Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of distinct C3b and C4b recognition sites in the human C3b/C4b receptor (CR1, CD35) by deletion mutagenesis

Complementary DNA clones encoding the NH2-terminal region of human CR1 have been isolated and sequenced. The deduced complete amino acid sequence of the F allotype of human CR1 contains 2,039 residues, including a 41-residue signal peptide, an extracellular domain of 1,930 residues, a 25-amino acid transmembrane domain, and a 43-amino acid cytoplasmic region. The extracellular domain is composed exclusively of 30 short consensus repeats (SCRs), characteristic of the family of C3/C4-binding proteins. The 28 NH2-terminal SCRs are organized as four long homologous repeats (LHRs) of seven SCRs each. The newly sequenced LHR, LHR-A, is 61% identical to LHR-B in the NH2-terminal two SCRs and greater than 99% identical in the COOH-terminal five SCRs. Eight cDNA clones were spliced to form a single construct, piABCD, that contained the entire CR1 coding sequence downstream of a cytomegalovirus promoter. COS cells transfected with piABCD transiently expressed recombinant CR1 that comigrated with the F allotype of erythrocyte CR1 on SDS-PAGE and that mediated rosette formation with sheep erythrocytes bearing C4b and C3b. Recombinant CR1 also had factor I-cofactor activity for cleavage of C3(ma). Analyses of six deletion mutants expressed in COS cells indicated that the NH2-terminal two SCRs of LHR- A contained a site determining C4 specificity and the NH2-terminal two SCRs of LHR-B and -C each had a site determining C3 specificity. The presence of these three distinct sites in CR1 may enable the receptor to interact multivalently with C4b/C3b and C3b/C3b complexes generated during activation of the classical and alternative pathways.
Cytotoxic T cells are induced in mice infected with lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus strains of markedly different pathogenicities

The ability of two lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus substrains to induce cytotoxic T-lymphocyte (CTL) responses in intracerebrally infected mice was examined. One strain, designated A (aggressive), provoked a convulsive type of death in 100% of the mice within 8 to 9 days, whereas the other strain, designated D (docile), killed less than 10% of the mice during 28-day observation periods. CTL activity was assessed by the capacity of partially purified splenocytes to lyse 51Cr-labeled L-cell targets infected with either type of lymphocytic choriomeningitis substrain. The CTL population was identified by its sensitivity to anti-Thy-1 serum and its inability to lyse uninfected target cells or infected target cells with which it differed at the level of antigens controlled by the major histocompatibility gene complex. A strong CTL response developed in mice infected with either lymphocytic choriomeningitis substrain, although the activity provoked by substrain D was somewhat less than that seen after substrain A infection. Peak CTL activities induced by both strains occurred at about the same time. Even though docile virus replicated more extensively in the brain than did aggressive virus and fluorescent antibody staining revealed similar distributions of viral antigen, no inflammatory response was noted in the brains of mice infected with docile virus. These results are discussed with regard to the role of CTLs in mediating classic central nervous system pathology.
Benzodiazepine use and cognitive decline in the elderly.

PURPOSE Published evidence on the relationship between benzodiazepine exposure and altered cognition in the geriatric population is reviewed. SUMMARY Benzodiazepines constitute one of the most commonly prescribed medication classes and are used primarily for management of anxiety and insomnia. Despite strong recommendations based on high-quality evidence warning of the potential cognitive adverse effects of benzodiazepine use, particularly in patients 65 years of age or older, published literature suggests that a substantial proportion of the U.S. geriatric population use these medications in a chronic fashion. The body of evidence suggesting that benzodiazepine use may be a modifiable risk factor for dementia continues to grow. Evidence exists to suggest that benzodiazepine use in the elderly population is associated with cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease, although evidence regarding the correlation between benzodiazepine use and dementia is conflicting; the more recent studies in this area have focused on eliminating causation bias. Pharmacists in a variety of settings can educate patients and assist providers in selecting an appropriate medication regimen for anxiety or insomnia that is tailored to each elderly patient's needs and takes into account the immediate and long-term safety of the patient. CONCLUSION Investigations of the association between benzodiazepine therapy and cognitive decline in elderly patients have yielded mixed findings. Stronger links have emerged from studies examining longer- rather than shorter-acting benzodiazepines, longer rather than shorter durations of use, or earlier rather than later exposure. Questions remain about causality and the impact of confounders on study interpretation.
Níveis de ideação suicida em jovens adultos

Suicide is a serious public health problem and is among the top ten causes of death worldwide for all age groups. It is the third leading cause among 15-35-year olds. The main objective of this quasi-experimental, quantitative, and cross-sectional study was to compare the levels of suicidal ideation among college students (n = 50) and nonstudents (n = 51). Subjects were compared according to sex, age, place of residence, living arrangements, educational level, and occupational status using the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire. The sample consisted of 101 individuals aged 18-25 years, Mean of 21.44 years and Standard Deviation of 2.43. The results showed higher levels of suicidal ideation among the non-college students. Statistically significant effects were found among the following variables: level of education, occupational status, living alone, and presence of anxiety disorder and/or depression. The findings of this study suggest the need for suicide prevention measures in order to reduce deaths by suicide and suicide attempt rate.
Cell numbers in the dorsal and median raphe nuclei of AS andAS/AGU rats

The AS/AGU rat is a spontaneous recessive mutation derived from a closed colony of Albino Swiss (AS) rats. This mutation generates a stop codon within the coding region of the PKC-gamma gene. The rats exhibit locomotor dysfunc-tion, which is progressive with age. The nigrostriatal system has already been shown to be affected by this mutation that a) there is marked (80-90%) reduction in extracellular dopamine in the dorsal caudate- putamen as revealed by in vivo microdialysis and HPLC-ECD and b) there is a loss of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactive cells in the substantia nigra pars compacta Because PKC-gamma may be involved in the packaging or release of vesicles, and because other aminergic neurons may also be involved in basal ganglia disorders, we investigated the raphe-striatal serotonergic sys-tem in these mutants and the parent AS strain. Animals aged 12-15 months (6 pairs) were killed by administration of sodium pentobarbitone and were perfused with Ringer’s solution + Lignocaine followed by 4% paraformaldehyde. 30 m sections were cut, rostral to caudal, in a one in five series. The collected sections were processed for immu-nostaining using the Avidin-Biotin-Peroxidase Complex (ABC) technique. All sections of dorsal raphe and median raphe nuclei were counted using the light microscope and also by unbiased Sterological methods using “Stereologer”. In each case, AS/AGU rats possessed an average of 20-25% fewer cells in the dorsal raphe than AS control rats (p<0.05); cell count in the median raphe were unaffected.
Oxyntomodulin and glicentin are potent inhibitors of the fed motility pattern in small intestine

Abstract Glicentin (GLIC) and oxyntomodulin (OXM or GLIC 33‐69) are gut hormones which regulate digestion. They are known to reduce digestive secretions and to delay gastric emptying. Their biological activities on intestinal motility are still unknown. The effect of a systemic GLIC or OXM increase was investigated in rats on the food intake, the postprandial myoelectrical activity of small intestine and the orocaecal transit. An OXM or GLIC i.v. infusion was applied during the 5 min preceding food onset and during the first 15 min of food intake. This determined a three‐ to fourfold increase of the preprandial OXM–GLIC level. The OXM or GLIC plasma increase did not modify food intake. OXM infusion slowed down gastric emptying when the stomach contained 3/4 of the ingested food (before T 3 h). The quantity of food delivered in jejunum was subsequently smaller (P < 0.05). In the small intestine, the duration of postprandial myoelectrical activity (50–60 min g−1 of ingested food) was reduced by 70% (P < 0.001) on duodenum or jejunum and by 54% (P < 0.01) on ileum in OXM‐treated rats. An interdigestive motility profile was settled and an acceleration of both gastric emptying and transit rate was thereafter evidenced (after T 3 h). GLIC also reduced the duration of the postprandial myoelectrical activity on duodenum and jejunum (65 and 63% respectively, P < 0.05), but was not as efficient as OXM on ileum. In pathological states such as acute adult gastroenteritis, OXM and GLIC exhibit a two‐ to fivefold increase in their plasma concentrations. The present findings suggest that OXM and GLIC could, in that disease, contribute to exclude pathogens, due to their joined action on gut motility.
Voices of Aspiring Teachers of Color: Unraveling the Double Bind in Teacher Education

This article centers and investigates the voices of teacher candidates of color to examine how double binds influence their teaching and learning experiences in teacher education programs. Interview and focus group data from teacher candidates of color at two teacher education programs are analyzed to unpack the types of personal and systemic ties they experience as well as the strategies they utilize to escape them. Implications for eliminating the double bind in teacher education programs through the tailoring of transformative and critical preparation experiences for teacher candidates of color are explored.
Staff working in ancillary departments at a tertiary care hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India: How healthy are they?

Background: Ancillary health services are those supplemental services other than room, board, and medical/nursing services provided to hospital patients in the course of care. Ancillary department staff forms an integral part in the smooth functioning of a hospital. There is a need to focus on the health of these individuals to ensure their well-being and in turn, productivity at the workplace. Objective: To study the morbidity profile of the staff working at ancillary departments of a tertiary care hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Materials and Methods: We conducted our study in a 1,200-bedded tertiary care hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Annual medical checkup (AMC) for all the staff working at the ancillary departments has been started in recent years and is provided free of cost and during working hours. A total of 150 employees from ancillary departments underwent AMC in the year 2013. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Spearman′s correlation and Chi-square test were used. Results: Of the 150 employees, the majority was male (72%); the mean age was 38 ± 11 years. The most common morbidities were diabetes mellitus (11%), hypertension (10.6%), musculoskeletal disorders (9.3%), surgical problems (8.6%, hemorrhoids, varicose veins), and dental caries (6.6%). On stool microscopy, 12% of the dietary workers showed ova/cyst. There was a significant positive correlation between age and the number of chronic morbidities (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Lifestyle disorders such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension were the major morbidities among the staff in the ancillary departments of the hospital. We ensured regular follow-up, adherence to medication, and lifestyle modifications in terms of diet and exercise.
HDAC and Hsp90 inhibitors down‐regulate PTTG1/securin but do not induce aneuploidy

Human securin regulates correct chromatid separation. However, there are conflicting reports on the aneugenic effects of its gene deletion. Here we show that PTTG1/securin gene expression is dramatically repressed when Hsp90 or histone deacetylases are inhibited. However, these treatments do not increase the proportion of aneuploid cells. This was also confirmed using RNAi (silencing of PTTG1/securin ≥80%). As expected, histone deacetylases arrested cells in both G1 and G2. However, sec−/− HCT116 cells showed a greater disposition to arrest cells in G2 than sec+/+ cells due to insufficient induction of CDKN1A. These results indicate that chromatid separation is controlled through redundant mechanisms and reveal a new aspect of securin in cell cycle regulation. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Race and epicardial fat: the impact of anthropometric measurements, percent body fat and sex.

OBJECTIVE Epicardial fat is known to be thicker in White men than in Black men. The impact of sex, % body fat, and other anthropometric measures on epicardial fat thickness has not been described. Therefore we sought to evaluate how the racial differences in epicardial fat thickness would differ by these factors. METHODS We used two-dimensional transthoracic echocardiography to measure the epicardial fat thickness in 150 patients who were admitted to our clinical decision unit for chest pain. Standard anthropometric measurements were performed and body mass index (BMI) and % body fat were calculated. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance and multiple regression. RESULTS Epicardial fat measured at the mid right ventricular wall was significantly greater in Whites than Blacks (4.9 +/- 2.1 mm vs 3.8 +/- 1.8 mm, for males, and 5.8 +/- 3.2 mm vs 3.7 +/- 1.7 mm, for females). The results from regression analysis showed that after controlling for age, sex, BMI and waist circumference, race remained a significant predictor of epicardial fat, with Whites having higher amounts of fat than Blacks. The difference by race remained even after controlling for % body fat, which was also a significant predictor. CONCLUSION Anterior epicardial fat thickness is greater in White than Black men and women of the same race and is independent of anthropometric measurements and % body fat. Race may be an important consideration when analyzing the relationship between epicardial fat and cardiovascular risk.
Phylogenetic significance of composition and crystal morphology of magnetosome minerals

Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) biomineralize magnetosomes, nano-scale crystals of magnetite or greigite in membrane enclosures that comprise a permanent magnetic dipole in each cell. MTB control the mineral composition, habit, size, and crystallographic orientation of the magnetosomes, as well as their arrangement within the cell. Studies involving magnetosomes that contain mineral and biological phases require multidisciplinary efforts. Here we use crystallographic, genomic and phylogenetic perspectives to review the correlations between magnetosome mineral habits and the phylogenetic affiliations of MTB, and show that these correlations have important implications for the evolution of magnetosome synthesis, and thus magnetotaxis.
Psychotherapy of Mood Disorders

In the last decades, psychotherapy has gained increasing acceptance as a major treatment option for mood disorders. Empirically supported treatments for major depression include cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT), behavioural therapy and, to a lesser extent, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy. Meta-analytic evidence suggests that psychotherapy has a significant and clinically relevant, though not large, effect on chronic forms of depression. Psychotherapy with chronic patients should take into account several important differences between patients with chronic and acute depression (identification with their depressive illness, more severe social skill deficits, persistent sense of hopelessness, need of more time to adapt to better circumstances). Regarding adolescent depression, the effectiveness of IPT and CBT is empirically supported. Adolescents require appropriate modifications of treatment (developmental approach to psychotherapy, involvement of parents in therapy). The combination of psychotherapy and medication has recently attracted substantial interest; the available evidence suggests that combined treatment has small but significant advantages over each treatment modality alone, and may have a protective effect against depression relapse or recurrence. Psychobiological models overcoming a rigid brain-mind dichotomy may help the clinician give patients a clear rationale for the combination of psychological and pharmacological treatment. In recent years, evidence has accumulated regarding the effectiveness of psychological therapies (CBT, family-focused therapy, interpersonal and social rhythm therapy, psychoeducation) as an adjunct to medication in bipolar disorder. These therapies share several common elements and there is considerable overlap in their actual targets. Psychological interventions were found to be useful not only in the treatment of bipolar depressive episodes, but in all phases of the disorder.
Remodeling of the Axon Initial Segment After Focal Cortical and White Matter Stroke

Background and Purpose— Recovery from stroke requires neuroplasticity within surviving adjacent cortex. The axon initial segment (AIS) is the site of action potential initiation and a focal point for tuning of neuronal excitability. Remodeling of the AIS may be important to neuroplasticity after stroke. Methods— Focal cortical stroke in forelimb motor cortex was induced by photothrombosis and compared with sham controls. White matter stroke was produced through stereotactic injection of a vasoconstrictor together with biotinylated dextran amine to retrogradely label injured cortical neurons. AIS length, morphology and number were measured using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy 2 weeks after stroke. Results— Within the peri-infarct cortex and after white matter stroke, AIS length decreases. This shortening is accompanied by altered AIS morphology. In peri-infarct cortex, the decrease in AIS length after stroke occurs from the distal end of the AIS, resulting in a Nav1.6. &ggr;-aminobutyric acid type A receptor-&agr;2 subunit staining at axoaxonic synapses along the AIS is significantly decreased. In addition, a significant increase in small, immature initial segments is present in layers 2/3 of peri-infarct cortex, reflecting maturation of axonal sprouting and new initial segments from surviving neurons. Conclusions— Stroke alters the compartmental morphology of surviving adjacent neurons in peri-infarct cortex and in neurons whose distal axons are injured by white matter stroke. With a key role in modulation of neuronal excitability, these changes at the AIS may contribute to altered neuronal excitability after injury and prove crucial to increasing neuroplasticity in surviving tissue affected by stroke.
Statin Use and Survival with Early-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background: Limited clinical and epidemiologic data suggest that statins may improve the outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which has poor prognosis. Methods: We identified 1,036 stage I or II HCC patients, diagnosed between 2007 and 2009, through the linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and Medicare claims database. Of these, 363 patients were using statin either at the time of their HCC diagnosis or afterwards. We conducted multivariable Cox regression analysis to estimate the time-dependent effect of statin on survival. The analysis included age, sex, resection, transarterial chemoembolization, transplantation, cirrhosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hepatitis B and C. Results: Over a median follow-up time of 21 months, 584 HCC patients died. Statin users had a longer median survival compared with nonusers: 23.9 versus 18.9 months (P = 0.047). However, after accounting for immortal time bias and confounding, statin use was not associated with survival (HR, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.80–1.20). The associations did not vary by hepatitis C or intensity of statin use. Conclusion: Statin treatment after HCC diagnosis was not associated with survival in elderly patients with stage I/II disease. Impact: Our study of nationally representative elderly patients with stage I or II HCC in the United States shows that statin treatment does not improve survival with liver cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(4); 686–92. ©2016 AACR.
A 12-bit 110MS/s 4-stage single-opamp pipelined SAR ADC with ratio-based GEC technique

This paper presents a 12-bit 110MS/s 4-stage pipelined SAR ADC integrated through a single low-gain op-amp. A ratio-based GEC (Gain Error Calibration) technique based on op-amp sharing is proposed to reduce the complexity of digital calibration circuit. Only one PN (Pseudo-random Number) signal is employed to perform the dither injection but calibrate multiple gain errors, and thus accelerates the convergence speed, gets rid of input signal reduction and minimizes the analog modification due to the background calibration. The effectiveness of the architecture is verified in 65-nm CMOS chips whose analog core area is 0.12 mm2 only. The ADC obtains an average SNDR of 63 dB and SFDR of 75.2 dB at 110MS/s consuming analog power of 11.5mW from a 1.2-V supply. Only 40 thousand points are needed to achieve desirable SNDR with the proposed calibration technique.
Robust tracking via weakly supervised ranking SVM

Appearance model is a key component of tracking algorithms. Most existing approaches utilize the object information contained in the current and previous frames to construct the object appearance model and locate the object with the model in frame t + 1. This method may work well if the object appearance just fluctuates in short time intervals. Nevertheless, suboptimal locations will be generated in frame t + 1 if the visual appearance changes substantially from the model. Then, continuous changes would accumulate errors and finally result in a tracking failure. To copy with this problem, in this paper we propose a novel algorithm - online Laplacian ranking support vector tracker (LRSVT) - to robustly locate the object. The LRSVT incorporates the labeled information of the object in the initial and the latest frames to resist the occlusion and adapt to the fluctuation of the visual appearance, and the weakly labeled information from frame t + 1 to adapt to substantial changes of the appearance. Extensive experiments on public benchmark sequences show the superior performance of LRSVT over some state-of-the-art tracking algorithms.