Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Defect in Menadione Biosynthesis Induces Global Changes in Gene Expression in Staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT Both the high-resolution two-dimensional protein gel electrophoresis technique and full-genome DNA microarrays were used for identification of Staphylococcus aureus genes whose expression was changed by a mutation in menD. Because the electron transport chain is interrupted, the mutant should be unable to use oxygen and nitrate as terminal electron acceptors. Consistent with this, a mutation in menD was found to cause a gene expression pattern typically detected under anaerobic conditions in wild-type cells: proteins involved in glycolytic as well as in fermentation pathways were upregulated, whereas tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes were significantly downregulated. Moreover, the expression of genes encoding enzymes for nitrate respiration and the arginine deiminase pathway was strongly increased in the mutant strain. These results indicate that the menD mutant, just as the site-directed S. aureus hemB mutant, generates ATP from glucose or fructose mainly by substrate phosphorylation and might be defective in utilizing a variety of carbon sources, including TCA cycle intermediates and compounds that generate ATP only via electron transport phosphorylation. Of particular interest is that there are also differences in the gene expression patterns between hemB and menD mutants. While some anaerobically active enzymes were present in equal amounts in both strains (Ldh1, SACOL2535), other classically anaerobic enzymes seem to be present in higher amounts either in the hemB mutant (e.g., PflB, Ald1, IlvA1) or in the menD mutant (arc operon). Only genes involved in nitrate respiration and the ald1 operon seem to be additionally regulated by a depletion of oxygen in the hemB and/or menD mutant.
Robust microRNA stability in degraded RNA preparations from human tissue and cell samples.

BACKGROUND RNA integrity is the essential factor that determines the accuracy of mRNA transcript measurements obtained with quantitative real-time reverse-transcription PCR (RT-qPCR), but evidence is clearly lacking on whether this conclusion also applies to microRNAs (miRNAs). We evaluated this issue by comparative analysis of the dependence of miRNA and mRNA measurements on RNA integrity in renal and prostate samples, under both model and clinical conditions. METHODS Samples of total RNA isolated from human renal tissue and Caki-2 cells, as well as from prostate tissue and LNCaP cells, were incubated at 80 degrees C for 5-240 min. We subsequently determined the RNA integrity number (RIN) and used RT-qPCR to measure various miRNAs (miR-141, miR-155, miR-200c, and miR-210 in renal samples, and miR-96, miR-130b, miR-149, miR-205, and miR-222 in prostate samples). We similarly measured mRNAs encoded by CDH16 (cadherin 16, KSP-cadherin), PPIA [peptidylprolyl isomerase A (cycophilin A)], and TBP (TATA box binding protein) in renal samples, and HIF1A [hypoxia-inducible factor 1, alpha subunit (basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor)], HPRT1 (hypoxanthine phosphoribosyltransferase 1), and KLK3 (kallikrein-related peptidase 3; also known as PSA) in prostate samples. Additionally, we quantified selected miRNAs and mRNAs in samples of RNAs with different RIN values that we isolated from clinical samples. The effect of RIN on the miRNA and mRNA data was assessed by linear regression analysis and group comparison. RESULTS The heat-incubation experiments of cell line and tissue RNAs showed that RIN values had negligible or no effect on miRNA results, whereas all mRNAs gradually decreased with decreasing RIN values. These findings were corroborated by our findings with clinical samples. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest the stability of miRNAs to be generally robust, which makes feasible accurate miRNA measurements with RT-qPCR, even in degraded RNA preparations for which reliable mRNA analyses are commonly inapplicable.
Seizure-like events in rodent and computer models: A ring device perspective

Epileptiform activity involves abrupt changes in dynamic behaviour of neuronal ensembles, which alternates between higher complexity `interictal' mode and lower-complexity `ictal' mode characterized by dense, rhythmic firing of the seizing network. Three mechanisms for generating seizurelike events (SLEs) in populations of coupled oscillators will be highlighted as state transitions from higher to lower complexity modes. (i) System parameter changes can cause transitions by way of bifurcations. (ii) Noise fluctuations cause state transitions in bistable systems. This is how paroxysmal transitions are explained in a bistable model of absence epilepsy. (iii) The cognitive rhythm generator network model exhibits intermittency in the absence of either system parameter changes or noise fluctuations. Under simulated epileptogenic conditions, transitions occur unprovoked between the interictal and ictal modes of a chaotic attractor with the trajectory visiting the neighborhood of each mode intermittently. Network "excitability" effects both local and global bifurcations in the dynamics, and under hyperexcitable conditions a bimodal epileptiform attractor is exhibited. This study describes a unified approach to the three mechanisms via a ring device perspective.
Characteristics of toxic epidermal necrolysis in patients undergoing long-term glucocorticoid therapy.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN The usefulness of steroid therapy in toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) remains controversial. Up to 5% of the TEN cases occur in patients who undergo long-term steroid therapy. We, thus, looked for the potential effect of long-term glucocorticosteroid therapy before the onset of TEN on altering the progression of the disease. The records of 179 patients were reviewed. The characteristics of the 13 patients who were undergoing long-term glucocorticosteroid therapy were compared with those of 166 other patients with TEN. The following parameters were studied: age, mortality, delay between the introduction of the suspect drug and the onset of TEN, length of hospital stay, body surface area involved, time elapsed between the first symptom of TEN and hospital admission, number of medications taken by the patients before the onset of TEN, lymphocyte count, granulocyte count, platelet count, glycemia, serum aspartate aminotransferase level, and total disease duration. RESULTS Patients who were undergoing long-term glucocorticosteroid therapy differed from other patients with TEN in the administration of more drugs, longer delay between the introduction of the suspect drug and the onset of TEN, and a longer time elapsed between the first symptom of TEN and hospital admission. We observed no differences for the other parameters that were studied. CONCLUSION Our study shows that long-term steroid therapy may delay the onset of TEN, but it does not halt its progression.
Unraveling Teachers’ Beliefs About Grade Retention

