Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detection of YMDD Motif Mutants by Oligonucleotide Chips in Lamivudine-Untreated Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection

Lamivudine, a nucleoside analogue, has been used widely as an effective antiviral agent for the treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. However, the YMDD motif mutation of HBV polymerase resistant to lamivudine occurs very frequently after long term therapy. We developed an oligonucleotide chip for the detection of YMDD motif mutants resistant to lamivudine and investigated the prevalence of the mutants in patients with chronic HBV infection who had not been treated by lamivudine before. Forty patients who had not been treated with lamivudine were included in this study. Serum samples were tested by the oligonucleotide chips designed for detection of wild-type YMDD motif, M552V and M552I. Samples were confirmed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and direct sequencing. M552I mutants were detected by the oligonucleotide chips in 7.5% (3/40) of chronic HBV infected patients (2 chronic hepatitis and 1 cirrhosis). The results were in accordance with those of RFLP. YMDD motif mutants occur as natural genome variabilities in patients with chronic HBV infection who had not been treated with lamivudine before. Oligonucleotide chip technology is a reliable and useful diagnostic tool for the detection of mutants resistant to antiviral therapy in chronic HBV infection.
Hedging in the Possible Presence of Unspanned Stochastic Volatility: Evidence from Swaption Markets

This paper examines whether higher order multifactor models, with state variables linked "solely" to underlying LIBOR-swap rates, are by themselves capable of explaining and hedging interest rate derivatives, or whether models explicitly exhibiting features such as unspanned stochastic volatility are necessary. Our research shows that swaptions and even swaption straddles can be well hedged with LIBOR bonds alone. We examine the potential benefits of looking outside the LIBOR market for factors that might impact swaption prices without impacting swap rates, and find them to be minor, indicating that the swaption market is well integrated with the LIBOR-swap market. Copyright (c) 2003 by the American Finance Association.
Trabeculectomy for Traumatic Hyphema in Sickle Cell Trait

Abstract A case report of a traumatic hyphema in a patient with sickle cell trait is presented. A review of the published literature in PubMed was performed and medical management strategies and surgical treatment indications for traumatic hyphema are discussed. We support the case for temporary trabeculectomy in patients with traumatic hyphema and sickle cell disease.
ADSORPTION OF INFLUENZA VIRUS ON CELLS OF THE RESPIRATORY TRACT

A study of the reaction between influenza virus and the cells of the excised and perfused ferret lung has yielded the following results: (1) The cells of the lung rapidly adsorbed large amounts of intratracheally inoculated virus. (2) After a short interval the pulmonary cells began spontaneously to release the adsorbed virus, and in the case of influenza B the release was 75 per cent complete after 5 hours. (3) The Lee strain was more completely released from pulmonary cells after 5 hours than was the PR8 strain. (4) After the cells released the adsorbed virus they appeared incapable of adsorbing virus as before. (5) When the mouse-infecting capacity of the virus had been done away with by heat or formalin, the virus was adsorbed by the pulmonary cells but was not released. In all except the last of the characteristics listed the interaction between influenza virus and the pulmonary cells closely resembles that between influenza virus and avian red blood cells. In the living ferret inhaled influenza virus was also rapidly adsorbed by the lung, but in a very short time the adsorbed virus which at first could be readily eluted (after perfusion and excision of the lung) became so much more firmly fixed as not to be released by this method. Free virus could not be demonstrated in the living ferret until 24 hours after the animal had been exposed to the inoculum. On the basis of these and previous experiments it is postulated that the destruction of a specific receptor substance,—which may involve an enzymatic reaction,—may be a necessary preliminary event in the parasitism of susceptible cells by influenza virus.
Sex Chromosome Analysis of Postmortem Corneal Endothelium After Sex-Mismatch Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty

Purpose: To identify the origin of corneal endothelial cells (host or donor) present on grafts at various time points after Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of sex chromosomes on post mortem corneas with sex mismatch between the donor and host. Methods: Corneoscleral buttons of 6 post mortem DMEK eyes of 4 patients, operated for Fuchs endothelial dystrophy, with an average postoperative time of 2.6 (±1.8) years (range, 7 months–4.5 years), of 2.5 (±1.7) years (range, 7 months–4 years), were processed for FISH detection of XX (female) or XY (male)-labeling signals in corneal endothelial cells in the central area of the DMEK graft. Two male patients underwent bilateral DMEK with grafts from female donors, and 2 female patients underwent unilateral DMEK and received a graft from a male donor. Results: FISH consistently showed the presence of donor endothelial cells across the graft area, with signaling of sex chromosomes opposite to the sex of the host. Conclusions: Donor endothelial cells may survive up to 4.5 years after DMEK. If so, the lower incidence of allograft rejection in DMEK may not be explained by early host cell replacement. Potential host cell migration may be limited by donor/recipient cell–cell contact inhibition.
Study of General Awareness, Attitude, Behavior, and Practice Study on Dog Bites and its Management in the Context of Prevention of Rabies Among the Victims of Dog Bite Attending the OPD Services of CHC Muradnagar

Objectives: This is a recent study conducted during 15th September 2013 to 15th December 2013 at the community health centre (CHC), Muradnagar, distt Ghaziabad, among the victims of dog/animal bite attending the daily OPD services of CHC. To identify the level of general awareness and knowledge of wound management and rabies among the cases of dog bite and to study the awareness of people about antirabies vaccines and health service utilization. Methods: The study population composed of 250 victims of dog or animal bite, Patients were selected and approached after proper briefing, with well-prepared two page structured questionnaire designed in local language to assess their knowledge about the wound management, information about the epidemiology of dog bite. Results and conclusion: The result of the study reflect the very low level of awareness about the postdog bite management of wounds as well as about the disease rabies group of people questioned and also reveals serious gaps in understanding of wound severity, classification and correct application of PEP with ARV vaccine and RIG. There is definitely a gap in people's knowledge, attitude, and practices about dog bite and its management and there is need of taking serious measures for the control of stray dog population at the block level.
KITENIN is associated with tumor progression in human gastric cancer.

BACKGROUND KAI1 COOH-terminal interacting tetraspanin (KITENIN) promotes tumor cell migration, invasion and metastasis in colon, bladder, head and neck cancer. The aims of current study were to evaluate whether KITENIN affects tumor cell behavior in human gastric cancer cell line and to document the expression of KITENIN in a well-defined series of gastric tumors, including complete long-term follow-up, with special reference to patient prognosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS To evaluate the impact of KITENIN knockdown on behavior of a human gastric cancer cell line, AGS, migration, invasion and proliferation assays using small-interfering RNA were performed. The expression of activator protein-1 (AP-1) target genes and AP-1 transcriptional activity were evaluated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and luciferase reporter assay. The expression of KITENIN and AP-1 target genes by RT-PCR and Western blotting or immunohistochemistry was also investigated in human gastric cancer tissues. RESULTS The knockdown of KITENIN suppressed tumor cell migration, invasion and proliferation in AGS cells. The mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), MMP-3, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and CD44 was reduced by knockdown of KITENIN in AGS. AP-1 transcriptional activity was significantly decreased by knockdown of KITENIN in AGS cells. KITENIN expression was significantly increased in human cancer tissues at RNA and protein levels. Expression of MMP-1, MMP-3, COX-2 and CD44 were significantly increased in human gastric cancer tissues. Immunostaining of KITENIN was predominantly identified in the cytoplasm of cancer cells. Expression of KITENIN was significantly associated with tumor size, Lauren classification, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, tumor stage and poor survival. DISCUSSION These results indicate that KITENIN plays an important role in human gastric cancer progression by AP-1 activation.
Effect of the phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor zaprinast on ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

