Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Major difference between rat and guinea‐pig ureter in the ability of agonists and caffeine to release Ca2+ and influence force.

1. We have investigated the internal Ca2+ store and its ability to affect contraction by simultaneously measuring force and Ca2+ in the ureter from guinea‐pig and rat. Both species responded in a similar manner to electrical stimulation and depolarization with high‐K+, generating plateau‐type action potentials and increasing intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) and force. 2. In the guinea‐pig, carbachol had no effect on [Ca2+]i and force in the resting ureter. In contrast, resting rat ureter always responded with a large [Ca2+]i rise and maintained force to carbachol in Ca(2+)‐containing solution, and in Ca(2+)‐free solution it showed a transient increase in [Ca2+]i and force. This Ca2+ release and force development was also present in both polarized and high‐K(+)‐depolarized preparations and was insensitive to nifedipine, suggesting the presence of a receptor‐coupled pathway of Ca2+ release in rat ureter. 3. Caffeine was able to produce a release of Ca2+ from the internal store of guinea‐pig ureter and elicit contraction. However, rat ureter failed to respond to caffeine. In the presence of La3+, the caffeine response in the guinea‐pig ureter and carbachol response in the rat ureter, elicited in Ca(2+)‐free solutions, were always increased and prolonged and could be repeatedly evoked, suggesting similarity in Ca2+ uptake behaviour of the store in both species. 4. Ryanodine blocked the caffeine responses of the guinea‐pig ureter elicited both in Ca(2+)‐containing and Ca(2+)‐free solutions, both in the absence and presence of La3+. However, ryanodine failed to prevent the rat ureter responding to carbachol, suggesting that carbachol was releasing Ca2+ from a ryanodine‐insensitive channel in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). 5. Cyclopiazonic acid, which inhibits the SR Ca(2+)‐ATPase, abolished the effects of both caffeine and carbachol in Ca(2+)‐free solutions in guinea‐pig and rat, respectively. 6. We conclude that there is a major difference in the mechanisms of Ca2+ release in the internal Ca2+ store of smooth muscle from guinea‐pig and rat ureter. The data suggest that the guinea‐pig store is purely a calcium‐induced calcium release (CICR)‐type store and that the rat store is a pure receptor‐operated Ca2+ store.
Improved Culturability of Soil Bacteria and Isolation in Pure Culture of Novel Members of the Divisions Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia

ABSTRACT The culturability of bacteria in the bulk soil of an Australian pasture was investigated by using nutrient broth at 1/100 of its normal concentration (dilute nutrient broth [DNB]) as the growth medium. Three-tube most-probable-number serial dilution culture resulted in a mean viable count that was only 1.4% of the mean microscopically determined total cell count. Plate counts with DNB solidified with agar and with gellan gum resulted in viable counts that were 5.2 and 7.5% of the mean microscopically determined total cell count, respectively. Prior homogenization of the soil sample with an ultrasonic probe increased the viable count obtained by using DNB solidified with gellan gum to 14.1% of the mean microscopically determined cell count. A microscopic examination of the cell aggregates that remained after sonication revealed that the potential CFU count was only 70.4% of the total cell count, due to cells occurring as pairs or in clumps of three or more cells. Staining with SYTO 9 plus propidium iodide indicated that 91.3% of the cells in sonicated soil samples were potentially viable. Together, these findings suggest that the maximum achievable CFU count may be as low as 64.3% of the total cell count. Thirty isolates obtained from plate counting experiments performed with DNB as the growth medium were identified by comparative analysis of partial 16S rRNA gene sequences. A large proportion of these isolates represent the first known isolates of globally distributed groups of soil bacteria belonging to novel lineages within the divisions Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia.
Incidence of multidrug resistant pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from burn patients and environment of teaching institution.

CONTEXT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important pathogen which causes nosocomial infections in immunocompromised patients, especially in hospitalized burn patients. In recent times, it has emerged as a widespread Multi Drug Resistant (MDR) pathogen which requires antibiotic susceptibility testing on a regular as well as a periodic basis. AIM OF THE STUDY The present study was undertaken to determine the antibiogram of P. aeruginosa which was isolated from inpatients and environmental sources, and to type the strains, based on their antibiogram patterns. SETTINGS AND DESIGN A prospective study was undertaken with 525 samples (blood and wound swabs) which were taken from 60 patients who were admitted to Vardhman Mahavir Medical College and Safdarjang hospital with burn injuries and with 101 samples which were obtained from environmental sources viz. surgical instruments, dressings, suction devices, sinks, antiseptic solutions, etc. MATERIALS AND METHODS The strains were cultured and identified by standard microbiological techniques and Kirby- Bauer disc diffusion antibiotic susceptibility testing was done for each. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Chi -squire tests were done and p- values of less than 0.05 were considered to be significant. RESULTS Fifty six strains and two strains, respectively, of P. aeruginosa were isolated from inpatients and environmental samples (one strain from sink and one strain from door wall, among the two) respectively. In total, 58 (81%) P. aeruginosa strains were found to be resistant to aminoglycosides, 41-70% were resistant to beta-lactams - piperacillin, ceftazidime, and aztreonam, 34.5% were resistant to piperacillin-tazobactam, 12.06% were resistant to ciprofloxacin and 13-19% were resistant to carbapenems. All strains were sensitive to colistin. P. aeruginosa was resistant to three of the four 'in-use' drugs i.e. piperacillin+tazobactam, imipenem, ceftazidime, and gentamicin, which was taken as MDR, which depicted MDR percentage as 36.2 (21/58). CONCLUSION Strategies of optimal prescribing, including control of antibiotic usage, coupled with periodic studies on MDR P. aeruginosa infections in burn patients, appear to be leading priorities which help in improving therapeutic gains in such patients.
Growth of human cytomegalovirus in primary macrophages.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a major human pathogen that causes considerable disease among immunocompromised individuals. A primary infection results in life-long persistence of the virus in a latent form. HCMV is known to be transferred by blood products, bone marrow, and solid organs, but the cell type that carries the latent infection has been difficult to identify. We have recently demonstrated reactivation of latent HCMV in allogeneically stimulated monocyte-derived macrophages (Allo-MDM). Reactivation occurred only in macrophages produced by allogeneic but not mitogenic stimulation. The presence of dendritic cell markers on some Allo-MDM cells suggested that these macrophages were related to dendritic cells. However, dendritic cells obtained by stimulation of monocytes with interleukin-4 (IL-4) and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were not permissive for HCMV infection. The cellular and cytokine components which are essential for HCMV replication and reactivation of virus were also examined in Allo-MDM. The importance of both CD4- or CD8-positive T cells in the generation of HCMV permissive Allo-MDM was demonstrated by negative selection or blocking experiments using antibodies directed against both HLA class I and HLA class II molecules. Examination of the cytokines essential for the generation of HCMV permissive Allo-MDM identified gamma-interferon (IFN-gamma, but not IL-1, IL-2, tumor necrosis factor alpha, or GM-CSF as critical components in the generation of these macrophages. However, addition of IFN-gamma to unstimulated macrophage cultures was insufficient to reactivate virus. These results indicate the importance of a specific moncyte stimulus in the generation of a unique HCMV permissive macrophage phenotype as well as why virus is commonly reactivated in transplant patients.
Challenging the dogma of the ‘Island Syndrome’: a study of helminth parasites of feral cats and black rats on Christmas Island

ABSTRACT Many island ecosystems are exposed to ecological threats through invasive species and the parasites they harbour. Parasites can impact endemic island populations whether they are stable populations or ones already in decline. The ‘Island Syndrome’ hypothesis proposes that richness and diversity of introduced parasites differ from mainland populations with lower parasite species diversity on islands due to the founder effect. To examine the role of ‘Island Syndrome’ and impacts for faunal and human communities on a tropical island, helminth parasites were identified from feral cats (Felis catus) (n = 66) and black rats (Rattus rattus) (n = 101) on Christmas Island. Sixty-one (92 per cent) of cats and 85 (84 per cent) of rats harboured one or more helminth species with total infra-community richness (TICR) ranging over zero to six species in cats and zero to seven species in rats, including species of zoonotic significance (Angiostrongylus cantonensis, Toxocara cati, Ancylostoma braziliense, Taenia taeniaeformis, Moniliformis moniliformis and Hymenolepis nana). High parasite prevalence and TICR were expected in island populations; however, high parasite richness in cats and rats on Christmas Island was counter to the ‘Island Syndrome’. These results suggest that introduced cats and rats may be responsible for maintaining an increased parasitological threat to fauna and human communities in certain ecosystems.
Management of Maternal Cor Triatriatum During Pregnancy

BACKGROUND: Cor triatriatum is a rare congenital cardiac abnormality, usually diagnosed in childhood. We describe the first case of atrial fibrillation secondary to maternal cor triatriatum diagnosed during the first trimester of pregnancy and its successful management until postpartum (MEDLINE [1966 to 2003] and Embase [1988 to 2003], using MeSH terms for “cor triatriatum” and “pregnancy”). CASE: A 31-year-old gravida 1 complained of progressive dyspnea on exertion and palpitations, which occurred at the end of the first trimester of the pregnancy. Atrial fibrillation was observed on electrocardiogram. A transesophageal echocardiography examination revealed a cor triatriatum that was responsible for the arrhythmia. β-adrenergic blocking agents and digitalis glycosides were used to control supraventricular arrhythmia, while low-molecular-weight heparin was administered to prevent thromboembolic events. Low-molecular-weight heparin was discontinued at 37 weeks of gestation, and subcutaneous unfractionated heparin was administered instead. Pregnancy continued a normal course until full-term vaginal delivery with epidural anesthesia and close hemodynamic monitoring. CONCLUSION: A standard treatment for atrial fibrillation could be effective in preventing maternal hemodynamic complications secondary to cor triatriatum during pregnancy. Moreover, this case illustrates the American consensus in neuraxial anesthesia and anticoagulation, which supports the opinion that there is a limited risk associated with the use of epidural and spinal anesthesia in the presence of subcutaneous heparin treatment.
Insights from ambulatory blood pressure monitoring: diagnosis of hypertension and diurnal blood pressure in renal transplant recipients

Background. Accurate diagnosis of hypertension is essential in chronic kidney disease patients, as it is linked to increased left ventricular mass, stroke, cardiovascular mortality and morbidity, and progression to end-stage renal disease. Elevated blood pressure (BP) detected by ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) has been shown to be predictive of worse outcome in chronic kidney disease patients. Another predictor of worse outcome is diurnal BP variation, measured also by ABPM. In this study, the authors examined the relationship (concordance or discordance) between blood pressure measured by ABPM compared with daytime office BP, and also explored the predictors of diurnal variation in renal transplant recipients. Methods. All the patients who underwent renal transplantation and follow-up at the authors’ institution from January 1998 to January 2003 were involved in this study (n=177) in addition to another randomly selected 64 patients that underwent transplantation before 1998. All patients had their ABPM performed according to previously described protocols at least 2 weeks after discharge from the hospital, dialysis-independent and with a functioning renal allograft. Results. The authors found a positive correlation between systolic BP (SBP) diurnal variation and age (r =0.263, P <0.0001), glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (r =−0.229, P <0.0001), cyclosporine trough (r =0.171, P =0.047), and ABPM-to-transplant interval (r =−0.133, P =0.039). After fitting a regression model, the authors found that only GFR (P <0.0001) and age (P =0.001) were independent predictors of SBP diurnal variation (r =0.357). Concordance rate between casual BP and ABPM was 80%, and by using casual BP, only 15% of hypertensive renal transplant patients would be erroneously diagnosed as normotensive. Conclusions. The authors found that SBP diurnal variation is predicted independently by age and GFR, although it does correlate with cyclosporine trough and ABPM-to-transplant interval. In addition, the authors showed that ABPM is a more sensitive method for diagnosing hypertension than is sole reliance on office BP in renal transplant recipients.
Diagnostic accuracy of risk of malignancy index in predicting complete tumor removal at primary debulking surgery for ovarian cancer patients

