Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of oxidative stress in Rett syndrome: an overview

The main cause of Rett syndrome (RTT), a pervasive development disorder almost exclusively affecting females, is a mutation in the methyl‐CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) gene. To date, no cure for RTT exists, although disease reversibility has been demonstrated in animal models. Emerging evidence from our and other laboratories indicates a potential role of oxidative stress (OS) in RTT. This review examines the current state of the knowledge on the role of OS in explaining the natural history, genotype–phenotype correlation, and clinical heterogeneity of the human disease. Biochemical evidence of OS appears to be related to neurological symptom severity, mutation type, and clinical presentation. These findings pave the way for potential new genetic downstream therapeutic strategies aimed at improving patient quality of life. Further efforts in the near future are needed for investigating the yet unexplored “black box” between the MeCP2 gene mutation and subsequent OS derangement.
Technologies, Methods, and Values

The field of Computer Supported Cooperative Work has constantly evolved to meet the changing needs of individuals at home, at work, and online. To understand how these changes impacted CSCW research, we systematically reviewed 1209 papers and notes published at the ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work between 1990 and 2015. When considered with results from two previous literature reviews, covering 1990 - 1998 and 1998 - 2004 respectively, our analysis provides perspective on 25 years of groupware research. We show that the field has responded to, not anticipated, changes in the computing landscape, long-term trends away from 'systems' and explanatory research, and a lack of bibliographic research that synthesizes findings. Finally, we discuss implications of these trends for CSCW research: how results are synthesized across the field, what kinds of research we value, and how multi-device ecologies are studied.
Determinants of Sales Force Performance in Banking Sector: A Case of Malaysia

Globalisation, deregulation, technology, competition and new customers’ needs influence the banks to adopt marketing approach in promoting their product and services to generate income. In this aspect, personal selling which focuses on selling skills of banking employees becomes a very important banking function. This study intends to investigate the relationship between the determinants namely teamwork, learning, leadership, communication and, high performance culture and Key Performance Indicators (KPI). Inspite of the importance of KPI in measuring performance of salesforce, there is a lack of published empirical findings to explain the influence of these predictors on KPI achievement in banking sector.This study reported that the model explains 0.21 percent of the variance in KPI achievement. In which teamwork and high performance culture are found to be positive and significantly related. This new finding appears to imply that bank should cultivate and promote teamwork and high performance culture to ensure KPI highly achievable and enhance banks profitability.
Selective Removal of DNA from Dead Cells of Mixed Bacterial Communities by Use of Ethidium Monoazide

ABSTRACT The distinction between viable and dead bacterial cells poses a major challenge in microbial diagnostics. Due to the persistence of DNA in the environment after cells have lost viability, DNA-based quantification methods overestimate the number of viable cells in mixed populations or even lead to false-positive results in the absence of viable cells. On the other hand, RNA-based diagnostic methods, which circumvent this problem, are technically demanding and suffer from some drawbacks. A promising and easy-to-use alternative utilizing the DNA-intercalating dye ethidium monoazide bromide (EMA) was published recently. This chemical is known to penetrate only into “dead” cells with compromised cell membrane integrity. Subsequent photoinduced cross-linking was reported to inhibit PCR amplification of DNA from dead cells. We provide evidence here that in addition to inhibition of amplification, most of the DNA from dead cells is actually lost during the DNA extraction procedure, probably together with cell debris which goes into the pellet fraction. Exposure of bacteria to increasing stress and higher proportions of dead cells in defined populations led to increasing loss of genomic DNA. Experiments were performed using Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium as model pathogens and using real-time PCR for their quantification. Results showed that EMA treatment of mixed populations of these two species provides a valuable tool for selective removal of DNA of nonviable cells by using conventional extraction protocols. Furthermore, we provide evidence that prior to denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, EMA treatment of a mature mixed-population drinking-water biofilm containing a substantial proportion of dead cells can result in community fingerprints dramatically different from those for an untreated biofilm. The interpretation of such fingerprints can have important implications in the field of microbial ecology.
Non-evidence-based variables affecting physicians' test-ordering tendencies: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND The concept of evidence-based medicine (EBM) was introduced in 1992. Incorporation of EBM into physicians' practices, however, has been slow. Testordering tendencies are still based on variables that are not necessarily evidence-based. METHODS The literature was reviewed to identify the non-EBM variables that affect physicians' practices of test ordering. Studies of interest were limited to original research on the determinants of physicians' test-ordering tendencies. The search strategy included queries in MEDLINE (1992-2006), Web of Science (1993-2006), EMBASE (1992-2006), and PsycINFO (1992-2006); checking of reference lists; hand searching relevant journals; and personal communication with experts. Two independent reviewers abstracted information on the design, quality, and limitations of the study. Review articles, letters, and editorials were excluded from analysis. RESULTS 104 original studies reporting on the variables affecting test ordering were identified. Of these, 53 studies assessing physician variables affecting test ordering were identified. Some of the recognisable physician factors included age, sex, degree of specialisation, geographic location and practice setting, individual belief systems, experience, knowledge, fear of malpractice litigation, physician regret, financial incentives, awareness of costs of tests ordered, and provision of written feedback by peers or employers. CONCLUSION Despite considerable advances in our understanding of EBM and its application to patient care, several non-EBM physician variables influence physicians' test-ordering characteristics. Ongoing effort is needed to identify the modifiable non-EBM determinants of physicians' test ordering and to use appropriate tools and techniques to encourage evidence-based behaviours for test ordering.
Factors affecting physicians' decisions on caring for an incompetent elderly patient: an international study.

