Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strict Pairing of var Promoters and Introns Is Required for var Gene Silencing in the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum*

The human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, maintains a persistent infection altering the proteins expressed on the surface of the infected red blood cells, thus avoiding the host immune response. The primary surface antigen, a protein called PfEMP1, is encoded by a multicopy gene family called var. Each individual parasite only expresses a single var gene at a time, maintaining all other members of the family in a transcriptionally silent state. Previous work using reporter genes in transiently transfected plasmid constructs implicated a conserved intron found in all var genes in the silencing process. Here we have utilized episomal recombination within stably transformed parasites to generate different var promoter and intron arrangements and show that loss of the intron results in var promoter activation. Further, in multicopy plasmid concatamers, each intron could only silence a single promoter, suggesting a one-to-one pairing requirement for silencing. Transcriptionally active, “unpaired” promoters remained active after integration into a chromosome; however, they were not recognized by the pathway that maintains mutually exclusive var gene expression. The data indicate that intron/promoter pairing is responsible for silencing each individual var gene and that disruption of silencing of one gene does not affect the transcriptional activity of neighboring var promoters. This suggests that silencing is regulated at the level of individual genes rather than by assembly of silent chromatin throughout a chromosomal region, thus providing a possible explanation of how a var gene can be maintained in a silent state while the immediately adjacent var gene is transcriptionally active.
Genetic requirements for Staphylococcus aureus abscess formation and persistence in host tissues

Staphylococcus aureus infections are associated with abscess formation and bacterial persistence; however, the genes that enable this lifestyle are not known. We show here that following intravenous infection of mice, S. aureus disseminates rapidly into organ tissues and elicits abscess lesions that develop over weeks but cannot be cleared by the host. Staphylococci grow as communities at the center of abscess lesions and are enclosed by pseudocapsules, separating the pathogen from immune cells. By testing insertional variants in genes for cell wall‐anchored surface proteins, we are able to infer the stage at which these molecules function. Fibrinogen‐binding proteins ClfA and ClfB are required during the early phase of staphylococcal dissemination. The heme scavenging factors IsdA and IsdB, as well as SdrD and protein A, are necessary for abscess formation. Envelope‐associated proteins, Emp and Eap, are either required for abscess formation or contribute to persistence. Fluorescence microscopy revealed Eap deposition within the pseudocapsule, whereas Emp was localized within staphylococcal abscess communities. Antibodies directed against envelope‐associated proteins generated vaccine protection against staphylococcal abscess formation. Thus, staphylococci employ envelope proteins at discrete stages of a developmental program that enables abscess formation and bacterial persistence in host tissues. —Cheng, A. G. , Kim, H. K. , Burts, M. L. , Krausz, T. , Schneewind, O. , Missiakas, D. M. Genetic requirements for Staphylococcus aureus abscess formation and persistence in host tissues. FASEB J. 23, 3393–3404 (2009). www.fasebj. org
The attitude of parents toward behavior management techniques in pediatric dentistry.

PURPOSE Investigate the parental attitude toward behavior management techniques used in pediatric dentistry. METHODS AND MATERIALS Parents watched a videotape that showed these techniques and then filled a questionnaire. RESULTS Tell-Show-Do, Positive Reinforcement, and Distraction were highly approved. Voice Control, Parent Separation, and Nonverbal Communication were moderately approved. The Hand-Over-Mouth, Nitrous Oxide Sedation, Conscious Sedation, and General Anesthesia were least approved. CONCLUSION The general parental attitudes were positive regarding the behavioral management techniques.
5-Hydroxyconiferyl Aldehyde Modulates Enzymatic Methylation for Syringyl Monolignol Formation, a New View of Monolignol Biosynthesis in Angiosperms*

S-Adenosyl-l-methionine-dependent caffeate O-methyltransferase (COMT, EC 2.1.1.6) has traditionally been thought to catalyze the methylation of caffeate and 5- hydroxyferulate for the biosynthesis of syringyl monolignol, a lignin constituent of angiosperm wood that enables efficient lignin degradation for cellulose production. However, recent recognition that coniferyl aldehyde prevents 5-hydroxyferulate biosynthesis in lignifying tissue, and that the hydroxylated form of coniferyl aldehyde, 5-hydroxyconiferyl aldehyde, is an alternative COMT substrate, demands a re-evaluation of the role of COMT during monolignol biosynthesis. Based on recombinant aspen (Populus tremuloides) COMT enzyme kinetics coupled with mass spectrometry analysis, this study establishes for the first time that COMT is in fact a 5-hydroxyconiferyl aldehyde O-methyltransferase (AldOMT), and that 5-hydroxyconiferyl aldehyde is both the preferred AldOMT substrate and an inhibitor of caffeate and 5-hydroxyferulate methylation, as measured by K m andK i values. 5-Hydroxyconiferyl aldehyde also inhibited the caffeate and 5-hydroxyferulate methylation activities of xylem proteins from various angiosperm tree species. The evidence that syringyl monolignol biosynthesis is independent of caffeate and 5-hydroxyferulate methylation supports our previous discovery that coniferyl aldehyde prevents ferulate 5-hydroxylation and at the same time ensures a coniferyl aldehyde 5-hydroxylase (CAld5H)-mediated biosynthesis of 5-hydroxyconiferyl aldehyde. Together, our results provide conclusive evidence for the presence of a CAld5H/AldOMT-catalyzed coniferyl aldehyde 5-hydroxylation/methylation pathway that directs syringyl monolignol biosynthesis in angiosperms.
Blood, men and tears: keeping IUDs in place in Bangladesh

The Intra-Uterine Device (IUD) is an effective method of contraception, but in Bangladesh is associated with high levels of discontinuation within the first year. This study involved data collection from a retrospective cohort of women who had an IUD inserted 12 months earlier. In the cohort, 330 women were interviewed to identify factors associated with discontinuation. Later, 20 women, of the 103 who reported discontinuing because of excessive menstrual bleeding, were interviewed again and in depth about these issues. Of 330 women who had an IUD inserted, 47.3% had discontinued use one year post-insertion. In univariate and multivariate analyses, IUD discontinuation was strongly associated with side-effects (heavier periods; abdominal pain) and spousal factors (not discussing IUD with husband pre-insertion), but not with service delivery factors. In-depth interviews with women who reported excessive blood loss as the main reason for discontinuation found a doubling of both menstrual days and blood loss after IUD insertion. In Bangladesh, women cannot pray, have sexual intercourse, perform household tasks or participate in community activities during menstruation. Thus, women with menstrual side-effects faced serious physical, social and psychological challenges that made continuation difficult. Among those who discontinued, spouses were generally unsupportive and sometimes abusive, particularly when not involved in the decision to use the IUD.
New flavonoid C–O–C dimers and other chemical constituents from Garcinia brevipedicellata stem heartwood

Abstract The methanol extract of the stem heartwood of Garcinia brevipedicellata has furnished three new flavonoid C–O–C dimers, brevipedicilones A (6), B (8) and C (10), along with five previously reported flavonoid dimers, viz. amentoflavone (1), 4″′-O-methylamentoflavone (2), robustaflavone (3), 4′-O-methyl robustaflavone (4) and tetrahinokiflavone (5). The new structures, which are composed of flavanone–flavanonol or flavanonol–flavanonol sub-units, were established based on spectroscopic analysis including 1D and 2D NMR (1H-1H COSY, HSQC, HMBC, and NOESY) spectroscopy, and by comparing their spectral data with those reported for related compounds.
Virucidal effect of chlorinated water containing cyanuric acid