A multimethod approach was used to examine teachers’ beliefs about retention in grades K–7. Questionnaire responses indicated that teachers at all grade levels believe retention is an acceptable school practice that prevents students from facing daily failure and motivates them to work harder. Factors including academic performance, maturity, ability, gender, and age influence retention decisions, but the importance of factors differs among teachers. Teachers agreed that retention was not harmful in grades K–3, but they disagreed about the impact on students in grades 4–7. Teachers of grades 4–7 were less likely to retain students and less likely to agree about which characteristics warrant retention. Interviews suggested that teachers’ beliefs about their roles and responsibilities in student success were critical in retention decisions.
Propolis Counteracts Some Threats to Honey Bee Health

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are constantly dealing with threats from pathogens, pests, pesticides and poor nutrition. It is critically important to understand how honey bees’ natural immune responses (individual immunity) and collective behavioral defenses (social immunity) can improve bee health and productivity. One form of social immunity in honey bee colonies is the collection of antimicrobial plant resins and their use in the nest architecture as propolis. We review research on the constitutive benefits of propolis on the honey bee immune system, and its known therapeutic, colony-level effects against the pathogens Paenibacillus larvae and Ascosphaera apis. We also review the limited research on the effects of propolis against other pathogens, parasites and pests (Nosema, viruses, Varroa destructor, and hive beetles) and how propolis may enhance bee products such as royal jelly and honey. Although propolis may be a source of pesticide contamination, it also has the potential to be a detoxifying agent or primer of detoxification pathways, as well as increasing bee longevity via antioxidant-related pathways. Throughout this paper, we discuss opportunities for future research goals and present ways in which the beekeeping community can promote propolis use in standard colonies, as one way to improve and maintain colony health and resiliency.
Educational attainment and coronary heart disease risk: the Framingham Offspring Study.

BACKGROUND Efforts to control the continuing epidemic of coronary heart disease in the United States have been successful according to certain criteria, such as mortality, but by others, such as morbidity, the picture is less clear. Documenting whether various subgroups of the population have adopted healthier lifestyles that are likely to reduce coronary heart disease risk is essential to understanding the status of the epidemic and, most importantly, to formulating prevention and health education strategies that will ameliorate its effects. METHODS The Framingham Offspring Study cohort participated in extensive health screening protocols to determine their cardiovascular risk. The 2,846 men and women who were between the ages of 25 and 64 years and who reported their educational attainment level are the subject of this report. RESULTS Both body mass index and cigarette smoking showed inverse relationships to educational attainment among both men and women, while reported vigorous leisure time physical activity showed a positive relationship to educational attainment. However, fitness levels as assessed by treadmill duration were directly related to educational attainment only the women. With the exception of total plasma cholesterol among women, all coronary heart disease risk factors had most adverse levels in the least educated study participants. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that most components of the coronary heart disease risk profile show adverse levels in individuals with low educational attainment.
Memory for actions

Preface. Introduction. Explanations for Episodic Memory. Early Findings and Explanations for the Retention of Self-performed Tasks. Theoretical Integration I: Actions as Described by the Multimodal Theory. Empirical Inconsistencies and Theoretical Controversies. Theoretical Integration II: Expansion and Differentiation of the Multimodal Theory. Recent Studies on Encoding and Retrieval. Theoretical Integration III: Inclusion of Retrieval Processes. Memory for Actions and its Implications for Theories on Episodic Memories. Widening the Perspective. References. Author Index. Subject Index.
Transcriptional Profiling of the Human Monocyte-to-Macrophage Differentiation and Polarization: New Molecules and Patterns of Gene Expression1

