Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interaction of the ΦHSIC Virus with Its Host: Lysogeny or Pseudolysogeny?

ABSTRACT The marine phage ΦHSIC has been previously reported to enter into a lysogenic relationship with its host, HSIC, identified asListonella pelagia. This phage produces a variety of plaques on its host, including turbid and haloed plaques, from which lysogens were previously isolated. These lysogens were unstable during long-term storage at −80° C and were lost. When HSIC was reinfected with phage ΦHSIC, pseudolysogen-like interactions between the phage and its host were observed. The cells (termed HSIC-2 or HSIC-2e) produced high viral titers (1011ml−1) in the absence of inoculating phage and yet reached culture densities of nearly 109 ml−1. Prophages were not induced by mitomycin C or the polyaromatic hydrocarbon naphthalene in cells harboring such infections. However, such cells were homoimmune to superinfection. Colonies hybridized strongly with a gene probe from a 100-bp fragment of the ΦHSIC genome, while the host did not. Analysis of chromosomal DNA preparations suggested the presence of a chromosomally integrated prophage. Phage adsorption experiments suggested that HSIC-2 was adsorption impaired. Because of the chromosomal prophage integration and homoimmunity, we interpret these results to indicate that ΦHSIC establishes a lysogenic relationship with its host that involves an extremely high level of spontaneous induction. This could be caused by a weak repressor of phage production. Additionally, poor phage adsorption of HSIC-2 compared to the wild type probably helped maintain this pseudolysogen-like relationship. In many ways, pseudolysogenic phage-host interactions may provide a paradigm for phage-host interactions in the marine environment.
Space/spatial-frequency based image watermarking

An image watermarking procedure in the space/spatial-frequency domain is proposed. Space/spatial-frequency regions to be watermarked are selected by using the two-dimensional spectrogram. In order to provide both the imperceptibility and robustness of the procedure, a watermark is modeled according to the specific characteristics of pixelspsila regions. The inversion from the space/spatial-frequency domain is provided by using the concept of space-varying filtering. The correlation based watermark detection is performed in the space/spatial-frequency domain as well. The efficiency of the proposed procedure is tested in the presence of various common signal processing.
LIF Inhibits Osteoblast Differentiation at Least in Part by Regulation of HAS2 and Its Product Hyaluronan

LIF arrests osteogenesis in fetal rat calvaria cells in a differentiation stage‐specific manner. Differential display identified HAS2 as a LIF‐induced gene and its product, HA, modulated osteoblast differentiation similarly to LIF. Our data suggest that LIF arrests osteoblast differentiation by altering HA content of the extracellular matrix.
Abnormal Polarization and Axon Outgrowth in Retinal Ganglion Cells Lacking the POU-Domain Transcription Factor Brn-3b

The POU domain transcription factor Brn-3b (also called Brn-3.2) is essential for the normal development of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in the mouse. Without Brn-3b, RGCs commit to their fate and migrate to the ganglion cell layer, but most cells die during fetal development. An earlier report (L. Gan et al., 1999, Dev. Biol. 210, 469-480) suggested that cell death was caused by abnormal axon formation. Here, we use retinal explants from wild-type and mutant embryos to show that brn-3b-deficient RGCs are not properly polarized and tend to form dendrites rather than axons. Compared with wild-type explants, neurites of RGCs from brn-3b-deficient retinal explants grew slower, were shorter, and did not fasciculate properly. Mutant neurites had more microtubules than wild-type controls, and the arrangement of microtubules and neurofilaments was characteristic of dendrites rather than axons. Neurites from individual mutant RGCs displayed abnormal polarity and had dendrite-like branches extending outward from their main axis. Most mutant RGCs exhibited abnormal migratory behavior, and their neurites labeled intensely with the dendrite marker MAP-2. A small number of mutant RGCs were not migratory, and their neurites were longer and labeled positively for the axon marker tau-1, suggesting that some RGCs were not as severely affected by the absence of Brn-3b as others. Although tau-1 was not observed in most mutant neurites, it did accumulate in mutant cell bodies, implying that the absence of Brn-3b caused a defect in axon transport. Thus, Brn-3b appears to control the activity of genes that function in establishing RGC polarity, and without Brn-3b, RGCs cannot extend normal axons.
Analysis of the quality of crystallographic data and the limitations of structural models

