Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mobilization of CD4+ T lymphocytes in inflamed mucosa reduces pain in colitis mice: toward a vaccinal strategy to alleviate inflammatory visceral pain

Abstract T lymphocytes play a pivotal role in endogenous regulation of inflammatory visceral pain. The analgesic activity of T lymphocytes is dependent on their production of opioids, a property acquired on antigen activation. Accordingly, we investigated whether an active recruitment of T lymphocytes within inflamed colon mucosa via a local vaccinal strategy may counteract inflammation-induced visceral pain in mice. Mice were immunized against ovalbumin (OVA). One month after immunization, colitis was induced by adding 3% (wt/vol) dextran sulfate sodium into drinking water containing either cognate antigen OVA or control antigen bovine serum albumin for 5 days. Noncolitis OVA-primed mice were used as controls. Visceral sensitivity was then determined by colorectal distension. Oral administration of OVA but not bovine serum albumin significantly reduced dextran sulfate sodium–induced abdominal pain without increasing colitis severity in OVA-primed mice. Analgesia was dependent on local release of enkephalins by effector anti-OVA T lymphocytes infiltrating the inflamed mucosa. The experiments were reproduced with the bacillus Calmette–Guerin vaccine as antigen. Similarly, inflammatory visceral pain was dramatically alleviated in mice vaccinated against bacillus Calmette–Guerin and then locally administered with live Mycobacterium bovis. Together, these results show that the induction of a secondary adaptive immune response against vaccine antigens in inflamed mucosa may constitute a safe noninvasive strategy to relieve from visceral inflammatory pain.
111Indium labeling of hepatocytes for analysis of short‐term biodistribution of transplanted cells

Hepatocyte transplantation is useful for ex vivo gene therapy and liver repopulation. Methods for hepatic reconstitution have recently been developed but optimization of hepatocyte transplantation systems is necessary. To develop systems for noninvasive assessment of the biodistribution of transplanted cells, we labeled hepatocytes with 111indium‐oxine. Our initial studies showed that hepatocytes incorporated 111indium‐oxine with an efficiency of approximately 20%. After labeling, cell viability was unchanged and 111indium was present in hepatocytes after overnight culture, as well as after intrasplenic transplantation. Transplanted cells were successfully localized by means of scintigraphic imaging. The scintigraphic patterns of cell distribution were different when hepatocytes were transplanted by means of either spleen or internal jugular vein, which deposit cells into separate vascular beds. Quantitative analysis of the biodistribution of 111indium‐labeled hepatocytes indicated that within 2 hr of intrasplenic transplantation, cells were predominantly localized in liver and spleen, and occasionally in lungs. To determine whether the rate of intrasplenic cell injection influenced translocation of hepatocytes, we transplanted cells in normal rats. Despite intrasplenic cell injection at a variety of rates, organ‐specific distribution of 111indium‐labeled hepatocytes remained unchanged. Labeling with 111indium did not affect long‐term survival of transplanted hepatocytes. These results indicate that 111indium‐labeling of hepatocytes should greatly assist noninvasive analysis in the short‐term of the biodistribution of transplanted hepatocytes. (Hepatology 1994;19:750–757).
Aspirin-triggered lipoxin A4 blocks reactive oxygen species generation in endothelial cells: A novel antioxidative mechanism

