Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acid adaptation of Listeria monocytogenes can enhance survival in acidic foods and during milk fermentation

We have previously shown that tolerance to severe acid stress (pH 3.5) can be induced in Listeria monocytogenes following a 1-h adaptation to mild acid (pH 5.5), a phenomenon termed the acid tolerance response (ATR) (B. O'Driscoll, C. G. M. Gahan, and C. Hill, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62:1693-1698, 1966). In an attempt to determine the industrial significance of the ATR, we have examined the survival of adapted and nonadapted cells in a variety of acidic foods. Acid adaptation enhanced the survival of L. monocytogenes in acidified dairy products, including cottage cheese, yogurt, and whole-fat cheddar cheese. Acid-adapted L. monocytogenes cultures also demonstrated increased survival during active milk fermentation by a lactic acid culture. Similarly, acid-adapted cells showed greatly improved survival in low-pH foods (orange juice and salad dressing) containing acids other than lactic acid. However, in foods with a marginally higher pH, such as mozzarella cheese, a commercial cottage cheese, or low-fat cheddar cheese, acid adaptation did not appear to enhance survival. We have previously isolated mutants of L. monocytogenes that are constitutively acid tolerant in the absence of an induction step (O'Driscoll et al., Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62:1693-1698, 1996). In the present study, one such mutant, ATM56, demonstrated an increased ability to survive in low-pH foods and during milk fermentation when compared with the wild-type strain. Significant numbers of ATM56 could be recovered even after 70 days in both whole-fat and low-fat cheddar cheese. Collectively, the data suggest that ATR mechanisms, whether constitutive or induced, can greatly influence the survival of L. monocytogenes in low-pH food environments.
Localization in the rat spleen of carbon‐laden macrophages introduced into the splenic artery: A subpopulation of macrophages entering the white pulp

Heavily carbon‐laden (HC) macrophages, largely derived from the red pulp of the donor spleen, were injected into the splenic artery of recipient rats. Immediately after injection, HC macrophages were found only in the marginal sinus and in the splenic cords. With time after injection, they appeared successively at the periphery of the white pulp, in the deeper white pulp, and finally in and near the germinal centers, suggesting migration of HC macrophages from the marginal sinus towards the germinal centers. The number of HC macrophages in and near the germinal centers reached a peak at 12 h. Most of the HC macrophages in the white pulp were spherical or ovoid in shape with a diameter of 7–11 μm in sections, having an eccentric round or oval nucleus often with a distinct nucleolus and a cap‐like or horseshoe‐like cytoplasm filled with carbon. When immunostained with monoclonal antibodies against rat macrophage subpopulations, more than 90% of HC macrophages in the white pulp were found to be ED1+2−3−. A population of the same type of macrophages, both in morphology and phenotype, were found in the red pulp of the donor spleen. They were different from the major residents, red pulp scavenger macrophages, which were ED1+2−3− and larger in size and irregular in shape. These results suggest the presence of a distinct subpopulation of macrophages which actively migrate into the splenic white pulp including the germinal centers. A discharge of transferred macrophages from the red pulp to the general circulation is also suggested.
Role of the two-component leader sequence and mature amino acid sequences in extracellular export of endoglucanase EGL from Pseudomonas solanacearum

The egl gene of Pseudomonas solanacearum encodes a 43-kDa extracellular endoglucanase (mEGL) involved in wilt disease caused by this phytopathogen. Egl is initially translated with a 45-residue, two-part leader sequence. The first 19 residues are apparently removed by signal peptidase II during export of Egl across the inner membrane (IM); the remaining residues of the leader sequence (modified with palmitate) are removed during export across the outer membrane (OM). Localization of Egl-PhoA fusion proteins showed that the first 26 residues of the Egl leader sequence are required and sufficient to direct lipid modification, processing, and export of Egl or PhoA across the IM but not the OM. Fusions of the complete 45-residue leader sequence or of the leader and increasing portions of mEgl sequences to PhoA did not cause its export across the OM. In-frame deletion of portions of mEGL-coding sequences blocked export of the truncated polypeptides across the OM without affecting export across the IM. These results indicate that the first part of the leader sequence functions independently to direct export of Egl across the IM while the second part and sequences and structures in mEGL are involved in export across the OM. Computer analysis of the mEgl amino acid sequence obtained from its nucleotide sequence identified a region of mEGL similar in amino acid sequence to regions in other prokaryotic endoglucanases.
Veins draining the pineal body. An anatomical and neuroradiological study of "pineal veins".

