Publications by authors named "ALLEN H"

The selectivities and driving forces governing phosphate recognition by charged receptors at prevalent aqueous interfaces is unexplored relative to the many studies in homogeneous solutions. Here we report on electrostatic binding versus hydrogen-bond-assisted electrostatic binding of phosphate (HPO) for two important receptor classes in the unique microenvironment of the air-water interface. We find that the methylated ammonium receptor () is dominated by electrostatic binding to phosphate anions and fails to be selective for phosphate binding over chloride, whereas the highly phosphate-selective guanidinium receptor () provides synergistic hydrogen-bonding and electrostatic interactions.

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Cattle are the asymptomatic reservoirs of O157:H7 (O157) that preferentially colonizes the bovine recto-anal junction (RAJ). Understanding the influence of O157 on the diversity of the RAJ microbiota could give insights into its persistence at the RAJ in cattle. Hence, we compared changes in bovine RAJ and fecal microbiota following O157 challenge under experimental conditions.

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A 29-year old male with recurrent respiratory and skin infections, anaemia and neutropaenia during childhood required immunoglobulin replacement for antibody deficiency from age 16. He remained relatively well until age 28 when he presented with a two-week history of fatigue, sore throat, fever and productive cough. He was found to have EBV viraemia and splenomegaly and a diagnosis of EBV-driven lymphoproliferative disease was made following bone marrow trephine.

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Article Synopsis
  • A study with 736 college students explored how different levels of drinking impacted academic behaviors over 14 consecutive days.
  • Students who drank heavily the day before were more likely to skip class and spent less time on schoolwork compared to non-drinking days, particularly on weekdays and weekends following heavy drinking days.
  • The findings suggest that heavy drinking negatively affects academic effort, indicating a need for programs that address alcohol use and encourage better decision-making among students.
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Introduction: Troponin (TNN)-encoded cardiac troponins (Tn) are critical for sensing calcium and triggering myofilament contraction. TNN variants are associated with development of cardiomyopathy; however, recent advances in genetic analysis have identified rare population variants. It is unclear how certain variants are associated with disease while others are tolerated.

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Article Synopsis
  • An increasing number of NFKB1 variants have been linked to diverse immune system issues in patients, prompting a comprehensive study of these mutations.
  • The study evaluated 231 individuals with various NFKB1 mutations, identifying 56 as pathogenic, resulting in primary immunodeficiency and other immune-related problems like autoimmunity and malignancy.
  • The findings highlight the need for awareness among medical professionals about this condition's complexity, recommending treatments like immunoglobulin replacement, immunosuppressants, and considering stem cell transplantation.
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Objectives: We analysed national surveillance typing data of Shigella isolated from adult males with domestically acquired infection (a cohort largely consisting of men who have sex with men (MSM)) to establish whether multiple isolates from the same individual over time represented persistent carriage or re-infection.

Methods: We carried out a retrospective cohort study of adult males diagnosed with Shigella from 2004 to 2018. Median time intervals between multiple isolations of Shigella flexneri and S.

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Roughness perception through fingertip contact with a textured surface can involve spatial and temporal cues from skin indentation and vibration respectively. Both types of cue may be affected by contact forces when feeling a surface and we ask whether, on a given trial, discrimination performance relates to contact forces. We examine roughness discrimination performance in a standard psychophysical method (2-interval forced choice, in which the participant identifies which of two spatial textures formed by parallel grooves feels rougher) while continuously measuring the normal and tangential forces applied by the index finger.

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Background: There are high levels of stress among graduate students, and stress is associated with multiple negative outcomes among student populations, including academic burnout. Sleep could play an important role in explaining the association between stress and burnout, but these relationships have not been explored among the graduate student population. The current study assessed whether or not sleep duration and quality moderated the relationship between stress and burnout (i.

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Objective: This study evaluated variation in substance use and mental health among graduate student subgroups.

Participants: A sample of 2,683 master's and doctoral students completed an online survey in October 2017.

Methods: Subgroup variation in behavioral health by demographic and program characteristics, particularly degree type and academic discipline, was explored.

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Background Pediatric-onset restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM) is associated with high mortality, but underlying mechanisms of disease are under investigated. RCM-associated diastolic dysfunction secondary to variants in -encoded cardiac troponin T (TNNT2) is poorly described. Methods and Results Genetic analysis of a proband and kindred with RCM identified TNNT2-R94C, which cosegregated in a family with 2 generations of RCM, ventricular arrhythmias, and sudden death.

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Objective: Extraintestinal Pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), are responsible for host diseases such as Neonatal Meningitis Escherichia coli (NMEC), the second-leading cause of neonatal bacterial meningitis, Avian Pathogenic E. coli (APEC), a cause of extraintestinal disease in poultry, and Uropathogenic E.

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Objective: To describe a monthly outreach pediatric cardiology clinic established to better understand the cardiac needs of immigrant/resettled refugee children.

Study Design: Data obtained between 2014 and 2017 from a monthly pediatric cardiology clinic at a Federally Qualified Health Center were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: A total of 366 patients (222 male, 61%) were evaluated.

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Plant hormone auxin has critical roles in plant growth, dependent on its heterogeneous distribution in plant tissues. Exactly how auxin transport and developmental processes such as growth coordinate to achieve the precise patterns of auxin observed experimentally is not well understood. Here we use mathematical modelling to examine the interplay between auxin dynamics and growth and their contribution to formation of patterns in auxin distribution in plant tissues.

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Extensive research has examined alcohol use context and motives among undergraduates, but less is known about where, when, and why graduate students drink. The current study aimed to describe the motives and situational context of graduate student alcohol use, identify demographic and program characteristics associated with alcohol use motives and context, and assess how alcohol use motives and context are associated with alcohol use behavior. A sample of master's and doctoral-level students who drank during the past month (n = 2091; 63% female) completed an online survey.

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Management of soft-tissue and bone neoplasms depends on a definitive histologic diagnosis. Percutaneous image-guided biopsy of bone and soft-tissue tumors is a cost-effective and accurate method to obtain a histopathologic diagnosis. Biopsy requests must be approached thoughtfully to avoid numerous potential pitfalls.

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Injuries of the hand and wrist are frequently encountered in radiology. Avulsions of the hand and wrist are a heterogeneous group of injuries, but they often have a characteristic imaging appearance that relates to the intricate bone and soft-tissue anatomy and the mechanism of injury. The imaging appearance and this intricate form and function dictate treatment of hand and wrist avulsions.

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Cr(vi) has posed a serious risk for the environment and human beings because of its pollution and toxicity. It is essential to understand the equilibrium behavior of Cr(vi) in soils. In this study, the adsorption of Cr(vi) on fourteen soils was studied with batch experiments and quantitative modeling.

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Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have been linked to risk, progression, and treatment response of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Due to their clonal nature and high copy number, mitochondrial mutations could serve as powerful molecular markers for detection of cancer cells in bodily fluids, surgical margins, biopsies and lymph node (LN) metastasis, especially at sites where tumor involvement is not histologically apparent. Despite a pressing need for high-throughput, cost-effective mtDNA mutation profiling system, current methods for library preparation are still imperfect for detection of low prevalence heteroplasmic mutations.

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Background: Clinically evident microvascular complications are rarely seen among children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), although early signs develop during childhood and accelerate during puberty.

Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of early signs of microvascular complications in children and adolescents aged 9-19 years with a short duration of T1DM by screening for retinopathy and nephropathy.

Methods: A cross-sectional study and participants were consecutively enrolled from the Endocrinology Clinic at Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki.

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Vaccination-induced Escherichia coli O157:H7-specific immune responses have been shown to reduce E. coli O157:H7 shedding in cattle. Although E.

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