SUMMARY The inhibitory influence of cyanuric acid on the virucidal effect of chlorine was studied. The time required for 99·9% inactivation of ten enteroviruses and two adenoviruses by 0·5 mg/l free available chlorine at pH 7·0 and 25○C was prolonged approximately 4·8–28·8 times by the addition of 30 mg/l cyanuric acid. Comparative inactivation of poliovirus 1 by free available chlorine with or without cyanuric acid revealed the following. The inactivation rate by 1·5 mg/l free available chlorine with 30 mg/l cyanuric acid or by 0·5 mg/l free available chlorine with 1 mg/1 cyanuric acid was slower than by 0·5 mg/1 free available chlorine alone. Temperature and pH did not affect the inhibitory influence of cyanuric acid on the disinfectant action of chlorine. In the swimming-pool and tap water, cyanuric acid delayed the virucidal effect of chlorine as much as in the ‚clean’ condition of chlorine-buffered distilled water. The available chlorine value should be increased to 1·5 mg/l when cyanuric acid is used in swimming-pool water.
Speech-language and educational consequences of unilateral hearing loss in children.

BACKGROUND In the past, unilateral hearing loss (UHL) in children was thought to have little consequence because speech and language presumably developed appropriately with one normal-hearing ear. Some studies from the 1980s and 1990s have suggested that a significantly increased proportion of children with UHL may have educational and/or behavioral problems, compared with their normal-hearing peers. Limited data exist about the effect of UHL on acquisition of speech and language skills. OBJECTIVE To review the current literature about the impact UHL has on the development of speech and language and educational achievement. DATA SOURCE MEDLINE search between 1966 and June 1, 2003, using the medical subject heading "hearing loss," combined with the textword "unilateral. " STUDY SELECTION Studies were limited to those written in English, reporting speech-language and/or educational results in children. DATA EXTRACTION Articles were read with attention to study design, population, recruitment of subjects, and outcomes measured. DATA SYNTHESIS Problems in school included a 22% to 35% rate of repeating at least one grade, and 12% to 41% receiving additional educational assistance. Speech and language delays have been reported in some but not all studies. CONCLUSIONS School-age children with UHL appear to have increased rates of grade failures, need for additional educational assistance, and perceived behavioral issues in the classroom. Speech and language delays may occur in some children with UHL, but it is unclear if children "catch up" as they grow older. Research into this area is necessary to clarify these issues and to determine whether interventions may prevent potential problems.
Randomized prospective study of humeral shaft fracture fixation: intramedullary nails versus plates.

OBJECTIVES To compare the clinical and radiographic results for locked intramedullary (IM) nails and plates used in the treatment of humeral diaphyseal fractures. DESIGN Prospective randomization by sealed-envelope technique of eighty-four patients into two study groups: those treated by intramedullary nailing (IMN group; n = 38) and those treated by compression plating (PLT group; n = 46). SETTING Patients admitted consecutively to a university-affiliated Level I trauma center. PATIENT/PARTICIPANTS All skeletally mature patients admitted to Harborview Medical Center with acute humeral shaft fractures requiring surgical stabilization. Fractures of the diaphysis were defined as being at least three centimeters distal to the surgical neck and at least five centimeters proximal to the olecranon fossa. INTERVENTION Treatment with locking antegrade intramedullary humeral nails (Russell-Taylor design [Smith and Nephew Richards]) or with 4.5-millimeter dynamic compression and limited contact dynamic compression plates (AO design [Synthes]). MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS Clinical outcome measurements included fracture healing, radial nerve recovery, infection, and elbow and shoulder discomfort. Radiographic measurements included fracture alignment, time to healing, delayed union, and nonunion. RESULTS Follow-up averaged thirteen months. Forty-two fractures (93 percent) in the PLT group were healed by sixteen weeks versus thirty-three fractures (87 percent) in the IMN group (p = 0.70). Shoulder pain and a decrement in shoulder range of motion (ROM) were significant associations with IMN (p = 0.007 for both variables) but not with PLT. A decrement in elbow ROM was significantly associated with PLT (p = 0.03), especially for fractures of the distal third of the diaphysis, whereas elbow pain was not (p = 0.123). The sum of other complications demonstrated nearly equal prevalence for both treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS For patients requiring surgical treatment of a humeral shaft fracture, intramedullary nailing and compression plating both provide predictable methods for achieving fracture stabilization and ultimate healing.
Do insecticide‐treated bednets have an effect on malaria vectors?