OBJECTIVES To determine what treatment decisions physicians will make when faced with a hypothetical incompetent elderly patient with life-threatening gastrointestinal bleeding and to examine the relative importance of physician characteristics and factors (legal and ethical concerns, hospital costs, level of dementia, patient's age, physician's religion, patient's wishes and family's wishes) in making those decisions. DESIGN Survey. SETTING Family practice, medical and geriatrics rounds in academic medical centres and community hospitals in seven countries. PARTICIPANTS Physicians who regularly cared for incompetent elderly patients. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES A self-administered questionnaire describing the elderly patient. Respondents were asked to choose one of four levels of care and to identify the level of importance factors had in making that decision. Older physicians, those less concerned about litigation, those for whom the level of dementia was important and those for whom the patient's age was important were expected to give less aggressive care than the other physicians. MAIN RESULTS Supportive care was chosen by 8.1% of the respondents, limited therapeutic care by 41.5%, maximum therapeutic care without admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) by 32.2% and maximum care with admission to the ICU by 18.2%. The patient's wishes were reported by 91.0% as being extremely or very important in choosing the treatment. Stepwise logistic regression analysis revealed that the following variables independently predicted the level of treatment: level of dementia, country of residence, duration of practice, legal concerns, patient's age and ethical concerns. These factors were significantly correlated with the physicians' treatment choices (p less than 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The importance that the physicians placed on the level of dementia was the strongest predictor of the level of care that would be provided. A societal consensus on the influence of cognitive function on the appropriate level of care as well as training of physicians in ethical issues are required.
Trajectories of childhood body mass index are associated with adolescent sagittal standing posture.

OBJECTIVES To identify distinct age-related trajectory classes of body mass index (BMI) z-scores from childhood to adolescence, and to examine the association of these trajectories with measures of standing sagittal spinal alignment at 14 years of age. METHODS Adolescents participating in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study contributed data to the study (n=1 373). Age- and gender-specific z-scores for BMI were obtained from height and weight at the ages of 3, 5, 10 and 14 years. Latent class group analysis was used to identify six distinct trajectory classes of BMI z-score. At the age of 14 years, adolescents were categorised into one of four subgroups of sagittal spinal posture using k-means cluster analysis of photographic measures of lumbar lordosis, thoracic kyphosis and trunk sway. Regression modeling was used to assess the relationship between postural angles and subgroups, and different BMI trajectory classes, adjusting for gender. RESULTS Six trajectory classes of BMI z-score were estimated: Very Low (4%), Low (24%), Average (34%), Ascending (6%), Moderate High (26%) and Very High (6%). The proportions of postural subgroups at age 14 were; Neutral (29%), Flat (22%), Sway (27%) and Hyperlordotic (22%). BMI trajectory class was strongly associated with postural subgroup, with significantly higher proportions of adolescents in the Very High, High and Ascending BMI trajectory classes displaying a Hyperlordotic or Sway posture than a Neutral posture at age 14. CONCLUSIONS This prospective study provides evidence that childhood obesity, and how it develops, is associated with standing sagittal postural alignment in adolescence.
Helicobacter pylori and cell proliferation of the gastric mucosa: possible implications for gastric carcinogenesis.

OBJECTIVES Helicobacter pylori infection is recognized as a risk factor for gastric adenocarcinoma. "Mitogenesis increases mutagenesis," so the effects of H. pylori infection on the gastric mucosal proliferative compartment have been investigated. METHODS In 25 H. pylori-positive and 19 H. pylori-negative subjects, epithelial cell proliferative activity and the pattern of the proliferative compartment were separately evaluated in relation to both the different type of mucosa (antrum and corpus) and the H. pylori positivity/negativity after 3H-thymidine labeling. RESULTS Both mucosal cell kinetics and the pattern of the proliferative compartment in the antrum appeared different from those of the corpus. Comparing H. pylori-positive and H. pylori-negative subjects, differences were detected only in the total number of cells in the antrum, whereas all of the cell kinetics parameters, except the labeling index, were greater in the corpus of the former group. A superficialization of the proliferative compartment was shown in H. pylori-positive subjects. Changes were more evident in subjects with more severe gastritis but were also present in H. pylori-positive subjects without corpus gastritis. CONCLUSIONS These results show that H. pylori infection is associated with modifications in the proliferative compartment of the gastric mucosa. Both infection per se and chronic gastritis seem to be relevant for such changes.
Clinical perspectives of platelet transfusions: Defining the optimal dose

To halt bleeding in patients with severe thrombocytopenia due to bone marrow failure, it is desirable to achieve a post‐transfusion blood platelet count of 40 × 109/L by platelet transfusions. Based on calculations of corrected count increments, each 1 × 1011 platelets transfused will increase the blood platelet count approximately 10 × 109/L per each square meter of patient body surface area. Thus, the post‐transfusion blood platelet count will be approximately 20 × 109/L following transfusion of 3 × 1011 platelets to a 5 foot, 8 inch patient weighing 170 pounds (2.0 m2), who is bleeding because of a pre‐transfusion platelet count of 5 × 109/L. The post‐transfusion platelet count likely will be even lower in sick patients (sepsis, amphotericin B plus antibiotic therapy, splenomegaly, graft‐vs.‐host disease, etc.) or if platelets are lost from the unit by leukofiltration before transfusion. Although a dose of 3 × 1011 platelets is acceptable, in a regulatory sense for product quality, it is inadequate to control bleeding in most thrombocytopenic adult patients. Adjusting dose for body size, bleeding patients with pre‐transfusion blood platelet of <10 × 109/L and weighing >120 pounds should receive approximately 6 × 1011 platelets, those weighing 30 to 120 pounds should receive 3 × 1011 platelets, and infants weighing <30 pounds (15 kg) should receive 5–10 ml/kg of platelet concentrate.
Brain mechanical property measurement using MRE with intrinsic activation

Many pathologies alter the mechanical properties of tissue. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) has been developed to noninvasively characterize these quantities in vivo. Typically, small vibrations are induced in the tissue of interest with an external mechanical actuator. The resulting displacements are measured with phase contrast sequences and are then used to estimate the underlying mechanical property distribution. Several MRE studies have quantified brain tissue properties. However, the cranium and meninges, especially the dura, are very effective at damping externally applied vibrations from penetrating deeply into the brain. Here, we report a method, termed ‘intrinsic activation’, that eliminates the requirement for external vibrations by measuring the motion generated by natural blood vessel pulsation. A retrospectively gated phase contrast MR angiography sequence was used to record the tissue velocity at eight phases of the cardiac cycle. The velocities were numerically integrated via the Fourier transform to produce the harmonic displacements at each position within the brain. The displacements were then reconstructed into images of the shear modulus based on both linear elastic and poroelastic models. The mechanical properties produced fall within the range of brain tissue estimates reported in the literature and, equally important, the technique yielded highly reproducible results. The mean shear modulus was 8.1 kPa for linear elastic reconstructions and 2.4 kPa for poroelastic reconstructions where fluid pressure carries a portion of the stress. Gross structures of the brain were visualized, particularly in the poroelastic reconstructions. Intra-subject variability was significantly less than the inter-subject variability in a study of six asymptomatic individuals. Further, larger changes in mechanical properties were observed in individuals when examined over time than when the MRE procedures were repeated on the same day. Cardiac pulsation, termed intrinsic activation, produces sufficient motion to allow mechanical properties to be recovered. The poroelastic model is more consistent with the measured data from brain at low frequencies than the linear elastic model. Intrinsic activation allows MRE to be performed without a device shaking the head so the patient notices no differences between it and the other sequences in an MR examination.
Mechanical properties of the plasma membrane of isolated plant protoplasts : mechanism of hyperosmotic and extracellular freezing injury.

The volume of isolated protoplasts of rye (Secale cereale L. cv Puma) in a suspending solution at constant concentration is shown to be negligibly changed by tensions in the plasma membrane which approach that tension necessary to lyse them. This allows a detailed investigation of the plasma membrane stress-strain relation by micropipette aspiration.Over periods less than a second, the membrane behaves as an elastic two-dimensional fluid with an area modulus of elasticity of 230 millinewtons per meter. Over longer periods, the stress-strain relation approaches a surface energy law-the resting tension is independent of area and has a value of the order 100 micronewtons per meter. Over longer periods the untensioned area, which is defined as the area that would be occupied by the molecules in the membrane at any given time if the tension were zero, increases with time under large imposed tensions and decreases under sufficiently small tension. It is proposed that these long term responses are the result of exchange of material between the plane of the membrane and a reservoir of membrane material. The irreversibility of large contractions in area is demonstrated directly, and the behavior of protoplasts during osmotically induced cycles of contraction and expansion is explained in terms of the membrane stress-strain relation.
A 38 GHz Microstrip Array with an E-Plane Waveguide Feeding Network

A major restriction of high gain microstrip antenna arrays is found in their high losses, mainly due to the feeding network. In this contribution, design and results of a 38 GHz microstrip array antenna with a low-loss E-plane waveguide feed network are presented. Interconnects between planar structures and waveguide network are done by slot coupling. The waveguide network for this antenna was machined from aluminum, but in a later phase, it might be fabricated using plastic injection molding and electroplating to realize low-loss, low-cost planar antennas.
Distribution of Class I Integron and smqnr Resistance Gene Among Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Isolated from Clinical Samples in Iran

Background: Stenotrophomonas maltophilia (S. maltophilia) is a multiple-antibiotic-resistant opportunistic pathogen that is being isolated with increasing frequency from patients with health-care-associated infections. S. maltophilia is inherently resistant to most of the available antimicrobial agents. Spread of resistant strains has been attributed, in part, to class I integrons. In vitro susceptibility studies have shown trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and new floroquinolones as two important agents with activity against these organisms. Methods: 150 isolates of S. maltophilia were isolated from clinical samples such as respiratory discharges, sputum, and catheter and hospital environments. These isolates were also subjected to susceptibility testing and polymerase chain reaction for four groups of genes including int encoding integron elements, sulI and sulII encoding trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance and smqnr encoding quinolone resistance. Results: The rate of resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole was up to 27 (18%) and the highest resistance to quinolone family belonged to ofloxacin (20%) and the lowest rate was for gatifloxacin (16%). The results showed that 14% of isolates contained integron elements concomitantly with sulI and sulII genes. Conclusion: Resistance rate of S. maltophilia to co-trimoxazole and fluoroquinolones and detection of integron elements between isolates in this study showed that this rate corresponded to other data obtained from other studies.
Transient, axotomy‐induced changes in the membrane properties of crayfish central neurones.

1. In crayfish, the normally passive, non‐spiking somata of certain unipolar, efferent neurones became spiking within 36 hr of axotomy. 2. The changes persisted for approximately 2 weeks and then waned. The decline in excitability occurred independently of regeneration, and excitability was not restored by recutting the axon stump. 3. The neuropilar processes also became capable of supporting spikes, but synaptic transmission onto the cells and the spike threshold for orthodromic activation were unchanged, as was the gross structure of the neurone. 4. In somata which normally spike, electrogenicity was nevertheless increased, as evidenced by soma spikes that were larger, faster rising, and easier to evoke. 5. We tested for post‐axotomy excitability changes in a variety of identified neurones. Every type (n = 5) of phasically active efferent we tested responded as above, as did all three phasic interneurones. One class of spontaneously active interneurones and one spontaneously active efferent did not respond to axotomy. 6. Extensive damage to afferents did not initiate changes in efferents of the same ganglion, nor did it interfere with changes induced by axotomy of the efferents. 7. Transection of the larger of the two main branches of the phasic flexor inhibitor induced soma excitability, but cutting the smaller branch did not. However, after the excitability caused by cutting the larger branch waned, transection of the smaller branch then induced excitability. 8. Neurones with longer axon stumps took longer to develop soma excitability.
Drug resistance is uncommon in pregnant women with low viral loads taking zidovudine monotherapy to prevent perinatal HIV transmission

Zidovudine monotherapy is used to reduce perinatal HIV transmission in women with low viral loads. There are few data on the risk of drug resistance in this select cohort of women. We determined the prevalence of newly acquired mutations conferring reduced sensitivity to zidovudine after exposure during pregnancy, and found that the development of mutations was uncommon and was restricted to women treated before 1998 who had higher baseline viral loads than those currently recommended monotherapy.