Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of in vitro exposure to power frequency magnetic fields on UV‐induced DNA damage of rat lymphocytes

The mechanisms of biological effects of 50/60 Hz (power frequency) magnetic fields (MF) are still poorly understood. There are a number of studies indicating that MF affect biochemical processes in which free radicals are involved, such as the biological objects' response to ultraviolet radiation (UVA). Therefore, the present study was aimed to assess the effect of 50 Hz MFs on the oxidative deterioration of DNA in rat lymphocytes irradiated in vitro by UVA. UVA radiation (150 J/m2) was applied for 5 min for all groups and 50 Hz MF (40 μT rms) exposure was applied for some of the groups for 5 or 60 min. The level of DNA damage was assessed using the alkaline comet assay, the fluorescence microscope, and image analysis. It has been found that the 1 h exposure to MF caused an evident increase in all parameters consistent with damaged DNA. This suggest that MF affects the radical pairs generated during the oxidative or enzymatic processes of DNA repair. Bioelectromagnetics 25:560–562, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM‐1) expression and its role in neutrophil‐induced ischemia‐reperfusion injury in rat liver

The potential role of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) in the pathogenesis of reperfusion injury was investigated in male Fischer rats subjected to 45 min of hepatic ischemia and 24 h of reperfusion. ICAM‐1 mRNA levels increased during ischemia in the ischemic liver lobes; however, during reperfusion mRNA levels increased in both the ischemic and nonischemic lobes. Immunohistochemical evaluation indicated ICAM‐1 expression only on sinusoidal lining cells in controls; ischemia‐reperfusion enhanced ICAM‐1 expression in the sinusoids and induced some expression on hepatocytes. The monoclonal anti–ICAM‐1 antibody 1A29, but not an immunoglobulin G control antibody, administered at 1 h and 8 h of reperfusion (2 mg/kg) significantly attenuated liver injury as indicated by 51% lower plasma alanine aminotransferase activities and 32–36% less hepatic necrosis at 24 h without affecting reactive oxygen formation by Kupffer cells and hepatic neutrophils. Although 1A29 reduced neutrophil extravasation in a glycogen peritonitis by 60%, the antibody had no significant effect on hepatic neutrophil infiltration during reperfusion. These data suggest that ICAM‐1 plays a significant role during the neutrophil‐dependent injury phase after hepatic ischemia and reperfusion and therefore blocking this adhesion molecule may have therapeutic potential against postischemic acute liver failure. J. Leukoc. Biol. 57: 368–374; 1995.
Corrosion Potential Sensor for Remote Monitoring of Civil Structure Based on Printed Circuit Board Sensor

We present a printed circuit board-based wireless inductively coupled corrosion potential sensor for monitoring corrosion of steel-reinforced concrete civil infrastructure. The sensor is a passive LC coil resonator whose resonant frequency varies owing to the corrosion potential produced by two electrodes connected across a voltage-controlled capacitor. The junction capacitance of the voltage-controlled capacitor also varies according to the potential generated by the two electrodes, which is in turn responsible for changing resonant frequency of the sensor. The two electrodes are a stainless steel reference electrode and a steel reinforcement electrode. An external interrogator coil coupled with the sensor coil monitors the sensor resonant frequency shift remotely by measuring the impedance change from the source end. The sensor has a sensitivity of ~1.2 kHz/mV both before and after it is embedded in the cement-based mortar used for testing the sensor. The sensor can be used to sense the corrosion susceptibility of existing structures by embedding the corrosion electrodes in new grout within a small slot formed in an existing structure. Using this approach, weight concentrations of NaCl mixed in cement-based mortars of greater than 2%-3% were detected. Accelerated corrosion tests on embedded sensors in simulations of both new and existing structure demonstrated corrosion potential resolution of less than 10 mV and an uncertainty of less than 50 mV. The sensor is simple in design, inexpensive, and passive making it a battery-less option for long-term corrosion monitoring, and widely deployable for civil structure.
Septins AspA and AspC Are Important for Normal Development and Limit the Emergence of New Growth Foci in the Multicellular Fungus Aspergillus nidulans

