Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
π Protein‐ and ATP‐dependent transitions from ‘closed’ to ‘open’ complexes at the γ ori of plasmid R6K

R6K-encoded π protein can bind to the seven, 22 bp tandem iterons of the γ origin. In this work, we use a variant of π, His-π·F107S, that is hyperactive in replication. In vitro, His-π·F107S-dependent local DNA melting (open complex formation) occurs in the absence of host proteins (IHF/HU or DnaA) and it is positioned in the A + T-rich region adjacent to iterons. Experiments described here examine the effects of ATP, Mg2+ and temperature on the opening reaction. We show that the opening of the γ origin can occur in the presence of ATP as well as AMP-PCP (a non-hydrolyzable ATP analog). This suggests that, for γ origin, ATP hydrolysis may be unnecessary for open complex formation facilitated by His-π·F107S. In the absence of ATP or Mg2+, His-π·F107S yielded data suggestive of distortions in the iteron attributable to DNA bending rather than DNA melting. Our findings also demonstrate that ATP and π stimulate open complex formation over a wide range of temperatures, but not at 0°C. These and other results indicate that ATP and/or Mg2+ are not needed for His-π·F107S binding to iterons and that ATP effects an allosteric change in the protein bound to γ origin.
Controlled Generation of Microspheres Incorporating Extracellular Matrix Fibrils for Three‐Dimensional Cell Culture

A growing body of evidence suggests that studying cell biology in classical two‐dimensional formats, such as cell culture plasticware, results in misleading, non‐physiological findings. This paper describes the optimization of a microsphere‐based system permitting 3D cell culture incorporating physiological extracellular matrix components. Bio‐electrospraying, the most advanced method currently available, is used to produce microspheres containing THP‐1 cells as a model cell line. The bio‐electrospraying parameters of nozzle size, polymer flow rate, and voltage are systematically investigated in order to allow stable production of size‐controlled microspheres containing extracellular matrix material and human cells. The effect of bio‐electrospraying parameters, alginate type and cell concentration on cell viability are investigated using trypan blue and propidium iodide staining. Bio‐electrospraying has no effect on cell viability nor the ability of cells to proliferate. Cell viability is similarly minimally affected by encapsulation in all types of alginate tested (MVM, MVG, chemical and food‐grade). Cell density of 5 × 106 cells mL−1 within microspheres is the optimum for cell survival and proliferation. The stable generation of microspheres incorporating cells and extracellular matrix for use in a 3D cell culture will benefit study of many diverse diseases and permit investigation of cellular biology within a 3D matrix.
Existential Concerns About Death

Research suggests that addressing dying patients’ existential concerns can improve their quality of life. We aimed to illuminate dying patients’ existential concerns about the impending death through a descriptive analysis of semistructured interviews with 17 patients in Danish hospices. The main findings demonstrated how the patients faced the imminent death without being anxious of death but sorrowful about leaving life. Some patients expressed that they avoided thinking about death. They wished to focus on positive aspects in their daily life. We argue that the patients’ existential concerns could not be fully captured by Yalom’s existential psychology or by Kübler-Ross's theory about death stages. Patients’ complex concerns could be more fully explained taking an outset in Heidegger's phenomenological thinking.
MUC1 Aptamer Targeted SERS Nanoprobes

Recently, surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanoprobes (NPs) have shown promise in the field of cancer imaging due to their unparalleled signal specificity and high sensitivity. This study reports the development of a DNA aptamer targeted SERS NP. Recently, aptamers are being investigated as a viable alternative to more traditional antibody targeting due to their low immunogenicity and low cost of production. A strategy is developed to functionalize SERS NPs with DNA aptamers, which target Mucin1 (MUC1) in human breast cancer (BC). Thorough in vitro characterization studies demonstrate excellent serum stability and specific binding of the targeted NPs to MUC1. In order to test their in vivo targeting capability, MUC1‐targeted SERS NPs are coinjected with nontargeted or blocked MUC1‐targeted SERS NPs in BC xenograft mouse models. A two‐tumor mouse model with differential expression of MUC1 (MDA‐MB‐468 and MDA‐MB‐453) is used to control for active versus passive targeting in the same animals. The results show that the targeted SERS NPs home to the tumors via active targeting of MUC1, with low levels of passive targeting. This strategy is expected to be an advantageous alternative to antibody‐based targeting and useful for targeted imaging of tumor extent, progression, and therapeutic response.
Precise Control of Cell Adhesion by Combination of Surface Chemistry and Soft Lithography

