Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of the Ca2+ current in freshly dissociated crustacean peptidergic neuronal somata.

1. Freshly dissociated neuronal somata of the crab (Cardisoma carnifex) X-organ were studied in the whole cell patch-clamp configuration. To characterize the Ca2+ currents in these somata, recordings were made under conditions designed to suppress K+ and Na+ currents. 2. In 52 mM external Ca2+ the threshold for activation of Ca2+ currents was above -40 mV, with peak amplitudes occurring around +10 to +20 mV. The full component of the current was available for activation at -50 mV because no current increase was observed when the holding potential was increased to -90 mV. These characteristics of the current characterize it as a high-voltage activated (HVA) current. 3. The Ca2+ current was almost completely (60-90%) inactivated within 200 ms at maximal current potentials (+10 to +20 mV). The decay was best described by a double-exponential function with a fast and slow component of inactivation (tau f = 12 ms and tau s = 64 ms). Both Sr2+ and Ba2+ substitutions reduced the rates of inactivation. 4. In double-pulse experiments, plots of variable prepulse potential versus test pulse current produced a U-shaped curve with test pulse currents showing maximal inactivation at potentials that produced maximal Ca2+ influx during the prepulse. Tail currents also displayed a U-shaped inactivation curve. The extent of current-dependent inactivation was sequentially reduced by Sr2+ and Ba2+ substitutions. These data suggest that inactivation in crab somata is predominantly Ca2+ dependent. The remaining inactivation of Ba2+ currents suggests that there is also a component of voltage-dependent inactivation in the somata. 5. Part of the inactivated Ca2+ current could be recovered during short (4-10 ms) hyperpolarizing pulses to -130 mV. The absolute extent of recovery from inactivation was greatest for currents carried by Ca2+ rather than Sr2+ or Ba2+. When voltage-dependent inactivation was dominant (Ba2+ currents), the relative amount of current recovered was greater. The data suggest that hyperpolarizing pulses are more effective in removing voltage-dependent inactivation, but also allow some recovery from Ca(2+)-dependent inactivation. 6. In the crab saline, which contained 24 mM Mg2+, the amplitudes of currents carried by 52 mM Ca2+, Sr2+ and Ba2+ were similar. Removing the Mg2+ from the saline augmented both the Ba2+ and Sr2+ currents relative to the Ca2+ current. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
A follow‐up study of blood pressure and cerebral white matter lesions

White matter lesions are often observed on cerebral magnetic resonance imaging scans of elderly people and may play a role in the pathogenesis of dementia. Cross‐sectional studies have shown an association between elevated blood pressure and white matter lesions. We prospectively studied the relation between blood pressure and white matter lesions in 1,077 subjects aged 60 to 90 years who were randomly sampled from two prospective population‐based studies. One study had blood pressure measurements 20 years before, the other 5 years before. Overall response for the magnetic resonance imaging study was 63%, and declined from 73% among 60‐ to 70‐year‐olds to 48% for 80‐ to 90‐year‐olds. Diastolic and systolic blood pressure levels assessed 20 years before were significantly associated with subcortical and periventricular white matter lesions. The association between 20‐year change in diastolic blood pressure and subcortical white matter lesions was J‐shaped (relative risk, 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.0–5.2; and relative risk, 3.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.4–7.4, for decrease or increase of more than 10 mm Hg, respectively). The association between concurrent diastolic blood pressure level and white matter lesions was linear in subjects without, and J‐shaped in subjects with, a history of myocardial infarction. Our results indicate that the J‐shape relationship of diastolic blood pressure is not restricted to cardiovascular disease, but is also manifest in cerebrovascular disease.
Performance Comparison of Illumina and Ion Torrent Next-Generation Sequencing Platforms for 16S rRNA-Based Bacterial Community Profiling

ABSTRACT High-throughput sequencing of the taxonomically informative 16S rRNA gene provides a powerful approach for exploring microbial diversity. Here we compare the performances of two common “benchtop” sequencing platforms, Illumina MiSeq and Ion Torrent Personal Genome Machine (PGM), for bacterial community profiling by 16S rRNA (V1-V2) amplicon sequencing. We benchmarked performance by using a 20-organism mock bacterial community and a collection of primary human specimens. We observed comparatively higher error rates with the Ion Torrent platform and report a pattern of premature sequence truncation specific to semiconductor sequencing. Read truncation was dependent on both the directionality of sequencing and the target species, resulting in organism-specific biases in community profiles. We found that these sequencing artifacts could be minimized by using bidirectional amplicon sequencing and an optimized flow order on the Ion Torrent platform. Results of bacterial community profiling performed on the mock community and a collection of 18 human-derived microbiological specimens were generally in good agreement for both platforms; however, in some cases, results differed significantly. Disparities could be attributed to the failure to generate full-length reads for particular organisms on the Ion Torrent platform, organism-dependent differences in sequence error rates affecting classification of certain species, or some combination of these factors. This study demonstrates the potential for differential bias in bacterial community profiles resulting from the choice of sequencing platform alone.
A prospective observational cohort study of exposure to womb-like sounds to stabilize breathing and cardiovascular patterns in preterm neonates