ABSTRACT Septins are cytoskeletal proteins found in fungi, animals, and microsporidia, where they form multiseptin complexes that act as scaffolds recruiting and organizing other proteins to ensure normal cell division and development. Here we characterize the septins AspA and AspC in the multicellular, filamentous fungus Aspergillus nidulans. Mutants with deletions of aspA, aspC, or both aspA and aspC show early and increased germ tube and branch emergence, abnormal septation, and disorganized conidiophores. Strains in which the native aspA has been replaced with a single copy of aspA-GFP driven by the native septin promoter or in which aspC has been replaced with a single copy of aspC-GFP driven by the native promoter show wild-type phenotypes. AspA-GFP and AspC-GFP show identical localization patterns as discrete spots or bars in dormant and expanding conidia, as rings at forming septa and at the bases of emerging germ tubes and branches, and as punctate spots and filaments in the cytoplasm and at the cell cortex. In conidiophores, AspA-GFP and AspC-GFP localize as diffuse bands or rings at the bases of emerging layers and conidial chains and as discrete spots or bars in newly formed conidia. AspA-GFP forms abnormal structures in ΔaspC strains while AspC-GFP does not localize in ΔaspA strains. Our results suggest that AspA and AspC interact with each other and are important for normal development, especially for preventing the inappropriate emergence of germ tubes and branches. This is the first report of a septin limiting the emergence of new growth foci in any organism.
ParC and GyrA May Be Interchangeable Initial Targets of Some Fluoroquinolones in Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT To evaluate the role of known topoisomerase IV and gyrase mutations in the fluoroquinolone (FQ) resistance of Streptococcus pneumoniae, we transformed susceptible strain R6 with PCR-generated fragments encompassing the quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of parC orgyrA from different recently characterized FQ-resistant mutants. Considering the MICs of FQs and the GyrA and/or ParC mutations of the individual transformants, we found three levels of resistance. The first level was obtained when a single target, ParC or GyrA, depending on the FQ, was modified. An additional mutation(s) in a second target, GyrA or ParC, led to the second level. The highest increases in resistance levels were seen for Bay y3118 and moxifloxacin with the transformant harboring a double mutation in both ParC and GyrA. When a single modified target was considered, only the ParC mutation(s) led to an increase in the MICs of pefloxacin and trovafloxacin. In contrast, the GyrA or ParC mutation(s) could lead to increases in the MICs of ciprofloxacin, sparfloxacin, grepafloxacin, Bay y3118, and moxifloxacin. These results suggest that the preferential target of trovafloxacin and pefloxacin is ParC, whereas either ParC or GyrA may both be initial targets for the remaining FQs tested. The contribution of the ParC and GyrA mutations to efflux-mediated FQ resistance was also examined. Active efflux was responsible for two- to fourfold increases in the MICs of ciprofloxacin for the transformants, regardless of the initial FQ resistance levels of the recipients.
The Bacillus subtilis yaaH Gene Is Transcribed by SigE RNA Polymerase during Sporulation, and Its Product Is Involved in Germination of Spores

ABSTRACT The expression of 21 novel genes located in the region fromdnaA to abrB of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome was analyzed. One of the genes,yaaH, had a predicted promoter sequence conserved among SigE-dependent genes. Northern blot analysis revealed thatyaaH mRNA was first detected from 2 h after the cessation of logarithmic growth (T2) of sporulation in wild-type cells and in spoIIIG (SigG−) andspoIVCB (SigK−) mutants but not inspoIIAC (SigF−) and spoIIGAB(SigE−) mutants. The transcription start point was determined by primer extension analysis; the −10 and −35 regions are very similar to the consensus sequences recognized by SigE-containing RNA polymerase. A YaaH-His tag fusion encoded by a plasmid with a predicted promoter for the yaaH gene was produced fromT2 of sporulation in a B. subtilis transformant and extracted from mature spores, indicating that the yaaH gene product is a spore protein. Inactivation of the yaaH gene by insertion of an erythromycin resistance gene did not affect vegetative growth or spore resistance to heat, chloroform, and lysozyme. The germination ofyaaH mutant spores in a mixture ofl-asparagine, d-glucose,d-fructose, and potassium chloride was almost the same as that of wild-type spores, but the mutant spores were defective inl-alanine-stimulated germination. These results suggest that yaaH is a novel gene encoding a spore protein produced in the mother cell compartment from T2 of sporulation and that it is required for thel-alanine-stimulated germination pathway.
Alteration of Intestinal Dysbiosis by Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Does not Induce Remission in Patients with Chronic Active Ulcerative Colitis

