Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quorum sensing: an emerging target for antibacterial chemotherapy?

The emergence of bacterial strains exhibiting resistance to multiple antibiotic classes poses a major threat to medicine and public health. This has been compounded over the last few decades by the failure of drug discovery programmes to provide new broad spectrum antibacterials with novel modes of action. As a consequence, there is renewed interest in antibacterial targets which disrupt the capacity of pathogenic bacteria to cause infection by attenuating virulence. In this respect, one crucial feature of almost all bacterial infections is that the pathogen must attain a critical cell population density sufficient to overwhelm the host defences. Many pathogens are now known to regulate diverse physiological processes, including virulence, in a cell density dependent manner through cell–cell communication. This phenomenon, which relies upon the interaction of a diffusible signal molecule with a sensor kinase or response regulator, has become known as ‘quorum sensing’. This review considers the molecular basis of quorum sensing and whether it constitutes a potential therapeutic target for the design of small molecule antagonists capable of controlling infection by attenuating adaptation to the host environment.
Laboratory diagnosis of human infection with avian influenza

Background and epidemiology: Human infection with the Asian strain of avian influenza A (H5N1) virus has heightened our awareness of the potential for the emergence of a pandemic strain of influenza A virus. This Asian strain of H5N1 is highly pathogenic, resulting in severe illness and death in the
Development of an in vivo rat screen model to predict pharmacokinetic interactions of CYP3A4 substrates

With the advent of polytherapy, drug interactions have become a common clinical problem. Although in vitro data are routinely used for the prediction of drug interactions, in vitro systems are not dynamic and sometimes fail to predict drug interactions. We sought to use the rat as an in vivo screening model to predict pharmacokinetic interactions with ketoconazole. The pharmacokinetic studies were conducted following an oral dose of CYP3A substrates and an optimized oral regimen of ketoconazole. In vitro reaction phenotyping was conducted using individual human and rat cDNA-expressed CYP enzymes and human or rat liver microsomes in the presence of ketoconazole. The in vitro experiments indicated that the test compounds were largely metabolized by CYP3A in both human and rat. The compounds could be rank-ordered with respect to the increase in Cmax and area under the curve (AUC) values relative to midazolam in the presence of ketoconazole. The degree of pharmacokinetic interaction with ketoconazole was dependent, in part, upon their in vitro metabolism in the presence of rat CYP3A1/3A2 and in rat and human microsomes, co-incubated with ketoconazole, and on their fraction metabolized (fm) in the rat relative to other disposition pathways. Based on the rank-order of interaction, the compounds could be prioritized for further preclinical development.
New Technologies in Pediatric Diabetes Care

PurposeThe purpose of this article is to provide nurses with an overview of the latest technologies used in the management of diabetes, as well as information about future goals of technology in this arena. Advances in technology have had a major impact on diabetes management in the inpatient and outpatient setting. Children with type 1 diabetes mellitus are increasingly utilizing continuous subcutaneous insulin infusions (insulin pumps) and continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS), both of which have been shown to improve glycemic control and quality of life. Insulin pumps provide users a tool to administer insulin with more efficiency, precision, and flexibility than is possible with injections. The CGMS is able to generate information on glucose values every 1 to 5 minutes, allowing for a more comprehensive analysis of glucose trends and patterns. All devices, however, have limitations, and it is therefore essential that proper education for families and providers be provided to promote successful use and reduce adverse events. Hospitals also need guidelines on how to incorporate these new technologies in an inpatient setting. Future technology is focused on the development of smaller insulin pumps, more patch pumps, multihormone pumps such as with pramlintide, greater CGM accuracy, and a more reliable system for device communication. The ultimate goal of diabetes technology is a closed-loop system where euglycemia can be achieved with minimal patient intervention.
Time Use in the Transition to Adulthood : Cross-National Comparisons