The adhesion of cells on an extracellular matrix (ECM) (in vivo) or the surfaces of materials (in vitro) is a prerequisite for most cells to survive. The rapid growth of nano/microfabrication and biomaterial technologies has provided new materials with excellent surfaces with specific, desirable biological interactions with their surroundings. On one hand, the chemical and physical properties of material surfaces exert an extensive influence on cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, and differentiation. On the other hand, material surfaces are useful for fundamental cell biology research and tissue engineering. In this Review, an overview will be given of the chemical and physical properties of newly developed material surfaces and their biological effects, as well as soft lithographic techniques and their applications in cell biology research. Recent advances in the manipulation of cell adhesion by the combination of surface chemistry and soft lithography will also be highlighted.
Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibrillar Patch as a Wound Healing Platform of Tympanic Membrane Perforation

Bacterial cellulose (BC)‐based biomaterials on medical device platforms have gained significant interest for tissue‐engineered scaffolds or engraftment materials in regenerative medicine. In particular, BC has an ultrafine and highly pure nanofibril network structure and can be used as an efficient wound‐healing platform since cell migration into a wound site is strongly meditated by the structural properties of the extracellular matrix. Here, the fabrication of a nanofibrillar patch by using BC and its application as a new wound‐healing platform for traumatic tympanic membrane (TM) perforation is reported. TM perforation is a very common clinical problem worldwide and presents as conductive hearing loss and chronic perforations. The BC nanofibrillar patch can be synthesized from Gluconacetobacter xylinus; it is found that the patch contained a network of nanofibrils and is transparent. The thickness of the BC nanofibrillar patch is found to be approximately 10.33 ± 0.58 μm, and the tensile strength and Young's modulus of the BC nanofibrillar patch are 11.85 ± 2.43 and 11.90 ± 0.48 MPa, respectively, satisfying the requirements of an ideal wound‐healing platform for TM regeneration. In vitro studies involving TM cells show that TM cell proliferation and migration are stimulated under the guidance of the BC nanofibrillar patch. In vivo animal studies demonstrate that the BC nanofibrillar patch promotes the rate of TM healing as well as aids in the recovery of TM function. These data demonstrate that the BC nanofibrillar patch is a useful wound‐healing platform for TM perforation.
Radiology Alliance for Health Services Research Setting Up , Maintaining and Evaluating an Evidence Based Radiology Journal Club : The University of Michigan Experience

Fr Un Ta De Th Ac Re de a do The authors outline the steps involved in setting up, maintaining, and evaluating an evidence-based imaging journal club, using their collective experience at the University of Michigan. The article opens with a background to journal clubs in general and describes their changing purpose or role in recent decades. This should act as a useful framework or ‘‘how-to’’ guide to get things started. Different journal club formats are discussed, and the pros and cons of each are outlined. Suggestions for obtaining feedback from residents and for performing evaluation are also provided. In addition, useful information, references and links to useful resources are also given throughout the article. Finally, the authors share the positive (and negative) experiences of setting up, maintaining, and evaluating the University of Michigan’s journal club, now in its third year. The authors welcome feedback from readers who have been involved in evidence-based imaging journal clubs to share their experiences, good and bad.
Quality Assessment of E-Health Solutions in Primary Health Care - Approach Based on User Experience

