Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of TLR4 and CD14 Polymorphisms in the Pathogenesis of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Bronchiolitis in Greek Infants

Clinical manifestations of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection vary from minimal disease to severe acute bronchiolitis. The structural complex of TLR4/CD14 participates in the virus recognition as a component of natural immune response. Genetic variations of TLR4/CD14 may explain great variations in disease severity. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of polymorphisms of TLR4, Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile and CD14, C-159T and C-550T in the development of RSV bronchiolitis. Our study included two groups of Greek infants and young children (A and B). Group A consisted of 50 infants ≤2 years of age hospitalised with bronchiolitis and group B of 99 previously healthy children aged 4–14 years (control group) with a free past medical history. RSV was indentified by PCR of genetic material that was extracted from nasopharyngeal samples collected from all patients. Blood samples were used to extract DNA and by using the PCR-RFLP method we performed TLR4 and CD14 genotyping. We found no association between TLR4 polymorphisms (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) and the development of acute bronchiolitis. For CD14 polymorphisms, a positive association was found between the C-159T and the development of bronchiolitis (p=0.05) but not for the other loci. There were no differences detected in the frequencies of the four polymorphisms studied among infants with RSV and non-RSV bronchiolitis. It is concluded that protein CD14 may have a functional role in the viral conjunction to the structural complex TLR4/CD14. The association between the polymorphism C-159T and the manifestation of disease found in our study points out that the severity in the development of acute bronchiolitis is not specified exclusively by the pathogen, but the immune response of the host also plays a significant role. More extensive multicentric studies need to take place, in order to lead to safer conclusions.
Medical treatment of peripheral arterial disease and claudication.

ERIPHERAL arterial disease, which is caused by atherosclerotic occlusion of the arteries to the legs, is an important manifestation of systemic atherosclerosis. The age-adjusted prevalence of peripheral arterial disease is approximately 12 percent, and the disorder affects men and women equally (Table 1). 7,8 Patients with peripheral arterial disease, even in the absence of a history of myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke, have approximately the same relative risk of death from cardiovascular causes as do patients with a history of coronary or cerebrovascular disease (Table 2). 12,15 In patients with peripheral arterial disease, the rate of death from all causes is approximately equal in men and women and is elevated even in asymptomatic patients. The severity of peripheral arterial disease is closely associated with the risk of myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and death from vascular causes. The lower the ankle–brachial index (Fig. 1), the greater the risk of cardiovascular events. 17,18 Patients with critical leg ischemia (the most severe clinical manifestation of peripheral arterial disease), who have the lowest ankle–brachial index values, have an annual mortality of 25 percent. 19 The major risk factors for peripheral arterial disease are older age (over 40 years), cigarette smoking, and diabetes mellitus. Hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and hyperhomocysteinemia are also important risk factors. 5,8,20 Because of the presence of these risk factors, the systemic nature of atherosclerosis, and the high risk of ischemic events, patients with peripheral arterial disease should be considered candidates for secondary-prevention strategies that include aggressive riskfactor modification and antiplatelet-drug therapy. 21,22 P
Chronically unstable bodies : Reflections on Amazonian corporalities

Sur la base d'un materiel ethnographique recueilli chez les Wari' (Rondonia, Bresil), cet article remet en question quelques-uns des presupposes de la litterature anthropologique contemporaine concernant les conceptions indigenes du corps, en etudiant une composante essentielle de la corporalite des peuples amazoniens, peu evoquee dans les etudes ethnographiques de l'Amazonie: son caractere instable et transformationnel. Cette dimension n'apparait que lorsque l'analyse suppose un elargissement de la notion d'humanite (signalee pour la premiere fois a notre attention par Levy-Bruhl et Leenhardt, entre autres) qui inclurait non seulement les etres que nous considerons comme humains, mais aussi d'autres entites subjectives telles que les animaux et les esprits. L'elaboration de cette problematique est centree sur la discussion des relations entre le corps et l'âme, entre humanite et corporalite.
Comparison of Different EMR-Based Models of Traction Power Substations for Energetic Studies of Subway Lines

Simulation is a valuable way to develop cleaner transportation systems. Nevertheless, the complexity of this kind of system leads to complex models, particularly when taking into account nonlinear aspects of traction power substations (TPSs). Thus, this paper proposes different TPS models based on energetic macroscopic representation. An appropriate model is deduced from comparisons between the different models to realize energetic studies. It is finally applied to the simulation of a simple subway line, which is experimentally validated.
Hamstring strain injuries: are we heading in the right direction?