Comprehensive analysis of the gene expression profiles associated with human monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and polarization toward M1 or M2 phenotypes led to the following main results: 1) M-CSF-driven monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation is associated with activation of cell cycle genes, substantiating the underestimated proliferation potential of monocytes. 2) M-CSF leads to expression of a substantial part of the M2 transcriptome, suggesting that under homeostatic conditions a default shift toward M2 occurs. 3) Modulation of genes involved in metabolic activities is a prominent feature of macrophage differentiation and polarization. 4) Lipid metabolism is a main category of modulated transcripts, with expected up-regulation of cyclo-oxygenase 2 in M1 cells and unexpected cyclo-oxygenase 1 up-regulation in M2 cells. 5) Each step is characterized by a different repertoire of G protein-coupled receptors, with five nucleotide receptors as novel M2-associated genes. 6) The chemokinome of polarized macrophages is profoundly diverse and new differentially expressed chemokines are reported. Thus, transcriptome profiling reveals novel molecules and signatures associated with human monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and polarized activation which may represent candidate targets in pathophysiology.
Differences Between Rape Victims Who Report and Those Who Do Not Report to a Public Agency1

The purpose of this study was to identify the variables that predict whether or not a rape victim will report to either a social service agency and/or the police. One hundred seventy-nine female rape victims who either reported or did not report completed a questionnaire that assessed (1) perceived outcomes of reporting a rape, (2) social expectations to report or not report, (3) individual characteristics of the victim, and (4) situational characteristics of the rape. Perceived outcomes, social expectations, and certain situational characteristics effectively predicted reporting behavior. Theoretical explanations for the findings and implications for increasing the likelihood that victims will report are discussed.
Interpersonal relatedness and self‐definition in the experience of loneliness during the transition to university

Blatt's (1900) theory on the two primary dimensions in personality—interpersonal relatedness and self—definition—was applied to the study of loneliness during the transition to university. Participants were 176 students (84 males and 92 females) who completed the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ) at the beginning of First-year university (time 1) and the UCLA Loneliness Scale (trait and state versions) at the beginning and at the middle of first-year university (time 2). A subsample of students (n= 74) also completed Sharabany's Intimacy Scale at time 2. Trait loneliness was accounted for by higher levels of Self-Criticism (SC) and lower levels of Efficacy (E). Change in state loneliness from time t to time 2 (i.e., overcoming state loneliness) was predicted by lower Self-Criticism and higher Efficacy. In the relationship with an intimate partner, Self-Criticism negatively predicted frankness, sensitivity, and trust, whereas Dependency positively predicted attachment, giving, and trust. The centrality of self-criticism in vulnerability to loneliness and in lack of intimacy is discussed, and directions for future research on loneliness and personality styles are suggested.
Integration einer existenziellen Perspektive in die kognitiv-behaviorale Therapie chronischer Schmerzen

In der Therapie des chronischen Schmerzes, der ein sehr heterogenes und komplexes PhÄnomen darstellt, haben sich kognitiv-behaviorale AnsÄtze als Bestandteil eines interdisziplinÄren, multimodalen Therapieansatzes etabliert. Obwohl die Verbesserung der LebensqualitÄt als zentrales Therapieziel angesehen wird, fokussieren die traditionellen kognitiv-behavioralen AnsÄtze bisher Überwiegend auf bessere SchmerzbewÄltigung und Schmerzkontrolle. Nach einer kurzen Darstellung wesentlicher Aspekte dieses Ansatzes werden mÖgliche Probleme dieser Fokussierung diskutiert und die Bedeutung von Werten und individuellen Sinnerfahrungen fÜr die LebensqualitÄt hervorgehoben. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird eine Erweiterung der kognitiv-behavioralen AnsÄtze um eine existenzielle Perspektive vorgeschlagen. Diese beinhaltet Aspekte des Menschenbildes, der Therapeut-Patient-Beziehung und eine vermehrte BerÜcksichtigung von Themen wie Trauer, Akzeptanz von und Einstellung zu schicksalhaftem Leid, individuelle Werthaltungen und verbliebene SinnmÖglichkeiten. Auf die NÄhe zur Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), zu der aktuell viel geforscht wird, wird eingegangen.
Adoption timing of technology innovative investment project in economic rents perspective

Economic rents (i.e. the excess profit over the opportunity cost of capital) occur only if comparative competitive advantage exists. Considering the adoption of innovative technology is one of the main ways to achieve competitive advantage. A hi-tech firm can capture the economic rents if the position with strategic benefit of innovative activities has been implemented; however, any postpone for carrying out the innovative technology may erode the value of the project. The appropriate investment timing will make a substantial influence on the competitive advantage induced by innovative technology. A real option pricing procedure is proposed in this work to explore the evaluation of innovative technology as well as to study the appropriate adoption timing of the investment project to formulate an innovative technology strategy. The numerical example for demonstrating the proposed procedure of this study could give some counsel for decision-making analysis of the new-generation TFT-LCD panel plant investment project.
Los cambios en la política agropecuaria y la propiedad social rural en la frontera norte

