Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pneumonia in the elderly (geriatric) population

Purpose of review Review of recent studies (2003 and 2004) concerning pneumonia in the very old. Recent findings Hospitalisation for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in the elderly is associated with a high mortality and with a high rate of readmission within the following year. Functional status, altered mental status, number of comorbidities, aspiration pneumonia, renal failure, and nutritional status are all indicators of adverse prognosis. Although Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Enterobacteriacae, and Staphylococcus aureus are the most frequently identified causative microorganisms, viruses account for up to 26% of hospital admissions for CAP. Chlamydia pneumoniae is also implicated in CAP and in nursing-home-acquired pneumonia (NHAP), with recent reports of outbreaks in nursing homes. Aspiration pneumonia is frequent in the elderly and occurs with increased frequency in patients with nasogastric tubes or percutaneous enterogastric tubes. In severe aspiration pneumonia, 20% of organisms implicated are anaerobic and 80% aerobic, most of which are gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae. Poor oral hygiene increases subsequent risk of pneumonia: dental plaque may act as a reservoir for pathogenic organisms implicated in CAP or NHAP. Prevention of CAP and NHAP relies on the combined use of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination, which decreases hospital admissions and in-hospital mortality for CAP. Summary Recent studies stress the importance of aspiration as a frequent mechanism of CAP, provide new insights as to causative organisms in this setting, and underline the contribution of combined vaccination in reducing morbidity and mortality.
The Impact of a Multidimensional Exercise Intervention on Physical and Functional Capacity, Anxiety, and Depression in Patients With Advanced-Stage Lung Cancer Undergoing Chemotherapy

Introduction. Patients with advanced-stage lung cancer face poor survival and experience co-occurring chronic physical and psychosocial symptoms. Despite several years of research in exercise oncology, few exercise studies have targeted advanced lung cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The aim of the present study was to investigate the benefits of a 6-week supervised group exercise intervention and to outline the effect on aerobic capacity, strength, health-related quality of life (HRQoL), anxiety, and depression. Methods. VO2peak was assessed using an incremental exercise test. Muscle strength was measured with one repetition maximum test (1RM). HRQoL, anxiety, and depression were assessed using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Lung (FACT-L) scale and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results. One hundred and forthteen patients with advanced stage lung cancer were recruited. Forty-three patients dropped out. No serious adverse events were reported. Exercise adherence in the group training was 68%. Improvements in VO2peak (P < .001) and 6-minute walk distance (P < .001) and muscle strength measurements (P < .05) were seen. There was a reduction in anxiety level (P = .0007) and improvement in the emotional well-being parameter (FACT-L) but no statistically significant changes in HRQoL were observed. Conclusion. The results of the present study show that during a 6-week hospital-based supervised, structured, and group-based exercise program, patients with advanced-stage lung cancer (NSCLC IIIb-IV, ED-SCLC) improve their physical capacity (VO2peak, 1RM), functional capacity, anxiety level, and emotional well-being, but not their overall HRQoL. A randomized controlled trial testing the intervention including 216 patients is currently being carried out.
Real-Time implementation of a HVDC-VSC model for application in a scaled-down Wind Energy Conversion System (WECS)

This paper presents a time domain model of a HVDC-VSC system suitable for real-time simulations and its application to a wind energy conversion system (WECS). The HVDC-VSC model comprises two voltage source converters (VSC) linked together by a DC-link cable, their control systems and interfacing transformers. The operations of the VSC are based on pulse width modulation (PWM). The WECS is represented by a scaled-down system comprising a three-phase induction machine driven by a controllable DC servomotor running at a speed that corresponds to a full-size asynchronous wind generator. The mathematical model of the HVDC-VSC system is implemented in the real-time simulation environment using a commercially available real-time station (RTS). The power output profile of the scaled-down WECS is entered into the HVDC-VSC model residing in the RTS and fed to an external load using the digital-to-analogue converters (DAC) of the RTS. The effect of fluctuating wind speed is simulated in the scaled-down WECS and the response of the HVDC-VSC system to maintain voltage regulation to the load is assessed. The detailed implementation and configuration of the test environment is described in the paper.
Global Students/Global Faculty: A Model for Success Factors in the Use of Off-site Faculty for Online Instruction Estudiantes Globales/Facultad Global: Un Modelo para Factores de Éxito en el Uso de Facultad a Distancia para Instrucción Online

