Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Carnosic acid, a catechol‐type electrophilic compound, protects neurons both in vitro and in vivo through activation of the Keap1/Nrf2 pathway via S‐alkylation of targeted cysteines on Keap1

Electrophilic compounds are a newly recognized class of redox‐active neuroprotective compounds with electron deficient, electrophilic carbon centers that react with specific cysteine residues on targeted proteins via thiol (S‐)alkylation. Although plants produce a variety of physiologically active electrophilic compounds, the detailed mechanism of action of these compounds remains unknown. Catechol ring‐containing compounds have attracted attention because they become electrophilic quinones upon oxidation, although they are not themselves electrophilic. In this study, we focused on the neuroprotective effects of one such compound, carnosic acid (CA), found in the herb rosemary obtained from Rosmarinus officinalis. We found that CA activates the Keap1/Nrf2 transcriptional pathway by binding to specific Keap1 cysteine residues, thus protecting neurons from oxidative stress and excitotoxicity. In cerebrocortical cultures, CA‐biotin accumulates in non‐neuronal cells at low concentrations and in neurons at higher concentrations. We present evidence that both the neuronal and non‐neuronal distribution of CA may contribute to its neuroprotective effect. Furthermore, CA translocates into the brain, increases the level of reduced glutathione in vivo, and protects the brain against middle cerebral artery ischemia/reperfusion, suggesting that CA may represent a new type of neuroprotective electrophilic compound.
Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections in Intensive Care Unit Patients

OBJECTIVE To delineate the epidemiology of catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) and to better understand the value of urine cultures for evaluation of fever in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting DESIGN Two-year retrospective review (2012–2013) SETTING A single tertiary center with 1,200 hospital beds and 158 adult ICU beds PATIENTS ICU patients with a CAUTI event METHODS The cohort was identified from a prospective infection prevention database. Charts were reviewed to characterize the patients. CAUTI rates and device utilization ratio (DUR) were calculated. Clinical outcomes were recorded. RESULTS A total of 105 CAUTIs were identified using the National Health and Safety Network (NHSN) definition. Fever was the primary indication for obtaining urine culture in 102 patients (97%). Of these 105 patients, 51 (51%) had an alternative infection to explain the fever, with pneumonia (55%) being the most common followed by bloodstream infection (22%). A total of 18 patients (18%) had fever due to noninfectious cause, and 32 patients (32%) had no alternative explanation. Of these, 66% received appropriate empiric antimicrobial therapy, but no targeted therapy changes were made based on urine culture results. The other 34% did not receive antimicrobial therapy at all. Only 6% of all CAUTIs resulted in blood cultures positive for the same organism within 2 days. The urinary tract was not definitely established as the source of bloodstream infection. CONCLUSIONS Urine cultures obtained for evaluation of fever form the basis for identification of CAUTIs in the ICU. However, most patients with CAUTIs are eventually found to have alternative explanations for fever. CAUTI is associated with a low complication rate. Infect. Control Hosp. Epidemiol. 2015;36(11):1330–1334
Antigenic characterization of the oligosaccharide portion of the lipooligosaccharide of nontypable Haemophilus influenzae

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against epitopes in the oligosaccharide portion of the lipooligosaccharide (LOS) of nontypable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) were used to characterize the LOS of this pathogen. Western blot (immunoblot) analysis with four LOS-specific MAbs and proteinase K-derived LOS preparations from 69 NTHI strains allowed the classification of these strains into nine LOS antigenic groups. The use of these MAbs in a more sensitive colony blot radioimmunoassay system together with these same NTHI strains identified 14 LOS antigenic groups. Extensive cross-reactivity was detected between the LOS epitopes of these NTHI strains and the LOS of H. influenzae type b. The epitopes recognized by these MAbs were not accessible to antibody on the surface of every strain. These LOS epitopes were also not stably expressed by NTHI growing in vitro; the observed frequency of LOS antigen variation ranged from 1 to 24% when large numbers of colonies of NTHI strains were screened for reactivity with the LOS-directed MAbs in the colony blot radioimmunoassay. This LOS antigenic variation was sometimes associated with alterations in the profile of the LOS molecule as resolved by dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gradient gel electrophoresis followed by staining with silver. These data indicate that considerable antigenic diversity exists among NTHI strains with regard to the oligosaccharide epitopes in their LOS molecules.
Epinephrine Protects Cancer Cells from Apoptosis via Activation of cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase and BAD Phosphorylation*

The stress hormone epinephrine is known to elicit multiple systemic effects that include changes in cardiovascular parameters and immune responses. However, information about its direct action on cancer cells is limited. Here we provide evidence that epinephrine reduces sensitivity of cancer cells to apoptosis through interaction with β2-adrenergic receptors. The antiapoptotic mechanism of epinephrine primarily involves phosphorylation and inactivation of the proapoptotic protein BAD by cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Moreover, BAD phosphorylation was observed at epinephrine concentrations found after acute and chronic psychosocial stress. Antiapoptotic signaling by epinephrine could be one of the mechanisms by which stress promotes tumorigenesis and decreases the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies.
Serum cystatin C and beta2-microglobulin as markers of glomerular filtration rate.

