Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Schwann Cells Sense and Control Acetylcholine Spillover at the Neuromuscular Junction by α7 Nicotinic Receptors and Butyrylcholinesterase

Terminal Schwann cells (TSCs) are key components of the mammalian neuromuscular junction (NMJ). How the TSCs sense the synaptic activity in physiological conditions remains unclear. We have taken advantage of the distinct localization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) at the NMJ to bring out the function of different ACh receptors (AChRs). AChE is clustered by the collagen Q in the synaptic cleft and prevents the repetitive activation of muscle nicotinic AChRs. We found that BChE is anchored at the TSC by a proline-rich membrane anchor, the small transmembrane protein anchor of brain AChE. When BChE was specifically inhibited, ACh release was significant depressed through the activation of α7 nAChRs localized on the TSC and activated by the spillover of ACh. When both AChE and BChE were inhibited, the spillover increased and induced a dramatic reduction of ACh release that compromised the muscle twitch triggered by the nerve stimulation. α7 nAChRs at the TSC may act as a sensor for spillover of ACh adjusted by BChE and may represent an extrasynaptic sensor for homeostasis at the NMJ. In myasthenic rats, selective inhibition of AChE is more effective in rescuing muscle function than the simultaneous inhibition of AChE and BChE because the concomitant inhibition of BChE counteracts the positive action of AChE inhibition. These results show that inhibition of BChE should be avoided during the treatment of myasthenia and the pharmacological reversal of residual curarization after anesthesia.
CANCER IN INFANTS: A Review of 82 Cases

Cancer occurring in infants often has clinical and biological properties that are different from those of the same histologic type of cancer occurring in older children. The histologic distribution of cancers in infants and that in older children are also different. The aim of this study was to find these differences between infants and older children, and to compare the percent distribution of infant cancer subtypes with that reported by other countries. The authors collected infant cases diagnosed as having cancer from the database of the Cancer Registry in our Medical Center between 1995 and 2001. Subjects were selected subjects from inpatient logs, and their medical records were reviewed. Eighty-two infants (40 males and 42 females), including 12 neonates, were diagnosed with cancer over this 7-year period. Acute leukemia was diagnosed in 21 infants (25.6%; acute myeloid leukemia in 12, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 9), retinoblastoma in 14 (17.1%), neuroblastoma in 12 (14.6%), brain tumor in 9 (11.0%), germ cell tumor in 8 (9.8%), renal cancer in 8 (Wilms tumor 3, mesoblastic nephroma 1, renal sarcoma 1, rhabdoid tumor 3), hepatoblastoma in 5 (6.1%), and soft tissue sarcoma in 5 (rhabdomyosarcoma 1, fibrosarcoma 3, other sarcoma 1). The overall disease-free survival rate was 61.0% (50/82) with a median follow-up duration of 6.8 years for the survivors. The 4 most common types of cancer occurring in infants are the same in the present series and in most larger childhood cancer series reported by other countries; but rank differently. In this study there were more infants with acute leukemia and retinoblastoma, and less with neuroblastoma. The prognosis is poor for infant leukemia and rhabdoid tumor, while it is good for embryonal tumors and germ cell tumors occurring in infancy.
Theoretical Analysis of Socio-emotional Signaling in Work Excitation Mechanism

Reciprocity in the workplace makes it possible for employers to motivate their workers to put forward more effort than the minimum requirement. Unfortunately, nor can employers feasibly motivate worker effort in the long term by means of paying more than the market-clearing wage due to the “evaporating” nature of workers’ gratitude from a pay rise. The mathematical model in this paper further proves that sufficiently strong and frequent socio-emotional signals would motivate both observable and unobservable worker effort.
Characterization of the onset and consequences of pneumonia due to fluoroquinolone-susceptible or -resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

