pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
‘Good relations’ among neighbours and workmates? The everyday encounters of Accession 8 migrants and established communities in urban England

Drawing on data generated in a recently completed qualitative study in a northern, English city, this paper explores the everyday social encounters of Accession 8 (A8) migrants who entered the UK following the expansion of the European Union in 2004. A number of options from permanent residence in another Member State on the one hand, to more fleeting circulatory and multiple short-term moves on the other, now exist for these new European citizens. The relatively short-term and temporary residence of some A8 migrants calls into question the focus of much UK government policy, which emphasises the need for migrants to integrate into diverse yet cohesive communities. Against this backdrop, the aim of this paper is two-fold. First, it considers the somewhat different character of A8 migration (encompassing a spectrum from permanency to temporariness) and what this means for routine experiences of mixing between new migrants and established host communities. Second, the paper explores such interactions in terms of ‘everyday encounters’ in both neighbourhood and work spaces and asks whether such spatio-temporal practices and experiences enhance or inhibit the building of ‘good relations’ in a multicultural city
Evaluation of the masonry and timber structures of San Francisco Church in Santiago de Cuba through nondestructive diagnostic methods

Recently, due to a renewed interest in the religious architectural heritage of the Caribbean island of Cuba, some important interventions for the restoration and reinforcement of the colonial churches of the island were carried out. The authors, collaborating with the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba in a project concerning the protection of Cuban churches, applied some nondestructive and noninvasive destructive tests for an in-depth study of the main characteristics of those structures. The diagnostic method, developed mainly for the historical buildings or monuments of Europe and North America, was used to study some peculiarities of the building construction traditions of this area. The proposed techniques revealed the existence of several original solutions, for example, defenses for seismic mitigation, developed to resist the earthquakes that frequently affect the area
Multicenter randomized, double-blind controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of laser therapy for the treatment of severe oral mucositis induced by chemotherapy in children: LaMPO RCT

OBJECTIVES:\ud
To demonstrate the efficacy of laser photobiomodulation (PBM) compared to that of placebo on severe oral mucositis (OM) in pediatric oncology patients. The primary objective was the reduction of OM grade (World Health Organization [WHO] scale) 7 days after starting PBM. Secondary objectives were reduction of pain, analgesic consumption, and incidence of side effects.\ud
METHODS:\ud
One hundred and one children with WHO grade > 2 chemotherapy-induced OM were enrolled in eight Italian hospitals. Patients were randomized to either PBM or sham treatment for four consecutive days (days +1 to +4). On days +4, +7, and +11, OM grade, pain (following a 0-10 numeric pain rating scale, NRS) and need for analgesics were evaluated by an operator blinded to treatment.\ud
RESULTS:\ud
Fifty-one patients were allocated to the PBM group, and 50 were allocated to the sham group. In total, 93.7% of PBM patients and 72% of sham patients had OM grade < 3 WHO on day +7 (P = 0.01). A significant reduction of pain was registered on day +7 in the PBM versus sham group (NRS 1 [0-3] vs. 2.5 [1-5], P < 0.006). Reduced use of analgesics was reported in the PBM group, although it was not statistically significant. No significant adverse events attributable to treatment were recorded.\ud
CONCLUSIONS:\ud
PBM is a safe, feasible, and effective treatment for children affected by chemotherapy-induced OM, as it accelerates mucosal recovery and reduces pain
Enzyme-mediated surface modification of jute and its influence on the properties of jute/epoxy composites

Surface modification of jute fibers is necessary to improve the adhesion and interfacial compatibility between fibers and resin matrix before using fibers in polymer composites. In this study, dodecyl gallate (DG) was enzymatically grafted onto the jute fiber by laccase to endow the fiber with hydrophobicity. A hand lay-up technique was then adopted to prepare jute/epoxy composites. Contact angle and wetting time measurements showed that the surface hydrophobicity of the jute fabric was increased after the enzymatic graft modification. The water absorption and thickness swelling of the DG-grafted jute fabric/epoxy composite were lower than those of the other composites. The tensile and dynamic mechanical properties of the jute/epoxy composites were enhanced by the surface modification. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed stronger fibermatrix adhesion in composites with modified fibers. Therefore, the enzymatic graft modification increased the fibermatrix interface area. The fibermatrix adhesion was enhanced, and the mechanical properties of the composites were improved.Contract grant sponsor: National Natural Science Foundation of China; contract grant number: 51173071; contract grant sponsor: Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University; contract grant number: NCET-12-0883; contract grant sponsor: Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities; contract grant sponsor: JUSRP51312B.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Dynamic Phosphorylation of the Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2Cα1 Splice Variant Promotes Skeletal Muscle Regeneration and Hypertrophy

Abstract: The transcription factor MEF2C (Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2C) plays an established role in the early steps of myogenic differentiation. However, the involvement of MEF2C in adult myogenesis and in muscle regeneration has not yet been systematically investigated. Alternative splicing of mammalian MEF2C transcripts gives rise to two mutually exclusive protein variants: MEF2Cα2 which exerts a positive control of myogenic differentiation, and MEF2Cα1, in which the α1 domain acts as trans-repressor of the MEF2C pro-differentiation activity itself. However, MEF2Cα1 variants are persistently expressed in differentiating cultured myocytes, suggesting a role in adult myogenesis. We found that overexpression of both MEF2Cα1/α2 proteins in a mouse model of muscle injury promotes muscle regeneration and hypertrophy, with each isoform promoting different stages of myogenesis. Besides the ability of MEF2Cα2 to increase differentiation, we found that overexpressed MEF2Cα1 enhances both proliferation and differentiation of primary myoblasts, and activates the AKT/mTOR/S6K anabolic signaling pathway in newly formed myofibers. The multiple activities of MEF2Cα1 are modulated by phosphorylation of Ser98 and Ser110, two amino acid residues located in the α1 domain of MEF2Cα1. These specific phosphorylations allow the interaction of MEF2Cα1 with the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase PIN1, a regulator of MEF2C functions. Overall, in this study we established a novel regulatory mechanism in which the expression and the phosphorylation of MEF2Cα1 are critically required to sustain the adult myogenesis. The described molecular mechanism will represent a new potential target for the development of therapeutical strategies to treat muscle-wasting diseases
Ehlers–Danlos syndrome, classical type

Classical EDS is a heritable disorder of connective tissue. Patients are affected with joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibilty, and skin fragility leading to atrophic scarring and significant bruising. These clinical features suggest consideration of the diagnosis which then needs to be confirmed, preferably by genetic testing. The most recent criteria for the diagnosis of EDS were devised in Villefranche in 1997. [Beighton et al. (1998); Am J Med Genet 77:31-37]. The aims set out in the Villefranche Criteria were: to enable diagnostic uniformity for clinical and research purposes, to understand the natural history of each subtype of EDS, to inform management and genetic counselling, and to identify potential areas of research. The authors recognized that the criteria would need updating, but viewed the Villefranche nosology as a good starting point. Since 1997, there have been major advances in the molecular understanding of classical EDS. Previous question marks over genetic heterogeneity have been largely surpassed by evidence that abnormalities in type V collagen are the cause. Advances in molecular testing have made it possible to identify the causative mutation in the majority of patients. This has aided the further clarification of this diagnosis. The aim of this literature review is to summarize the current knowledge and highlight areas for future researc
Old and new immunophenotypic markers in multiple myeloma for discrimination of responding and relapsing patients: The importance of "normal" residual plasma cell analysis

Background Multiple myeloma is an incurable disease characterized by proliferation of clonal malignant plasma cells (CPCs), which can be immunophenotypically distinguished from polyclonal plasma cells (PPCs) by multiparameter flow cytometry (MFC). The utility of PPCs analysis in detecting prognostic and predictive information is still a matter of debate. Methods: we tested the ability of 11 MFC markers in detecting differences in the immunophenotype of CPCs and PPCs among patients in various disease stages; we verified if these markers could be associated with disease stage/response to therapy despite the role of clinical parameters. Results: significant changes in the expression of markers occurred both in CPCs and PPCs. CD58 on PPCs of responding patients was downregulated compared with PPC of relapsing group. Fraction of CD200 expressing PCs was lower in control subjects than in PPCs from MGUS and myeloma groups. CD11a levels of expression on both CPCs and PPCs showed an upregulation in newly diagnosed and relapsing patients versus PCs of controls; CD20 was less expressed on control PCs than on MGUS CPCs and PPCs. CD49d revealed to be advantageous in discrimination of PPCs from CPCs. In our multiple regression model, CD19 and CD49d on CPCs, and CD45, CD58 and CD56 on PPCs maintained their association with groups of patients independently of other prognostic variables. Conclusions: we provide a feasible start point to put in order ranges of expression on PPCs in healthy and myeloma subjects; we propose a new approach based on PPC analysis to monitor the stages of the disease
The relationship between reductions in knee loading and immediate pain response whilst wearing lateral wedged insoles in knee osteoarthritis

