Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An anticodon sequence mutant of Escherichia coli initiator tRNA: possible importance of a newly acquired base modification next to the anticodon on its activity in initiation

Initiator tRNAs from eubacteria and chloroplasts lack a base modification next to the anticodon. This is in contrast to virtually all other tRNAs from these sources. We show that a mutant Escherichia coli initiator tRNA which has an anticodon sequence change from CAU to CUA now has a 2-methylthio-N6-(delta 2-isopentenyl)adenosine (ms2i6A) modification, produced by posttranscriptional modification of A, next to the anticodon. This newly acquired base modification may be important for the function of the mutant tRNA in initiation. In a miaA mutant strain of E. coli defective in biosynthesis of ms2i6A, the mutant initiator tRNA is 10- to 12-fold less active in initiation. The mutant tRNA is aminoacylated and formylated normally in the miaA strain. Thus, the absence of the base modification affects the activity of the mutant tRNA at a step subsequent to its formylation.
Absenteeism and Nurse Staffing

Nurse managers regularly make decisions that include assigning nurses with similar skills to similar inpatient units, adjusting staffing when anticipated demand exceeds available nurse shifts, and choosing the number of nurses who float to different units depending on realized demand. All of these decisions are affected by absenteeism. We use data from multiple nursing units of two hospitals to study which factors, including unit culture, short-term workload, and shift type explain nurse absenteeism. The analysis highlights the importance of paying attention to unit-level factors and differences in individual nurses’ absentee rates. We also propose a staffing model and heuristics for solving staffing problems described above.
Two Guanylylcyclases Regulate the Muscarinic Activation of Airway Smooth Muscle

Muscarinic activation of Airway smooth muscle (ASM) is of major importance to the physiological and patho-physiological actions of acetylcholine, which induces bronchoconstriction, airway smooth muscle thickening, and the modulation of cytokine and chemokine production by these cells as described in [1]. The parasympathetic nervous system is the dominant neuronal pathway in the control of airway smooth muscle tone. Stimulation of cholinergic nerves causes bronchoconstriction, and mucus secretion as in [2]. The human airways are innervated via efferent and afferent autonomic nerves, which regulate many aspects of airway function. It has been suggested that neural control of the airways may be abnormal in asthmatic patients, and that neurogenic mechanisms may contribute to the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of asthma. Although abnormalities of the cholinergic innervation have been suggested in asthma, thus far the evidence for cholinergic dysfunction in asthmatic subjects is not convincing as mentioned in references [1,2].
Pattern-Triggered Immunity Suppresses Programmed Cell Death Triggered by Fumonisin B1

Programmed cell death (PCD) is a crucial process for plant innate immunity and development. In plant innate immunity, PCD is believed to prevent the spread of pathogens from the infection site. Although proper control of PCD is important for plant fitness, we have limited understanding of the molecular mechanisms regulating plant PCD. Plant innate immunity triggered by recognition of effectors (effector-triggered immunity, ETI) is often associated with PCD. However pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), which is triggered by recognition of elicitors called microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs), is not. Therefore we hypothesized that PTI might suppress PCD. Here we report that PCD triggered by the mycotoxin fumonisin B1 (FB1) can be suppressed by PTI in Arabidopsis. FB1-triggered cell death was suppressed by treatment with the MAMPs flg22 (a part of bacterial flagellin) or elf18 (a part of the bacterial elongation factor EF-Tu) but not chitin (a component of fungal cell walls). Although plant hormone signaling is associated with PCD and PTI, both FB1-triggered cell death and suppression of cell death by flg22 treatment were still observed in mutants deficient in jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene (ET) and salicylic acid (SA) signaling. The MAP kinases MPK3 and MPK6 are transiently activated and inactivated within one hour during PTI. We found that FB1 activated MPK3 and MPK6 about 36–48 hours after treatment. Interestingly, this late activation was attenuated by flg22 treatment. These results suggest that PTI suppression of FB1-triggered cell death may involve suppression of MPK3/MPK6 signaling but does not require JA/ET/SA signaling.
Standards and stories: the interactional work of informed choice in Ontario midwifery care.

