Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polymorphism of the PEMT gene and susceptibility to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)

Phosphatidylethanolamine N‐methyltransferase (PEMT) catalyzes phosphatidylcholine synthesis. PEMT knockout mice have fatty livers, and it is possible that, in humans, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) might be associated with PEMT gene polymorphisms. DNA samples from 59 humans without fatty liver and from 28 humans with NAFLD were genotyped for a single nucleotide polymorphism in exon 8 of PEMT, which leads to a V175M substitution. V175M is a loss of function mutation, as determined by transiently transfecting McArdle‐RH7777 cells with constructs of wild‐type PEMT open reading frame or the V175M mutant. Met/Met at residue 175 (loss of function SNP) occurred in 67.9% of the NAFLD subjects and in only 40.7% of control subjects (P<0.03). For the first time we report that a polymorphism of the human PEMT gene (V175M) is associated with diminished activity and may confer susceptibility to NAFLD. Song, J., da Costa, K. A. , Fischer, L. M. , Kohlmeier, M. , Kwock, L. , Wang, S. , Zeisel, S. H. Polymorphism of the PEMT gene and susceptibility to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). FASEB J. 19, 1266–1271 (2005)
Basic fibroblast growth factor induces myocardial hypertrophy following acute infarction in rats

Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is a potent mitogen which induces growth of collateral vessels in ischaemic and infarcted myocardium. The effect of systemically administered bFGF on left ventricular (LV) function, myocardial hypertrophy and LV remodelling following acute myocardial infarction (MI) have not yet been fully investigated. Thirty Sprague‐Dawley male rats were randomized to receive bFGF (0.5 mg) or rat albumin intraperitoneally for 1 week, beginning immediately after the induction of MI. Five animals served as controls and did not undergo any operation. Animals were killed 6 weeks after surgery and the hearts were perfused and fixed at physiological pressure. Transverse cross‐sections from infarcted areas were stained with antibodies against proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and Masson‐trichrome and analysed with a coloured‐image analyser for LV area (mm2), LV cavity diameter (mm), infarcted area (%), and wall thickness (mm) in infarcted and non‐infarcted regions. LV area was similar in MI rats and in controls (41.7 +/− 6.9 and 43.0 +/− 1.5 mm2, respectively) and was significantly larger in MI bFGF‐treated (MI/bFGF) animals (47.6 +/− 7.1 mm2) (P = 0.023). LV cavity diameter was significantly larger in the MI group than in MI/bFGF and control animals (6.0 +/− 0.8, 4.9 +/− 1.4, and 4.4 +/− 0.8 mm, respectively, P = 0.018). Wall thickness in the non‐infarcted region was significantly smaller in MI animals (1.4 +/− 0.3 mm) than in MI/bFGF animals (1.6 +/− 0.4 mm) and the control group (1.6 +/− 0.1 mm) (P = 0.015). The ratio between LV cavity diameter/non‐MI wall thickness was higher in MI than in control and MI/bFGF groups (4.8 +/− 1.6, 2.7 +/− 0.6 and 3.3 +/− 1.8, respectively, P = 0.03). Proliferating endothelial cells were significantly more abundant in infarcted than in normal areas in both MI and MI/bFGF groups, but with no significant differences between the groups. Intraperitoneal administration of bFGF did not cause any untoward extracardiac effects. Thus, systemic bFGF administration following acute MI in rats prevents dilatation of the LV, induces hypertrophy of the non‐infarcted myocardium and exerts no untoward effects on extracardiac organs.
Evaluation of Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection in experimentally inoculated sheep and determination of Anaplasma spp seroprevalence in 8 free-ranging sheep flocks in California and Oregon.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate disease progression in sheep experimentally inoculated with Anaplasma phagocytophilum and determine the Anaplasma spp seroprevalence in sheep in free-ranging flocks in the Sierra Nevada foothills and Oregon Coast Range. ANIMALS 10 mature ewes seronegative for Anaplasma spp and 251 sheep from 8 flocks. PROCEDURES 10 ewes received 1 of 3 treatments: A phagocytophilum Webster strain (n = 4), A phagocytophilum MRK strain (4), or human promyelocytic leukemia cells (control treatment [2]). Sheep were monitored for signs of clinical disease, and blood samples were obtained for serologic and PCR assay evaluation intermittently for 48 days. From a subsample of sheep from each of 8 free-ranging flocks, blood samples were obtained to determine Anaplasma spp seroprevalence. RESULTS Sheep inoculated with A phagocytophilum developed subclinical or mild disease, whereas sheep inoculated with the control treatment did not develop any signs of disease. Only 2 ewes seroconverted; both had received the MRK strain. Anaplasma-specific DNA was detected in blood samples from 1 sheep in the Webster strain-inoculated group and 3 sheep in the MRK strain-inoculated group. Sheep seropositive for Anaplasma spp were detected in 5 of 8 flocks, and flocks in the Sierra Nevada foothills had higher within-flock seroprevalence (22%) than did flocks in the Oregon Coast Range (6.4%). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Infection with A phagocytophilum in mature sheep generally resulted in subclinical disease. Higher Anaplasma spp seroprevalence in sheep in the Sierra Nevada foothills corresponded to the geographic distribution of anaplasmosis reported for dogs, horses, and humans.
Rapid Microarray-Based Identification of Different mecA Alleles in Staphylococci

