Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Outbreak of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis in French Guiana and West Indies caused by coxsackievirus A24 variant: Phylogenetic analysis reveals Asian import

An outbreak of acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis occurred in French Guiana between April and July 2003, with approximately 6,000 cases in the two major cities Kourou and Cayenne. Since acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis is not a notifiable disease in France, there was no registration of the number of cases. Therefore, these were estimated by comparing the consumption of antibiotic eye drops and ophthalmic ointments during 2002 and 2003. The outbreak rapidly spread into the Caribbean Islands, causing an outbreak in Guadeloupe in October. Viral isolates from conjunctival swabs of 16 patients were confirmed to be enterovirus by PCR directed to the 5′ UTR of the genome. The isolates could not be neutralized by the Melnick intersecting pools, but were shown to be CV‐A24 variant by limited sequencing within the VP1 and 3C regions of 12 strains. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that they were similar to the genotype III strains causing outbreaks in Korea 2002 and Malaysia 2003. The previous outbreak of conjunctivitis caused by CV‐A24 in the Caribbean in the 1980s was also introduced from Asia, and disappeared after 3 years. This new introduction from Asia and its rapid spread into the Caribbean, where the infection disappeared after a few months, indicates that the CV‐A24 variant has a different epidemiological pattern in this region compared to South East Asia, since it has not established an endemic infection. It had to be reintroduced from Asia, where it has been circulating since the 1970s. J. Med. Virol. 75:559–565, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Surveillance of insecticide resistance in head lice using biochemical and molecular methods

Treatment of head louse infection is primarily through topical insecticides. However, there is growing evidence of resistance. A representative population sample was tested using biochemical and molecular methods; it was shown that, in Wales, treatments containing pyrethroids are likely to be less effective in controlling head louse infection than those containing organophosphates.
Molecular Determinants Conferring α-Toxin Resistance in Recombinant DNA-derived Acetylcholine Receptors (*)

Sequences of the α-subunits of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor from the snake and mongoose contain several differences in the region between amino acids 183 and 200. Receptors from both of these species reveal resistance to the snake α-toxins presumably arising as a protective evolutionary mechanism. Sequence differences include the added glycosylation signals at residue 187 in the mongoose and at residues 189 and 111 in snake. Although previous observations with peptides and fusion proteins either synthesized chemically or in a bacterial expression system indicate that certain amino acid residues may contribute to the resistance, our findings with the intact receptor in an eukaryotic expression system indicate the major role for glycosylation. In this study, we show that addition of glycosylation signals gives rise to virtually complete glycosylation at the added sites, although heterogeneity of oligosaccharide processing is evident. By analysis of combinations of mutants, we document that glycosylation exerts the predominant influence on α-toxin binding. Substitutions at other residues are largely without influence as single mutations but appear to decrease affinity further in multiple mutants, particularly where the receptor is glycosylated at the 187 and 189 positions. Glycosylation exerts a major influence on the dissociation as well as the association rates of the α-toxin-receptor complex, suggesting that the decrease for α-toxin affinity is not simply a consequence of restricted diffusional access, rather glycosylation affects the conformation and stability of the bound complex.
Effect of folic acid and B vitamins on risk of cardiovascular events and total mortality among women at high risk for cardiovascular disease: a randomized trial.

