Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis of tuberculosis: Available technologies, limitations, and possibilities

Rapid diagnosis and treatment are important for preventing transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, the diagnosis of tuberculosis continues to pose serious problems, mainly because of difficulties in differentiating between patients with active tuberculosis and those with healed lesions, normal mycobacterium boris BCG (Bacillus Calmette Guerin) vaccinated individuals, and unvaccinated Manteux positives. Physicians still rely on conventional methods such as Ziehl‐Neelsen (ZN) staining, fluorochrome staining, sputum culture, gastric lavage, and other non‐traditional methods. Although the tuberculin test has aided in the diagnosis of tuberculosis for more than 85 years, its interpretation is difficult because sensitization with nontuberculous mycobacteria leads to false‐positive tests. There have been numerous unsuccessful attempts to develop clinically useful serodiagnostic kits for tuberculosis. A number of proteinaceous and nonprotein antigens (such as acyltrehaloses and phenolglycolipids) have been explored from time to time for the development of such assays but they have not proved to be clinically useful. It has been difficult to develop an ELISA utilizing a suitable antigen because M. tuberculosis shares a large number of antigenic proteins with other microorganisms that may or may not be pathogenic. With the advent of molecular biology techniques, there have been significant advances in nucleic acid‐based amplification and hybridization, which are helping to rectify existing flaws in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. The detection of mycobacterial DNA in clinical samples by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a promising approach for the rapid diagnosis of tuberculous infection. However, the PCR results must be corrected for the presence of inhibitors as well as for DNA contamination. In the modern era of genetics, marked by proteomics and genomics, the day is not far off when DNA chip‐based hybridization assays will instantly reveal mycobacterial infections. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 17: 155–163, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of varying levels of duodenal or midjejunal glucose and 2-deoxyglucose infusion on small intestinal disappearance and net portal glucose flux in steers.

Six crossbred steers (261 +/- 18 kg BW) fitted with hepatic portal, mesenteric venous and arterial catheters, and duodenal, midjejunal, and ileal cannulas were used in a replicated 3 x 3 Latin square design to determine the effect of varying levels and site of glucose plus 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) infusion on net portal-drained visceral flux. Steers were fed chopped alfalfa in six equal portions daily at 1.5% of BW. Glucose (0, 9, or 18 g/h) and 2DG (0, 1, or 2 g/h) were infused continuously through the duodenal or midjejunal cannula (two infusion sites) at total glucose plus 2DG infusion rates of 0, 10, or 20 g/h. Arterial and portal blood samples were taken simultaneously at 20-min intervals from 5 to 9 h of infusion. Portal blood flow was determined by continuous infusion of p-aminohippurate and net flux was calculated as venous-arterial concentration (PA) difference times blood flow. Arterial concentration of glucose was not affected (P > .10) by glucose plus 2DG infusion, whereas arterial concentration of 2DG was greater (P < .05) when glucose plus 2DG was infused into the duodenum and increased (linear, P < .10) as amount of glucose plus 2DG infused into both the duodenum and midjejunum increased. Net portal flux and PA difference of glucose and 2DG were greater (P < .05) when glucose plus 2DG was infused into the duodenum. Although 2DG was infused at 10% of the total glucose plus 2DG infusion, it accounted for only 1.7 and . 7% of the glucose plus 2DG appearing in portal blood when glucose plus 2DG was infused at 10 and 20 g/h, respectively. We conclude that glucose is more readily absorbed across the proximal-half than the distal-half of the small intestine, and that passive diffusion is a minor route of glucose absorption.
Panic syndromes in a population-based sample of male and female twins

