Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of group B Streptococcus during antenatal screening in Western Australia: a comparison of culture and molecular methods

Global screening strategies for Group B Streptococcus (GBS) include risk‐ or culture‐based methods to guide intrapartum prophylaxis. In Western Australia (WA), antenatal culture‐based screening is routine; however, numerous culture methods exist, in addition to molecular methods. We aimed to assess the comparability of research and diagnostic screening approaches.
Antihypertensive and diuretic effects of NZ-105, a novel dihydropyridine derivative.

Studies on the antihypertensive and diuretic actions of NZ-105, a new dihydropyridine derivative, were performed in comparison with nicardipine. NZ-105 and nicardipine (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, p.o.) dose-dependently decreased systolic blood pressure in three types of experimentally hypertensive rats, including spontaneously hypertensive rats, renal hypertensive rats and deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertensive rats and normotensive Wistar-strain rats. The hypotensive effects were larger in hypertensive rats than in normotensive Wistar rats. The hypotensive actions of NZ-105 were very slow in onset and long-lasting in all models, e.g., the hypotension by NZ-105 (10 mg/kg, p.o.) reached a peak (-52 mmHg) at 3 hr and lasted for more than 9 hr in spontaneously hypertensive rats. The hypotensive action in spontaneously hypertensive rats was reproducible after repeated dosing twice a day for 29 days. The hypotensive action after i.v. injection of NZ-105 (0.1 mg/kg) in spontaneously hypertensive rats was also slow in onset (peak time: 10 min) and long-lasting (more than 120 min). The hypotensive potency of NZ-105 was about the same as that of nicardipine, but the increment in heart rate was smaller than in the case of nicardipine. Both NZ-105 and nicardipine showed diuretic and natriuretic actions in spontaneously hypertensive rats. After repeated administration, these actions of NZ-105 were unchanged, whereas those of nicardipine were reduced. These results suggest that NZ-105 is a useful antihypertensive drug with concomitant diuretic effects.
Assessment of the Antimicrobial Potentiality and Functionality of Lactobacillus plantarum Strains Isolated from the Conventional Inner Mongolian Fermented Cheese Against Foodborne Pathogens

Lactobacillus plantarum are amongst the diversified lactic acid bacteria (LAB) species which are being utilized abundantly in the food industry. Numerous L. plantarum strains have been reported to produce several antimicrobial compounds. Diacetyl, hydrogen peroxide, organic acids, as well as bacteriocins can also be exemplified by a variable spectrum of actions. The current study was intended to conduct the screening and characterization of antimicrobial prospective of L. plantarum from traditional Inner Mongolian fermented hard cheese. Foodborne pathogens, Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus, were examined by using the Oxford cup technique and the mixed culture inhibition assays. The resulting analyses disclosed that L. plantarum KLDS1.0344 indicated broad antimicrobial spectrum against all selected pathogens as compared to other LAB used in this study. Additionally, the decrement of the pathogen population was observed up to 3.47 logs in mixed culture inhibition assays. L. plantarum KLDS 1.0344 acid production was recorded up to 71.8 ± 3.59 °D in mixed culture while antimicrobial particles released in cell free supernatants demonstrated bacteriocin-like characteristics showing substantial pH stability (2.0–6.0), proteolytic enzyme reduced the antibacterial activity (15.2 ± 0.6 mm–20.4 ± 0.8 mm), heat stability (20 min at 120 °C) against selected pathogens. Moreover, the spectrum range of antimicrobial peptides after the partial purification was decreased as compared to the crude bacteriocin-like compound. The SDS-PAGE analysis showed the molecular weight range of partially purified bacteriocin from 12 to 45 kDa. After analyzing the obtained data from the current experimentation showed that the capability of L. plantarum KLDS 1.0344 to oppose the pathogen growth in vitro relies on the occurrence of organic acids along with bacteriocin-like compounds proving L. plantarum KLDS 1.0344 as a potentially appropriate candidate as an alternative bio-control agent against foodborne pathogens.
Managing Information Overload: Examining the Role of the Human Filter

With the increasing processing power and plummeting costs of multimedia technologies, our ability to ubiquitously access and disseminate information continues to become indefinitely easier. However, emerging research shows that we are struggling to process information as fast as it arrives. The problem of information overload is a significant one for contemporary organisations as it can adversely affect productivity, decision-making, and employee morale. To combat this problem, organisations often resort to investing in technical solutions such as business intelligence software or semantic technologies. While such technical approaches can certainly aid in making sense of information overload, less attention has been directed at understanding how social behaviours within inter-personal networks – the primary conduit of information – have evolved to deal with the surge of digital information. Using social network analysis and interview evidence from two information intensive firms, this study finds a small number of information specialists who emerge to filter useful information into and around the intra-organizational network. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical and practical implications of our findings.
Cellular reaction to an acute demyelinating/remyelinating lesion of the rat brain stem: Localisation of GD3 ganglioside immunoreactivity

