julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the Recombinant T24H Enzyme-Linked Immunoelectrotransfer Blot Assay for the Diagnosis of Neurocysticercosis in a Panel of Samples from a Large Community-Based Randomized Control Trial in 60 Villages in Burkina Faso
2017-12-27

Current guidelines for the diagnosis of neurocysticercosis (NCC) recommend the use of the lentil lectin-bound glycoprotein enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot assay (LLGP-EITB) as the reference standard for serological testing. In response to the drawbacks involved with the use of the LLGP-EITB, a recombinant T24H antigen (rT24H) EITB assay was developed, with promising results. However, the test has yet to be evaluated among individuals from sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The aim of the present study was to investigate the performance of the rT24H EITB assay for the detection of NCC cases in a panel of serum samples ( N = 366, of which 173 patients presented with epileptic seizures and/or severe chronic headaches, and 193 matched manifestation-free participants) collected as part of a large community-based trial in Burkina Faso. A perfect agreement between the rT24H EITB and the native gp24 (and its homodimer, gp42) LLGP-EITB was found (kappa value of 1.0). Furthermore, among patients with the neurological manifestations of interest who underwent a computed tomography scan, the rT24H EITB and native antigen LLGP-EITB had a comparable ability to correctly identify NCC cases with multiple viable (rT24H: sensitivity: 80.0%), single viable (66.7%), and calcified/degenerating cysts only (25.0%), albeit for multiple viable and calcified cysts, the rT24H estimated sensitivity seemed lower, but more uncertain, than previously reported. The rT24H EITB specificity was high (98.2%) and in line with previous studies. This study confirms the value of the recombinant rT24H EITB as an alternative to the native antigen LLGP-EITB for the diagnosis of NCC in a SSA community setting.
On the size of the block of 1 for Ξ-coalescents with dust
2017-12-27

We study the frequency process of the block of 1 for a -coalescent with dust. If stays infinite, is a jump-hold process which can be expressed as a sum of broken parts from a stick-breaking procedure with uncorrelated, but in general non-independent, stick lengths with common mean. For Dirac- -coalescents with , , is not Markovian, whereas its jump chain is Markovian. For simple -coalescents the distribution of at its first jump, the asymptotic frequency of the minimal clade of 1, is expressed via conditionally independent shifted geometric distributions.
Functional trait differences and trait plasticity mediate biotic resistance to potential plant invaders
2017-12-28

Abstract Biotic resistance represents an important natural barrier to potential invaders throughout the world, yet the underlying mechanisms that drive such resistance are still debated. In theory, native communities should repel both functionally similar invaders which compete for the same resources, and invaders which possess less competitive traits. However, environmental stress, trade‐offs across vital rates and competition‐induced plastic trait shifts may modify expected competitive outcomes, thereby influencing invasion dynamics. In order to test these theoretical links between trait distributions and biotic resistance, we performed a mesocosm experiment with 25 non‐native ornamental species invading native plant communities. Each non‐native species was grown with and without the native community under two watering treatments (regular and reduced). We measured biotic resistance as the difference in performance of non‐native individuals grown with and without the community in terms of their survival, growth and reproduction. We quantified overall functional dissimilarity between non‐native ornamental individuals and native communities based on the combination of plant height, specific leaf area and seed mass. Then, assuming each of these traits is also potentially linked to competitive ability, we measured the position of non‐natives on trait hierarchies. While height is positively correlated with competitive ability for light interception, conservative leaf and seed characteristics provide greater tolerance to competition for other resources. Finally, we quantified plastic trait shifts of non‐native individuals induced by competition. Indeed, the native community repelled functionally similar individuals by lowering the invader's survival rate. Simultaneously, shorter ornamental individuals with larger specific leaf areas were less tolerant to biotic resistance from the community across vital rates, although the effect of trait hierarchies often depended on watering conditions. Finally, non‐natives responded to competition by shifting their traits. Most importantly, individuals with more competitive traits were able to overcome biotic resistance also through competition‐induced plastic trait shifts. Synthesis . Our results highlight that both functional dissimilarity and trait hierarchies mediate biotic resistance to ornamental plant invaders. Nevertheless, environmental stress as well as opposing trends across vital rates are also influential. Furthermore, plastic trait shifts can reinforce potential invaders’ competitive superiority, determining a positive feedback.
Role of enhanced receptor engagement in the evolution of a pandemic acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis virus
2017-12-28