ABSTRACT To screen isolates and to identify mecA alleles, published mecA sequences were analyzed, and a microarray for the rapid discrimination of mecA alleles was designed. A GenBank analysis yielded 135 full-length gene sequences annotated as mecA. These sequences clustered into 32 different alleles corresponding to 28 unique amino acid sequences and to 15 distinct hybridization patterns on this microarray. A collection of 78 clinical and veterinary isolates of Staphylococcus spp. was characterized using this assay. Nine of the 15 expected patterns, as well as one as-yet-unknown pattern, were identified. These patterns were detected in various epidemic methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, in S. pseudintermedius, and in coagulase-negative species such as S. epidermidis, S. fleurettii, or S. haemolyticus. There was no correlation between the different mecA hybridization patterns and the SCCmec type. Determination of MICs showed that mecA alleles corresponding to only four of these nine patterns were associated with β-lactam resistance. The mecA alleles that did not confer β-lactam resistance were largely restricted to coagulase-negative staphylococci of animal origin, such as S. sciuri and S. vitulinus. Because of the diversity of sequences and the different impact on β-lactam susceptibility, the existence of different mecA alleles needs to be taken into account when designing diagnostic assays for the detection of mecA.
The relationship between objective parameters of sleep and measures of fatigue, depression, and cognition in multiple sclerosis

Background People with multiple sclerosis (MS) often report poor sleep, fatigue, sleepiness, depression and cognitive dysfunction. Interrelationships between symptoms and sleep are poorly understood. Objectives To document objective parameters of sleep measured by polysomnography (PSG) and multi-sleep latency tests (MSLTs) in patients experiencing fatigue or sleepiness and to determine whether they correlate with symptoms. Methods Thirty-two MS patients, not on therapy, with fatigue or sleepiness completed the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale, Fatigue Severity Scale, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Beck Depression Index and NeuroTrax cognitive tests and underwent PSG and MSLTs. Results Sleep efficiency (SE) averaged 75.1%. wake after sleep onset (WASO), sleep onset latency and multi-sleep latency were 66.2, 43.4 and 10.43 min, respectively. Stage N3 and rapid eye movement sleep were absent in 10 and four patients, respectively. Increased limb movements were observed in eight patients. Obstructive sleep apnea was observed in 12 patients. Neither SE nor WASO correlated with fatigue or sleepiness. SE correlated with the global cognitive score and with executive function and information processing subscales. Conclusions Overall, 30/32 MS patients reporting fatigue or sleepiness had evidence of one or more sleep disturbances. PSG should be considered in MS patients reporting fatigue or sleepiness in order to rule out treatable disturbances.
Mean Shift-Based Mobile Localization Method in Mixed LOS/NLOS Environments for Wireless Sensor Network