Background. The risk for panic disorder (PD) is substantially increased in relatives of probands with PD. Prior literature provides only limited information about the degree to which this increase is due to genetic factors or family environment. Methods. In personal interviews with both members of 3194 twin pairs, we assessed the lifetime history of lifetime panic attacks and PD. Twin resemblance was assessed by tetrachoric correlation and single and multiple threshold biometrical model fitting. Results. As fully syndromal PD, by DSM-III-R criteria, was too rare to analyse usefully we examined four other dichotomous definitions of increasing stringency: panic probe and very broad, broad and intermediate PD. For all four definitions and for the multiple threshold analyses, the best-fit model indicated that twin resemblance was due solely to genetic factors with a moderate heritability (33–43%). For the broad and intermediate dichotomous definitions of PD, however, a model with twin resemblance due to familial–environmental factors fit nearly as well. No gender effects were seen on the genetic risk factors for these PD-like syndromes. Conclusion. Even with large epidemiological samples of twins, studying disorders as uncommon as PD is problematical. Despite these difficulties, our results suggest that: (i) narrowly and broadly defined PD are probably on the same continuum of liability; (ii) twin resemblance for these PD-like syndromes is likely due largely to genetic factors with a moderate level of heritability although a contribution of familial–environmental factors cannot be excluded; and, (iii) the same familial risk factors impact, to a similar degree, on the liability to PD in males and females.
Letter: identication of probiotics by specific strain name

SIRS, We read with interest the paper by Vandenplas on the efficacy of probiotics vs. placebo for acute gastroenteritis in children. However, more precise information is needed regarding the strains used. The joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation recommended that strains be named according to the International Code of Nomenclature, and be deposited in an internationally recognised culture collection to correctly identify the specific strain that is responsible for a given clinical finding. Indeed, it is a well-established fact that the biological effects of probiotics are strain specific, and that the success of a strain cannot be extrapolated to another strain even within the same species. We believe that is important to stress in scientific publications that probiotics should be defined not only by their genus and species, but also and most importantly by the specific strain name. The fact that a bacterium belongs to a specific genus and species (i.e. Lactobacilli rhamnosus) does not alone confer the same properties of a specific strain (L. GG), which may be of critical importance when studying the biological and clinical effects of probiotic bacteria. The authors state that the symbiotic product tested contains several microorganisms, for which there is evidence of efficacy in reducing the severity and duration of acute diarrhoea in children such as, L. rhamnosus (formerly LGG). However, it remains unclear if the rhamnosus used in the study is the wellknown and characterised LGG, or instead a less titled strain. A simple access to the StrainInfo database (http://www.straininfo.net) shows how numerous are the strains that fall in the genus and species reported in Table 3. It is widely acknowledged that properties from one bacterial strain do not necessarily apply to a close relative as strains can differ considerably in genotype and phenotype. This is even more important in the case of LGG. Kankainen et al. sequenced and compared the genomes of LGG and a different L. rhamnosus and found that there is a 98% average identity (the same between man and a monkey), however, in the 2% of diversity resides a set of genes (spaCBA) encoding three pilin proteins and another gene responsible for the assembly of pilus structures important for colonisation and host interaction.
Fully relativistic Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential-approximation embedded-cluster-method evaluation of short-range-order effects in substitutional alloys containing heavy elements.

We report calculations of densities of states associated with specific local atomic configurations in substitutionally disordered transition-metal--noble-metal alloys, in particular Au-Pd alloys. These calculations are based on the fully relativistic version of the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker coherent-potential approximation and on the recently developed corresponding embedded-cluster method, and allow a direct evaluation of short-range-order effects in substitutionally disordered materials. A discussion of our results and a comparison with results obtained for transition-metal alloys such as Pd-Ag is given.
Employment programmes and interventions targeting adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review of the literature