OBJECTIVES This study was conducted to identify and compare the microbiological and clinical outcomes among hospitalized adults with pneumonia caused by fluoroquinolone-susceptible or -resistant strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antibiotic regimens used prior to, as well as those used to treat, the infections were characterized. PATIENTS AND METHODS This non-randomized multicentre study included 100 consecutively identified patients with pneumonia caused by fluoroquinolone-susceptible (n = 50) or fluoroquinolone-resistant (n = 50) strains of P. aeruginosa. Medical records were examined for demographic, clinical and treatment variables including antibiotics received in the 30 days before the index respiratory or blood culture; AUICs were calculated for each patient using reported or derived MICs. Multivariate logistic and linear regressions were used to identify factors associated with successful clinical and microbiological outcomes. RESULTS The study population was primarily elderly, frequently in a critical care unit, with low serum albumin and with a high probability of failure and mortality. Patients with pneumonia caused by fluoroquinolone-resistant P. aeruginosa were more likely to have received antibiotics within 7 days before the infection (P = 0.027); the antibiotic regimen was more likely to be of a weak potency (mean AUIC of 58 versus 169, P = 0.001) and to include levofloxacin (P < 0.0001) than what was administered to patients who became infected with a fluoroquinolone-susceptible strain. Regardless of susceptibility, a mean of between 2 and 3 weeks of directed antibiotic therapy was administered to each patient. CONCLUSIONS Pneumonia caused by fluoroquinolone-resistant P. aeruginosa is frequently associated with prior exposure to levofloxacin. Treatment of P. aeruginosa pneumonia is difficult and usually consists of combination regimens with multiple modifications.
Laparoscopic colorectal surgery: a better look into the latest trends.

BACKGROUND The latest trends of laparoscopic colorectal surgery (LCRS) after the introduction of International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision laparoscopic procedure codes in 2008 remains unknown. This study evaluates LCRS trends before and after the application of specific codes for LCRS. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of elective surgery for colon cancer, rectal cancer, and diverticulitis using Nationwide Inpatient Sample data from 2007 and 2009. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Primary outcome measures included in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and total charge. RESULTS A total of 126 921 patients in 2007 and 117 177 patients in 2009 underwent colorectal surgery. Laparoscopic colorectal surgery increased dramatically from 13.8% in 2007 to 42.6% in 2009 (P.01). This trendwas disease and procedure specific. When compared with 2007, patients who underwent LCRS in 2009 had lower conversion rates (14.8% vs 32.1%, P.001). In 2009, LCRS had lower in-hospital mortality (0.5% vs 1.1%, P.001) and a shorter length of hospital stay (5 vs 6 days, P.001) compared with open surgery. In 2009, when compared with successful LCRS, conversion to open surgery was associated with a longer length of hospital stay (6 vs 5 days, P.01), increased hospital charges, and increased mortality (0.7% vs 0.5%, P.01). CONCLUSION The marked increase in LCRS when comparing these 2 years is unlikely only due to the changing practice of colorectal surgery but brings into question the accuracy of data prior to 2009. Our report of Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2009 data represents the most accurate reflection of the use of LCRS in the United States. These data can serve as a benchmark for future comparative studies.
An Ontology-Based Profiling and Recommending System for Mobile TV

We present here a recommending system that has been developed for filtering TV content provided to mobile devices users. This recommender is fully based on ontologies, which are used to formalize both the user and her/his interests, and the audiovisual content. The developed ontologies allow matchmaking between user and content at different levels, based on three means to define user interests: according to categories, content description, or any combination of concepts defined in an ontology. The computation of user profiles relies on both explicit and implicit profiling, based on incremental learning of interest degrees from content usage.
Intestinal phosphate absorption and the effect of vitamin D: a comparison of rats with mice

Previously, it was thought that intestinal phosphate transport occurred exclusively in the proximal small intestine of rodents and humans. However, a recent study has demonstrated that the ileum of mice contributes significantly to the absorption of dietary phosphate, but it is not known whether this region is also an important site of phosphate absorption in the rat. In the present study, we have investigated the mRNA and protein levels of the sodium–phosphate cotransporter, NaPi‐IIb, in three regions of rat and mouse small intestine, and related its expression levels to the rate of net phosphate absorption, as measured using the in situ intestinal loop technique. 1,25‐Dihydroxyvitamin D3 is an important physiological regulator of intestinal phosphate absorption that increases phosphate transport in both the duodenum and jejunum of the rat. Based on the recently proposed regional profile of phosphate absorption along the mouse small intestine, we have re‐evaluated the effects of 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3 using three distinct regions of the mouse and rat small intestine. Our studies have revealed important differences in the intestinal handling of phosphate between mice and rats. In mice, maximal phosphate absorption occurs in the ileum, which is paralleled by the highest expression levels of NaPi‐IIb mRNA and protein. In contrast, in rats maximal absorption occurs in the duodenum with very little absorption occurring in the ileum, which is similar to the pattern reported in humans. However, in both rodent species only the jejunum shows an increase in phosphate absorption in response to treatment with 1,25‐dihydroxyvitamin D3.
Odorant and Gustatory Receptors in the Tsetse Fly Glossina morsitans morsitans

Tsetse flies use olfactory and gustatory responses, through odorant and gustatory receptors (ORs and GRs), to interact with their environment. Glossina morsitans morsitans genome ORs and GRs were annotated using homologs of these genes in Drosophila melanogaster and an ab initio approach based on OR and GR specific motifs in G. m. morsitans gene models coupled to gene ontology (GO). Phylogenetic relationships among the ORs or GRs and the homologs were determined using Maximum Likelihood estimates. Relative expression levels among the G. m. morsitans ORs or GRs were established using RNA-seq data derived from adult female fly. Overall, 46 and 14 putative G. m. morsitans ORs and GRs respectively were recovered. These were reduced by 12 and 59 ORs and GRs respectively compared to D. melanogaster. Six of the ORs were homologous to a single D. melanogaster OR (DmOr67d) associated with mating deterrence in females. Sweet taste GRs, present in all the other Diptera, were not recovered in G. m. morsitans. The GRs associated with detection of CO2 were conserved in G. m. morsitans relative to D. melanogaster. RNA-sequence data analysis revealed expression of GmmOR15 locus represented over 90% of expression profiles for the ORs. The G. m. morsitans ORs or GRs were phylogenetically closer to those in D. melanogaster than to other insects assessed. We found the chemoreceptor repertoire in G. m. morsitans smaller than other Diptera, and we postulate that this may be related to the restricted diet of blood-meal for both sexes of tsetse flies. However, the clade of some specific receptors has been expanded, indicative of their potential importance in chemoreception in the tsetse.
Telemedicine for diabetes support in family doctors’ practices: A pilot project

A telemedicine support system for diabetes management was compared with standard monitoring of patients with diabetes. The telemedicine system was composed of two modules: a Patient Unit and a Medical Unit connected by the telecommunication network. The study involved 60 patients of family doctors’ practices in the Lower Silesia Region who were diagnosed with diabetes. There was no significant difference in haemoglobin A1c between telemonitoring and the traditional group of diabetic patients during the survey. The patients’ quality of life slightly improved in the telemonitoring (mean score 3.4) and the traditionally monitored group (mean score 3.2), but there was no significant difference between them. Most of the telemonitoring patients (75%) expressed the desire to continue with telemedicine support and nearly 60% of patients monitored with traditional methods wanted to be included in the telemedicine group. The system seems to be reliable, simple to use and friendly for the patients.
Distribution of Viruses and Dissolved DNA along a Coastal Trophic Gradient in the Northern Adriatic Sea

The distribution of viral and other microbial abundances as well as the concentrations of dissolved DNA (D-DNA) along a trophic gradient in the northern Adriatic Sea were determined. Virus abundances, covering a range of 1.2 × 109 to 8.7 × 1010 liter-1 were on average 2.5-fold higher in eutrophic than in mesotrophic stations. A 2.5-fold enrichment was also measured for chlorophyll a concentrations, whereas the densities of bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellates were only approximately 1.5-fold higher. The frequency of bacteria containing mature phage increased linearly with bacterial abundance. Assuming that mature phage is only visible during the last 14 to 27% of the latent period (L. M. Proctor, A. Okubo, and J. A. Fuhrman, Microb. Ecol. 25:161-182, 1993), we estimated that between 3.5 and 7.3% of the bacterial population was infected at mesotrophic stations versus between 7.0 and 19.5% at eutrophic stations, indicating that the bacterial mortality due to viral lysis might increase with the degree of eutrophication. The frequency of bacteria with mature phage and the burst size varied significantly with the bacterial morphotype; rod-shape cells, the most abundant morphotype, showed low infection rates but a high burst size. Concentrations of D-DNA varied significantly with season but not with trophic conditions. The estimated percentage of viral DNA on total D-DNA concentrations averaged 17.1% (range, 0.7 to 88.3%). Some kind of interaction between heterotrophic nanoflagellates and viruses is proposed. We conclude (i) that the significance of viruses varies with changing trophic conditions and (ii) that viral activity may play a significant role in food web structure under changing trophic conditions.
What's new in spine surgery.