✓ The authors present a detailed anatomical and neuroradiological study of the veins draining the pineal body proper, which they designate “pineal veins. ” They describe three variations of the pineal veins. Since each has a characteristic angiographic relationship to the pineal body, the results of the study may permit early diagnosis of a pinealoma and distinguish the nature of the tumors of the posterior third ventricle.
Distribution of Monoclonal Antibody Subgroups and Sequence-Based Types among Legionella pneumophila Serogroup 1 Isolates Derived from Cooling Tower Water, Bathwater, and Soil in Japan

ABSTRACT Legionella pneumophila serogroup (SG) 1 is the most frequent cause of legionellosis. This study analyzed environmental isolates of L. pneumophila SG 1 in Japan using monoclonal antibody (MAb) typing and sequence-based typing (SBT). Samples were analyzed from bathwater (BW; n = 50), cooling tower water (CT; n = 50), and soil (SO; n = 35). The distribution of MAb types varied by source, with the most prevalent types being Bellingham (42%), Oxford (72%), and OLDA (51%) in BW, CT, and SO, respectively. The ratios of MAb 3/1 positive isolates were 26, 2, and 14% from BW, CT, and SO, respectively. The environmental isolates from BW, CT, and SO were divided into 34 sequence types (STs; index of discrimination [IOD] = 0.973), 8 STs (IOD = 0.448), and 11 STs (IOD = 0.879), respectively. Genetic variation among CT isolates was smaller than seen in BW and SO. ST1 accounted for 74% of the CT isolates. The only common STs between (i) BW and CT, (ii) BW and SO, and (iii) CT and SO were ST1, ST129, and ST48, respectively, suggesting that each environment constitutes an independent habitat.
Taux de rendement de l'éducation sur le marché du travail d'un pays en développement

Dans cet article, nous proposons une modelisation des rendements de l’education visant a enrichir le modele de Mincer [1974] selon lequel les revenus ne sont fonction que du niveau d’education et de l’experience professionnelle. Nous considerons d’autres determinants des revenus dont le type d’education (public ou prive), tout en corrigeant le biais de selection sur le marche du travail et le biais d’endogeneite du niveau d’etudes. Le taux de rendement de l’education se revele alors non significatif a Madagascar, que le marche du travail soit suppose concurrentiel ou segmente.
Constitutive Expression of a miR319 Gene Alters Plant Development and Enhances Salt and Drought Tolerance in Transgenic Creeping Bentgrass1[W][OA]

MiRNA319 affects plant responses to drought and salinity stress and can be manipulated in transgenic plants to enhance performance under environmental stress. MicroRNA319 (miR319) is one of the first characterized and conserved microRNA families in plants and has been demonstrated to target TCP (for TEOSINTE BRANCHED/CYCLOIDEA/PROLIFERATING CELL FACTORS [PCF]) genes encoding plant-specific transcription factors. MiR319 expression is regulated by environmental stimuli, suggesting its involvement in plant stress response, although experimental evidence is lacking and the underlying mechanism remains elusive. This study investigates the role that miR319 plays in the plant response to abiotic stress using transgenic creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) overexpressing a rice (Oryza sativa) miR319 gene, Osa-miR319a. We found that transgenic plants overexpressing Osa-miR319a displayed morphological changes and exhibited enhanced drought and salt tolerance associated with increased leaf wax content and water retention but reduced sodium uptake. Gene expression analysis indicated that at least four putative miR319 target genes, AsPCF5, AsPCF6, AsPCF8, and AsTCP14, and a homolog of the rice NAC domain gene AsNAC60 were down-regulated in transgenic plants. Our results demonstrate that miR319 controls plant responses to drought and salinity stress. The enhanced abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic plants is related to significant down-regulation of miR319 target genes, implying their potential for use in the development of novel molecular strategies to genetically engineer crop species for enhanced resistance to environmental stress.
Tuberculous Meningitis in Bacille Calmette-Guérin–Vaccinated Children

The Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccination (BCG) contributed widely to reduce tuberculosis incidence in developing countries. The aim of this report was to assess the clinical “spectrum” and outcome of tuberculous meningitis in 16 Bacille Calmette-Guérin–vaccinated Tunisian children. They were 9 boys and 7 girls aged 2 to 168 months (median 72 months ± 65.88). Patients presented mainly with nonspecific symptoms. Neurologic severity was classified as grade I (n = 6) and grade II or III (n = 10). At short-term course, the majority of patients developed serious complications: hydrocephalus (n = 12), seizures (n = 8), tuberculoma (n = 6), and acute respiratory failure (n = 2). Three patients died. Among survivors, 4 patients showed a complete recovery while 9 developed permanent sequelae which were mild (n = 6) to severe (n = 3). Despite the Bacille Calmette-Guérin vaccination, tuberculous meningitis remains a life-threatening condition; vaccinated children have shown common presentation of tuberculous meningitis in terms of severity and poor outcome.
[Intervention to reduce adolescents sexual risk behaviors: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE To test the efficacy of a behavioral intervention designed to decrease risk sexual behaviors for HIV/AIDS and unplanned pregnancies in Mexican adolescents. MATERIAL AND METHODS Randomized controlled trial with four follow ups; 832 adolescents recruited from high schools, age 14-17, were randomly assigned to the experimental or control group. The six hour intervention used active learning strategies, and was delivered in two sessions on two consecutive Saturdays. The study was carried out in Monterrey, Mexico, 2002-2005. RESULTS GEE analysis indicated no differences in sexual relationships intentions between the two conditions, however, the experimental group had higher intentions to use condoms and contraceptives (mean differences 0.15 and 0.16, CI 95%) in the next three months, as compared with the control group. Theoretical variables, such as control beliefs, were significant mediators of the intervention. CONCLUSIONS The behavioral intervention represents an important effort in promoting safe sexual behaviors among Mexican adolescents.
Flat routing protocols for ad hoc mobile wireless networks

Ad hoc networks are characterized by multihop wireless connectivity, frequently changing network topology and the need for efficient dynamic routing protocols plays an important role. In these networks there is no fixed topology due to the mobility of nodes, interference, multipath propagation and path loss. Hence a dynamic routing protocol is needed for these networks to function properly. Many of them have been developed for accomplishing this task. This paper presents two mobile ad-hoc routing protocols DSDV and AODV where the first one is a proactive protocol depending on routing tables which are maintained at each node. The other one is a reactive protocol, which finds a route to a destination on demand, whenever communication is needed.
Emerging roles of RAC1 in treating lung cancer patients

The Ras‐related C3 botulinum toxin substrate 1 (RAC1), a member of the Rho family of small guanosine triphosphatases, is critical for many cellular activities, such as phagocytosis, adhesion, migration, motility, cell proliferation, and axonal growth. In addition, RAC1 plays an important role in cancer angiogenesis, invasion, and migration, and it has been reported to be related to most cancers, such as breast cancer, gastric cancer, testicular germ cell cancer, and lung cancer. Recently, the therapeutic target of RAC1 in cancer has been investigated. In addition, some investigations have shown that inhibition of RAC1 can reverse drug‐resistance in non‐small cell lung cancer. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in understanding the role of RAC1 in lung cancer and the underlying mechanisms and discuss its value in clinical therapy.
Murine Cytomegalovirus Infection Inhibits Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha Responses in Primary Macrophages

