Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Host adaptation and the emergence of infectious disease: the Salmonella paradigm

The recent emergence of food‐borne pathogens, such as Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis (S. enteritidis) and Escherichia coli O157:H7, has generated increasing interest in how infectious diseases can invade, persist and spread within new host populations. To alter their host range pathogens require adaptations, which ensure their circulation in a new animal population. Adaptations for circulation in different populations of vertebrate hosts seem to have been acquired multiple times within the genus Salmonella because extant Salmonella serotypes differ greatly with regard to host range. In this article, mechanisms involved in host adaptation are deduced by considering the influence of the host immune response on circulation of Salmonella serotypes within populations of vertebrate animals. This approach contributes to the identification of genes involved in host adaptation and provides new insights into the emergence of food‐borne pathogens.
Mechanical versus humoral determinants of brain death-induced lung injury

Background The mechanisms of brain death (BD)-induced lung injury remain incompletely understood, as uncertainties persist about time-course and relative importance of mechanical and humoral perturbations. Methods Brain death was induced by slow intracranial blood infusion in anesthetized pigs after randomization to placebo (n = 11) or to methylprednisolone (n = 8) to inhibit the expression of pro-inflammatory mediators. Pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), wedged PAP (PAWP), pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and effective pulmonary capillary pressure (PCP) were measured 1 and 5 hours after Cushing reflex. Lung tissue was sampled to determine gene expressions of cytokines and oxidative stress molecules, and pathologically score lung injury. Results Intracranial hypertension caused a transient increase in blood pressure followed, after brain death was diagnosed, by persistent increases in PAP, PCP and the venous component of PVR, while PAWP did not change. Arterial PO2/fraction of inspired O2 (PaO2/FiO2) decreased. Brain death was associated with an accumulation of neutrophils and an increased apoptotic rate in lung tissue together with increased pro-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-6/IL-10 ratio and increased heme oxygenase(HO)-1 and hypoxia inducible factor(HIF)-1 alpha expression. Blood expressions of IL-6 and IL-1β were also increased. Methylprednisolone pre-treatment was associated with a blunting of increased PCP and PVR venous component, which returned to baseline 5 hours after BD, and partially corrected lung tissue biological perturbations. PaO2/FiO2 was inversely correlated to PCP and lung injury score. Conclusions Brain death-induced lung injury may be best explained by an initial excessive increase in pulmonary capillary pressure with increased pulmonary venous resistance, and was associated with lung activation of inflammatory apoptotic processes which were partially prevented by methylprednisolone.
The skin of primates. XXXVI. The skin of the pigmy marmoset--Callithrix (Cebuella) pygmae.

The pigmy marmoset — Callithrix (= Cebuella) pygmaea Spix — is the second detailed study of the members of the family Callithricidae. It is closely allied to the red-mantled tamarin — Saguinus (=Tamarinus) fuscicollis illigeri Spix — and shares some of its characteristics with both Prosimii and Anthropoidea. The epidermis and dermis contain moderate numbers of concurrent, melanotic melanocytes. The dermis is rich in elastin. Hair follicles grow in groups of three or four over the general body surface, and one apocrine gland is associated with each grouping. Arrectores pilorum muscles are well developed. On the ventral ulnar wrist are sinus hairs associated with apocrine glands. Most hair follicles have nerve end-organs around them that are reactive for acetylcholinesterase and alkaline phosphatase. There is a large aggregation of sebaceous glands in the suprapubic region. The large sebaceous glands in the eyelid, face, and external genitalia are surrounded by cholinesterasereactive nerves. Apocrine glands are found over most of the hairy skin except the brow, scalp and back; a large grouping of them is present in the sternal region. Only the secretory coils of apocrine glands in the external genitalia are invested with butyrylcholinesterase-rich nerves. Eccrine glands are confined to the volar surfaces of the pes and manus. They have dark cells with abundant glycogen and clear cells with neither glycogen nor PAS-reactive material. The nerves around the eccrine secretory coil are reactive only for acetylcholinesterase.
Dermatitis atópica del adulto