This paper uses a discourse-rhetorical approach to analyze how Ontario midwives and their clients interactionally accomplish the healthcare communicative process of "informed choice. " Working with four excerpts from recorded visits between Ontario midwives and women, the analysis focuses on the discursive rendering during informed choice conversations of two contrasting kinds of evidence - professional standards and story-telling - related to potential interventions during labour. We draw on the concepts of discursive hybridity (Sarangi and Roberts 1999) and recontextualization (Linell 1998; Sarangi 1998) to trace the complex and creative ways in which the conversational participants reconstruct the meanings of these evidentiary sources to address their particular care contexts. This analysis shows how, though very different in their forms, both modes of evidence function as hybrid and flexible discursive resources that perform both instrumental and social-relational healthcare work.
Medical care in Japan.

The Japanese health care system presents a tantalizing puzzle. On the positive side, universal health insurance has been achieved at relatively low cost and the health indexes of infant mortality and life expectancy at birth are among the best in the world. However, the system has been criticized for lack of good management, quality control, and attention to consumers.1 In this article we will discuss the link between the positive and negative aspects of the Japanese system by describing the use of a universal fee schedule to define much of the health care system. We will then describe current efforts .
ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE PATTERN AGAINST VARIOUS ISOLATES OF STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS FROM MILK PRODUCTS KHOYA AND BURFI

A total of twenty eight samples of each khoya and burfi were taken from different shops in Multan. All the samples were found to be contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus. When these S. aureus isolates from burfi were subjected to various antibiotic, lincomycin, tetracycline, cephradine and co- trimaxazole sensitivity tests, were found to be 100% effective against S. aureus. The decreased order of susceptibility of other antibiotics (amoxil, amikin, augmentin, ampiclox, erythromycin, ampicillin and colistin) was 96.43%, 96.43%, 92.86%, 82.14%, 89.29%, 28.57% and 7.14%, respectively for S. aureus isolates from burfi. The increased order of susceptibility of S. aureus against various antibiotics collected from khoya samples were colistin (14.29%), ampicillin (17.86%), ampiclox (71.43%), tetracycline (75%), . erythromycin and lincomycin each (89.29%), amikin and co-trimaxazole each (92.86%), cephradine and augmentin each (96.43%). It can be concluded that hygiene of milk products is poor and resistant strains might have contaminated these products during the process of transportation or preparation.
Determinants of health care utilization by German sickness fund members--with application to risk adjustment.

In many countries, social health insurance systems are being reformed in favor of more competition among insurers, while premiums are community rated by regulation. The implicit incentives for insurers to engage in risk selection can only be curtailed using appropriate systems of risk-adjusted equalization payments among insurers. To develop these systems, predictors of individual utilization patterns have to be identified, e.g. via regression analysis using previous utilization data. In some countries such as Germany, such data are hardly ever available. In the early nineties, a number of sickness funds participated in an experiment in which individual utilization data were collected. Our data set covers more than 70,000 members of company sickness funds over a 5-year period. We analyze socio-demographic determinants of utilization which could be used as risk adjusters in a risk equalization scheme. Our results suggest that besides age and sex, the set of risk adjusters should include income, family status and a dummy for the last year of life.
Mass correlation spectroscopy for mass- and size-based nanoparticle characterization in fluid

The characterization of nanoparticles is an important problem in many areas of applied physics, chemistry, medicine, and biology. Micromechanical resonators with embedded fluidic channels represent a powerful new technology for particle characterization through direct measurement of the buoyant mass of nanoparticles in solution with attogram resolution (1 ag = 10−18 g). We recently showed that correlation analysis greatly expands the range of applications by enabling measurements of mass even when the individual particles are far lighter than the conventional detection limit. Here, we extend the concept of mass correlation spectroscopy further to simultaneously measure the ensemble-averaged size and mass of nanoparticles by exploiting size-dependent differences in hydrodynamic dispersion. To do so, we first derive an approximate model of the dispersion of finite-size particles flowing through a microfluidic channel of rectangular cross-section, valid in a large range of dispersion regimes. By including th.
Genetic Diversity of Isoniazid-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis Isolates Collected in Poland and Assessed by Spoligotyping