The national and foreign capital did not arrive to the country in the terms that government was expected; in that way farmers from social and private sector did not get insert into specialized and directed project towards exports. This generated an undercapitalization on small, medium and big farmers that work to aim production at domestic market. Communal property on North Border of Mexico is doing important yet, and it will be to exist for long time despite the changes in Agricultural Policy, and basically by the change in Constitutional 27th Article from January 1992, and the passing law about the Agrarian Act on February 1992. The organization of the producers as much as social as private sector is on recession, and most of producers individually work with their own resources or financial means. This has been doing difficult to their integration to productive projects. The aim of this paper is to analyze those under gone changes by the rural property (namely ejidos, communities, agro and farm colonies) of northern Mexico associated to the new agricultural policy.
Possible gene-gender interaction between the SLCO1B1 polymorphism and statin treatment efficacy.

OBJECTIVES A significant inter-individual variability in statin treatment efficacy is likely to have a strong genetic background. A candidate gene with the potential to influence statin treatment efficacy is SLCO1B1. This gene codes for the solute carrier organic anion transporter, which has been shown to regulate the hepatic uptake of statins and some other drugs. MATERIALS AND METHODS The SLCO1B1 rs4149056 (T>C) polymorphism was successfully analysed in a group of 253 patients with dyslipidemia (treated with simvastin or atorvastatin, 10 or 20 mg per day) and 470 healthy normolipidemic controls. The polymorphism was analysed using nested PCR-RFLP. Lipid levels (total, LDL and HDL cholesterol; triglycerides) were analysed before and after 10-13 weeks of treatment. RESULTS After treatment, as expected, there was a significant decrease both in the total cholesterol (7.60±1.36 → 5.37±1.12 mmol/L, p<0.001) and LDL cholesterol (5.04±1.34 → 3.17±0.99 mmol/L, p<0.001) levels. The distribution of the individual genotypes in the patients (TT=61.7%, CT=31.6%, CC=6.7%) was similar (p=0.35) to that of the normolipidemic controls (TT=64.4%, CT=31.3%, CC=4.3%). Homozygous CC males exhibited the lowest (Δ -21.2±7.2%) decrease of total cholesterol in contrast to the females, in whom the same genotype was associated with the highest (Δ -33.5±7.6 %) decrease (p=0.04 for gene-gender interaction). CONCLUSIONS The results of our pilot study suggest possible gender-dependent effects of the rs4149056 variant within the SLCO1B1 gene on statin treatment efficacy.
Detection of Genes Encoding Internalization-Associated Proteins in Streptococcus pyogenes Isolates from Patients with Invasive Diseases and Asymptomatic Carriers

ABSTRACT A total of 161 Streptococcus pyogenes isolates from patients with invasive infections or from asymptomatic carriers were examined for genes (prtF1, prtF2, and fba) coding for fibronectin-binding proteins to evaluate their involvement in the pathogenesis of different streptococcal manifestations. We found no significant differences in the presence of these three genes between the two groups. Overall, the prtF2 gene was present in similar percentages among strains from both sources (61% versus 63%). Strains carrying the gene fba were slightly more common among those isolated from asymptomatic carriers (72.6% versus 65%). Also, the prtF1 gene was present in a higher, but not significant, percentage among strains from throat swabs than among isolates from invasive infections (75% versus 64.9%). However, this more detailed characterization of the genes encoding fibronectin-binding proteins allowed us to identify a strong association of genes of the erm class, coding for macrolide resistance, with prtF1 and prtF2 rather than with prtF1 alone. Since macrolide resistance was significantly associated with throat swab isolates, it may be hypothesized that proteins coded by prtF1 and prtF2 genes may be synergic in providing support for cell invasion and/or colonizing or persistence efficiency.
Community College-University Partnership: An Innovative Approach Toward Educating Tomorrow's Public Health Workforce

The Institute of Medicine and The Educated Citizen and Public Health Initiative suggest that an understanding of public health is a core component of an educated public and is necessary to develop social responsibility (Association of American Colleges and Universities [AAC&U], 2011; National Research Council, 2003). To respond to this call, the University of New Hampshire collaborated with faculty from the New Hampshire Community College System to introduce the public health field through a course called Global Public Health Issues. This article will discuss the development, implementation, and evaluation of a public health course between a two-year and four-year college. It will also discuss the potential for such a partnership and public health course to encourage life-long learning and a commitment to social responsibility, allow for new course/major/minor development in public health, enable faculty to expand their expertise, broaden the attractiveness of two-year colleges, and introduce a vocation-based student population to the value of public health and the public health workforce.