Based on cross-case analysis, a model is presented to enable more informed decisions regarding the use of off-site faculty for global online instruction. Case evidence is presented that suggests off-site arrangements will work best within a technology rich educational environment. Further, substantial motivators and inhibitors exist and create a context for considering individual attributes that can influence success. Categories of issues emerged from the cases as important for consideration of off-site teaching arrangements. These include: enabling factors, benefits, communications, and challenges. Each category was examined relative to administrative issues, curriculum and instruction, and faculty characteristics. The analysis of these components is reported here in order to enable administrators and faculty considering the use of offsite faculty to be more likely to produce informed decisions and successful results.
Combination Therapy Counteracts the Enhanced Transmission of Drug-Resistant Malaria Parasites to Mosquitoes

ABSTRACT Malaria parasites carrying genes conferring resistance to antimalarials are thought to have a selective advantage which leads to higher rates of transmissibility from the drug-treated host. This is a likely mechanism for the increasing prevalence of parasites with resistance to chloroquine (CQ) and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine in sub-Saharan Africa. Combination therapy is the key strategy being implemented to reduce the impact of resistance, but its effect on the transmission of genetically resistant parasites from treated patients to mosquito vectors has not been measured directly. In a trial comparing CQ monotherapy to the combination CQ plus artesunate (AS) in Gambian children with uncomplicated falciparum malaria, we measured transmissibility by feeding Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes with blood from 43 gametocyte-positive patients through a membrane. In the CQ-treated group, gametocytes from patients carrying parasites with the CQ resistance-associated allele pfcrt-76T prior to treatment produced infected mosquitoes with 38 times higher Plasmodium falciparum oocyst burdens than mosquitoes fed on gametocytes from patients infected with sensitive parasites (P < 0.001). Gametocytes from parasites carrying the resistance-associated allele pfmdr1-86Y produced 14-fold higher oocyst burdens than gametocytes from patients infected with sensitive parasites (P = 0.011). However, parasites carrying either of these resistance-associated alleles pretreatment were not associated with higher mosquito oocyst burdens in the CQ-AS-treated group. Thus, combination therapy overcomes the transmission advantage enjoyed by drug-resistant parasites.
Toward a Contingency Model for Selecting an Information System Prototyping Strategy

Many proposed contingencies regarding the conditions when the use of prototyping will lead to successful system development appear in the literature. Using an industry survey, this exploratory study empirically investigates the effect of certain contingencies on system success. Overall, results indicate that five variables, when combined with prototyping, affect system success (as indicated by user satisfaction): innovativeness of the project, impact of the system on the organization, user participation, number of users, and developer experience with prototyping. These results provide some insight into the proper uses of prototyping to improve system success. The results also indicate that several of the current contingencies, if followed, do not ensure high levels of system success.
Seroprevalence of Hepatitis E amongst Pregnant Women in Asmara , Eritrea

Introduction: Hepatitis E is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis E virus (HEV). Based on the WHO (2010), HEV is a member of the genus Hepevirus and so far, there are two species in this genus: (1) Mammalian HEV that causes human disease and infects several other mammalian species. (2) Avian HEV, which is responsible for big liver and spleen disease in chicken, and is known to infect other birds. HEV is noted to affect an estimated of one-third of the world population this makes the virus the most or second most common cause of acute viral hepatitis among adults in majority parts of Asia, 1 Corresponding author: Adam Dawoud Abakar, email adamd@uofg.edu. sd Tekeste T. G. , Abakar Adam Dawoud, Talha Aldawabi Abdelbagi, Khalid Abdelsamea MohamedahmedSeroprevalence of Hepatitis E amongst Pregnant Women in Asmara, Eritrea EUROPEAN ACADEMIC RESEARCH Vol. V, Issue 1 / April 2017 608 the Middle East, and Africa. In the general population the case fatality rate (CFR) is between 1 and 2%, which can rise to over 40% in pregnant women. Objective: This is the first study in Eritrea which is expected to illuminate some facts about the seroprevalence of HEV. The objective of the study is to determine the seroprevalence of hepatitis E among the pregnant women attending ANC in the selected health facilities of Asmara city and to identify possible risk factors of the infection. Methods: The research study has applied cross-sectional descriptive laboratory based study design. In total, 153 pregnant women following ANC has included from four health facilities. Recruiting participants voluntary sampling technique and structured questionnaire was used to collect the socio-demographic; and Enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) method was applied to examine for IgG and IgM antibody. Epi-Info for data entry and SPSS version 20 for analysis was used. Results: Out of the 153 pregnant women 41 (26.8%) were seropositive for HEV IgG antibody. However, only for 82 blood samples were analyzed for IgM antibodies and all were found to be seronegative for HEV. Conclusion: The study showed that significant finding of HEV IgG among the pregnant women. Therefore, it is high time for further deeper and large studies to be made on this virus in Eritrea.
Comparison of Inter-and Intra-Subject Variability of P300 Spelling Dictionary in EEG Compressed Sensing