ABSTRACT The genetic compositions of 71 isoniazid-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains from Poland were determined by spoligotyping. Nearly 80% of the isolates belonged to either the T or the Haarlem family. The genotypic diversity was largely due to variation within those families. The scarcity of imported genotypes suggested that the M. tuberculosis population studied has an endemic nature.
Cardiometabolic risk factors are influenced by Stearoyl-CoA Desaturase (SCD) -1 gene polymorphisms and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation.

SCOPE To determine if single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD)-1 gene that encodes a key enzyme for fatty acid metabolism are associated with the response of cardiometabolic risk factors to n-3 PUFA supplementation. METHODS AND RESULTS Two hundred and ten subjects completed a 2-week run-in period followed by 6-week supplementation with 5 g of fish oil (1.9-2.2 g eicosapentaenoic acid and 1.1 g docosahexaenoic acid). Risk factors were measured pre and post n-3 supplementation. Fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids was analyzed by GC and the desaturase indices SCD16 (16:1n-7/16:0) and SCD18 (18:1n-9/18:0) were calculated. Genotyping of eight SNPs of the SCD1 gene was performed. N-3 PUFA supplementation decreased plasma triglycerides, as well as SCD16 and SCD18 indices, but increased fasting plasma glucose concentrations. SNPs in SCD1-modified cardiometabolic risk factors pre and post n-3 PUFA supplementation: triglyceride (rs508384, p = 0.0086), IL6 (rs3071, p = 0.0485), C-reactive protein (rs3829160, p = 0.0489), and SCD18 indices (rs2234970, p = 0.0337). A significant interaction effect between the SNP and n-3 PUFA supplementation was also observed for fasting plasma glucose levels (rs508384, p = 0.0262). CONCLUSION These results suggest that cardiometabolic risk factors are modulated by genetic variations in the SCD1 gene alone or in combination with n-3 PUFA supplementation.
Magnetization switching of CoPd alloy film on piezoelectric substrate via inverse piezoelectric effect

The magnetization switching of Co/sub 0.25/Pd/sub 0.75/ alloy film on Pb(Zr/sub 0.52/Ti/sub 0.48/)O/sub 3/ substrate was studied by measuring the polar Kerr rotation hysteresis loops and their electric field dependencies. It was found that the direction of spontaneous magnetization in CoPd alloy film was easily controllable via the inverse piezoelectric effect of the lead zirconate titanate layer, judging from the change of the Kerr rotation hysteresis loops with respect to an applied voltage. Since the magnetization direction maintains its initial state even when the applied voltage is turned off, this system is applicable to a future nonvolatile memory device.
Analysis of 14 CAG repeat-containing genes in schizophrenia.

Recently, it has been suggested that trinucleotide repeat-containing genes may be involved in the etiology of schizophrenia. This study was aimed at investigating putative associations between allelic variants or expansions of CAG repeat-containing genes (CAGrCG) and schizophrenia or its variability with respect to responsiveness to conventional neuroleptics. CAG repeat allelic variants of 14 expressed sequences were compared among three groups of subjects: neuroleptic-responder (R; n = 43) and neuroleptic-nonresponder (NR; n = 63) schizophrenic patients, and a control group (C; n = 122). No CAG expansions, in the range of those observed in neurodegenerative diseases, were identified in these 14 expressed sequences. The sizes of CAG repeat for the hGT1 gene were marginally different among the three groups of subjects (Kruskal-Wallis H (2, 456) = 10.48, Bonferroni corrected P = 0.047). Comparisons among the different groups indicated that neuroleptic responders have shorter alleles compared to controls (Mann-Whitney adjusted Z = -3.23, P = 0.0012). NR patients were not different from controls. These preliminary results suggest that the hGT1 gene, or a gene in its vicinity, may be involved in the etiology of schizophrenia or in modifying the disease phenotype with regard to outcome and/or neuroleptic responsiveness. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 88:694-699, 1999.
Psychophysical Methods

When Fechner (1860/1966) introduced the new transdisciplinary research program of “Psychophysik”, his goal was to present a scientific method of studying the relations between body and mind, or, to put it more precisely, between the physical and phenomenal worlds. The key idea underlying Fechner’s psychophysics was that body and mind are just different reflections of the same reality. From an external, objective viewpoint we speak of processes in the brain (i.e., of bodily processes). Considering the same processes from an internalized, subjective viewpoint, we can speak of processes of the mind. In suggesting that processes of the brain are directly reflected in processes of the mind, Fechner anticipated one of the main goals of modern neuroscience, which is to establish correlations between neuronal (objective) and perceptual (subjective) events. The goal of this chapter is to present Fechner’s techniques and those extensions and modifications of psychophysical methods that may be helpful to the modern neuroscientist with the time-honored objective of discovering the properties of mind and their relation to the brain.
4,4′-Bipyridine–cyclohexane-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid (1/1)

In the title 1:1 adduct, C10H8N2·C10H12O8, the dihedral angle between the pyridine rings in the 4,4-bipyridine molecule is 8.33 (13)°. In the crystal, the cyclohexane-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylic acid molecules interact with each other through intermolecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming an infinite chain along the a axis, which is further linked perpendicularly by O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds involving bipyridine, resulting in a supramolecular corrugated sheet parallel to the (110) plane.
Is There an Association Between Cortisol and Hypertension in Overweight or Obese Children?

Objective: The precise mechanisms behind the development of hypertension in overweight or obese children are not yet completely understood. Alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity may play a role. We aimed to investigate the association between cortisol parameters and hypertension in overweight or obese children. Methods: Random urine (n=180) and early-morning saliva samples (n=126) for assessment of cortisol and cortisone were collected from 1) hypertensive overweight children (n=50), 2) normotensive overweight children (n=145), and 3) normotensive non-overweight children (n=75). Results: The age of participants was 10.4±3.3 years and 53% were boys. The urinary cortisol-to-cortisone ratio [β 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.05-1.19] as well as urinary cortisol/creatinine (β 1.38, 95% CI 1.09-1.54), and cortisone/creatinine ratios (β 1.26, 95% CI 1.17-1.36) were significantly higher in overweight or obese than in non-overweight children. After adjusting for body mass index-standard deviation score and urinary cortisone/creatinine ratio, but not cortisol/creatinine ratio, was significantly associated with presence of hypertension (β 1.12, 95% CI 1.02-1.23). Salivary cortisol and cortisone levels were significantly lower in overweight or obese than in non-overweight children (β -4.67, 95% CI -8.19- -1.15, and β 0.89, 95% CI 0.80-0.97 respectively). There were no significant differences in cortisol parameters between hypertensive and normotensive overweight or obese children. Conclusion: This study provided further evidence for an increased cortisol production rate with decreased renal 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 activity and flattening of early-morning peak cortisol and cortisone in overweight or obese children. However, there were no significant differences in cortisol parameters between hypertensive and normotensive overweight and obese children.
Pilot Study of Accelerated Low-Frequency Right-Sided Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation for Treatment-Resistant Depression