Mobile localization estimation is a significant research topic in the fields of wireless sensor network (WSN), which is of concern greatly in the past decades. Non-line-of-sight (NLOS) propagation seriously decreases the positioning accuracy if it is not considered when the mobile localization algorithm is designed. NLOS propagation has been a serious challenge. This paper presents a novel mobile localization method in order to overcome the effects of NLOS errors by utilizing the mean shift-based Kalman filter. The binary hypothesis is firstly carried out to detect the measurements which contain the NLOS errors. For NLOS propagation condition, mean shift algorithm is utilized to evaluate the means of the NLOS measurements and the data association method is proposed to mitigate the NLOS errors. Simulation results show that the proposed method can provide higher location accuracy in comparison with some traditional methods.
Perceptions of dental aesthetics of Class III and anterior open bite malocclusions: a comparison between 10- to 11-year-old schoolchildren and orthodontists.

OBJECTIVE To compare perceptions of dental aesthetics of Class III and anterior open bite (AOB) malocclusions between 10- to 11-year-old Birmingham schoolchildren and orthodontists. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-one orthodontists practicing in Birmingham (UK) and 383 school children aged 10-11 years from a random and representative sample of seven primary schools in South Birmingham participated in the study. Participants were asked to assess five anterior photographs of the dentition representing varying degrees of aesthetic impairment of Class III and AOB malocclusions. Perceptions of dental aesthetics were determined using the aesthetic component (AC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). RESULTS Perceptions of dental aesthetics were similar among males and females (P > .05). Both groups allocated the highest median AC score to the photo representing severe Class III malocclusion and the lowest to the photo representing mild Class III and AOB malocclusion. Differences in perceived dental aesthetics were significant for photos representing severe Class III and moderate AOB malocclusions, with orthodontists perceiving greater aesthetic impairment for severe Class III and schoolchildren for moderate AOB, respectively (P < .05). CONCLUSIONS Schoolchildren and orthodontists perceived Class III malocclusions to have greater aesthetic impairment compared to AOB malocclusions. Surprisingly, none of the median AC scores allocated to the five photos were in the "Definite need" for treatment category. The IOTN may not be sensitive to these types of malocclusions. This finding merits further investigation.
CPU, heal thyself

In the old days, computer vendors would often pull a fast one. They would tell you their system had the latest microprocessor when it actually had a cheaper, slower version running faster than the chip's rating permitted. So the shiny, new 500-megahertz system you thought you were buying might contain only an overclocked 300-MHz CPU. But the computer worked fine; indeed, it might have operated perfectly for years, with you none the wiser. And you perhaps replaced it only because a good buy on a 1-gigahertz machine eventually came along. How did that poor 300-MHz processor cope with such abuse? The short answer is that the manufacturer had set the clock speed low to ensure that its products would function without fault despite the inevitable variations among chips and among their different operating environments. Shady overclockers took advantage of that conservatism, inviting unpredictable failures when they eliminated the chipmaker's prudent safety margins. Lately, overclocking has gone mainstream. You can, for example, find competitions on the Web in which hardware hackers vie for top honors in this domain. Even chip manufacturers themselves are doing it in public trials to show off how blazingly fast their processors can run under the right conditions-like when they are being cooled with liquid helium to within a few kelvins of absolute zero.
Effects of bacterially synthesized recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor in patients with advanced malignancy.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To define the clinical and hematologic effects of subcutaneously administered bacterially synthesized recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (rhGM-CSF). DESIGN Single arm nonrandomized dose escalation study. PATIENTS Twenty-one patients with advanced malignancy who were not receiving concurrent myelosuppressive therapy. INTERVENTIONS Subcutaneous administration of rhGM-CSF by once-daily injection to groups of two to four patients at doses of 0.3 to 30 micrograms/kg body weight.d for 10 consecutive days. Some patients received a second 10-day period of daily rhGM-CSF treatment after a 10-day nontreatment interval followed by alternate-day treatment. Clinical status and hematologic values were monitored frequently. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS All doses of rhGM-CSF caused an immediate transient fall of 84% to 99% in circulating neutrophils, eosinophils, and monocytes. Continued daily dosing caused a leukocytosis of up to 10-fold with increases in numbers of circulating neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes. There appeared to be a plateau in the increase in neutrophils in the dose range 3 to 15 micrograms/kg.d. Marrow aspirates showed increased proportions of promyelocytes and myelocytes. Alternate-day injection of 15 micrograms/kg maintained a leukocytosis. At doses up to 15 micrograms/kg.d, rhGM-CSF was well tolerated but adverse effects included bone pains, myalgias, rashes, and liver dysfunction. At doses exceeding 15 micrograms/kg.d, pericarditis was a dose-limiting toxicity. Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura was reactivated by rhGM-CSF in one patient. CONCLUSIONS Bacterially synthesized rhGM-CSF induces a leukocytosis in the dose range of 3 to 15 micrograms/kg.d. These doses are appropriate for phase II studies.
Sensate hypothenar perforator free flap for resurfacing large volar surface defect of the digit