Abstract Purpose: We exposed premature infants to womb-like sounds to evaluate such exposure on breathing and cardiovascular patterns. We hypothesized that these sounds would reduce apnea and intermittent hypoxemia, enhance parasympathetic outflow, and improve cardiovascular patterns. Methods: A total of 20 cases and 5 control infants at ≤32–36 weeks corrected gestational age participated in a prospective observational cohort study. Twenty-four hours of continuous ECG, respiratory and oxygen saturation data were collected in all infants. Womb-like sounds were played intermittently in 6-hour blocks. Salivary samples were collected at study beginning and end for cortisol. Apnea, intermittent hypoxemia, and bradycardia were evaluated, and heart rate variability was assessed by time domain and spectral techniques. Results: Intermittent hypoxemia and bradycardia significantly declined after sound exposure. No significant differences in apnea, cortisol levels, or heart rate variability were evident among the study infants. Conclusions: Exposing premature infants to womb-like sounds has the potential to reduce hypoxemic and bradycardic events, and be used as an intervention to stabilize breathing and cardiac control in preterm infants.
Field efficacy of imidacloprid and Steinernema carpocapsae in a chitosan formulation against the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Phoenix canariensis.

BACKGROUND The invasive red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier), has become the major pest of palms in the Mediterranean Basin. Chemical control against this species is difficult because of its cryptic habits and is mainly based on the repeated application of large quantities of synthetic insecticides. The aim of this work has been to evaluate in the field the efficacy of imidacloprid (Confidor 240 OD) and Steinernema carpocapsae Weiser with chitosan (Biorend R Palmeras) as soil and stipe treatments respectively, alone or in combination, against this pest. RESULTS All treatments significantly reduced the mean number of immature stages of R. ferrugineus per palm. However, there were no significant differences among the different treatments considered. Efficacies ranged from 83.8 to 99.7% for the mean number of immature stages found in the palms and resulted in a significant increase in palm survival compared with the untreated control (75.0-90.0% versus 16.5% respectively). CONCLUSION Both imidacloprid and S. carpocapsae in a chitosan formulation proved highly effective against R. ferrugineus in the field, and their efficacies did not significantly change when used in combination.
Does Childhood Television Viewing Lead to Attention Problems in Adolescence? Results From a Prospective Longitudinal Study

CONTEXT. There is controversy over whether childhood television viewing causes attention problems. The findings from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have been mixed. To our knowledge, no longitudinal studies have assessed the impact of children's television viewing on attention problems in adolescence. The objective of this study was to assess this association. DESIGN, PARTICIPANTS, AND SETTING. Study members were a general population birth cohort of 1037 participants (502 female) born in Dunedin, New Zealand, between April 1972 and March 1973. Parental estimates of children's television-viewing time were obtained at ages 5, 7, 9, and 11 years. Self-, parent-, and teacher-reported attention problems in adolescence were obtained at ages 13 and 15 years. RESULTS. The mean of hours of television viewing during childhood was associated with symptoms of attention problems in adolescence. These associations remained significant after controlling for gender, attention problems in early childhood, cognitive ability at 5 years of age, and childhood socioeconomic status. This association was also independent of adolescent television viewing. CONCLUSIONS. Childhood television viewing was associated with attention problems in adolescence, independent of early attention problems and other confounders. These results support the hypothesis that childhood television viewing may contribute to the development of attention problems and suggest that the effects may be long-lasting.
A Weighted Linear Estimator of Multivariate ARCH Parameters

A weighted linear estimator (WLE) of the parameters of multivariate ARCH models is proposed. The accuracy of WLE in estimating the parameters of multivariate ARCH models is compared with the widely used quasi-maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) through simulations. Application to real data sets are also presented and forecasts of variance-covariance matrix and value-at-risk (VaR) are obtained. The weighted resampling methods are used to approximate the sampling distribution of the proposed estimator. Our study indicates that the forecasting performance of WLE is not inferior and one-day ahead risk estimates are also found better than the QMLE.
Ultrasound Measurement of Brachial Artery Elasticity Prior to Hemodialysis Access Placement

Successful hemodialysis requires reliable vascular access that can deliver adequate blood flow. An arteriovenous fistula is preferred for access because of its longevity and low frequency of complications, but up to 60% of arteriovenous fistulas created surgically are never suitable for hemodialysis because of nonmaturation (insufficient vascular dilatation). Decreased arterial elasticity may impair dilatation, thereby affecting fistula maturation. This study evaluated the feasibility of brachial artery elasticity measurement in patients with chronic kidney disease obtained during routine pre‐operative mapping ultrasound (US) imaging before hemodialysis access placement and compared the measurements to those obtained in healthy volunteers.
Vesicle transport: The role of actin filaments and myosin motors