Resumen La dermatitis atopica es una dermatosis inflamatoria de curso cronico caracterizada por un intenso prurito. Se trata de una enfermedad multifactorial que resultaria de la interaccion de factores geneticos, ambientales, defectos en la funcion barrera y una serie de factores inmunologicos. La dermatitis atopica afecta sobretodo a la infancia, pero tambien puede persistir o comenzar en el adulto. Los casos de adultos afectados recogidos en la literatura, hacen referencia casi exclusivamente a aquellos en los que la enfermedad se inicio en la infancia pero que permanece llegada la vida adulta. Sin embargo, debemos tener en cuenta otro subgrupo de pacientes libres de enfermedad durante la infancia en los que el comienzo de la dermatitis atopica se produce con los anos incluso en la senectud. A pesar de que en este subgrupo las lesiones afectan tipicamente a flexuras en forma de eczema exudativo o liquenificado, existe un numero no despreciable de pacientes con lesiones de distribucion o morfologia atipica.Revisamos la etiopatogenia, criterios diagnosticos, clinica, diagnostico diferencial y tratamiento, incidiendo en la terapeutica de la dermatitis atopica severa o refractaria a los tratamientos convencionales.
Fulvestrant in women with advanced breast cancer after progression on prior aromatase inhibitor therapy: North Central Cancer Treatment Group Trial N0032.

PURPOSE Fulvestrant is an antiestrogen that leads to estrogen receptor degradation and has demonstrated efficacy in breast cancer patients who have had disease recurrence or progression after tamoxifen. This study was designed to examine the efficacy and toxicity of fulvestrant in patients with disease progression on a third-generation aromatase inhibitor (AI). PATIENTS AND METHODS A one-stage phase II trial was conducted in postmenopausal women with measurable disease by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors criteria who experienced disease progression after treatment with a third-generation AI and, at most, one additional hormonal agent. Tumors must have been estrogen receptor and/or progesterone receptor positive. The primary end point was objective response rate, and secondary end points were time to disease progression, survival, duration of response, and toxicity. RESULTS Eighty patients were enrolled, and three were ineligible. Characteristics of the 77 eligible patients included median age of 68 years, performance score of 0 or 1 in 91% of patients, visceral dominant disease in 88% of patients, two prior hormonal treatments in 73% of patients, and prior chemotherapy for metastatic disease in 32% of patients. Eleven patients (14.3%) achieved a partial response, and 16 patients (20.8%) had stable disease for at least 6 months, for a clinical benefit rate of 35%. Antitumor activity seemed to be higher in women with prior treatment with AI alone compared with women whose prior treatment also included tamoxifen. Median time to progression was 3 months, and median survival time was 20.2 months. Fulvestrant was well tolerated. CONCLUSION Fulvestrant is a well-tolerated treatment and has efficacy against breast cancers that have progressed after therapy with a third-generation AI.
Distinct neuroendocrine mechanisms control neural activity underlying sex differences in sexual motivation and performance

Sexual behavior can be usefully parsed into an appetitive and a consummatory component. Both appetitive and consummatory male‐typical sexual behaviors (respectively, ASB and CSB) are activated in male Japanese quail by testosterone (T) acting in the medial preoptic nucleus (POM), but never observed in females. This sex difference is based on a demasculinization (= organizational effect) by estradiol during embryonic life for CSB, but a differential activation by T in adulthood for ASB. Males expressing rhythmic cloacal sphincter movements (RCSMs; a form of ASB) or allowed to copulate display increased Fos expression in POM. We investigated Fos brain responses in females exposed to behavioral tests after various endocrine treatments. T‐treated females displayed RCSM, but never copulated when exposed to another female. Accordingly they showed an increased Fos expression in POM after ASB but not CSB tests. Females treated with the aromatase inhibitor Vorozole in ovo and T in adulthood displayed both male‐typical ASB and CSB, and Fos expression in POM was increased after both types of tests. Thus, the neural circuit mediating ASB is present or can develop in both sexes, but is inactive in females unless they are exposed to exogenous T. In contrast, the neural mechanism mediating CSB is not normally present in females, but can be preserved by blocking the embryonic production of estrogens. Overall these data confirm the difference in endocrine controls and probably neural mechanisms supporting ASB and CSB in quail, and highlight the complexity of mechanisms underlying sexual differentiation of behavior.
Safety and immunogenicity of Shigella sonnei-CRM9 and Shigella flexneri type 2a-r EPAsucc conjugate vaccines in one- to four-year-old children

