Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of human beta-defensins-1, 2 and 4 mRNA in human lung tumor tissue: a pilot study.

AIM To analyze the patterns of human beta-defensin-1, 2, 4 (hBDs) expression in human lung tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tissue samples of surgically resected human lung tumors (squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), n=10; adenocarcinoma (AC), n=10) paired with conditionally normal tissue samples were analyzed for expression of hBD-1, 2, 4 mRNA by semiquantitative RT-PCR. RESULTS In a number of studied lung cancer tissue samples, overexpression of defensin mRNA was registered: hBD-1 mRNA (50% of SCC and 60% AC), hBD-2 mRNA (60% of SCC and 50% of AC) or hBD-4 (40% of SCC and 20% AC). No correlation was detected between the levels of hBD-1, hBD-2 and hBD-4 mRNA and histological type, differentiation grade of the tumor, and the stage of the disease, as well as the content of hBD-2 peptide in blood serum of lung cancer patients. CONCLUSION Human beta-defensins-1 and -2 are often up-regulated in human lung tumors.
Curriculum Action Research: A Handbook of Methods and Resources for the Reflective Practitioner

Historical and philosphical background The teacher as researcher and professional. Action Research Methodology Observational and narrative research methods Non-observational, survey and self-report methods Discourse analysis and problem-solving methods reflective and evaluative methods. Problems and Issues in Action Research Analysing action research data Towards critical communities of discourse: Networks dissemination and the ethics of action research.
Surgical repair of Stanford type A aortic dissection in elderly patients: a contemporary systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND The results of surgical treatment of type A aortic dissection (AAD) in the elderly are controversial and aggravated by a higher operative mortality rate. The studies published in this subset of patients are mainly retrospective analyses or small samples from international registries. We sought to investigate this topic by conducting a contemporary meta-analysis of the most recent observational studies. METHODS A systematic literature search was conducted for any study published in the last five years on aortic dissection treated surgically in patients 70 years and older. A pooled risk-ratio meta-analysis has been conducted three main post-operative outcomes: short-term mortality, stroke and acute kidney injury. RESULTS A total of 11 retrospective observational studies have been included in the quantitative meta-analysis. Pooled meta-analysis showed an increased risk of short term mortality for the elderly population [relative risk (RR) =2.25; 95% CI, 1.79-2.83; I (2)=0%; P<0.0001], and this has been confirmed in a sub-analysis of patients 80 years and older. The risk of having stroke (RR =1.15; 95% CI, 0.89-1.5; I (2)=0%; P=0.28) and acute kidney injury (RR =0.79; 95% CI, 0.5-1.25, I (2)=14%, P=0.31) after surgery were comparable to the younger cohort of patients. CONCLUSIONS Although affected by an increased risk of short-term mortality in the elderly, surgical repair remains the treatment of choice for AAD. The main post-operative outcomes are comparable to younger patients and the mid-term survival rates are acceptable.
Effects of low urea concentrations on protein-water interactions

Solvent properties of aqueous media (dipolarity/polarizability, hydrogen bond donor acidity, and hydrogen bond acceptor basicity) were measured in the coexisting phases of Dextran–PEG aqueous two-phase systems (ATPSs) containing . 5 and 2.0 M urea. The differences between the electrostatic and hydrophobic properties of the phases in the ATPSs were quantified by analysis of partitioning of the homologous series of sodium salts of dinitrophenylated amino acids with aliphatic alkyl side chains. Furthermore, partitioning of eleven different proteins in the ATPSs was studied. The analysis of protein partition behavior in a set of ATPSs with protective osmolytes (sorbitol, sucrose, trehalose, and TMAO) at the concentration of . 5 M, in osmolyte-free ATPS, and in ATPSs with . 5 or 2.0 M urea in terms of the solvent properties of the phases was performed. The results show unambiguously that even at the urea concentration of . 5 M, this denaturant affects partitioning of all proteins (except concanavalin A) through direct urea–protein interactions and via its effect on the solvent properties of the media. The direct urea–protein interactions seem to prevail over the urea effects on the solvent properties of water at the concentration of . 5 M urea and appear to be completely dominant at 2.0 M urea concentration.
Xanthomonas PROGRAMMED CELL DEATH HAS SIMILARITIES WITH EUKARYOTIC APOPTOSIS

Xanthomonas bacterium exhibited post-exponential programmed cell death (PCD) under certain nutritional conditions especially in a protein rich medium. PCD was not displayed by Xanthomonas cells while growing in minimal medium like starch minimal medium or M9 medium. While undergoing PCD, the organism was found to transform to spherical membranous apoptotic body like structures. The transformation was confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. The membranous bodies were found to contain DNA, which was devoid of the indigenous plasmids of the organism. These bodies were also found to bind annexin V indicative of the externalization of membrane phosphatidyl serine. Nicking of DNA was also detected using a Tunnel assay in Xanthomonas campestris pv. glycines (Xcg) cultures undergoing PCD in LB medium. The PCD in Xanthomonas was found to be associated with the synthesis of an endogenous enzyme similar to human caspase-3, a known marker of apoptosis in eukaryotes. Caspase-3 like protein was detected only in the cells growing in proteinous medium and not in those growing in minimal medium. It was found that starch or its hydrolytic product acted as the repressor of biosynthesis for the Xanthomonas caspase, thereby, preventing the organism from undergoing PCD, upon its addition. Caspase negative mutants of Xcg strain AM2 did not display PCD. The importance of PCD in Xanthomonas life-cycle needs to be elucidated as the system appears to have significant similarities with the eukaryotic apoptosis.
Infusing lipid raises plasma free fatty acids and induces insulin resistance in muscle microvasculature.

CONTEXT Insulin recruits muscle microvasculature, which increases the endothelial exchange surface area to facilitate substrate delivery. Elevated plasma concentrations of free fatty acids (FFAs) cause insulin resistance. OBJECTIVES The aim of the study was to examine whether FFAs cause insulin resistance in human muscle microvasculature. SETTING The study was conducted at the General Clinical Research Center at the University of Virginia. METHODS Twenty-two healthy subjects were studied under two protocols designed to raise plasma insulin concentrations to postprandial levels using either an insulin infusion or a mixed meal challenge. Within each protocol, subjects were studied twice. In random order, they received a 5-h systemic infusion of either saline or Intralipid/heparin. Three hours into the infusion, baseline muscle microvascular blood volume (MBV), microvascular flow velocity, and microvascular blood flow (MBF) were measured. Each subject was then given either the mixed meal or a 1 mU/kg x min insulin clamp for 2 h. Microvascular parameters were again obtained 2 h after the meal or at the end of insulin infusion. RESULTS Meal feeding and insulin infusion raised plasma insulin concentrations to approximately 200 pm, and each significantly increased muscle MBV (P = 0.03 and P < 0.01, respectively). MBF trended up after meal feeding (P = 0.08) and increased significantly after insulin infusion (P = 0.02). In the presence of Intralipid, neither the meal nor the insulin infusion increased muscle MBV and MBF. CONCLUSIONS Compared to saline, lipid infusion raises plasma FFA concentrations and blocks the ability of insulin or meal to recruit muscle microvasculature. High plasma FFA concentrations may contribute to muscle insulin resistance and the microvascular complications of diabetes.
PERCEIVED BIASED REFEREEING, SELF-EFFICACY AND MOOE STATES OF PLAYERS OF VISITOR TEAMS OF THE NIGERIAN AMATEUR FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Perceived biased refereeing, self-efficacy and mood states of players of visitor teams of the Nigerian amateur football league was explored among 116 players of 8 amateur football clubs in Southeast Nigeria. Results of the hierarchical regression analysis showed that perceived biased refereeing is significantly and positively related with depressed mood states of the players. The results of the study equally showed that self-efficacy was negatively related with depressed mood states of the players. The study suggests that lack of fairness of game officials could truncate the development of Nigerian football, but high efficacy of the players could ameliorate this negative impact of biased refereeing.
Web workers unite! addressing challenges of online laborers

The ongoing rise of human computation as a means of solving computational problems has created an environment where human workers are often regarded as nameless, faceless computational resources. Some people have begun to think of online tasks as a "remote person call". In this paper, we summarize ethical and practical labor issues surrounding online labor, and offer a set of guidelines for designing and using online labor in ways that support more positive relationships between workers and requesters, so that both can gain the most benefit from the interaction.
How college affects students : findings and insights from twenty years of research

Foreword 1. Studying College Outcomes: Overview and Organization of the Research 2. Theories and Models of Student Change in College 3. Development of Verbal, Quantitative, and Subject Matter Competence 4. Cognitive Skills and Intellectual Growth 5. Psychosocial Changes: Identity, Selt--Concept, and Self--Esteem 6. Psycholsocial Changes: Relating to Others and the External World 7. Attitudes and Values 8. Moral Development 9. Educational Attainment 10. Career Choice and Development 11. Economic Benefits of College 12. Quality of Life After College 13. How College Makes a Difference: A Summary 14. Implications of the Research for Policy and Practice AppAndix: Methodological and Analytical Issues in Assessing the Influence of College
Aspects of Self-Regulation and Self-Structure as Predictors of Perceived Emotional Distress

Research on the link between the self and emotional distress has produced many measures that have unknown conceptual and empirical interrelations. The authors identified two classes of self-related variables shown previously to be important predictors of emotional distress. The first class, termed self-regulatory variables, included ego-resiliency, ego-control, ego-strength, and hardiness. The second class, termed self-structure variables, included self-complexity, self-discrepancy, self-consistency, self-attitude ambivalence, and role conflict. Using a two-step structural equation modeling (SEM) strategy, the authors examined first the factor structure of this set of measures. Second, they determined that Elasticity and Permeability (two self-regulatory factors) accounted for unique variance in the prediction of perceived emotional distress (Agitation and Dejection), whereas Self-Discrepancy and Self-Complexity (two self-structure factors) did not.
Changes in the morbidity and costs of systemic lupus erythematosus in Poland in the years 2008–2012

Objectives The goal of the article is to present the changes in morbidity and costs of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Poland in the 2008–2012 period, depending on the province of residence of the patients based on data reported to the public payer – the National Health Fund. Material and methods Based on the ICD-10 code and the patient's personal identity number, the number of patients and medical costs (cost of hospitalization, pharmaceutical, medical procedures, dialysis and specialist consultations) were calculated by province (voivodeship) and urban or rural residence. Results Annually on average in the assessed period in Poland approximately 20 000 patients were diagnosed with SLE. The studied group was dominated by women (they were 5.2 times more numerous). The morbidity rate was 52.183 patients per 100 thousand inhabitants. Most patients were in the age range of 48–56 years. Average annual expenses for this group of patients over the examined period were USD 16,327 million. Two times more was expended on patients inhabiting cities, approximately 4 times more on women. Calculated per patient, the average cost of therapy was USD 810.63. Conclusions The population of SLE patients in Poland is highly stable. The results of analysis indicate 1.64 times more frequent occurrence in urban areas, which may be connected with availability of doctors. The SLE treatment costs in Poland are much lower than in other countries, which is related mainly to the fact that therapy with biological drugs is not financed.
p120-catenin is essential for terminal end bud function and mammary morphogenesis

Although p120-catenin (p120) is crucial for E-cadherin function, ablation experiments in epithelial tissues from different organ systems reveal markedly different effects. Here, we examine for the first time the consequences of p120 knockout during mouse mammary gland development. An MMTV-Cre driver was used to target knockout to the epithelium at the onset of puberty. p120 ablation was detected in approximately one-quarter of the nascent epithelium at the forth week post-partum. However, p120 null cells were essentially nonadherent, excluded from the process of terminal end bud (TEB) morphogenesis and lost altogether by week six. This elimination process caused a delay in TEB outgrowth, after which the gland developed normally from cells that had retained p120. Mechanistic studies in vitro indicate that TEB dysfunction is likely to stem from striking E-cadherin loss, failure of cell-cell adhesion and near total exclusion from the collective migration process. Our findings reveal an essential role for p120 in mammary morphogenesis.
Epidemiological relatedness and clonal types of natural populations of Escherichia coli strains producing Shiga toxins in separate populations of cattle and sheep

Two separate animal populations consisting of a herd of cattle (19 animals) and a flock of sheep (25 animals) were investigated for strains of Escherichia coli producing Shiga toxins (STEC) over a time period of 6 months. Thirty-three STEC were isolated from 63.2% of cattle and grouped into 11 serotypes and eight electrophoretic types (ETs) by multilocus enzyme analysis. In sheep, 88% of the animals excreted STEC (n = 67 isolates) belonging to 17 different serotypes and 12 different ETs. STEC from cattle and sheep differed with respect to serotype, and only 4 of the 16 ETs occurred in both animal populations. In cattle, ET14 (O116:H21) strains predominated, whereas other STEC serotypes occurred only sporadically. The predominating STEC types in sheep were ET4 (O125 strains), ET11 (O128:H2 and others), and ET14 (O146:H21). In contrast to their diversity, STEC originating from the same animal population were similar with respect to Shiga toxin (stxy genes. Almost all STEC isolated from cattle were positive for stx2 and stx2c; only one was positive for stx1. In sheep, almost all STEC isolated were positive for stx1 and stx2, whereas stx2c was not found. XbaI-digested DNAs of genetically closely related O146:H21 strains have different restriction profiles which were associated with size alterations in XbaI fragments hybridizing with stx1- and stx2-specific DNA probes. Our results indicate that stx-encoding bacteriophages might be the origin of the genetic heterogeneity in STEC from animals.
Genetic studies of a family with hereditary hyperparathyroidism–jaw tumour syndrome

Familial hyperparathyroidism may occur as familial isolated hyperparathyroidism (FIHP) or as part of an inherited syndrome, in particular multiple endocrine neoplasia types 1 and 2 A (MEN1, MEN2A) and hyperparathyroidism–jaw tumour (HPT–JT) syndrome. The localization of the genes responsible for these syndromes has enabled genetic screening of families with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) to be carried out. This has important clinical implications in terms of individual follow‐up and management. We previously reported a large FIHP family with an increased risk of parathyroid cancer and excluded its linkage to MEN1, MEN2 and PTH genes. Here we re‐analysed this family and performed genetic linkage to the HPT–JT locus in chromosome 1q21‐q32. Loss of heterozygosity studies of 1q21‐q32, 11q13 and X chromosome were also performed.
School Finance and Courts: Does Reform Matter, and how Can We Tell?

Background/Context School finance litigation has often prompted funding reforms, but what happens as a result is the subject of considerable dispute. Purpose This article explores design problems encountered in studies examining the nature and effects of those reforms. Analysis After describing the development and current status of school finance litigation, the authors explore methodological complexities associated with estimating the effects of state school finance reforms. Then, following a review of the research literature that provides the most direct and empirically rigorous evaluations of the achievement effects of these reforms, the authors critique a growing body of weaker but nonetheless influential literature focused on attacking school finance reform and more generally on discrediting judicial involvement in public schooling and finance litigation. In the article's final section, the authors review school finance reform in the four states analyzed in an influential recent book by Hanushek and Lindseth, taking a second look at what the book's authors concluded were disappointing outcomes. Conclusions Methodological complexities and design problems plague finance impact studies. Although there are high-quality studies covering these issues, the research appearing to have the greatest influence in media coverage and policymaking is often advocacy-oriented and of lesser quality.
Constitutive MAP Kinase Activation in Hematopoietic Stem Cells Induces a Myeloproliferative Disorder

Myelodysplastic syndromes/myeloproliferative neoplasms (MDS/MPNs) are a group of myeloid neoplasms in which abnormal activation of the Ras signaling pathway is commonly observed. The PI3K/Akt pathway is a known target of Ras; however, activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway has been shown to lead to neoplastic transformation of not only myeloid but also lymphoid cells, suggesting that pathways other than the PI3K/Akt pathway should play a central role in pathogenesis of Ras-mediated MDS/MPN. The MEK/ERK pathway is another downstream target of Ras, which is involved in regulation of cell survival and proliferation. However, the role of the MEK/ERK pathway in the pathogenesis of MDS/MPN remains unclear. Here, we show that introduction of a constitutively activated form of MEK into hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) causes hematopoietic neoplasms that are limited to MDS/MPNs, despite the multipotent differentiation potential of HSCs. Active MEK-mediated MDS/MPNs are lethal, but are not considered a frank leukemia because it cannot be transplanted into naïve animals. However, transplantation of MDS/MPNs co-expressing active MEK and an anti-apoptotic molecule, Bcl-2, results in T-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia (T-ALL), suggesting that longevity of cells may impact transplantability and alter disease phenotype. Our results clearly demonstrate the proto-oncogenic property of the MEK/ERK pathway in hematopoietic cells, which manifest in MDS/MPN development.
Chemogenomic Analysis of G-Protein Coupled Receptors and Their Ligands Deciphers Locks and Keys Governing Diverse Aspects of Signalling

Understanding the molecular mechanism of signalling in the important super-family of G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) is causally related to questions of how and where these receptors can be activated or inhibited. In this context, it is of great interest to unravel the common molecular features of GPCRs as well as those related to an active or inactive state or to subtype specific G-protein coupling. In our underlying chemogenomics study, we analyse for the first time the statistical link between the properties of G-protein-coupled receptors and GPCR ligands. The technique of mutual information (MI) is able to reveal statistical inter-dependence between variations in amino acid residues on the one hand and variations in ligand molecular descriptors on the other. Although this MI analysis uses novel information that differs from the results of known site-directed mutagenesis studies or published GPCR crystal structures, the method is capable of identifying the well-known common ligand binding region of GPCRs between the upper part of the seven transmembrane helices and the second extracellular loop. The analysis shows amino acid positions that are sensitive to either stimulating (agonistic) or inhibitory (antagonistic) ligand effects or both. It appears that amino acid positions for antagonistic and agonistic effects are both concentrated around the extracellular region, but selective agonistic effects are cumulated between transmembrane helices (TMHs) 2, 3, and ECL2, while selective residues for antagonistic effects are located at the top of helices 5 and 6. Above all, the MI analysis provides detailed indications about amino acids located in the transmembrane region of these receptors that determine G-protein signalling pathway preferences.
The analgesic properties of delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol and codeine

The administration of single oral doses of delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) to patients with cancer pain demonstrated a mild analgesic effect. At a dose of 20 mg, however, THC induced side effects that would prohibit its therapeutic use including somnolence, dizziness, ataxia, and blurred vision. Alarming adverse reactions were also observed at this dose. THC, 10 mg, was well tolerated and, despite its sedative effect, may have analgesic potential.
Writing from Academic Sources. Critiquing Texts in Sociology: A Longitudinal Study. Project 9 (Study 2, Phase 2). Final Report.

This report describes the second phase of a study of the transformations students make in their written texts as they write from sources in a given discipline. Phase 1 of the study examined how students performed the task of writing a critique of a scholarly article in sociology and how their efforts were evaluated by professors in the discipline. Phase 2 examined changes in students' knowledge of critique from one year to the next. Six of the 32 students involved in the first phase of the study agreed to participate in the second phase. Subjects reread the scholarly article they had read a year earlier in the first phase and constructed a second, newly written critique. As in the first phase, the configuration of topics and comments in each student's critique was mapped out to depict the flow of the total discourse. Results indicated that all but one of the students wrote critiques that focused on topics that differed from those they selected the previous year; for example, three students who originally disagreed with the source article were more supportive of it, and two of the students who had agreed with the content of the article the previous year disagreed. Overall, the students were still including proportionally more suspended judgment in their critiques than either positive or negative evaluative commentary. Analysis of interviews with the students showed that classroom environment and new knowledge contributed to some of the changes in students' texts. (Nine figures and four tables of data are included; the text template and a student critique are attached. Contains 64 references.) (RS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ***********************************************************************