Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rapid induction of prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase in rat preovulatory follicles by luteinizing hormone and cAMP is blocked by inhibitors of transcription and translation.

Prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase (PGS) catalyzes the rate-limiting step in the synthesis of prostaglandins E and F2 alpha that are obligatory for ovulation. To understand the molecular mechanisms by which LH regulates the induction of PGS in rat preovulatory (PO) follicles, we established an in vitro system which mimics in vivo induction of the enzyme. We show that the rapid increase in PGS enzyme: 1) is stimulated by LH, FSH, and forskolin (cAMP) in a time- and dose-dependent manner that is distinct from changes in steroidogenic enzymes analyzed in the same follicles; 2) is unaltered by end products (PGE and PGF2 alpha) of the reaction or inhibitors (indomethacin) of enzyme activity; 3) is blocked by inhibitors of transcription (alpha-amanitin) and translation (cycloheximide) at a step distal to production of cAMP and activation of A-kinase. Analyses of PGS mRNA by Northern blots using a mouse PGS cDNA probe revealed a PGS transcript of 2.8 kilobases that was present but in low abundance in PO follicles and decreased rapidly (1-4 h) as a consequence of LH/human CG stimulation. This hormone-induced decrease in PGS mRNA appeared to be transient because PGS transcripts were present in corpora lutea at a level similar to that in PO follicles. These results raise the possibility that the marked increase in PGS enzyme in granulosa cells of PO follicles that occurs as a consequence of the LH/human CG surge may not involve a cAMP regulated increase in transcription of the PGS gene itself. Or, if increased transcription of PGS mRNA does occur, it is rapid and coupled with cotranslational degradation of the mRNA. Alternatively, transcriptional (alpha-amanitin-sensitive) regulation of a separate gene may be obligatory for increased translation of PGS mRNA or posttranslational modification (stabilization? ) of the enzyme. In summary, the LH-stimulated appearance of PGS in granulosa cells of PO follicles before ovulation is mediated by cAMP in a complex manner involving transcriptional regulation (PGS gene? ) and translational control of PGS mRNA. The transient appearance of the PGS enzyme represents a unique pattern of response by granulosa cells of PO follicles to LH/cAMP and thereby may involve novel intracellular factors and regulatory processes.
Homophone effects in lexical decision.

The role of phonology in word recognition was investigated in 6 lexical-decision experiments involving homophones (e.g., MAID-MADE). The authors' goal was to determine whether homophone effects arise in the lexical-decision task and, if so, in what situations they arise, with a specific focus on the question of whether the presence of pseudohomophone foils (e.g., BRANE) causes homophone effects to be eliminated because of strategic deemphasis of phonological processing. All 6 experiments showed significant homophone effects, which were not eliminated by the presence of pseudohomophone foils. The authors propose that homophone effects in lexical decision are due to the nature of feedback from phonology to orthography.
Longitudinal changes in bone in men with spinal cord injury

Introduction: Quantitative bone assessment today is primarily based on the analysis of bone mineral density (BMD). The geometric and structural properties of bone, which are important parameters for skeletal strength, are generally not considered in the routine clinical assessment of spinal cord injury-related osteopenia. Objective: To study changes in structural and geometric properties of tibia bone longitudinally by means of peripheral quantitative computerized tomography and a biomechanical test method (bone stiffness measurement device Swing) in 12 subjects with spinal cord injury. Design: Measurements were conducted in the 5th week and around the 104th week after the spinal cord injury in a university hospital. Results: Paired Student's t-tests showed a significant decrease in trabecular (p < 0.05) and cortical bone (p < 0.05), as well as a significant decrease in geometric properties of tibia bone (p < 0.05) within two years after the spinal cord injury. Phase velocity propagation changed in three subjects within two years following the spinal cord injury. Conclusions: This study indicates that beside changes in tissue composition, changes in bone geometric indices and in structural properties occur in the lower extremity after a spinal cord injury. In the tibia, consideration of geometric and biomechanical parameters of bone combined with bone mineral density measurements could result in an improved screening for spinal cord injury-related osteopenia and the prediction of fracture risk in spinal cord injury.
Input Dependent Cell Assembly Dynamics in a Model of the Striatal Medium Spiny Neuron Network

The striatal medium spiny neuron (MSN) network is sparsely connected with fairly weak GABAergic collaterals receiving an excitatory glutamatergic cortical projection. Peri-stimulus time histograms (PSTH) of MSN population response investigated in various experimental studies display strong firing rate modulations distributed throughout behavioral task epochs. In previous work we have shown by numerical simulation that sparse random networks of inhibitory spiking neurons with characteristics appropriate for UP state MSNs form cell assemblies which fire together coherently in sequences on long behaviorally relevant timescales when the network receives a fixed pattern of constant input excitation. Here we first extend that model to the case where cortical excitation is composed of many independent noisy Poisson processes and demonstrate that cell assembly dynamics is still observed when the input is sufficiently weak. However if cortical excitation strength is increased more regularly firing and completely quiescent cells are found, which depend on the cortical stimulation. Subsequently we further extend previous work to consider what happens when the excitatory input varies as it would when the animal is engaged in behavior. We investigate how sudden switches in excitation interact with network generated patterned activity. We show that sequences of cell assembly activations can be locked to the excitatory input sequence and outline the range of parameters where this behavior is shown. Model cell population PSTH display both stimulus and temporal specificity, with large population firing rate modulations locked to elapsed time from task events. Thus the random network can generate a large diversity of temporally evolving stimulus dependent responses even though the input is fixed between switches. We suggest the MSN network is well suited to the generation of such slow coherent task dependent response which could be utilized by the animal in behavior.
The Dual Nature of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs): Yin and Yang of the Inflammatory Process

The well-known reparative properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) make them an attractive source for cell-based therapy. In vitro and in vivo studies support an anti-inflammatory role of MSCs by directly targeting immune cells or via the secretion of immunomodulatory factors. MSCs have been isolated from several human normal tissues, even from pathological biopsies and blood samples; in these cases, MSCs displayed peculiar characteristics, suggesting a phenotype transition into a pathological state. Indeed, MSCs derived from inflamed tissues acquired a pro-inflammatory behaviour. In this view, MSCs may be crucial players of many pathways involved in human diseases, especially during the inflammatory cascade. The present chapter will minutely describe the basic biology of human MSCs derived from normal and pathological arteries, focusing on their dual nature as cellular switchers of the inflammatory setting. We will also discuss the emerging role of miRNAs in regulating MSC functions and their potential use as alternative strategies to manipulate MSC efficacy.
The dynamics of hypertension prevalence, awareness, treatment, control and associated factors in Chinese adults: results from CHNS 1991–2011

Objectives: To analyze the trends in blood pressure (BP), and the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension and associated factors in Chinese adults from 1991 to 2011. Methods: On the basis of the longitudinal data of China Health and Nutrition Survey, 75 526 records of 24 410 adults were selected according to the eligibility criteria. The age-standardized levels of SBP, DBP, prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension were calculated by sex and age group within each year. Generalized estimating equation was employed to investigate the associations between demographic factors and status of hypertension, awareness, treatment and control. Results: From 1991 to 2011, the BP level elevated (SBP 120.0–124.5 mmHg, DBP 76.7–79.3 mmHg) and the prevalence of hypertension increased from 23.4 to 28.6%. The increasing levels of BP and hypertension prevalence were more apparent among men and older patients. The rates of hypertension awareness, treatment and control also increased while kept at low levels. Factors such as age, sex, smoking habit, drinking habit, household income, health insurance, BMI, residential region, marital status, educational level and nationality were significantly associated with the status of hypertension, awareness, treatment and control. Conclusion: The BP level and hypertension prevalence have increased among Chinese adults in recent years. However, levels of hypertension awareness, treatment and control were quite low. To reduce the disease burden of the hypertension, improvements in health education programs, detection and treatment strategies are warranted.
Growth performance, carcass yield and intestinal microflora populations of broilers fed diets containing thepax and yogurt

The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of the probiotic thepax and yogurt (as probiotic) on the growth response and intestinal microflora results of broiler chickens. Two hundred forty day-old Ross 308 broilers were equally distributed into 12 floor pens and reared for 42 day. The treatments consisted of yogurt (10, 5 and 2.5% during starter, grower and finisher periods in the drinking water, respectively) and thepax (1000, 500, 250 g/ton-1 in the starter, grower and finisher diets, respectively), resulting three experimental diets and a control group. Each dietary treatment was fed ad-libitum to four replicate group of 20 birds at the beginning of rearing period. Birds and feed were weighed on days 21 and 42. The results of experiment indicate that diets containing feed additives improved broiler performance. The body weight gain and feed conversion ratio improved significantly more (p < 0.05) with the thepax treatment compared with the control broilers during the total rearing period. The highest (p < 0.05) carcass and thigh values were recorded for broilers fed the diet supplemented with thepax and yogurt, respectively. The lowest abdominal fat pad value was obtained in broilers fed the diet supplemented with thepax. On d 21, thepax and yogurt significantly reduced (p < 0.05) cecal Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens populations compared with the control group. In conclusion, thepax and yogurt improved broilers growth response and conferred intestinal health benefits to chickens by improving their microbial ecology.
Residual dipolar couplings in structure determination of biomolecules.

The use of residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) in the analysis of biomolecular structure and dynamics has expanded rapidly since its potential as a source of structural information on proteins was demonstrated in the mid 1990s.1,2 Of course, this work on proteins rested on applications to smaller biomolecular systems that occurred much earlier,3 and even these early applications benefited from prior research on organic molecules in partially ordered liquid crystals.4 However, in the 1990s, the existence of efficient means of introducing magnetically active isotopic labels (13C and 15N) and the availability of triple resonance strategies for selective manipulation and assignment of NMR resonances made widespread application to large biomolecules possible. It was fortuitous that the 13C and 15N labels introduced had small magnetogyric ratios, allowing simple dipolar interactions with directly bonded protons to dominate RDC observations. Prior work had focused on systems with couplings coming from the much larger 1H-1H dipolar and 2H quadrupolar interactions. While large interactions and the resultant increased size of observable couplings may have seemed an advantage, these large interactions also lead to complex spectra and broader lines. In the case of 1H1H interactions, additional splittings of resonances from protons at long distances arose, and in both cases broader lines resulted from enhanced spin relaxation processes. Since the recognition of the potential of RDCs in protein structure determination, applications have spread to nucleic acid structure, carbohydrate structure, protein-ligand interactions, protein domain relationships, high-throughput strategies for structural genomics, and studies of motional amplitudes in flexible assemblies. Related pieces of data coming from interactions with paramagnetic sites and chemical shift anisotropy (CSA) offsets have also come onto the scene. Each new application demands parallel improvements in sample preparation, data acquisition, and data analysis methods. The development of RDC applications has been reviewed periodically since their introduction to the structural biology field,5-13 and the reader is referred to these reviews for a more complete description of the history and the underlying theory. Here, we will provide a brief introduction to RDCs and related data as they are used today. Advances that have been made in alignment techniques, data acquisition techniques, and analysis methods will be reviewed. In the course of this review, we will provide examples of applications that use these methods. Applications, per se, have become too numerous to attempt a comprehensive review. * To whom correspondence should be addressed. James H. Prestegard, Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, 315 Riverbend Road, Athens, GA, 30602. Phone: (706) 542-6281. Fax: (706) 542-4412. E-mail: jpresteg@ccrc.uga. edu. † University of Georgia. ‡ Institut de Biologie Structurale. 3519 Chem. Rev. 2004, 104, 3519−3540
Maintenance or Collapse: Responses of Extraplastidic Membrane Lipid Composition to Desiccation in the Resurrection Plant Paraisometrum mileense

Resurrection plants usually grow in specific or extreme habitats and have the capacity to survive almost complete water loss. We characterized the physiological and biochemical responses of Paraisometrum mileense to extreme desiccation and found that it is a resurrection plant. We profiled the changes in lipid molecular species during dehydration and rehydration in P. mileense, and compared these with corresponding changes in the desiccation-sensitive plant Arabidopsis thaliana. One day of desiccation was lethal for A. thaliana but not for P. mileense. After desiccation and subsequent rewatering, A. thaliana showed dramatic lipid degradation accompanied by large increases in levels of phosphatidic acid (PA) and diacylglycerol (DAG). In contrast, desiccation and rewatering of P. mileense significantly decreased the level of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol and increased the unsaturation of membrane lipids, without changing the level of extraplastidic lipids. Lethal desiccation in P. mileense caused massive lipid degradation, whereas the PA content remained at a low level similar to that of fresh leaves. Neither damage nor repair processes, nor increases in PA, occurred during non-lethal desiccation in P. mileense. The activity of phospholipase D, the main source of PA, was much lower in P. mileense than in A. thaliana under control conditions, or after either dehydration or rehydration. It was demonstrated that low rates of phospholipase D-mediated PA formation in P. mileense might limit its ability to degrade lipids to PA, thereby maintaining membrane integrity following desiccation.
Necrotizing Enterocolitis: Late Surgical Results After Enterostomy Without Resection

Between January 1985 and December 1992, 36 neonates were treated for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). 13/36 were treated conservatively and 2 (18%) died. 23/36 required surgical treatment at birth and 6/23 (26%) died; 14, out of 17 surviving initial surgery, underwent reintervention to restore intestinal continuity, 3 to 26 months later. In these 14 infants the acute necrotizing process involved the whole colon and ileum in 3 cases, the whole colon in 5, part of the colon in 3, part of the colon and ileum in 2 and was confined to the ileum in 1. 11 cases were perforated. During their first laparotomy all 14 cases had a decompressive enterostomy without resection. 21 reoperations were later needed in these 14 patients: simple enterostomy closure was performed in only 1 case, while resection of delayed strictures was required in 13. 12 cases underwent partial colectomy, 3 of these had multiple segmental resections for skip lesions and only 1 child had a total colectomy. The only postoperative complication was one anastomotic leak. Two children had short-gut syndrome but later outgrew their need for parenteral nutrition. Our experience does not support the need of resecting the gangrenous bowel in the acute phase. A simple diverting enterostomy seems to be effective treatment. Delaying the intestinal resection up to the time of recanalisation allows spontaneous healing and results in the sparing of a significant length of bowel.
Interventions on Metabolism: Making Antibiotic-Susceptible Bacteria

ABSTRACT Antibiotics act on bacterial metabolism, and antibiotic resistance involves changes in this metabolism. Interventions on metabolism with drugs might therefore modify drug susceptibility and drug resistance. In their recent article, Martin Vestergaard et al. (mBio 8:e01114-17, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.01114-17 ) illustrate the possibility of converting intrinsically resistant bacteria into susceptible ones. They reported that inhibition of a central metabolic enzyme, ATP synthase, allows otherwise ineffective polymyxin antibiotics to act on Staphylococcus aureus. The study of the intrinsic resistome of bacterial pathogens has shown that several metabolic genes, including multigene transcriptional regulators, contribute to antibiotic resistance. In some cases, these genes only marginally increase antibiotic resistance, but reduced levels of susceptibility might be critical in the evolution or resistance under low antibiotic concentrations or in the clinical response of highly resistant bacteria. Drug interventions on bacterial metabolism might constitute a critical adjuvant therapy in combination with antibiotics to ensure susceptibility of pathogens with intrinsic or acquired antimicrobial resistance.
Keratoconus in vitro and the key players of the TGF-β pathway

Purpose: Keratoconus (KC) is a corneal thinning disease of unknown etiology whose pathophysiology is correlated with the presence of a thin corneal stroma and altered extracellular matrix (ECM). Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling is a key regulator of ECM secretion and assembly in multiple tissues, including the anterior segment of the eye, and it has been linked to KC. We have previously shown that human keratoconus cells (HKCs) have a myofibroblast phenotype and altered ECM assembly compared to normal human corneal fibroblasts (HCFs). Moreover, TGF-β3 treatment promotes assembly of a more normal stromal ECM and modulates the fibrotic phenotype in HKCs. Herein, we identify alterations in TGF-β signaling that contribute to the observed fibrotic phenotype in HKCs. Methods: HCFs and HKCs were stimulated with TGF-β1, TGF-β2, or TGF-β3 isoforms (0.1 ng/mL) in the presence of a stable vitamin C derivative (0.5 mM) for 4 weeks. All samples were examined using RT–PCR and western blotting to quantify changes in the expressions of key TGF-β signaling molecules between HCFs and HKCs. Results: We found a significant downregulation in the SMAD6 and SMAD7 expressions by HKCs when compared to HCFs (p≤0.05). Moreover, stimulation of HKCs with any of the three TGF-β isoforms did not significantly alter the expressions of SMAD6 or SMAD7. HCFs also showed an upregulation in TGF-βRI, TGF-βRII, and TGF-βRIII following TGF-β3 treatment, whereas HKCs showed a significant two-fold downregulation. Conclusions: Overall, our data shows the decreased expressions of the regulatory SMADs SMAD6 and SMAD7 by HKCs contribute to the pathological ECM structure observed in KC, and TGF-β3 may attenuate this mechanism by downregulating the expression of the key profibrotic receptor, TGF-βRII. Our study suggests a significant role of altered regulation of TGF-β signaling in KC progression and that it may enable novel therapeutic developments targeting TGF-β receptor regulation.
Methods for Implant Acceptance and Wound Healing: Material Selection and Implant Location Modulate Macrophage and Fibroblast Phenotypes

This review focuses on materials and methods used to induce phenotypic changes in macrophages and fibroblasts. Herein, we give a brief overview on how changes in macrophages and fibroblasts phenotypes are critical biomarkers for identification of implant acceptance, wound healing effectiveness, and are also essential for evaluating the regenerative capabilities of some hybrid strategies that involve the combination of natural and synthetic materials. The different types of cells present during the host response have been extensively studied for evaluating the reaction to different materials and there are varied material approaches towards fabrication of biocompatible substrates. We discuss how natural and synthetic materials have been used to engineer desirable outcomes in lung, heart, liver, skin, and musculoskeletal implants, and how certain properties such as rigidity, surface shape, and porosity play key roles in the progression of the host response. Several fabrication strategies are discussed to control the phenotype of infiltrating macrophages and fibroblasts: decellularization of scaffolds, surface coatings, implant shape, and pore size apart from biochemical signaling pathways that can inhibit or accelerate unfavorable host responses. It is essential to factor all the different design principles and material fabrication criteria for evaluating the choice of implant materials or regenerative therapeutic strategies.