Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flagella-Driven Motility of Bacteria

The bacterial flagellum is a helical filamentous organelle responsible for motility. In bacterial species possessing flagella at the cell exterior, the long helical flagellar filament acts as a molecular screw to generate thrust. Meanwhile, the flagella of spirochetes reside within the periplasmic space and not only act as a cytoskeleton to determine the helicity of the cell body, but also rotate or undulate the helical cell body for propulsion. Despite structural diversity of the flagella among bacterial species, flagellated bacteria share a common rotary nanomachine, namely the flagellar motor, which is located at the base of the filament. The flagellar motor is composed of a rotor ring complex and multiple transmembrane stator units and converts the ion flux through an ion channel of each stator unit into the mechanical work required for motor rotation. Intracellular chemotactic signaling pathways regulate the direction of flagella-driven motility in response to changes in the environments, allowing bacteria to migrate towards more desirable environments for their survival. Recent experimental and theoretical studies have been deepening our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the flagellar motor. In this review article, we describe the current understanding of the structure and dynamics of the bacterial flagellum.
Removal of a Trigger Cord Stuck between Bands during Endoscopic Multiple-Band Ligation for Treating Esophageal Variceal Hemorrhage

Endoscopic variceal ligation is the preferred endoscopic treatment method for esophageal variceal bleeding. The incidence of complications such as chest pain, bleeding, stricture formation, and aspiration pneumonia is low. We report a case wherein a malfunctioning multiple-band ligator could have potentially caused damage to the esophageal varices and massive bleeding. The equipment was safely removed using scissors and forceps. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first published report detailing the management of a case of esophageal variceal bleeding.
Intravenous immunoglobulin for adjunctive treatment of severe infections in ICUs.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This review focuses on the emerging literature regarding the use of intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIg) in critically ill patients with severe infections. The aim is to provide an accessible summary of the most recent evidence of IVIg use in sepsis and septic shock and to help clinicians to understand why there is still equipoise regarding the potential benefit of this adjunctive therapy in this setting. RECENT FINDINGS Observational studies with propensity score matching analyses and investigating the effect of IVIg in severe infections including necrotizing soft tissue infection have been recently published. These studies suffer important flaws precluding robust conclusion to be drawn. Some recent randomized controlled trials raised interesting findings supportive of personalized medicine but are likely to be underpowered or confounded. SUMMARY Insufficient evidence is available to support IVIg use in sepsis and septic shock, apart from the specific case of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. Current literature suggests that IVIg efficacy in sepsis or septic shock could depend on the IVIg preparation (IgM-enriched or minimal IgM), time of administration (<24 h), dose, and the inflammatory/immunomodulation profile of the patients. Investigator-initiated research, incorporating these parameters, is warranted to determine whether IVIg benefits critically ill patients with severe infection.
Preemptive and Preventive Pain Psychoeducation and Its Potential Application as a Multimodal Perioperative Pain Control Option: A Systematic Review