PURPOSE The cardiac and renal protective effects of phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors against ischemia-reperfusion injury have recently been demonstrated in animal studies. We evaluated the effect of pretreatment with the PDE-5 inhibitor zaprinast on warm renal ischemia in a rat model. METHODS Female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent concomitant right nephrectomy and left renal hilar occlusion for 30 minutes. Twelve animals were equally divided into three groups: Group 1 received no pharmacologic pretreatment, group 2 was pretreated with zaprinast 10 mg/kg, and group 3 was pretreated with zaprinast 20 mg/kg. Zaprinast was dissolved in 25% dimethyl sulfoxide and given as a single intraperitoneal injection 30 minutes before surgery. Serum blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels, histopathology, and TUNEL staining for apoptosis were assessed 24 hours postoperatively. RESULTS The mean creatinine level for groups 1, 2, and 3 was 0.73 mg/dL, 0.55 mg/dL, and 0.38 mg/dL, respectively. These values were not statistically different (P=0.099). The mean BUN levels of 35.8 mg/dL for group 1, 27.3 mg/dL for group 2, and 23.3 mg/dL for group 3 were also statistically similar (P=0.278). There were no objective differences in histopathologic evaluation or TUNEL staining between the groups. CONCLUSION This study did not demonstrate a beneficial effect of zaprinast pretreatment on renal parameters after warm ischemic injury.
Heavy Metals Monitoring Using Commercially Important Crustacean and Mollusks collected from Egyptian and Saudi Arabia Coasts

The objectives of this study was to determine and compare the concentration levels of five selective essential trace metals ( Fe, Cu, Zn, Co and Se) and three non-essential metals (Hg, Pb and Cd) in the edible muscle tissues of commercially important species of male and female crustaceans (Erugosquilla massavensis, Penaeus semisulcatus, Metapenaeus monoceros, Portunus pelagicus) and mollusks (Sepia spp. And Cardium edule). It was carried out also to evaluate the bioaccumulation process of the elements based on the Metal Pollution Index (MPI) as an attempt to use these organisms as bioindicators of pollution of Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea and the Arabian gulf and to ensure the seafood safety from these regions. The obtained results revealed that significant variations of Fe, Cu, Zn, Co, Hg, Pb and Cd levels in edible muscles of crustacean and mollusk organisms were observed at different localities surveyed, as well as between sex of each species and environmental areas. The present data also, show that MPI factor of essential metals were higher than that of non-essential heavy metals in all studied organisms. Moreover, MPI values suggested that mantis shrimps E. massavensis and bivalve mollusks C. edule have a greater capacity for metal bioaccumulation than shrimps, crab and cephalopod mollusks, so E. massavensis and C. edule are more vulnerable to metal pollution than the other studied species. Therefore, it is suggested that E. massavensis and C. edule can be used as bioindicators of metal pollution
Nested case-control study in a serological survey to evaluate the effectiveness of a Chagas disease control programme in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors associated with Trypanosoma cruzi infections in areas under surveillance in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. METHODS A model using a nested case-control design incorporated within a serological survey of schoolchildren which was employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Chagas disease control programme. FINDINGS In a sample of 40,374 schoolchildren (aged 7-14 years) surveyed, 16 children tested positive for T. cruzi antibody (by indirect immunofluorescence and indirect haemagglutination). In the case-control study, each case was randomly matched to three seronegative controls (classroom and age +/- 1 year). Compared to controls, T. cruzi-seropositive children were more likely to have a seropositive mother (odds ratio (OR) = 6.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.71-63.9) or a seropositive family member (OR = 8.6; 95% CI = 1.0-75.5). CONCLUSION Use of the nested case-control model in a sero-epidemiological survey to evaluate risk factors for T. cruzi transmission was adequate for assessing the effectiveness of a Chagas disease control programme.
Dynamic coinfection with multiple viral subtypes in acute hepatitis C.

INTRODUCTION Acute hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is rarely studied, but virus sequence evolution and host-virus dynamics during this early stage may influence the outcome of infection. Hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) is genetically diverse and under selective pressure from the host immune response. We analyzed HVR1 evolution by frequent sampling of an acutely infected HCV cohort. METHODS Three or more pretreatment samples were obtained from each of 10 acutely infected subjects. Polymerase chain reaction amplification was performed with multiple primer combinations to identify the full range of sequences present. Positive samples were cloned and sequenced. Phylogenetic analyses were used to assess viral diversity. RESULTS Eight of the 10 subjects were coinfected with at least 2 HCV subtypes. Multiple subtypes were detected in individual samples, and their relative proportions changed through acute infection. The subjects with the most complex subtype structure also had a dynamic viral load; however, changes in viral load were not directly linked to changes in subtype. CONCLUSIONS This well-sampled cohort with acute HCV infection was characterized by dynamic coinfection with multiple viral subtypes, representing a highly complex virologic landscape extremely early in infection.
Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Algorithm to Solve Graph Coloring Problem

Graph Coloring Problem (GCP) bears an enormous significance to the researchers in the field of soft computing. In this paper, we demonstrate a Quantum-Inspired Evolutionary Algorithm (QEA) to solve GCP. We use two dimensional arrays of Q-bits called Q-bit individual to produce binary individual. Q-gate operation is applied as a variation operator on Q-bit individuals. In traditional evolutionary algorithm (EA) for GCP, k-coloring approach is used and the EA is run several times for decreasing value of k until lowest possible k is reached. In our QEA, we start with the number of colors equal to the theoretical upper bound of the chromatic number, which is maximum out-degree + 1, and during evolution some colors are made unused to reduce the number of color in each generation. As a result, solution is found in a single run. We test 36 datasets from DIMACS benchmark and compare the result with several recent works. For five datasets, our algorithm obtains better solution than other. Keywords—quantum-inspired evolutionary algorithm (QEA), graph coloring problem (GCP), combinatorial optimization, Qbit representation, Q-gate.
Generalised Mersenne numbers revisited

Generalised Mersenne Numbers (GMNs) were defined by Solinas in 1999 and feature in the NIST (FIPS 186-2) and SECG standards for use in elliptic curve cryptography. Their form is such that modular reduction is extremely efficient, thus making them an attractive choice for modular multiplication implementation. However, the issue of residue multiplication efficiency seems to have been overlooked. Asymptotically, using a cyclic rather than a linear convolution, residue multiplication modulo a Mersenne number is twice as fast as integer multiplication; this property does not hold for prime GMNs, unless they are of Mersenne's form. In this work we exploit an alternative generalisation of Mersenne numbers for which an analogue of the above property -- and hence the same efficiency ratio -- holds, even at bitlengths for which schoolbook multiplication is optimal, while also maintaining very efficient reduction. Moreover, our proposed primes are abundant at any bitlength, whereas GMNs are extremely rare. Our multiplication and reduction algorithms can also be easily parallelised, making our arithmetic particularly suitable for hardware implementation. Furthermore, the field representation we propose also naturally protects against side-channel attacks, including timing attacks, simple power analysis and differential power analysis, which is essential in many cryptographic scenarios, in constrast to GMNs.
Using the RE-AIM Framework to Evaluate Disaster Recovery Videos

Natural disasters both increase and cause financial challenges for survivors. Crisis support reduces negative outcomes such as financial stress, yet survivors are often unaware or unable to access available services. Aiming to innovatively improve access to quality financial education and to support financial recovery post-disaster, a video series was developed with a community advisory board. The RE-AIM framework informed a developmental evaluation measuring the videos’ influence. Results indicated majority of participants have used or intend to use the videos in their disaster work. This indicates the video series may be a helpful tool for disaster responders when providing financial recovery support.
ACTIVATION OF DISTINCT SUBSETS OF T SUPPRESSOR CELLS WITH TYPE III PNEUMOCOCCAL POLYSACCHARIDE COUPLED TO SYNGENEIC SPLEEN CELLS *

Antigens coupled to autologous lymphoid cells and injected by the i.v. route have been shown to be very effective to le rogen~. ~-~ In most instances, tolerance induced by antigen-coupled cells has been shown to be mediated, at least in part, by antigen-specific suppressor T cells (Ts) Previous studies from this laboratory have shown that the thymus-independent (TI) antigen type I11 pneumococcal polysaccharide (S3) coupled to syngeneic spleen cells (S3-SC) can induce tolerance in euthyniic but not in athymic mice.6 Although this observation suggested that tolerance induced by S3-SC might be mediated by Ts, spleen cells from tolerant mice did not suppress the antibody response to S3 after transfer to normal mice.x Subsequent studies, however, revealed that mice made tolerant with S3-SC did produce S3-specific Ts that could be demonstrated upon adoptive transfer to normal mice if tolerant spleen cells were first cultured in vitro in the presence of S3 and a soluble membrane component of S3-SC (S3-SC SM). X The present studies were undertaken in an effort to characterize these S3-specific Ts to determine if they had properties similar to Ts that are activated by conventional T cell-dependent (TD) antigens.1-5s During the course of these studies, we also found that the in vitro subculture step required to obtain detectable Ts could be circumvented if mice were pretreated with cyclophosphamide (Cy) . The Ts induced in Cy-treated mice were also characterized and were found to differ from the Ts induced in vitro.
CTLA-4 Blockade Expands Infiltrating T Cells and Inhibits Cancer Cell Repopulation during the Intervals of Chemotherapy in Murine Mesothelioma

Cancer immunotherapy has shown promising results when combined with chemotherapy. Blocking CTLA-4 signaling by monoclonal antibody between cycles of chemotherapy may inhibit cancer cell repopulation and enhance the antitumoral immune reaction, thus improve the efficacy of chemotherapy in mesothelioma. The impact of CTLA-4 blockade on the early stage of tumor development was evaluated in a subcutaneous murine mesothelioma model. CTLA-4 blocking antibody was administered following each cycle of chemotherapy, and monotherapy was included as controls. Antitumor effect was evaluated by tumor growth delay and survival of the animals. Tumor cell repopulation was quantified by bromodeoxyuridine incorporation and Ki67 by immunohistochemistry and/or flow cytometry. In vitro cell killing was determined by classic chromium-released assay, and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) was carried out to determine the gene expression of associated cytokines. Anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody was able to inhibit tumor growth at early stage of tumor development. Antitumor effect was achieved by administration of CTLA-4 blockade between cycles of chemotherapy. Tumor cell repopulation during the intervals of cisplatin was inhibited by CTLA-4 blockade. Anti-CTLA-4 therapy gave rise to an increased number of CD4 and CD8 T cells infiltrating the tumor. RT-PCR showed that the gene expression of interleukin IL-2, IFN-γ, granzyme B, and perforin increased in the tumor milieu. Blockade of CTLA-4 signaling showed effective anticancer effect, correlating with inhibiting cancer cell repopulation between cycles of chemotherapy and upregulating tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes, cytokines, and cytolytic enzymes in a murine mesothelioma model. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(8); 1809–19. ©2012 AACR.
Forecasting Monetary Rules in South Africa

This paper is the ? rst one to analyze the ability of linear and nonlinear monetary policy rule specifications as well as nonparametric and semiparametric models in forecasting the nominal interest rate setting that describes the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) policy decisions. We augment the traditional Taylor rule with indicators of asset prices in order to account for potential financial stability targets implicitly considered by the SARB. Using an in-sample period of 1986:01 to 2004:12, we compare the out-of-sample forecasting ability of the models over the period 2005:01 to 2008:12. Our results indicate that the semiparametric models perform particularly well relative to the Taylor rule models currently dominating the monetary policy literature, and that nonlinear Taylor rules improve their performance under the new monetary regime.