of nptII the efficiency was strongly decreased (9.8 × 10−9). In blood sausage, marker rescue using plasmid DNA was detectable (7.9 × 10−10), whereas in milk heat-inactivated horse serum (HHS) had to be added to obtain an efficiency of 2.7 × 10−11. No marker rescue was detected in extracts of transgenic potatoes despite addition of HHS. In vivo transformation of S. gordonii LTH 5597 was studied in monoassociated rats by using plasmid DNA. No marker rescue could be detected in vivo, although transformation was detected in the presence of saliva and fecal samples supplemented with HHS. It was also shown that plasmid DNA persists in rat saliva permitting transformation for up to 6 h of incubation. It is suggested that the lack of marker rescue is due to the absence of competence-stimulating factors such as serum proteins in rat saliva.
Willingness to pay for organic vegetables in Abeokuta, south west Nigeria.

Recent developments of widely reported incidents of dangerous levels of pesticides in food, fertilizer contamination of ground water and the occurrence of livestock diseases attributable to the production methods of large scale agriculture has stimulated the demand for organic food. Food safety is also gaining prominence in developing countries. This study was carried out to determine consumer awareness of organic vegetables and the determinants of willingness to pay a premium for the vegetables in south west Nigeria. The choice of the study area was premised on the fact that it is the most exposed to the organic agriculture movement in Nigeria. Primary data was collected with the aid of structured questionnaire. One hundred and fifty-two (152) copies of the questionnaire were found suitable for analysis. Most of the respondents were literate (100%) married (90.8%) men (65.8%), between 30 and 59 years old. The result shows that majority (88.8%) of the respondents indicated that they had a prior knowledge of, had seen (72.4%) and had eaten (61.8%) organic vegetables before. The respondents’ willingness to pay a premium for organic vegetables and the factors affecting this decision were investigated using a dichotomous response model (logit). In the model, willingness to pay was specified as 1 if willing and 0 otherwise. The results of the restricted model shows that the ethnic background of the respondents and the perception that organic vegetables are not harmful influences their willingness to pay a premium price for organic vegetables. Respondents’ age, work experience and household size significantly explains the perception that organic vegetables are healthier than conventional, Similarly, age, ethnicity, work experience, religion and household size equally explains respondents’ impression that organic vegetables are costlier while the variable tastier was significantly explained by age and household income. There are strong indications of a ready market in Abeokuta, South west Nigeria in the event of extensive cultivation of organic vegetables.
Oxide Electronics by Spatial Atomic Layer Deposition

We report on zinc oxide (ZnO)-based devices produced by a fast, open-air atomic layer deposition (ALD) process relying upon the spatial isolation of reactive gases. At deposition rates of greater than 100 Aring per minute, ZnO-based thin-film transistors by spatial atomic layer deposition (S-ALD) show mobility above 15 cm2/Vs and excellent stability. Measurement and modeling of the gas isolation in the deposition head is discussed. Saturation curves obtained for aluminum oxide (Al2O3) growth using trimethylaluminum and water are shown to be consistent with chamber ALD systems. Finally, the ability of this new ALD process to leverage patterning by using poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) as a growth inhibitor for selective area deposition is discussed. Relatively thin films of PMMA (~ 40 Aring) are shown to be capable of inhibiting the growth of ZnO for at least 1200 ALD cycles.
Hydrogen-enhanced fatigue crack growth in steels and its frequency dependence

In the context of the fatigue life design of components, particularly those destined for use in hydrogen refuelling stations and fuel cell vehicles, it is important to understand the hydrogen-induced, fatigue crack growth (FCG) acceleration in steels. As such, the mechanisms for acceleration and its influencing factors are reviewed and discussed in this paper, with a special focus on the peculiar frequency dependence of the hydrogen-induced FCG acceleration. Further, this frequency dependence is debated by introducing some potentially responsible elements, along with new experimental data obtained by the authors. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The challenges of hydrogen and metals’.
Theoretical duration and amplitude of an FM click (Corresp.)

The exact initial behavior of the probability density of the duration of an FM click in the case of an unmodulated carrier plus narrowband stationary Gaussian noise is presented. A simple Maxwell probability density is developed to approximate the probability density of the duration. The development leads to the conjecture that the Maxwell probability density is the exact limiting probability density of the duration as the carrier-to-noise power ratio approaches infinity. Analogous results are presented for the amplitude of an FM click. Simple formulas are developed for the mean, variance, and most probable value of the duration and amplitude of an FM click. It is shown that these theoretical developments yield numerical results which are in good agreement with many experimental and numerical results reported in the literature.
Expression of Tie‐2 and Other Receptors for Endothelial Growth Factors in Acute Myeloid Leukemias Is Associated with Monocytic Features of Leukemic Blasts