In this paper, we propose a new compression method for electroencephalographic signals based on the concept of compressed sensing (CS) for the P300 detection spelling paradigm. The method uses a universal mega-dictionary which has been found not to be patient-specific. To validate the proposed method, electroencephalography recordings from the competition for Spelling, BCI Competition III Challenge 2005 - Dataset II, have been used. To evaluate the reconstructed signal, both quantitative and qualitative measures were used. For qualitative evaluation, we used the classification rate for the observed character based on P300 detection in the case of the spelling paradigm applied on the reconstructed electroencephalography signals, using the winning scripts (Alain Rakotomamonjy and Vincent Guigue). While for quantitative evaluation, distortion measures between the reconstructed and original signals were used.
Biotransformation of benzothiophene by isopropylbenzene-degrading bacteria

Isopropylbenzene-degrading bacteria, including Pseudomonas putida RE204, transform benzothiophene to a mixture of compounds. Induced strain RE204 and a number of its Tn5 mutant derivatives were used to accumulate these compounds and their precursors from benzothiophene. These metabolites were subsequently identified by 1H and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. When strain RE204 was incubated with benzothiophene, it produced a bright yellow compound, identified as trans-4-[3-hydroxy-2-thienyl]-2-oxobut-3-enoate, formed by the rearrangement of cis-4-(3-keto-2,3-dihydrothienyl)-2-hydroxybuta-2,4-dieno ate, the product of 3-isopropylcatechol-2,3-dioxygenase-catalyzed ring cleavage of 4,5-dihydroxybenzothiophene, as well as 2-mercaptophenylglyoxalate and 2'-mercaptomandelaldehyde. A dihydrodiol dehydrogenase-deficient mutant, strain RE213, converted benzothiophene to cis-4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-dihydrobenzothiophene and 2'-mercaptomandelaldehyde; neither trans-4-[3-hydroxy-2-thienyl]-2-oxobut-3-enoate nor 2-mercaptophenylglyoxalate was detected. Cell extracts of strain RE204 catalyzed the conversion of cis-4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-dihydrobenzothiophene to trans-4-[3-hydroxy-2-thienyl]-2-oxobut-3-enoate in the presence of NAD+. Under the same conditions, extracts of the 3-isopropylcatechol-2,3-dioxygenase-deficient mutant RE215 acted on cis-4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-dihydrobenzothiophene, forming 4,5-dihydroxybenzothiophene. These data indicate that oxidation of benzothiophene by strain RE204 is initiated at either ring. Transformation initiated at the 4,5 position on the benzene ring proceeds by three enzyme-catalyzed reactions through ring cleavage. The sequence of events that occurs following attack at the 2,3 position of the thiophene ring is less clear, but it is proposed that 2,3 dioxygenation yields a product that is both a cis-dihydrodiol and a thiohemiacetal, which as a result of this structure undergoes two competing reactions: either spontaneous opening of the ring, yielding 2'-mercaptomandelaldehyde, or oxidation by the dihydrodiol dehydrogenase to another thiohemiacetal, 2-hydroxy-3-oxo-2,3-dihydrobenzothiophene, which is not a substrate for the ring cleavage dioxygenase but which spontaneously opens to form 2-mercaptophenylglyoxaldehyde and subsequently 2-mercaptophenylglyoxalate. The yellow product, trans-4-[3-hydroxy-2-thienyl]-2-oxobut-3-enoate, is a structural analog of trans-o-hydroxybenzylidenepyruvate, an intermediate of the naphthalene catabolic pathway; extracts of recombinant bacteria containing trans-o-hydroxybenzylidenepyruvate hydratase-aldolase catalyzed the conversion of trans-4-[3-hydroxy-2-thienyl]-2-oxobut-3-enoate to 3-hydroxythiophene-2-carboxaldehyde, which could then be further acted on, in the presence of NAD+, by extracts of recombinant bacteria containing the subsequent enzyme of the naphthalene pathway, salicylaldehyde dehydrogenase.
Effect of a dominant inhibitory Ha-ras mutation on neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells

A dominant inhibitory mutation of Ha-ras which changes Ser-17 to Asn-17 in the gene product p21 [p21 (Asn-17)Ha-ras] has been used to investigate the role of ras in neuronal differentiation of PC12 cells. The growth of PC12 cells, in contrast to NIH 3T3 cells, was not inhibited by p21(Asn-17)Ha-ras expression. However, PC12 cells expressing the mutant Ha-ras protein showed a marked inhibition of morphological differentiation induced by nerve growth factor (NGF) or fibroblast growth factor (FGF). These cells, however, were still able to respond with neurite outgrowth to dibutyryl cyclic AMP and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA). Induction of early-response genes (fos, jun, and zif268) by NGF and FGF but not by TPA was also inhibited by high levels of p21(Asn-17)Ha-ras. However, lower levels of p21(Asn-17) expression were sufficient to block neuronal differentiation without inhibiting induction of these early-response genes. Induction of the secondary-response genes SCG10 and transin by NGF, like morphological differentiation, was inhibited by low levels of p21(Asn-17) whether or not induction of early-response genes was blocked. Therefore, although inhibition of ras function can inhibit early-response gene induction, this is not required to block morphological differentiation or secondary-response gene expression. These results suggest that ras proteins are involved in at least two different pathways of signal transduction from the NGF receptor, which can be distinguished by differential sensitivity to p21(Asn-17)Ha-ras. In addition, ras and protein kinase C can apparently induce early-response gene expression by independent pathways in PC12 cells.
Identification of a novel mouse P4-ATPase family member highly expressed during spermatogenesis

P4-ATPases are transmembrane proteins unique to eukaryotes that play a fundamental role in vesicular transport. They have been proposed to act as phospholipid flippases thereby regulating lipid topology in cellular membranes. We cloned and characterized a novel murine P4-ATPase that is specifically expressed in testis, and named it FetA (flippase expressed in testis splicing form A). When expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, FetA localizes partially to the plasma membrane resulting in increased internalization of NBD-labeled phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine, supporting a role for FetA in the inward lipid translocation across cellular membranes. In mouse testis, FetA protein is detected in gamete cells, from pachytene spermatocytes to mature sperms, and its intracellular localization is tightly related with acrosome formation, a process that involves intensive intracellular vesicle formation and fusion. Furthermore, loss-of-function of FetA by RNA interference in mastocytoma P815 cells profoundly perturbs the structural organization of the Golgi complex and causes loss of constitutive secretion at lower temperature. Our findings point to an essential role of FetA in Golgi morphology and secretory function, suggesting a crucial role for this novel murine P4-ATPase in spermatogenesis.
Role for toll‐like receptor 3 in muscle regeneration after cardiotoxin injury

Introduction: Sterile tissue injury induces an inflammatory response involving cytokines that have crucial roles in the tissue repair that follows. Methods: MyH3 and type 1 interferon (IFN) were assessed by qPCR after cardiotoxin (CTX)‐induced muscle injury. Results: CTX‐induced injury increased expression of IFN‐regulated genes, IFIT1 and MX‐2, which was blocked in type 1 IFN receptor (IFNR)‐deficient mice. However, IFNR‐deficient mice showed no significant differences in muscle regeneration as assessed by MyH3 expression. MyH3 was significantly reduced in TLR3‐deficient but not MyD88‐deficient mice. TLR3‐deficient mice also showed altered expression of proinflammatory cytokines, IL‐6, IL‐1β, and TNF‐α. Conclusions: CTX‐induced muscle injury increased markers of innate immune activation, but blocking type 1 IFN signaling had no effect on muscle regeneration. Taken together, these results suggest a role for TLR3, and perhaps other innate immune signals, in the inflammatory response to CTX‐induced muscle injury and consequent muscle regeneration. Muscle Nerve, 2011
Mechanism and Function of a Newly Identified CpG DNA Motif in Human Primary B Cells1