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder face significant challenges entering the workforce; yet research in this area is limited and the issues are poorly understood. In this systematic review, empirical peer-reviewed studies on employment programmes, interventions and employment-related outcomes in individuals with autism spectrum disorder over 18 years with and without intellectual disability were identified and evaluated. The review was prefaced by a summary of previous systematic reviews in the area. Web of Science, Medline, PsychINFO, ERIC and Scopus databases were systematically searched through to October 2015. From 32,829 records identified in the initial search, 10 review and 50 empirical articles, comprising N = 58,134 individuals with autism spectrum disorder, were included in the review. Selected articles were organised into the following themes: employment experiences, employment as a primary outcome, development of workplace skills, non-employment-related outcomes, assessment instruments, employer-focused and economic impact. Empirical studies were limited by poor participant characterisation, small sample size and/or a lack of randomisation and use of appropriate controls. Poor conceptualisation and measurement of outcomes significantly limited study quality and interpretation. Future research will require a multidisciplinary and multifaceted approach to explore employment outcomes on the individual, the family system, co-workers and the employer, along with the impact of individual differences on outcome.
Enhanced Mammalian Transmissibility of Seasonal Influenza A/H1N1 Viruses Encoding an Oseltamivir-Resistant Neuraminidase

ABSTRACT Between 2007 and 2009, oseltamivir resistance developed among seasonal influenza A/H1N1 (sH1N1) virus isolates at an exponential rate, without a corresponding increase in oseltamivir usage. We hypothesized that the oseltamivir-resistant neuraminidase (NA), in addition to being relatively insusceptible to the antiviral effect of oseltamivir, might confer an additional fitness advantage on these viruses by enhancing their transmission efficiency among humans. Here we demonstrate that an oseltamivir-resistant clinical isolate, an A/Brisbane/59/2007(H1N1)-like virus isolated in New York State in 2008, transmits more efficiently among guinea pigs than does a highly similar, contemporaneous oseltamivir-sensitive isolate. With reverse genetics reassortants and point mutants of the two clinical isolates, we further show that expression of the oseltamivir-resistant NA in the context of viral proteins from the oseltamivir-sensitive virus (a 7:1 reassortant) is sufficient to enhance transmissibility. In the guinea pig model, the NA is the critical determinant of transmission efficiency between oseltamivir-sensitive and -resistant Brisbane/59-like sH1N1 viruses, independent of concurrent drift mutations that occurred in other gene products. Our data suggest that the oseltamivir-resistant NA (specifically, one or both of the companion mutations, H275Y and D354G) may have allowed resistant Brisbane/59-like viruses to outtransmit sensitive isolates. These data provide in vivo evidence of an evolutionary mechanism that would explain the rapidity with which oseltamivir resistance achieved fixation among sH1N1 isolates in the human reservoir.
Diversité et caractérisation morphologique des écotypes de l’espèce fourragère Panicum maximum au Bénin

Panicum maximum est une espece fourragere tres polymorphe repandue en Afrique tropicale. Une meilleure connaissance de sa diversite contribuera a son amelioration et a son utilisation. Cette etude a ete realisee en 2008 dans la zone Ouest Africaine sur des souches autochtones et porte sur 70 accessions de l’espece collectees dans differentes zones agro-ecologiques. Elles ont ete installees selon un ecartement de 1 m sur 1 m dans un dispositif de blocs completement aleatoire sur des parcelles de 4 m × 4 m repetees 3 fois. Des donnees concernant quatorze caracteristiques dont 01 geographiques, 09 morphologiques, 02 agronomiques et 02 physiologiques ont ete collectees et analysees en composantes principales. Les resultats ont montre que les trois premieres composantes ont absorbe 85,3% des variations totales. La classification numerique a permis d’identifier 9 ecotypes (R2 = 87%) presentant entre elles des differences significatives (p < 0,05). La hauteur des plants varie de 123 a 430 cm, le tallage des plants est compris entre 33 et 77 talles par touffe, le diametre des talles mesure 4 a 7 mm, le nombre de feuilles par talle est de 7 a 12 unites. La floraison des accessions apparait entre 6 et 13 semaines apres installation. L’etude a identifie d’une part des ecotypes resistants a la secheresse et d’autre part des ecotypes presentant des caracteristiques conferant des potentialites au plan agronomique. Enfin, les differentes correlations observees entre les caracteristiques ont montre qu’il est possible d’ameliorer par des croisements les performances de l’espece aux fins de sa production fourragere. Mots cles : Herbe de Guinee, ecotypes, accessions, caracteristiques, Benin
The Nicotinic Receptor in the Rat Pineal Gland Is an α3β4 Subtype