We investigated the expression of Tie‐2 in primary blasts from 111 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to evaluate a possible linkage between the expression of this receptor and the immunophenotypic and biologic properties of leukemic blasts. Tie‐2 was expressed at moderate and high levels in 39 and 23 of 111 AMLs, respectively. The analysis of the immunophenotype clearly showed that Tie‐2 expression in AML was associated with monocytic features. Interestingly, Tie‐2 expression on AML blasts was associated with concomitant expression of other receptors for endothelial growth factors, such as vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1 (VEGF‐R1), ‐R2, and ‐R3. Tie‐2+ AMLs were characterized by high blast cell counts at diagnosis, a high frequency of Flt3 mutations, and increased Flt3 expression. The survival of Tie‐2+ AMLs is sustained through an autocrine pattern involving Angiopoietin‐1 and Tie‐2, as suggested by experiments showing induction of apoptosis in Tie‐2+ AMLs by agents preventing the binding of angiopoietins to Tie‐2. Finally, the in vitro growth of Tie‐2+ AMLs in endothelial culture medium supplemented with VEGF and angiopoietins resulted in their partial endothelial differentiation. These observations suggest that Tie‐2+ AMLs pertain to a mixed monocytic/endothelial lineage, derived from the malignant transformation of the normal counterpart represented by monocytic cells expressing endothelial markers. The autocrine angiopoietin/Tie‐2 axis may represent a promising therapeutic target to improve the outcome of patients with monocytic AML.
Changes in Functional Competency in the Oldest Old

Changes in everyday functioning and cognitive abilities are studied longitudinally in a representative sample of the oldest old. Respondents were selected by using census records from all people aged 84, 86, 88, and 90 years old living in an area of South Central Sweden, and then were assessed at 2-year intervals. The findings show high base rates for disabilities and high incidence of cognitive and functional deficits among survivors. Mortality is associated with higher rates of disability at the previous time of assessment. Because of this increased mortality rate among disabled individuals, prevalence does not rise as much as would be expected from the high incidence. Instead, new cases of disabled are partly replacing disabled individuals who died since the previous evaluation.
Measurement and simulation of partial discharges within a spherical cavity in a solid dielectric material

For high voltage components, the measurement of partial discharge (PD) is used in the performance assessment of an insulation system. Through modelling the PD process, a better understanding of the phenomenon may be attained. In this work, a model for a spherical cavity within a homogeneous dielectric material has been developed using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software in parallel with MATLAB programming code. The model has been used to study the effect of various applied stresses and cavity conditions on PD activity and also the electric field and temperature distributions within the cavity. The experimental measurement of PD activity within a spherical cavity has also been undertaken. The measurements were performed for different amplitudes and frequencies of the applied voltage, a range of spherical cavity sizes and temperature variation of the material. The obtained results show that PD is strongly influenced by various conditions of the cavity and applied stress. The cycle to cycle behaviour of PD events, discharge phase and magnitude distributions, numbers of PDs per cycle, total charge magnitude per cycle, mean charge magnitude and maximum charge magnitude for each experiment have been obtained and analysed. The simulation results from the PD model have been compared with the measurement results. It is found that certain model parameters are dependent on the applied stress and cavity conditions. Parameters that clearly affect PD activity can be readily identifed. These parameters include; the effective charge decay time constant, the cavity surface conductivity, the initial electron generation rate, the inception field, the extinction field and the temperature decay time constant in the cavity. The infuences of surface charge decay through conduction along the cavity wall and temperature and pressure change in the cavity on PD activity have also been studied
The dental caries experience of 12-year-old children in England and Wales. Surveys coordinated by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry in 2000/2001.

DESIGN This paper reports the results of standardised clinical caries examinations of 106,694 twelve-year-old children from England, Wales, the Isle of Man and Jersey. These 2000/01 coordinated surveys are the latest in a series which seek to monitor the dental health of children and to assess the delivery of dental services. METHOD The criteria and conventions of the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry were used. Representative samples were drawn from participating health authorities and boards, and caries was diagnosed at the caries into dentine (D3) threshold using a visual method without radiography or fibre-optic transillumination. RESULTS Once again a wide variation in caries prevalence across the United Kingdom was demonstrated, with mean values for D3MFT for the English 'regions' (of the National Health Service) and Wales ranging from 0.63 in the West Midlands to 1.31 in Wales. The mean value for DMFT across England Wales was 0.89 (D3T=0.39, MT=0.07, FT=0.43). Overall, 38% of children had evidence of caries experience at the dentinal level of detection (D3MFT>0), although the means ranged between 30% (West Midlands) and 51% (Wales). The mean D3MFT for those with disease at this threshold was 2.35. Trends over time demonstrate an improvement of 11% in overall D3MFT since 1996/97, compared to the 15% seen over the previous four year period. FT and care index fell. The number of fillings provided in 2000/01 and thus the care index, remained low. On average across England and Wales, only 48% of the dentinal caries experience identified by survey examinations of permanent teeth was seen as fillings (range in individual districts: 30% to 78%). The use of the SiC index highlights dental health inequalities. CONCLUSION Taken together, these findings demonstrate the continuing need for more effective preventive strategies and treatment services for this important age group.