Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Onset of Carbon Catabolite Repression in Aspergillus nidulans

The role of hexose phosphorylating enzymes in the signaling of carbon catabolite repression was investigated in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Ad-fructose non-utilizing, hexokinase-deficient (hxkA1, formerly designated frA1) strain was utilized to obtain new mutants lacking either glucokinase (glkA4) or both hexose kinases (hxkA1/glkA4). d-Glucose and d-fructose phosphorylation is completely abolished in the double mutant, which consequently cannot grow on either sugar. The glucokinase single mutant exhibits no nutritional deficiencies. Three repressible diagnostic systems, ethanol utilization (alcA and alcR genes), xylan degradation (xlnA), and acetate catabolism (facA), were analyzed in these hexose kinase mutants at the transcript level. Transcriptional repression by d-glucose is fully retained in the two single kinase mutants, whereas the hexokinase mutant is partially derepressed for d-fructose. Thus, hexokinase A and glucokinase A compensate each other for carbon catabolite repression by d-glucose in the single mutants. In contrast, both d-glucose and d-fructose repression are severely impaired for all three diagnostic systems in the double mutant. Unlike the situation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the hexose phosphorylating enzymes play parallel roles in glucose repression in A. nidulans.
The relationship between glucose and incident cardiovascular events. A metaregression analysis of published data from 20 studies of 95,783 individuals followed for 12.4 years.

OBJECTIVE To assess the relationship between nondiabetic glucose levels and cardio vascular risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Three independent searches using MEDLINE (1966-1996), followed by a manual search of the references from each retrieved article, were conducted by two physicians and one medical librarian. Data had to be reported in at least three quantiles or intervals so that the nature of the relationship between glucose and cardiovascular events (i.e., linear or nonlinear) could be explored, and to ensure that any incremental cardiovascular risk was consistent across quantiles or intervals. RESULTS Analyzed studies comprised 95,783 people (94% male) who had 3,707 cardiovascular events over 12.4 years (1,193,231 person-years). Studies reporting fasting glucose levels (n = 6), 2-h glucose levels (n = 7), 1-h glucose levels (n = 5), and casual glucose levels (n = 4) were included. The glucose load used varied from 50 to 100 g. The highest glucose interval for most studies included glucose values in the diabetic range. The relationship between glucose levels and the risk of a cardiovascular event was modeled for each study and the beta-coefficients were combined. Compared with a glucose level of 4.2 mmol/l (75 mg/dl), a fasting and 2-h glucose level of 6.1 mmol/dl (110 mg/dl) and 7.8 mmol/l (140 mg/dl) was associated with a relative cardiovascular event risk of 1.33 (95% CI 1.06-1.67) and 1.58 (95% CI 1.19-2.10), respectively. CONCLUSIONS The progressive relationship between glucose levels and cardiovascular risk extends below the diabetic threshold.
Investigation of the microstructure of the isolated rat heart: A comparison between T*2‐ and diffusion‐weighted MRI

Myocardial fiber structure can be determined with diffusion‐weighted (DW) MRI as well as with high‐resolution T*2 imaging. The purpose of the present study was twofold: to provide a more quantitative description of T*2‐based myocardial fiber contrast, and to compare the T*2‐based fiber structure with high‐resolution (78 μm in‐plane, 1‐mm slice thickness) DW images of the isolated rat heart at 11.75 T. This study demonstrates that the static dephasing regime is responsible for visualization of myocardial microstructure, and that the dynamic dephasing regime can be neglected. In comparison with DW experiments, T*2 mapping and DW images yield almost equivalent information on myocardial fiber structure. Magn Reson Med 50:1144–1150, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Minority mothers' perceptions of children's body size.