A recent UNICEF report offers the first multi-dimensional overview of children’s and adolescents’ well-being for rich OECD countries (UNICEF, 2007). The Netherlands scored the highest overall on UNICEF’s multidimensional scale that provides a broad picture of child and adolescent well-being, while the United Kingdom scored the lowest among the 21 countries that were ranked. The report notes differences between countries in both the overall measure of well-being and in the specific subscales used. In this paper, we attempt to uncover contextual differences in adolescent time use that may underlie some of these differences in scores. To do this, we focus on time use in two countries – Finland, which had a relatively high ranking (4 th overall), and the United States, which had a relatively low ranking (20 th overall). Our goal is to provide detailed descriptions of adolescent time use with an eye toward raising questions about how time use and its correlates may link to some of the more global measures of child and adolescent well-being used in the UNICEF study.
Development of an Implanted RFID Impedance Sensor for Detecting Gastroesophageal Reflux

A new method to detect gastroesophageal reflux is presented. Based on passive RFID principles, the impedance of the refluxate can be determined. We have designed and fabricated planar coils integrated with electrodes on flexible substrates using standard photolithography processes. The device can be implanted in the esophagus using currently available clinical techniques. In vitro experiments with simulated stomach acid were conducted. An approach to integrate the sensor with RFID systems is proposed. This device can help diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease effectively.
Behavioural and serological human immunodeficiency virus risk factors among female commercial sex workers in Cambodia.

BACKGROUND The spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in Cambodia is mainly caused by sexual transmission and the high-risk group in this country are female commercial sex workers (CSW). There are two types of CSW, direct CSW (DCSW) and indirect CSW (IDCSW), who are different from each other in sexual activities. This study was conducted in order to describe the risk factors on HIV for each type of CSW, and to establish effective preventive strategies against the HIV epidemic among CSW. METHODS The participants, 143 DCSW and 94 IDCSW, were interviewed using a questionnaire to determine their demographic characteristics and behaviour. Blood samples were taken for serological tests on HIV, Chlamydia trachomatis and syphilis. The association between their behavioural pattern and their serological results was analysed. RESULTS The questionnaire study showed that IDCSW had a riskier behavioural pattern than DCSW. The HIV seroprevalence rates of the DCSW and the IDCSW were 52.4% and 22.3%, respectively. Univariate logistic analyses showed a significant association between HIV antibody (HIV-Ab) and current age, age at commencement of commercial sex work, duration of commercial sex work, and the seropositivity of Chlamydia trachomatis-IgG antibody (CT-IgG-Ab) among the DCSW. The analyses also showed a significant relationship between HIV-Ab and CT-IgG-Ab among the IDCSW. CONCLUSIONS Improving condom use rate is very important in order to prevent an HIV epidemic among the two types of CSW. This study also suggests it is important to prevent sexually transmitted disease (STD) such as Chlamydia trachomatis infection. The STD control programme could be efficient for HIV prevention, especially among DCSW.
Nutritional , functional and health promoting attributes of red kidney beans ; A review

Numerous practices of poor nutrition are resulting in under malnutrition and over malnutrition. These conditions caused by a complex array of issues, including dietary inadequacy, infections, and socio-cultural factors. Malnutrition can lead to wasting and stunting, micronutrient deficiencies, as well as diabetes and other diseases. Shifting towards plant based diet is good approach to tackle protein energy malnutrition and health issues. In this context, Red kidney beans consider to be high in component like protein (possess essential amino acid) carbohydrates, dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins. Proteins are normally considered as the prominent macronutrient in red kidney beans. Consumption of red kidney beans has been linked to decreased occurrence of chronic non communicable diseases such diabetes, cancer, obesity and coronary heart diseases. Similarly, red kidney beans contain a variety of phytochemicals. These phytochemicals like, flavonoids, polyphenols and antioxidants are conforming to offer protective physiological effects in the body against numerous ailments i.e. cancer, diabetics, cardiovascular diseases and neurodegenerative. Thus the present aim of this review is to highligh the magnitude of the phytochemicals on such ailments.
A QoS aware Framework to support Minimum Energy Data Aggregation and Routing in Wireless Sensor Networks

In a wireless sensor network (WSN), the sensor nodes obtain data and communicate its data to a centralized node called base station (BS) using intermediate gateway nodes (GN). Because sensors are battery powered, they are highly energy constrained. Data aggregation can be used to combine data of several sensors into a single message, thus reducing sensor communication costs and energy consumption. In this article, the authors propose a QoS aware framework to support minimum energy data aggregation and routing in WSNs. To minimize the energy consumption, a new metric is defined for the evaluation of the path constructed from source to destination. The proposed QoS framework supports the dual goal of load balancing and serving as an admission control mechanism for incoming traffic at a particular sensor node. The results show that the proposed framework supports data aggregation with less energy consumption than earlier strategies.
Clinical predictors of apnoea‐hypopnoea during propofol sedation in patients undergoing spinal anaesthesia *

