Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antigenic variation of Giardia lamblia in vivo

A single Giardia lamblia trophozoite can give rise in vitro to G. lamblia with varying surface antigens. To determine whether antigenic variation also occurs in vivo, gerbils were inoculated with defined G. lamblia clones and the surface antigens of the intestinal trophozoites were studied at different times during the infection. The proportion of monoclonal antibody 6E7-reacting trophozoites from WB C1-6E7S-inoculated gerbils had decreased significantly by day 3 postinoculation, indicating the presence of a heterogeneous population. On day 7, the 170-kilodalton antigen was no longer present and was replaced by a variety of antigens, including a major protein of 92 kilodaltons. With the exception of isolates from gerbils inoculated with WB A6-6E7S, the banding patterns of G. lamblia isolated from gerbils on day 7 or later were the same regardless of the clones used for inoculation. These studies show that G. lamblia changes its surface antigen(s) in vivo within 7 days following inoculation and appears to maintain the same set of surface antigens during the course of infection.
Root Infection and Systemic Colonization of Maize by Colletotrichum graminicola

ABSTRACT Colletotrichum graminicola is a filamentous ascomycete that causes anthracnose disease of maize. While the fungus can cause devastating foliar leaf blight and stalk rot diseases, little is known about its ability to infect roots. Previously published reports suggest that C. graminicola may infect maize roots and that root infections may contribute to the colonization of aboveground plant tissues, leading to disease. To determine whether C. graminicola can infect maize roots and whether root infections can result in the colonization of aboveground plant tissues, we developed a green fluorescent protein-tagged strain and used it to study the plant root colonization and infection process in vivo. We observed structures produced by other root pathogenic fungi, including runner hyphae, hyphopodia, and microsclerotia. A mosaic pattern of infection resulted from specific epidermal and cortical cells becoming infected by intercellular hyphae while surrounding cells were uninfected, a pattern that is distinctly different from that described for leaves. Interestingly, falcate conidia, normally restricted to acervuli, were also found filling epidermal cells and root hairs. Twenty-eight percent of plants challenged with soilborne inoculum became infected in aboveground plant parts (stem and/or leaves), indicating that root infection can lead to asymptomatic systemic colonization of the plants. Many of the traits observed for C. graminicola have been previously reported for other root-pathogenic fungi, suggesting that these traits are evolutionally conserved in multiple fungal lineages. These observations suggest that root infection may be an important component of the maize anthracnose disease cycle.
Informing the design of a food security and public health nutrition pilot intervention for clients of a community-based organization contending with urban poverty

ABSTRACT This article examines services offered by a community-based organization (CBO) in New York City and informs the development of a multiphase public health pilot intervention targeting social and environmental determinants of food security, hunger, and health. We report demographics most characteristic of clients (n = 14,062) who utilized meal and social services, with food being the primary reason for client visits. Our results highlight the need to engage in a formative assessment as the first necessary step to effectively tailoring a pilot program sensitive to the modern racialized and gendered portrait of urban poverty.
LPP Expression During In Vitro Smooth Muscle Differentiation and Stent-Induced Vascular Injury

Lipoma preferred partner (LPP) has been identified as a protein highly expressed in smooth muscle (SM) tissues. The aim of the present study was to determine mechanisms that regulate LPP expression in an in vitro model of SM cell (SMC) differentiation and in stent-induced pig coronary vessel injury. All trans-retinoic acid treatment of A404 cells induced a strong increase in LPP, as well as SM &agr;-actin, SM myosin heavy chain, and smoothelin mRNA levels, in a Rho kinase (ROK)-dependent manner. Adenovirus mediated overexpression of myocardin in A404 cells significantly increased LPP mRNA expression. Interestingly, inactivation of RhoA with C3-exoenzyme or treatment with ROK inhibitors strongly inhibited myocardin mRNA expression in retinoic acid–treated A404 cells or human iliac vein SMCs. LPP silencing with short interfering RNA significantly decreased SMC migration. LPP expression was also markedly decreased in focal adhesion kinase (FAK)-null cells known to have impaired migration but rescued with inducible expression of FAK. LPP expression in FAK-null fibroblasts enhanced cell spreading. In stented pig coronary vessels, LPP was expressed in the neointima of cells lacking smoothelin and showed expression patterns identical to those of SM &agr;-actin. In conclusion, LPP appears to be a myocardin-, RhoA/ROK-dependent SMC differentiation marker that plays a role in regulating SMC migration.
Prognosis in breast cancer utilizing histologic characteristics of the primary tumor

A study was made of the inter‐relationships and prognostic significance of structural characteristics found in primary breast cancers and their associated axillary lymph nodes. The prognostically favorable characteristics included the following. For the primary tumor: nuclear differentiation of the cancer cells, diffuse lymphoid cell infiltrations (LI), and perivenous lymphoid cell infiltrations (PVI). For the axillary lymph nodes: sinus histiocytosis (SH). Perivenous lymphoid cell infiltrations (PVI) in the primary tumor are found to be as important a prognostic factor as SH in the axillary lymph nodes; these two characteristics are found to be positively associated. Evaluation of the nuclear grade (NG), LI, and PVI in the primary tumor allows for the definition of prognostically significant patient groupings. LI is found to occur primarily in assoication with cancer cells having a low (anaplastic) nuclear grade, and to be positively associated with follicular hyperplasia (FH) in the lymph nodes. We also found a positive association between the cellular responses to areas of in situ carcinoma and the cellular responses to accompanying invasive breast cancer. These findings add to our general understanding of immunogenicity of breast cancer tissue. They also provide a progonstic system for classifying breast cancer patients on the basis of the microscopic characteristics of the primary tumor and surrounding breast tissue. The latter system should be of value in comparing the therapeutic benefits of various treatments.
Allergic rhinitis: not purely a histamine‐related disease

Allergic rhinitis is an inflammatory disorder of the nasal mucosa typified by the symptoms of nasal itch, sneeze, anterior nasal secretions, and nasal blockage. These symptoms arise from the interaction between mediators and neural, vascular, and glandular structures within the nose. Nasal itch, sneezes, and rhinorrhoea are predominantly neural in origin, while nasal obstruction is predominantly vascular. Nasal biopsy studies show accumulation of eosinophils within the lamina propria and epithelium and an increase in tissue and cell surface basophils in both seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis. These cells are in an activated state. Within the epithelium, increased numbers of mast cells, T cells and Langerhans' cells, which induce T‐cell activation, are found. The accumulation of these cells can be linked to chemokine and cytokine generation by the epithelial cells themselves. Thus, the tissue cell recruitment is orchestrated by activated mast cells, T cells, and epithelial cells, with the recruited tissue eosinophils also contributing to their persistence at this site through autocrine mechanisms. Mast cells generate an array of mediators including histamine, tryptase, leukotrienes, and prostaglandins. Histamine is also generated by basophils. Eosinophils and basophils contribute to the leukotriene synthesis within the tissue. Histamine nasal insufflation induces nasal itch, sneeze, and rhinorrhoea as well as nasal blockage, thereby reproducing all the symptoms of allergic rhinitis. These effects are primarily mediated by H1‐receptors, and H1‐receptor antagonists are a prominent treatment. Antagonism of histamine at these receptors reduces symptoms by about 40–50%, with the greatest effect on the neurally mediated responses. Thus, histamine is a major mediator of allergic rhinitis, but not the sole contributor. Nasal insufflation with leukotrienes, prostaglandins, or kinins is associated with the development of nasal blockage. These mediators act primarily on the nasal vasculature and, in this respect, leukotrienes are potent mediators. Leukotrienes also induce plasma protein exudation, which contributes to the anterior nasal secretions. Studies with combination products have suggested that modifying the effects of both leukotrienes and histamine has complementary effects in relieving nasal symptoms, indicating that both these mediators are relevant to disease expression.
Novel topologies of 24-pulse rectifier with conventional transformers for phaseshifting

Two 24-pulse rectifier topologies based on phase shifting by conventional magnetics is proposed. Four 3-phase systems are obtained from a single 3-phase source using novel interconnection of conventional single- and 3-phase transformers. Phase shifts of 15° and 30° are made using phasor addition of relevant line voltages with a combination of single-phase and three-phase transformers respectively. The four three-phase systems are mutually displaced from each other by 15°. Each three-phase system feeds a 6-pulse diode rectifier and the four diode rectifiers are series cascaded to provide a 24-pulse dc output voltage. PSCAD based simulation and experimental results that confirm the design efficacy are presented.
Aberrant FHIT protein expression in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma: a potential marker

Aims: The fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene is frequently inactivated in human cancers; however, the FHIT gene remains unexplored in Hodgkin's lymphoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of FHIT expression in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma. Methods: Classical Hodgkin's lymphomas were analysed for FHIT gene expression by two‐step non‐biotin immunohistochemical method and Western blotting. Results: Thirty of the 33 (91%) cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma tested were positive for FHIT protein by immuohistochemistry. The expression of FHIT was mainly located in cytoplasm of Reed–Sternberg (HRS) cells. The protein expression was also documented by Western blotting. The non‐Hodgkin's lymphomas were negative for FHIT protein. Conclusions: The results indicate that abnormal FHIT expression is noted frequently in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma and the expression can give insight into the pathogenesis of the disease. The protein may serve as a marker to localise HRS cells in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma.
A fast 3D approach for coronary MRA

Two‐dimensional (2D)‐breathhold coronary magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) has been shown to be a fast and reliable method to depict the proximal coronary arteries. Recent developments, however, allow for free‐breathing navigator gated and navigator corrected three‐dimensional (3D) coronary MRA. These 3D approaches have potential for improved signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and allow for the acquisition of adjacent thin slices without the misregistration problems known from 2D approaches. Still, a major impediment of a 3D acquisition is the increased scan time. The purpose of this study was the implementation of a free‐breathing navigator gated and corrected ultra‐fast 3D coronary MRA technique, which allows for scan times of less than 5 minutes. Twelve healthy adult subjects were examined in the supine position using a navigator gated and corrected ECG triggered ultra‐fast 3D interleaved gradient echo planar imaging sequence (TFE‐EPI). A 3D slab, consisting of 20 slices with a reconstructed slice thickness of 1.5 mm, was acquired with free‐breathing. The diastolic TFE‐EPI acquisition block was preceded by a T2prep pre‐pulse, a diaphragmatic navigator pulse, and a fat suppression pre‐pulse. With a TR of 19 ms and an effective TE of 5.4 ms, the duration of the data acquisition window duration was 38 ms. The in‐plane spatial resolution was 1.0–1.3 mm*1.5–1.9 mm. In all cases, the entire left main (LM) and extensive portions of the left anterior descending (LAD) and right coronary artery (RCA) could be visualized with an average scan time for the entire 3D‐volume data set of 2:57 ± 0:51 minutes. Average contiguous vessel length visualized was 53 ± 11 mm (range: 42 to 75 mm) for the LAD and 84 ± 14 mm (range: 62 to 112 mm) for the RCA. Contrast‐to‐noise between coronary blood and myocardium was 5.0 ± 2.3 for the LM/LAD and 8.0 ± 2.9 for the RCA, resulting in an excellent suppression of myocardium. We present a new approach for free‐breathing 3D coronary MRA, which allows for scan times superior to corresponding 2D coronary MRA approaches, and which takes advantage of the enhanced SNR of 3D acquisitions and the post‐processing benefits of thin adjacent slices. The robust image quality and the short average scanning time suggest that this approach may be useful for screening the major coronary arteries or identification of anomalous coronary arteries. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;10:821–825. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The latent structure of obsessive‐compulsive symptoms: a taxometric study

There is increasing consensus that obsessive‐compulsive (OC) symptoms are heterogeneous clinical phenomena that should be assessed, diagnosed, and treated from a multidimensional perspective. However, it remains unclear whether the heterogeneous OC symptoms represent discrete taxonomic entities. In this study, the categorical versus dimensional nature of OC symptoms and associated cognitions was examined in a large undiagnosed sample using taxometric methods. Six potential OC symptoms (washing, checking, obsessing, neutralizing, ordering, and hoarding) and three potential OC‐related cognitions (responsibility/threat estimation, perfectionism/certainty, and importance of thoughts/control of thoughts) were examined using the MAXimum EIGenvalue and mean above minus below a cut procedures. Findings were largely consistent with dimensional models of the latent structure of all OC symptoms and cognitions with the exception of hoarding. The implications of these findings for the clinical assessment and diagnosis of OC symptoms and obsessive‐compulsive disorder are discussed. Depression and Anxiety, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
[Subjective deafness in case of peri-synaptic audiopathy. Isolated defects of the inner haircells?].

BACKGROUND Damage to or functional impair of the inner hair cells, synapsis or dendrites of the ganglion cells of the auditory nerve result in specific audiometric findings. Due to the normal function of the outer hair cells otoacoustic emissions can be registered, ABR and ECochG show at least elevated thresholds or are absent. PATIENTS We demonstrate 5 cases with these audiological findings described in the literature as Auditory Neuropathy. RESULTS All patients have profound to severe hearing loss with poor speech understanding under best aided conditions with conventional hearing aids. 3 patients, which were implanted with a cochlear implant have speech understanding but one prelingually adult, also implanted, has only sound identification. CONCLUSIONS Hypoxia, carboplatin, ototoxicity and metabolic disorders are possible etiologies for damage to the inner hair cells or synapsis. The results will be discussed with reference to the localisation of the pathology and the definition as Auditory Neuropathy.
Biliary Strictures in 130 Consecutive Right Lobe Living Donor Liver Transplant Recipients: Results of a Western Center

Biliary strictures remain the most challenging aspect of adult right lobe living donor liver transplantation (RLDLT). Between 04/2000 and 10/2005, 130 consecutive RLDLTs were performed in our center and followed prospectively. Median follow‐up was 23 months (range 3–67) and 1‐year graft and patient survival was 85% and 87%, respectively. Overall incidence of biliary leaks (n = 19) or strictures (n = 22) was 32% (41/128) in 33 patients (26%). A duct‐to‐duct (D‐D) or Roux‐en‐Y (R‐Y) anastomosis were performed equally (n = 64 each) with no difference in stricture rate (p = 0.31). The use of ductoplasty increased the number of grafts with a single duct for anastomosis and reduced the biliary complication rate compared to grafts ≥2 ducts (17% vs. 46%; p = 0.02). Independent risk factors for strictures included older donor age and previous history of a bile leak. All strictures were managed nonsurgically initially but four patients ultimately required conversion from D‐D to R‐Y. Ninety‐six percent (123/128) of patients are currently free of any biliary complications. D‐D anastomosis is safe after RLDLT and provides access for future endoscopic therapy in cases of leak or stricture. When presented with multiple bile ducts, ductoplasty should be considered to reduce the potential chance of stricture.
Origin and dispersal of bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, in Japan and Korea

The bluegill sunfish, Lepomis macrochirus, is a notorious exotic species in many freshwater ecosystems, currently expanding its distribution worldwide. In 1960, a small group of bluegills captured in the Mississippi River at Guttenberg in Iowa were imported to Japan as a gift from the mayor of Chicago to the Japanese government. The offspring of these fish were released into the wild in Japan and also in Korea. Over 40 years after this first introduction, L. macrochirus now occupies all the freshwater ecosystems of both countries. We compared invading populations of L. macrochirus in Japan and Korea with native populations in the USA, using PCR–RFLP (polymerase chain reaction–restricted fragment length polymorphism) analyses of mitochondrial DNA, to estimate the origin and dispersal of L. macrochirus in Japan and Korea. Five haplotypes of mitochondrial DNA detected in Japanese and Korean populations completely coincided with the haplotypes of the Guttenberg population. Haplotype diversity of invading populations was shown to be highest in populations established in the 1960s, while genetic variability was lower in more recently established populations. Our results suggest that all L. macrochirus in Japan and Korea have originated from the 15 fish first introduced in 1960. Low haplotype diversity in newly established populations is probably due to genetic drift arising from repeated population bottlenecks, while the high similarity of haplotypes among neighbouring populations is considered to reflect the history of transplantation by humans.
Structural defects and variations in the HIV‐1 nef gene from rapid, slow and non‐progressor children

Objectives: Evaluation of sequence evolution as well as structural defects and mutations of the human immunodeficiency virus‐type 1 (HIV‐1) nef gene in relation to disease progression in infected children. Design: We examined a large number of nef alleles sequentially derived from perinatally HIV‐1‐infected children with different rates of disease progression: six non‐progressors (NPs), four rapid progressors (RPs), and three slow progressors (SPs). Methods: Nef alleles (182 total) were isolated from patients’ peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), sequenced and analysed for their evolutionary pattern, frequency of mutations and occurrence of amino acid variations associated with different stages of disease. Results: The evolution rate of the nef gene apparently correlated with CD4+ decline in all progression groups. Evidence for rapid viral turnover and positive selection for changes were found only in two SPs and two RPs respectively. In NPs, a higher proportion of disrupted sequences and mutations at various functional motifs were observed. Furthermore, NP‐derived Nef proteins were often changed at residues localized in the folded core domain at cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) epitopes (E105, K106, E110, Y132, K164, and R200), while other residues outside the core domain are more often changed in RPs (A43) and SPs (N173 and Y214). Conclusions: Our results suggest a link between nef gene functions and the progression rate in HIV‐1‐infected children. Moreover, non‐progressor‐associated variations in the core domain of Nef, together with the genetic analysis, suggest that nef gene evolution is shaped by an effective immune system in these patients.
Clinical characteristics and outcomes for a modern series of primary gliosarcoma patients

Primary gliosarcoma (PGS) is a rare central nervous system tumor with limited experience reported in the literature. In the current study, the authors present a modern series of confirmed PGS cases treated in the era of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), after the accepted glioblastoma management of resection, radiation, and temozolomide.
Inhibition of IGF-I receptor signaling in combination with rapamycin or temsirolimus increases MYC-N phosphorylation.

BACKGROUND It has been previously shown that blockade of the type 1 insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF1R) signaling combined with mTOR inhibition decreased neuroblastoma proliferation in vitro. MYC-N inactivation occurs through phosphorylation by downstream elements of the IGF1R signaling pathway. It was hypothesized that inhibition of IGF1R signaling would increase the inactivation of MYC-N. MATERIALS AND METHODS BE-2(c) and IMR-32 neuroblastoma cell lines were treated with varying concentrations of alphaIR3, rapamycin and temsirolimus either alone or in combination and the expression of MYC-N and phosphorylated MYC-N proteins were evaluated by Western blotting. The number of apoptotic cells was evaluated through cleaved caspase-3 expression. RESULTS IGF1R signaling blockade in combination with mTOR inhibition decreased MYC-N protein expression, increased MYC-N phosphorylation and significantly increased cleaved caspase-3 expression in treated cells. CONCLUSION The combination of rapamycin or temsirolimus with alphaIR3 decreases MYC-N expression, increases MYC-N phosphorylation and induces apoptosis in vitro which may have clinical relevance to children with neuroblastoma.