Summary Lipoxins and their aspirin-triggered carbon-15 epimers have emerged as mediators of key events in endogenous anti-inflammation and resolution. However, the implication of these novel lipid mediators on cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and heart failure has not been investigated. One of the major features shared by these pathological conditions is the increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by vascular NAD(P)H oxidase activation. In this study, we have examined whether an aspirin-triggered lipoxin A4 analog (ATL-1) modulates ROS generation in endothelial cells (EC). Pre-treatment of EC with ATL-1 (1–100 nM) completely blocked ROS production triggered by different agents, as assessed by dihydrorhodamine 123 and hydroethidine. Furthermore, ATL-1 inhibited the phosphorylation and translocation of the cytosplamic NAD(P)H oxidase subunit p47phox to the cell membrane as well as NAD(P)H oxidase activity. Western blot and immunofluorescence microscopy analyses showed that ATL-1 (100 nM) impaired the redox-sensitive activation of the transcriptional factor NF-κB, a critical step in several events associated to vascular pathologies. These results demonstrate that ATL-1 suppresses NAD(P)H oxidase-mediated ROS generation in EC, strongly indicating that lipoxins may play a protective role against the development and progression of cardiovascular diseases.
Use of Self-Assembled Monolayers of Different Wettabilities To Study Surface Selection and Primary Adhesion Processes of Green Algal (Enteromorpha) Zoospores

ABSTRACT We investigated surface selection and adhesion of motile zoospores of a green, macrofouling alga (Enteromorpha) to self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) having a range of wettabilities. The SAMs were formed from alkyl thiols terminated with methyl (CH3) or hydroxyl (OH) groups or mixtures of CH3- and OH-terminated alkyl thiols and were characterized by measuring the advancing contact angles and by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. There was a positive correlation between the number of spores that attached to the SAMs and increasing contact angle (hydrophobicity). Moreover, the sizes of the spore groups (adjacent spores touching) were larger on the hydrophobic SAMs. Video microscopy of a patterned arrangement of SAMs showed that more zoospores were engaged in swimming and “searching” above the hydrophobic sectors than above the hydrophilic sectors, suggesting that the cells were able to “sense” that the hydrophobic surfaces were more favorable for settlement. The results are discussed in relation to the attachment of microorganisms to substrata having different wettabilities.
Single-dose tinidazole for the treatment of giardiasis

Sixty-three expatriate residents and travellers in Bangladesh, infected with Giardia lamblia, participated in two studies to compare the therapeutic efficacy of tinidazole and metronidazole. In the first trial 33 randomly selected patients were treated with tinidazole (50 mg/kg of body weight to a maximum of 2 g) or metronidazole (60 mg/kg of body weight to a maximum of 2.4 g) in a single oral dose. Patients were followed for 4 weeks after the end of therapy for the presence of G. lamblia in their stools. Sixteen (94%) of 17 patients receiving tinidazole were free of G. lamblia during that period, compared to only 9 (56%) of 16 patients who had received metronidazole (P less than 0.02). In the second trial patients were randomly allocated to a treatment schedule of either metronidazole as a single dose on 3 successive days (50 mg/kg of body weight to a maximum of 2 g daily) or tinidazole as a single oral dose (50 mg/kg of body weight to a maximum of 2 g). All 15 patients treated with tinidazole and 14 (93%) of 15 patients treated with metronidazole were free of G. lamblia during the 4-week follow-up period. A single oral dose of tinidazole is a highly effective treatment for giardiasis and is equal in efficacy to a 3-day therapy with metronidazole.
Solar-powered spike-based communication system with analog back scatter

Radio frequency backscatter involves the modulation of antenna load with the message signal. The information content of the message signal appears in the amplitude of the reflected signal from the antenna. The message can either be a digital signal or an analog signal. The former results in a digital backscatter communication while the latter results in an analog backscatter communication. In this paper, the analog backscatter using multiple time-spaced spike signals, which carry information of its identification and the sensor in their time separations is presented. A solar-cell powered spike generation circuit is designed and delay elements are used with the spike generator to encode the information of the identification and sensor. An HSMS2852 small signal Schottky diode is used for analog spike backscattering. A two coupler based RF cancellation technique is implemented to reduce the interference for the proposed full duplex communication system. A time-frequency analysis of the spikes carrying sensor and ID information is performed.
Embryonic Fibroblasts That Are Genetically Deficient in Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-related Protein Demonstrate Increased Activity of the Urokinase Receptor System and Accelerated Migration on Vitronectin*