In this report we present a case of large sized volar surface defect of a digit reconstructed by hypothenar perforator free flap coverage. A 57‐year‐old male patient presented with a 5 × 2 cm sized avulsive injury on his left little finger involving near total loss of the volar surface. The perforator arteries of the hypothenar area were identified around 5–15% on the x‐axis and 25–50% on the y‐axis (y‐axis: a line from the pisiform base to the metacarpophalangeal joint, x‐axis: a line perpendicular to the y‐axis.) The hypothenar free flap was designed centered on the anticipated location of the perforator artery. Upon dissection, the perforator artery was found as predicted and a superficial palmar vein was saved for venous drainage. In addition, a neighboring cutaneous branch of the ulnar nerve was also saved. The flap survived with satisfactory flap contour, durability, skin color and texture. Five months of follow‐up showed acceptable range of motion for joints of the affected digit and nearly full range of motion for the hand. The sensate hypothenar perforator free flap could be considered as a useful surgical option for large sized volar side defects of finger.
Synthesis of SnO2–ZnO core–shell nanofibers via a novel two-step process and their gas sensing properties

SnO2–ZnO core–shell nanofibers were synthesized via a novel two-step process. First, SnO2 nanofibers were synthesized by electrospinning. In sequence, ZnO shell layers were deposited using atomic layer deposition on the electrospinning synthesized SnO2 nanofibers. To demonstrate the practical applications of the synthesized core–shell nanofibers, we investigated their sensing properties to O2 and NO2. The high sensitivity and dynamic repeatability observed in these sensors reveal that the core–shell nanofibers are promising as sensitive and reliable chemical sensors.
n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Suppress Mitochondrial Translocation to the Immunologic Synapse and Modulate Calcium Signaling in T Cells

Recent studies indicate that the process of Ag presentation induces cytoskeleton-dependent mitochondrial redistribution to the immediate vicinity of the immunologic synapse (IS). This redistribution of mitochondria to the IS in T cells is necessary to maintain Ca2+ influx and Th cell activation. Recently, we demonstrated that n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) suppress the localization and activation of signaling proteins at the IS. Therefore, we hypothesized that n-3 PUFAs suppress CD4+ T cell mitochondrial translocation during the early stages of IS formation and downmodulate Ca2+-dependent Th cell activation. CD4+ cells derived from fat-1 mice, a transgenic model that synthesizes n-3 PUFA from n-6 PUFA, were cocultured with anti-CD3–expressing hybridoma cells (145-2C11) for 15 min at 37°C, and mitochondrial translocation to the IS was assessed by confocal microscopy. Fat-1 mice exhibited a significantly (p < 0.05) reduced percentage of T cells with mitochondria which translocated to the IS; fat-1 (30%) versus wild type control (82%). Regarding the effect on the mitochondrial-to-cytosolic Ca2+ ratio, wild type cells showed significant increases at the IS (71%) and total cell (60%) within 30 min of IS formation. In contrast, fat-1 CD4+ T cells remained at basal levels following the IS formation. A similar blunting of the mitochondrial-to-cytosolic Ca2+ ratio was observed in wild type cells that were coincubated with inhibitors of the mitochondrial uniporter, RU360 or calcium release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channels, BTP2. These observations provide evidence that n-3 PUFAs modulate Th cell activation by limiting mitochondrial translocation to the IS and reducing Ca2+entry.
Enhanced delivery of macromolecular antitumor drugs to tumors by nitroglycerin application