Crystal structures provide visual models of biological macromolecules, which are widely used to interpret data from functional studies and generate new mechanistic hypotheses. Because the quality of the collected x-ray diffraction data directly affects the reliability of the structural model, it is essential that the limitations of the models are carefully taken into account when making interpretations. Here we use the available crystal structures of members of the glutamate transporter family to illustrate the importance of inspecting the data that underlie the structural models. Crystal structures of glutamate transporters in multiple different conformations have been solved, but most structures were determined at relatively low resolution, with deposited models based on crystallographic data of moderate quality. We use these examples to demonstrate the extent to which mechanistic interpretations can be made safely.
Lamotrigine augmentation in delirium tremens.

INTRODUCTION Delirium tremens (DT) is most severe neurological complication of alcohol withdrawal with high mortality rate. DT is related to an altered balance of excitatory and inhibitory amino-acid neurotransmitters, which is basically due to upregulation of glutaminergic neurotransmission induced by chronic ethanol exposure. Lamotrigine (LTG) is believed to act by reducing excitatory glutamate release due to inhibition of Na (+) channels. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to investigate efficiency of the LTG therapy in the treatment of delirium tremens. METHODS This prospective clinical study included 240 patients with ICD-10 criteria for DT, who were randomly divided into control and experimental group. The patients were observed within 28 days at the Intensive Care Unit of the Centre for Urgent Psychiatric disorders, according to a specific protocol, which included CIWA-Ar and MDAS clinical scales. Control and experimental group were treated according to the NIAAA protocol for 2004, and experimental group with adding of LTG according to a specific program. RESULTS CIWA and MDAS scores in the experimental and control group has statistical significant differences after the third day (p > 0.1), and especially after the fifth day (ECIWA5/KCIWA5 = 8.36 +/- 6.782/32 +/- 5.562; EMDAS5/KMDAS5 = 4.89 +/- 3.408/26.33 +/- 1.497) (p > 0.5). CONCLUSION LTG is significantly efficient in the treatment of delirium tremens, but it does not decrease mortality rate.
Emergence of the Concept of Acute Renal Failure

Acute renal failure (ARF) is an ailment that has afflicted humans from time immemorial. Its recognition, however, was slow to emerge, hampered initially by the failure to consider it a diagnosis and, subsequently, by the disparity of its nomenclature in the different conditions in which it was observed and described. Further delay was due to the late recognition of the physiology of urine formation and the pathophysiology of acute injury to the kidney, which was to allow the final identification of the entity in the past century. The definition of ‘ischuria’ as the suppression or retention of urine, and its classification to include ‘ischuria renalis’ in the 17th century was a fundamental step that allowed diseases of the kidney to be grouped, studied and described. By the 18th century, the clinical course of ARF was well described, and by the 19th century its microscopic structural features were clearly detailed but continued to be given disparate names by various authors. During World War I, acute failure of kidney function due to trauma was reported as ‘war nephritis’, which with the end of the war became a forgotten entity. In the interval between the two world wars, increased emphasis on experimental studies allowed major advances in the understanding of the hemodynamics of shock, volume homeostasis, kidney function and tubular epithelial cell injury and regeneration. As such, the reports of acute kidney failure in crush victims of the London air raids in 1941 prompted a series of clinical, pathological and experimental studies over the ensuing decade that were to lead to the full emergence of the concept of ARF in 1951.
Emotion-based preventive intervention: Effectively promoting emotion knowledge and adaptive behavior among at-risk preschoolers