Significance Acute hemorrhagic conjunctivitis (AHC) is a painful and highly contagious infection of the eye, with reported incidence rates of up to 48%. No drugs or vaccines are available for treatment or prevention of AHC. Coxsackievirus A24 variant (CV-A24v) is the main etiological agent of AHC, being responsible for &gt;10 million AHC cases worldwide during the last decades. We have identified the CV-A24v protein receptor and determined the high-resolution structure of the virus–receptor complex. Furthermore, we found that an adaptation which enhances binding to the receptor sialic acid may have contributed to the pathogenicity and pandemic nature of CV-A24v. These findings highlight the importance of sialic acid for viruses with ocular tropism, such as influenza A virus and several adenoviruses.
The oldest known cyclophoroidean land snails (Caenogastropoda) from Asia
2017-12-28

The earliest Miocene (Aquitanian, 23–21 Ma) Hang Mon Formation at Hang Mon in Northern Vietnam has yielded a rich assemblage of terrestrial gastropods. Four species from this assemblage belong to the land caenogastropod superfamily Cyclophoroidea. Three of these are assigned to genera with Recent representatives in Southeast Asia and are described as new species: <i>Cyclophorus hangmonensis</i> Raheem &amp; Schneider sp. nov. (Cyclophoridae: Cyclophorini), <i>Alycaeus sonlaensis</i> Raheem &amp; Schneider sp. nov. (Cyclophoridae: Alycaeinae) and <i>Tortulosa naggsi</i> Raheem &amp; Schneider sp. nov (Pupinidae: Pupinellinae). These fossil species represent the earliest records for their genera and are thus of great value for calibrating molecular phylogenies of the Cyclophoroidea. The fourth species is represented only by poorly preserved fragments and is retained in open nomenclature in the Cyclophoridae. While extant Cyclophoroidea have their greatest diversity in Tropical Asia, the oldest fossils described to date from the region are from the Late Pleistocene. The fossils from Hang Mon predate these by more than 20 million years and are also globally among the earliest cyclophoroideans recorded from the area of the present-day forested Tropics. Cyclophoroidea older than the Miocene are only known from Europe. Given that Recent Cyclophoridae and Pupinidae are typically associated with tropical forests, it seems likely that the Hang Mon fossils were also tropical forest taxa and that suitable habitat was present in the general vicinity of Hang Mon in the earliest Miocene. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:B0C2C715-1184-4930-BD94-21ED1E9281B4
Symmetric visual response to positive and negative induced spherical defocus under monochromatic light conditions
2017-12-28

The purpose of the study was to investigate the sign-dependent response to real and simulated spherical defocus on the visual acuity under monochromatic light conditions. The investigation included 15 myopic participants with a mean spherical equivalent error of -2.98 ± 2.17 D. Visual acuity (VA) was tested with and without spherical defocus using the source method (simulated defocus) and the observer method (lens-induced defocus) in a range of ±3.0 D in 1.0 D steps. VA was assessed using Landolt C's, while the threshold was determined with an adaptive staircase procedure. Monochromatic light conditions were achieved using band pass filters with a wavelength of 450 ± 2 nm, 530 ± 2 nm and 630 ± 2 nm. Results showed that the reduction of VA was significantly different under blue lighting conditions, when compared to the green and red light conditions. No significant difference in the reduction of the VA was found between the positive and the negative sign of defocus for all lighting conditions. The agreement for the VA between the source and observer method was significantly dependent on the wavelength as well as on the level of defocus. To conclude, under monochromatic light conditions, myopes show a symmetric sign-dependency regarding the influence of spherical defocus on visual acuity. The observed results indicate that the human visual system is capable of integrating the chromatic differences in refraction to distinguish between the signs of defocus.
Complete response after chemoradiotherapy for rectal cancer: what is the reasonable approach?
2017-12-28

Abstract With the increasing use of preoperative treatment rather than upfront surgery, it has become evident that the response of rectal carcinoma to standard chemoradiotherapy (CRT) shows a great variety that includes histopathologiocally confirmed complete tumor regression in 10–30% of cases. Adaptive strategies to avoid radical surgery, either by local excision or non-operative management, have been proposed in these highly responsive tumors. A growing number of prospective clinical trials and experiences from large databases, such as the European Registration of Cancer Care (EURECCA) watch-and-wait database, or the recent Oncological Outcome after Clinical Complete Response in Patients with Rectal Cancer (OnCoRe) project, will provide more information on its safety and efficacy, and help to select appropriate patients. Future studies will have to establish appropriate inclusion criteria and optimize CRT regimens in order to maximize the number of patients achieving complete response. Standardized re-staging procedures have to be investigated to improve the prediction of a sustained complete response, and long-term close follow-up with thorough documentation of failure patterns and salvage therapies will have to prove the oncological safety of this approach.
Sharuna
2017-12-28

Abstract Excavations of the University of Tübingen (Germany) at Kom el‐Ahmar/Sharuna (Middle Egypt) uncovered a settlement that dates from the Eary Dynastic to Late Roman‐Byzantine times. Excavations have been carried out in the settlement mound ( kom ) of the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period, in the necropolis, which contains tombs from the end of the Old Kingdom and Ptolemaic period, and finally in a Late Roman funerary basilica surrounded by a vast cemetery. The monastery of Deir el‐Qarabin stands in the desert, with economic facilities and a religious compound. This was the center of a laura with several scattered hermitages. The site of Sharuna was probably abandoned in the seventh or eighth century.
Anomalous Josephson effect controlled by an Abrikosov vortex
2017-12-29

The possibility of a fast and precise Abrikosov vortex manipulation by a focused laser beam opens the way to create laser-driven Josephson junctions. We theoretically demonstrate that a vortex pinned in the vicinity of the Josephson junction generates an arbitrary ground state phase which can be equal not only to 0 or π but to any desired φ 0 value in between. Such φ 0 junctions have many peculiar properties and may be effectively controlled by the optically driven Abrikosov vortex. Also we theoretically show that the Josephson junction with the embedded vortex can serve as an ultrafast memory cell operating at sub THz frequencies.
Non‐water‐suppressed 1H FID‐MRSI at 3T and 9.4T
2017-12-29

Purpose This study investigates metabolite concentrations using metabolite‐cycled 1 H free induction decay (FID) magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) at ultra‐high fields. Methods A non‐lipid‐suppressed and slice‐selective ultra‐short echo time (TE) 1 H FID MRSI sequence was combined with a low‐specific absorption rate (SAR) asymmetric inversion adiabatic pulse to enable non‐water‐suppressed metabolite mapping using metabolite‐cycling at 9.4T. The results were compared to a water‐suppressed FID MRSI sequence, and the same study was performed at 3T for comparison. The scan times for performing single‐slice metabolite mapping with a nominal voxel size of 0.4 mL were 14 and 17.5 min on 3T and 9.4T, respectively. Results The low‐SAR asymmetric inversion adiabatic pulse enabled reliable non‐water‐suppressed metabolite mapping using metabolite cycling at both 3T and 9.4T. The spectra and maps showed good agreement with the water‐suppressed FID MRSI ones at both field strengths. A quantitative analysis of metabolite ratios with respect to N‐acetyl aspartate (NAA) was performed. The difference in Cre/NAA was statistically significant, ∼0.1 higher for the non‐water‐suppressed case than for water suppression (from 0.73 to 0.64 at 3T and from 0.69 to 0.59 at 9.4T). The difference is likely because of chemical exchange effects of the water suppression pulses. Small differences in mI/NAA were also statistically significant, however, are they are less reliable because the metabolite peaks are close to the water peak that may be affected by the water suppression pulses or metabolite‐cycling inversion pulse. Conclusion We showed the first implementation of non‐water‐suppressed metabolite‐cycled 1 H FID MRSI at ultra‐high fields. An increase in Cre/NAA was seen for the metabolite‐cycled case. The same methodology was further applied at 3T and similar results were observed. Magn Reson Med 80:442–451, 2018. © 2017 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Mixture effects of two plant protection products in liver cell lines
2017-12-30