Dose regimens of anticancer agents are usually designed on the basis of the maximum tolerable drug doses, and toxicity prevents drug usage at higher doses, even though the drugs may be more effective at the higher doses. We previously studied macromolecular anticancer drugs, i.e. those larger than 40 kDa, and observed their accelerated accumulation in tumors. Their concentration in tumors was more than 5–100‐fold their blood concentration because of the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Here, we report that the EPR effect was enhanced by applying nitroglycerin (NG) ointment on the skin of tumor‐bearing animals. Tumors studied included breast cancer, which was induced in Sprague–Dawley rats by the chemical carcinogen 7,12‐dimethylbenz[a]anthracene, and three different transplanted tumor models in mice. NG was applied on tumor or nontumorous normal skin as well. Two to three times more putative macromolecular drug (an Evans blue/albumin complex) was delivered to solid tumors with NG than without NG. We also demonstrated that NG enhanced tumor delivery with another macromolecular drug candidate, PZP, i.e. polyethylene glycol‐conjugated zinc protoporphyrin IX, which inhibits heme oxygenase‐1. In addition, we investigated the therapeutic effect of NG using a combination with low molecular weight anthracycline or high molecular weight PZP in mouse tumor models. NG had no apparent toxicity at the doses used, and showed significantly increased therapeutic effects in both cases. Regardless of its site of application, NG thus enhanced the delivery of the drug to tumors, and enhanced therapeutic effects. (Cancer Sci 2009; 100: 2426–2430)
Comparative Study of Magnetic Characteristics of Air-Core and Iron-Core High-Temperature Superconducting Quadrupole Magnets

High-temperature superconductors (HTSs) have a much larger thermal margin than low-temperature superconductors, owing to their high critical temperatures. This characteristic allows HTS magnets to tolerate extremely high heat loads that may arise from radiation. Therefore, research on the development of HTS quadrupole magnets is progressing widely. Quadrupole magnets are commonly used for focusing the transported beams of particles in accelerators. In order to focus the beam, the quadrupole magnet uses an iron yoke with a hyperbolic contour. However, the iron yoke induces nonlinear magnetic characteristics because of saturation. Therefore, an air-core HTS quadrupole magnet is proposed to improve the magnetic characteristics. In this paper, we design air-core and iron-core HTS quadrupole magnet models using a harmonic matching method. The field gradient and effective length of both magnets are 12.1 T/m and 550 mm, respectively. In order to verify the performances of the proposed air-core quadrupole magnet, the magnetic field gradient, field uniformity, and effective length are analyzed for operating currents ranging from 50 to 400 A.
Evaluation of a fully automated high-performance liquid chromatography assay for hemoglobin A1c.

INTRODUCTION Measurement of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is used as an objective measure of long-term blood glucose control in diabetic patients. Recent improvements in automation combined with new recommendations for precision and accuracy have caused us to reevaluate our methods for measuring HbA1c. OBJECTIVE We evaluated a newly automated high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) instrument for measurement of HbA1c (Tosoh A1c 2.2 Plus Glycohemoglobin Analyzer, Tosoh Medics, Foster City, Calif) and compared the results obtained by HPLC to those obtained with an immunoassay (Hitachi 911, Boehringer Mannheim Corporation, Indianapolis, Ind). RESULTS The Tosoh analyzer was found to be linear in a range of 5.3% to 17% and had a throughput of 20 samples per hour. HbA1c results for 102 patient samples by the 2 techniques showed good correlation, with a slope of 0.87 and an intercept at 1.27% +/- 0.15%. Both the total and within-run coefficients of variation were consistently lower for the HPLC method compared with the immunoassay method. The HPLC method produces a chromatogram that shows the different hemoglobin fractions, allowing identification of abnormal hemoglobin variants. In heterozygous individuals, HbA1c measurements are made with no interference from the hemoglobin variant. In the case of homozygous or doubly heterozygous hemoglobin variants, the Tosoh HPLC identifies the hemoglobin variants as such and correctly does not report a HbA1c value in the presence of a markedly decreased amount of hemoglobin A. CONCLUSIONS The Tosoh HPLC provides adequate throughput and improved precision, and the method is traceable to the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial.