Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Sensitivity in Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in HIV-Positive Patients through the Small-Membrane-Filter Method of Microscopy

ABSTRACT The sensitivity of microscopy for the diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) is around 50% but decreases by about 15% in patients with suspected TB who are coinfected with HIV. Here, we compared the accuracies of three microscopy methods for processing sputum smears (concentration by centrifugation with or without N-acetyl-l-cysteine [NALC] and concentration by filtration on a polycarbonate membrane) to that of culture on Ogawa-Kudoh medium as the gold standard method. Sputum samples were obtained from 432 patients with suspected pulmonary TB, of whom 60% were infected with HIV. Analysis was performed using the first specimen. Compared to the gold standard culture, the small-membrane-filter (SMF) method was the most sensitive microscopic method. In HIV-infected TB patients, the sensitivity of the SMF method was significantly higher than those for centrifugation of sputum samples with or without NALC treatment (61.9%, 47.6%, and 45.2%, respectively; P = 0.001). Similarly, in TB patients without HIV infection, the sensitivity of the SMF method was significantly higher than those for centrifugation of sputum samples with or without NALC treatment (81.8%, 63.6%, and 57.5%, respectively; P = 0.001). In the two study groups, TB patients with or without HIV, no significant differences between the specificities of the three methods were observed. Handling of the second sputum sample similarly by centrifugation with or without NALC and by the SMF method increased positivities by 13%, 11%, and 4%, respectively. The overall agreement between microscopy and culture was above 90% for all groups. Microscopic evaluation of the sputum samples treated with NALC compared to those not treated with NALC did not show any increase in sensitivity. Altogether, the sensitivity of the SMF method is higher than those of the other two microscopic methods studied without a loss of specificity.
Diversity of Wolbachia Endosymbionts in Heteropteran Bugs

ABSTRACT An extensive survey of Wolbachia endosymbionts in Japanese terrestrial heteropteran bugs was performed by PCR detection with universal primers for wsp and ftsZ genes of Wolbachia, cloning of the PCR products, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of infecting Wolbachia types, and molecular phylogenetic characterization of all the detected Wolbachia strains. Of 134 heteropteran species from 19 families examined, Wolbachia infection was detected in 47 species from 13 families. From the 47 species, 59 Wolbachia strains were identified. Of the 59 strains, 16 and 43 were assigned to A group and B group in the Wolbachia phylogeny, respectively. The 47 species of Wolbachia-infected bugs were classified into 8 species with A infection, 28 species with B infection, 2 species with AA infection, 3 species with AB infection, 5 species with BB infection, and 1 species with ABB infection. Molecular phylogenetic analysis showed little congruence between Wolbachia phylogeny and host systematics, suggesting frequent horizontal transfers of Wolbachia in the evolutionary course of the Heteroptera. The phylogenetic analysis also revealed several novel lineages of Wolbachia. Based on statistical analyses of the multiple infections, we propose a hypothetical view that, in the heteropteran bugs, interactions between coinfecting Wolbachia strains are generally not intense and that Wolbachia coinfections have been established through a stochastic process probably depending on occasional horizontal transfers.
Pyrithiones as antifoulants: Environmental fate and loss of toxicity

The environmental fate and the loss of toxicity of two important antifouling actives, zinc pyrithione (ZnPT) and copper pyrithione (CuPT), were investigated using a bioassay study and an outdoor microcosm study. The bioassay used inhibition of the growth of a marine diatom (Amphora coffeaeformis) to measure the toxicity of ZnPT and CuPT over time in sterile, natural, and sediment-supplemented seawater. In natural seawater and sediment-supplemented seawater in the dark and in sterile seawater exposed to light, growth inhibition was reduced at rates corresponding to the rapid degradation rates for ZnPT and CuPT measured in previous aquatic metabolism, die-away, and photolysis studies. Similarly, the bioassay results from sterile seawater in the dark were consistent with the slower degradation rates measured in abiotic hydrolysis studies. In addition to corroborating the rapid degradation of pyrithione upon exposure to light or sediment, the loss of toxicity indicated that the degradation products were not toxic at the concentrations produced from the dose, which was much higher than predicted environmental concentrations. To supplement environmental fate studies designed to elucidate single-pathway transformations, a microcosm study was conducted to integrate all of the degradation pathways. The study used two sediment and water systems, one of which was dosed during the day and the other at night. The pyrithione degraded rapidly in the water phase, with very little accumulation in the sediment. 2-Pyridine sulfonic acid (PSA) and carbon dioxide were the only detectable degradation products 30 d after dosing. Aquatic toxicity studies with PSA showed no observable effect at concentrations at least three orders of magnitude higher than those for either ZnPT or CuPT. As a result, the worst-case environmental concentration of PSA is expected to be far below the no observable effect concentration.
Dietary Nucleotide and Nucleoside Exposure in Infancy and Atopic Dermatitis, Recurrent Wheeze, and Allergic Sensitization

ABSTRACT We hypothesized that early life exposure to nucleotides and nucleosides lowers the risk of recurrent wheeze, atopic dermatitis, and allergic sensitization among n = 429 children. Concentrations in breast milk were established by high-performance liquid chromatography; concentrations in formula milks were obtained from manufacturers. Questionnaires and home visits were used to assess outcomes. Adjusted odds ratios in the highest tertile compared with those in the lowest tertile of exposure ranged from 1.11 to 1.99 in predominantly formula-fed children, and from 0.40 to 0.53 in predominantly breast-fed children, but were not significant. Thus, we found no evidence for association between nucleotide and nucleoside exposure and the development of atopic outcomes in children up to 2 years.
Administration and 1H MRS detection of histidine in human brain: Application to in vivo pH measurement

Measurement of histidine in vivo offers the potential for tissue pH measurement using routinely performed 1H MR spectroscopy. In the brain, however, histidine concentrations are generally too low for reliable measurement. By using oral loading of histidine, this study demonstrates that brain concentrations can be significantly increased, enabling detection of histidine by localized 1H MR measurements and making in vivo pH measurement possible. In studies carried out on healthy human subjects at 1.5 T, a consistent spectral quality downfield from water was achieved using a PRESS sequence at short echo times. Measurements at different TE values helped to characterize the downfield spectral region. Histidine loading of 400 mg/kg of body weight increased brain histidine levels by approximately 0.8 mM, with maximum histidine concentration reached 4 to 7 hr after consumption. The pH calculated from histidine resonances was 6.96, and a hyperventilation study demonstrated the potential for measuring altered pH. Magn Reson Med 43:665–675, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Flow-mediated dilation in 9- to 11-year-old children: the influence of intrauterine and childhood factors.

BACKGROUND Early life factors, particularly size at birth, may influence later risk of cardiovascular disease, but a mechanism for this influence has not been established. We have examined the relation between birth weight and endothelial function (a key event in atherosclerosis) in a population-based study of children, taking into account classic cardiovascular risk factors in childhood. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 333 British children aged 9 to 11 years in whom information on birth weight, maternal factors, and risk factors (including blood pressure, lipid fractions, preload and postload glucose levels, smoking exposure, and socioeconomic status) was available. A noninvasive ultrasound technique was used to assess the ability of the brachial artery to dilate in response to increased blood flow (induced by forearm cuff occlusion and release), an endothelium-dependent response. Birth weight showed a significant, graded, positive association with flow-mediated dilation (0.027 mm/kg; 95% CI, 0.003 to 0.051 mm/kg; P=.02). Childhood cardiovascular risk factors (blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol, and salivary cotinine level) showed no relation with flow-mediated dilation, but HDL cholesterol level was inversely related (-0.067 mm/mmol; 95% CI, -0.021 to -0.113 mm/mmol; P=.005). The relation between birth weight and flow-mediated dilation was not affected by adjustment for childhood body build, parity, cardiovascular risk factors, social class, or ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS Low birth weight is associated with impaired endothelial function in childhood, a key early event in atherogenesis. Growth in utero may be associated with long-term changes in vascular function that are manifest by the first decade of life and that may influence the long-term risk of cardiovascular disease.
The Influence of Gravity-adapted Target Resizing on Direct Augmented Reality Pointing under Simulated Hypergravity

The performance of Augmented Reality direct object selection coded outside of the human egocentric body frame of reference decreases under short-term altered gravity. Therefore adequate countermeasures are required. This paper presents the results of a proof-of-concept (POC) study to investigate the impact of simulated hypergravity on the size and distance of a given target. The POC study is divided in a case study and a user study, whereby hypergravity was induced by a long-arm human centrifuge and additional arm weighting. For gravity-dependent resizing and âpositioning we used the Hookeâs law that resulted in two techniques of target deformation (compression, elongation) and compared both methods with normal sized targets. Besides common metrics to measure the performance, we additionally evaluated the physiological strain by the heart rate variability and the speed-accuracy tradeoff of the resizing techniques according to Fittsâ law. The study showed that the online adaption of the present gravity load to targets' size and distance influences the performance of direct AR direct pointing. The results revealed that the pointing performance benefits from elongation target deformation by increased target sizes and distances.
HubNet Position Paper Series Standards-Based Wireless Sensor Networks for Power System Condition Monitoring

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The spleen and pooling of blood cells

The function of the spleen can be divided into: (a) phagocytosis of particular matter, (b) immunological responses, and (c) blood pooling (1). At present, splenic pooling of blood cells, especially platelets, is the function which has been explored in particular detail. Reduction in one or more of the circulating blood cell types often follows splenic enlargement. Whereas the normal human spleen is known to pool as much as 30% of the total body platelet mass (2-5) only about 3% of the total red cell mass is pooled in the spleen (6) . In relation to the plasma volume contained in the spleen these figures represent approximately 30 and 3 times the respective cells' concentrations in peripheral blood (7) . The splenic kinetics of granulocytes is less well understood. However, in recent years rather convincing results have appeared as to the existence of a sizable exchangable splenic granulocyte pool.
Staphylococcal enterotoxin C1‐induced pyrogenic cytokine production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells is mediated by NADPH oxidase and nuclear factor‐kappa B

The staphylococcal enterotoxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus are associated with pyrogenic response in humans and primates. This study investigates the role of NADPH oxidase and nuclear factor‐kappa B (NF‐κB) on enterotoxin staphylococcal enterotoxin C1 (SEC1)‐induced pyrogenic cytokine production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). The results indicate that the febrile response to the supernatant fluids of SEC1‐stimulated PBMC in rabbits was in parallel with the levels of interleukin‐1β and interleukin‐6 in the supernatants. The release of interleukin‐1β and interleukin‐6, nuclear translocation of NF‐κB and its DNA binding activity in the SEC1‐stimulated PBMC were time‐dependent and were completely eliminated by pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate or SN‐50 (NF‐κB inhibitors). The release of reactive oxygen species in the supernatants and translocation of the NADPH oxidase p47phox subunit to the plasma membrane of SEC1‐stimulated PBMC were time‐dependent. Administration of apocynin (NADPH oxidase inhibitor) attenuated the febrile response to the supernatants in rabbits and decreased the translocation of NADPH oxidase p47phox subunit and NF‐κB activity in the SEC1‐stimulated PBMC, and suppressed reactive oxygen species and pyrogenic cytokine production in the supernatants. Taken together, SEC1 may act through an NADPH oxidase mechanism to release reactive oxygen species, which activate NF‐κB in PBMC to stimulate the synthesis of pyrogenic cytokines that trigger a fever response in rabbits.
Goyazensolide Induces Apoptosis in Cancer Cells in vitro and in vivo.

As part of the screening program for anticancer agents from natural sources, the sesquiterpene lactone goyazensolide (GZL) was identified as a potent NF-κB inhibitor. The hollow-fiber assay was used to evaluate the anti-tumor efficacy of GZL in vivo. The mechanistic effects of GZL were evaluated in the HT-29 colonic cell line to reveal the pathway through which GZL exerts its effects. NF-κB subunits p65 and p50 were inhibited, and the upstream mediator IκB kinase (IKKβ) was downregulated in a dose-dependent manner. Apoptosis was mediated by caspase-3, and cell cycle arrest was detected in G1-phase. Consequently, 96% of the cell population was in sub G1-phase after treatment with GZL (10 μM). The antitumor effect of GZL was observed at a dose of 12.5 mg/kg. Cell adhesion was affected as a result of NF-κB inhibition. GZL appears to selectively target the transcription factor NF-κB. In summary, GZL sensitizes HT-29 colon cancer cells to apoptosis and cell death in a dose-dependent manner both in vivo and in vitro, through NF-κB inhibition (IC50 = 3.8 μM). Thus, it is a new potent lead compound for further development into a new effective chemotherapeutic agent.
Internal structure of the western flank of the Cumbre Vieja volcano, La Palma, Canary Islands, from land magnetotelluric imaging

[1] Large-scale mass wasting is a natural part of the evolution of volcanic islands, where deformation and indications of flank instability, such as large-scale faulting and seismic and aseismic slip are common. The Cumbre Vieja volcano on the island of La Palma (Canary Islands) provides an ideal setting to address fundamental questions about the structure, evolution and stability of island volcanoes. The island of La Palma is still in a shield-building stage, and it has been postulated that the western side of the island lies over a pre-existing zone of weakness that can nucleate ruptures. We undertook an audiomagnetotelluric (AMT) survey over the proposed unstable western flank to try to image structures that may be associated with the zone of weakness. The magnetotelluric method (MT) is a geophysical technique used to map the presence of fluids or image important structural contrasts. The goals of this study were (1) to delineate the unstable flank, (2) to map the structures underneath and (3) to determine the presence and geometry of fluids. The results show a 1 km thick top resistive layer overlaying an area of reduced resistivity (enhanced conductivity), interpreted as a layer consisting of an alteration zone and also fluids. Our results confirm previous studies that suggested the existence of a western flank lying over collapse debris material and hyaloclastites, and also they allow us to map part of the subaerial southern extent of the Cumbre Nueva units that lie beneath the more recent Cumbre Vieja rocks. In addition, dimensionality analysis maps the rotation of the dike emplacement off ridge, along the western flank in an en echelon fashion.
Grey Incidence Relation Analysis and Granger Causality Tests of the Income Level and Economic Growth – Case Study on Gansu Province, China

In order to keep the economic growing, the Chinese government released series of public policies with regard to stimulate consumption and expand domestic demand. This paper, based on the series data of GDP, Per Capita Annual Disposable Income of Urban Households (PCAD), and Per Capita Annual Net Income of Rural House-holds (PCAN) of Gansu province from 1978 to 2007, analyzed the relationship and causality of the PCAD and PCAN to GDP by using the methodologies called Grey Incidence Relation and Granger Causality Tests. The outcomes show that: the incidences relation of PCAD and PCAN to GDP are prominent, and the trend of the prominent concerning PCAD to GDP is climbing; the PCAD and PCAN are the Granger causality to GDP, which means the GDP could increase 0.7337% unit due to the 1% unit increase of PCAN. Instead, the GDP only could increase 0.4817 % unit due to the 1% unit increase of PCAD. The conclusion indicates that to improve the net income of rural households is a priority selection to stimulate the economic growth, and the governments should rethink the role of the farmers and the agriculture issue.
Efficient method for calculating kinetic parameters using T1‐weighted dynamic contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