Acute hamstring injuries are the most prevalent muscle injuries reported in sport. Despite a thorough and concentrated effort to prevent and rehabilitate hamstring injuries, injury occurrence and re-injury rates have not improved over the last three decades. This failure is most likely due to the following: (1) a lack of studies with high level of evidence into the identification and prevention of hamstring injuries and (2) a reductionist approach of the current literature. The objectives of this article are to review and critique the current literature regarding isolated risk factors, and introduce a new concept for a more comprehensive scientific understanding of how multiple risk factors contribute to hamstring strain injury. The authors hope that this new conceptual model can serve as a foundation for future evidence-based research and aid in the development of new prevention methods to decrease the high incidence of this type of injury.
Development of an enhanced human gastrointestinal epithelial culture system to facilitate patient-based assays

Objective The technology for the growth of human intestinal epithelial cells is rapidly progressing. An exciting possibility is that this system could serve as a platform for individualised medicine and research. However, to achieve this goal, human epithelial culture must be enhanced so that biopsies from individuals can be used to reproducibly generate cell lines in a short time frame so that multiple, functional assays can be performed (ie, barrier function and host–microbial interactions). Design We created a large panel of human gastrointestinal epithelial cell lines (n=65) from patient biopsies taken during routine upper and lower endoscopy procedures. Proliferative stem/progenitor cells were rapidly expanded using a high concentration of conditioned media containing the factors critical for growth (Wnt3a, R-spondin and Noggin). A combination of lower conditioned media concentration and Notch inhibition was used to differentiate these cells for additional assays. Results We obtained epithelial lines from all accessible tissue sites within 2 weeks of culture. The intestinal cell lines were enriched for stem cell markers and rapidly grew as spheroids that required passage at 1:3–1:4 every 3 days. Under differentiation conditions, intestinal epithelial spheroids showed region-specific development of mature epithelial lineages. These cells formed functional, polarised monolayers covered by a secreted mucus layer when grown on Transwell membranes. Using two-dimensional culture, these cells also demonstrated novel adherence phenotypes with various strains of pathogenic Escherichia coli. Conclusions This culture system will facilitate the study of interindividual, functional studies of human intestinal epithelial cells, including host–microbial interactions.
Demonstration of solids-associated virus in wastewater and sludge

Data presented demonstrate the relatively high multiplicity of solids-associated virus in field samples, i.e., wastewater, sludge, and soils. Influent, effluent, and chlorinated effluent samples showed 16.1 to 100% of the total virus demonstrated in samples to be solids associated. Three techniques for freeing solids-associated virus are described and compared. Using sonication of solids and polyethylene glycol concentration, virus was demonstrated in fully digested sludge (60 days at 34 C), sand at the site of a sewer leak, and dried sludge cake and mud 900 m downstream from a sewage disposal site. These data emphasize the inadequacy of virus concentration techniques that do not include the processing of solids. In situ elution failed to free solids-associated virus.
An overview of fuzzy-logic based approaches to ecology: Addressing uncertainty

The study of ecology seeks to understand the relationships between organisms and their environment and to use this knowledge to remedy environmental issues. However, the use of statistical analysis in ecology is hampered because many ecological components cannot be quantified with precision. Consequently, some ecologists have become interested in the application of fuzzy logic to accommodate ecological data, though the numbers of practitioners seems to be low as indicated by the publication record. This paper presents a framework of uncertainty to classify the types of imprecision encountered by ecologists in different parts of an ecological study. Examples are drawn from the literature to illustrate how fuzzy logic has been used to address uncertainty. Lastly, a brief discussion is given on how fuzzy logic could be used to improve the utility of avian surveys for biodiversity assessment.
The Cost of Display in the Non-Resource-Based Mating System of the Satin Bowerbird