Background Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is an effective option for treatment-resistant depression but requires prolonged repeated daily treatments for 4 to 6 weeks. Pilot studies have showed the possibility of accelerating rTMS safely and efficaciously but thus far only investigated high-frequency left-sided rTMS. We sought to investigate the safety and efficacy of accelerated low-frequency right-sided rTMS. Methods Our study was an open label accelerated rTMS pilot in 7 treatment-resistant patients (4 unipolar, 3 BP). Accelerated rTMS was given over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex at 120% of resting motor threshold at 1 Hz, and 900 pulses were delivered per session. A single rTMS treatment was administered on the first day to test for tolerability, followed by 5 rTMS sessions a day for 2 days, then 7 days of daily rTMS sessions. The total course consisted of 16,200 pulses across 18 sessions given over 10 consecutive weekdays. The primary outcomes of interest were self- and clinician-rated depression scores (BDI-II and MADRS). Results All patients successfully and safely completed the accelerated rTMS treatment. MADRS scores decreased significantly by the third day of treatment and BDI II scores by the end of the 10-day treatment. No patients achieved response or remission. Conclusions Accelerated low-frequency right-sided rTMS was a safe and possibly efficacious treatment for treatment-resistant depression. More research is recommended, including a controlled trial with longer duration of exposure, to establish the efficacy of left- and right-sided accelerated rTMS.
Reduction of anxiety in children facing hospitalization and surgery by use of filmed modeling.

Sixty children about to undergo elective surgery for hernias, tonsillectomies, or urinary-genit al tract difficulties were shown on hospital admission either a relevant peer modeling film of a child being hospitalized and receiving surgery or an unrelated control film. Both groups received extensive preparation by the hospital staff. State measures of anxiety, including self-report, behavioral observation, and Palmar Sweat Index, revealed a significant reduction of preoperative (night before) and postoperative (3-4 week postsurgery examination) fear arousal in the experimental as compared to the control film group. The parents reported a significant posthospital increment in the frequency of behavior problems in the children who had not seen the modeling film. Trait measures of anxiety did not reflect the group differences due to the hospital experience. The literature on hospitalized children suggests that there is a consensus that all children need some kind of psychological preparation for the hospital experience, particularly when accompanied by surgery. The need for such preparation is predicted on the belief that hospitalization and surgery are stressful and anxiety-producing experiences that can lead to transient or long-term psychological disturbances in most children. A number of behavior problems have been observed in children who have been hospitalized for surgery (Chapman, Loeb, & Gibbons, 19S6; Gellert, 19S8) with estimates for the incidence of these problems ranging from 10% to 35% (Jessner, Blom, & Waldfogel, 1952; Prugh, Staub, Sands, Kirschbaum, & Lenihan, 1953; Schaffer & Callender, 1959). Cassell (1965) reported slight psychological upset in as many as 92% of the hospitalized children studied.
Exome sequencing reveals mutation in GJA1 as a cause of keratoderma-hypotrichosis-leukonychia totalis syndrome.

Department of Dermatology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China, Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Diagnosis on Dermatoses, Beijing 100034, China, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing 100871, China, Department of Pathology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing 100191, China, Laboratory of Electron Microscopy, Peking University FirstHospital,Beijing 100034, China, BGI-Shenzhen,Shenzhen 518083, China, The Guangdong Enterprise Key Laboratory of Human Disease Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen 518083, China and Department of Dermatology, Cangshan County People’s Hospital, Cangshan 277700 Shandong, China
Anti-aging effect of astragalosides and its mechanism of action.

AIM To study the anti-aging effect of astragalosides (AST) and its mechanism of action. METHODS Rotating rod test and step-down type passive avoidance test were performed to determine the effects of AST on motor and memory of D-galactose (D-gal)-induced senescent mice and the middle-aged mice. The proliferative response of splenocytes induced by Con A or LPS, IL-2 production of splenocytes induced by ConA of D-gal-treated mice and the middle-aged mice were also measured. RESULTS AST (40 mg.kg(-1). d(-1), ig, for 10 weeks) was found to ameliorate age-related alternations in both motor response and memory, enhance the deteriorated cellular immunity in D-gal-treated mice and the pre-aged (17-month-old) mice. CONCLUSION AST has an anti-aging effect on D-gal-induced senescent mice and has the effect of delaying senility of the middle-aged mice, which was related to its improvement of brain function and immunomodulatory effects.