Abstract Effectiveness studies of preschool social–emotional programs are needed in low-income, diverse populations to help promote the well-being of at-risk children. Following an initial program efficacy study 2 years prior, 248 culturally diverse Head Start preschool children participated in the current effectiveness trial and received either the Emotion-Based Prevention Program (EBP) or the I Can Problem Solve (ICPS) intervention. Pre- and postdata collection included direct child assessment, teacher report, parent interview, and independent observations. Teachers implementing the EBP intervention demonstrated good and consistent fidelity to the program. Overall, children in EBP classrooms gained more emotion knowledge and displayed greater decreases in negative emotion expressions and internalizing behaviors across the implementation period as compared to children in ICPS classrooms. In addition, cumulative risk, parental depressive symptoms, and classroom climate significantly moderated treatment effects. For children experiencing more stress or less support, EBP produced more successful outcomes than did ICPS. These results provide evidence of EBP sustainability and program effectiveness, as did previous findings that demonstrated EBP improvements in emotion knowledge, regulation skills, and behavior problems replicated under unsupervised program conditions.
Trim effect compensation using an artificial neural network

Trim effect is a skewing of the frequency versus temperature performance of a crystal oscillator as the frequency is pulled (trimmed) away from the oscillator's nominal frequency. As TCXO (Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator) frequency versus temperature stabilities have improved to ppb (part per billion) levels trim effect has become more of a concern. Even though unwanted, the degradation of performance from trim effect is something generally accepted as a characteristic of TCXOs. This paper focuses on a method of compensating crystal oscillator trim effect. Through the use of an artificial neural network, trim effect compensation of AT cut crystal oscillators can be achieved with better than +/-15ppb stability over the industrial temperature range (-40 to +85 °C). This is more than a 10 fold improvement over the inherent trim effect found using state of the art polynomial function generator compensation. The theory of this compensation method with be discussed, and data showing the results of trim effect compensation on actual oscillators will be presented.
Balance control during gait initiation: State-of-the-art and research perspectives

It is well known that balance control is affected by aging, neurological and orthopedic conditions. Poor balance control during gait and postural maintenance are associated with disability, falls and increased mortality. Gait initiation - the transient period between the quiet standing posture and steady state walking - is a functional task that is classically used in the literature to investigate how the central nervous system (CNS) controls balance during a whole-body movement involving change in the base of support dimensions and center of mass progression. Understanding how the CNS in able-bodied subjects exerts this control during such a challenging task is a pre-requisite to identifying motor disorders in populations with specific impairments of the postural system. It may also provide clinicians with objective measures to assess the efficiency of rehabilitation programs and better target interventions according to individual impairments. The present review thus proposes a state-of-the-art analysis on: (1) the balance control mechanisms in play during gait initiation in able bodied subjects and in the case of some frail populations; and (2) the biomechanical parameters used in the literature to quantify dynamic stability during gait initiation. Balance control mechanisms reviewed in this article included anticipatory postural adjustments, stance leg stiffness, foot placement, lateral ankle strategy, swing foot strike pattern and vertical center of mass braking. Based on this review, the following viewpoints were put forward: (1) dynamic stability during gait initiation may share a principle of homeostatic regulation similar to most physiological variables, where separate mechanisms need to be coordinated to ensure stabilization of vital variables, and consequently; and (2) rehabilitation interventions which focus on separate or isolated components of posture, balance, or gait may limit the effectiveness of current clinical practices.
Cold-hearted bats: uncoupling of heart rate and metabolism during torpor at sub-zero temperatures

ABSTRACT Many hibernating animals thermoregulate during torpor and defend their body temperature (Tb) near 0°C by an increase in metabolic rate. Above a critical temperature (Tcrit), animals usually thermoconform. We investigated the physiological responses above and below Tcrit for a small tree-dwelling bat (Chalinolobus gouldii, ∼14 g) that is often exposed to sub-zero temperatures during winter. Through simultaneous measurement of heart rate (fH) and oxygen consumption (V̇O2), we show that the relationship between oxygen transport and cardiac function is substantially altered in thermoregulating torpid bats between 1 and −2°C, compared with thermoconforming torpid bats at mild ambient temperatures (Ta 5–20°C). Tcrit for this species was at a Ta of 0.7±0.4°C, with a corresponding Tb of 1.8±1.2°C. Below Tcrit, animals began to thermoregulate, as indicated by a considerable but disproportionate increase in both fH and V̇O2. The maximum increase in fH was only 4-fold greater than the average thermoconforming minimum, compared with a 46-fold increase in V̇O2. The differential response of fH and V̇O2 to low Ta was reflected in a 15-fold increase in oxygen delivery per heart beat (cardiac oxygen pulse). During torpor at low Ta, thermoregulating bats maintained a relatively slow fH and compensated for increased metabolic demands by significantly increasing stroke volume and tissue oxygen extraction. Our study provides new information on the relationship between metabolism and fH in an unstudied physiological state that may occur frequently in the wild and can be extremely costly for heterothermic animals. Summary: Thermoregulation during torpor at low temperatures is energetically expensive and results in a considerable but disproportionate increase in heart rate and metabolism.
Rebound acid hypersecretion from a physiological, pathophysiological and clinical viewpoint

Abstract Objective. The recent description of dyspepsia in healthy individuals after stopping treatment with proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) indicates that reflux disease may worsen due to this treatment. The aim of this paper is to review current knowledge of the regulation of gastric acid secretion, including maximal acid secretion, and to improve understanding of the pathogenesis of acid-related conditions. Material and methods. We reviewed our findings from three decades of studies on gastric acid secretion in the isolated rat stomach and in humans as well as studies by the group of Robert Jensen involving gastrinoma patients. Results. The parietal cell has receptors for histamine and acetylcholine, whereas the gastrin receptor is localized to the enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cell. Gastrin-stimulated histamine release depends on the ECL cell mass, which is regulated by gastrin. The parietal cell mass is also influenced by gastrin. All conditions with hypergastrinemia concomitant with a normal oxyntic mucosa result in an increase in acid secretion. Helicobacter pylori infection in the antral mucosa may induce duodenal ulcers by its effect on acid secretion, as in patients with gastrinoma. Whereas PPIs induce clinically important rebound acid hypersecretion, histamine-2 blockers do not, since they also induce tolerance. Conclusion. From a biological and physiological point of view, patients should be given treatment that disturbs the normal physiology as little as possible.
The representation of compound headedness in the mental lexicon: A picture naming study in aphasia

Most compound words are constituted of a head constituent (e.g., light in moonlight) and a modifier constituent (e.g., moon in moonlight); the information transmitted by these head-modifier roles is fundamental for defining the grammatical and semantic properties of the compound and for identifying a correct combination of the constituents at the conceptual level. The objective of this study is to assess how lexical processing in aphasia is influenced by the head-modifier structure of nominal compounds. A picture-naming task of 35 compounds with head-initial (pescespada, swordfish, literally fishsword) and head-final (autostrada, highway, literally carroad) forms was administered to 45 Italian aphasic patients, and their accuracy in retrieving constituents was analysed with a mixed-effects logistic regression. The interaction between headedness and constituent position was significant: The modifier emerged as being more difficult to retrieve than the head, but only for head-final compounds. The results are consistent with previous data from priming experiments on healthy subjects and provide convincing evidence that compound headedness is represented at central processing levels.
Immunotherapy with Listeria reduces metastatic breast cancer in young and old mice through different mechanisms