This study assessed the relationship between the occurrence of apnoea‐hypopnoea during propofol sedation for spinal anaesthesia and two different predictive tests of sleep apnoea: the STOP‐Bang score (snoring while sleeping, daytime tiredness, observed breathing stoppages, high blood pressure–body mass index, age, neck circumference, gender); and the obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) score. Thirty‐four middle‐aged men not diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea received propofol infusions adjusted to produce a bispectral index of 70–75. ApnoeaLinkTM was used to estimate the incidence of apnoea‐hypopnoea. The median (IQR [range]) apnoea‐hypopnoea index was 17 (8–24 [0–70]) events.h−1 and correlated weakly with the STOP‐Bang score (p = 0.022, r = 0.423) and moderately with the OSA score (p < 0.001, r = 0.693). Severe apnoea‐hypopnoea developed more frequently in patients with a higher OSA score (34.5% vs 0%) or higher STOP‐Bang score (27.6% vs 6.9%). Both assessment tools have some predictive value for the occurrence of apnoea‐hypopnoea during propofol sedation in patients undergoing spinal anaesthesia.
Spatiotemporal imaging of THz wave propagation: Polaritonics versus near-field imaging

Two recently developed methods that allow visualizing the interaction of THz radiation with arbitrary structures, namely polaritonics and near-field imaging, are reviewed and compared. THz polaritonics, which relies on complex amplified laser systems, allows single-shot image acquisition in a plane perpendicular to the structures. THz near-field imaging, on the other hand, requires only femtosecond oscillators but is a slower raster scanning technique providing images parallel to the structure plane.
What is the meaning of quantitative CBF?

Proponents of MR imaging, CT with iodine, xenon CT, positron emission tomography (PET), sonography, and soon-to-be-available optical modalities often claim that these techniques quantitate CBF. Vendors provide software and hardware to create images that they claim represent CBF, and increasingly,
Who Benefits from More Structured Depression Treatment?

Objective: This article uses data from two studies that have demonstrated the overall effectiveness of Collaborative Care interventions to evaluate factors associated with poor outcomes overall (general prognostic factors) and factors associated with greater or lesser effects of treatment (differential treatment effects). Methods: Adult primary care patients initiating antidepressant treatment for major depression were randomized to usual care or to Collaborative Care, a structured depression treatment program that included planned, proactive and coordinated care with a health care team and informed, activated patients (n = 156, mean age = 43, 85% white). Response to treatment was defined as a 50% or greater reduction in depression at four months. Results: High neuroticism and a history of recurrent major depression (3+ episodes) or dysthymia predicted poor outcomes in general. While the magnitude of the intervention effects differed, frequently cited predictors of persistence of depression (age, gender, depression severity, medical and psychiatric comorbidity) were not significantly associated with greater or lesser benefit from Collaborative Care (no differential treatment effects). Results demonstrate the robustness of intervention effects across numerous groups at risk for persistence of depression. Conclusions: These findings suggest that at the time of diagnosis it is not possible to predict who is most likely to benefit from Collaborative Care. Instead, outcomes of treatment should be routinely monitored among depressed patients to ensure optimal response.
Distracting communications in the operating theatre.

RATIONALE AND AIMS Research suggests that there are problems of communication effectiveness in surgery. Here we describe the content, initiators and recipients of communications that intrude or interfere with individual surgical cases. We also consider the level at which the surgical team and its team members are distracted by these case-irrelevant communications (CICs). METHODS Two psychologist observers sampled 48 general surgery procedures and they recorded the initiator and the recipient of CIC events, their content and the level of observable distraction that they caused. RESULTS Irrelevant comments and queries (i.e. 'small-talk') accounted for half of the observed CICs. From the remaining CICs that we observed, most were related to the organization and administration of the case-list, to operating theatre provisions and to teaching junior staff. Surgeons initiated a third of the observed CICs, while receiving two thirds of them. External staff visiting the operating theatre initiated the most distracting communications. The CICs addressed to surgeons introduced significantly less distraction to the operating theatre than those addressed to anaesthetists and nurses. CONCLUSIONS Some of the observed CICs contributed to the administration of the operating theatre case-list. Nonetheless, this communication can interfere with highly sensitive work. More effectively co-ordinated communication could reduce this interference. More research should assess the communication effectiveness and the impact of CICs on task performance in the operating theatre.
Minimum-energy point design in FDSOI Regular-Vt

FDSOI has been shown to achieve extremely high performance at low operating voltages: a use-case extremely well suited for applications such as mobile processing. In IoT and Dark Silicon, use cases with extremely low application active times per standby times can be found. Investigated here are the turnover points where the higher threshold voltage and longer channel length options of FDSOI should be used. It was found that for activity factors below 3.2% to 0.5%, depending on the voltage, the Regular VT option of FDSOI should be used.
Antioxidant and Immunotropic Properties of some Lithium Salts.

Article history: Objective: The antioxidant activity and immuno-tropic effects of lithium glutamate, lithium salicylate, lithium benzoate and lithium lactate have been investigated in this work, as a base for new psychotropic medicines. Methods: The antioxidant properties were studied by the voltammetric method. Phagocytic activity of neutrophilic leucocytes and the reaction of blastic transformation of lymphocytes were used as test for assessments of influence of the lithium compounds on the immune cells of human blood. Results: It was revealed absence of toxic action on human blood cells for all tested substances. Lithium benzoate showed the most significant stimulating influence on lymphocytes. Glutamate and benzoate lithium expressed scavenging activity vs oxygen radicals. Salicylate and benzoate lithium revealed significant phagocytosis stimulation effects. Conclusion: Investigated lithium salts expressed antioxidant activity and immunotropic effects, all investigated substance are of interest in medical application for mental diseases and comorbid pathology treatment.
Cell membranes and liposomes dissociate C‐reactive protein (CRP) to form a new, biologically active structural intermediate: mCRPm

Emerging evidence indicates that C‐reactive protein (CRP) has at least two conformationally distinct isoforms, i.e., pentameric CRP (pCRP) and monomeric CRP (mCRP or CRP subunit). Both CRP isoforms are proposed to play roles in inflammation and may participate in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. However, the origin of mCRP in situ and the interplay between the two CRP isoforms under physiological/pathological circumstances remain elusive. Herein, by probing conformational alteration, neoepitope expression, and direct visualization using electron‐microscopy, we have shown that calcium‐dependent binding of pCRP to membranes, including liposomes and cell membranes, led to a rapid but partial structural change, producing molecules that express CRP subunit antigenicity but with retained native pentameric conformation. This hybrid molecule is herein termed mCRPm. The formation of mCRPm was associated with significantly enhanced complement fixation. mCRPm can further detach from membrane to form the well‐recognized mCRP isoform converted in solution (mCRPs) and exert potent stimulatory effects on endothelial cells. The membrane‐induced pCRP dissociation not only provides a physiologically relevant scenario for mCRP formation but may represent an important mechanism for regulating CRP function. —Shang‐Rong Ji, Yi Wu, Li Zhu, Lawrence A. Potempa, Fen‐Ling Sheng, Wei Lu, and Jing Zhao. Cell membranes and liposomes dissociate C‐reactive protein (CRP) to form a new, biologically active structural intermediate: mCRPm. FASEB J. 21, 284‐294 (2007)
[Structure and function of HIV virion].