Studies of lateral wedge insoles (LWIs) in medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) have shown reductions in the average external knee adduction moment (EKAM) but no lessening of knee pain. Some treated patients actually experience increases in the EKAM which could explain the overall absence of pain response. We examined whether, in patients with painful medial OA, reductions in the EKAM were associated with lessening of knee pain. Each patient underwent gait analysis whilst walking in a control shoe and two LWI’s. We evaluated the relationship between change in EKAM and change in knee pain using Spearman Rank Correlation coefficients and tested whether dichotomising patients into biomechanical responders (decreased EKAM) and non-responders (increased EKAM) would identify those with reductions in knee pain. In 70 patients studied, the EKAM was reduced in both LWIs vs. control shoe (-5.21% and -6.29% for typical and supported wedges, respectively). The change in EKAM using LWIs was not significantly associated with the direction of knee pain change. Further, 54% were biomechanical responders, but these persons did not have more knee pain reduction than non-responders. Whilst LWIs reduce EKAM, there is no clearcut relationship between change in medial load when wearing LWIs and corresponding change in knee pain
Amide conjugates of the DO3A-N-(alfa-amino)propionate ligand : leads for stable, high relaxivity contrast agents for MRI?

A novel synthetic methodology for preparing amide conjugates of the DO3A-N-(alfa-amino)propionate chelator is described, using the synthesis of the DO3A-N-(alfa-benzoylamido)propionate chelator as an illustrative example.  The model Gd(DO3A-N-(alfa-benzoylamido)propionate) chelate displays accelerated water exchange, stability in a wide pH range and inertness towards transmetallation by Zn2+.  The Gd(DO3A-N-(alafa-benzoylamido)propionate) complex is mainly excreted via the kidneys, producing a significant increase of the kidney medulla/cortex enhancement ratio in MR images of Wistar rats, reflecting probably its increased hydrophobicity compared to Gd(DTPA). The results presented suggest that Gd(DO3A-N-(alfa-amido)propionate) chelates can be valuable leads for preparing potentially safe high relaxivity MRI contrast agents.This work was financially supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal: project PTDC/QUI/70063/2006, including a grant to C.I.O.M., grant SFRH/BD/63994/2009 to M.F.F. and grant SFRH/BD/46370/2008 to A.F.M. and Rede Nacional de RMN (REDE/1517/RMN/2005) for the acquisition of the Varian VNMRS 600 NMR spectrometer in Coimbra. T.B.R. was supported by a Marie Curie Fellowship (FP/-PEOPLE-2009-IEF 254380) and an EMBO Fellowship (ALTF 1145-2009). Financial support from La Ligue Contre le Cancer, France (E. T.), and from Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Spain: projects SAF2011-23622 (S.C.) and CTQ2010-20960-C02-02 (P.L.-L.), and Comunidad de Madrid, Spain, project S2010/BMD-2349 (S.C. and P.L.-L). This work was carried out in the frame of the COST D38 Action “Metal Based Systems for Molecular Imaging” and COST TD1004
Guidelines for the management of the foot health\ud
problems associated with rheumatoid arthritis

Background. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a chronic systemic disease, commonly affects the feet, impacting\ud
negatively on patients' quality of life. Specialist podiatrists have a prime role to play in the assessment and\ud
management of foot and ankle problems within this patient group. However, it has been identified that in many\ud
areas there is no specialist podiatry service, with many patients being managed by non‐specialist podiatrists.\ud
Therefore, the North West Clinical Effectiveness Group for the Foot in Rheumatic Diseases (NWCEG) identified\ud
the need to develop ‘practitioner facing’ guidelines for the management of specific foot health problems associated\ud
with RA.\ud
Methods. Members of a guideline development group from the NWCEG each reviewed the evidence for specific\ud
aspects of the assessment and management of foot problems. Where evidence was lacking, ‘expert opinion’ was\ud
obtained from the members of the NWCEG and added as a consensus on current and best practice. An iterative\ud
approach was employed, with the results being reviewed and revised by all members of the group and external\ud
reviewers before the final guideline document was produced.\ud
Results. The management of specific foot problems (callus, nail pathology, ulceration) and the use of specific\ud
interventions (foot orthoses, footwear, patient education, steroid injection therapy) are detailed and standards in\ud
relation to each are provided. A diagrammatic screening pathway is presented, with the aim of guiding nonspecialist\ud
podiatrists through the complexity of assessing and managing those patients with problems requiring\ud
input from a specialist podiatrist and other members of the rheumatology multidisciplinary team.\ud
Conclusion. This pragmatic approach ensured that the guidelines were relevant and applicable to current practice\ud
as ‘best practice’, based on the available evidence from the literature and consensus expert opinion. These\ud
guidelines provide both specialist and non‐specialist podiatrists with the essential and ‘gold standard’ aspects of\ud
managing people with RA‐related foot problems
Probiotics, gut microbiota and their influence on host health and disease

The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of mammals hosts a high and diverse number of different microorganisms, known as intestinal microbiota. Many probiotics were originally isolated from the GIT, and they were defined by the FAO/WHO as live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host. Probiotics exert their beneficial effects on the host through four main mechanisms: interference with potential pathogens, improvement of barrier function, immunomodulation and production of neurotransmitters, and their host targets vary from the resident microbiota to cellular components of the gut-brain axis. However, in spite of the wide array of beneficial mechanisms deployed by probiotic bacteria, relatively few effects have been supported by clinical data. In this regard, different probiotic strains have been effective in Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea or Inflammatory Bowel Disease for instance. The aim of this review was to compile the molecular mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of probiotics, mainly through their interaction with the intestinal microbiota and with the intestinal mucosa. The specific benefits discuss in this paper include among others those elicited directly through dietary modulation of the human gut microbiota.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reservedResearch in our lab is funded by Grants AGL2013-44039R and AGL2013-44761-P from the Spanish “Plan Estatal de I+D+I.” Part of the authors is also partially funded by the [15VI013] Contract-Programme from the University of Vigo and the Agrupamento INBIOMED from DXPCTSUG-FEDER unha maneira de facer Europa (2012/273). B. S. was recipient of a Ramón y Cajal postdoctoral contract from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness
In-situ observations of nanoscale effects in germanium nanowire growth with ternary eutectic alloys

Vapour-liquid-solid (VLS) techniques are popular routes for the scalable synthesis of semiconductor nanowires. In this article, in-situ electron microscopy is used to correlate the equilibrium content of ternary (Au0.75Ag0.25–Ge and Au0.65Ag0.35–Ge) metastable alloys with the kinetics, thermodynamics and diameter of Ge nanowires grown via a VLS mechanism. The shape and geometry of the heterogeneous interfaces between the liquid eutectic and solid Ge nanowires varies as a function of nanowire diameter and eutectic alloy composition. The behaviour of the faceted heterogeneous liquid–solid interface correlates with the growth kinetics of the nanowires, where the main growth facet at the solid nanowire–liquid catalyst drop contact line lengthens for faster nanowire growth kinetics. Pronounced diameter dependent growth kinetics, as inferred from liquid–solid interfacial behaviour, is apparent for the synthesised nanowires. Direct in-situ microscopy observations facilitates the comparison between the nanowire growth behaviour from ternary (Au–Ag–Ge) and binary (Au–Ge) eutectic systems
Direct immersion solid-phase microextraction with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry for the determination of specific biomarkers of human sweat in melted snow

To provide a reliable tool for investigating diffusion processes of the specific components of the human odor 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol through the snowpack, we developed and optimized an analytical method based on direct immersion solid-phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry. Direct immersion solid-phase microextraction was performed using polyacrylate fibers placed in aqueous solutions containing 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol. After optimization, absorption times of 120 min provided a good balance to shorten the analysis time and to obtain suitable amounts of extractable analytes. The extraction efficiency was improved by increasing the ionic strength of the solution. Although the absolute extraction efficiency ranged between 10 and 12% for 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 2-3% for 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol, this method was suitable for analyzing 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol concentrations of at least 0.04 and 0.20 ng/mL, respectively. The precision of the direct immersion solid-phase microextraction method ranged between 8 and 16%. The variability within a batch of six fibers was 10-18%. The accuracy of the method provided values of 88-95 and 86-101% for 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol, respectively. The limit of detection (and quantification) was 0.01 ng/mL (0.04 ng/mL) for 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid and 0.06 ng/mL (0.20 ng/mL) for 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol. The signal versus concentration was linear for both compounds (r2 = 0.973-0.979). The stability of these two compounds showed that 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid was more stable in water than 3-methyl-3-sulfanylhexan-1-ol. We applied the method to environmental samples in correspondence with an olfactory target buried previously
Spike-in SILAC proteomic approach reveals the vitronectin as an early molecular signature of liver fibrosis in hepatitis C infections with hepatic iron overload

Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-induced iron overload has been shown to promote liver fibrosis, steatosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The zonal-restricted histological distribution of pathological iron deposits has hampered the attempt to perform large-scale in vivo molecular investigations on the comorbidity between iron and HCV. Diagnostic and prognostic markers are not yet available to assess iron overload-induced liver fibrogenesis and progression in HCV infections. Here, by means of Spike-in SILAC proteomic approach, we first unveiled a specific membrane protein expression signature of HCV cell cultures in the presence of iron overload. Computational analysis of proteomic dataset highlighted the hepatocytic vitronectin expression as the most promising specific biomarker for iron-associated fibrogenesis in HCV infections. Next, the robustness of our in vitro findings was challenged in human liver biopsies by immunohistochemistry and yielded two major results: (i) hepatocytic vitronectin expression is associated to liver fibrogenesis in HCV-infected patients with iron overload; (ii) hepatic vitronectin expression was found to discriminate also the transition between mild to moderate fibrosis in HCV-infected patients without iron overload. Â© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim