Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Citrate Transport System of Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis Is Induced by Acid Stress

ABSTRACT Citrate transport in Lactococcus lactis subsp.lactis biovar diacetylactis is catalyzed by citrate permease P (CitP), which is encoded by the plasmidic citPgene. We have shown previously that citP is included in thecitQRP operon, which is mainly transcribed from the P1 promoter in L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis. Furthermore, transcription of citQRP and citrate transport are not induced by the presence of citrate in the growth medium. In this work, we analyzed the influence of the extracellular pH on the expression of citP. The citrate transport system is induced by natural acidification of the medium during cell growth and by a shift to media buffered at acidic pHs. This inducible response to acid stress takes place at the transcriptional level and seems to be due to increased utilization of the P1 promoter. Increased transcription correlates with increased synthesis of CitP and results in higher citrate transport activity catalyzed by the cells. Finally, this acid stress response seems to provide L. lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis with a selective advantage resulting from cometabolism of glucose and citrate at low pHs.
GLIOMA RESEARCH ON THE MOVE

In Greek mythology, Sisyphos, king of Corinth, was punished in Hades for his trickery against Thanatos, the God of death. When his time had come and Thanatos came to fetch him, Sisyphos had him chained up so that no one on earth died until Ares, the God of War, came to free Thanatos. Before Sisyphos was taken to the underworld with the help of Ares, he asked his wife to leave his body unburied. When he reached Hades he was permitted to go back to earth to punish his wife, and he lived to a ripe old age before dying a second time. His trickery resulted in his eternal punishment in Hades. The cunning Sisyphos had to roll a huge stone up a mountain over and over again (Britannica Concise Encyclopedia 2006).
Cystic leukoencephalopathy with cortical dysplasia related to LAMB1 mutations

Several diseases related to anomalies of basement membrane components are known.1,2 Among these disorders, cerebral white matter involvement is well-documented with respect to mutations in COL4A1-2, coding for the α1 and α2 chains of collagen IV, as well as mutations in LAMA2, coding for laminin α2. 2 Recently, mutations in another laminin-encoding gene, LAMB1, have been reported in patients presenting a severe malformative encephalopathy.3 We present 2 siblings from a nonconsanguineous family who extend the phenotype of the LAMB1-related disorder.
Evolutionary optimization of video event classification

Detection and classification of semantic events in video documents have been major tasks in the domain of automatic video analysis. The multimodality of video data brings about challenging issues and the effectiveness of its automatic semantic processing has been hampered by the video semantic gap, that is, the gap between low-level visual and spatio-temporal features used as a digital representation of video documents and their semantic interpretation. Traditionally, these low-level features are concatenated in high-dimensional spaces and classified as high-level semantic events through computational learning methods. Support vector machines (SVMs), widely used in the literature, have often shown to outperform other popular learning techniques for this task. However, concatenation of several features with different intrinsic properties and wide dynamical ranges may result in curse of dimensionality and redundancy issues. Among the factors impacting the effectiveness of classification are (i) feature subset selection, (ii) tuning of classifiers’ parameters and (iii) selection of proper training instances. In this paper, we address these factors and propose a technique (denoted as GAoptSVM) for an optimal SVM-based video event classification through the use of an evolutionary optimization technique. Extensive experiments on the 50 h video data set of TRECVid 2008 event detection task and large quantities of video data collected from Youtube and CMU Graphics Lab Motion Capture Database demonstrate that our approach outperforms the traditional SVM and effectively classify video events with noticeable accuracy.
One of Twenty Questions for the Twenty-First Century: How Do Brain Regions Interact and Integrate Information?

What new insights will the twenty-first century bring to our understanding of how the brain supports cognition? At least one fundamental issue that will challenge scientists is uncovering the means by which the brain works as a cohesive and integrated processor to support mental functioning. The prevailing model today is that of localization of function, in which discrete functions are performed by distinct brain regions. Support for this perspective has been accumulating for at least a century, with the recent explosion in neuroimaging studies only reinforcing such a view. For example, neuroimaging studies have confirmed findings from patient populations linking dorsolateral prefrontal regions to working memory, superior parietal regions to attentional functions, and medial temporal regions to the acquisition of new declarative memories. It is probably fair to say that a major contribution of twentieth-century science has been to recognize that cognition is fractionated into biologically distinct components and to move toward mapping the neural geography of psychological functioning. Nonetheless, we still have very little knowledge about how the biologically localizable and separable components of cognition are ‘‘bound together’’ to produce everyday behaviors. Trying to remember where one might have left one’s keys, for instance, probably involves some interaction between the frontal lobes (which help with the strategic aspects of memory retrieval) and the temporal lobes (which help with accessing stored memories). As another example, consider maneuvering through a traffic jam in downtown Chicago while trying to ignore distracting music from the radio, honking horns and a back seat driver. This daunting task most likely requires interactions between the parietal lobes, which encode the spatial positions
Yield of p53 expression in esophageal squamous cell cancer and its relationship with survival

Background/Aims: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most aggressive type of cancer. Mutation of tumor suppressor gene p53 is observed in many gastrointestinal malignancies including ESCC. The immunohistochemical protein expression of mutant p53 has been proposed as a potential tool to evaluate the biological behavior of ESCC. Predictive value of p53 for survival is debatable, hence this study was formulated to know the survival of patients with p53 expression in ESCC. Patients and Methods: We prospectively included 91 consecutive patients of ESCC from August 2014 to August 2016. Biopsy specimens were treated immunohistochemically and expression of p53 gene was analyzed by Immunoreactive Score (IRS). These findings were then compared with clinicopathological parameters such as age, gender, histological grades, and TNM stages. All patients received treatment and were kept under regular follow-up. Results: M: F ratio was 2.03:1. p53 expression analyzed by IRS showed low expression (score ≤6) in 35 patients (38.46%) and high expression (>6) in 56 patients (61.54%). Level of p53 expression increased significantly with increasing histological grades of ESCC and TNM stage (P ≤ 0.001). Multivariate analysis shows p53 expression as independent predictor of survival. After 1 year of follow up, survival in the p53 high-expression group was 67.86% [standard error (SE) = 0.0473, confidence interval (CI) = 0.75–0.97) and in low p53 expression group was 91.43% (SE = 0.06, CI = 0.53–0.78) with statistically significant difference P = 0.0001 when analyzed with Kaplan–Meier method. Conclusion: Expression of p53 correlates with the survival and is a simple, effective and reproducible modality to determine the prognosis and survival in ESCC.
Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Myth by John Kelly, Ellis Horwood, Hemel Hempstead, UK, 1995, 253 pp. (£34.95)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: A MODERN MYTH by John Kelly, Ellis Horwood, Hemel Hempstead, UK, 1995, 253 pp. (£34.95). The title of this work is a slight misnomer, in that Kelly is not suggesting that artificial intelligence (Al) as a whole is a myth, rather the quest for the Holy Grail, a thinking machine, is as mythical as that of King Arthur's Knights. Like the Arthurian legend, it is a myth designed to inspire; the numerous practical Al systems at work in the real world are proof of its potency. Recently there has been a plethora of books questioning the feasibility of strong Al, including works by Penrose,' Bringsjord, Moody and this title from Kelly. All these works have much to offer the interested agnostic, but Kelly's remains the most comprehensive in scope and the most thorough in content. What gives this work its Trojan edge is that it is written by a Computer Scientist with a comprehensive knowledge of what has been, and is being, achieved by the Al community. Kelly begins his treatise by outlining the main thrust of his argument to call into question the base assumptions of Al, and, in particular, the use of misleadingly anthropomorphic language. The result of his examination is a trenchant expose of the superficial nature of the attribution of human qualities and behaviours to computers. Kelly first demonstrates how the classical definition of Al:
Cefepime-Aztreonam: a Unique Double β-Lactam Combination for Pseudomonas aeruginosa

ABSTRACT An in vitro pharmacokinetic model was used to determine if aztreonam could enhance the pharmacodynamics of cefepime or ceftazidime against an isogenic panel of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 164, including wild-type (WT), partially derepressed (PD), and fully derepressed (FD) phenotypes. Logarithmic-phase cultures were exposed to peak concentrations achieved in serum with 1- or 2-g intravenous doses, elimination pharmacokinetics were simulated, and viable bacterial counts were measured over three 8-h dosing intervals. In studies with cefepime and cefepime-aztreonam against the PD strain, samples were also filter sterilized, assayed for active cefepime, and assayed for nitrocefin hydrolysis activity before and after overnight dialysis. Against WT strains, the cefepime-aztreonam combination was the most active regimen, but viable counts at 24 h were only 1 log below those in cefepime-treated cultures. Against PD and FD strains, the antibacterial activity of cefepime-aztreonam was significantly enhanced over that of each drug alone, with 3.5 logs of killing by 24 h. Hydrolysis and bioassay studies demonstrated that aztreonam was inhibiting the extracellular cephalosporinase that had accumulated and was thus protecting cefepime in the extracellular environment. In contrast to cefepime-aztreonam, the pharmacodynamics of ceftazidime-aztreonam were not enhanced over those of aztreonam alone. Further pharmacodynamic studies with five other P. aeruginosa strains producing increased levels of cephalosporinase demonstrated that the enhanced pharmacodynamics of cefepime-aztreonam were not unique to the isogenic panel. The results of these studies demonstrate that aztreonam can enhance the antibacterial activity of cefepime against derepressed mutants of P. aeruginosaproducing increased levels of cephalosporinase. This positive interaction appears to be due in part to the ability of aztreonam to protect cefepime from extracellular cephalosporinase inactivation. Clinical evaluation of this combination is warranted.
Monoclonal secretory immunoglobulin A protects mice against oral challenge with the invasive pathogen Salmonella typhimurium

Hybridomas producing monoclonal immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies against Salmonella typhimurium were generated by mucosal immunization of BALB/c mice with attenuated strains of S. typhimurium and subsequent fusion of Peyer's patch lymphoblasts with myeloma cells. To test the role of secretory IgA (sIgA) in protection against Salmonella sp. , we analyzed in detail the protective capacity of a monoclonal IgA, Sal4, produced in polymeric as well as monomeric forms, that is directed against a carbohydrate epitope exposed on the surface of S. typhimurium. BALB/c mice bearing subcutaneous Sal4 hybridoma tumors and secreting monoclonal sIgA into their gastrointestinal tracts were protected against oral challenge with S. typhimurium. This protection was directly dependent on specific recognition by the monoclonal IgA, since mice secreting Sal4 IgA from hybridoma tumors were not protected against a fully virulent mutant that lacks the Sal4 epitope. Although monoclonal Sal4 IgA was present in the bloodstreams and tissues of tumor-bearing mice, it did not protect against intraperitoneal challenge and did not possess complement-fixing or bacteriocidal activity in vitro. Taken together, these results indicate that secretion of sIgA alone can prevent infection by an invasive enteric pathogen, presumably by immune exclusion at the mucosal surface.
Web-Based Recruiting for Health Research Using a Social Networking Site: An Exploratory Study

Background Recruitment of young people for health research by traditional methods has become more expensive and challenging over recent decades. The Internet presents an opportunity for innovative recruitment modalities. Objective To assess the feasibility of recruiting young females using targeted advertising on the social networking site Facebook. Methods We placed an advertisement on Facebook from May to September 2010, inviting 16- to 25-year-old females from Victoria, Australia, to participate in a health study. Those who clicked on the advertisement were redirected to the study website and were able to express interest by submitting their contact details online. They were contacted by a researcher who assessed eligibility and invited them to complete a health-related survey, which they could do confidentially and securely either at the study site or remotely online. Results A total of 551 females responded to the advertisement, of whom 426 agreed to participate, with 278 completing the survey (139 at the study site and 139 remotely). Respondents’ age distribution was representative of the target population, while 18- to 25-year-olds were more likely to be enrolled in the study and complete the survey than 16- to 17-year-olds (prevalence ratio = 1.37, 95% confidence interval 1.05–1.78, P = .02). The broad geographic distribution (major city, inner regional, and outer regional/remote) and socioeconomic profile of participants matched the target population. Predictors of participation were older age, higher education level, and higher body mass index. Average cost in advertising fees per compliant participant was US $20, making this highly cost effective. Conclusions Results demonstrate the potential of using modern information and communication technologies to engage young women in health research and penetrate into nonurban communities. The success of this method has implications for future medical and population research in this and other demographics.
Models of Organ Regeneration Processes Induced by Templates

Regeneration templates are analogs of the extracellular matrix (ECM) which have been shown to induce at least partial organ regeneration in animals or humans who have lost significant organ mass owing to trauma or disease. The identification of an ECM analog as a regeneration template requires succesful performance both in qualitative and quantitative assays of the presumptive regenerate. Convincing evidence that regeneration has, in fact, occurred must be based on observation of definitive recovery of both structure and function in an anatomically well-defined defect. Furthermore, there must be evidence that the mass of the regenerated organ which forms in the absence of the template (spontaneous regeneration) is negligibly small relative to that which is induced in its presence. The adult mammal generally does not regenerate organs that may have lost mass from disease or trauma. Loss of organ mass due to trauma is typically accompanied by contraction of the lesion and synthesis of scar tissue. Although most of our understanding of the spontaneous response to organ loss is derived from studies of skin wounds, there is evidence that contraction and scar synthesis are the obligatory results of wound healing in several other organ sites in the adult mammal. Several procedures have been developed since 1950 to assist humans who have suffered organ failure due to disease or trauma. Among these transplantation, autografting and implantation of “permanent” engineering prostheses are used most widely. Substantial research effort has also been expended in an attempt to synthesize organs in vitro. The subject of this review, organ regeneration, represents a fifth approach: in vivo synthesis of organs. I will first summarize the evidence for regeneration of skin (in animals and humans), peripheral nerves (animals) and the knee meniscus (animals). The experimental parameters which must be adjusted to approriate levels in order for a definitive test of regeneration to be made will be reviewed next, followed by extensive modeling of the complex sequence of processes (mechanism) which ultimately lead to regeneration. It is expected that the empirical rules outlined in these sections will assist other workers who wish to experiment in this developing field. Finally, the structures of two regeneration templates will be briefly compared.
Exclusion mapping of the Cohen syndrome gene from the Prader‐Willi syndrome locus

Karyotype and DNA analyses using DNA probes were carried out in a family with the Cohen syndrome. Two affected brothers had normal chromosomal constitutions. A major deletion or duplication of genomic DNA fragments hybridized with the DNA probes, pML34 at D15S9 locus and pTD3‐21 at D15S10 locus, assigned on 15q11‐q12 was not detected in the patients. In addition, a linkage of the syndrome to D15S9 and D15S10 loci was not observed in the family. These data suggest that a gene for the Cohen syndrome is excluded from the 15q11‐q12 region, on which a gene for the Prader‐Willi syndrome is assigned, and that the Cohen syndrome is distinctly different from the Prader‐Willi syndrome, although clinical manifestations of the Cohen and the Prader‐Willi syndromes are very similar.
Childhood Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Until recently, the majority of cases of diabetes mellitus among children and adolescents were immune-mediated type 1a diabetes. Obesity has led to a dramatic increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) among children and adolescents over the past 2 decades. Obesity is strongly associated with insulin resistance, which, when coupled with relative insulin deficiency, leads to the development of overt T2DM. Children and adolescents with T2DM may experience the microvascular and macrovascular complications of this disease at younger ages than individuals who develop diabetes in adulthood, including atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, stroke, myocardial infarction, and sudden death; renal insufficiency and chronic renal failure; limb-threatening neuropathy and vasculopathy; and retinopathy leading to blindness. Health care professionals are advised to perform the appropriate screening in children at risk for T2DM, diagnose the condition as early as possible, and provide rigorous management of the disease.
Direct Molecular Typing of Borrelia burgdorferi Sensu Lato Species in Synovial Samples from Patients with Lyme Arthritis

ABSTRACT Since Lyme arthritis was first described in the United States, it has now been reported in many countries of Europe. However, very few strains of the causative bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, have been isolated from synovial samples. For this reason, different molecular direct typing methods were developed recently to assess which species could be involved in Lyme arthritis in Europe. We developed a simple oligonucleotide typing method with PCR fragments from the flagellin gene of B. burgdorferi sensu lato, which is able to differentiate seven different Borrelia species. Among 10 consecutive PCR-positive patients with Lyme arthritis from the northeastern France, two species were identified in synovial samples:B. burgdorferi sensu stricto in 9 cases and B. garinii in 1 case. Conversely, all B. burgdorferisensu lato species detected in 10 consecutive PCR-positive biopsies from a second set of patients with erythema migrans from the same geographical area were identified as either B. afzelii orB. garinii (P < 0.001). These results indicate that B. burgdorferi sensu stricto is the principal but not the only Borrelia species involved in Lyme arthritis in northeastern France.
Trypanosoma cruzi glycoprotein of Mr 56000: characterization and assessment of its potential to protect against fatal parasite infections

A ∼ 56 000 Da membrane glycoprotein purified from epimastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi was characterized biochemically and tested for its efficacy to induce protection in mice from a lethal challenge with this protozoan parasite. Immunofluorescence assays with live and formalin‐fixed epimastigotes and trypomastigotes localized the glycoprotein to the flagellum, the body of the parasite, and the cell membrane. Immunoblotting demonstrated the glyco‐protein's presence in nearly equal amounts in all developmental stages of several T. cruzi isolates. Mice immunized with the purified glycoprotein and challenged with 10000 infectious trypomastigote forms of isolate Y survived the controls by up to four days. This significant protection makes this antigen a potential candidate for a multi‐subunit vaccine against 7. cruzi.
Class III β-tubulin expression in tumor cells predicts response and outcome in patients with non–small cell lung cancer receiving paclitaxel

Both fundamental and clinical studies suggest that class III β-tubulin expression is associated with resistance to taxanes and constitutes a prognostic factor in several solid tumors. In this study, we assessed the prognostic and predictive value of class III β-tubulin in tumors of patients with locally advanced or metastatic non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with paclitaxel-based or other regimens that did not include tubulin-binding agents. Expression of class III β-tubulin was examined immunohistochemically in 91 tumor samples obtained before treatment from patients with stage III and IV NSCLC, including 47 who received paclitaxel-based regimens and 44 who received regimens without tubulin-binding agents. Response to chemotherapy, progression-free survival, and overall survival were correlated with the expression of class III β-tubulin protein. The response rate was 37.5% (16 responses among 45 evaluable patients) among patients receiving paclitaxel. Patients whose tumors expressed low levels of class III β-tubulin isotype had a better response rate, longer progression-free survival, and overall survival (P < 0.001, 0.004, and 0.002, respectively), whereas this variable was not found to be predictive in patients receiving regimens without tubulin-binding agents. A multivariate analysis taking into account sex, age, histology, stage, and class III β-tubulin confirmed that low-level class III β-tubulin expression was independently correlated with progression-free survival (P = 0.003) and overall survival (P = 0.003). These findings suggest that the expression levels of class III β-tubulin in tumor cells is predictive of response to therapy and patient outcome in patients with NSCLC receiving paclitaxel-based chemotherapy but is not a general prognostic factor in this patient population. [Mol Cancer Ther 2005;4(12):2001–7]