We describe a simple and reproducible acute demyelinating lesion of the rat brain stem induced by injection of ethidium bromide into the cisterna magna of young adult rats. Using immunofluorescence with a panel of antibodies to cell‐specific antigens we have studied the changes in cell populations that occur at various stages during lesion progression and repair. In particular we localized the expression of ganglioside GD3 immunoreactivity, a marker for oligodendroglial progenitors in developing brain. Both astroglia (GFAP+) and oligodendroglia (CNP+) were destroyed during the early response to the ethidium bromide although axons were spared. Splitting of myelin lamellae occurred as early as 4 days post‐injection (DPI), with extensive demyelination of the inferior cerebellar peduncle following by 6 DPI. Large numbers of ED1+ and OX‐42+ macrophages were present in the lesion site at this stage. Astrogliosis occurred around the perimeter of the lesions. Two populations of GD3+ cells appeared within and around the lesion sites during the demyelination. One population was identified by the phenotype GD3+ ED1+ and thus probably belonged to the macrophage/microglial lineage. In these cells both antigens appeared cytoplasmic. The second population of GD3+ cells exhibited cell membrane GD3 immunoreactivity but did not express the ED1 antigen. These cells are suggested to be oligodendroglial progenitors generated in response to the demyelination. No such cells were seen in control tissue. GD3+ cells were present within the lesion sites from 6 DPI until 10–12.
Providing Effective Environmental Enrichment to Pigs: How Far Have We Come?

Simple Summary The welfare of farmed pigs can be improved by modifying their environment with bedding, substrates, or objects, so that they can perform more of their pig-specific behaviours. Scientific knowledge on effective enrichment for pigs is not necessarily reaching farms and this paper provides an overview of this issue in the three largest global pork producing regions. In the USA, enrichment has not yet appeared on farms, except when required by higher welfare farm schemes. China hardly has any animal welfare legislation and food safety concerns restrict the use of enrichment on farms. Providing pig enrichment is required by law in EU Member States. In practice, enrichment is not always present, or is unsuitable or inadequate. Other risks to animal welfare include inadequate presentation, location, quantity and size, and maintenance of enrichment. Improvements can be made by applying principles from other fields of behavioural science; welfare knowledge transfer and training to farms; highlighting the economic benefits of effective enrichment; increasing pressure from the financial sector; using novel drivers of change, such as public benchmarking. The poor implementation of scientific knowledge on farms suggests that the industry has not fully embraced the benefits of effective enrichment. Abstract Science has defined the characteristics of effective environmental enrichment for pigs. We provide an overview of progress towards the provision of pig enrichment in the three largest global pork producing regions. In the USA, enrichment has not yet featured on the policy agenda, nor appeared on farms, except when required by certain farm assurance schemes. China has very limited legal animal welfare provisions and public awareness of animal welfare is very low. Food safety concerns severely restrict the use of substrates (as enrichment) on farms. Providing enrichment to pigs is a legal requirement in the EU. In practice, enrichment is not present, or simple (point-source) objects are provided which have no enduring value. Other common issues are the provision of non-effective or hazardous objects, inadequate presentation, location, quantity and size or inadequate maintenance of enrichment. Improvements can be made by applying principles from the field of experimental analysis of behaviour to evaluate the effectiveness of enrichment; providing welfare knowledge transfer, including training and advisory services; highlighting the economic benefits of effective enrichment and focusing on return on investment; increasing pressure from the financial sector; using novel drivers of change, such as public business benchmarking. The poor implementation of scientific knowledge on farms suggests that the pig industry has not fully embraced the benefits of effective enrichment and is still a long way off achieving an enriched pig population.
The Wnt /β‐catenin signaling pathway in the adult neurogenesis

The Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway plays an important role in neural development, β‐catenin is a central component of the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway, which not only performs the function of transmitting information in the cytoplasm, but also translocates to the nucleus‐activating target gene transcription. The target genes in neural tissues have not been fully revealed, but the effects of the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway in adult neurogenesis have been demonstrated by ongoing research, which are significative to the basic research and treatment of neuronal degeneration diseases. Here, we review key findings to show the characteristics of β‐catenin and its pivotal nature in the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway in a number of molecular studies. We also review current literature on the role of β‐catenin in adult neurogenesis, which consists of an active process encompassing the proliferation, migration, differentiation and final synaptogenesis.
Transmission and emission scintiphotography of the heart and mediastinum