多 くのウイルス と同 じように,HIVも 感染サイクルの中でウイルス粒子(ビ リオン)の 形 になることで感染を拡大 し,時 に標的細胞を変 えて渡 り歩 き,宿 主の免疫系を凌駕 して繁栄 している. こ うしたことからビリオンとな り,細 胞 外に存在するときのHIVに ついての知見 を得てい くことは細胞内でのHIVの 動向を知ろうとするのと同様に重要なことである. HIV の ビリオンが初めてとらえられたのは1983年 のことであ り,当 初それ は(お そ らく思いこみと出版を急いだために)「典型的なC型RNA腫 瘍ウイ ルスの形状」であると報告 されたが1),以 後の報告によって,「VISNAウ イル スに酷似 した形状」 とな り,レ ンチウイルスであることが判明 した14). HIVの 粒子 は直径約120nmの 球状で,ウ イルス糖 タンパ クEnv(gp120,gp41)が 植 え付けられた宿主細胞由来の脂質二重膜か らなるエ ンベ ロープ,エ ンベロー プを裏打ちするウイルス蛋 白群Gagの 一つであるマ トリックス(MA),そ の 内側にやは りGagの1つ,カ プシド(CA)蛋 白か らなる円錐台状 をしたコア が存在する. コ アの内側 にヌクレオカプシ ド蛋白(NC)に 取 り巻かれて二量 体化 しているポジティブー本鎖RNAの ウイルスゲノムが存在する. ウ イルス 酵素であるプロテアーゼ(PR),逆 転写酵素(RT),イ ンテグラーゼ(IN), さらにウイルス由来のアクセサリー蛋 白のい くつか も粒子内に存在 してお り, 様々な働 きをしていると考えられている(図1). こ こではHIVの 生活環に合 わせて各ステップごとに順を追って研究の現状や最近の トピックを取 り上げ, 併せて将来の展望を述べてみたい. 図2に はHIV粒 子が生成 してから感染す るまでに経るイベン トを模式的に示 した.
Autocrine Type I Interferon Amplifies Dendritic Cell Responses to Lipopolysaccharide via the Nuclear Factor‐κB/p38 Pathways

The central role of dendritic cells (DC) in the initiation of immune responses requires these cells to be able to determine the degree of danger in their microenvironment. Abrogating the activity of type I interferon (IFN) secreted after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation of DC inhibits CD86 and human leucocyte antigen‐DR (HLA‐DR) upregulation at a low LPS concentration. At a higher concentration of LPS, while changes in surface phenotype are not dependent on type I IFN, this cytokine is required for maximal secretion of interleukin‐12 (IL‐12) and tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNFα) by DC. Thus, the secretion and autocrine activity of type I IFN after Toll‐like receptor stimulation enables DC to orchestrate a hierarchical maturation response with regard to changes in surface phenotype and secretion of cytokines. In addition, the activation of nuclear factor‐κB and p38 pathways in DC can occur either in an additive fashion when DC are exposed to dual stimulation or can be activated in discrete phases over time when DC are exposed to LPS alone. The differential activation of these pathways provides a mechanism for DC to integrate the activation by multiple stimuli and thus amplify responses to pathogen infection.
SV2B Regulates Synaptotagmin 1 by Direct Interaction*

SV2 proteins are abundant synaptic vesicle proteins expressed in two major (SV2A and SV2B) and one minor (SV2C) isoform. SV2A and SV2B have been shown to be involved in the regulation of synaptic vesicle exocytosis. Previous studies found that SV2A, but not SV2B, can interact with the cytoplasmic domain of synaptotagmin 1, a Ca2+ sensor for synaptic vesicle exocytosis. To determine whether SV2B can interact with full-length synaptotagmin 1, we performed immunoprecipitations from brain protein extracts and found that SV2B interacts strongly with synaptotagmin 1 in a detergent-resistant, Ca2+-independent manner. In contrast, an interaction between native SV2A and synaptotagmin 1 was not detectable under these conditions. The SV2B-synaptotagmin 1 complex also contained the synaptic t-SNARE proteins, syntaxin 1 and SNAP-25, suggesting that SV2B may participate in exocytosis by modulating the interaction of synaptotagmin 1 with t-SNARE proteins. Analysis of retinae in SV2B knock-out mice revealed a strong reduction in the level of synaptotagmin 1 in rod photoreceptor synapses, which are unique in that they express only the SV2B isoform. In contrast, other synaptic vesicle proteins were not affected by SV2B knock out, indicating a specific role for SV2B in the regulation of synaptotagmin 1 levels at certain synapses. These experiments suggest that the SV2B-synaptotagmin 1 complex is involved in the regulation of synaptotagmin 1 stability and/or trafficking. This study has demonstrated a new role of SV2B as a regulator of synaptotagmin 1 that is likely mediated by direct interaction of these two synaptic proteins.