The common treatment for postoperative pain is prescription opioids. Yet, these drugs have limited effect in preventing chronic pain from surgical intervention and have in part contributed to the opioid epidemic. Recently, preemptive analgesia and multimodal analgesia have been proposed with widely gained acceptance in addressing the pain issues. However, both analgesic approaches have been focused on pharmacological means while completely neglecting the psychological aspect. To address this epidemic, we have conducted a systematic review of preoperative educational methods to explore its application as both a preemptive and a preventive psychological approach to decrease postsurgical pain and improve outcome. Preemptive psychoeducation occurs before surgery and would include information about regional or neuraxial analgesia, while preventive psychoeducation occurs throughout the perioperative period. The content and presentation of preemptive psychoeducation can help patients form accurate expectations and address their concerns of surgical outcome, leading to a significant decrease in patients’ anxiety levels. By addressing the psychological needs of patients through preoperative education, one can decrease postoperative recovery time and postsurgical acute pain. Reduced postsurgical acute pain results in fewer opioid prescriptions, which theoretically lowers the patient’s risk of developing chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), and potentially offers a novel concept using preemptive pain psychoeducation as a part of multimodal pain management solution to the opioid epidemic.
Access to Kidney Transplantation after a Failed First Kidney Transplant and Associations with Patient and Allograft Survival: An Analysis of National Data to Inform Allocation Policy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Patients who have failed a transplant are at increased risk of repeat transplant failure. We determined access to transplantation and transplant outcomes in patients with and without a history of transplant failure. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS In this observational study of national data, the proportion of waitlisted patients and deceased donor transplant recipients with transplant failure was determined before and after the new kidney allocation system. Among patients initiating maintenance dialysis between May 1995 and December 2014, the likelihood of deceased donor transplantation was determined in patients with (n=27,459) and without (n=1,426,677) a history of transplant failure. Among transplant recipients, allograft survival, the duration of additional kidney replacement therapy required within 10 years of transplantation, and the association of transplantation versus dialysis with mortality was determined in patients with and without a history of transplant failure. RESULTS The proportion of waitlist candidates (mean 14%) and transplant recipients (mean 12%) with transplant failure did not increase after the new kidney allocation system. Among patients initiating maintenance dialysis, transplant-failure patients had a higher likelihood of transplantation (hazard ratio [HR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 1.12 to 1.20; P<0.001). Among transplant recipients, transplant-failure patients had a higher likelihood of death-censored transplant failure (HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.34 to 1.54; P<0.001) and a greater need for additional kidney replacement therapy required within 10 years after transplantation (mean, 9.0; 95% CI, 5.4 to 12.6 versus mean, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.5 to 2.7 months). The association of transplantation versus dialysis with mortality was clinically similar in waitlisted patients with (HR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.29 to 0.35; P<0.001) and without transplant failure (HR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.41; P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Transplant-failure patients initiating maintenance dialysis have a higher likelihood of transplantation than transplant-naïve patients. Despite inferior death-censored transplant survival, transplantation was associated with a similar reduction in the risk of death compared with treatment with dialysis in patients with and without a prior history of transplant failure.
Dendritic cells mediate the anti-inflammatory action of omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in experimental autoimmune uveitis

We previously showed that dietary omega (ω)–3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) suppress inflammation in mice with experimental autoimmune uveitis (EAU). We have now investigated the role of antigen presenting cells (APCs) in this action of ω-3 LCPUFAs. C57BL/6 mice were fed a diet supplemented with ω-3 or ω-6 LCPUFAs for 2 weeks, after which splenocytes were isolated from the mice and cocultured with CD4+ T cells isolated from mice with EAU induced by injection of a human interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein peptide together with complete Freund’s adjuvant. The proliferation of and production of interferon-γ and interleukin-17 by T cells from EAU mice in vitro were attenuated in the presence of splenocytes from ω-3 LCPUFA–fed mice as compared with those from mice fed ω-6 LCPUFAs. Splenocyte fractionation by magnetic-activated cell sorting revealed that, among APCs, dendritic cells (DCs) were the target of ω-3 LCPUFAs. Adoptive transfer of DCs from mice fed ω-3 LCPUFAs attenuated disease progression in EAU mice as well as the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines by T cells isolated from these latter animals. The proliferation of T cells from control Balb/c mice was also attenuated in the presence of DCs from ω-3 LCPUFA–fed mice as compared with those from ω-6 LCPUFA–fed mice. Furthermore, T cell proliferation in such a mixed lymphocyte reaction was inhibited by prior exposure of DCs from mice fed an ω-6 LCPUFA diet to ω-3 LCPUFAs in vitro. Our results thus suggest that DCs mediate the anti-inflammatory action of dietary ω-3 LCPUFAs in EAU.
Sex Disparity in How Pain Sensitivity Influences Dry Eye Symptoms.