Background and objective. Shigella conjugate vaccines have been shown to be safe, immunogenic and efficacious in adult volunteers. We have now investigated the safety and immunogenicity of investigational Shigella sonnei and Shigella flexneri 2a conjugate vaccines in 1- to 4-year-old children, the age group at greatest risk for shigellosis. Methods. The O-specific polysaccharides of S. sonnei and S. flexneri 2a, the two most common shigellae from patients in Israel, were bound to medically useful carrier proteins to form conjugates. Eighty healthy 1- to 4-year-olds were randomized to receive two 0.5-ml im injections 6 weeks apart of either S. sonnei-CRM9 or S. flexneri 2a-r EPAsucc. Blood was taken before, 6 weeks after the first injection, 4 weeks after the second injections and 2 years after immunization for assay of IgG anti-lipopolysaccharide, diphtheria toxin and Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A antibodies by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results. During an 8-day surveillance period after each immunization, low fever (37.8–39.0°C) lasting only 24 to 48 h occurred in 2 of 40 recipients after the first injection and 4 of 40 recipients after the second injection of S. flexneri 2a-r EPAsucc and in 2 of 38 of S. sonnei-CRM9 after the second injection; no fever was detected after the first injection. Liver function tests were normal in all vaccinees. S. sonnei-CRM9 elicited a >4-fold rise in IgG anti-LPS in 92.1% and S. flexneri 2a-r EPAsucc in 85% (P < 0.0001) after the second injection; both conjugates elicited type-specific booster responses. At 2 years the geometric mean concentrations of both IgG anti-lipopolysaccharides were significantly higher than preimmunization levels. A >4-fold rise of IgG anti-diphtheria (65.8%) and IgG anti-ETA (77.5%) was observed. Conclusion. These experimental Shigella conjugate vaccines were safe and immunogenic in 1- to 4-year-old children.
Glycosylation Profile of a Recombinant Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator Receptor Expressed in Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells*

Association of urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) to cells via binding to its specific cellular receptor (uPAR) augments the potential of these cells to support plasminogen activation, a process that has been implicated in the degradation of extracellular matrix proteins during cell migration and tissue remodeling. The uPA receptor is a glycolipid-anchored membrane protein belonging to the Ly-6/uPAR superfamily and is the only multidomain member identified so far. We have now purified the three individual domains of a recombinant soluble uPAR variant, expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells, after limited proteolysis using chymotrypsin and pepsin. The glycosylation patterns of these domains have been determined by matrix assisted laser desorption ionization and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Of the five potential attachment sites for asparagine-linked carbohydrate in uPAR only four are utilized, as the tryptic peptide derived from domain III containing Asn233 was quantitatively recovered without carbohydrate. The remaining four attachment sites were shown to exhibit site-specific microheterogeneity of the asparagine-linked carbohydrate. The glycosylation on Asn52 (domain I) and Asn172 (domain II) is dominated by the smaller biantennary complex-type oligosaccharides, while Asn162 (domain II) and Asn200 (domain III) predominantly carry tri- and tetraantennary complex-type oligosaccharides. The carbohydrate moiety on Asn52 in uPAR domain I could be selectively removed byN-glycanase treatment under nondenaturing conditions. This susceptibility was abrogated when uPAR participitated in a bimolecular complex with pro-uPA or smaller receptor binding derivatives thereof, demonstrating the proximity of the ligand-binding site to this particular carbohydrate moiety. uPAR preparations devoid of carbohydrate on domain I exhibited altered binding kinetics toward uPA (a 4–6-fold increase in K d ) as assessed by real time biomolecular interaction analysis.
NOV/CCN3 upregulates CCL2 and CXCL1 expression in astrocytes through β1 and β5 integrins

Increasing evidence suggests that CCN matricellular proteins play important roles in inflammation. One of the major cell types that handle inflammation in the brain is the astrocyte, which, upon activation, dramatically increases its production of cytokines and chemokines. Here, we report that NOV/CCN3, added to primary cultured rat brain astrocytes, markedly increased the expression of CCL2 and CXCL1 chemokines, as indicated by ELISA and RT‐qPCR assays. This effect was selective, as the production of thirteen other cytokines and chemokines was not affected by NOV. NOV expression by astrocytes was demonstrated by immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis, and astrocyte transfection with NOV small interfering RNA (siRNA) markedly decreased CXCL1 and CCL2 production, indicating that endogenous NOV played a major role in the control of astrocytic chemokine synthesis. NOV was shown to mediate several of its actions through integrins. Here, we observed that siRNAs against integrins β1 and β5 decreased basal and abrogated NOV‐stimulated astrocyte expression of CCL2 and CXCL1, respectively. Using a panel of kinase inhibitors, we demonstrated that NOV action on CCL2 and CXCL1 production involved a Rho/ROCK/JNK/NF‐κB and a Rho/qROCK/p38/NF‐κB pathway, respectively. Thus, distinct integrins and signaling mechanisms are involved in NOV‐induced production of CCL2 and CXCL1 in astrocytes. Finally, astrocytic expression of NOV was detected in rat brain tissue sections, and NOV intracerebral injection increased CCL2 and CXCL1 brain levels in vivo. Altogether, our data shed light on the signaling pathways operated by NOV and strongly suggest that NOV mediates astrocyte activation and, therefore, might play a role in neuroinflammation. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
BRO beta-lactamases of Branhamella catarrhalis and Moraxella subgenus Moraxella, including evidence for chromosomal beta-lactamase transfer by conjugation in B. catarrhalis, M. nonliquefaciens, and M. lacunata

Two closely related beta-lactamases, BRO-1 and BRO-2 (formerly called Ravasio and 1908), are found in Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis. We screened strains of B. catarrhalis recovered in the United States since 1952 and identified the first beta-lactamase-positive isolate in August 1976. The prevalence of the enzymes among 394 clinical isolates from one Texas hospital has averaged 75% since testing began in 1983. Screening of isolates of Moraxella subgenus Moraxella revealed the BRO enzymes in two other human respiratory tract species, M. lacunata and M. nonliquefaciens, beginning in 1978. A different beta-lactamase with a pI of 6.4 predominated in other species of subgenus Moraxella. BRO-2 had a different isoelectric focusing pattern and was produced in lesser amounts than BRO-1, but the two enzymes were indistinguishable by substrate or inhibitor profile. BRO enzymes from B. catarrhalis, M. nonliquefaciens, and M. lacunata could be transferred by conjugation and, for B. catarrhalis, also by transformation to B. catarrhalis. Plasmid bands were demonstrated in 90% of M. nonliquefaciens and in one previously reported strain of B. catarrhalis, but no change in plasmid profiles was seen in beta-lactamase-positive recombinants, supporting previous studies that suggested the beta-lactamase genes are chromosomal.
Multiband behavior of wideband Sierpinski fractal bow-tie antenna

This paper presents bow-tie printed antenna design and simulation based on dipole antenna concepts and its simulation using FDTD method. The wideband response is obtained for this structure. Then IE3D software is used to implement three fractal shapes on the basic configuration. This antenna as a wideband solution is used in monolithic wireless communication applications that require multi-resonance frequencies. These features can be improved by fractalizing the antenna. While the bandwidth of the antenna can be changed by different flare angles, its fractalizing controls the multiband feature without any significant change on the radiation pattern. Numerical and measurement results of the antenna radiation characteristics, including return loss and radiation pattern, are presented and compared for mode-2, mode-3 and mode-5 Sierpinski fractal shapes which is implemented on the basic CPW-fed bow-tie antenna. Numerical radiation patterns are obtained in resonance frequencies and self-similar property in return loss and radiation pattern is demonstrated.
Mechanisms of ischemic injury are different in the steatotic and normal rat liver

