Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interference with the HSF1/HSP70/BAG3 Pathway Primes Glioma Cells to Matrix Detachment and BH3 Mimetic–Induced Apoptosis

Malignant gliomas exhibit a high intrinsic resistance against stimuli triggering apoptotic cell death. HSF1 acts as transcription factor upstream of HSP70 and the HSP70 co-chaperone BAG3 that is overexpressed in glioblastoma. To specifically target this resistance mechanism, we applied the selective HSF1 inhibitor KRIBB11 and the HSP70/BAG3 interaction inhibitor YM-1 in combination with the pan-Bcl-2 inhibitor AT-101. Here, we demonstrate that lentiviral BAG3 silencing significantly enhances AT-101–induced cell death and reactivates effector caspase-mediated apoptosis in U251 glioma cells with high BAG3 expression, whereas these sensitizing effects were less pronounced in U343 cells expressing lower BAG3 levels. KRIBB11 decreased protein levels of HSP70, BAG3, and the antiapoptotic Bcl-2 protein Mcl-1, and both KRIBB11 and YM-1 elicited significantly increased mitochondrial dysfunction, effector caspase activity, and apoptotic cell death after combined treatment with AT-101 and ABT-737. Depletion of BAG3 also led to a pronounced loss of cell–matrix adhesion, FAK phosphorylation, and in vivo tumor growth in an orthotopic mouse glioma model. Furthermore, it reduced the plating efficiency of U251 cells in three-dimensional clonogenic assays and limited clonogenic survival after short-term treatment with AT-101. Collectively, our data suggest that the HSF1/HSP70/BAG3 pathway plays a pivotal role for overexpression of prosurvival Bcl-2 proteins and cell death resistance of glioma. They also support the hypothesis that interference with BAG3 function is an effective novel approach to prime glioma cells to anoikis. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(1); 156–68. ©2016 AACR.
Nutrient Metabolism Cis-Lycopene Is More Bioavailable Than Trans-Lycopene In Vitro and In Vivo in Lymph-Cannulated Ferrets 1

Lycopene is the predominant carotenoid in tomatoes and tomato-based foods and is also a predominant carotenoid in human serum and tissues. Intake of lycopene-rich foods was recently associated with decreased risk for several chronic diseases. The observation that serum and tissue lycopene is more than 50% cis-lycopene, whereas tomatoes and tomato-based foods contain mainly all-trans-lycopene, has led to the hypothesis that cis-isomers of lycopene are more bioavailable. We tested this hypothesis both in vitro (study 1) and in vivo (study 2). In study 1, bile acid micelles containing crystalline lycopene were prepared. The crystalline lycopene used for these analyses was 54.4% cis-lycopene. The optically clear micelle preparation contained 75.9% cis-lycopene in repeated analyses . In study 2, mesenteric lymph duct cannulated ferrets were used to study the in vivo absorption of lycopene from LycoredY (an ethyl acetate extract of tomatoes containing 5% lycopene by weight; of which 91% was all-trans lycopene). Before being anesthetized, male ferrets (n 5 7) were dosed orally with 40 mg lycopene per kg body weight in soybean oil. Lymph secretions were collected, on ice, for 2 h. The residual stomach and small intestinal contents, mucosa lining, lymph secretion and serum were analyzed by HPLC. Whereas the dose, stomach and intestinal contents contained 6.2–17.5% cis-lycopene, the mesenteric lymph secretions contained significantly more, 77.4%, cis-lycopene (P , 0.01). These studies demonstrate that in ferrets, cis-isomers of lycopene are more bioavailable than trans-lycopene probably because cis-isomers are more soluble in bile acid micelles and may be preferentially incorporated into chylomicrons. J. Nutr. 129: 1176–1181, 1999.
Randomized controlled trial of the effect of zinc supplementation on the mental development of Bangladeshi infants.

BACKGROUND Zinc deficiency is thought to be common in young children in developing countries and some data suggest that it may detrimentally affect children's development. OBJECTIVE Our goal was to assess the effect of zinc supplementation on the developmental levels and behavior of Bangladeshi infants. DESIGN This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial conducted in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Three hundred one infants aged 1 mo were randomly assigned to receive either 5 mg elemental Zn or placebo daily for 5 mo, and subsequent growth and morbidity were observed. For the present study, developmental levels were assessed in a subsample of 212 infants at 7 and 13 mo of age with use of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, and the infants' behavior during the tests was observed. The children's social backgrounds, weights, and lengths were also recorded. RESULTS The children's nutritional status was generally poor. The zinc-treated group had slightly lower scores on the mental development index of the Bayley Scales than did the placebo group (beta = 3.7, SE = 1.3, P < 0.005). This effect remained significant when nutritional status and social background were controlled for. No other significant differences between groups were noted. CONCLUSIONS The mental development index scores of the zinc-treated group were slightly but significantly lower than those of the placebo group. This finding may have been due to micronutrient imbalance. Caution should be exercised when supplementing undernourished infants with a single micronutrient.
Synthesis and Modification of Clinoptilolite

Clinoptilolite is a natural mineral with exceptional physical characteristics resulting from its special crystal structure, mainstreamed into a large zeolite group called heulandites. An overall view of the research related to the synthesis, modification and application of synthetic clinoptilolite is presented. A single phase of clinoptilolite can be hydrothermally synthesized for 1–10 days in an autoclave from various silica, alumina, and alkali sources with initial Si/Al ratio from 3.0 to 5.0 at a temperature range from 120 to 195 °C. Crystallization rate and crystallinity of clinoptilolite can be improved by seeding. The modification of clinoptilolite has received noticeable attention from the research community, since modified forms have specific properties and therefore their area of application has been broadening. This paper provides a review of the use of organic compounds such as quarter alkyl ammonium, polymer, amine and inorganic species used in the modification process, discusses the processes and mechanisms of clinoptilolite modification, and identifies research gaps and new perspectives.
Butter differs from olive oil and sunflower oil in its effects on postprandial lipemia and triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins after single mixed meals in healthy young men.

Accumulation of postprandial triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins is generated by assimilation of ingested dietary fat and has been increasingly related to atherogenic risk. Nevertheless, the influence of different kinds of dietary fatty acids on postprandial lipid metabolism is not well established, except for (n-3) polyunsaturated long-chain fatty acids. Our goal was to evaluate the effects of test meals containing a common edible fat source of saturated (butter), monounsaturated (olive oil) or (n-6) polyunsaturated (sunflower oil) fatty acids on postprandial lipid and triacylglycerol-rich lipoprotein responses. After a 12-h fast, 10 healthy young men ingested mixed meals containing 0 g (control) or 40 g fat, provided as butter, olive oil or sunflower oil in a random order. Fasting and postmeal blood samples were collected for 7 h. The no-fat test meal did not elicit any change over baseline except for plasma phospholipids, insulin and nonesterified fatty acids. Conversely, the three fat-containing meals elicited bell-shaped postprandial changes (P < 0.05) in serum triacylglycerols, free and esterified cholesterol, and nonesterified fatty acids. The butter meal induced a lower postprandial rise of triacylglycerols in serum and chylomicrons (incremental AUC, mmol.h/L: 0.72) than the two unsaturated oils (olive oil: 1.6, sunflower oil: 1.8), which did not differ. Circulating chylomicrons were smaller after the butter meal than after the two vegetable oil meals. The in vitro susceptibility of circulating chylomicrons to hydrolysis by postheparin plasma was higher after sunflower oil than after butter or olive oil. We conclude that butter results in lower postprandial lipemia and chylomicron accumulation in the circulation of young men than olive or sunflower oils after consumption of a single mixed meal.
Staged hybrid procedure in persistent atrial fibrillation: safety, efficacy, and atrial tachyarrhythmia.

The only class I recommendations in 2017 expert consensus statement on ablation of atrial fibrillation are catheter ablation of symptomatic paroxysmal atrial fibrillation refractory or intolerant to at least one antiarrhythmic medication and concomitant open surgical ablation (i.e., Cox-maze procedure) of symptomatic atrial fibrillation (1). The outcomes of catheter ablation of persistent and long-standing persistent atrial fibrillation have not been satisfactory (2-6). However, the stand-alone Cox-maze procedure of persistent atrial fibrillation without concomitant cardiac surgery is not recommended because of the risk of complications, including mortality (7,8). The minimally invasive surgical approach using video-assisted pulmonary vein ablation and exclusion of the left atrial appendage was first described in 2005 (9). In addition to potentially more durable pulmonary vein isolation, other advantages of a thoracoscopic approach include access to epicardial structures, such as the ligament of Marshall and ganglionated plexi, management of the left atrial appendage, and avoidance of damaging collateral structures, such as the phrenic nerve and esophagus (1).
Eliminated the Internal Stress in Molybdenum Oxides by Ultraviolet-Ozone Treatment and its Application to Organic Solar Cell

A simple and efficient method has been developed to eliminate the internal stress in molybdenum oxides by an ultraviolet ozone treatment. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy indicate that oxygen vacancy was a determining factor of the compressive stress in MoO3, which can be released by ultraviolet ozone treatment. Based on this hole-transporting layer, the photovoltaic power conversion efficiency up to 3.91% was achieved, which is 22% higher than that without ultraviolet ozone treatment. And ultraviolet ozone treatment on MoO3 is a useful method to embellish the interface to enhance the ability of collecting hole of hole-transporting layer to improve the performance of OSC with MoO3 film as hole-transporting layer.
Carbohydrate intake and glycemic index in relation to the odds of early cortical and nuclear lens opacities.

BACKGROUND Animal studies suggest a role for dietary carbohydrate in cataractogenesis. However, few published human studies have evaluated associations between carbohydrate nutrition and lens opacification. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to test the hypothesis that long-term carbohydrate intake and dietary glycemic index are associated with the odds of early cortical and nuclear opacities. DESIGN Subjects were 417 Boston-area members of the Nurses' Health Study cohort aged 53-73 y. Dietary information was based on an average from 5 semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaires collected over a 14-y period. Opacities were assessed by using the Lens Opacity Classification System III (LOCS III). We used eyes (n = 711) as the unit of analysis and generated odds ratios by using a generalized estimating approach to logistic regression to account for the lack of independence between the 2 eyes of each subject. RESULTS After multivariate adjustment, the odds of cortical opacities (LOCS III >/=1.0) among women in the highest tertile of carbohydrate intake (>/=200 g/d) was 2.46 times (95% CI: 1.30, 4.64; P for trend = 0.005) that among women in the lowest tertile (<185 g/d). This association was not affected by adjustment for dietary glycemic index, which was not associated with early cortical opacities. Carbohydrate nutrition was not associated with the odds of nuclear opacities (LOCS III >/=2.5). CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that carbohydrate quantity, but not carbohydrate quality, is associated with early cortical opacities, and that neither the quantity nor the quality of dietary carbohydrate affects the risk of nuclear opacities in middle-aged women.
Forward-Looking and Incentive-Compatible Operational Risk Capital Framework

The Advanced Measurement Approach (AMA) to operational risk capital is vulnerable to gaming, complex, and lacks comparability. The Standardized Measurement Approach (SMA) to operational risk capital lacks risk sensitivity and is unlikely to be appropriately conservative for US banks. An alternative framework is proposed that addresses the weaknesses of these approaches by relying on an incentive-compatible mechanism to elicit forward-looking projections of loss exposure.
Deriving Input Syntactic Structure From Execution and Its Applications

Program input syntactic structure is essential for a wide range of applications such as test case generation, software debugging and network security. However, such important information is often not available (e.g., most malware programs make use of secret protocols to communicate) or not directly usable by machines (e.g., many programs specify their inputs in plain text or other random formats). Furthermore, many programs claim they accept inputs with a published format, but their implementations actually support a subset or a variant. Based on the observations that input structure is manifested by the way input symbols are used during execution and most programs take input with top-down or bottom-up grammars, we devise two dynamic analyses, one for each grammar category. Our evaluation on a set of real-world programs shows that our technique is able to precisely reverse engineer input syntactic structure from execution.
Renal Function Outcome in Hospitalized Adolescent Girls with Anorexia Nervosa.

Purpose: Renal complications are classically described in anorexia nervosa (AN). Our aim was to study the initial renal function and its outcome after refeeding in a population of female adolescents hospitalized for AN, and to look for predictive factors of the development of renal failure. Methods: Renal function was assessed using the Cockcroft and Gault formula before and after the refeeding period in 106 inpatient AN girls in an adolescent medical unit. Predictive factors for renal impairment and potential for recovery were sought using patient anamnestic, anthropometric and biological characteristics. Results: Creatinine clearance was reduced at admission, and improved significantly at discharge (63.9 mL/min vs. 84.2 mL/min, p<0.01). Only 4 patients presented an initial normal renal function, 58 a mild reduction, and 44 a moderate reduction. At discharge, these figures were respectively 40, 56 and 10. The positive predictive factors identified were BMI (r=0.22; p=0.02), weight gain (r=0.64; p<0.01) and potassium levels at admission (r=0.23, p=0.02). No differences were observed for creatinine clearance levels at admission between restrictive (ANR) and binge/ purging (ANBP) patients, but clearance rates at discharge among ANR were statistically better (87.7 mL/min vs. 75.8 mL/min, p<0.01). Conclusion: Impairment of renal function in hospitalized anorexic adolescents may be transient or persistent after refeeding depending of initial malnutrition severity and nutritional status at the time of discharge. It seems essential not to under-diagnose the persistence of renal function deficiency following the refeeding phase, in order to limit the risk of severe renal impairment or end-stage renal disease in adulthood.
Metabolic effect of pre-cooked instant preparations of bean and potato in normal and in diabetic subjects.

The effect of a 50 g starch meal prepared with pre-cooked instant bean flakes on glucose and insulin plasma levels and on glucose oxidation rate as measured by continuous indirect calorimetry was assessed in six healthy human volunteers during 4 h following the meal. Comparison was done with the same load of starch as potato flakes to which the fiber and protein content of the bean meal had been added. Thirty minutes after ingestion, plasma glucose and insulin rise was less after beans than after potatoes (0.4 +/- 0.2 vs 2.0 +/- 0.3 mmol . l-1), p less than 0.01, and 8 +/- 2 vs 38 +/- 5 microU . ml-1, p less than 0.001). The elevation of glucose oxidation was markedly less during the 2 h following the ingestion of beans when compared to potatoes. The bean flakes meal gave rise to only moderate elevation of plasma glucose and insulin levels and of glucose oxidation rate when given to four noninsulin-dependent-diabetes mellitus patients. It is suggested that the slow carbohydrate property of legumes is not due to their fiber content, but might be related to the histological structure of the seed.
Relation between prenatal lipid-soluble micronutrient status, environmental pollutant exposure, and birth outcomes.

BACKGROUND Adverse postnatal health effects have been associated with compromised fetal growth, which makes it essential to understand its determinants. Significant effects of environmental pollutants on birth outcomes have been observed in our study population, and nutritional status may be an additional factor influencing fetal development and effects of environmental toxins. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to examine the relations between birth outcomes and lipid-soluble plasma micronutrient concentrations and to explore interactions between micronutrients and environmental pollutant exposure in newborns in Krakow, Poland. DESIGN In this prospective cohort study, retinol, alpha-tocopherol, and carotenoids were measured in maternal and cord blood samples obtained at delivery (251 maternal-newborn pairs), and birth weight, birth length, head circumference (HC), and gestational age were evaluated. Linear regression analysis was used to estimate the effects of micronutrients while covariates were controlled for. Interaction terms assessed whether the effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), common environmental pollutants, varied by nutrient status. RESULTS Infants whose mothers had low plasma alpha-tocopherol concentrations (below the median) weighed 92.9 g less and had 0.41-cm smaller HCs than did infants whose mothers had high alpha-tocopherol concentrations. Infants with low plasma retinol (below the median) weighed 125.9 g less and had 0.31-cm smaller HCs. There was no evidence of an interaction between PAHs and micronutrients, although power was limited. CONCLUSION Maternal alpha-tocopherol and cord retinol concentrations were significantly and positively associated with BW and HC. These micronutrients may have direct effects or may be markers for other underlying determinants of these pregnancy outcomes.
Event-Related Potentials Allow for Optotype-Based Objective Acuity Estimation.

PURPOSE The event-related potential P300 has been proposed for objective acuity estimation. In contrast to the acuity VEP, which relies on grating or checkerboard stimuli, the P300 can be recorded to small stimulus differences, making it suitable to use optotype stimuli. This may result in a better agreement with subjective measures of acuity than that found with VEP-based estimates. We tested the feasibility of using Landolt C optotypes with a P300 acuity paradigm and assessed the relationship between subjective and objective acuity estimates for both optotype and grating stimuli. METHODS Dioptric blur (+1, +2, and +4 diopters) was used to degrade vision. Separate oddball sequences with Landolt Cs and with gratings, respectively, were used to record the P300. Thresholds were estimated by fitting a sigmoid curve to P300 amplitudes as a function of Landolt C size or grating coarseness, respectively. Psychophysical thresholds were also obtained for both stimulus types. RESULTS There was a sizable discrepancy in psychophysical acuity estimates between Landolt C and grating stimuli, probably due to spurious resolution with gratings. With both stimulus types, reliable P300 acuity estimates were obtained. These reflected the psychophysical discrepancy. Conversion factors (Landolt C, 2.3; grating, 1.5) allowed for translating P300-based acuity to psychophysical acuity. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrate, to our knowledge for the first time, that objective acuity estimation with Landolt C optotypes is feasible. Both psychophysical and P300-based estimates share the same stimulus-type dependence. P300-based acuity estimation with optotypes may thus be particularly useful with visual impairments that differentially affect grating and optotype acuity.
Deoxynivalenol: Toxicology and Potential Effects on Humans

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is a mycotoxin that commonly contaminates cereal-based foods worldwide. At the molecular level, DON disrupts normal cell function by inhibiting protein synthesis via binding to the ribosome and by activating critical cellular kinases involved in signal transduction related to proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Relative to toxicity, there are marked species differences, with the pig being most sensitive to DON, followed by rodent >dog >cat >poultry >ruminants. The physiologic parameter that is most sensitive to low-level DON exposure is the emetic response, with as little as 0.05 to 0.1 mg/kg body weight (bw) inducing vomiting in swine and dogs. Chinese epidemiological studies suggest that DON may also produce emetic effects in humans. With respect to chronic effects, growth (anorexia and decreased nutritional efficiency), immune function, (enhancement and suppression), and reproduction (reduced litter size) are also adversely affected by DON in animals, whereas incidence of neoplasia is not affected. When hazard evaluations were conducted using existing chronic toxicity data and standard safety factors employed for anthropogenic additives/contaminants in foods, tolerable daily intakes (TDIs) ranging from 1 to 5 μg/kg bw have been generated. Given that critical data gaps still exist regarding the potential health effects of DON, additional research is needed to improve capacity for assessing adverse health effects of this mycotoxin. Critical areas for future DON research include molecular mechanisms underlying toxicity, sensitivity of human cells/tissues relative to other species, emetic effects in primates, epidemiological association with gastroenteritis and chronic disease in humans, and surveillance in cereal crops worldwide. This work was supported by the International Life Sciences Institute, the Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative, and U.S. Public Health Service grants ES-03358 and ES-09521. The authors thank Dr. Tine Kuiper-Goodman for her valuable review and comments on the immunology section of this article and Mary Rosner for assistance in manuscript preparation.