The rat pineal gland contains a high density of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). We characterized the pharmacology of the binding sites and function of these receptors, measured the nAChR subunit mRNA, and used subunit-specific antibodies to establish the receptor subtype as defined by subunit composition. In ligand binding studies, [3H]epibatidine ([3H]EB) binds with an affinity of ∼100 pM to nAChRs in the pineal gland, and the density of these sites is ∼5 times that in rat cerebral cortex. The affinities of nicotinic drugs for binding sites in the pineal gland are similar to those at α3β4 nAChRs heterologously expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 cells. In functional studies, the potencies and efficacies of nicotinic drugs to activate or block whole-cell currents in dissociated pinealocytes match closely their potencies and efficacies to activate or block 86Rb+ efflux in the cells expressing heterologous α3β4 nAChRs. Measurements of mRNA indicated the presence of transcripts for α3, β2, and β4 nAChR subunits but not those for α2, α4, α5, α6, α7, or β3 subunits. Immunoprecipitation with subunit-specific antibodies showed that virtually all [3H]EB-labeled nAChRs contained α3 and β4 subunits associated in one complex. The β2 subunit was not associated with this complex. Taken together, these results indicate that virtually all of the nAChRs in the rat pineal gland are the α3β4 nAChR subtype and that the pineal gland can therefore serve as an excellent and convenient model in which to study the pharmacology and function of these receptors in a native tissue.
Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yōkai

Published by the Harvard-Yenching Institute HJAS 71.1 (2011): 189–194 Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yōkai;2 again, it is a shame that the timing of publication did not allow for Li’s book to engage Foster’s. Ambiguous Bodies reveals Li’s passion for her subject as well as her exhaustive research into Japanese scholarly interpretations of setsuwa throughout the early modern and modern periods. Although I would quibble with some of the most historically specific of Li’s interpretations—especially those proposing to understand the psychology of characters in individual tales—her treatment is responsible and cogent. A somewhat different organization would have highlighted a provocative set of critical cultural concerns and brought the stories she treats into dialogue in interesting ways, but the work as it stands complicates and enriches conventional readings of the setsuwa she discusses.
Excavations at Carthage 1974: First Interim Report

Summary In the first season of excavation by a British team participating in the UNESCO Save Carthage Project, two sites in the harbour area and one inland were examined. On the site on the island in the circular harbour, the remains probably of the νεώρια described by Appian succeeded earlier Punic occupation periods and were in turn followed by two successive Roman temples and a building, probably a pharos, associated with the second temple. After this, there appears to have been domestic or commercial occupation in the fifth and sixth centuries A.D. On the north shore of the circular harbour, remains of the late Roman quayside and associated streets and buildings were found. On the inland site, situated to the south of the Roman street grid, there were the remains of third–fifth-century and fifth–sixth-century buildings fronting a street and backed by a substantial wall identified as the city wall constructed in the reign of Theodosius II.
Prevalence of HIV Antibodies in Pregnant Women With Increased Risk for AIDS

The prevalence of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibodies in pregnant women varies widely between industrialized and developing countries. There is a lack of information about the status of HIV-infected pregnant women with increased risk for AIDS. Our objective was to determine the prevalence of HIV antibodies in pregnant women with increased risk at the Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Mexican Institute of Social Security, Leon, Mexico, from December 18, 2003, through February 28, 2006. In a cross-sectional study, 2,257 pregnant women with at least one risk factor for AIDS were recruited. In these women, a sample of blood to determine HIV antibodies was taken. There were two women with positive HIV antibodies; therefore, the HIV seroprevalence was 0.8 per 1,000. Of the two HIV-positive women, one of them had a history of chronic sexually transmitted diseases; she was married to a man who was working outside of our country for about 10 months, and also he had tattoos. The other HIV-positive woman had a history of chronic sexually transmitted diseases, and her husband had intercourse with different women. The risk factors of use of tattoos, migration to foreign countries, and use of injectable drugs were more frequent among the male partners than in the pregnant women (P < .001). We concluded that in our country as well as in other developing countries, the prevalence of HIV antibodies in pregnant women with risk factors is low but still present. Because a significant number of risk factors for AIDS also were found in their male partners, HIV testing should be performed in all pregnant women as well as in their male partners.
CMT4G – Rare Form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease in Slovak Roma Patient

The Roma (Gypsies) is a transnational minority with a high degree of consanguineous marriages. Similar to other genetically isolated founder populations, the Roma harbor a number of unique or rare genetic disorders. This paper discusses about a rare form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease – type 4G (CMT4G), also called Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy type Russe, an autosomal recessive disease caused by mutation private to Roma characterized by abnormally increased density of non-myelinated axons. CMT4G was originally found in Bulgarian Roma and in 2009 two putative causative mutations in the HK1 gene were identified. Since then, several cases were reported in Roma families mainly from Bulgaria and Spain. Here we present a Slovak Roma family in which CMT4G was diagnosed on the basis of clinical examination and genetic testing. This case is a further proof of the role of the HK1 gene in pathogenesis of the disease. It confirms that mutation in the HK1 gene is a common cause of autosomal recessive CMT disease in Roma and should be considered as a common part of a diagnostic procedure. Keywords—Gypsies, HK1, HSMN-Russe, rare disease.
The plasma membrane redox system in human platelet functions and platelet-leukocyte interactions

Summary The plasma membrane electron transport is crucial for blood coagulation and thrombosis, since reactive oxygen species and thiol changes, generated by plasma membrane redox reactions, modulate activation of platelets, as well as their interaction with leukocytes. Several antioxidants are linked to this system; thus, platelets are also able to counterbalance radical production and to regulate thrombus growth. Aim of this review is to give an update on the plasma membrane redox system in platelets, as well as on its role in platelet functions and leukocyte-platelet crosstalk.
Maternal mutation 677C > T in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene associated with severe brain injury in offspring

A frequent polymorphism in the gene coding for 5,10‐methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase is the substitution 677C > T which produces a thermolabile and inefficient enzyme. Homozygosity for the 677C > T allele is the most important determinant of hyperhomocys‐teinemia, when folic acid intake is reduced. Most studies on the relationship between the 677C > T variant in the mother and defects in the offspring have focused on neural‐tube defects. This study is a retrospective case‐control investigation of hypoxic‐ischemic encephalopathy of the newborn (HIEN) with reference to the 677C > T polymorphism as a genetic risk for this condition.
Mevalonate kinase deficiency and IBD: shared genetic background

Dear editor, We read with interest the article entitled ‘Monogenic diseases associated with intestinal inflammation: implications for the understanding of inflammatory bowel disease’ written by Uhlig1 and published by Gut . The study, describing the very early onset of intestinal inflammation in several orphan monogenic diseases, aimed at determining the presence of a link between the IBD-like phenotype shown by these rare diseases and the intestinal inflammation seen in typical IBD. The IBD aetiology is multifactorial: at present, genome-wide association studies have identified 163 susceptibility loci associated with an increased risk of developing IBD.2 Beside these identified genetic loci that provide little contribution to explain IBD hereditability, the number of monogenic diseases presenting IBD-like symptoms is however continuously increasing. These monogenic diseases usually exhibit very early onset and very severe symptoms; in addition, they are often unresponsive to common drugs (anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive treatments, such as anti-TNFα). In his article,1 Uhlig reports that …