The transport of vesicles and the retention of organelles at specific locations are fundamental processes in cells. Actin filaments and myosin motors have been shown to be required for both of these tasks. Most of the organelles in cells associate with actin filaments and some of the myosin motors required for movement on actin filaments have been identified. Myosin V has been shown to transport endoplasmic reticulum (ER) vesicles in neurons, pigment granules in melanocytes, and the vacuole in yeast. Myosin I has been shown to be involved in the transport of Golgi‐derived vesicles in epithelial cells. Myosin VI has been shown to be associated with Golgi‐derived vesicles, and cytoplasmic vesicles in living Drosophila embryos. Myosin II may be a vesicle motor but its role in vesicle transport has not been resolved. Secretory vesicles, endosomes and mitochondria appear to be transported on actin filaments but the myosin motors on these organelles have not been identified. Mitochondria in yeast may be transported by the dynamic assembly of an actin “tail. ” The model that has unified all of these findings is the concept that long‐range movement of vesicles occurs on microtubules and short‐range movement on actin filaments. The details of how the microtubule‐dependent and the actin‐dependent motors are coordinated are important questions in the field. There is now strong evidence that two molecular motors, kinesin and myosin V, interact with each other and perhaps function as a complex on vesicles. An understanding of the interrelationship of microtubules and actin filaments and the motors that move cargo on them will ultimately establish how vesicles and organelles are transported to their specific locations in cells. Microsc. Res. Tech. 47:93–106, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Influenza--its impact and control.

Influenza is an underestimated public health problem. Epidemics spread rapidly from country to country and may affect as many as 500 million people across the world in a moderate influenza year. The disease, particularly influenza A, kills and the new influenza viruses which appeared in 1957 (Asian influenza) and 1968 (Hong Kong) are estimated to have caused at least 100,000 deaths in the United States of America. Deaths from influenza also occur in years when there is no new virus; at least 10,000 excess deaths have been documented in the United States during each of 18 different epidemics recorded from 1957 to 1985. Although most deaths are among the elderly, influenza occurs in all age groups with repercussions in schools and work places, and on hospital resources, at a high cost to society. As many as 79-80% of influenza cases can be prevented when the virus inducing the outbreak and the virus used in the influenza vaccine are closely related. Preventing 80% of cases would correspond in the United States to a saving of US $2.5 billion. People at the greatest risk of influenza-related complications are adults and children with chronic disorders of the pulmonary or cardiovascular systems, residents of nursing homes and of facilities for patients with chronic medical conditions. Other priority groups for vaccination are those at moderate risk of influenza-related complications such as healthy elderly persons, people with chronic metabolic diseases, children and teenagers on long-term aspirin therapy. Groups potentially capable of transmitting influenza to high-risk persons should also be vaccinated. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Population genetic structure and secondary endosymbionts of Q Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) from Greece

Abstract We investigated the molecular diversity of the major agricultural pest Bemisia tabaci and of its associated secondary endosymbionts in Greece. Analyzing mitochondrial DNA, we found that the Q1 (=Q west) is predominant. We used eight microsatellite polymorphic markers to study the genetic structure of 37 populations from mainland and insular Greece, collected on different host species from outdoor and protected crops as well as from non-cultivated plants. In some cases, gene flow was found to be low even between populations separated by just a few kilometres. Bayesian analysis identified two main genetic groups, the first encompassing populations from south Crete and the second composed of populations from north Crete, two other Aegean islands and mainland Greece. Genetic differentiation was not correlated with different host plant species or habitat, or greenhouse versus open environment populations. Gene flow significantly decreased with geographic distance, but no isolation by distance existed when only the samples from mainland Greece or only the samples from Crete were considered. The secondary symbionts Wolbachia and Hamiltonella were present at high frequencies while Arsenophonus, Cardinium and Rickettsia were absent from Greek populations. Multilocus sequence typing of Wolbachia identified two Wolbachia strains. These two strains were found together in most of the populations studied but never in the same host individual. Their role on the observed population structure is discussed.
Formation of the Compact Confomer of Kinesin Requires a COOH-terminal Heavy Chain Domain and Inhibits Microtubule-stimulated ATPase Activity*