PURPOSE Women have a higher dry eye disease prevalence compared with men, although only relatively minor differences in the ocular surface have been observed. Interestingly, a sex difference in pain sensitivity is known, and recent research suggests that pain sensitivity is associated with dry eye symptoms. This study attempts to discern whether the association between pain sensitivity and dry eye symptoms varies between women and men. METHODS In this prospective cross-sectional study, subjects were seen for one visit where they were asked to fill out a set of questionnaires consisting of the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire, Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), and other dry eye questionnaires. This was followed by an ocular surface assessment on both eyes. RESULTS Two hundred eighty-seven subjects (194 women, 93 men) completed the study. Intersex differences in the ocular surface were noted. Even after accounting for these differences, an interaction effect between sex and Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire-minor score on dry eye symptoms was observed, with only women noting increased symptoms on the OSDI (P < 0.005) and other dry eye questionnaires (P values ranging from 0.01 to <0.005) with greater pain sensitivity. After controlling for other variables, women with the highest pain sensitivity had a 17-point higher OSDI score and greater symptoms, as reported by all the other dry questionnaires compared with their male counterparts. CONCLUSIONS The role of pain sensitivity on dry eye symptoms appears to vary between women and men. This difference provides insight into why women have a significantly higher dry eye disease prevalence than men.
BNP as a potential biomarker for cardiac damage of breast cancer after radiotherapy: a meta-analysis

Abstract Background: To analyze whether BNP could be a potential biomarker for cardiac damage of breast cancer after radiotherapy. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest and Medline were searched using the key words “breast cancer” (“breast tumor”, “breast neoplasm”, or “breast carcinoma”), “brain natriuretic peptide” (or BNP) and “radiotherapy” (or “radiation therapy”). Four articles were selected and analyzed using the STATA 12.0 software package. The standard mean difference (SMD) and its standard error for BNP were calculated to assess the relationship between BNP and radiotherapy for breast cancer patients. Results: In total, 172 patients with breast cancer were identified. The pooled SMD was -0.233 (95% CI −1.113, −0.057). The pooled estimated SMD for all studies showed obvious significant difference (z = 3.99, P = .000). There was no publication bias. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggested that BNP could be a biomarker of cardiac damage at high heart absorbed doses according to radiotherapy, especially for left breast cancer patients.
Natural Hydrogen Sulfide Donors from Allium sp. as a Nutraceutical Approach in Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Therapy

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) is a socially relevant chronic disease with high prevalence worldwide. DM may lead to several vascular, macrovascular, and microvascular complications (cerebrovascular, coronary artery, and peripheral arterial diseases, retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy), often accelerating the progression of atherosclerosis. Dietary therapy is generally considered to be the first step in the treatment of diabetic patients. Among the current therapeutic options, such as insulin therapy and hypoglycemic drugs, in recent years, attention has been shifting to the effects and properties—that are still not completely known—of medicinal plants as valid and inexpensive therapeutic supports with limited side effects. In this review, we report the relevant effects of medicinal plants and nutraceuticals in diabetes. In particular, we paid attention to the organosulfur compounds (OSCs) present in plant extracts that due to their antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects, can contribute as cardioprotective agents in type 2 DM. OSCs derived from garlic (Allium sp.), due to their properties, can represent a valuable support to the diet in type 2 DM, as outlined in this manuscript based on both in vitro and in vivo studies. Moreover, a relevant characteristic of garlic OSCs is their ability to produce the gasotransmitter H2S, and many of their effects can be explained by this property. Indeed, in recent years, several studies have demonstrated the relevant effects of endogenous and exogenous H2S in human DM, including by in vitro and in vivo experiments and clinical trials; therefore, here, we summarize the effects and the underlying molecular mechanisms of H2S and natural H2S donors.
Molecular Characterisation of a Supergene Conditioning Super-High Vitamin C in Kiwifruit Hybrids