CONTEXT Recent randomized trials among patients with preexisting cardiovascular disease (CVD) have failed to support benefits of B-vitamin supplementation on cardiovascular risk. Observational data suggest benefits may be greater among women, yet women have been underrepresented in published randomized trials. OBJECTIVE To test whether a combination of folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 lowers risk of CVD among high-risk women with and without CVD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Within an ongoing randomized trial of antioxidant vitamins, 5442 women who were US health professionals aged 42 years or older, with either a history of CVD or 3 or more coronary risk factors, were enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to receive a combination pill containing folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 or a matching placebo, and were treated for 7.3 years from April 1998 through July 2005. INTERVENTION Daily intake of a combination pill of 2.5 mg of folic acid, 50 mg of vitamin B6, and 1 mg of vitamin B12. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES A composite outcome of myocardial infarction, stroke, coronary revascularization, or CVD mortality. RESULTS Compared with placebo, a total of 796 women experienced a confirmed CVD event (406 in the active group and 390 in the placebo group). Patients receiving active vitamin treatment had similar risk for the composite CVD primary end point (226.9/10,000 person-years vs 219.2/10,000 person-years for the active vs placebo group; relative risk [RR], 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.90-1.19; P = .65), as well as for the secondary outcomes including myocardial infarction (34.5/10,000 person-years vs 39.5/10,000 person-years; RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.63-1.22; P = .42), stroke (41.9/10,000 person-years vs 36.8/10,000 person-years; RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 0.82-1.57; P = .44), and CVD mortality (50.3/10,000 person-years vs 49.6/10,000 person-years; RR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.76-1.35; P = .93). In a blood substudy, geometric mean plasma homocysteine level was decreased by 18.5% (95% CI, 12.5%-24.1%; P < .001) in the active group (n = 150) over that observed in the placebo group (n = 150), for a difference of 2.27 micromol/L (95% CI, 1.54-2.96 micromol/L). CONCLUSION After 7.3 years of treatment and follow-up, a combination pill of folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 did not reduce a combined end point of total cardiovascular events among high-risk women, despite significant homocysteine lowering. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00000541.
The Cleavage and Polyadenylation Specificity Factor in Xenopus laevis Oocytes Is a Cytoplasmic Factor Involved in Regulated Polyadenylation

ABSTRACT During early development, specific mRNAs receive poly(A) in the cytoplasm. This cytoplasmic polyadenylation reaction correlates with, and in some cases causes, translational stimulation. Previously, it was suggested that a factor similar to the multisubunit nuclear cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF) played a role in cytoplasmic polyadenylation. A cDNA encoding a cytoplasmic form of the 100-kDa subunit of Xenopus laevis CPSF has now been isolated. The protein product is 91% identical at the amino acid sequence level to nuclear CPSF isolated from Bos taurusthymus. This report provides three lines of evidence that implicate theX. laevis homologue of the 100-kDa subunit of CPSF in the cytoplasmic polyadenylation reaction. First, the protein is predominantly localized to the cytoplasm of X. laevisoocytes. Second, the 100-kDa subunit of X. laevis CPSF forms a specific complex with RNAs that contain both a cytoplasmic polyadenylation element (CPE) and the polyadenylation element AAUAAA. Third, immunodepletion of the 100-kDa subunit ofX. laevis CPSF reduces CPE-specific polyadenylation in vitro. Further support for a cytoplasmic form of CPSF comes from evidence that a putative homologue of the 30-kDa subunit of nuclear CPSF is also localized to the cytoplasm of X. laevisoocytes. Overexpression of influenza virus NS1 protein, which inhibits nuclear polyadenylation through an interaction with the 30-kDa subunit of nuclear CPSF, prevents cytoplasmic polyadenylation, suggesting that the cytoplasmic X. laevis form of the 30-kDa subunit of CPSF is involved in this reaction. Together, these results indicate that a distinct, cytoplasmic form of CPSF is an integral component of the cytoplasmic polyadenylation machinery.
Ambulance provision for children: a UK national survey