Full-length Drosophila kinesin heavy chain from position 1 to 975 was expressed in Escherichia coil (DKH975) and is a dimer. The sedimentation coefficient of DKH975 shifts from 5.4 S at 1 m NaCl to ∼6.9 S at <0.2m NaCl. This transition of DKH975 between extended and compact conformations is essentially identical to that for the heavy chain dimer of bovine kinesin (Hackney, D. D., Levitt, J. D., and Suhan, J. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 8696–8701). Thus the capacity for undergoing the 7 S/5 S transition is an intrinsic property of the heavy chains and requires neither light chains nor eukaryotic post-translational modification. DKH960 undergoes a similar transition, indicating that the extreme COOH-terminal region is not required. More extensive deletions from the COOH-terminal (DKH945 and DKH937) result in a shift in the midpoint for the transition to lower salt concentrations. DKH927 and shorter constructs remaining extended even in the absence of added salt. Thus the COOH-terminal ∼50 amino acids are required for the formation of the compact conformation. Separately expressed COOH-terminal tail segments and NH2-terminal head/neck segments interact in a salt-dependent manner that is consistent with the compact conformer being produced by the interaction of domains from these regions of the heavy chain dimer. The microtubule-stimulated ATPase rate of DKH975 in the compact conformer is strongly inhibited compared with the rate of extended DKH894 (4 s−1 and 35 s−1, respectively, for k cat at saturating microtubules).
Baicalin inhibits inflammation and attenuates myocardial ischaemic injury by aryl hydrocarbon receptor

Recent evidence indicates that suppressing inflammation by specific drug target and treatment measures contributes to attenuate ischaemic injury and the related heart diseases. This study aimed to investigate the potential effect of baicalin on myocardial ischaemic injury through inhibition of inflammation by inactivating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR).
Evaluating Household Food Insecurity: Applications and Insights from Rural Malaysia

Hunger is complex, encompassing experiences ranging from a family's forced acceptance of a monotonous diet to individual physiological pain. I evaluate the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) as a means of capturing the universal elements of hunger without doing violence to its culturally-specific expressions within two Malay communities. The HFIAS is assessed conceptually by comparing its assumptions and concept-to-measurement gap with competing indicators and practically with respect to village conditions and practices. This case study recommends the HFIAS for this site and for communities that similarly lack maternal buffering, while highlighting the unique features of the local hunger experience.
Sleep disorders in Saudi health care workers.

BACKGROUND The objective of the study was to screen for sleep habits and various sleep disorders, using a standard questionnaire. PATIENTS AND METHODS The questionnaire was designed to assess sleep habits, the degree of daytime sleepiness using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and specific sleep problems. A random sample of Saudi employees working as medical or paramedical personnel was selected. RESULTS There were 163 respondents (65%) comprising 33 females and 130 males. The mean ESS score was 9.4. Sixty-four respondents (39.3%) had an ESS score of more than 10, i.e., excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). When subjects with poor sleep habits and/or sleep problems were excluded, there were 65 ânormalâ sleepers, with a mean ESS score of 8.9+/-3.6. This did not differ from the rest of the sample population, who had a score of 9.8+/-3.7 (P=0.15). Subjects with inadequate sleep or insomnia consisted of 17 females (51.5%) and 45 males (34.6%). There were seven subjects, all males (5.4%), with habitual snoring. Ten males (7.7%) and two females (6.1%) reported having breathing pauses while asleep. Symptoms of restless leg syndrome, sleep paralysis, and cataplexy were reported by 21 (12.9%), 26 (16.0%) and two (1.2%) subjects, respectively. CONCLUSION The prevalence of EDS in the Saudi population is higher compared to that reported from other populations when a Western ESS normal range is used. Nevertheless, the range of normal score of ESS is probably broader for Saudis compared to other populations. In general, sleep disorders are common but unrecognized in our community.
Antifungal effect of various essential oils against Candidaalbicans. Potentiation of antifungal action of amphotericin B by essential oil from Thymus vulgaris

The antifungal effect of the essential oil from Satureja montana L. , Lavandula angustifolia Mill. , Lavandula hybrida Reverchon, Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merril and Perry, Origanum vulgare L. , Rosmarinus officinalis L. and six chemotypes of Thymus vulgaris L. on Candida albicans growth were studied. The most efficiency was obtained with the essential oil from Thymus vulgaris thymol chemotype (MIC 80% = 0.016 µL[sol ]mL and Kaff = 296 µL[sol ]mL). The presence in the culture medium of essential oil from Thymus vulgaris thymol chemotype (0.01, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 µg[sol ]mL) and amphotericin B involved a decrease of the MIC 80% of amphotericin B. In contrast, the combination of amphotericin B and low concentrations (0.00031–0.0025 µg[sol ]mL) of essential oil was antagonistic. The strongest decrease (48%) of the MIC 80% was obtained with medium containing 0.2 µL[sol ]mL of essential oil. These results signify that the essential oil of Thymus vulgaris thymol chemotype potentiates the antifungal action of amphotericin B suggesting a possible utilization of this essential oil in addition to antifungal drugs for the treatment of mycoses. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.