The use of insecticide‐treated bednets (ITNs) has been widely adopted as an important method for malaria control. Few data exist on effects of ITNs on mosquito biology and ecology, other than the development of insecticide resistance against the insecticides used. There is no hard evidence that the insecticide resistance recorded is the result of insecticidal use on bednets or from agricultural use. Resistance against pyrethroids, the preferred class of insecticides for ITN use, has been recorded from countries in Asia, Africa and South America. Resistance is expressed as reduced excito‐repellency and mortality of mosquitoes exposed to insecticide‐treated materials. In the absence of resistance, however, most studies on ITN effects report a reduced survival of adult mosquitoes as well as mass killing. Other effects are highly variable, and shifts in time of biting, feeding site and blood hosts have occasionally been reported, but not in proportion to the scale of ITN use. In general, a reduced sporozoite rate is recorded in ITN programmes. Because many of the anticipated behavioural effects caused by insecticidal use will be avoided by the use of untreated nets, studies on the efficacy of untreated nets are required. Examples are presented in which untreated nets provided a reasonable degree of protection against malaria.
General Aspects and Neuropathology of X‐Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy

X‐adrenoleukodystrophy (X‐ALD) is a metabolic, peroxisomal disease affecting the nervous system, adrenal cortex and testis resulting from inactivating mutations in ABCD1 gene which encodes a peroxisomal membrane half‐adenosine triphosphate (ATP)‐binding cassette transporter, ABCD1 (or ALDP), whose defect is associated with impaired peroxisomal β‐oxidation and accumulation of saturated very long‐chain fatty acids (VLCFA) in tissues and body fluids. Several phenotypes are recognized in male patients including cerebral ALD in childhood, adolescence or adulthood, adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), Addison's disease and, eventually, gonadal insufficiency. Female carriers might present with mild to severe myeloneuropathy that resembles AMN. There is a lack of phenotype–genotype correlations, as the same ABCD1 gene mutation may be associated with different phenotypes in the same family, suggesting that genetic, epigenetic, environmental and stochastic factors are probably contributory to the development and course of the disease. Degenerative changes, like those seen in pure AMN without cerebral demyelination, are characterized by loss of axons and secondary myelin in the long tracts of the spinal cord, possibly related to the impaired lipid metabolism of VLCFAs and the associated alterations (ie, oxidative damage). Similar lesions are encountered following inactivation of ABCD1 in mice (ABCD1‐). A different and more aggressive phenotype is secondary to cerebral demyelination, very often accompanied by inflammatory changes in the white matter of the brain and associated with activation of T lymphocytes, CD1 presentation and increased levels of cytokines, γ‐interferon, interleukin (IL)‐1α, IL‐2 and IL‐6, Granulocyte macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF), tumor necrosis factor‐α, chemokines and chemokine receptors.
Novel Chip Stacking Methods to Extend Both Horizontally and Vertically for Many-Core Architectures with ThrouChip Interface

The increase of recent non-recurrent engineering cost (design, mask and test cost) have made large System-on-Chip (SoC) difficult to develop especially with advanced technology. We radically explore an approach for cheap and flexible chip stacking by using Inductive coupling ThruChip Interface (TCI). In order to connect a large number of small chips for building a large scale system, novel chip stacking methods called the linear stacking and staggered stacking are proposed. They enable the system to be extended to x or/and y dimensions, not only to z dimension. Here, a novel chip staking layout, and its deadlock-free routing design for the case using single-core chips and multi-core chips are shown. The network with 256 nodes formed by the proposed stacking improves the latency of 2D mesh by 13.8% and the performance of NAS Parallel Benchmarks by 5.4% on average compared to that of 2D mesh. key words: inductive coupling interconnect, interconnection network, network on chip
Here's looking at you: Visual similarity exacerbates the Moses illusion for semantically similar celebrities.