Background The purpose of this national survey of UK ambulance services was to provide an up-to-date assessment of service provision for children in the prehospital setting and to identify the challenges faced in providing optimal services to this group. Methods Questionnaires were sent to clinical directors of the 16 UK NHS ambulance services in April 2009. Results Questionnaires were returned by 13 (81%) respondents. Paramedics and most emergency medical technicians receive a limited amount of paediatric training. An increasing amount of equipment suitable for children is becoming available, but services for children vary depending on location. For example, paediatric airway adjuncts (short of intubation) were often lacking, and only 62% reported having pulse oximetry suitable for use in children. Four or the 13 respondents (31%) considered it ‘possible or highly likely’ that someone with no specific training could be the first to respond to a child in an emergency, and seven (54%) indicated that the likelihood that the first response to a child could be someone with no current qualification specific to paediatrics was ‘high’. There are large areas of the country where no formal medical support is available at any time of day. Conclusions Despite improvements, paediatric care by front-line personnel is limited by resource and availability of staff with key skills. Accepted standards are often lacking. Collaborative audit, research and training initiatives should be carried out between services and acute trusts to meet local service requirements. This will reduce variation and maintain the safety of patients and quality of care.
Effect of Han-uvulopalatopharyngoplasty on flow-mediated dilatation in patients with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

Abstract Conclusion: Flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) is decreased in patients with moderate or severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), and Han-uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (H-UPPP) can improve FMD. Objective: To evaluate FMD in patients with moderate or severe OSAS and observe the effect of H-UPPP on FMD in these patients. Methods: Forty-nine patients who were first diagnosed with moderate or severe OSAS by polysomnography (PSG) and had no other diseases served as the experimental group, and 35 individuals with normal PSG as the control group. FMD was measured with high-resolution B-mode ultrasonography in the two groups. PSG and FMD were again performed in the experimental group 6 months after H-UPPP. Results: FMD was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group (6.5 ± 2.1% vs 11.2 ± 2.9%, p < 0.01). FMD was significantly improved 6 months after H-UPPP compared with preoperative FMD (9.7 ± 2.7% vs 6.5 ± 2.1%, p < 0.01).
Storage time of transfused red blood cells and impact on clinical outcomes in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

BACKGROUND: Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion may prolong recovery in some patients, perhaps due to changes that occur during more prolonged RBC storage. We examined the impact of RBC transfusion and the age of transfused RBC units on clinical outcomes in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
The limits to participation: Urban poverty and community driven development in Rajshahi City, Bangladesh

ABSTRACT This article analyzes ways in which urban informal settlements most in need of Community Driven Development (CDD) programs might be overlooked in favor of better functioning poor communities. In a study of two informal settlements in Rajshahi, Bangladesh, one site benefitted from the support of a community based urban poverty reduction intervention from an international donor. The other, poorer, and with greater social challenges, would not qualify. The article highlights the problems the poorest of the urban poor face in developing sufficient community capacity to attract the dominant CDD paradigm of poverty alleviation.
The dual identity of the artist-teacher: what does teaching do to the artist-teacher in a contemporary educational context?

This research examines the personal and professional identity formation of artists who become art teachers and questions how they develop their professional teacher identities over time. Art teachers can often struggle with the loss of their art practice when they take up teaching positions in second-level schools (Dafiotis, 2013; Goetz Zirwan, 2006; Hall, 2010; Hickman, 2013, 2010; Thornton, 2013). Using a Life History approach, the research examines the identity formation of six artists who become art teachers; through the influence of home, their schooling, their artist formation, and their art teacher formation, into their professional life in the classroom. The experiences of two beginning-art teachers, two mid-career art teachers and two end-of-career art teachers are viewed through the lens of their particular model of art teacher formation. In doing so, the study hopes to uncover the tensions and synergies that art teachers experience in managing their teaching selves alongside their artistic selves. Three paradigms of art teacher education are used to frame the study of the artist-teacher 1) The Technical/Vocational Model, 2) The Expressivist Model and 3) The Critical/Contextualist Model. The research draws on literature relating to three main conceptual themes within a Social Constructivist Framework: Life History, Constructivism and Art Education theory. Ultimately, the research aims to shed light on the nature of the formation of artist-teachers and argues that their Signature Pedagogy (Shulman, 2005) is distinctive within schools. The data highlights how the broader issues of current education curriculum policy impact on art teachers today. It asks to what extent the Signature Pedagogies of the creative art teacher are recognised and valued and whether these qualities might provide a roadmap for a model of general education into the future.
Prognostic significance of deep vein thrombosis in patients presenting with acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism.