The significance of primary health care within the overall health care system of the each country is tremendous. Primary health care provides the first contact between patients and health care system, and keeps the most complete medical records of particular patient which could be used later for different medical secondary purposes. Well organized and computerized primary health care significantly improves both the quality of care and contributes to significant savings in treatment. In order to improve the quality of such information systems, it is necessary to introduce a methodology for measuring their actual quality. Our research focuses on the creation of models for assessing the quality of IT solutions, based on users’ (doctors’) experiences, within the newly introduced primary health care information system in the Republic of Croatia. The preliminary results in a satisfactory way indicate the actual situation and the lacks of a new information system, as well as: awareness, engagement and attitudes of Croatian family doctors. These results give us confidence that our assessment methodology could be used as the potential tool for monitoring of further improvements of Croatian certification criteria, also in respect to forthcoming development phases of the Croatian healthcare information system.
Chitosan Electrodeposition for Microrobotic Drug Delivery

A method to functionalize steerable magnetic microdevices through the co‐electrodeposition of drug loaded chitosan hydrogels is presented. The characteristics of the polymer matrix have been investigated in terms of fabrication, morphology, drug release and response to different environmental conditions. Modifications of the matrix behavior could be achieved by simple chemical post processing. The system is able to load and deliver 40–80 μg cm−2 of a model drug (Brilliant Green) in a sustained manner with different profiles. Chitosan allows a pH responsive behavior with faster and more efficient release under slightly acidic conditions as can be present in tumor or inflamed tissue. A prototype of a microrobot functionalized with the hydrogel is presented and proposed for the treatment of posterior eye diseases.
Eccentric Exercise Interventions for Tendinopathies

TENDON INJURIES OR TENDINOPATHIES ARE A CHALLENGING AND PERPLEXING CONDITION FOR STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING PROFESSIONALS. TENDON INJURIES CAN BE DEBILITATING AND RESULT IN LOST TIME FROM SPORTS PARTICIPATION. IF LEFT UNTREATED, TENDON INJURIES CAN PROGRESS TO AFFECT DAILY FUNCTION. FURTHERMORE, TENDON INJURIES AFFLICT ALL AGES AND SKILL LEVELS. IN THE PAST 10 YEARS, ECCENTRIC EXERCISE HAS GAINED SUPPORT IN THE LITERATURE AS AN EFFECTIVE NONSURGICAL NONPHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION TO TREAT THESE INJURIES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS REVIEW IS TO DISCUSS THE RELEVANT TERMINOLOGY AS WELL AS THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF TENDONS AND TENDON INJURY. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONCEPT OF ECCENTRIC EXERCISE IN TREATING TENDINOPATHIES WILL BE DISCUSSED, AND EXERCISE INTERVENTIONS WILL BE PROVIDED FOR COMMON TENDINOPATHIES.
Engineered Magnetic Nanoparticles for Biomedical Applications

In the past decades, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been used in wide range of diverse applications, ranging from separation to sensing. Here, synthesis and applications of functionalized MNPs in the biomedical field are discussed, in particular in drug delivery, imaging, and cancer therapy, highlighting also recent progresses in the development of multifunctional and stimuli‐responsive MNPs. The role of their size, composition, and surface functionalization is analyzed, together with their biocompatibility issues.
POBO, transcription factor binding site verification with bootstrapping

Transcription factors can either activate or repress target genes by binding onto short nucleotide sequence motifs in the promoter regions of these genes. Here, we present POBO, a promoter bootstrapping program, for gene expression data. POBO can be used to detect, compare and verify predetermined transcription factor binding site motifs in the promoters of one or two clusters of co-regulated genes. The program calculates the frequencies of the motif in the input promoter sets. A bootstrap analysis detects significantly over- or underrepresented motifs. The output of the program presents bootstrapped results in picture and text formats. The program was tested with published data from transgenic WRKY70 microarray experiments. Intriguingly, motifs recognized by the WRKY transcription factors of plant defense pathways are similarly enriched in both up- and downregulated clusters. POBO analysis suggests slightly modified hypothetical motifs that discriminate between up- and downregulated clusters. In conclusion, POBO allows easy, fast and accurate verification of putative regulatory motifs. The statistical tests implemented in POBO can be useful in eliminating false positives from the results of pattern discovery programs and increasing the reliability of true positives. POBO is freely available from http://ekhidna.biocenter. helsinki.fi:9801/pobo.
Effective Nanoparticle‐based Gene Delivery by a Protease Triggered Charge Switch

Gene carriers made from synthetic materials are of interest in relation to gene therapy but suffer from lack of transfection efficiency upon systemic delivery. To address this problem, a novel lipo‐peptide‐PEG conjugate constituted by a lipid‐anchor, a peptide sensitive to proteases and a poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG) chain is investigated. Utilizing ethanol‐mediated nucleic acid encapsulation to prepare lipo‐nanoparticles (LNPs), LNPs that are stable in serum are obtained. The LNPs constitute a highly effective gene delivery systems in vitro and possess the right features for further investigation in vivo including a PEG layer and a net negative charge that should ensure long‐circulating properties before being activated by proteases in diseased tissue. Protease activation leads to detachment of PEG and a charge switching where the LNPs become positive due to the presence of glutamates in the cleaved peptide moiety. The cationic lipid DOTAP is used mainly to complex DNA and proton titratable DODAP is used to increase endosomal escape and enhance transfection efficiency. The idea of using a mixture of permanently charged and titratable cationic lipids shielded by a protease sensitive negatively charged lipo‐peptide‐PEG coat appears to be a highly efficient solution for achieving effective non‐viral gene delivery and the results warrant further investigations.
Biodegradable and Biocompatible Poly(Ethylene Glycol)‐based Hydrogel Films for the Regeneration of Corneal Endothelium

Corneal endothelial cells (CECs) are responsible for maintaining the transparency of the human cornea. Loss of CECs results in blindness, requiring corneal transplantation. In this study, fabrication of biocompatible and biodegradable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)‐based hydrogel films (PHFs) for the regeneration and transplantation of CECs is described. The 50‐μm thin hydrogel films have similar or greater tensile strengths to human corneal tissue. Light transmission studies reveal that the films are >98% optically transparent, while in vitro degradation studies demonstrate their biodegradation characteristics. Cell culture studies demonstrate the regeneration of sheep corneal endothelium on the PHFs. Although sheep CECs do not regenerate in vivo, these cells proliferate on the films with natural morphology and become 100% confluent within 7 d. Implantation of the PHFs into live sheep corneas demonstrates the robustness of the films for surgical purposes. Regular slit lamp examinations and histology of the cornea after 28 d following surgery reveal minimal inflammatory responses and no toxicity, indicating that the films are benign. The results of this study suggest that PHFs are excellent candidates as platforms for the regeneration and transplantation of CECs as a result of their favorable biocompatibility, degradability, mechanical, and optical properties.
Patterns of Sexual Behaviour Among Young Basotho Women

This paper uses the 1995 Lesotho Safe Motherhood Initiative--Womens Health Survey Data--to study the patterns of sexual behaviour among young Basotho women aged 12 to 24 years. The results show that although knowledge of HIV/AIDS is high among these women knowledge of condom is relatively low. Furthermore a small proportion of sexually experienced young women admitted having used contraception before the survey. Marriage is the most single factor causing women to initiate sex in Lesotho. The unmarried ones therefore start sexual activities later in life. As expected region of residence type of place of residence and drinking alcohol were found to be related to the age at first intercourse for unmarried young Basotho women. Contrary to common belief highly educated unmarried young women were found to be less likely to initiate sexual activities than those with low education. (authors)
Tattoo Conductive Polymer Nanosheets for Skin‐Contact Applications