OBJECTIVE To investigate African-American and Hispanic mothers' perceptions of their children's body size using a scale with child figure silhouettes and compare those perceptions with their children's actual body mass index. METHODS A set of child figure silhouettes was developed depicting 4 and 5 year-old African-American and Hispanic children. Body mass index was systematically estimated for each child figure on the set of silhouettes. Minority mothers with children enrolled in ten Head Start centers (n=192) were interviewed using the silhouettes, and height and weight measurements were taken on their children. Head Start, a comprehensive child development program that serves children aged 3 to 5 years old, was chosen because of the large percentage of minorities, the low-income status of the families, and the age of the children. RESULTS Significant differences were found between mothers' perceptions of their children's body size and the actual body size of the children. On average, mothers perceived their children to be thinner than their actual size. Furthermore, of those mothers with children at risk for overweight or overweight, two-thirds were either satisfied with their children's existing body size or wanted their children to be heavier. However, half of the mothers of children above the 95th percentile for BMI wanted their children to be thinner. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that minority mothers' perceptions of their children's body size may not be consistently biased in one direction. Despite the possible social norm for a larger body size among low-income minorities, some mothers of overweight minority children do perceive their children to be too heavy when they reach a certain size.
Recent Advances in Magnetic Microfluidic Biosensors

The development of portable biosening devices for the detection of biological entities such as biomolecules, pathogens, and cells has become extremely significant over the past years. Scientific research, driven by the promise for miniaturization and integration of complex laboratory equipment on inexpensive, reliable, and accurate devices, has successfully shifted several analytical and diagnostic methods to the submillimeter scale. The miniaturization process was made possible with the birth of microfluidics, a technology that could confine, manipulate, and mix very small volumes of liquids on devices integrated on standard silicon technology chips. Such devices are then directly translating the presence of these entities into an electronic signal that can be read out with a portable instrumentation. For the aforementioned tasks, the use of magnetic markers (magnetic particles—MPs—functionalized with ligands) in combination with the application of magnetic fields is being strongly investigated by research groups worldwide. The greatest merits of using magnetic fields are that they can be applied either externally or from integrated microconductors and they can be well-tuned by adjusting the applied current on the microconductors. Moreover, the magnetic markers can be manipulated inside microfluidic channels by high gradient magnetic fields that can in turn be detected by magnetic sensors. All the above make this technology an ideal candidate for the development of such microfluidic biosensors. In this review, focus is given only to very recent advances in biosensors that use microfluidics in combination with magnetic sensors and magnetic markers/nanoparticles.
Comparison of Harris Benedict and Mifflin-ST Jeor equations with indirect calorimetry in evaluating resting energy expenditure.

BACKGROUND An understanding of energy expenditure in hospitalized patients is necessary to determine optimal energy supply. The metabolic rate can be measured or estimated by equations, but estimation is by far the most common method. AIM This study tests the degree of agreement between measured resting energy expenditure by indirect calorimetry and predicted resting energy expenditure by Harris Benedict and Mifflin-St Jeor equations. Patients were categorized according to sex and diagnosis. SETTINGS AND DESIGN Cross-sectional study. MATERIALS AND METHODS In 60 randomly selected patients, aged between 18 and 83 years, resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured by indirect calorimetry and compared with the predicted equations of Harris Benedict and Mifflin-St Jeor. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Statistical analysis was performed by using the method of Bland-Altman, one sample t-test and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS There was no statistically significant difference between measured and predicted resting energy expenditure by both equations, in all cases as a whole and each group. The only statistically significant difference was seen between measured resting energy expenditure and its predicted equivalent by Mifflin-St equation when patients were categorized according to their sex. Limits of agreements were wide for both equations in all cases and each category so clinical significance was considerable. CONCLUSIONS At a group level Harris-Benedict equation is suitable for predicting REE but at an individual level, both equations have wide limits of agreement and clinically important differences in REE would be obtained.
Self-reported flight hours vs. company records for epidemiologic studies of flight attendants.