Pesticide products contain one or more active substances as well as adjuvants, which are added for example as solvents or antioxidants. Nevertheless, only the active substances are evaluated with a comprehensive battery of mammalian toxicity tests. However, in some cases mixture effects of active substances and adjuvants may occur, leading to increased toxicity of the products. To address this issue, we investigated effects of active substances with known hepatotoxicity and two commonly used fungicides: Priori Xtra<sup>®</sup> and Adexar<sup>®</sup>. For this purpose, respective active substances individually and in combination as well as the products were applied to two human hepatoma cell lines (HepaRG and HepG2) in a broad dose range. The results of cytotoxicity analysis, nuclear receptor transactivation (AhR, CAR, PXR), mRNA and protein expression of xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes (CYP1A1, CYP2B6 and CYP3A4) allow the conclusion that active substances and plant protection products differ in terms of their in vitro toxicity. The products activate AhR, while the individual active substances as well as the combination of the active substances have no or only minor effects. The present results support the hypothesis that plant protection products may have a modified toxicity as compared to active substances alone, consequently requiring more comprehensive testing.
Transbronchial Cryobiopsies for the Diagnosis of Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Diseases: Expert Statement from the Cryobiopsy Working Group on Safety and Utility and a Call for Standardization of the Procedure
2018-01-01

Transbronchial cryobiopsies (TBCB) have recently been introduced as a promising and safer alternative to surgical lung biopsy in the diagnostic approach to diffuse parenchymal lung diseases (DPLD). Despite a substantial and expanding body of literature, the technique has not yet been standardized and its place in the diagnostic algorithm of DPLD remains to be defined. In part, this reflects concerns over the diagnostic yield and safety of the procedure, together with the rapid spread of the technique without competency and safety standards; furthermore, there is a substantial procedural variability among centers and interventional pulmonologists. We report this expert statement proposed during the third international conference on “Transbronchial Cryobiopsy in Diffuse Parenchymal Lung Disease” (Ravenna, October 27–28, 2016), which formulates evidence- and expert-based suggestions on the indications, contraindications, patient selection, and procedural aspects of the procedure. The following 5 domains were reviewed: (1) what is the role of TBCB in the diagnostic evaluation of DPLD: patient selection; (2) pathological considerations; (3) contraindications and safety considerations; (4) how should TBCB be performed and in what procedural environment; and (5) who should perform TBCB. Finally, the existence of white paper recommendations may also reassure local hospital credentialing committees tasked with endorsing an adoption of the technique.
Actigraphy-based sleep estimation in adolescents and adults: a comparison with polysomnography using two scoring algorithms
2018-01-01

The two actigraphs provided comparable and accurate data compared to PSG, although both poorly identified wake episodes (i.e., had low specificity). Use of actigraphy scoring algorithm influenced the mean bias and level of agreement in sleep-wake times estimates. The GT3X+, when analyzed by the Cole-Kripke, but not the Sadeh algorithm, provided comparable data to the AWS.
Methodological Recommendations for Trials of Psychological Interventions
2018-01-01

