Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can we identify subfertile couples that benefit from immediate in vitro fertilisation over intrauterine insemination?

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Binding of brush border myosin I to phospholipid vesicles

The actin filament core within each microvillus of the intestinal epithelial cell is attached laterally to the plasma membrane by brush border (BB) myosin I, a protein-calmodulin complex belonging to the myosin I class of actin-based mechanoenzymes. In this report, the binding of BB myosin I to pure phospholipid vesicles was examined and characterized. BB myosin I demonstrated saturable binding to liposomes composed of anionic phospholipids, but did not associate with liposomes composed of only neutral phospholipids. The binding of BB myosin I to phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylglycerol vesicles reached saturation at 4-5 x 10(-3) nmol protein/nmol phospholipid, while the apparent dissociation constant was determined to be 1-3 x 10(-7) M. Similar to the free protein, membrane-associated BB myosin I bound F-actin in an ATP-sensitive manner and demonstrated actin-activated Mg-ATPase activity. Immunoblot analysis of peptides generated from controlled proteolysis of vesicle-bound BB myosin I provided structural information concerning the site responsible for the membrane interaction. Immunoblot staining with domain-specific mAbs revealed a series of COOH-terminal, liposome-associated peptides that were protected from digestion, suggesting that the membrane-binding domain is within the carboxy-terminal "tail" of the BB myosin I heavy chain.
Recombinant thyrotropin use in children and adolescents with differentiated thyroid cancer: a multicenter retrospective study.

CONTEXT Although recombinant human TSH (rhTSH) is widely used in differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) to aid diagnostic follow-up procedures and radioiodine thyroid remnant ablation, almost all clinical investigation was in adults. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to characterize rhTSH clinical safety and peak TSH response in DTC patients 18 yr old or younger. DESIGN AND SETTING We conducted a retrospective study involving 23 tertiary referral centers in 12 European, Asian, and Oceanian countries. PATIENTS One hundred DTC patients (69% female, 31% male, 84% papillary, 61% N1, 18% M1) ages 4.9-18 yr at first rhTSH administration were studied. INTERVENTIONS A total of 181 rhTSH courses were administered (range, one to eight per patient; 42% of patients received two or more courses), 92% using the approved adult regimen (one 0.9 mg im injection daily on two consecutive days), 34% including thyroid hormone withdrawal for less than 7 d ("mini-THW"). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Clinical adverse event (AE) incidence, type, and severity, and peak post-rhTSH serum TSH concentrations were assessed. RESULTS No clinical AEs occurred in 88% of rhTSH courses. Most common clinical AEs were nausea (5% of courses) and vomiting (3%). Multiple or severe AEs were rare (0.6% and 2.8% of courses, respectively); serious AEs were absent. Peak TSH concentration post-rhTSH exceeded 25 mU/liter in approximately 98% of courses. In logistic regression analyses, the rhTSH regimen, "mini-THW," peak TSH concentration, body mass index (BMI), or peak TSH concentration/unit of BMI were not associated with clinical AE occurrence. In analyses of covariance, higher BMI was associated with lower peak TSH concentrations. CONCLUSIONS rhTSH was clinically well tolerated in pediatric DTC patients although courses preponderantly comprised the adult regimen, and repeated courses were frequent. Both the adult and reduced-dose regimens almost always sufficiently elevate TSH in children and adolescents.
Effects of caponization and ovariectomy on objective indices related to meat quality in chickens