INTRODUCTION Although there is increased interest in health effects studies of aircrew members, the differences between self-reported work history and company records, including effects on exposure assessment, are poorly characterized. METHODS We collected both self-reported work history and company records as part of a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health biomonitoring study of reproductive hormones in 45 female flight attendants. These two sources of work history information were compared to identify differences which might impact the assessment of work exposures. RESULTS There appeared to be consistent overreporting of self-reported block time and number of flight segments compared with company record-based estimates. Overreporting in turn inflated the assessment of two important exposures: cosmic ionizing radiation estimated dose and time zones crossed. Factors including domicile, block hours per year of work, and length of employment affected the amount and direction of overreporting. Comparison to compensated credit hours, including nonflight hours, did not fully account for the overreporting. DISCUSSION Self-report of block time may or may not include compensated nonflight hours, resulting in differences when compared to company records. Exposure bias is likely to result if the complexities of self-report are not considered when writing questionnaires. Aircrew members should be asked for additional occupational information, and a comparison of self-report block time to a sample of company records should be considered prior to exposure assessment and epidemiologic analysis.
Video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy: results in lung cancer.

BACKGROUND The application of video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) in major pulmonary resections is still far from routine in most hospitals, even though the safety and technical feasibility of the procedure have by now been amply demonstrated. This paper reports on the surgical technique used by the authors for VATS lobectomy, on their experience of the procedure and on the results obtained. METHODS A retrospective study was performed of all patients undergoing VATS lobectomy at the our Thoracic Surgery Department ,between 1993 and 2009.The clinical records of all patients were reviewed, and the following variables were noted for purposes of analysis: patient age and sex; clinical diagnosis; staging; date of surgery; type of surgery; conversion to conventional surgery and grounds for conversion; duration of surgery; intraoperative, postoperative and long-term complications; postoperative stay, final diagnosis and staging; and death rates. RESULTS A total of 349 VATS lobectomies were performed over the study period (292 men, 57 women; mean age 59.7) The aetiology was non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) in 313 patients and benign processes in 26;four patients had carcinoid tumours, and a further six required lobectomy due to metastases. The overall conversion rate was 9.4%. Mean duration of lobectomy was 148 minutes, and median duration 92 minutes. Mean postoperative was 3.9 days. The morbidity rate was 12.89 %, mostly involving minor complications. Perioperative mortality was 1.43%. There were no intraoperative deaths. The overall five-year survival rate for patients with NSCLC was 80.1%. CONCLUSIONS VATS lobectomy is a safe and technically-viable procedure that meets oncological criteria for lung-cancer surgery. Major pulmonary resection using VATS should be considered the procedure of choice for a number of benign processes and for early-stage bronchogenic carcinoma (T1-T2 N0 M0).
The Acute Effect of Clamped Hyperglycemia on the Urinary Excretion of Inflammatory Cytokines/Chemokines in Uncomplicated Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE Acute glycemic variability contributes to diabetic complications potentially through induction of inflammation. Our objective was to determine whether acute hyperglycemia affects urinary secretion of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines in humans with uncomplicated type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Blood pressure, renal hemodynamics (inulin and paraaminohippurate clearances), and urine samples were obtained after 6 h of clamped euglycemia (4–6 mmol/l) and hyperglycemia (9–11 mmol/l) on two consecutive days in subjects with type 1 diabetes (n = 25). Forty-two urinary cytokines/chemokines were measured using a Luminex platform. RESULTS Clamped hyperglycemia produced an expected increase in glomerular filtration rate (131 ± 4 to 148 ± 8 ml/min/1.73 m2). Clamped hyperglycemia was associated with significant increases in urinary eotaxin, fibroblast growth factor-2, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, interferon-α 2, interleukin-2 and -12, monocyte chemoattractant protein-3, macrophage-derived chemokine, macrophage inflammatory protein-1α, platelet-derived growth factor, tumor necrosis factor-α, and CD40 ligand (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Acute hyperglycemia results in increased urinary excretion of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines in humans with uncomplicated type 1 diabetes, and this may contribute to kidney injury.
Methods for Detecting and Correcting for Population Stratification