ABSTRACT Cancer immunotherapy is one of the most promising and benign therapies against metastatic cancer. However, most cancer patients are old and elderly react less efficient to cancer vaccines than young adults, due to T cell unresponsiveness. Here we present data of cancer vaccination in young and old mice with metastatic breast cancer (4T1 model). We tested adaptive and innate immune responses to foreign antigens (Listeria-derived) and self-antigens (tumor-associated antigens (TAA)) and their contribution to elimination of metastases at young and old age. Three different protocols were tested with Listeria: a semi- and exclusive-therapeutic protocol both one-week apart, and an exclusive therapeutic protocol frequently administered. Adaptive and innate immune responses were measured by ELISPOT in correlation with efficacy in the 4T1 model. We found that Listeria induced immunogenic tumor cell death, resulting in CD8 T cell responses to multiple TAA expressed by the 4T1 tumors. Only exclusive therapeutic frequent immunizations were able to overcome immune suppression and to activate TAA- and Listeria-specific CD8 T cells, in correlation with a strong reduction in metastases at both ages. However, MHC class Ia antibodies showed inhibition of CD8 T cell responses to TAA at young but not at old age, and CD8 T cell depletions in vivo demonstrated that the T cells contributed to reduction in metastases at young age only. These results indicate that CD8 T cells activated by Listeria has an antitumor effect at young but not at old age, and that metastases at old age have been eliminated through different mechanism(s).
Localization of the gene causing keratolytic winter erythema to chromosome 8p22-p23, and evidence for a founder effect in South African Afrikaans-speakers.

Keratolytic winter erythema (KWE), also known as "Oudtshoorn skin disease," or "erythrokeratolysis hiemalis," is an autosomal dominant skin disorder of unknown etiology characterized by a cyclical erythema, hyperkeratosis, and recurrent and intermittent peeling of the palms and soles, particularly during winter. Initially KWE was believed to be unique to South Africa, but recently a large pedigree of German origin has been identified. The disorder occurs with a prevalence of 1/7,000 in the South African Afrikaans-speaking Caucasoid population, and this high frequency has been attributed to founder effect. After a number of candidate regions were excluded from linkage to KWE in both the German family and several South African families, a genomewide analysis was embarked on. Linkage to the microsatellite marker D8S550 on chromosome 8p22-p23 was initially observed, with a maximum LOD score (Z(max)) of 9.2 at a maximum recombination fraction (theta(max)) of . 0 in the German family. Linkage was also demonstrated in five of the larger South African families, with Z(max) = 7.4 at theta(max) = . 02. When haplotypes were constructed, 11 of 14 South African KWE families had the complete "ancestral" haplotype, and 3 demonstrated conservation of parts of this haplotype, supporting the hypothesis of founder effect. The chromosome segregating with the disease in the German family demonstrated a different haplotype, suggesting that these chromosomes do not have a common origin. Recombination events place the KWE gene in a 6-cM interval between D8S550 and D8S552. If it is assumed that there was a single South African founder, a proposed ancestral recombinant suggests that the gene is most likely in a 1-cM interval between D8S550 and D8S265.
The immediate and long-term effects of a walking-skill program compared to usual physiotherapy care in patients who have undergone total knee arthroplasty (TKA): a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Purpose: To examine the immediate and long-term effects of a walking-skill program compared with usual physiotherapy on physical function, pain and perceived self-efficacy in patients after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Method: A single blind randomized controlled trial design was applied. Fifty-seven patients with primary TKA, mean age of 69 years (SD ± 9), were randomly assigned to a walking-skill program emphasizing weight-bearing exercises or usual physiotherapy. Outcomes were assessed before the interventions started at 6 weeks postoperatively (T1), directly after the interventions at 12–14 weeks (T2) and 9 months after the interventions (T3). Walking was the primary outcome, assessed by the 6 min walk test (6MWT). The secondary outcomes were timed stair climbing, timed stands, Figure-of-eight test, Index of muscle function, active knee range of motion, Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score and self-efficacy score. Results: From T1 to T2, a better 6MWT score was found in favor of the walking-skill program of 39 m (2–76), p = 0.04. The difference between the groups in 6MWT persisted at T3, 44 m (8–80), p = 0.02. No differences in other outcome measures were found. Conclusion: The walking-skill program had better effect on walking than usual physiotherapy. Weight bearing was tolerated. Implications for Rehabilitation Weight-bearing exercises are tolerated by the patients in the early stage after TKA. Physiotherapy that focuses on learning different ways of walking through practice may be a plausible way to train patients after TKA.