Low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein (LRP) mediates the endocytosis of diverse ligands, including urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor, uPAR, which have been implicated in cellular migration. The purpose of this study was to determine whether LRP affects cellular migration. Murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEF) that are LRP-deficient due to targeted gene disruption and exotoxin selection (MEF-2), heterozygous fibroblasts (PEA-10), and wild-type fibroblasts (MEF-1) were compared. When cultures were denuded of cells in a 1-mm-wide strip, all three cell types migrated into the denuded area. The MEF-2 cells migrated nearly twice as rapidly as the MEF-1 cells or PEA-10 cells. The difference in migration velocity was duplicated in culture wells that were precoated with serum or vitronectin and partially duplicated in wells coated with fibronectin but not in wells coated with type I collagen or Matrigel. uPA was detected in MEF-2 conditioned medium (CM) at a concentration of 0.30 ± 0.02 nm, which was 13-fold higher than the level detected in MEF-1 CM or PEA-10 CM, suggesting one potential mechanism for the enhanced migration of MEF-2 cells. uPAR was also increased on MEF-2 cells by 4–5-fold, as determined by PI-PLC release, and by 2.5-fold, as determined by a uPA/uPAR activity assay. Mannosamine treatment, which down-regulates cell-surface uPAR, decreased MEF-2 migration by 40% without significantly affecting MEF-1 migration. MEF-2 CM, which is uPA-rich, increased the rate of MEF-1 migration, and MEF-1 CM did not. These studies demonstrate alterations in cellular migration and in the activity of the uPA/uPAR system which accompany complete deficiency of LRP expression in fibroblasts. We propose that uPA and uPAR form an autocrine loop for promoting fibroblast migration and that LRP counteracts the activity of this system.
Detecting informal settlements from IKONOS image data using methods of object oriented image analysis—An example from Cape Town (South Africa)

Detecting informal settlements might be one of the most challenging tasks within urban remote sensing. This phenomenon occurs mostly in developing countries. In order to carry out the urban planning and development tasks necessary to improve living conditions for the poorest world-wide, an adequate spatial data basis is needed (see Mason, O. S. & Fraser, C. S., 1998). This can only be obtained through the analysis of remote sensing data, which represents an additional challenge from a technical point of view. Formal settlements by definition are mapped sufficiently for most purposes. However, this does not hold for informal settlements. Due to their microstructure and instability of shape, the detection of these settlements is substantially more difficult. Hence, more sophisticated data and methods of image analysis are necessary, which ideally act as a spatial data basis for a further informal settlement management. While these methods are usually quite labour-intensive, one should nonetheless bear in mind cost-effectivity of the applied methods and tools. In the present article, it will be shown how eCognition can be used to detect and discriminate informal settlements from other land-use-forms by describing typical characteristics of colour, texture, shape and context. This software is completely objectoriented and uses a patented, multi-scale image segmentation approach. The generated segments act as image objects whose physical and contextual characteristics can be described by means of fuzzy logic. The article will show methods and strategies using eCognition to detect informal settlements from high resolution space-borne image data such as IKONOS. A final discussion of the results will be given.
Measuring spirituality in South Africa: Validation of instruments developed in the USA

Abstract Spirituality is receiving increased attention in the context of the workplace. Research consistently shows that spirituality is significantly correlated with mental health and well-being. Most of the research on spirituality, particularly in the context of the workplace, is conducted with instruments developed in the USA. However, the inter-cultural measurement of constructs remains a concern, because instruments developed in one culture are not necessarily transferable to another culture. In the current study, the transferability of two spiritual measures developed in the USA, namely the Human Spirituality Scale (HSS) and the Organizational Spirituality Values Scale (OSVS) are considered for a sample from South Africa. The results confirm the construct validity of the HSS and the OSVS, but indicate that the factor structures of the HSS and the OSVS should be analysed and reconfirmed when used, particularly in a South African sample. The study provides evidence that the HSS and the OSVS cannot be transferred indiscriminately to a South African sample. This insight contributes to the quality of future research studies in South Africa, not only on the important aspect of spirituality, but also when applying instruments developed elsewhere in the world.
The Impact of Organizational Innovations in Nursing Homes on Staff Perceptions: A Secondary Data Analysis