&NA; Capons and ovariectomized chickens are birds that have been gonadectomized to improve the meat quality. This study investigated the effects of caponization and ovariectomy on physical, chemical, and fatty acid and amino acid profiles of meat from Beijing‐You chickens (a Chinese local breed) at market age (17 wk). All birds (20 capons, 20 ovariectomized, and 40 controls) were reared under the same conditions. Breast muscle fiber diameter and area were significantly smaller and the fiber density was higher in capons and ovariectomized chickens than in controls (P < 0.05). Compared with controls, caponization and ovariectomy significantly decreased breast muscle shear values and redness (a*), as well as increased yellowness (b*), hue (H*), and chroma (C*) (P < 0.05). There was significantly more intramuscular fat (IMF) in capons than in controls (P < 0.05), and there was a tendency for more inosine‐5′‐monophosphate (IMP) in capons than in controls (P = 0.10). The levels of IMF and IMP in ovariectomized chickens were significantly higher than those in controls (P < 0.05). Capons and ovariectomized chickens exhibited a significantly higher content of palmitic acid (C16:0), palmitoleic acid (C16:1) and oleic acid (C18:1), together with a lower content of stearic acid (C18:0), arachidonic acid (C20:4), and lignoceric acid (C24:0) compared to controls (P < 0.05). The total saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as amino acid composition were not affected by gonadectomy (P > 0.05). Overall, this study indicates that both caponization and ovariectomy likely improve the meat quality of the breast muscle based on the objective indices of IMF, appearance (color), texture, and minor change of the fatty acid profile; ovariectomy improves flavor‐related indices.
I Have a Dream

I have a dream. , these simple words, which created a vision that all too soon became the orphan of their martyred author, the Reverend Martin Luther King, have reverberated vigorously in the recent American presidential election. In our old Europe, Yves BARAT, also had a wonderful dream, admittedly more mod est than King's, that he shared with the first editors of the Revue d'Orthopédie Dento-Faciale, and with its readers as well. Chief of the journal's board of editors, Yves had a generous vision that enabled him to make talented and devoted contributions for four decades to the revue you are today holding in your hands. More than just a cultivated man of letters who had the grace to say thank you when others would have contented themselves with an au revoir, Yves is above all a man of infinite gentleness always available to his friends and co-workers. May he know that we all send him our heartiest thanks in return. * * * Did you enjoy the special issue on Posture? Would you like more of the same? We are pleased to welcome in this varia three new articles that explore the vast field of the relationships between orthodontics and posture. Isabelle Gault explains for us how to integrate a succinct postural assessment into our clinical examinations and suggests what attitude we should adopt when we discover during the course of orthodontic treatment that one of our patients has a postural prob lem, especially when it is scoliosis.
Large effect quantitative trait loci for salicinoid phenolic glycosides in Populus: Implications for gene discovery

Abstract Genomic studies have been used to identify genes underlying many important plant secondary metabolic pathways. However, genes for salicinoid phenolic glycosides (SPGs)—ecologically important compounds with significant commercial, cultural, and medicinal applications—remain largely undescribed. We used a linkage map derived from a full‐sib population of hybrid cottonwoods (Populus spp.) to search for quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the SPGs salicortin and HCH‐salicortin. SSR markers and primer sequences were used to anchor the map to the V3.0 P. trichocarpa genome. We discovered 21 QTL for the two traits, including a major QTL for HCH‐salicortin (R 2 = .52) that colocated with a QTL for salicortin on chr12. Using the V3.0 Populus genome sequence, we identified 2,983 annotated genes and 1,480 genes of unknown function within our QTL intervals. We note ten candidate genes of interest, including a BAHD‐type acyltransferase that has been potentially linked to Populus SPGs. Our results complement other recent studies in Populus with implications for gene discovery and the evolution of defensive chemistry in a model genus. To our knowledge, this is the first study to use a full‐sib mapping population to identify QTL intervals and gene lists associated with SPGs.
Eval all, trust a few, do wrong to none: Comparing sentence generation models

In this paper, we study recent neural generative models for text generation related to variational autoencoders. Previous works have employed various techniques to control the prior distribution of the latent codes in these models, which is important for sampling performance, but little attention has been paid to reconstruction error. In our study, we follow a rigorous evaluation protocol using a large set of previously used and novel automatic and human evaluation metrics, applied to both generated samples and reconstructions. We hope that it will become the new evaluation standard when comparing neural generative models for text.
Measurement and Modeling of Extra-Column Effects Due to Injection and Connections in Capillary Liquid Chromatography