Population stratification (PS) is a primary consideration in studies of the genetic determinants of human traits. Failure to control for it may lead to confounding, causing a study to fail for lack of significant results or resources to be wasted following false‐positive signals. Here we review historical and current approaches for addressing PS when performing genetic association studies in human populations. We describe methods for detecting the presence of PS including global and local ancestry methods. We also describe approaches for accounting for PS when calculating association statistics, such that measures of association are not confounded. This is particularly important since many traits are being examined in minority populations, populations that may inherently feature PS. Curr. Protoc. Hum. Genet. 73:1.22. 1‐1.22. 14. © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Ice Reduces Edema: A Study of Microvascular Permeability in Rats

Background: Ice is applied following a soft-tissue injury on the basis of clinical information. This study investigates the relationship between ice therapy (cryotherapy) and edema by determining microvascular permeability before and after contusion with and without ice therapy and provides data supporting a reduction in edema following cryotherapy.Methods: A dorsal microvascular chamber was created in rats to allow the direct examination of microvascular parameters in intact, pre-established microvascular beds of the cutaneous maximus muscle in conscious rats. The rats received a contusion or sham contusion and were treated with cryotherapy or were not treated. Microvascular permeability (edema) was assessed by measuring fluorescent-labeled albumin in the interstitial fluid before and after contusion.Results: Microvascular permeability following contusion was significantly increased in the group that received the contusion without cryotherapy compared with that in the group that received the sham contusion without cryotherapy (control) (p < 0.001). When ice was applied fifteen minutes after the contusion for twenty minutes, microvascular permeability (edema) decreased significantly (p < 0.001) compared with that in the group that did not receive cryotherapy after contusion. Permeability was increased in the group that received cryotherapy following the contusion compared with that in the control group (p = 0.012), although the increase was not as great as that between the group that received the contusion without cryotherapy and the control group. Sham contusion with cryotherapy significantly reduced microvascular permeability compared with that in the control group (p = 0.004). Sham contusion without cryotherapy did not cause a significant change in the microvascular permeability of postcapillary venules after 300 minutes compared with baseline measurements.Conclusions: The application of ice significantly decreased microvascular permeability following striated muscle contusion. The results of this study demonstrated that microvascular permeability is increased following a contusion coincident with significant leukocyte-endothelial interactions. However, microvascular permeability was significantly reduced following cryotherapy, a treatment demonstrated to reduce the number of rolling and adherent leukocytes. This association suggests that the reduction in edema in injured skeletal muscle following cryotherapy may be due to a reduction in leukocyte-endothelial interactions.Clinical Relevance: This study provides scientific data to support the clinical observation that ice reduces edema.
[The predictive values of total white blood count and differential count in the diagnosis of early-onset neonatal sepsis].

UNLABELLED Early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) is one of the most common diagnostic challenges in neonatal population. Aims of this study was to analyse values of total white blood count (WBC) and differential count in neonates with EONS and to determine cut-off values with the highest accuracy in diagnosis of infection. PATIENTS AND METHODS In the retrospective-prospective research we include 341 neonates born from 37th to 42nd week of gestational age, with one or more obstetric risk factors for EONS, in single pregnancy, both genders and without visible anomalies. Capillary blood samples for analysed parameters levels were obtained in the first 72 hours of life. A diagnosis of EONS was based on microbiological findings, clinical signs and radiography of chest. RESULTS Obstetric risk for EONS at delivery had 341/12 298 (2.8%) neonates, and EONS occurred in 199/341 (58.4%) neonates. The mean total WBC count was 22.5 +/- 9.5 x 109/L, the mean absolute mature neutrophil count was 13.9 +/- 6.8 x 109/, while the mean total neutrophil count was 15.6 +/- 7.8 x 109/L. Neonates with EONS had medial of total immature neutrophil count of 1.2 x 109/L, immature to total neutrophil ratio (I:T ratio) of 0.09 and medial of immature to mature neutrophil ratio (I:M ratio) was 0.10. ROC curve analysis cut-off values of I:T (> 0.08) and I:M (> 0.09) ratio had acceptable accuracy in the diagnosis of EONS. The value of total WBC > 26.4 x 109/L, with accuracy of 88% predict EONS. High predictive value (82.9%) in EONS had total neutrophil count value of more than 17.6, and total immature neutrophil count value of more than 1.1 x l09/L predict presence of EONS with accuracy of 65.3%. Cut-off values of I:T (66.8%) and I:M (67.3%) ratio almost in the same percent predict EONS. In univariable predictive model, only cut-off value of mature neutrophil count was not significant in the detection of EONS, while cut-off values of other analysed parameters had significant predictive value (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION Total white blood count and differential count are changed in neonates with early-onset neonatal sepsis. The predictive value of analysed parameters cut-off values is important in everyday work of neonatology's to make difference among infected and non-infected neonates.
Trypsin-sensitive and Lipid-containing Sites of the Macrophage Extracellular Matrix Bind Apolipoprotein A-I and Participate in ABCA1-dependent Cholesterol Efflux*