Background: In patients with ulcerative colitis (UC), alterations of the intestinal microbiota, termed dysbiosis, have been postulated to contribute to intestinal inflammation. Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been used as effective therapy for recurrent Clostridium difficile colitis also caused by dysbiosis. The aims of the present study were to investigate if patients with UC benefit from FMT and if dysbiosis can be reversed. Methods: Six patients with chronic active UC nonresponsive to standard medical therapy were treated with FMT by colonoscopic administration. Changes in the colonic microbiota were assessed by 16S rDNA–based microbial community profiling using high-throughput pyrosequencing from mucosal and stool samples. Results: All patients experienced short-term clinical improvement within the first 2 weeks after FMT. However, none of the patients achieved clinical remission. Microbiota profiling showed differences in the modification of the intestinal microbiota between individual patients after FMT. In 3 patients, the colonic microbiota changed toward the donor microbiota; however, this did not correlate with clinical response. On phylum level, there was a significant reduction of Proteobacteria and an increase in Bacteroidetes after FMT. Conclusions: FMT by a single colonoscopic donor stool application is not effective in inducing remission in chronic active therapy–refractory UC. Changes in the composition of the intestinal microbiota were significant and resulted in a partial improvement of UC-associated dysbiosis. The results suggest that dysbiosis in UC is at least in part a secondary phenomenon induced by inflammation and diarrhea rather than being causative for inflammation in this disease.
Molecular dynamics of mouse and Syrian hamster PrP: Implications for activity

Molecular dynamics computer simulations have been performed on Mouse (Mo) and Syrian Hamster (SHa) prion proteins. These proteins differ, primarily, in that the SHa form incorporates additional residues at the C‐terminus and also includes a segment of the unstructured N‐terminal region that is required for infectivity. The 1‐ns simulations have been analyzed by using a combination of dynamical cross‐correlation maps, residue‐residue contact plots, digital filtering, and residue‐based root‐mean‐square deviations. The results show that the extra residues present in the SHa form at the C‐ and N‐termini produce changes in the stability of key regions of the protein. The loop region between strand S2 and helix B that contains part of the proposed discontinuous binding site for the chaperone, protein X, is found to be more stable in SHa than in the Mo protein; these results are consistent with the NMR data of James et al. ( James et al. , Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1997;94:10086–10091). In addition, a degree of flexibility within the region between and including strand S1 and helix A is also shown in SHa, which is not present in the Mo form; the cross‐correlation maps suggest that this is a consequence of the additional unstructured N‐terminal region. Furthermore, the extra residues in the N‐terminal region of SHa are found to form a β‐bridge with the β‐sheet, within which critical point mutations associated with prion diseases lie. The implications of these results for the conformational interconversion pathway of the prion protein are discussed. Proteins 2000;38:327–340. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
An in vitro study of coronal microleakage around bonded amalgam coronal-radicular cores in endodontically treated molar teeth.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to compare the coronal microleakage of conventional and bonded amalgam coronal-radicular (Nayyar) restorations on endodontically treated molar teeth, because coronal seal is a major factor in the long-term success of endodontic treatment. METHOD AND MATERIALS Forty extracted human molar teeth were root-filled and prepared for coronal-radicular amalgam restorations. Four groups of 10 teeth were restored with Tytin amalgam and Vitrebond, Superbond D Liner II, Panavia 21, or no adhesive agent. The teeth were placed in India ink for 1 week, and then demineralized and rendered transparent. The ink penetration was assessed with a coded scoring system. RESULTS The bonded amalgam groups produced significantly less leakage than did the nonbonded group. No statistically significant differences in leakage were detected among the bonded amalgam groups. CONCLUSION To prevent the reinfection of the endodontically treated molar, it may be preferable to restore the tooth immediately after obturation by employing a bonded amalgam coronal-radicular technique.
Hyperinsulinemia--a link between glucose intolerance, obesity, hypertension, dyslipoproteinemia, elevated serum uric acid and internal cation imbalance.

A representative sample (n = 1211) of the Jewish population in Israel age 40-70 (excluding known diabetics), underwent a glucose tolerance test. Insulin response was found to be independently and positively associated with the GOH conditions--glucose intolerance (p less than 0.001), obesity (p less than 0.001), and hypertension (p less than 0.01) and with elevated serum uric acid (p less than 0.001) after accounting for the effects of sex, age, serum creatinine and use of antihypertensive medications. In a representative subgroup of 542 individuals, total VLDL and LDL fractions were estimated by standardized values (based on the reference group--individuals free of the GOH conditions), of their cholesterol and triglyceride components. Hyperinsulinemia was characterized by jointly elevated VLDL and LDL with reduced HDL. The risk ratio for this pattern (adjusted for the effects of age, sex, smoking and presence of any of the GOH conditions) was 3.4 (p less than 0.001). There was no further association of this disturbed lipoprotein profile with the GOH conditions. Cation concentrations were determined in a stratified subsample (n = 89) of the study group. The subsample comprised 30 individuals in the reference group, and 59 representing each of the seven possible combinations of abnormal glucose tolerance, obesity and hypertension (GOH group). Rate of cation imbalance defined as presence of at least one of three cation concentration--red blood cell sodium greater than or equal to 7.0 mEq/l, red blood cell potassium less than 92.5 mEd/l or plasma potassium greater than or equal to 4.5 mEq/l was 88.1% in the GOH, compared to 40.0% in the reference group (p greater than 0.001). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Diagnosis of isolated cyclovertical muscle overaction using a modification of the Parks' Three-Step Test.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study is to develop and test criteria for diagnosis of an 'overacting' cyclovertical muscle using a modification of Parks' Three-Step Test. BACKGROUND The Parks' Three-Step Test has become invaluable for isolation of a weak muscle in those strabismus cases in which there is a known paralysis. This test can yield confusing results in cases of non-paralytic vertical strabismus. The utricular induced ocular counter-rolling response combined with the premise that vertical strabismus is, in part, secondary to imbalances in vertical forces, are the physiologic bases for this test and the described modification. METHODS A modification of the first step of the Parks' Three-Step Test was designed which isolates an 'overacting' cyclovertical muscle in the same manner as a 'paretic' muscle. Possible 'overacting' muscles are isolated in primary position, lateral gaze and right and left head tilt. Fifty patients from the author's practice with non-paralytic vertical strabismus examined from July, 1990 through June, 1991 who had complete ocular motility evaluations were included in this analysis. The modified test was used during patient evaluations to corroborate the clinical impression of a predominantly overacting cyclovertical muscle. RESULTS The Three-Step Test modification correctly identifies a cyclovertical muscle as 'overacting' when the vertical deviation is asymmetric in horizontal gaze (step 2) and when the Bielschowsky head tilt (step 3) is asymmetric. CONCLUSIONS This modification of the Parks' Three-Step Test assists with vertical strabismus diagnosis and can be an adjunct to surgical planning by isolating a cyclovertical muscle to weaken in order to balance vertical forces.
Curviflorside and curviflorin, new naphthalene glycoside and flavanol from Plicosepalus curviflorus

Abstract The naphthalene glycosidecurviflorside [1,5-dihydroxy-8-methoxynaphthalene-2-O-β-D-xylopyranoside] (3) and the flavanol curviflorin [(+)-catechin-7-O-3″,4″-dihydroxybenzoate] (4), along with two known flavonoids: (+)-catechin (1) and quercetin (2) were isolated from the shoots of Plicosepalu scurviflorus Benth. (Loranthaceae) growing in Saudi Arabia and the chemical structures were elucidated by 2D-NMR spectroscopy.
Capillary wave Hamiltonian for the Landau–Ginzburg–Wilson density functional

We study the link between the density functional (DF) formalism and the capillary wave theory (CWT) for liquid surfaces, focused on the Landau–Ginzburg–Wilson (LGW) model, or square gradient DF expansion, with a symmetric double parabola free energy, which has been extensively used in theoretical studies of this problem. We show the equivalence between the non-local DF results of Parry and coworkers and the direct evaluation of the mean square fluctuations of the intrinsic surface, as is done in the intrinsic sampling method for computer simulations. The definition of effective wave-vector dependent surface tensions is reviewed and we obtain new proposals for the LGW model. The surface weight proposed by Blokhuis and the surface mode analysis proposed by Stecki provide consistent and optimal effective definitions for the extended CWT Hamiltonian associated to the DF model. A non-local, or coarse-grained, definition of the intrinsic surface provides the missing element to get the mesoscopic surface Hamiltonian from the molecular DF description, as had been proposed a long time ago by Dietrich and coworkers.
Tuberculosis treatment

ABSTRACT Tuberculosis treatment remains a challenge due to the need to consider, when approaching it, the context of individual and collective health. In addition, social and economic issues have been shown to be variables that need to be considered when it comes to treatment effectiveness. We conducted a critical review of the national and international literature on the treatment of tuberculosis in recent years with the aims of presenting health care workers with recommendations based on the situation in Brazil and better informing decision-making regarding tuberculosis patients so as to minimize morbidity and interrupt disease transmission.
NIOSH field studies team assessment: Worker exposure to aerosolized metal oxide nanoparticles in a semiconductor fabrication facility

ABSTRACT The ubiquitous use of engineered nanomaterials—particulate materials measuring approximately 1–100 nanometers (nm) on their smallest axis, intentionally engineered to express novel properties—in semiconductor fabrication poses unique issues for protecting worker health and safety. Use of new substances or substances in a new form may present hazards that have yet to be characterized for their acute or chronic health effects. Uncharacterized or emerging occupational health hazards may exist when there is insufficient validated hazard data available to make a decision on potential hazard and risk to exposed workers under condition of use. To advance the knowledge of potential worker exposure to engineered nanomaterials, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Nanotechnology Field Studies Team conducted an on-site field evaluation in collaboration with on-site researchers at a semiconductor research and development facility on April 18–21, 2011. The Nanomaterial Exposure Assessment Technique (2.0) was used to perform a complete exposure assessment. A combination of filter-based sampling and direct-reading instruments was used to identify, characterize, and quantify the potential for worker inhalation exposure to airborne alumina and amorphous silica nanoparticles associated with th e chemical mechanical planarization wafer polishing process. Engineering controls and work practices were evaluated to characterize tasks that might contribute to potential exposures and to assess existing engineering controls. Metal oxide structures were identified in all sampling areas, as individual nanoparticles and agglomerates ranging in size from 60 nm to >1,000 nm, with varying structure morphology, from long and narrow to compact. Filter-based samples indicated very little aerosolized material in task areas or worker breathing zone. Direct-reading instrument data indicated increased particle counts relative to background in the wastewater treatment area; however, particle counts were very low overall, indicating a well-controlled working environment. Recommendations for employees handling or potentially exposed to engineered nanomaterials include hazard communication, standard operating procedures, conservative ventilation systems, and prevention through design in locations where engineered nanomaterials are used or stored, and routine air sampling for occupational exposure assessment and analysis.