When people read questions like "How many animals of each kind did Moses take on the ark? ", many mistakenly answer "2" despite knowing that Noah sailed the ark. This "Moses illusion" occurs when names share semantic features. Two experiments examined whether shared visual concepts (facial features) exacerbate Moses illusions for celebrity names. Questions contained an unrelated distractor name or a semantic distractor name that was visually similar or dissimilar to the correct target name. Both experiments revealed more Moses illusions occurred for questions containing a visually similar semantic distractor compared with either visually dissimilar or unrelated distractors. Furthermore, presenting a picture of the target (Experiment 1) or the visually similar distractor (Experiment 2) before the question increased accurate detection of the illusion, independent of distractor type. Results challenge theoretical explanations of the Moses illusion as resulting from purely shallow semantic processing and demonstrate the importance of visual information in processing proper names, even when presented in written form. (PsycINFO Database Record
Treatment of adults with progressive oligodendroglioma with carboplatin (CBDCA): preliminary results. Writing Committee for The Brain Tumor Center at Duke.

BACKGROUND Exploration of the role of chemotherapy in the treatment of low grade glioma, including oligodendroglioma, has been limited to the pediatric population, reflecting the sensitivity of young patients to radiation-induced toxicity and a desire to avoid this intervention (7-12). PROCEDURE Nine adults with progressive oligodendroglioma were treated with carboplatin at a dose of 560 mg/m2 administered at 4 week intervals. RESULTS Eight patients have demonstrated stable disease as determined by serial MRI imaging at 2-3 month intervals with neither tumor regression nor growth noted. The ongoing duration of tumor control ranges between 6-22 months. Three patients have completed therapy with carboplatin and continue with stable dis-ease off chemotherapy. One patient progressed after 1 year of therapy with histologic confirmation of growth of well differentiated oligodendroglioma. Toxicity was limited to grade 3 thrombocytopenia in 3 patients and grade 3 neutropenia in 2 patients. CONCLUSIONS Carboplatin appears to be active in the treatment of adults with progressive oligodendroglioma. Further trials are warranted to more precisely define the role of carboplatin in the treatment of these tumors.
Weight change with atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia

Weight gain is a common complication of antipsychotic treatment. Its consequences include decreased self-esteem, reduced quality of life, reduced adherence with medication and increased morbidity and mortality. Most studies that assess weight change are short term. Among the atypicals mean weight gain is greatest with olanzapine and clozapine and least with aripiprazole and ziprasidone. Mean weight change obscures the marked individual variation in weight change that occurs during antipsychotic treatment i.e. irrespective of the antipsychotic, some subjects lose weight, some maintain their weight and some gain weight. In several long-term naturalistic studies (>6 months) mean weight gain is less marked than in randomised controlled trials of a shorter or comparable duration. This may reflect selective prescribing, the effect of weight management interventions and differences in the statistical analysis employed. With most antipsychotics weight stabilizes in the short to medium term but with clozapine it may continue beyond the first year. With some drugs clinical improvement is associated with short-term weight gain. Predictors of long-term weight gain include lower body mass index, increased appetite and rapid initial weight increase. Weight gain is greater in first onset patients due to the lack of prior antipsychotic exposure and associated weight gain. The potential for weight gain should be discussed with patients before starting antipsychotic treatment and weight monitored regularly during treatment. It may be possible to predict weight gain before an antipsychotic is started or early on in treatment enabling high-risk patients to receive more intensive strategies to reduce weight gain.
Determination of Deforestation Rates of the World's Humid Tropical Forests

A recently completed research program (TREES) employing the global imaging capabilities of Earth-observing satellites provides updated information on the status of the world's humid tropical forest cover. Between 1990 and 1997, 5.8 ± 1.4 million hectares of humid tropical forest were lost each year, with a further 2.3 ± 0.7 million hectares of forest visibly degraded. These figures indicate that the global net rate of change in forest cover for the humid tropics is 23% lower than the generally accepted rate. This result affects the calculation of carbon fluxes in the global budget and means that the terrestrial sink is smaller than previously inferred.