Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Amino acid transport systems in Escherichia coli K-12.

The kinetic analysis of kmitio acid transport ifi Escherichia coli K12 cells revealed the presence of several distinct transport systems with very little overlap between them. Separate transport systems were found for the following groups of amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine; alanine, glycine, and serine; phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan; and methionine. The division of the amino acids into the various systems was supported by differences in competitive interactions among the amino acids for transport and by the ability of various amino acids to accelerate the loss of accumulated labeled amino acids from the cell by countertransport. The K, values for most of the amino acids were in the range of 1 to 10 PM. All transport systems with the exception of that serving for alanine, glycine, and serine were highly stereospecific. The maximum velocity of transport occurred in a temperature range of 45-50” and in a broad pH range of 5.5 to 8.0. About two-thirds of the amino acids accumulated at room temperature or above could be lost in the first few seconds when cells were washed at 0” instead of room temperature. The presence of sodium azide caused the rapid loss of the previously accumulated labeled amino acids.
Strongyloides stercoralis infection in allogeneic stem cell transplant: a case report and review of the literature

Strongyloides stercoralis infections may be documented in low‐endemicity areas, particularly in immigrants from endemic areas. The case of a patient from Bangladesh, an immigrant to Italy who developed a S. stercoralis infection after allogeneic stem cell transplant, is described, and 7 further cases are reviewed. Because of the atypical clinical presentation, the low predictive role of the eosinophil count, and the low sensitivity of the microbiological tests, diagnosis of strongyloidiasis is a challenging problem. When a case of S. stercoralis infection is suspected, previous exposure may be the only clue to guide the diagnostic approach.
Family-based whole exome sequencing of atopic dermatitis complicated with cataracts

Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common skin disorder with elevated prevalence. Cataract induced by AD rarely occurs in adolescent and young adult patients, which is also called atopic cataract. Using whole exome sequencing, we aimed to explore genetic alterations among AD and atopic cataract. Result We recruited a 19 year-old Chinese male with AD accompanied with cataracts, his father with AD and his mother without AD or cataract. Through analysis of the exomic sequence of the 3 individuals from the same family, we identified that with respect to AD, there were 162 genes mutated in both this patient and his father but not in his mother. In addition, we found 10 genes mutated in this patient only without in his parents according to cataract. Conclusion This research suggests that coinheritance of mutations in these genes may correlate with AD, and the pathogenesis of AD complicated with cataracts was related to genetic factors.
Gingival biotype characterization--a study in a Portuguese sample.

BACKGROUND Establishing the diagnosis of a particular clinical situation in the oral cavity must take many characteristics into consideration, with gingival phenotype being an important one because it is linked to every individual's gingival morphogenic characteristics, including soft tissue appearance, genetic characteristics, and the way the gingiva looks after manipulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, 294 patients were observed. Fifty patients were selected according to certain exclusion criteria. Patients were submitted to clinical intraoral examinations, and photographs were taken of the anterior maxillary area. Comparing the left and right sides of the anterior maxillary area, the variables analyzed were the crown width/crown length ratio, papilla height, gingival width, gingival thickness, gingival angle, and gingival asymmetry. RESULTS A statistical relation between gender and gingival thickness was not proven (P>0.05), neither was that between shape and gingival thickness. However, this relation has statistical significance to gingival thickness and all analyzed variables (P<0.001), as well as gender and papilla height (P=0.005), crown width/crown length ratio (P=0.017), and gingival angle (P=0.041). A positive relation between the GLA angle measured from both sides was also found (correlation=0.675), as well as for LID values (correlation=0.384). The absolute asymmetry value was 2.8 degrees, showing different measurements from each dental arch side. CONCLUSION Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that there is a strong association between gender and the following variables: crown width/ crown length ratio, papilla height, and gingival angle. It was also demonstrated that a correlation exists between gingival thickness and all the variables studied. Moreover, the influence of tooth form on the gingival characteristics studied was demonstrated.
Neutrino oscillations in nonuniform matter.

We examine the effect of flavor-dependent elastic scattering upon neutrino flavor vacuum oscillations. The results are derived from a first-principles Dirac equation for the phenomenon. The conjecture of Wolfenstein is validated (with a correction G.-->. .sqrt.2 G as noted in more recent literature) for a homogeneous medium. While the differential equation obtained for the extension to a non- homogeneous case appears to differ significantly from that which has been used in the literature heretofore, we are able to show that they are equivalent for densities that vary little over the neutrino's de Broglie wavelength.
An adaptive Geodesic Active Contour model

In order to solve the shortcoming of Geodesic Active Contour model that would possibly sink into the non-ideal local minimum when segmenting the objects having concave boundary, an adaptive Geodesic Active Contour model was presented. The new model could adjust the evolution speed of curve based on the curvature of curve and gradient of image by adding an acceleration item in the original model. Moreover, in order to eliminate the influence of noise or false edge, a new pre-process Sobel operator combined the Gaussian filter and calculation of gradient of Geodesic Active Contour model is presented. The results of experimental comparison show that the Sobel operator could simultaneously smooth the image and calculate the gradient, and increase the speed of algorithm, while the new model could segment the image accurately.
Alpha Interferon Restricts Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 and 2 De Novo Infection through PKR Activation

ABSTRACT Type I interferon (IFN-I) inhibits the replication of different viruses. However, the effect of IFN-I on the human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1) viral cycle is controversial. Here, we investigated the consequences of IFN-α addition for different steps of HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 infection. We first show that alpha interferon (IFN-α) efficiently impairs HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 de novo infection in a T cell line and in primary lymphocytes. Using pseudotyped viruses expressing HTLV-1 envelope, we then show that cell-free infection is insensitive to IFN-α, demonstrating that the cytokine does not affect the early stages of the viral cycle. In contrast, intracellular levels of Gag, Env, or Tax protein are affected by IFN-α treatment in T cells, primary lymphocytes, or 293T cells transfected with HTLV-1 or HTLV-2 molecular clones, demonstrating that IFN-α acts during the late stages of infection. We show that IFN-α does not affect Tax-mediated transcription and acts at a posttranscriptional level. Using either small interfering RNA (siRNA) directed against PKR or a PKR inhibitor, we demonstrate that PKR, whose expression is induced by interferon, plays a major role in IFN-α-induced HTLV-1/2 inhibition. These results indicate that IFN-α has a strong repressive effect on the HTLV-1 and HTLV-2 viral cycle during de novo infection of cells that are natural targets of the viruses.
The Assembly of the CAAT-box Binding Complex at a Photosynthesis Gene Promoter Is Regulated by Light, Cytokinin, and the Stage of the Plastids*

A functionally important region in the promoter of the spinach photosynthesis gene AtpC, which encodes the subunit γ of the chloroplast ATP synthase, is located immediately upstream of the CAAT-box. A single nucleotide exchange in this region (AAAATTCAAT → AAGATCAAT) uncouples the expression of an AtpCpromoter::uidA gene fusion from the regulation by light, cytokinin, and functional plastids and results in a high constitutive expression of the reporter gene. By screening anArabidopsis thaliana expression library with a double-stranded wild-type oligonucleotide from this promoter region, we have isolated cDNAs from Arabidopsis libraries that code for plant homologs of the CAAT-box binding factor (CBF)-C. Binding occurs only in the presence of nuclear extracts, consistent with reports from metazoa CBFs that the subunits A and B in addition to C are required for the formation of the CBF-DNA complex. At least eight genes with homologies to CBF-C are present in theArabidopsis genome; one of them exhibits striking similarities to the gene for the human global transcriptional repressor Drap1. In gel mobility shift assays, low binding activity of CBF to the wild-type AtpC promoter sequence was observed with nuclear extracts from tissue with low AtpC expression levels,i.e. extracts from etiolated and photobleached seedlings, whereas high binding activity was detectable with extracts from tissues with high AtpC expression levels, i.e. extracts from light-grown seedlings and etiolated seedlings treated with cytokinin. Binding to the mutant sequence, which directs constitutive high level uidA expression in vivo, is significantly stronger than to the wild-type sequence. The data are consistent with the idea that the assembly of CBF at theAtpC promoter is regulated in response to light and cytokinin and that the low level of expression in etiolated and photobleached material is caused by an inhibitory effect. The structure/function relationships of the Arabidopsis CBFs are discussed in relation to their regulatory function inAtpC gene expression.
Metagenomic analysis of bacterial diversity in the rice rhizosphere soil microbiome

The rhizosphere is known to provide ecologically fa vourable niche for most of the beneficial soil microorganisms. The rich microbial activity in the rhizosphere aids in several biological and ecologic al processes important for plant health. The abundance of nitrogen fixing, phosphate solubilising and pla nt disease suppressing bacteria in the rhizosphere of crop plants assumes a natural significance from the agronomic point of view. Our knowledge on the diversity of these bacterial communities is limited comp ared to other components in the rhizosphere. It has been estimated that less than 1% of the total microbial population in the land environment and even less in the marine environment have been successfully isol ated in pure culture. The majority of microorganisms on ear th resist life in captivity and hence many of them cannot be cultured by current culture-based and traditiona l methods. Metagenomics is a rapidly developing fie ld that helps in analyzing the complex genomes of microbial niches through culture independent molecular approaches. In this study culture-independent molec ular techniques, 16S rRNA clone library generation along with RFLP, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, were applied to investigate the bacterial diversity associated with the rice rhizosphere bacterial comm unities from a paddy field ecosystem in Kerala. Clo nes with close identity with sequences retrieved from d atabase as well as uncultured bacterial sequences w ere found in the rhizosphere bacterial community. Seque nce analysis of 16S rRNA clones indicated a high diversity in the rhizosphere bacterial community wi th the majority of microbes being closely related t o the Proteobacteria . Only a small fraction of the 16S rRNA sequences were highly similar to rRNA sequences from Acidobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteriodetes groups. Since rhizosphere-associated microbes poss ess diverse metabolic capabilities and play a crucial role in p lant health, knowledge on their community structure is imperative for the proper understanding of their in dividual roles and metagenomics holds the promise t o reveal several important questions regarding the uncultura ble fraction of the rhizosphere community.
FROM BOOM TO BUST : LESSONS FROM LITHUANIA

One could hardly find an emerging European economy which, after the accession to the European Union (EU), did not experience a period of economic, financial and asset price boom followed by a sharp economic downturn and the burst of an asset price bubble recently. Yet in the three Baltic states the credit cycle and economic swings seem to have been particularly hefty, which makes this case worthwhile a close examination. Recent economic and financial developments in the Baltics serve as a clear reminder of how easy it is to succumb to the wishful thinking about sound economic convergence, nearly perfectly functioning financial and goods markets, and high resilience to macrofinancial shocks. The explosive mix of global, regional and domestic factors first ignited, then overheated and in the end derailed economic expansion of the Baltic states. At present policy makers and the private sector face a difficult challenge of preserving the macro-financial stability and putting economies back on the sustainable growth track. In this paper we provide a brief discussion of Lithuania’s experience with the recent dramatic change in external and internal economic conditions. The essay gives a brief analysis of the reasons why Lithuania is among the countries that have been hit very hard by the credit crunch. We also discuss main economic policy measures that have been taken and speculate about what steps could have been more effective. We then characterize the state of the economy in the face of falling exports, deflating asset bubble, credit crunch and contractionary fiscal policy. Finally, we reflect on some immediate macro-financial stability challenges and longer-term goals aimed at restructuring the economy and preserving competitiveness.
Structural architecture supports functional organization in the human aging brain at a regionwise and network level

Functional interactions in the brain are constrained by the underlying anatomical architecture, and structural and functional networks share network features such as modularity. Accordingly, age‐related changes of structural connectivity (SC) may be paralleled by changes in functional connectivity (FC). We provide a detailed qualitative and quantitative characterization of the SC–FC coupling in human aging as inferred from resting‐state blood oxygen‐level dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion‐weighted imaging in a sample of 47 adults with an age range of 18–82. We revealed that SC and FC decrease with age across most parts of the brain and there is a distinct age‐dependency of regionwise SC–FC coupling and network‐level SC–FC relations. A specific pattern of SC–FC coupling predicts age more reliably than does regionwise SC or FC alone (r = 0.73, 95% CI = [0.7093, 0.8522]). Hence, our data propose that regionwise SC–FC coupling can be used to characterize brain changes in aging. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2645–2661, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Experimental Characterization of Material Properties to Simulate Needle Indentation Into Soft Tissues

Surgical needle insertion has an important role in applications such as biopsies, neurosurgery and tumor ablation, and many studies have been carried out to simulate these types of procedures. The realistic simulation of tool-tissue interactions is required for the development of surgical simulators, and accurate biomechanical tissue models are determinant in their effectiveness. Previous works had characterized soft tissue properties; however, it is missing an appropriated validation of the results. In this paper, we used several hyperelastic models to replicate mechanical behavior of a silicone rubber under an indentation test. An uniaxial compression test was performed on the phantom tissue, with mechanical properties similar to brain, to estimate the parameters of the models using an optimization algorithm. The best fitted model is then used to validate the parameters in a FEM simulation of needle indentation comparing with experimental measurements. We found that the second order Reduced Polynomial model showed to be a good agreement for the material behavior (R-squared = 0.9922) and was stable for all strains. The simulation results of needle indentation using that material model gave us an R-squared error of 0.9613 with respect to the experimental values. Finally, we validated the used of an Optical Tracking system as a tool for measuring the position of the needle in real time. We compare those measures with the ones given by the stepper motor and we obtained an R-squared of 0.9999.
A Role for the G12 Family of Heterotrimeric G Proteins in Prostate Cancer Invasion*

Many studies have suggested a role for the members of the G12 family of heterotrimeric G proteins (Gα12 and Gα13) in oncogenesis and tumor cell growth. However, few studies have examined G12 signaling in actual human cancers. In this study, we examined the role of G12 signaling in prostate cancer. We found that expression of the G12 proteins is significantly elevated in prostate cancer. Interestingly, expression of the activated forms of Gα12 or Gα13 in the PC3 and DU145 prostate cancer cell lines did not promote cancer cell growth. Instead, expression of the activated forms of Gα12 or Gα13 in these cell lines induced cell invasion through the activation of the RhoA family of G proteins. Furthermore, inhibition of G12 signaling by expression of the RGS domain of the p115-Rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor (p115-RGS) in the PC3 and DU145 cell lines did not reduce cancer cell growth. However, inhibition of G12 signaling with p115-RGS in these cell lines blocked thrombin- and thromboxane A2-stimulated cell invasion. These observations identify the G12 family proteins as important regulators of prostate cancer invasion and suggest that these proteins may be targeted to limit invasion- and metastasis-induced prostate cancer patient mortality.
La denervazione simpatica cardiaca sinistra nel trattamento della sindrome del QT lungo: un’opzione efficace e ben tollerata