RATIONALE Concomitant deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) has an uncertain prognostic significance. OBJECTIVES In a cohort of patients with PE, this study compared the risk of death in those with and those without concomitant DVT. METHODS We conducted a prospective cohort study of outpatients diagnosed with a first episode of acute symptomatic PE. Patients underwent bilateral lower extremity venous compression ultrasonography to assess for concomitant DVT. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The primary study outcome, all-cause mortality, and the secondary outcome of PE-specific mortality were assessed during the 3 months of follow-up after PE diagnosis. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression was done to adjust for significant covariates. Of 707 patients diagnosed with PE, 51.2% (362 of 707) had concomitant DVT and 10.9% (77 of 707) died during follow-up. Patients with concomitant DVT had an increased all-cause mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 2.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24 to 3.38; P = 0.005) and PE-specific mortality (adjusted HR, 4.25; 95% CI, 1.61 to 11.25; P = 0.04) compared with those without concomitant DVT. In an external validation cohort of 4,476 patients with acute PE enrolled in the international multicenter RIETE Registry, concomitant DVT remained a significant predictor of all-cause (adjusted HR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.28 to 2.15; P < 0.001) and PE-specific mortality (adjusted HR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.18 to 3.44; P = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS In patients with a first episode of acute symptomatic PE, the presence of concomitant DVT is an independent predictor of death in the ensuing 3 months after diagnosis. Assessment of the thrombotic burden should assist with risk stratification of patients with acute PE.
Waist measurement correlates to a potentially atherogenic lipoprotein profile in obese 12–14–year‐old children

Epidemiological studies have indicated a relationship between overweight and cardiovascular disease. The present investigation was undertaken to identify anthropometric variables in childhood which may reflect the risk of cardiovascular disease in terms of unfavourable changes in apolipoprotein and lipid concentrations. Twenty‐nine obese 14‐year‐olds and 32 obese 12‐year‐olds were recruited from a school screening programme and anthropometric data reflecting overweight and fat distribution were subjected to analysis of covariance, with blood pressure, apolipoprotein and lipid concentrations as dependent variables. Results from the two groups were adjusted for puberty, gender and screening group, allowing pooling of data. After such an adjustment, waist circumference was significantly correlated (r= partial correlation coefficient) to high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (r = ‐0.08, p < 0.05) and triglycerides (r=+0.24, p < 0.01). The waist:hip ratio was significantly correlated to HDL‐cholesterol (r= ‐0.10, p < 0.01) and triglycerides (r =+0.22, p < 0.01). BMI was significantly correlated to triglycerides (r=+0.25, p < 0.001), and diastolic blood pressure (r=+0.08, p < 0.05). The partial regression coefficients for waist circumference versus apolipoprotein B (r=+0.07) and the apolipoprotein B:A‐I ratio (r=+0.06) were as strong as those for waist:hip ratio (r=+0.03 and r=+0.05, respectively). Our results demonstrate that abdominal obesity is associated with an unfavourable lipid profile in obese 12–14‐year‐old children. This may be related to an increased cardiovascular risk later in life. The waist measurement appears to be a convenient and informative anthropometric indicator of such metabolic alterations.
A Risk-Informed Interference Assessment of MetSat/LTE Coexistence

Quantitative risk assessment has recently been proposed to assess the impact of a new radio service allocation on incumbents. This paper demonstrates its viability by performing a risk-informed interference assessment in a recent U.S. case: the protection of meteorological satellite earth stations from interference by cellular mobile transmitters. We find that the hazard selected by policy makers (co-channel interference with the receiving antenna at 5° elevation) was not the most severe, and that their worst case approach overlooked more significant risks, notably adjacent band interference. We begin with an inventory of the performance hazards. We survey consequence metrics that quantify the severity of interference, and select the interference protection criteria defined in Recommendation ITU-R SA.1026-4. We then use Monte Carlo modeling to calculate probability distributions of resulting interference due to co-channel and adjacent band transmissions. We identify a co-channel exclusion distance that keeps interference risk below the SA.1026-4 criteria. We show that the binding constraint is not the ITU-R “long-term” interference mode (5° antenna elevation), but rather the “short-term” interference when the elevation is 13°. We give an extensive sensitivity analysis showing that the propagation modeling, and particularly the choice of clutter model, can have a significant effect on the results. We conclude that quantitative risk assessment yields useful insights for analyzing coexistence. Protection criteria that combine an interfering power level with statistical exceedance limits were essential to our analysis, and we recommend that policy makers adopt statistical service rules more widely to support future risk analysis. Our analysis was limited by the unavailability of baseline values for service metrics, and the lack of transparency in previous studies, notably ITU-R recommendations. We recommend that regulators encourage parties to provide baseline values and the methods underlying interference criteria and coexistence assessments.
Oxidative stress and inflammatory responses of rat following acute inhalation exposure to iron oxide nanoparticles

In this research, we investigated the toxicity responses of rat following a continuous 4 h inhalation exposure of only the head and nose to iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs, size = 15–20 nm). The rats for the investigation were exposed to a concentration of 640 mg/m3 Fe3O4 NPs. Markers of lung injury and proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and blood, oxidative stress in lungs, and histopathology were assessed on 24 h, 48 h, and 14 days of postexposure periods. Our results showed a significant decrease in the cell viability, with the increase in the levels of lactate dehydrogenase, total protein, and alkaline phosphatase in the BALF. Total leukocyte count and the percentage of neutrophils in BALF increased within 24 h of postexposure. Immediately following acute exposure, rats showed increased inflammation with significantly higher levels of lavage and blood proinflammatory cytokines and were consistent throughout the observation period. Fe3O4 NPs exposure markedly increased malondialdehyde concentration, while intracellular reduced glutathione and antioxidant enzyme activities were significantly decreased in lung tissue within 24-h postexposure period. On histological observation, the lung showed an early activation of pulmonary clearance and a size-dependant biphasic nature of the Fe3O4 NPs in causing the structural alteration. Collectively, our data illustrate that Fe3O4 NPs inhalation exposure may induce cytotoxicity via oxidative stress and lead to biphasic inflammatory responses in Wistar rat.
Nerve‐induced and spontaneous redistribution of acetylcholine receptors on cultured muscle cells.

1. Theree‐day‐old cultures of myotomal muscle, obtained from embryos of Xenopus laevis, were stained with fluorescent conjugates of alpha‐bungarotoxin and maintained in native toxin in order to ensure that ACh receptors subsequently inserted into the sarcolemma would not be stained. Neural tube cells were then added to the cultures. 2. When cultures were exmained 1‐3 days later fluorescent stain was found to be associated with sites of nerve‐muscle contact. In some cases the stain along the path of contact extended for greater distances than the patches of stain seen on non‐contacted muscle cells. 3. The development of new areas of fluorescent stain at sites of nerve‐muscle contact was confirmed by making successive observations on the same muscle cells over a period of a day. 4. Similar experiments on muscle cells not contacted by nerve revealed the formation of new receptor patches, usually in areas of cell growth. 5. The majority of fluorescent pathes on non‐contacted muscle cells did not undergo changes in size or shape over the course of 1‐2 days. However some examples of enlargement, shrinkage and disappearance were observed. 6. On the basis of these findings it is concluded that ACh receptors aggregate within the sarcolemma, spontaneously as well as in response to innervation. In the latter case extrajunctional receptors accumulate at the site of nerve contact thereby contributing to the development of high receptor density in the subneural muscle membrane. This process of receptors redistribution occurs in the absence of synaptic or contractile activity. 7. Possible mechanisms involved in the redistribution of ACh receptors are discussed in relation to those which appear to modulate ligand‐induced changes in the distribution of lectin and immunoglobulin receptors.