ABSTRACT Despite robust host immune responses the betaherpesvirus murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is able to establish lifelong infection. This capacity is due at least in part to the virus utilizing multiple immune evasion mechanisms to blunt host responses. Macrophages are an important cell for MCMV infection, dissemination, and latency despite expression in the host of multiple cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), that can induce an antiviral state in macrophages or other cells. In this study, we found that MCMV infection of bone marrow-derived macrophages inhibited TNF-α-induced ICAM-1 surface expression and mRNA expression in infected cells via expression of immediate early and/or early viral genes. MCMV infection blocked TNF-α-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB. This inhibition of TNF-α signaling was explained by a decrease in TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) and TNFR2 that was due to decreased mRNA for the latter. These findings provide a mechanism by which MCMV can evade the effects of an important host cytokine in macrophages.
The Use of Cells in Reparative Medicine

Abstract: Cells are the functional elements of reparative medicine and tissue engineering. The use of living cells as a therapy presents several challenges. These include identification of a suitable source, development of adequate methods, and proof of safety and efficacy. We are now well aware that stem or pluripotent cells offer an exciting potential source for a host of functional cell types. Their true potential will only be realized through continued effort to increase basic scientific understanding at all levels, the development of adequate methods to achieve a functional phenotype, and attention to safety issues associated with adequate control of cell localization, proliferation, and differentiation. There is also new understanding regarding the immunology of parenchymal cells and new promising approaches to immune modulation, which will open the door to broader therapies using allogeneic cell sources without prohibitive immune suppression. Control of cell growth and phenotypic expression does not end in the culture vessel, but goes beyond to the patient. A living therapy is not static but dynamic, as is the host response. The cells or tissue construct in most cases will not behave as a whole‐organ transplant. It is therefore important that we understand a cell or tissue therapy's ability to react and interact within the host since clinical effectiveness has proven to be one of the most difficult milestones to achieve. A living cell therapy offers great potential to alter the human condition, encompassing alteration of the current biological state of a targeted tissue or organ, augmentation of depleted or lost function, or absolute functional tissue replacement. The extent to which we are able to achieve effective cell therapies will depend on assimilating a rapidly developing base of scientific knowledge with the practical considerations of design, delivery, and host response.
Detection of number of uncorrelated and coherent narrowband signals with L-shaped sensor array

This paper deals with the problem of estimating the number of mixed narrowband signals of uncorrelated and coherent signals impinging on the L-shaped sensor array, which is structured by two uniform linear arrays (ULAs). Since the total number of incident signals can be estimated as the rank of a combined matrix formed from the cross-correlations between the received data of two ULAs, and the number of uncorrelated signals can be obtained from rank of the cross-covariance matrix of two ULAs, a new QR-based detection method without eigendecomposition is proposed to estimate the number of incident signals and that of uncorrelated signals from the values of the running indexes of two ratio criteria for which the criteria are maximized, where the criteria are formed from the elements of QR upper-triangular factors of the autoproducts of two aforementioned matrices. The statistical analysis clarifies that the proposed detection is asymptotically consistent. Furthermore the effectiveness of proposed method is confirmed through numerical examples.
Cisplatin cytotoxicity in organ of corti‐derived immortalized cells

Cisplatin is an anticancer drug currently used in the treatment of genital and head and neck tumors. Its use in these and other types of tumors is narrowed by onset of chemoresistance and severe undesired side effects, like as nephro‐ and ototoxicity, whose mechanisms of action are only partially understood. In the present study we investigated the effects of cisplatin (cis‐dichlorodiaminoplatin, CDDP) on a cell line (OC‐k3) developed from organs of Corti of transgenic mice. We observed at 48 h that cell death due to cisplatin was time and concentration‐dependent. The cell death displayed some morphological hallmarks of apoptosis, including nuclear fragmentation into several large nuclear fragments, surrounded by a rearranged and thickened actin cytoskeleton. No DNA laddering was detected, suggesting absence of endonuclease activity, nor annexin V positivity, suggesting absence of phosphatidylserine externalization. Several molecules protected the cells against CDDP induced cytotoxicity, including methionine, suramin and PD98059. Methionine reduced CDDP‐uptake, while suramin, a polycathionic compound a specifically binding external proteins, did not. This finding suggested that suramin could exert its protective effect by acting on an intracellular transduction pathway. We tested this hypothesis by studying the effect of suramin and PD98059, a MEK inhibitor, on the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade. After CDDP treatment, we found an increase of phosphorylation of extracellular regulated kinases (ERK)1/2, that could be inhibited by PD98059 and suramin. These data suggest that ERK pathways can play a role in mediating the cell death induction in presence of a CDDP challenge. J. Cell. Biochem. 101:1185–1197, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Risk of local adverse events following cardiac catheterization by hemostasis device use - phase II.