Recent years have seen major developments in psychotherapy research that suggest the need to address critical methodological issues. These recommendations, developed by an international group of researchers, do not replace those for randomized controlled trials, but rather supplement strategies that need to be taken into account when considering psychological treatments. The limitations of traditional taxonomy and assessment methods are outlined, with suggestions for consideration of staging methods. Active psychotherapy control groups are recommended, and adaptive and dismantling study designs offer important opportunities. The treatments that are used, and particularly their specific ingredients, need to be described in detail for both the experimental and the control groups. Assessment should be performed blind before and after treatment and at long-term follow-up. A combination of observer- and self-rated measures is recommended. Side effects of psychotherapy should be evaluated using appropriate methods. Finally, the number of participants who deteriorate after treatment should be noted according to the methods that were used to define response or remission.
Belonging Mediates Effects of Student-University Fit on Well-Being, Motivation, and Dropout Intention
2018-01-01

Abstract. About one third of university students drop out from their undergraduate studies. The fit between students’ self-construal and university norms has been suggested to contribute to academic success. Building on this idea, we tested a student-university fit model in a cross-sectional online study among 367 German university students. Results support a P-E fit effect, showing that students with a high dignity self-construal and who perceived the university norms to be highly independent indicated the greatest sense of belonging to the university. In turn, belonging positively predicted well-being and academic motivation and reduced dropout intention. In sum, this study suggests that a person-environment fit analysis can contribute to the understanding of healthy student life and academic success.
Innate Immunity of the Lung: From Basic Mechanisms to Translational Medicine
2018-01-01

The respiratory tract is faced daily with 10,000 L of inhaled air. While the majority of air contains harmless environmental components, the pulmonary immune system also has to cope with harmful microbial or sterile threats and react rapidly to protect the host at this intimate barrier zone. The airways are endowed with a broad armamentarium of cellular and humoral host defense mechanisms, most of which belong to the innate arm of the immune system. The complex interplay between resident and infiltrating immune cells and secreted innate immune proteins shapes the outcome of host-pathogen, host-allergen, and host-particle interactions within the mucosal airway compartment. Here, we summarize and discuss recent findings on pulmonary innate immunity and highlight key pathways relevant for biomarker and therapeutic targeting strategies for acute and chronic diseases of the respiratory tract.
SadA-Expressing Staphylococci in the Human Gut Show Increased Cell Adherence and Internalization
2018-01-01

A subgroup of biogenic amines, the so-called trace amines (TAs), are produced by mammals and bacteria and can act as neuromodulators. In the genus Staphylococcus, certain species are capable of producing TAs through the activity of staphylococcal aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (SadA). SadA decarboxylates aromatic amino acids to produce TAs, as well as dihydroxy phenylalanine and 5-hydroxytryptophan to thus produce the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. SadA-expressing staphylococci were prevalent in the gut of most probands, where they are part of the human intestinal microflora. Furthermore, sadA-expressing staphylococci showed increased adherence to HT-29 cells and 2- to 3-fold increased internalization. Internalization and adherence was also increased in a sadA mutant in the presence of tryptamine. The α2-adrenergic receptor is required for enhanced adherence and internalization. Thus, staphylococci in the gut might contribute to gut activity and intestinal colonization.
Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Infection: A General Overview
2018-01-01

After initial infection, the immune response that serves to restrict the invading pathogen needs to be tightly calibrated in order to avoid collateral immunopathological damage. This calibration is performed by specialized suppressor mechanisms, which are capable of dampening overwhelming or unremitting inflammation in order to prevent tissue damage. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are emerging as key players in counter-balancing inflammatory responses and pathogenesis during infection. However, some pathogens are able to exploit the suppressive activities of MDSC to favor pathogen persistence and chronic infections. In this article, we review the current knowledge about the importance of MDSC in the context of bacterial, virus, parasites, and fungal infections.