During analysis of kiwifruit derived from hybrids between the high vitamin C (ascorbic acid; AsA) species Actinidia eriantha and A. chinensis, we observed bimodal segregation of fruit AsA concentration suggesting major gene segregation. To test this hypothesis, we performed whole-genome sequencing on pools of hybrid genotypes with either high or low AsA fruit. Pool-GWAS (genome-wide association study) revealed a single Quantitative Trait Locus (QTL) spanning more than 5 Mbp on chromosome 26, which we denote as qAsA26.1. A co-dominant PCR marker was used to validate this association in four diploid (A. chinensis × A. eriantha) × A. chinensis backcross families, showing that the A. eriantha allele at this locus increases fruit AsA levels by 250 mg/100 g fresh weight. Inspection of genome composition and recombination in other A. chinensis genetic maps confirmed that the qAsA26.1 region bears hallmarks of suppressed recombination. The molecular fingerprint of this locus was examined in leaves of backcross validation families by RNA sequencing (RNASEQ). This confirmed strong allelic expression bias across this region as well as differential expression of transcripts on other chromosomes. This evidence suggests that the region harbouring qAsA26.1 constitutes a supergene, which may condition multiple pleiotropic effects on metabolism.
Living Well with Pollution? The Impact of the Concentration of PM2.5 on the Quality of Life of Patients with Asthma

While the negative influence of environmental pollution on the respiratory system is well established, especially for people with bronchial hyper-reactivity, the impact of particulate matter on quality of life in asthma patients is not well understood. Three hundred adult asthma patients were recruited for a study; for each patient, the daily concentrations of particulate matter of 2.5 µm or less in diameter (PM2.5) were recorded from air quality monitoring stations. The study was conducted over two weeks. After two weeks, the patients filled out the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ), evaluating the quality of their lives throughout the monitored period. Patients exposed to a higher concentration of PM2.5 had significantly lower AQLQ scores. Every 10 µg/m3 of an increase in the concentration of PM2.5 resulted in a decrease of the AQLQ score by 0.16. All domains of quality of life (symptoms, activity limitations, emotional functioning, and environmental stimuli) assessed in the questionnaire were negatively affected by PM2.5. These findings provide an important argument in favor of educating physicians and patients and raising awareness about the detrimental health effects of air pollution. Improving the quality of life of people with asthma requires an immediate and substantial reduction of air pollution.
A Novel Method of Locating Foramen Ovale for Percutaneous Approaches to the Trigeminal Ganglion.

BACKGROUND For patients with trigeminal neuralgia who do not respond to medication and for whom surgical approaches are too risky, percutaneous procedures targeting the trigeminal ganglion are the current standard treatment. Percutaneous procedures are performed via the transoval approach under radiologic guidance. Identification of the foramen ovale (FO) under fluoroscopic guidance is an important part of determining the success or failure of the procedures. OBJECTIVES Previous studies have described how to visualize the FO under fluoroscopic guidance, but those methods are limited by poor reproducibility. In this study, we have investigated how to visualize the FO clearly and easily under fluoroscopic guidance. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective analysis. SETTING University hospital in Korea. METHODS Seventy-two 3-dimensional facial computed tomography scans without anatomic abnormalities of the skull base were analyzed for verifying the novel method. First, the mandibular angle and the occipital cortical line were overlapped and then turned by 15° oblique rotation using the software package. After these manipulations, the visualization of the FO was graded according to a 4-point scale (0: poor; 1: fair; 2: good; 3: excellent), and the inferior transfacial and oblique angles were measured. RESULTS This enabled clear visualization of the FO. The mean visual grade of 54 right and 46 left FO (total 100) was 2.74 (0: poor; 1: fair; 2: good; 3: excellent). All recorded FOs had at least grade 2 visibility. LIMITATIONS This study is lacking application in clinical practice and comparative data to the submental view. CONCLUSIONS The mandible angle and the occipital cortex line are obvious anatomic landmarks and are visible even to nonexperienced practitioners. Therefore, our method using these anatomic landmarks can improve the reproducibility and accuracy of FO visualization. KEY WORDS Trigeminal neuralgia, foramen ovale, trigeminal ganglion, 3-dimensional (3D) facial computed tomography (CT) scans.
Comparison of End-Tidal, Arterial, Venous, and Transcutaneous PCO2

