Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BINDING OF ATP TO Na+, K+‐ATPase

During the last years the reaction mechanism of Na', K+-ATPase has been the subject of thorough investigation in many laboratories, and a number of models for ATP-hydrolysis and its relation to Na+ and Kt transport have been proposed. The reaction schemes for Na+, K+-ATPase are based partly on kinetic studies of the overall rate of ATP-hydrolysis as influenced by a variety of activating ligands (e.g., Na', K+, Mg2+) or substances which inhibit the process, and partly on studies of possible part-reactions of the overall reaction (e.g., phosphorylation, ATP-ADP exchange, K*-dependent phosphatase activity). Observations on the physicochemical properties of the enzyme, coming from studies on highly purified preparations, have also contributed to the elucidation of Na+, K+-ATPase structure and function. In 1971 the first equilibrium studies on what may be the reaction of the enzyme with its substrate ATP were reported independently from two laboratories. ' p2 It is the purpose of this paper to review and discuss the studies on this reaction and to give some newly obtained results in this area. Special emphasis will be laid on the relation between the ATP-binding capacity and the hydrolytic activity of various enzyme-preparations. In this connection problems concerning the determination of the turnover number (molar activity) of Na', K+-ATPase will be discussed.
Cyclin D1 and retinoblastoma protein expression in Kaposi's sarcoma

Cyclins are implicated in the induction and control of the cell cycle. Cyclin D1 regulates G1‐phase progression by phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma protein (pRb). The Kaposi's sarcoma‐associated herpesvirus/human herpesvirus 8 (KSHV) contains and transcribes an open reading frame with sequence similarities to cellular D‐type cyclins. The KSHV‐cyclin protein is associated with kinase activity capable of phosphorylating pRb in vitro. Here, we study for the first time the endogenous cyclin Dl and Rb protein expression in Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) tissue. Twenty‐four consecutive biopsies of AIDS‐related (n=21) and classical (n=3) KS were studied by immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies against cyclin Dl and pRb. We detected cyclin Dl in 1 of 13 patch/plaque stage, in 4 of 5 nodular stage and in 3 of 6 visceral KS lesions. By Western blot analysis, this cellular cyclin Dl monoclonal antibody did not cross‐react with the purified KSHV‐cyclin protein. The pRb was consistently detected in 24 of 24 KS lesions. In summary, early KS lesions rarely have detectable expression of endogenous cyclin Dl. Advanced and disseminated KS lesions tend to have overexpression of endogenous cyclin Dl. Therefore, cellular cyclin Dl expression appears to correlate with tumor progression in KS. The endogenous cyclin Dl is antigenically distinct from the KSHV‐cyclin homolog. The pRb, which may serve as a substrate for KSHV‐cyclin, is found in all KS lesions examined.
Calcineurin Inhibitor Sparing With Mycophenolate in Kidney Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background. Limiting the exposure of kidney transplant recipients to calcineurin inhibitors (CNIs) has potential merit, but there is no clear consensus on the utility of current strategies. In an attempt to aid clarification, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials that assessed CNI sparing (minimization or elimination) with mycophenolate as sole adjunctive immunosuppression. Methods. The search strategy identified trials where CNI sparing was accompanied by the continuation of, or conversion to, mycophenolate and compared with standard or higher dose CNI therapy. Two investigators independently examined each trial for eligibility, quality, and outcome measures. Additional subgroup analyses were assessed: (1) de novo CNI sparing; (2) elective CNI sparing beyond 2 months posttransplantation; and (3) CNI sparing for transplant dysfunction. Results. Nineteen randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria permitting analysis of 3312 renal transplant recipients with median follow-up of 12 months. CNI sparing significantly improved glomerular filtration rate (weighted mean difference 4.4 mL/min, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9–5.9, P<0.001); with some evidence, albeit weak, of improved graft survival (odds ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.52–1.01, P=0.06). Acute rejection rates were only increased after elective CNI elimination (odds ratio 2.23, 95% CI 1.57–3.17, P<0.001). There were no significant differences in mortality, malignancy or incidence of infections. Conclusions. CNI sparing strategies with adjunctive mycophenolate may play an important role in kidney transplant recipients. Improvements in short-term graft function, and possibly graft survival, are achievable. Longer term studies are needed to substantiate the short-term benefits, and refining elective CNI elimination protocols may help to reduce the risk of rejection.
Characterizing Tropical Cirrus Life Cycle, Evolution, and Interaction with Upper-Tropospheric Water Vapor Using Lagrangian Trajectory Analysis of Satellite Observations

Abstract Tropical cirrus evolution and its relation to upper-tropospheric water vapor (UTWV) are examined in the paper by analyzing satellite-derived cloud data, UTWV data from infrared and microwave measurements, and the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis wind field. Building upon the existing International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) data and the Television and Infrared Observation Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS) product, a global (except polar region), 6-hourly cirrus dataset is developed from two infrared radiance measurements at 11 and 12 μm. The UTWV is obtained in both clear and cloudy locations by developing a combined satellite infrared and microwave-based retrieval. The analysis in this study is conducted in a Lagrangian framework. The Lagrangian trajectory analysis shows that the decay of deep convection is immediately followed by the growth of cirrostratus and cirrus, and then the decay of cirrostratus is followed by the continued growth of cirrus. Cirrus properties con.
Effects of Adding Remifentanil to Propofol Anesthesia on Systemic Hemodynamics, Cardiac Output, and Middle Cerebral Artery Flow Velocity During Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Pilot Study

Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of adding remifentanil to propofol anesthesia on systemic hemodynamics, cardiac output, and middle cerebral artery (MCA) blood flow velocity during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Methods Twelve patients undergoing ECT were enrolled in this study. The patients received anesthesia by one of the following 2 methods: either propofol alone at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg, or propofol 0.75 mg/kg with remifentanil 1.0 &mgr;g/kg in turn during successive ECT sessions, immediately before the administration of succinylcholine. All patients were monitored for blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, and MCA flow velocity by transcranial Doppler sonography. Results Middle cerebral artery flow velocity increased after ECT in both anesthesia method groups and lasted for 2 minutes after ECT. No difference in MCA flow velocity was observed between the 2 methods at any time point. Seizure duration was longer under propofol with remifentanil than under propofol alone [propofol with remifentanil, 32 (3) seconds; propofol alone, 24 (4) seconds; P < 0.01]. In contrast, no difference in time to awakening (time from the ECT stimulus to the patient’s ability to open eyes) was observed between the 2 groups [propofol with remifentanil, 183 (19) seconds; propofol alone, 185 (21) seconds]. Conclusions The addition of remifentanil (1 &mgr;g/kg) is suitable for reduction of the propofol dose during ECT, without any adverse hemodynamic effects, including on cerebral blood flow.
Polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy: a common type of neovascular age-related macular degeneration in Caucasians

Aims To describe the prevalence of polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) in a Caucasian population with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (NAMD). Methods All patients referred to a city AMD service over a 2-year period underwent imaging including Indocyanine Green Angiography at baseline. A panel of experts confirmed the patients with NAMD and diagnosed the lesion type including PCV. The proportion of Caucasian patients with PCV was identified. Two authors independently reviewed clinical imaging and recorded data of patients with PCV on lesion characteristics. Further information including treatments received and visual acuity at different time points was analysed. Results A total of 492 patients were diagnosed with NAMD during the 2-year study period. Of these patients, 204 had occult lesions (41.5%). PCV was identified in 45 patients (22.1% of occult NAMD and 9.1% of all NAMD). 23 patients received anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monotherapy, 8 received verteporfin photodynamic therapy (PDT) monotherapy and the remaining 14 patients were managed with combined PDT and anti-VEGF treatment. Conclusions The prevalence of PCV in Caucasians is higher than previously reported. Indocyanine Green Angiography should be a standard investigation for all new patients with NAMD, particularly those with occult NAMD, to avoid missing this important subset.
Expression of interleukin-1beta in the digital laminae of horses in the prodromal stage of experimentally induced laminitis.

OBJECTIVE To study expression of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) in the digital laminae of horses in the prodromal stage of experimentally induced laminitis. ANIMALS 8 healthy adult horses with no signs of laminitis. PROCEDURES Black walnut extract was administered via nasogastric tube to 4 horses, and water was administered to the remaining 4 (controls). Complete blood counts and physical examinations were performed every 30 minutes after administration of black walnut extract or water. General anesthesia was induced when total WBC count decreased by 30% in horses given the black walnut extract and 3 hours after water administration in control horses. The left forefoot was perfusion fixed with neutral-buffered 10% formalin, and paraffin-embedded sections of the digit were used for in situ hybridization with an equine-specific IL-1beta probe. RESULTS IL-1beta mRNA expression was observed in perivascular cells of the small laminar venules and capillaries in all 4 horses given black walnut extract and in interstitial cells remote from the microvasculature in 1 of the 4. Other cellular components of the laminar tissue and cellular components of the digital arterioles and veins did not exhibit IL-1beta mRNA expression. Expression of IL-1beta mRNA was not detected in laminae from control horses. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results suggest that IL-1beta mRNA is expressed by perivascular cells in the laminar tissues of horses in the prodromal stage of experimentally induced laminitis. This provides evidence of an inflammatory process during the prodromal stage of laminitis, indicating that local digital proinflammatory cytokine expression may be an initiating factor in laminitis.
Understanding links between adolescent health and educational attainment

The educational and economic consequences of poor health during childhood and adolescence have become increasingly clear, with a resurgence of evidence leading researchers to reconsider the potentially significant contribution of early-life health to population welfare both within and across generations. Meaningful relationships between early-life health and educational attainment raise important questions about how health may influence educational success in young adulthood and beyond, as well as for whom its influence is strongest. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, I examine how adolescentś health and social status act together to create educational disparities in young adulthood, focusing on two questions in particular. First, does the link between adolescent health and educational attainment vary across socioeconomic and racial/ethnic groups? Second, what academic factors explain the connection between adolescent health and educational attainment? The findings suggest that poorer health in adolescence is strongly negatively related to educational attainment, net of both observed confounders and unobserved, time-invariant characteristics within households. The reduction in attainment is particularly large for non-Hispanic white adolescents, suggesting that the negative educational consequences of poor health are not limited to only the most socially disadvantaged adolescents. Finally, I find that the link between adolescent health and educational attainment is explained by academic factors related to educational participation and, most importantly, academic performance, rather than by reduced educational expectations. These findings add complexity to our understanding of how the educational consequences of poor health apply across the social hierarchy, as well as why poor health may lead adolescents to complete less schooling.
Genomic Disorders: Recombination-Based Disease Resulting from Genome Architecture * * Previously pre

I would like to thank my colleagues, including students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members in the Department of Molecular and Human Genetics for an incredibly stimulating environment and Art Beaudet for the wisdom and leadership to enable science to thrive at Baylor College of Medicine. The work in my laboratory has been generously supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the National Cancer Institute, the National Eye Institute, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the Foundation Fighting Blindness, and the Baylor College of Medicine Mental Retardation Research and Child Health Research Centers. None of these findings would have been possible without the hard work of a number of gifted students, technicians, and postdocs whom I have had the pleasure to collaborate with, and have had fun doing science with, for several years.
The C-type lectin L-SIGN differentially recognizes glycan antigens on egg glycosphingolipids and soluble egg glycoproteins from Schistosoma mansoni

Abstract Recognition of pathogen-derived carbohydrate constituents by antigen presenting cells is an important step in the induction of protective immunity. Here we investigated the interaction of L-SIGN (liver/lymph node specific ICAM-3-grabbing nonintegrin), a C-type lectin that functions as antigen receptor on human liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, with egg-derived glycan antigens of the parasitic trematode Schistosoma mansoni. Our data demonstrate that L-SIGN binds both schistosomal soluble egg antigens (SEA) and egg glycosphingolipids, and can mediate internalization of SEA by L-SIGN expressing cells. Binding and internalization of SEA was strongly reduced after treatment of SEA with endoglycosidase H, whereas defucosylation affected neither binding nor internalization. These data indicate that L-SIGN predominantly interacts with oligomannosidic N-glycans of SEA. In contrast, binding to egg glycosphingolipids was completely abolished after defucosylation. Our data show that L-SIGN binds to a glycosphingolipid fraction containing fucosylated species with compositions of Hex1HexNAc5−7dHex3−6Cer, as evidenced by mass spectrometry. The L-SIGN “gain of function” mutant Ser363Val, which binds fucosylated Lewis antigens, did not bind to this fucosylated egg glycosphingolipid fraction, suggesting that L-SIGN displays different modes in binding fucoses of egg glycosphingolipids and Lewis antigens, respectively. Molecular modeling studies indicate that the preferred binding mode of L-SIGN to the respective fucosylated egg glycosphingolipid oligosaccharides involves a Fucα1-3GalNAcβ1-4(Fucα1-3)GlcNAc tetrasaccharide at the nonreducing end. In conclusion, our data indicate that L-SIGN recognizes both oligomannosidic N-glycans and multiply fucosylated carbohydrate motifs within Schistosoma egg antigens, which demonstrates that L-SIGN has a broad but specific glycan recognition profile.
Modified LDLs induce and bind to membrane ruffles on macrophages

Macrophage foam cell formation in vitro requires uptake of modified low density lipoproteins (LDL) such as acetylated LDL (AcLDL) and moderately oxidized LDL (OxLDL), or beta‐migrating very low density lipoprotein (βVLDL), a naturally occurring lipoprotein. Incubation of macrophages with AcLDL and OxLDL resulted in stimulation of membrane ruffle formation, while βVLDL primarily resulted in increased numbers of microvilli. Time‐lapse Allen video enhanced contrast differential interference contrast (AVEC‐DIC) light microscopy and correlative whole mount intermediate‐voltage transmission electron microscopy (IVEM) was used to examine the dynamics of AcLDL stimulated membrane ruffling and membrane ruffle ultrastructure. Stereo 3D surface replicas confirmed that AcLDL bound to these AcLDL‐induced membrane ruffles. Quantification of the plasma membrane surface area after incubation with AcLDL, βVLDL or LDL confirmed that AcLDL stimulated membrane ruffling, while βVLDL and LDL stimulated microvilli formation. These studies suggest that modified LDLs induce circular membrane ruffles and modified LDLs bind to these ligand‐induced membrane ruffles. Anat Rec 255:44–56, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Psychotherapy with patients receiving kidney transplant.

The development of depression in patients involved in renal transplantation at the University of Michigan Medical Center demonstrated the need for presurgical and postsurgical psychotherapy. It was found that, among recipients, depression precipitated by the fear of impending death usually occurred prior to surgery, and that this was generally alleviated by a realistic appraisal of the ramifications of the transplantation. Among donors, depressive reactions usually occurred following surgery, precipitated by the feeling of having gotten little reward for maximal sacrifice; this was generally alleviated by encouraging the patient to openly express the hostility hitherto suppressed.
Randomized, double-blind, comparative-effectiveness study comparing pulsed radiofrequency to steroid injections for occipital neuralgia or migraine with occipital nerve tenderness

Abstract Occipital neuralgia (ON) is characterized by lancinating pain and tenderness overlying the occipital nerves. Both steroid injections and pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) are used to treat ON, but few clinical trials have evaluated efficacy, and no study has compared treatments. We performed a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, comparative-effectiveness study in 81 participants with ON or migraine with occipital nerve tenderness whose aim was to determine which treatment is superior. Forty-two participants were randomized to receive local anesthetic and saline, and three 120 second cycles of PRF per targeted nerve, and 39 were randomized to receive local anesthetic mixed with deposteroid and 3 rounds of sham PRF. Patients, treating physicians, and evaluators were blinded to interventions. The PRF group experienced a greater reduction in the primary outcome measure, average occipital pain at 6 weeks (mean change from baseline −2.743 ± 2.487 vs −1.377 ± 1.970; P < 0.001), than the steroid group, which persisted through the 6-month follow-up. Comparable benefits favoring PRF were obtained for worst occipital pain through 3 months (mean change from baseline −1.925 ± 3.204 vs −0.541 ± 2.644; P = 0.043), and average overall headache pain through 6 weeks (mean change from baseline −2.738 ± 2.753 vs −1.120 ± 2.1; P = 0.037). Adverse events were similar between groups, and few significant differences were noted for nonpain outcomes. We conclude that although PRF can provide greater pain relief for ON and migraine with occipital nerve tenderness than steroid injections, the superior analgesia may not be accompanied by comparable improvement on other outcome measures.
Correction Factors for Mindlin Higher-order Plate Theory with the Consideration of Electrodes

Mindlin plate theory has been the choice for the analysis of high frequency vibrations of piezoelectric quartz crystal resonators, which utilize electroded crystal plates vibrating at the thickness-shear and overtone modes to achieve frequency generation functions and applications. For this purpose, Mindlin plate equations have been simplified, modified, and corrected to accommodate the actual geometry, structural complications, practical boundary conditions, and various bias fields such as temperature change and initial stresses. Accordingly, the correction of Mindlin plate theory should also include complications through factors which adjust the thickness-shear frequencies to the exact three-dimensional solutions from earlier studies with the first-order plate equations. In recent studies, correction factors for equations up to the third-order theory have been introduced and they have the capability to make the cut-off frequencies for the thickness-shear modes accurate up to much higher-orders and improving the accuracy of the extensional mode groups also. These correction factors are derived based on the general principle of comparison and matching of exact frequencies of interested vibration modes in the coupled two-dimensional equations, and the inclusion of structural complications such as electrodes is an natural extension of the derivation with practical importance. In this study, we consider the effect of thin electrodes through their mass loading formulation by adding the mass ratio in the inertia terms as demonstrated by Mindlin and others. Consequently, a set of frequency equations for both thickness-shear and extensional modes are established with the inclusion of mass ratio of electrodes. These equations are solved numerically for mass ratios to obtain the corresponding correction factors which have been modified by the presence of electrodes. These correction factors can be utilized in the improvement of applications of the higher-order plate equations with the finite element implementation, which remains as one of the reliable tool in the precise analysis and design of quartz crystal resonators. The derivation of these correction factors can be further incorporated into nonlinear equations of piezoelectric solids.
Lymphoma and Mycobacterium Avium Infection in a Ferret (Mustela Putorius Furo)

A 6-year-old, neutered male ferret presented with weight loss. Radiography revealed an enlarged liver and other abdominal masses. The ferret was euthanized, and at necropsy, the stomach wall was thickened, mesenteric lymph nodes were enlarged, and the liver contained multifocal tan nodules. Histopathology confirmed lymphoma and granulomatous inflammation in all affected organs. Acid-fast bacilli were present in the lesions and were confirmed to be Mycobacterium avium by PCR.