Ovarian cancer patients in whom complete tumor removal is impossible with primary debulking surgery (PDS) may benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy and interval debulking surgery. However, the task of performing a pre‐operative evaluation of the feasibility of PDS is difficult. We aimed to investigate whether the risk of malignancy index (RMI) was a useful marker for this evaluation. RMI and surgical outcome were investigated in 164 patients, 49 of whom had no residual tumor after PDS. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed an area under the curve of 0.72 (confidence interval: 0.64–0.80). The possibility of complete tumor removal decreased with increasing RMI and there was a tendency towards higher RMI in patients with residual tumor after PDS, but no single cut‐off value of RMI produced useful clinical predictive values. In conclusion, RMI alone is not an optimal method to determine whether complete tumor removal is possible with PDS.
Autocrine regulation of T‐cell activation by ATP release and P2X7 receptors

T‐cell activation requires the influx of extracellular calcium, although mechanistic details regarding such activation are not fully defined. Here, we show that P2X7 receptors play a key role in calcium influx and downstream signaling events associated with the activation of T cells. By real‐time PCR and immu‐nohistochemistry, we find that Jurkat T cells and human CD4+ T cells express abundant P2X7 receptors. We show, using a novel fluorescent microscopy technique, that T‐cell receptor (TCR) stimulation triggers the rapid release of ATP (<100 μM). This release of ATP is required for TCR‐mediated calcium influx, NFAT activation, and interleukin‐2 (IL‐2) production. TCR activation up‐regulates P2X7 receptor gene expression. Removal of extracellular ATP by apyrase or alkaline phosphatase treatment, inhibition of ATP release with the maxi‐anion channel blocker gadolinium chloride, or siRNA silencing of P2X7 receptors blocks calcium entry and inhibits T‐cell activation. Moreover, lymphocyte activation is impaired in C57BL/6 mice that express poorly functional P2X7 receptors, compared to control BALB/c mice, which express fully functional P2X7receptors. We conclude that ATP release and autocrine, positive feedback through P2X7 receptors is required for the effective activation of T cells. —Yip, L. , Woe–hrle, T. ,Corriden, R. , Hirsh, M. , Chen, Y. , Inoue, Y. , Ferrari, V. , Insel, P.A. , Junger, W.G. Autocrine regulation of T‐cell activation by ATP release and P2X7 receptors. FASEBJ. 23, 1685–1693 (2009)
Bio-Inspired Load-Balancing Framework for Loosely Coupled Heterogeneous Server Systems

Balancing load among servers is an important research challenge for a large-scale loosely coupled heterogeneous server system (LCHSS), to improve both the total throughput of the system and the quality of service experienced by clients. In practical terms, a load-balancing method for an LCHSS have to drive servers to underloaded states without unnecessary load migrations among servers. To tackle this problem, we propose a load-balancing framework inspired by biological systems that have developed adaptive, robust, and flexible behaviors through the local interactions of individual nodes with limited information. In our framework, we integrate two different biological models systematically and develop new mathematical formulas. With the developed formulas, we introduce two key rules to balance the load levels among servers in a fully distributed manner through the employment of the inter-cell signaling model and the Kuramoto synchronization model. Using a mathematical stability analysis, we provide a guide for the configuration of model parameters and prove that a system stabilizes at a steady state. Using task event logs measured at a Google cluster, we conducted a variety of case studies for the evaluation of the framework. The evaluation results verify that our framework balances the load levels among servers in spite of the variability in a system.
SocialButton - Mobile Technology Enhancing Social Interaction

We are exploring the use of small displays as an instrument to enhance social communication. Our focus is on encouraging communication between strangers by revealing the existence of common friends. In the following we present the concept of the SocialButton, a wearable mobile device which displays aspects of friend-of-a-friend networks. A group study has provided us with an initial understanding regarding the potential of the SocialButton to influence our social environment.
Endocannabinoids in cognition and dependence.

Cannabis use is associated with a wide range of pharmacological effects, some of which have potential therapeutic benefit while others result in negative outcomes. Acute cannabinoid intoxication has been well documented to produce deficits in cognitive functioning with concomitant changes in glutamatergic, GABAergic, and cholinergic neurochemical systems in the hippocampus, each of which has been implicated in memory. Additionally, cannabis-dependent individuals abstaining from this drug can undergo a constellation of mild withdrawal effects. The use of the CB(1) cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR141716A and transgenic mice lacking the CB(1) receptor are critical tools for investigating the role of the endocannabinoid system in cognition, drug dependence, and other physiological processes. Converging evidence in which performance in a variety of memory tasks is enhanced following either SR141716A treatment or in CB(1) receptor knockout mice indicates that this system may play an important role in modulating cognition. There are also indications that this system may function to modulate opioid dependence. The purpose of this review is to describe recent advances that have furthered our understanding of the roles that the endocannabinoid system play on both cognition and drug dependence.
Influence of folic acid-fortified foods on folate status in a folate depletion–repletion rat model

An increasing number of foods fortified with varying levels of folic acid are appearing in the market place, targeted either at the general population or at specific consumer groups. Although it is assumed that the folate in these products should be highly bioavailable, there is a need to carry out studies to ascertain that this is, in fact, the case. The present study investigated the ability of selected folic acid-fortified foods (targeted at different types of consumer) to increase the folate status of folate-deficient rats. Forty-two weanling male rats (Wistar strain) were fed a folate-deficient diet containing 1 % succinyl sulfathiazole (w/w) for 28 d. Following depletion, seven rats were randomly assigned to each of five repletion diets containing folic acid, Complan®, Slim Fast®, Opti-Fuel2® or Cola Coa® calculated to provide 200 μg folate/kg of each diet. Calculations were based on folate information from the product labels. After a further 28 d, plasma, liver and kidney folate concentrations were determined by microbiological assay. Plasma homocysteine was measured by HPLC as a functional indicator of folate status. The folate content of the foods was measured by tri-enzyme extraction followed by microbiological assay. Our analyses suggest that there may be considerable inaccuracies on the part of the manufacturers in relation to the folate declarations on the product labels. Despite this, the four foods evaluated were highly effective in elevating plasma, liver and kidney folate and lowering plasma homocysteine concentrations in rats. These results lend support to the policy of food fortification with folic acid as a means of raising the folate status of the population, and in particular to the fortification of specific foods which may target areas of the population where increased folate status is most needed.
Do Farmers and the Environment Benefit from Adopting Integrated Pest Management Practices? Evidence from Kenya

We estimate the impacts of a bundle of integrated pest management (IPM) practices on mango yield, mango net income, insecticide use, human health and the environment, using recent household survey data of mango growers in Kenya. We employ a multinomial endogenous switching treatment regression model with an ordered probit selection rule to establish counterfactual outcomes. Our results indicate that IPM‐adopting farmers have higher mango yields and mango net income, and also use lower quantities of insecticide and cause less damage to the environment and to human health. In addition, switching from one IPM to multiple IPM practices generates greater economic, environmental and human health benefits. These results suggest intensification of IPM‐adoption efforts and encouragement of the use of multiple IPM practices. These positive outcomes could be achieved through greater provision of technical support and extension services to farmers.