The vertebrate immune system recognizes bacterial DNA based on the presence of unmethylated CpG-dinucleotides in particular base contexts (“CpG motifs”). In contrast to mice, knowledge about CpG-mediated effects on human B cells is poor. In the present study we identify and determine an optimal human CpG motif. A phosphodiester oligonucleotide containing this motif strongly stimulated CD86, CD40, CD54, and MHC class II expression, IL-6 synthesis, and proliferation of primary human B cells. These effects required internalization of the oligonucleotide and endosomal maturation. The molecular mechanism of action of this CpG motif was associated with the sustained induction of the NF-κB p50/p65 heterodimer and of the transcription-factor complex AP-1. Transcription-factor activation by CpG DNA was preceded by increased phosphorylation of the stress kinases c-Jun N-terminal kinase and p38, and of activating transcription factor-2. In contrast to CpG, signaling through the B cell receptor led to activation of extracellular receptor kinase and to phosphorylation of a different isoform of c-Jun N-terminal kinase. These studies define the structure of a highly active human CpG motif and characterize its molecular mechanism of action in primary human B cells.
A novel double‐tryptophan peptide pheromone controls competence in Streptococcus spp. via an Rgg regulator

All streptococcal genomes encode the alternative sigma factor SigX and 21 SigX‐dependent proteins required for genetic transformation, yet no pyogenic streptococci are known to develop competence. Resolving this paradox may depend on understanding the regulation of sigX. We report the identification of a regulatory circuit linked to the sigX genes of mutans, pyogenic, and bovis streptococci that uses a novel small, double‐tryptophan‐containing sigX‐inducing peptide (XIP) pheromone. In all three groups, the XIP gene (comS), and sigX have identical, non‐canonical promoters consisting of 9 bp inverted repeats separated from a −10 hexamer by 19 bp. comS is adjacent to a gene encoding a putative transcription factor of the Rgg family and is regulated by its product, which we designate ComR. Deletion of comR or comS in Streptococcus mutans abolished transformability, as did deletion of the oligopeptide permease subunit oppD, suggesting that XIP is imported. Providing S. mutans with synthetic fragments of ComS revealed that seven C‐terminal residues, including the WW motif, cause robust induction of both sigX and the competent state. We propose that this circuit is the proximal regulator of sigX in S. mutans, and we infer that it controls competence in a parallel way in all pyogenic and bovis streptococci.
An Envelope-Determined, pH-Independent Endocytic Route of Viral Entry Determines the Susceptibility of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) and HIV-2 to Lv2 Restriction

ABSTRACT We identified a postentry restriction, termed Lv2, which determines the cellular tropism of two related human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) isolates and is dependent on the sequence of the capsid (CA) and envelope (Env) proteins. To explain the reliance on both CA and Env, we proposed that restrictive Envs deliver susceptible capsids to a compartment where Lv2 is active whereas nonrestrictive Envs deliver capsids into a compartment where Lv2 is either absent or less active. To test this model, we used compounds that affect endocytic pathways (ammonium chloride, bafilomycin A1, hypertonic sucrose) or lipid rafts (methyl-β-cyclodextrin) to treat restrictive cells and show that restricted virus can be rescued from Lv2 if a lipid-raft-dependent, pH-independent endocytic pathway is inhibited. Furthermore, viral entry into HeLa/CD4 cells containing a tailless CD4 receptor, located outside lipid rafts, was fully permissive. Finally, we show that a variety of primary HIV-1 and HIV-2 viruses are susceptible to Lv2. Thus, we show that the route of entry, determined by the viral envelope, can influence cellular tropism by avoiding intracellular blocks to infection.