PURPOSE The shift in nursing home care for patients with dementia from traditional task-driven environments towards patient-centered small-scale environments has implications for nursing practice. Information about its implications for nursing staff is lacking, and only a few studies have addressed staff perceptions. We sought to explore staff perceptions of required skills and to determine differences in job satisfaction, motivation, and job characteristics of staff working in both care settings. DESIGN A secondary data analysis was conducted. The data source used was drawn from a larger study testing the effects of small-scale living (Verbeek et al., 2009). METHODS Nursing staff working on a permanent basis and who were directly involved in care were eligible to participate in the study. Data on job satisfaction, motivation, and job characteristics of nursing staff working in typical small-scale and traditional care environments were derived using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Differences between nursing staff job satisfaction, motivation, and job characteristics were tested using multilinear regression analysis. FINDINGS In total, 138 staff members were included (81 staff members working in traditional nursing home wards and 57 staff members working in small-scale nursing home wards). The findings showed that in typical small-scale nursing homes, job satisfaction and job motivation were significantly higher compared to those in typical traditional nursing homes. Job autonomy and social support were also significantly higher, while job demands were significantly lower in these small-scale nursing homes. Social support was found to be the most significant predictor of job motivation and job satisfaction in both types of typical nursing homes. Nursing staff working in traditional care environments more often expressed the intention to switch to small-scale environments. CONCLUSIONS Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that nursing homes environments differ substantially in experienced job satisfaction and job motivation. CLINICAL RELEVANCE To enable a balanced work environment for nursing staff, a clear understanding of the relation between living environments and experienced job satisfaction among nursing staff is required. Since social support seems to be one of the key contributors to a supportive beneficial work climate, managers should focus on enabling this in daily nursing home care.
Spectroscopic characterization of a 2.3µm GaInAsSb-based VCSEL structure

A vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) structure, for 2. 3μm gas sensing, is investigated with photo-modulated reflectance (PR) as functions of incidence angle and temperature. Heating from 9K to 300K tunes the quantum well (QW) transitions relative to the VCSEL cavity mode (CM). The QW ground-state comes into resonance with the CM at 220±2K and the QW-CM offset at 300K is 21meV. These results are compared with those of operating devices.
Adequacy of interviews vs checklists for classifying childhood psychiatric disorder based on parent reports.

BACKGROUND The advantages and disadvantages of lay-administered structured interviews and self-administered problem checklists for estimating prevalence and associated features of childhood psychiatric disorder have attracted little comment. This article compares the scientific adequacy of these 2 instruments for classifying DSM-III-R categories of childhood psychiatric disorder in general population samples. METHODS Study data are from parental assessments of 251 children aged 6 to 16 years participating in a 2-stage measurement evaluation study. Reliability and validity were compared between the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents (the structured interview in the study) and the revised Ontario Child Health Study scales (the self-administered problem checklist used in the study). RESULTS Reliability estimates based on the kappa statistic were comparable for the 2 instruments and ranged from 0.21 (conduct disorder) to 0.70 (depression) on the lay interview and from 0.17 (depression) to 0.61 (oppositional defiant disorder) on the self-administered checklist. Validity coefficients tended to favor the checklist categories, but only marginally. CONCLUSIONS On balance, differences in reliability and validity were small between the 2 instruments. These differences would appear to have no discernible impact on the knowledge about prevalence and associated features of disorder generated by use of such instruments in general population surveys.
MotY, a component of the sodium-type flagellar motor