Cost of display has emerged as a prominent theme in some recent discussions of models that attempt to explain the evolution of exaggerated sexual display traits in males. Here I use comparative and experimental information from an 8-yr field study of the satin bowerbird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus) to test predictions from sexual selection models that focus on the cost of male display. Two of these models predict a high absolute cost of male display when extended to the satin bowerbird. Eight different tests showed no evidence of the predicted high cost of display, and four produced significant results in the opposite direction. These results are consistent with the claim that truthful advertising need not be costly and Gilliard's suggestion that there has been selection for reduced cost of male display among bowerbirds. Evidence showing that exaggerated male display traits do not have a high absolute cost may help resolve the long-standing question of how these displays evolve.
Treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: results of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Children's Hospital Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Consortium Protocol 85-01.

PURPOSE The goals of this treatment program were as follows: to improve event-free survival (EFS) rates for high-risk (HR) patients by increasing the intensity of induction treatment; to improve EFS rates for infants by adding a special postinduction intensification; to treat the CNS using cranial irradiation doses that were lower than in our historic control group; and to confirm our previously obtained good results for children with T-cell disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS Two hundred twenty children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) from all risk groups, including infants and patients with T-cell disease, were treated between 1985 and 1987 with multiagent chemotherapy and cranial irradiation. RESULTS The 7-year EFS rate (+/- SE) for all 220 patients was 78% +/- 3% at a median follow-up duration of 6.2 years, 89% +/- 4% for the 82 patients classified as standard risk (SR), and 72% +/- 4% for the remaining 138 patients classified as HR and very high risk (VHR). Eleven infants had an EFS rate of 55% +/- 15% that might be attributable to treatment with high doses of methotrexate and cytarabine (ara-c). Twenty children with T-cell disease had an EFS rate of 70% +/- 10%. CNS leukemia relapse (isolated or combined with bone marrow) occurred in four of 82 SR patients who received 18 Gy of cranial irradiation and four of 138 HR and VHR patients who received 24 Gy. CONCLUSION This protocol, which featured early intensive treatment including asparaginase, doxorubicin, and cranial irradiation, provided good long-term disease control for children with ALL.
Repression of Secondary Metabolite Production by Exogenous cAMP in Monascus

The cAMP signal pathway controls various biological functions, including secondary metabolism of filamentous fungi. We found that exogenous cAMP represses the production of lovastatin, red pigments, and citrinin in Monascus. Interestingly, a mutant MK-1 with increased lovastatin and red pigments production (Miyake, T., et al., Biosci. Biotechnol. Biochem., 70, 1154–1159 (2006)) was not influenced by cAMP on these productions, indicating that cAMP signaling might be lacking in MK-1.
GaN H-FET development at QinetiQ

The AlGaN/GaN HFET project at QinetiQ has the capability to grow high quality layers using MOVPE, fabricate HFETs with 0.8 and 0.25 /spl mu/m gate length and fabricate amplifiers. Here we present recent work on topics as diverse as X-ray determination of aluminium concentration, 0.25 Ohm.mm Ohmic contacts, measurement of saturated velocity, current slump and a 57 W hybrid amplifier.
Auto-PEEP may improve oxygenation during one-lung ventilation.