A unique property of the extracellular matrix of J774 and THP-1 cells has been identified, which contributes to the ability of these cells to promote cholesterol efflux. We demonstrate high level apolipoprotein (apo) A-I binding to macrophage cells (THP-1 and J774) and to their extracellular matrix (ECM). However, high level apoA-I binding is not observed on fibroblasts, HepG2 cells, or U937 cells (a macrophage cell line that does not efflux cholesterol to apoA-I or bind apoA-I on their respective ECM). Binding to the ECM of THP-1 or J774 macrophages depends on the presence of apoA-I C-terminal helices and is markedly reduced with a mutant lacking residues 187–243 (apoA-IΔ(187–243)), suggesting that the hydrophobic C terminus forms a hydrophobic interaction with the ECM. ApoA-I binding is lost upon trypsin treatment or with Triton X-100, a preparation method that de-lipidates the ECM. However, binding is recovered with re-lipidation, and is preserved with ECM prepared using cytochalasin B, which conserves the endogenous phospholipid levels of the ECM. We also demonstrate that specific cholesterol efflux to apoA-I is much reduced in cells released from their native ECM, but fully restored when ECM-depleted cells are added back to ECM in the presence of apoA-I. The apoA-I-mediated efflux is deficient in plated or suspension U937 macrophages, but is restored to high levels when the suspension U937 cells are reconstituted with the ECM of J774 cells. The ECM-dependent activity was much reduced in the presence of glyburide, indicating participation of ABCA1 (ATP-binding cassette transporter 1) in the efflux mechanism. These studies establish a novel binding site for apoA-I on the macrophage ECM that may function together with ABCA1 in promoting cholesterol efflux.
HIV Latency in the Humanized BLT Mouse

ABSTRACT Even after extended treatment with powerful antiretroviral drugs, HIV is not completely eliminated from infected individuals. Latently infected CD4+ T cells constitute one reservoir of replication-competent HIV that needs to be eliminated to completely purge virus from antiretroviral drug-treated patients. However, a major limitation in the development of therapies to eliminate this latent reservoir is the lack of relevant in vivo models that can be used to test purging strategies. Here, we show that the humanized BLT (bone marrow-liver-thymus) mouse can be used as both an abundant source of primary latently infected cells for ex vivo latency analysis and also as an in vivo system for the study of latency. We demonstrate that over 2% of human cells recovered from the spleens of HIV-infected BLT mice can be latently infected and that this virus is integrated, activation inducible, and replication competent. The non-tumor-inducing phorbol esters prostratin and 12-deoxyphorbol-13-phenylacetate can each induce HIV ex vivo from these latently infected cells, indicating that this model can be used as a source of primary cells for testing latency activators. Finally, we show activation-inducible virus is still present following suppression of plasma viral loads to undetectable levels by using the antiretroviral drugs zidovudine, indinavir sulfate, and didanosine, demonstrating that this model can also be used to assess the in vivo efficacy of latency-purging strategies. Therefore, the HIV-infected BLT mouse should provide a useful model for assessment of HIV latency activators and approaches to eliminate persistent in vivo HIV reservoirs.