BACKGROUND: We investigated the measurement of end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PETCO2) with a capnometer in patients with respiratory failure, and we determined whether this technique could provide an alternative to measurement of PaCO2 using arterial blood gas analysis in the clinical setting. METHODS: We measured PETCO2 in subjects with hypoxemic and hypercarbic respiratory failure using a capnometer. We simultaneously measured PaCO2, venous partial pressure of carbon dioxide (Pv̄CO2), and transcutaneously measured partial pressure PCO2 (PtcCO2). We analyzed agreements among these parameters with Bland-Altman analysis. We obtained 30 samples from subjects with hypoxemic respiratory failure and 30 samples from subjects with hypercarbic respiratory failure. RESULTS: Thirty subjects with hypoxemic respiratory failure and 18 subjects with hypercarbic respiratory failure participated in this study. Significant relationships were found between PETCO2 and PaCO2, between PtcCO2 and PaCO2, and between Pv̄CO2 and PaCO2. Bland-Altman analysis of PETCO2 and PaCO2 in all subjects revealed a bias of 6.48 mm Hg (95% CI 4.93–8.03, P < .001) with a precision of 6.01 mm Hg. Bland-Altman analysis of PETCO2 and PaCO2 with hypoxemic respiratory failure revealed a bias of 5.14 mm Hg (95% CI 3.35–6.93, P < .001) with a precision of 4.80 mm Hg. Bland-Altman analysis of PETCO2 and PaCO2 in subjects with hypercarbic respiratory failure revealed a bias of 7.83 mm Hg (95% CI 5.27–10.38, P < .001) with a precision of 6.83 mm Hg. CONCLUSIONS: PETCO2 can be measured simply using a capnometer, and PETCO2 measurements can estimate PaCO2. However, the limits of agreement were wide. Therefore, care providers must pay attention to the characteristics and errors of these devices. These results suggest that measurement of PETCO2 might be useful for screening for hypercarbic respiratory failure in the clinical setting.
Time-SLIP MR Hepatic Arteriography using 3T-MRI: Initial Experiences

Poster: "ECR 2013 / C-1793 / Time-SLIP MR Hepatic Arteriography using 3T-MRI: Initial Experiences" by: "T. Yoshikawa1, N. Aoyama1, N. Kanata1, Y. Kyotani1, S. Satou2, T. Kanda1, H. Koyama1, M. Nishio1, Y. Ohno1; 1Kobe/JP, 2Otawara/JP"
Hierarchical electrospun tendon‐ligament bioinspired scaffolds induce changes in fibroblasts morphology under static and dynamic conditions

The regeneration of injured tendons and ligaments is challenging because the scaffolds needs proper mechanical properties and a biomimetic morphology. In particular, the morphological arrangement of scaffolds is a key point to drive the cells growth to properly regenerate the collagen extracellular matrix. Electrospinning is a promising technique to produce hierarchically structured nanofibrous scaffolds able to guide cells in the regeneration of the injured tissue. Moreover, the dynamic stretching in bioreactors of electrospun scaffolds had demonstrated to speed up cell shape modifications in vitro. The aim of the present study was to combine different imaging techniques such as high‐resolution X‐ray tomography (XCT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), fluorescence microscopy and histology to investigate if hierarchically structured poly (L‐lactic acid) and collagen electrospun scaffolds can induce morphological modifications in human fibroblasts, while cultured in static and dynamic conditions. After 7 days of parallel cultures, the results assessed that fibroblasts had proliferated on the external nanofibrous sheath of the static scaffolds, elongating themselves circumferentially. The dynamic cultures revealed a preferential axial orientation of fibroblasts growth on the external sheath. The aligned nanofibre bundles inside the hierarchical scaffolds instead, allowed a physiological distribution of the fibroblasts along the nanofibre direction. Inside the dynamic scaffolds, cells appeared thinner compared with the static counterpart. This study had demonstrated that hierarchically structured electrospun scaffolds can induce different fibroblasts morphological modifications during static and dynamic conditions, modifying their shape in the direction of the applied loads.