目前，在美国获批的人工颈椎间盘置换器械主要有三种。 这些人工椎间盘的运动学设计各不相同（球窝式、球槽式、可活动旋转轴心型），接触面也不同（不锈钢金属对金属，钴铬合金对聚乙烯，钛合金对聚碳酸酯一聚氨酯）。 一些规模较大的临床试验正在研究钴铬合金的金属对金属接触面假体。
Zinc Oxide Nanostructure-Based Langasite Crystal Microbalance Ultraviolet Sensor

An ultraviolet (UV) sensor consisting of a langasite (La3Ga5SiO14) thickness shear mode resonator and ZnO nanostructure sensing medium was fabricated. For the first time, ZnO nanostructures, including nanorods, polycrystalline film, and well-aligned nanowires, were grown directly on the active area of langasite crystal microbalance (LCM) by the thermal evaporation method without the aid of any transfer technique. As a key part of the growth process, zinc vapor trapping and two-stage temperature ramping were employed to achieve catalyst-free, self-seeding growth of ZnO nanowires at growth temperatures below 600°C. Under illumination of 365-nm UV light, a downshift in resonant frequency was observed for the LCMs due to acousto-electric interaction between photoinduced carriers and the shear waves. ZnO nanowires showed enhanced UV photosensitivity compared with that of nanorods or polycrystalline film. LCM with nanowires exhibited maximum shift of 157.5 Hz for several ON-OFF UV cycles and generated photocurrent of 235 μA for 5 V bias. Nanowire-based sensor also demonstrated excellent response and recovery times of 11 and 43 s, respectively. All the ZnO nanostructure-coated LCMs showed good stability and repeatability in UV sensing.
A Single Amino Acid Substitution in the Pleckstrin Homology Domain of Phospholipase C δ1 Enhances the Rate of Substrate Hydrolysis*

The pleckstrin homology (PH) domain has been postulated to serve as an anchor for enzymes that operate at a lipid/water interface. To understand further the relationship between the PH domain and enzyme activity, a phospholipase C (PLC) δ1/PH domain enhancement-of-activity mutant was generated. A lysine residue was substituted for glutamic acid in the PH domain of PLC δ1 at position 54 (E54K). Purified native and mutant enzymes were characterized using a phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PI(4,5)P2)/dodecyl maltoside mixed micelle assay and kinetics measured according to the dual phospholipid model of Dennis and co-workers (Hendrickson, H. S., and Dennis, E. A. (1984) J. Biol. Chem. 259, 5734–5739; Carmen, G. M. , Deems, R. A. , and Dennis, E. A. (1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 18711–18714). Our results show that both PLC δ1 and E54K bind phosphatidylinositol bisphosphate cooperatively (Hill coefficients,n = 2.2 ± 0.2 and 2.0 ± 0.1, respectively). However, E54K shows a dramatically increased rate of (PI(4,5)P2)-stimulated PI(4,5)P2 hydrolysis (interfacial V max for PLC δ1 = 4.9 ± 0.3 μmol/min/mg and for E54K = 31 ± 3 μmol/min/mg) as well as PI hydrolysis (V max for PLC δ1 = 27 ± 3.4 nmol/min/mg and for E54K = 95 ± 12 nmol/min/mg). In the absence of PI(4,5)P2 both native and mutant enzyme hydrolyze PI at similar rates. E54K also has a higher affinity for micellar substrate (equilibrium dissociation constant,K s = 85 ± 36 μm for E54K and 210 ± 48 μm for PLC δ1). Centrifugation binding assays using large unilamelar phospholipid vesicles confirm that E54K binds PI(4,5)P2 with higher affinity than native enzyme. E54K is more active even though the interfacial Michaelis constant (K m ) for E54K (0.034 ± 0.01 mol fraction PI(4,5)P2) is higher than the K m for native enzyme (0.012 ± 0.002 mol fraction PI(4,5)P2). d-Inositol trisphosphate is less potent at inhibiting E54K PI(4,5)P2 hydrolysis compared with native enzyme. These results demonstrate that a single amino acid substitution in the PH domain of PLC δ1 can dramatically enhance enzyme activity. Additionally, the marked increase in V max for E54K argues for a direct role of PH domains in regulating catalysis by allosteric modulation of enzyme structure.
Emerging drug therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus

Despite the tremendous improvement in survival of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the past few decades, manifestations of the disease that are refractory to conventional therapies and treatment-related complications are still major causes of mortality and morbidity. In recent years, we have seen an explosive development of newer therapeutic modalities for various rheumatic diseases including SLE. Novel therapies for SLE should aim at targeting more specifically the immunopathogenetic pathways to achieve higher efficacy and reduce therapy related toxicities. This article reviews the emerging therapeutic modalities that have been used or are being tried in patients with SLE.
Is Speed of Processing or Working Memory the Primary Information Processing Deficit in Multiple Sclerosis?

Objective: To examine whether processing speed or working memory is the primary information processing deficit in persons with MS. Design: Case-control study. Setting: Hospital-based specialty clinic. Participants: 215 adults with clinically definite MS. Main Outcome Measure: Mean demographically corrected T-scores, prevalence rates of impairment and relative risk of impaired Processing Speed and Working Memory Index Scores from the WAIS–WMS III. Results: Deficits in Processing Speed were much more common than Working Memory in all comparisons. This was observed for both relapsing remitting (RRMS) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS) subjects, but accentuated in the latter group. Conclusions: Results strongly suggest that the primary information processing deficit in persons with MS is in speed of processing.
Candida albicans resistance to 5-fluorocytosine: frequency of partially resistant strains among clinical isolates

Resistance to 5-fluorocytosine was studied in 137 independent Candida albicans clinical isolates. Seventy-eight isolates (57%) were susceptible; 51 isolates (37%) were partially resistant; 8 isolates (6%) were highly resistant. All partially resistant isolates gave rise to variants which were highly resistant. Some susceptible isolates gave rise to variants which were highly resistant; two such isolates were shown to be heterozygous for resistance, and these isolates define a new type of heterozygote. A partially resistant isolate gave rise to resistant variants which were auxotrophic for lysine; this result was interpreted as preliminary evidence that the allele which determined resistance was linked to an allele which determined auxotrophy for lysine. It is suggested that heterozygotes constitute a source of preexisting mutant alleles which determine resistance, and that 5-fluorocytosine treatment of infections due to heterozygotes may result in significant selection for resistant variants. A simple screening procedure is described by which partially resistant strains may be recognized.
Acute accidental inhalation of U: a 38-year follow-up.

The intake and deposition of U in three men accidentally exposed to soluble natural U compounds in an explosion in 1944 were reevaluated 38 y later by the U.S. Uranium Registry. The initial lung depositions were estimated to be about 40-50 mg of U based on the fragmentary urinary excretion data obtained shortly after the accident. The initial long-term bone deposition was estimated from individual excretion curves and was 410 micrograms (5.2 Bq) in the highest exposed individual, which resulted in an integrated 40-y dose equivalent to the bone surfaces approximately 2 mSv (200 mrem). Medical and health physics examinations of two of the men 38 y after the accident revealed no detectable deposition of U nor any physical findings attributable to U exposure. One of the exposed individuals showed an altered clearance pattern for U shortly after the accident, possibly from pulmonary edema associated with concomitant exposure to acid fumes.