Hepatic steatosis is associated with significant morbidity and mortality after liver resection and transplantation. Although apoptosis is a key mechanism of reperfusion injury in the normal liver, the pathway leading to cell death in steatotic hepatocytes is unknown. A model of hepatic ischemia and reperfusion injury in fatty and lean Zucker rats was used. Fatty animals had increased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) release and decreased survival after 60 minutes of ischemia compared with lean animals. Apoptosis was the predominant form of cell death in the lean rats (82%), whereas necrosis was minimal. In contrast, fatty animals developed only moderate amounts of apoptosis but showed massive necrosis (73%) after 24 hours of reperfusion. Intracellular mediators of apoptosis, such as caspase 8, caspase 3, and cytochrome c, were significantly lower in the steatotic than in the lean liver indicating dysfunction in activation of the apoptotic pathway. The high percentage of necrosis in the steatotic rats was associated with renal acute tubular necrosis after 24 hours of reperfusion in the fatty, but not in lean rats. Caspase inhibition significantly decreased reperfusion injury in lean animals, but was ineffective in fatty animals. The results indicate that the increased susceptibility of fatty livers to reperfusion injury is associated with a change from an apoptotic form of cell death to necrosis. We conclude that new therapeutic strategies are necessary in the fatty liver.
Rapid Detection of Vibrio vulnificus in Shellfish and Gulf of Mexico Water by Real-Time PCR

ABSTRACT In this paper we describe optimization of SYBR Green I-based real-time PCR parameters and testing of a large number of microbial species with vvh-specific oligonucleotide primers to establish a rapid, specific, and sensitive method for detection of Vibrio vulnificus in oyster tissue homogenate and Gulf of Mexico water (gulf water). Selected oligonucleotide primers for the vvh gene were tested for PCR amplification of a 205-bp DNA fragment with a melting temperature of approximately 87°C for 84 clinical and environmental strains of V. vulnificus. No amplification was observed with other vibrios or nonvibrio strains with these primers. The minimum level of detection by the real-time PCR method was 1 pg of purified genomic DNA or 102V. vulnificus cells in 1 g of unenriched oyster tissue homogenate or 10 ml of gulf water. It was possible to improve the level of detection to one V. vulnificus cell in samples that were enriched for 5 h. The standard curves prepared from the real-time PCR cycle threshold values revealed that there was a strong correlation between the number of cells in unenriched samples and the number of cells in enriched samples. Detection of a single cell of V. vulnificus in 1 g of enriched oyster tissue homogenate is in compliance with the recent Interstate Shellfish Sanitation Conference guidelines. The entire detection method, including sample processing, enrichment, and real-time PCR amplification, was completed within 8 h, making it a rapid single-day assay. Rapid and sensitive detection of V. vulnificus would ensure a steady supply of postharvest treated oysters to consumers, which should help decrease the number of illnesses or outbreaks caused by this pathogen.
Gender Differences in Insulin‐like Growth Factor and Bone Mineral Density Association in Old Age: The Rancho Bernardo Study

Insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) clearly plays a role in bone metabolism and maintenance, as evidenced by in vitro and animal studies. In clinical studies, the age‐related decrease in IGF‐I parallels the age‐related decrease in bone mineral density (BMD), but several age‐adjusted cross‐sectional studies show no consistent association of IGF‐I and BMD. We report here a cross‐sectional study of serum IGF‐I and BMD levels in 483 men and 455 postmenopausal women not using estrogen; subjects were 55 years of age and older, community‐dwelling, ambulatory, and unselected for bone density. IGF‐I was measured by a highly specific radioimmunoassay. BMD was measured at the lumbar spine and hip using dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Men had higher IGF‐I and BMD levels than women. In age‐adjusted and age‐stratified models, IGF‐I was associated with BMD only in women (test for interaction, p < 0.0001). Gender differences persisted in gender‐specific multiple regression analyses adjusted for age, body mass index, thiazide diuretic use, current smoking, alcohol intake, physical activity, and weight change; IGF‐I was significantly associated with BMD at the spine (p = 0.0001) and hip (p = 0.02) in women, but not in men (p's > 0.6). Circulating estradiol levels were not associated with IGF‐I levels in either gender; testosterone was inversely associated with IGF‐I and only in men. This striking gender difference has not been described previously. Its etiology is unknown. The answer could lead to improved understanding of gender differences in osteoporosis and in response to treatment with IGF‐I or growth hormone.
Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1887-1976: A Selected Bibliography

Series Foreword by Myron J. Smith, Jr. Preface Narrative and Historiographical Survey Historical Background Chronology Sources for Research on Field Marshal Montgomery The Making of a General El Alamein to Tunis Sicily to the Sangro The Normandy Campaign From the Seine to the Baltic The Post-war Years Bibliography Index