La sindrome del QT lungo (LQTS) e una patologia genetica che espone ad un aumentato rischio di aritmie ventricolari maligne; ad oggi diversi presidi terapeutici sono applicabili nella prevenzione degli aventi aritmici. La terapia farmacologica, pur riducendo di molto il rischio aritmico, non e totalmente efficace soprattutto nelle forme piu severe di patologia. Il defibrillatore cardiaco impiantabile (ICD) e efficace nel cardiovertire prontamente le aritmie, ma non ne previene l’insorgenza: inoltre, l’accettazione dell’impianto di un ICD, soprattutto per i bambini, puo essere un processo difficile sia per l’impatto psicologico delle potenziali numerose scariche sia per le conseguenze a lungo termine della gestione medica. La denervazione simpatica cardiaca sinistra (LCSD) e un’opzione terapeutica efficace sia nella prevenzione degli eventi aritmici, soprattutto in pazienti sintomatici nonostante la terapia farmacologica massimale, che nel ridurre il numero di scariche dell’ICD. Inoltre, la LCSD presenta il vantaggio della sicurezza e della buona tollerabilita da parte del paziente; percio va considerata in alternativa o in associazione all’impianto di ICD in pazienti LQTS con alto rischio aritmico.
Totally Laparoscopic Total Gastrectomy with D2 Lymphadenectomy for Advanced Gastric Cancer

Introductions: Gastrectomy, which is the standard surgical procedure for gastric cancer, has gradually come to be performed laparoscopically. Laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG) has been adopted gradually and performed for advanced gastric cancer. However, laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG) has not been as widely accepted as LDG due to technical difficulties, especially with reconstruction and proper D2 lymphadenectomy. The purpose of the current study was to determine the utility of TLTG with concomitant splenectomy and D2 lymphadenectomy (TLTGS) for advanced gastric cancer (AGC). Materials and Methods: Between January 2006 and May 2014, 10 consecutive patients who underwent TLTGS for AGC and 76 patients who underwent TLTG with D1 lymphadenectomy were included in this study. These two groups were compared in terms of perioperative results, with assessment of intraoperative and postoperative outcomes. Results: There were no significant differences in patients’ characteristics between the two groups. Operative time was longer in the TLTGS group than in the TLTG group. However, the rate of patients with postoperative complications including major complications was not different between the groups, and no patient in the TLTGS group had anastomotic leakage or pancreatic fistula. Conclusions: In the short-term, TLTGS had good postoperative outcomes and was useful and acceptable for AGC.
AUDITORY PERCEPTION IN SCHIZOPHRENIA: A SECOND STUDY OF THE INTONATION TEST

Billingberg & Jomson (1965) constructed the Intonation test (to be described under ‘Methods’) in order to study the ability of schizophrenic patients to interpret communication containing emotional meaning. It was found that the combined scores of schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic subjects taking this test tended to form a bimodal distribution. A similar result was obtained in another auditory test which assessed the ability to interpret sound effects. (In a visual test on figureground perception, there was no significant difference between the schizophrenic and the nonpsychotic patients, and in another visual test on the ability to identify pictures as friendly or threatening, the difference between schizophrenic and nonschizophrenics was only slight). Since our interest was in the ability of the schizophrenic patients to interpret communication containing emotional meaning, it was decided to perform a second study where any deficiency in perceiving pure tones could be isolated. An analysis might then reveal the relationship between psychotic symptoms and difficulties in the Intonation test.
Immunopathogenesis of hepatitis C virus in the immunosuppressed host

The prevalence of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among various groups of immunosuppressed patients is high. These groups include patients co‐infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), recipients of organ transplants, and those with hypogammaglobulinemia. The liver disease in the immunosuppressed host is typically severe with an unusually rapid progression to cirrhosis. This is somewhat paradoxical, as the classical model for HCV‐induced liver disease assumes that cell‐mediated immune responses induce liver injury. It is likely that a combination of viral‐related factors and host‐related factors plays a role in this accelerated natural history of HCV. Data are accumulating in immunocompromised hosts that address the immunopathogenesis of liver injury, although there are still fundamental gaps in our understanding of this process. In this review, we will focus on our current understanding of the mechanisms of liver injury and how it relates to the accelerated liver disease progression in immunocompromised hosts.