OBJECTIVES To assess the relative risks of serious local adverse events following cardiac catheterization by type of hemostasis device (versus manual compression controls) and gender. BACKGROUND Reports to the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) of local vascular complications associated with the use of hemostasis devices following cardiac catheterization and resulting in serious injuries, raised concerns about the safety of these devices. Review of the medical literature also posed cause for concern. METHODS Data were obtained from the American College of Cardiology-National Cardiovascular Data Registry, modified to suit the needs of this research. It included information from 59 institutions and 13,878 cardiac catheterizations performed during the last quarter of 2003. Multiple logistic regression, using 10 different outcomes, was used to assess the risk associated with type of device and gender, while controlling for demographic and physiologic variables, type of procedure, and several indices of comorbidity. RESULTS Serious adverse events were reported in 3.37% of patients, the most common being bleeding with hematoma (2.00%). The adjusted odds ratio for women (compared to men) was 1.73 for any vascular complication. Only one hemostasis device, VasoSeal, demonstrated a high risk of any vascular complication compared to manual compression controls (OR = 2.38 [1.47-3.85; p = 0.0004]). This risk was mainly associated with diagnostic cardiac catheterization (OR = 3.36). CONCLUSIONS VasoSeal appears to pose a greater risk for serious local vascular complications following cardiac catheterization than either manual compression controls or other hemostasis devices. Women have almost twice the risk of men for most local complications.
Surveillance for Avian Influenza Viruses in Wild Birds in Denmark and Greenland, 2007–10

SUMMARY. In Denmark and Greenland, extensive surveillance of avian influenza (AI) viruses in wild bird populations has been conducted from 2007 through 2010. In Denmark, the surveillance consisted of passive surveillance of wild birds found dead or sick across Denmark and active surveillance of apparently healthy live birds in waterfowl reservoirs and along migratory flyways, birds living in proximity to domestic poultry, and hunted game birds. Dead birds were sampled by oropharyngeal swabbing. Healthy live wild birds were captured with nets, traps, or by hand and were sampled by swabbing of the oropharyngeal and cloacal tracts, or swabs were collected from fresh fecal droppings. Hunted game birds were delivered to game-handling establishments, where each bird was sampled by oropharyngeal and cloacal swabbing. During the 2007–10 period, a total of 11,055 wild birds were sampled in Denmark, of which 396 were birds that were found dead. In Greenland, samples were collected mainly from fecal droppings in breeding areas. Samples from 3555 live and apparently healthy wild birds were tested. All swab samples were tested by pan-influenza reverse transcriptase–PCR (RT-PCR), and the positive samples were further tested by H5/H7 specific RT-PCRs. H5/H7-positive samples were subjected to hemagglutination cleavage site sequencing for pathotyping. In addition, all RT-PCR–positive samples were subjected to virus isolation, and the virus isolates were subsequently subtyped. In Denmark, low pathogenic (LP) H5 viruses were detected throughout the period, in addition to a few LPAI H7 and several other subtypes. In Greenland, very few samples were positive for AI. None of them were found to be of the H5 or H7 subtypes by RT-PCR. Isolation of these viruses in eggs was unsuccessful; thus, they were not subtyped further. The findings did, however, demonstrate the presence of LPAI viruses in Greenland. For several water bird species overwintering in North America and northwest Europe, respectively, Greenland constitutes a common breeding area. This raises the possibility that viruses could be transmitted to North America via Greenland and vice versa. In Denmark, the screenings for AI showed LPAI viruses to be naturally occurring in the wild bird population, particularly in waterfowl. The occurrence of AI viruses in the wild bird population may pose a risk for AI infections in Danish poultry.