Energy to power the rotation of bacterial flagella can be derived from the proton or sodium transmembrane potential. Until now, genes encoding a bacterial sodium-type flagellar motor have not been defined. A gene, motY, encoding one component of the sodium-type flagellar motor of Vibrio parahaemolyticus was cloned by complementation of a Mot- mutant strain. Sequencing revealed an open reading frame of 879 nucleotides in which a transposon conferring a motility defect mapped. Overexpression of motY in Escherichia coli allowed identification of a product 33 kDa in apparent size on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This size correlated well with the predicted molecular mass of 33,385 Da. Unlike mot genes identified in other bacteria, localized transposon mutagenesis suggested that the locus was not an extended region containing multiple genes required for swimming motility. Sequencing upstream and downstream of motY confirmed that the gene maps alone and placed it within a locus homologous to the E. coli rnt locus. Although data bank searches failed to reveal significant similarity to known motility components, the carboxyl terminus of MotY showed extensive homology to a number of outer membrane proteins known to interact with peptidoglycan, including OmpA and peptidoglycan-associated lipoproteins. To a limited extent, this domain could also be identified in the Bacillus subtilis MotB protein. This finding suggests that MotY plays the role of a stator in the sodium flagellar motor, stabilizing the force-generating unit through direct interaction with the cell wall.
Methods for Estimation of Statistical Properties of Envelopes of Ultrasonic Echoes from Myocardium

Several investigators have characterized various forms of heart disease from the statistical properties of envelopes of ultrasonic echos from myocardium. In particular, the mean-to-standard deviation ratio (MSR), skewness, and kurtosis of the envelope probability density function have been used for the detection of myocardial ischemia, infarction, reperfusion, and hypertrophy. In this paper, the effects of phenomena other than tissue acoustic properties upon estimates of statistical parameters are investigated. These include system characteristics (center frequency, bandwidth, beam width, etc.), sample volume dimensions, and tissue velocity. In myocardium, relatively small amounts of tissue are available for interrogation. It is shown that, under these limited data acquisition conditions, substantial systematic biases in the estimates of statistical parameters may occur. Analytic forms for errors in the envelope variance estimate are derived. Estimation of the envelope mean, variance, MSR, skewness, and kurtosis is investigated experimentally, using a commercial medical ultrasound scanner and a tissue-mimicking phantom.
Axial Alignment of the Lower Extremity in Chinese Adults*

Background: The restoration of normal axial alignment of the lower extremity is important to surgeons who perform reconstructive surgery of the knee. However, data on the normal alignment of the lower extremity in Chinese adults are not available.Methods: The axial alignment of the lower extremity in twenty-five adult male and twenty-five adult female volunteers of southern Chinese origin was measured on weight-bearing radiographs of the entire lower limb. The mean age was twenty-four years for the male volunteers and twenty-three years for the female volunteers. The results were compared with those of two similar studies of white volunteers in the United States.Results: The medial inclination of the tibial plateau in the Chinese subjects (mean and standard deviation, 5.4 ± 2.5 degrees for women and 4.9 ± 2.3 degrees for men) was greater than the commonly reported 3 degrees. The extremities of the Chinese women were found to have a mean of 2.2 ± 2.5 degrees of varus alignment, and those of the Chinese men had a mean of 2.2 ± 2.7 degrees of varus alignment.Conclusions: Compared with the white subjects described in the studies by Moreland et al. and Hsu et al., the Chinese subjects had significantly larger medial inclination of the knee joint (knee-joint obliquity) (p < 0.005) and the female Chinese subjects had significantly more varus alignment of the lower extremity (p < 0.025). Clinical Relevance: Five degrees of external rotation of the femoral component, instead of the commonly reported 3 degrees, may be required to obtain a rectangular flexion gap in total knee arthroplasty in Chinese patients. The racial difference in the knee-joint obliquity may contribute to the racial difference in the ratio of knee osteoarthritis to hip osteoarthritis. Additional studies are necessary to confirm this relationship.