As column volumes continue to decrease, extra-column band broadening has become an increasingly important consideration when determining column performance. Combined contributions due to the injector and connecting tubing in a capillary LC system were measured and found to be larger than expected by Taylor-Aris theory. Variance from sigma-type and tau-type broadening was isolated from eluted peaks using the Foley-Dorsey Exponentially Modified Gaussian peak fitting model and confirmed with computational fluid dynamics. It was found that the tau-type contributions were the main cause for the excessive broadening because of poorly-swept volumes at the connection between the injector and tubing. To reduce tau-type contributions (and peak tailing), a timed pinch mode could be used for analyte injection.
Long-Term Clinical Outcomes Following En Bloc Resections for Sacral Chordomas and Chondrosarcomas: A Series of Twenty Consecutive Patients

Study Design. Retrospective study of 20 consecutive patients who underwent en bloc tumor excision of sacral chordomas and chondrosarcomas. Objective. To evaluate the functional and oncological outcomes following en bloc tumor excision for sacral chordomas and chondrosarcomas. Summary of Background Data. Chordomas and chondrosarcomas are 2 of the most common malignant primary tumors of the sacrum in adults. To date, few large clinical series with en bloc resection of these tumors exist. Methods. An institutional primary spine tumor surgical database was retrospective reviewed. Twenty consecutive patients with sacral chordomas and chondrosarcomas who underwent primary en bloc tumor excisions from 2002 to 2007 were included in the study. Surgical margin, perioperative complications, and postoperative functional status in these patients were analyzed. Disease-free survival following en bloc tumor excision was determined using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results. The study cohort included 8 males and 12 females with an average age of 53.5 years and a man follow-up of 47.8 months. Wide or marginal en bloc resection was achieved in 14 patients. In 6 other patients, tumor was identified at the surgical margins, and they were considered to have contaminated/intralesional resections. The 30-day perioperative morbidities in this series included 1 death from pulmonary embolism and 9 wound complications. Forty percent of the patients had normal bladder and bowel functions after surgery, while 60% of the patients had partial or complete loss of bladder and bowel functions. All but 2 patients in this group remained ambulatory after the surgery. The mean disease-free survival for patients with wide or marginal en bloc tumor excisions was 51 months, but the mean disease-free survival was only 17.5 months for patients who had contaminated/intralesional resections. Conclusion. Wide or marginal en bloc excision of sacral chordoma and chondrosarcoma is associated with significant improvement in disease-free survival with acceptable perioperative morbidity rate.
What are the relationships among Web 2.0, market orientation and innovativeness?

Purpose – Firms are adopting Web 2.0 technologies to improve collaboration, participation and communication; however there are few empirical studies testing the impact of this adoption. The purpose of this article is to analyze if there is a linkage amongst market orientation, Web 2.0 adoption and innovativeness.Design/methodology/approach – Structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships amongst the variables. A sample of 244 firms of the hospitality industry was used. The theoretical approach is based on the market orientation and innovativeness, concepts, which have been studied by various authors in the literature.Findings – A positive relationship was found between market orientation and Web 2.0 adoption and between Web 2.0 adoption and innovativeness.Research limitations/implications – The study was developed in one industry, so in order to generalize the findings, additional testing in other industries should be developed. In addition a longitudinal study is encouraged.Practical imp.
TRAF6 and the Three C-Terminal Lysine Sites on IRF7 Are Required for Its Ubiquitination-Mediated Activation by the Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Family Member Latent Membrane Protein 1

ABSTRACT We have recently shown that interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) is activated by Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1), a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) superfamily, through receptor-interacting protein-dependent K63-linked ubiquitination (L. E. Huye, S. Ning, M. Kelliher, and J. S. Pagano, Mol. Cell. Biol. 27:2910-2918, 2007). In this study, with the use of small interfering RNA and TNFR-associated factor 6 (TRAF6) knockout cells, we first show that TRAF6 and its E3 ligase activity are required for LMP1-stimulated IRF7 ubiquitination. In Raji cells which are latently infected and express high levels of LMP1 and IRF7 endogenously, expression of a TRAF6 small hairpin RNA construct reduces endogenous ubiquitination and endogenous activity of IRF7. In TRAF6−/− mouse embryonic fibroblasts, reconstitution with TRAF6 expression, but not with TRAF6(C70A), which lacks the E3 ligase activity, recovers LMP1's ability to stimulate K63-linked ubiquitination of IRF7. Further, we identify IRF7 as a substrate for TRAF6 E3 ligase and show that IRF7 is ubiquitinated by TRAF6 at multiple sites both in vitro and in vivo. Most important, we determine that the last three C-terminal lysine sites (positions 444, 446, and 452) of human IRF7 variant A are essential for activation of IRF7; these are the first such sites identified. A ubiquitination-deficient mutant of IRF7 with these sites mutated to arginines completely loses transactivational ability in response not only to LMP1 but also to the IRF7 kinase IκB kinase ε. In addition, we find that K63-linked ubiquitination of IRF7 occurs independently of its C-terminal functional phosphorylation sites. These data support our hypothesis that regulatory ubiquitination of IRF7 is a prerequisite for its phosphorylation. This is the first evidence to imply that ubiquitination is required for phosphorylation and activation of a transcription factor.
Cerebral oxygen saturation evaluated by near‐infrared time‐resolved spectroscopy (TRS) in pregnant women during caesarean section – a promising new method of maternal monitoring

Time‐resolved spectroscopy (TRS‐20) measures tissue oxygen saturation (%) by evaluating the absolute concentrations of oxygenated, deoxygenated and total haemoglobin based on measurement of the transit time of individual photons through a tissue of interest. We measured tissue oxygen saturation in the prefrontal lobes of the brain by TRS‐20 in eighteen pregnant women during caesarean section. In a case of placenta previa, massive bleeding immediately decreased cerebral oxygen saturation from 67·2% to 54·2%, but did not alter peripheral tissue oxygenation as measured by pulse oximetry. Four cases of pre‐eclampsia revealed chronic changes in elevated base levels of cerebral oxygen saturation, though peripheral oxygen saturation was similar to that in normotensive pregnant women. Average cerebral oxygen saturation in the cases of pre‐eclampsia before the introduction of anaesthesia was 73·6 ± 4·4 (SD)% (n = 4), significantly higher than in normotensive pregnant women, 67·2 ± 4·3% (n = 13, P<0·05). Z‐scores of cerebral oxygen saturation prior to anaesthesia positively correlated with those of systolic or diastolic blood pressure. TRS‐20 could detect acute as well as chronic changes in brain oxygen saturation in response to pregnancy‐associated complications.
Spectrum and consequences of SMC1A mutations: The unexpected involvement of a core component of cohesin in human disease

SMC1A encodes a structural component of the cohesin complex, which is necessary for sister chromatid cohesion. In addition to its canonical role, cohesin has been shown to be involved in gene expression regulation and maintenance of genome stability. Recently, it has been demonstrated that mutations in the SMC1A gene are responsible for Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS). CdLS is a genetically heterogeneous multisystem developmental disorder with variable expressivity, typically characterized by consistent facial dysmorphia, upper extremity malformations, hirsutism, cardiac defects, growth and cognitive retardation, gastrointestinal abnormalities, and other systemic involvement. SMC1A mutations have also been identified in colorectal cancers. So far a total of 26 different mutations of the SMC1A gene have been reported. All mutations reported to date are either missense or small in‐frame deletions that maintain the open reading frame and presumably result in a protein with residual function. The mutations involve all domains of the protein but appear to cluster in key functional loci. At the functional level, elucidation of the effects that specific SMC1A mutations have on cohesin activity will be necessary to understand the etiopathology of CdLS and its possible involvement in tumorigenesis. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of SMC1A mutations. Hum Mutat 30:1–6, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hydrogen Sulfide as a Potential Therapeutic Target in Fibrosis

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), produced endogenously by the activation of two major H2S-generating enzymes (cystathionine β-synthase and cystathionine γ-lyase), plays important regulatory roles in different physiologic and pathologic conditions. The abnormal metabolism of H2S is associated with fibrosis pathogenesis, causing damage in structure and function of different organs. A number of in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that both endogenous H2S level and the expressions of H2S-generating enzymes in plasma and tissues are significantly downregulated during fibrosis. Supplement with exogenous H2S mitigates the severity of fibrosis in various experimental animal models. The protective role of H2S in the development of fibrosis is primarily attributed to its antioxidation, antiapoptosis, anti-inflammation, proangiogenesis, and inhibition of fibroblasts activities. Future studies might focus on the potential to intervene fibrosis by targeting the pathway of endogenous H2S-producing enzymes and H2S itself.
Some Like It Hot: The X-Ray Emission of the Giant Star YY Mensae

We present an analysis of the X-ray emission of the rapidly rotating giant star YY Mensae observed by Chandra HETGS and XMM-Newton. The high-resolution spectra display numerous emission lines of highly ionized species; Fe XVII to Fe XXV lines are detected, together with H-like and He-like transitions of lower Z elements. Although no obvious flare was detected, the X-ray luminosity changed by a factor of 2 between the XMM-Newton and Chandra observations taken 4 months apart (from log LX ≈ 32.2 to 32.5 ergs s-1, respectively). The coronal abundances and the emission measure distribution have been derived from three different methods using optically thin collisional ionization equilibrium models, which is justified by the absence of opacity effects in YY Men as measured from line ratios of Fe XVII transitions. The abundances show a distinct pattern as a function of the first ionization potential (FIP), suggestive of an inverse FIP effect as seen in several active RS CVn binaries. The low-FIP elements (<10 eV) are depleted relative to the high-FIP elements; when compared to its photospheric abundance, the coronal Fe abundance also appears depleted. We find a high N abundance in YY Men's corona, which we interpret as a signature of material processed in the CNO cycle and dredged up in the giant phase. The corona is dominated by a very high temperature (20-40 MK) plasma, which places YY Men among the magnetically active stars with the hottest coronae. Lower temperature plasma also coexists, albeit with much lower emission measure. Line broadening is reported in some lines, with a particularly strong significance in Ne X Lyα. We interpret such broadening as Doppler thermal broadening, although rotational broadening due to X-ray-emitting material high above the surface could be present as well. We use two different formalisms to discuss the shape of the emission measure distribution. The first one infers the properties of coronal loops, whereas the second formalism uses flares as a statistical ensemble. We find that most of the loops in the corona of YY Men have their maximum temperature equal to or slightly larger than about 30 MK. We also find that small flares could contribute significantly to the coronal heating in YY Men. Although there is no evidence of flare variability in the X-ray light curves, we argue that YY Men's distance and X-ray brightness do not allow us to detect flares with peak luminosities LX ≤ 1031 ergs s-1 with current detectors.
Anytime Optimal Coalition Structure Generation

A key problem when forming effective coalitions of autonomous agents is determining the best groupings, or the optimal coalition structure, to select to achieve some goal. To this end, we present a novel, anytime algorithm for this task that is significantly faster than current solutions. Specifically, we empirically show that we are able to find solutions that are optimal in 0.082% of the time taken by the state of the art dynamic programming algorithm (for 27 agents), using much less memory (O(2n) instead of O(3n) for n agents). Moreover, our algorithm is the first to be able to find solutions for more than 17 agents in reasonable time (less than 90 minutes for 27 agents, as opposed to around 2 months for the best previous solution).