Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence of Phosphorylation of Akt and Neuronal Survival after Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Mice

The serine-threonine kinase, Akt, prevents apoptosis by phosphorylation at serine-473 in several cell systems. After phosphorylation, activated Akt inactivates other apoptogenic factors, such as Bad or caspase-9, thereby inhibiting cell death. The present study examined phosphorylation of Akt at serine-473 and DNA fragmentation after transient focal cerebral ischemia in mice subjected to 60 minutes of focal cerebral ischemia by intraluminal blockade of the middle cerebral artery. Phospho-Akt was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. The DNA fragmentation was evaluated by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5′-triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL). Immunohistochemistry showed the expression of phospho-Akt was markedly increased in the middle cerebral artery territory cortex at 4 hours of reperfusion compared with the control, whereas it was decreased by 24 hours. Western blot analysis showed a significant increase of phospho-Akt 4 hours after focal cerebral ischemia in the cortex, whereas phospho-Akt was decreased in the ischemic core. Double staining with phospho-Akt and TUNEL showed different cellular distributions of phospho-Akt and TUNEL-positive staining. Phosphorylation of Akt was prevented after focal cerebral ischemia by LY294002, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, which facilitated subsequent DNA fragmentation. These results suggest that phosphorylation of Akt may be involved in determining cell survival or cell death after transient focal cerebral ischemia.
Genome‐wide microarray comparison reveals downstream genes of Pax6 in the developing mouse cerebellum

The Pax6 transcription factor is expressed in cerebellar granule cells and when mutated, as in the Sey/Sey mouse, produces granule cells with disturbed survival and migration and with defects in neurite extension. The impact of Pax6 on other genes in the context of cerebellar development has not been identified. In this study, we performed transcriptome comparisons between wildtype and Pax6‐null whole cerebellar tissue at embryonic day (E) 13.5, 15.5 and 18.5 using Affymetrix arrays (U74Av2). Statistical analyses identified 136 differentially regulated transcripts (FDR 0.05, 1.2‐fold change cutoff) over time in Pax6‐null cerebellar tissue. In parallel we examined the Math1‐null granuloprival cerebellum and identified 228 down‐regulated transcripts (FDR 0.05, 1.2‐fold change cutoff). The intersection of these two microarray datasets produced a total of 21 differentially regulated transcripts. For a subset of the identified transcripts, we used qRT‐PCR to validate the microarray data and demonstrated the expression in the rhombic lip lineage and differential expression in Pax6‐null cerebellum with in situ hybridisation analysis. The candidate genes identified in this way represent direct or indirect Pax6‐downstream genes involved in cerebellar development.
Formation of Aromatic Amino Acid Pools in Escherichia coli K-12

Phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan were taken up into cells of Escherichia coli K-12 by a general aromatic transport system. Apparent Michaelis constants for the three amino acids were 4.7 × 10−7, 5.7 × 10−7, and 4.0 × 10−7m, respectively. High concentrations (> 0.1 mm) of histidine, leucine, methionine, alanine, cysteine, and aspartic acid also had an affinity for this system. Mutants lacking the general aromatic transport system were resistant to p-fluorophenylalanine, β-2-thienylalanine, and 5-methyltryptophan. They mapped at a locus, aroP, between leu and pan on the chromosome, being 30% cotransducible with leu and 43% cotransducible with pan. Phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan were also transported by three specific transport systems. The apparent Michaelis constants of these systems were 2.0 × 10−6, 2.2 × 10−6, and 3.0 × 10−6m, respectively. An external energy source, such as glucose, was not required for activity of either general or specific aromatic transport systems. Azide and 2,4-dinitrophenol, however, inhibited all aromatic transport, indicating that energy production is necessary. Between 80 and 90% of the trichloroacetic acid-soluble pool formed from a particular exogenous aromatic amino acid was generated by the general aromatic transport system. This contribution was abolished when uptake was inhibited by competition by the other aromatic amino acids or by mutation in aroP. Incorporation of the former amino acid into protein was not affected by the reduction in its pool size, indicating that the general aromatic transport system is not essential for the supply of external aromatic amino acids to protein synthesis.
Randomized controlled trial of outpatient mentalization-based treatment versus structured clinical management for borderline personality disorder.

OBJECTIVE This randomized controlled trial tested the effectiveness of an 18-month mentalization-based treatment (MBT) approach in an outpatient context against a structured clinical management (SCM) outpatient approach for treatment of borderline personality disorder. METHOD Patients (N=134) consecutively referred to a specialist personality disorder treatment center and meeting selection criteria were randomly allocated to MBT or SCM. Eleven mental health professionals equal in years of experience and training served as therapists. Independent evaluators blind to treatment allocation conducted assessments every 6 months. The primary outcome was the occurrence of crisis events, a composite of suicidal and severe self-injurious behaviors and hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included social and interpersonal functioning and self-reported symptoms. Outcome measures, assessed at 6-month intervals, were analyzed using mixed effects logistic regressions for binary data, Poisson regression models for count data, and mixed effects linear growth curve models for self-report variables. RESULTS Substantial improvements were observed in both conditions across all outcome variables. Patients randomly assigned to MBT showed a steeper decline of both self-reported and clinically significant problems, including suicide attempts and hospitalization. CONCLUSIONS Structured treatments improve outcomes for individuals with borderline personality disorder. A focus on specific psychological processes brings additional benefits to structured clinical support. Mentalization-based treatment is relatively undemanding in terms of training so it may be useful for implementation into general mental health services. Further evaluations by independent research groups are now required.
Expression of bovine herpesvirus 1 glycoprotein gIV by recombinant baculovirus and analysis of its immunogenic properties

The gene encoding the gIV glycoprotein of bovine herpesvirus 1 has been inserted into the genome of Autographa californica baculovirus in lieu of the coding region of the A. californica baculovirus polyhedrin gene. Recombinant protein was identified by its reactivity with gIV-specific monoclonal antibodies and expressed at high levels (about 85 micrograms per 2.5 x 10(6) cells) in Spodoptera frugiperda (SF9) cells. The recombinant glycoprotein had an apparent molecular mass of 63 kDa, indicating that it was incompletely glycosylated. However, it was transported to and expressed on the cell surface of infected SF9 cells. Furthermore, reactivity with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies specific for gIV suggested that most epitopes were functionally unaltered on the recombinant gIV. Immunization of cattle with recombinant gIV in crude, partially purified, or pure form resulted in the induction of neutralizing antibodies to BHV-1, which were reactive with authentic gIV. However, the neutralizing antibody titers were lower than those elicited by an equivalent amount of affinity-purified authentic gIV, which appeared to be mainly due to reduced recognition of one of the neutralizing antigenic domains of gIV, designated domain I. The potential use of this recombinant gIV glycoprotein as a vaccine to bovine herpesvirus 1 infection in cattle is discussed.
Cloning of the cytotoxin-hemolysin gene of Vibrio vulnificus

Genes encoding the cytotoxin-hemolysin of Vibrio vulnificus were cloned in Escherichia coli by using the lytic cloning vector, lambda 1059. Subcloning in plasmid pBR325 resulted in the isolation of a 3.2-kilobase DNA fragment containing the cytotoxin gene. By using this fragment as a DNA probe, homologous gene sequences were detected in all 54 V. vulnificus strains studied; homologous sequences were present in none of 96 isolates from 29 other bacterial species.
Visual distortion gauge based on discrimination of noticeable contrast changes

This paper presents a method to discriminate pixel differences according to their impact toward perceived visual quality. Noticeable local contrast changes are formulated firstly since contrast is the basic sensory feature in the human visual system (HVS) perception. The analysis aims at quantifying the actual impact of such changes (further divided into increases and decreases on edges) in different signal contexts. An associated full-reference distortion metric proposed next provides better match with the HVS viewing. Experiments have used two independent visual data sets and the related subjective viewing results, and demonstrated the performance improvement of the proposed metric over the relevant existing ones with various video/images and under diversified test conditions. The proposed metric is particularly effective to visual signal with blurring and luminance fluctuations as the major artifacts, and brings about the fundamental improvement when sharpened image edges are involved.
Pyloric motility and liquid gastric emptying during barostatic control of gastric pressure in pigs.

1. In conscious pigs, intragastric pressure was controlled by a water barostat such that the gastroduodenal pressure gradient was always positive with the barostat set above 15 cm. In six pigs pyloric motor function was removed by prior pylorectomy. 2. In pylorus‐intact animals, isolated pyloric pressure waves (IPPWs) occurred at a median of 2.9 min‐1 during duodenal dextrose infusion with the barostat set at or above a threshold of 15 cm. Increases of intragastric pressure above this threshold had no additional effect upon rates of IPPWs. Below this threshold, with identical duodenal dextrose infusion, IPPWs occurred infrequently (0.5 min‐1). In pylorus‐excised animals virtually no IPPWs were seen. 3. In both pylorus‐intact and ‐excised animals, the rate of antral pressure waves (APWs) was dependent upon intragastric pressure during duodenal infusion of both saline and dextrose. No threshold for stimulation was seen. Duodenal dextrose infusion inhibited APWs in pylorus‐intact animals only. 4. With a positive gastroduodenal pressure gradient, gastric emptying was more rapid in pylorus‐excised animals than pylorus‐intact animals during duodenal dextrose infusion. In contrast, gastric emptying rates were not different between pylorus‐intact and ‐excised animals during saline infusion. 5. These findings suggest an all‐or‐none‐type stimulation of localized pyloric contractions by distension of the stomach beyond a threshold, in synergism with stimulation by nutrients within the upper small bowel. In contrast, stimulation of antral motility is in proportion to distension of the stomach. The pylorus, by way of localized pyloric contractions, is an effective resistor to transpyloric flow in the face of a positive gastroduodenal pressure gradient.
Tracking physical fitness and physical activity from childhood to adolescence: the muscatine study.

PURPOSE Physical fitness and physical activity tracking data enhance our understanding as to when children settle into their long-term exercise and fitness patterns and, therefore. provide insight as to when programs focusing on preventing sedentary adults behaviors should be initiated. METHODS In this paper, the tracking of physical fitness and physical activity was examined in a 5-yr population-based study of children and adolescents in Muscatine, IA. Study subjects (N = 126) were pre- or early-pubescent at baseline (mean age boys 10.8 yr and girls 10.3 yr). Physical fitness was measured using direct determination of oxygen uptake and maximal voluntary isometric contraction while physical activity was assessed via questionnaire. RESULTS Boys classified as sedentary based on initial measurements of TV viewing and video game playing were 2.2 times more likely than their peers to also be classified as sedentary at follow-up. Tracking of most physical fitness and physical activity variables was moderate to high, indicating some predictability of early measurements for later values. Sedentary behavior tracked better in boys, whereas vigorous activity tended to track better in girls. CONCLUSION These observations suggest that preventive efforts focused on maintaining physical fitness and physical activity through puberty will have favorable health benefits in later years.
Epidemiology of de novo acute renal failure in hospitalized African Americans: comparing community-acquired vs hospital-acquired disease.

BACKGROUND The high incidence and prevalence of end-stage kidney disease among African Americans is well known, but the epidemiology of acute renal failure (ARF) among African Americans is unknown. This study was designed to determine the incidence, associated risk factors, and prognosis of ARF in hospitalized African Americans and to compare these variables in hospital-acquired ARF (HA-ARF) against community-acquired ARF (CA-ARF). METHODS A 3-year (1994-1996), computer-assisted retrospective analysis of hospital discharges with confirmed diagnoses of ARF. One hundred of 240 cases met the inclusion criteria for de novo ARF. Demographic, laboratory, and clinical profiles of all patients were retrieved and subdivided into CA-ARF and HA-ARF. Both analysis of variance and chi2 tests were used for analysis. Survival regression used both the Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan-Meier models. RESULTS The incidence of CA-ARF was 3.5 times greater than that of HA-ARF (0.55% vs 0.15%). The mean age of all patients was 54 years with a 67% male predominance. There were no significant differences in age, sex, peak serum creatinine levels, or underlying medical history. Prerenal causes of ARF were more common among CA-ARF than HA-ARF (35% vs 19%; P = .07), but intra-renal causes were more common among HA-ARF (81% vs 55%; P = .07). All cases of obstruction occurred in CA-ARF. Mortality was higher in HA-ARF (59% vs 33%; P = .03), and the incidence of recognized predictors of mortality was higher in patients with HA-ARF than in those with CA-ARF: oliguria (59% vs 35%; P = .04); sepsis (73% vs 35%; P = .004); stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) or mechanical ventilation (55% vs 6%; P<.001); and multiorgan failure (59% vs 24%; P = .002). Those with HA-ARF were twice as likely to require dialysis as those with CA-ARF. The mortality was high in younger patients with CA-ARF and in older patients with HA-ARF, but the dialysis-related mortality rate was 3-fold higher among patients with HA-ARF. While mean +/- SD length of hospital stay was more prolonged in HA-ARF than CA-ARF (26 +/- 28 days vs 12 +/- 11 days; P<.001), the 120-day survival rate was lower in HA-ARF than CA-ARF (43% vs 66%; P = .05). The HA-ARF status was associated with a relative risk of 2.5 (confidence interval, 1.1-5.5; P = .03) for shortened survival. CONCLUSIONS The overall epidemiologic characteristics of ARF among hospitalized African Americans seem to be comparable to those in whites, but the difference in incidence between CA-ARF and HA-ARF was much higher in African Americans. In view of the high mortality and morbidity rates associated with ARF and the fact that younger African American patients with CA-ARF were more likely to die than their older counterparts, we recommend that renal failure awareness be incorporated into community-based health educational programs in African American populations.
Role of ERK1/2 and JNK phosphorylation in iodine contrast agent-induced apoptosis in diabetic rat kidneys

Abstract Background: The risk of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CIAKI) is significantly increased in patients with diabetes mellitus. This study aimed to investigate molecular mechanisms of contrast media-induced apoptosis in diabetic rat kidneys, especially the involvement of ERK1/2 and JNK signal pathways. Methods: Diabetic Sprague–Dawley rats were induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin. Ten weeks later the normal and diabetic rats were administered high-osmolar contrast media (HOCM; meglumine diatrizoate) or normal saline (10 mL/kg) injection for 2 consecutive days. At 24 h after the operation, the rats were sacrificed, the blood samples were collected for examining serum creatinine and the kidneys were collected for determining the expression of caspase-3 by immunohistochemistry and the expression of Bcl-2, Bax, upstream signal molecule p-JNK, and p-ERK1/2 by western blotting. Results: The serum creatinine was significantly increased in diabetes + contrast media group (DC group) after operation compared with in the diabetic group (D group; 103.89 ± 9.01 μmol/L vs. 71.52 ± 7.03 μmol/L, p < 0.05). While creatinine clearance rate (Ccr) was significantly decreased in DC group after operation (1.49 ± 0.33 mL/min vs. 2.60 ± 0.54 mL/min, p < 0.05). Especially, in the diabetic kidney, the expression of caspase-3 was also significantly increased after intravenous injection of HOCM compared with normal saline. The expression level of upstream signal molecule p-JNK protein was apparently increased, but p-ERK1/2 protein was significantly decreased (both p < 0.05). Conclusions: The ionic HOCM-induced renal cells apoptosis in diabetic rats through activating the caspase-3 apoptotic pathway, which might be mediated by upstream MAPK (inhibiting p-ERK1/2 expression and promoting p-JNK expression) signal pathways.
STRATEGIES FOR REDUCING THE BURDEN OF RENAL DISEASE IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

Alfonso M. Cueto-Manzano, MD; Laura Cortés-Sanabria, MD; Héctor R. Martı́nez-Ramı́rez, MD In spite of all the technical advances and resources dedicated to the treatment of endstage renal disease (ESRD), it is still a growing problem all over the world. To address this issue adequately, it is crucial to detect chronic kidney disease patients early and optimize their care. However, a lack of awareness and appropriate management of potential underlying kidney disease, even in high-risk patients, seems to be common in many parts of the world, even though many of the measures recognized to decrease the risk and slow the progression of kidney disease are most effective when initiated early. Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients (a high-risk population) with early nephropathy treated by nephrologists have better preservation of their renal function than do patients treated only by family physicians. However, referral of patients to the nephrologist at earlier stages of disease than is recommended is not always feasible. A more plausible alternative may be that general practitioners learn to diagnose and treat these patients. We have demonstrated that an educational intervention increased family practitioners’ clinical competence, which resulted in preserved renal function in diabetic patients with early renal disease. Variables not well controlled either by the nephrologist or the primary care physicians are those related to lifestyle and diet. These unhealthy habits are common in Westernized societies, and primary care physicians may be the most suitably positioned to promote health. Even so, counseling by physicians is not always effective in reducing risky habits, particularly when the health team is overworked; strategies such as community resources (including support groups) may also play a role. Preliminary results of an ongoing study based on a selfhelp and support group strategy that is coordinated by a multidisciplinary team (family practitioner, social worker, dietician, and physical trainer) show improvements in the lifestyle and dietary habits of patients with overweight or obesity, diabetes, or hypertension. All these findings support the need to implement health promotion programs with the participation of multidisciplinary teams. (Ethn Dis. 2009;19[Suppl 1]:S1-68–S1-72)
Expression of claudins 7 and 18 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: association with features of differentiation

Aim This study was undertaken to evaluate the expression of claudins 7 and 18 in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Methods and results Material tested included 111 operated samples and 47 additional biopsy samples consisting of 26 cases of pancreatitis, 3 cases of pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia and 18 ductal adenocarcinomas. Samples were stained with antibodies to claudins 7 and 18 and analysed for membranous and cytoplasmic expression. Membrane bound claudin 7 and 18 expression was detected in 62 of 105 (59%) and 78 of 111 (70%) cases, respectively. Membrane bound claudin 7 and 18 were associated with large or intermediate neoplastic ducts (p=0.01, p=0.002, respectively). Well differentiated pancreatic adenocarcinomas displayed more cases with membrane bound claudin 7 or 18 immunopositivity (p=0.003, p=0.03, respectively). All pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias studied expressed membrane bound claudin 18. Membrane bound claudin 7 or 18 positivity was not associated with survival (p=0.17, p=0.98). In the biopsy cases membrane bound claudin 18 had 100% specificity and 51% sensitivity for a tumour marker. Conclusion Claudin 7 and 18 expression is related to gland size of neoplastic cells and is especially found in tumours with intermediate and large ducts and well differentiated tumours. Membrane bound claudin 18, when present, is a useful marker for diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Claudins 7 and 18 were not associated with patient survival or spread of tumours.
RTN impact on data-retention failure/recovery in scaled (∼1Ynm) TLC NAND flash memories

RTN (Random Telegraph Noise) impact on data-retention failure/recovery mechanism has been investigated in scaled (∼1Ynm) 2-dimensional (2D) TLC (3bits/cell) NAND flash memories. The data-retention failure is caused by the electron de-trapping from the tunnel oxide in memory cells, which have 5∼8 times higher population of large threshold voltage shift by RTN (ΔV<inf>TH_RTN</inf>) than normal memory cells. Also, it is found that failure memory cells are selectively recovered by a repeated read operation due to re-trapped electrons to trap site. This phenomenon is observed as large positive ΔV<inf>th_rtn</inf>. In addition, the scaling trend of RTN is evaluated beyond 1Ynm cell. It is shown that ΔV<inf>th_rtn</inf> is increased along with 1/(WL)<sup>0</sup>·<sup>84</sup>, which has much severer scaling projection than previous reports [1][2]·.