Radiosotopic imaging of the mediastinal blood pools is a well established technique. Although the method provides data relating to the size and location of these pools, additional valuable diagnostic information can be easily obtained through transmission scintigraphy performed prior to blood pool imaging. From an appropriate external radionuclide source, the radiation passes through the radiolucent chest structures to a gamma camera forming an outline image of the more radiodense structures. Subsequent to the transmission study, an emission study of mediastinal blood pools is obtained. The transmission and emission images are similar in size and directly comparable for evaluation of mediastinal structures. The routine use of radionuclide transmission scintigraphy is recommended as an adjunct to emission scintigraphy in the evaluation of mediastinal tumors, myocardial hypertrophy, and pericardial effusions.
Health Care Atlases: Informing the General Public About the Situation of the Austrian Health Care System

There is a great number of complex data concerning the Austrian Health Care System. The goal was to process this data and present it to the general public on an easily accessible information platform. The platform focuses on data about the burden of disease of the Austrian Population, the available medical care and the services provided by the physicians. Due to the vast differences in the underlying source data, the methods used for the data acquisition range from statistical linkage over web scraping to aggregating data on the reimbursed services. The results are published on a website and are mainly displayed with interactive graphics. Overall, these dynamic and interactive websites provide a good overview of the situation of the Austrian Health Care System and presents the information in an intuitive and comprehensible manner. Furthermore, the information given in the atlases can contribute to the health care planning in order to identify distinctive service provision in Austria.
Augmentation of HIV-specific T cell function by immediate treatment of hyperacute HIV-1 infection

Immediate initiation of antiviral therapy in acute HIV infection results in functional and persistent T cell responses. Keeping it FRESH in HIV HIV infection affects the immune system beyond infected CD4+ T cells and can cause systemic immune dysfunctions even when the virus is controlled by antiretroviral treatment. To determine how early treatment affects anti-HIV T cell responses, Ndhlovu et al. examined samples from the FRESH cohort, which enables analysis of hyperacute infection. They compared HIV-specific CD8+ T cells from women who initiated treatment within 2 days of HIV diagnosis to those that started treatment during the acute or chronic phase of infection. CD8+ T cells from individuals that started treatment immediately had preserved functionality, likely due to limited viremia. The antiviral capacity of these cells may be a useful goal for HIV vaccine design. Sustained viremia after acute HIV infection is associated with profound CD4+ T cell loss and exhaustion of HIV-specific CD8+ T cell responses. To determine the impact of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) on these processes, we examined the evolution of immune responses in acutely infected individuals initiating treatment before peak viremia. Immediate treatment of Fiebig stages I and II infection led to a rapid decline in viral load and diminished magnitude of HIV-specific (tetramer+) CD8+ T cell responses compared to untreated donors. There was a strong positive correlation between cumulative viral antigen exposure before full cART-induced suppression and immune responses measured by MHC class I tetramers, IFN-γ ELISPOT, and CD8+ T cell activation. HIV-specific CD8+ T responses of early treated individuals were characterized by increased CD127 and BCL-2 expression, greater in vitro IFN-γ secretion, and enhanced differentiation into effector memory (Tem) cells. Transcriptional analysis of tetramer+ CD8+ T cells from treated persons revealed reduced expression of genes associated with activation and apoptosis, with concurrent up-regulation of prosurvival genes including BCL-2, AXL, and SRC. Early treatment also resulted in robust HIV-specific CD4+ T cell responses compared to untreated HIV-infected individuals. Our data show that limiting acute viremia results in enhanced functionality of HIV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, preserving key antiviral properties of these cells.
“Doing CRISPR”

Abstract. Salmon farming is a key industry in Norway, with firsthand value of more than 60 billion Norwegian crowns in 2017. The salmon industry is a driving force for biotechnological applications in the marine sector. The recent release of the Atlantic salmon reference genome offers new opportunities to solve major aquaculture bottlenecks that currently limit expansion of the industry. One major bottleneck is the genetic impact of escaped farmed salmon on wild populations. To solve this problem, the industry can use sterile salmon in production. As shown byWargelius et al., sterile salmon can be made by preventing the formation of germ cells through genome editing using the CRISPR-Cas9 method. This approach solves problems of genetic introgression and precocious maturation. However, genome editing of animals, especially for human consumption, raises ethical as well as safety and legal questions. These social and ethical aspects can have tremendous impact in analyzing the final result of salmon farming (e.g., consumer acceptability of a fresh or frozen filet or similar salmon product) but also can be examined “upstream” by describing and assessing the research communities that promote and carry out the science that underpins the salmon industry. Who produces the scientific “facts” that govern the Norwegian aquaculture industry? How do these scientific communities work together? What are the societal impacts of this science? This article uses ethnographical observation and interviews to describe the state-of-the-art of CRISPR gene-editing procedures currently employed in the science and industry collaboration in Norway.
Successful Management of a Patient With Jacobsen Syndrome and Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

Jacobsen syndrome (JS) is a rare genetic condition characterized by intellectual disability, hematologic abnormalities, and congenital heart defects. A male infant presented at birth with phenotypic findings of JS and echocardiographic findings of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). Array comparative genomic hybridization was performed at age three days and revealed an 8.1 Mb terminal deletion on the long arm of chromosome 11, consistent with JS. At five days of age, a hybrid stage 1 procedure was performed. At age 46 days, he underwent a Norwood operation followed by bidirectional Glenn at age six months. He is presently 23 months old and doing well. With careful consideration of the individual patient and comorbidities associated with JS, we propose that at least a subset of patients with JS and HLHS can do well with staged surgical palliation.
Prepharmacy years in college and academic performance in a professional program.

OBJECTIVE This study investigated whether there was a significant difference in the cumulative grade point average (GPA) of individual students at the end of their first 3 professional years in the doctor of pharmacy curriculum as a function of previous years in college. METHODS The cumulative GPA for the first- through third-professional years was calculated for the 2004-2007 graduating classes. Previous college education was classified as 2 years, 3 or more years without a bachelor's degree, and bachelor's degree or higher. Students with 2 years of prepharmacy education were classified as early assurance (EA) versus non-early assurance. Specifically, non-early assurance students were those who transferred in after 2 years but did not participate in the early assurance program. Statistical differences in the cumulative GPA were calculated using MANOVA with repeated measures followed by a LSD Post-Hoc test. RESULTS Students with a bachelor's degree performed better academically, especially in the first professional year of the program compared to those with other levels of education including those who entered through our EA program. There was a consistent decrease in cumulative GPA during the second-professional year, but no additional change in the third-professional year. CONCLUSIONS Students who obtain a bachelor's degree perform better academically presumably because of previous college experiences.
A Review of Factors Influencing the Three Phases of Medication Adherence in People with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Objectives: Factors affecting adherence to medications in people with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are not well understood in the context of their influence on the different phases of adherence, that is, initiation, implementation, and discontinuation. This review aimed to identify the factors affecting the three phases of medication adherence in people with ADHD. Methods: Six electronic databases, including Medline, PubMed, IPA, CINAHL, Embase, and PsycINFO, were systematically searched from inception through October 2018 with the limitations of English language and human studies. The search strategy was based on three concepts (adherence, ADHD, and factors) and their relevant terminologies. Results: Considerable variability was observed with regards to the criteria used to define adherence in identified studies (n = 48). Most studies focused on the implementation phase of adherence (n = 27), while only a handful focused on the initiation (n = 6) and discontinuation (n = 5) phase of adherence. The remaining studies (n = 10) examined multiple phases of adherence. Conflicting information received about medication, medication frequency, and fears of medication's effect on growth were the unique factors impacting initiation, implementation, and discontinuation, respectively. Moreover, factors within each phase of adherence also differed with different populations such as parents, children, adolescents, and adults. Fear of addiction, medication effectiveness, psychiatric comorbidity, and medication side effects were the most common factors identified in all three phases of adherence. Conclusions: This review found some unique factors in each phase of adherence while some overlap was also noted. Future interventions to improve adherence should be phase- and group specific rather than consider adherence as a single variable.
Effect of estrogens on the myeloperoxidase-mediated antimicrobial system

Estradiol 17 beta prevented the fall in the microbicidal activity of the myeloperoxidase-H2O2-halide system induced by high H2O2 concentrations. In contrast, when the H2O2 (and halide) concentrations were low the myeloperoxidase-H2O2-halide antimicrobial system was inhibited by estradiol. These properties of estradiol 17 beta were shared by estradiol 17 alpha, estrone, estriol, ethinyl estradiol, and phenol, but not by estradiol-3-benzoate, testosterone, progesterone, hydroxyprogesterone, cortisone, hydrocortisone, or deoxycorticosterone.