It has become increasingly important to quantitatively estimate tissue physiological parameters such as perfusion, capillary permeability, and the volume of extravascular‐extracellular space (EES) using T1‐weighted dynamic contrast‐enhanced MRI (DCE‐MRI). A linear equation was derived by integrating the differential equation describing the kinetic behavior of contrast agent (CA) in tissue, from which K1 (rate constant for the transfer of CA from plasma to EES), k2 (rate constant for the transfer from EES to plasma), and Vp (plasma volume) can be easily obtained by the linear least‐squares (LLSQ) method. The usefulness of this method was investigated by means of computer simulations, in comparison with the nonlinear least‐squares (NLSQ) method. The new method calculated the above parameters faster than the NLSQ method by a factor of approximately 6, and estimated them more accurately than the NLSQ method at a signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) of < ∼10. This method will be useful for generating functional images of K1, k2, and Vp from DCE‐MRI data. Magn Reson Med 51:858–862, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
In vitro activity of dicloxacillin against methicillin‐susceptible and methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus‐aureus

A total of 54 strains of Staphyloccus aureus, 37 methicillin‐susceptible (MSSA) and 17 methicillin‐resistant (MRSA), were investigated for their susceptibility to dicloxacillin as compared to methicillin and oxacillin by agar plate dilution at two different temperatures of incubation (30 °C and 37 °C). Against MSSA strains we found a slight but significant increase (0–2 dilution steps) in minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for all three antibiotics with decrease in incubation temperature. Against MRSA strains methicillin and oxacillin showed a 3–6 fold increase in median MIC with decrease in incubation temperature. For dicloxacillin, in contrast, there were no significant differences in median MICs (i.e. 0.4 mg/l) against MSSA strains at 30 °C or MRSA strains at either incubation temperature. Population‐analysis of the MRSA strains revealed, however, that a highly dicloxacillin‐resistant subpopulation appeared with a frequency of 10‐6 to 10‐7. Such heterogenous resistance of MRSA strains to dicloxacillin probably prohibits the use of dicloxacillin against serious infections caused by these pathogens.
Transformerless AC-DC Converter

This paper compares the recent transformerless ACDC power converter architectures and provides an assessment of each. A prototype of one of the transformerless AC-DC converter architecture is also presented depicting the feasibility of a small form factor, power supply design. In this paper component selection guidelines to achieve high efficiency AC-DC power conversion are also discussed. Keywords—AC-DC converter, digitally controlled, switched mode power supply, transformerless.
Effects of a Mixture of Pesticides on the Adult Female Reproductive System of Sprague-Dawley, Wistar, and Lewis Rats

The Brazilian federal government Agency for Health Surveillance detected pesticide residues in fresh food available for consumers all over the country. The current study investigated the effects of a mixture of some of those pesticides (dichlorvos, dicofol, dieldrin, endosulfan, and permethrin) on the reproductive system of Sprague-Dawley (SD), Wistar (WT), and Lewis (LEW) rats. Female rats from each strain were randomized into three experimental groups and were fed a control diet or diets added with pesticides mixture at their respective no-observed-effect level (NOEL)/no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) (low dose) (mg/kg/d): dichlorvos (0.23), dicofol (0.5), dieldrin (0.025), endosulfan (0.7), permethrin (5), or lowest-observed-effect level (LOEL)/lowest-effect level (LEL)/ lowest-observed-adverse-effect level (LOAEL) (toxically effective dose) (mg/kg/d): dichlorvos (2.3), dicofol (2.1), dieldrin (0.05), endosulfan (3.8), and permethrin (25) as reported in the literature. Euthanasia was performed between wk 10 and 12, during the estrous stage. Decreased body weights gain (SD and WT) and increased liver weights (SD, WT, and LEW) were observed in each strain fed the pesticides mixture at the higher levels. At that dose level, rat strains also varied in their responses regarding the estrous cycle, hormonal levels, and number of developing ovarian follicles. The studied mixture of pesticides was found to interfere with the female reproductive system when individual pesticides were mixed above a certain level, indicating a threshold exists for each of the strains studied.