I was interested to read the article by Yokota et al. (l), who measured auto-positive end-expiratory pressure (auto-PEEP) resulting from dynamic hyperinflation during one-lung ventilation. The authors hypothesized that Pao, may be improved in patients with auto-PEEP, presumably because of alveolar recruitment. However, they could not demonstrate a relationship between auto-PEEP and Pao,, and I believe their conclusions may be wrong. A glance at their scatterplot (Fig. 3, auto-PEEP versus Pao,) reveals that they included 19 patients who either had minimal levels of, or did not exhibit, auto-PEEP. In these patients, Pao, will be dependent on a number of other factors (21, all of which will dilute any real association between auto-PEEP and Pao,. Perhaps the authors could have more reliably demonstrated a relationship by inducing a moderate degree of auto-PEEP in all patients by incrementally reducing the relative expiratory time (by further reducing inspiratory flow rate and so increasing inspiratory time). There is no logical reason why their patients without significant auto-PEEP should have been included in their analysis. After excluding these patients, I calculated (using approximate values from their scatterplot) a correlation coefficient of 0.51 (P = 0.015). This suggests a moderate degree of association between auto-PEEP and Pao,, and so the authors’ conclusions can be reversed. This should come as no surprise, for in most cases low levels of externally applied PEEP during one-lung ventilation result in improved oxygenation (3,4). I have observed similar beneficial effects in many patients with obstructive airways disease undergoing lung transplantation in which dynamic hyperinflation has been observed (5). Despite severe, end-stage lung disease, hypoxia is uncommon during one-lung ventilation (even before ligation of the pulmonary artery). I believe such patients are “protected” by the auto-PEEP generated by their residual lung hyperinflation.
Intrinsic connections of the rat amygdaloid complex: Projections originating in the basal nucleus

The amygdaloid complex is involved in associational processes, such as the formation of emotional memories about sensory stimuli. However, the anatomical connections through which the different amygdaloid nuclei process incoming information and communicate with the other amygdaloid nuclei, is poorly understood. As part of an ongoing project aimed at elucidating the intrinsic connections of the rat amygdaloid complex, we injected the antero grade tracer PHA‐L (Phaseolus vulgaris‐leucoagglutinin) into different rostrocaudal levels of the basal nucleus of the amygdala in 21 rats and analyzed the distribution of labeled fibers and terminals throughout the amygdaloid complex. The connectional analysis, together with cytoarchitectonic observations, suggested that contrary to previous notions the basal nucleus in the rat has three divisions: magnocellular, intermediate, and parvicellular. The magnocellular division has heavy reciprocal connections with the lateral portion of the parvicellular division and the intermediate division projects weakly to the parvicellular division, whereas the projection from the medial: portion of the parvicellular division to the intermediate division is heavy and the lateral and medial portions of the parvicellular division are only weakly interconnected, as are the magnocellular and intermediate divisions. The main intraamygdaloid targets of the basal nucleus projections are the nucleus of the lateral olfactory tract, the anterior amygdaloid area, the medial and capsular divisions of the central nucleus, the anterior cortical nucleus, and the amygdalohippocampal area. Our findings provide the most detailed understanding of the intra‐amygdala connections of the basal nucleus to date and show that the connections within the basal nucleus and between the basal nucleus and other amygdaloid areas are more widespread and topographically organized than previously recognized. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Utility of the QT interval in predicting outcomes in patients presenting to the emergency department with chest pain

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate whether prolongation of the heart rate-corrected QT interval (QTc) is an independent risk factor for predicting future acute coronary syndrome (ACS) occurrence or mortality in patients with at least one cardiac risk factor presenting with chest pain to the emergency department (ED). MethodsThis is a single-center, retrospective study of patients presenting with chest pain to the ED of Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, between 2011 and 2012. Proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) for occurrence of ACS or death within 1 year. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to determine the time to event for QTc low (<460 ms) versus QTc high (≥460 ms) groups. ResultsA total of 595 patients met the inclusion criteria. Older age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia were more common in the QTc high group. Patients in the QTc high group were more likely to experience subsequent ACS or death (HR 8.12, 95% confidence interval 4.00–16.72), even after adjusting for traditional cardiac risk factors (HR 7.68, 95% confidence interval 3.57–16.61). ConclusionQTc prolongation at ED presentation with chest pain and at least one cardiac risk factor predicts subsequent ACS and death.
Teratogen update: smoking and reproductive outcomes.