Conductive tattoo nanosheets are fabricated on top of decal transfer paper and transferred on target surfaces as temporary transfer tattoos. Circuits are patterned with ink-jet printing. Tattoo nanosheets are envisioned as unperceivable human-device interfaces because of conformal adhesion to complex surfaces including skin. They are tested as dry electrodes for surface electromyography (sEMG), which permits the control of a robotic hand.
Dry powder antibiotics for inhaled anti-tuberculosis therapy

The aim of this research was to investigate a potential standardized test method to characterize the dissolution properties of formulations intended for pulmonary delivery. A USP type 2 dissolution tester was adapted to be used as a testing apparatus by incorporation of a membrane containing holder. The membrane holder was designed to enclose previously size-classified formulations, so that they could be uniformly tested in the dissolution apparatus. The influence of particle size, amount of drug loading, and the composition of a simulated lung fluid (SLF) dissolution media on the dissolution rate were studied. Dissolution rate was significantly affected by the uniformity of drug loading, and particle size. Diffusion coefficients, estimated using the Higuchi model, showed an increase from 2.2810 -7 cm 2 /hr to 9.6010 -7 cm 2 /hr as the particle size decreased. Addition of DPPC (0.02% w/v) to the SLF dissolution media also resulted in an increase in the diffusion coefficient value. This study demonstrated that developed method was reproducible and may be used to evaluate the dissolution properties of pharmaceutical inhalation products following their aerodynamic particle classification. 3 Significant portions of this chapter were taken from : Yoen-Ju Son and Jason T. McConville, ―Development of a standardized dissolution test method for inhaled pharmaceutical formulations‖, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 2009, 382, P:15–22.
Can Handheld Dynamometers Diagnose Partial-thickness Rotator Cuff Tears?

Background Partial tears of the rotator cuff tendons of the shoulder are a common cause of significant pain and disability, yet are difficult to diagnose clinically. Handheld dynamometry has demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of full-thickness rotator cuff tears. The present study aimed to determine whether handheld dynamometer measurements could predict the presence of a partial-thickness rotator cuff tear among patients with shoulder pain. Methods Handheld dynamometer measurements and signs of impingement were collected before surgical evaluation in 450 patients with a partial-thickness rotator cuff tear (n = 150), full-thickness rotator cuff tear (n = 150) or nonrotator cuff pathology (n = 150). Results Patients with partial-thickness tears did not have significantly different strength compared to patients without rotator cuff tears. Patients with full-thickness tears had a decrease in abduction and external rotation strength (p < 0.001). Patients with any rotator cuff tear were more likely to have signs of impingement during internal rotation (p < 0.001) and impingement during external rotation (p = 0.004). Conclusions Handheld dynamometer measurements were unable to reliably distinguish patients with partial-thickness rotator cuff tears from patients with other causes of shoulder pain. The abduction and external rotation muscle strength tests demonstrated their usefulness when distinguishing partial-thickness rotator cuff tears from full-thickness rotator cuff tears.
Hospital discharge: recommendations for performance improvement for family carers of people with dementia.

UNLABELLED BACKGROUND; It is acknowledge that discharge planning benefits both consumers and hospitals. What is not widely understood is the experience that the family carer of a person with a dementia has and whether the hospitals meet their in-hospital and post-hospital needs. OBJECTIVE To explore whether metropolitan and rural hospital discharge practices meet the needs of the family carer of a person with dementia. RESULTS Although this and other research indicates that a continuum of care model is beneficial to family caregivers, no evidence has been identified that family carers currently experience this type of quality planning. Family carers were often unaware of the existence of a hospital discharge plan and were rarely engaged in communication about the care of their family member with a dementia or prepared for discharge. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS; Discharge planning processes for family carers of people with dementia could be substantially improved. It is recommended that hospitals develop policy, process and procedures that take into account the family carer's needs, develop key performance indicators and adopt best practice standards that direct discharge planning activities and early engagement of the family carer in healthcare decisions. It is recommended that health professionals be educated on communication, consultation and needs of family carers.