The potential effects of cigarette smoke exposure on reproductive outcomes are a major scientific and public health concern, as evidenced by the myriad of published studies on outcomes ranging from germ cell morphology to morbidity among subsequent generations of offspring. Although the prevalence of maternal smoking has decreased over the past two decades, ,15% of women smoke throughout pregnancy (Kendrick and Merritt, ’96). Given that cigarette smoke contains hundreds of toxic components, it follows that maternal smoking may have adverse effects on certain reproductive outcomes. For the most part, specific components of cigarette smoke have not been studied in humans, but pieces of evidence point toward certain pathways. Some examples include: nicotine is known to be vasoactive and is thought to reduce placental and fetal circulation (Lehtovirta and Forss, ’78; Goodman, ’90; Mochizuki et al., ’94; Philipp et al., ’94); cotinine, a major metabolite of nicotine, has been measured in follicular fluid (Bureau et al., ’82; Weiss and Eckert, ’89); cyanide is a known toxin and has been studied as a marker for smoking because thiocyanate correlates well with smoking exposure (Sophian, ’68; Andrews and McGarry, ’72; Bottoms et al., ’82); carbon monoxide is known to deplete both maternal and fetal oxygen supplies (Bartlett, ’68; Meyer, ’78; Bureau et al., ’84); excess cadmium has been observed in the ovaries, follicular fluid, and placentas of smokers (Van der Velde et al., ’83; Kuhnert et al., ’88; Zenzes et al., ’93); lead is a known neurotoxin (Doull et al., ’80); and some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are mutagenic (USDHHS, ’82). The more general exposure—cigarette smoking—is the focus of this review. Because of the abundance of published papers on smoking, the outcomes presented here were selected on the basis of public health relevance and the availability of published data from epidemiologic studies in humans. For each reproductive outcome covered, important epidemiologic issues are described and the findings are summarized in terms of an estimated relative effect of smoking (i.e., relative risk) (Rothman, ’86). For those outcomes that have been linked to smoking consistently across studies, the proportion of the outcome attributed to the exposure (i.e., attributable proportion) is estimated (Rothman, ’86). SUBFERTILITY
A large-scale, gene-driven mutagenesis approach for the functional analysis of the mouse genome

A major challenge of the postgenomic era is the functional characterization of every single gene within the mammalian genome. In an effort to address this challenge, we assembled a collection of mutations in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, which is the largest publicly accessible collection of such mutations to date. Using four different gene-trap vectors, we generated 5,142 sequences adjacent to the gene-trap integration sites (gene-trap sequence tags; http://genetrap.de) from >11,000 ES cell clones. Although most of the gene-trap vector insertions occurred randomly throughout the genome, we found both vector-independent and vector-specific integration “hot spots. ” Because >50% of the hot spots were vector-specific, we conclude that the most effective way to saturate the mouse genome with gene-trap insertions is by using a combination of gene-trap vectors. When a random sample of gene-trap integrations was passaged to the germ line, 59% (17 of 29) produced an observable phenotype in transgenic mice, a frequency similar to that achieved by conventional gene targeting. Thus, gene trapping allows a large-scale and cost-effective production of ES cell clones with mutations distributed throughout the genome, a resource likely to accelerate genome annotation and the in vivo modeling of human disease.
Exercise after Myocardial Infarction: A Controlled Trial

Six weeks after acute myocardial infarction, 303 men were randomly divided into exercise and control groups. The exercise group attended the hospital gymnasium twice weekly for a three-month supervised exercise course. Both groups were exercise tested before and after the course and at subsequent follow-up. The exercise group increased their physical fitness greatly compared with the control group. Eight per cent of the exercise group died during the period of follow-up, compared with 14 per cent of the control group; this difference is not significant. There was an apparent improvement in mortality in those with inferior MI who completed the exercise course, which was not seen in those with MI in other sites. For many patients after MI progressive exercise is safe, improves physical fitness and may reduce mortality for those after inferior MI.