Continuous efforts have been made to find out precise and simple method for determination of glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Cystatin C (cysteine proteinase inhibitor = CyC) is a low molecular weight (LMW) protein which is produced constantly by all nucleated cells independently of different pathological conditions and eliminated from the blood exclusively by glomeruli. So, CyC closely reflects the GFR. In the present study 75 patients aged between 18 and 74 (44.3 +/- 12.2) years were analyzed, with the aim to compare the reciprocal values of serum level of LMW proteins CyC and beta2-microglobulin (beta2-MG) with creatinine clearance (Ccr) as a measure of GFR. Patients were divided into groups according to sex, age (<60; >60 years) and renal diseases: patients with glomerulonephritis (GN) with and without nephrotic proteinuria, pyelonephritis (PyN), and renal transplant (Tx). High correlation between Ccr and 1/CyC (r = 0.81; p < 0.01) and Ccr and 1/beta2-MG (r = 0.80; p < 0.01) in all examined patients was found. There was significant correlation between Ccr and 1/CyC (0.82 vs. 0.79) and Ccr and 1/beta2-MG (0.85 vs. 0.76) in men as well in women, and also in two groups of patients formed according to the age (0.82 vs. 0.77; p < 0.01; 0.80 vs. 0.81; p < 0.01), without any statistical significant difference between the groups. In studied groups with different renal diseases, there were no differences in correlation coefficients between Ccr and 1/CyC and Ccr and 1/beta2-MG (p1 = 0.29; p2 = 0.21; p3 = 0.79; p4 = 0.43), without statistical differences between the groups, except significant difference in correlation coefficients for Ccr and 1/beta2-MG between patients with GN with and without nephrotic proteinuria (p < 0.032). LMW proteins, serum CyC and beta2-MG, are as good markers of GFR as Ccr, regardless sex and age. Both of these LMW proteins are good markers of GFR in patients with GN without nephrotic proteinuria, PyN and Tx patients. In patients with GN and nephrotic proteinuria serum CyC is a better marker of GFR than beta2-MG.
Sources of Stress as Perceived by Nursing Students at King Saud University

Nursing students suffer higher levels of stress during their college years than college students in other disciplines. Nursing students and persons employed in the nursing profession have been identified as a population with an elevated stress level. Stressors for student nurses included adjusting to a rigorous program of theory, long hours of study and pressures of student clinical practice requiring emotional and personal maturity. So the aim of the present study was to identify sources of stress as perceived by undergraduate nursing students at King Saud University. A descriptive, correlation design was utilized in this study. The study was conducted at Female College of Nursing, King Saud University at Al-Riyadh City. The total proposed subjects included in this study were 300 students covering all levels of the nursing college, using convenience data. The tools included two parts: Part 1 included sociodemographic data for students such as age, marital status, and health related data, part 2 was the Student Stress Survey Sheet (SSSS) which used to study the major sources of stressors among college students; it included items addressed academic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental sources of stress. The present study results concluded that there were a variety of stressors placed on the studied subjects. The major sources of stress as perceived by King Saud University College of Nursing students were the academic followed by intrapersonal, then environmental and the last was interpersonal. The results of the current study recommended that it is important for the university to maintain well balanced academic environment conducive for better learning, with the focus on the students’ personal needs. The university should be affording adequate resources such as books, computers to do assignments; also nursing college should do an effort to narrow the gap between students’ expectations, goals, and values to be integrated with that of the university.
Effortful control as modifier of the association between negative emotionality and adolescents' mental health problems

This study examined the extent to which effortful control moderated the risk of internalizing or externalizing problems associated with high negative emotionality in a Dutch population sample of pre- and early adolescents (N = 1,922). Internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist, Youth Self-Report, and Teacher Checklist of Psychopathology. Temperament (effortful control, fearfulness, frustration) was assessed with the parent version of the Revised Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire. The effects of fearfulness and frustration appeared to be attenuated by high levels of effortful control. The associations differed between the two domains of mental health investigated: effortful control reduced the effect of fearfulness on internalizing problems and the effect of frustration on externalizing problems. The effects were stronger for externalizing problems and similar for preadolescent (age 11) and adolescent (age 13/14) outcomes.This research is part of the Tracking Adolescents' Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Participating centers of TRAILS include various Departments of the University of Groningen, Erasmus Medical Center of Rotterdam, University of Nijmegen, Trimbos Institute, and University of Utrecht, The Netherlands. TRAILS is financially supported by grants from The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (GB-MW 940-38-011, GB-MAG 480-01-006, ZonMw 100.001.001, and NWO 175.010.2003.005) and the Department of Justice (WODC), and by the participating centers.
The Determinants of Stock Option Compensation: Evidence from Finland

A new, long, and rich panel data set consisting of all Finnish publicly traded firms is used to study how firm characteristics and stock market developments influence the adoption and targeting of stock option compensation. Stock option adoption is found to be a procyclical phenomenon. Findings from firm-level econometric analysis often corroborate those based on U.S. data, but important differences also emerge. Findings include: (i) firms with higher market value per employee are more likely to use stock option compensation; (ii) share returns from the past year affect the adoption of targeted stock options, but not broad-based plans; (iii) our results are consistent with the hypothesis that selective and broad-based plans arise as solutions to differing monitoring difficulties. Broad-based schemes are observed when production is human capital-intensive and employee performance is hard to monitor, while selective schemes are adopted when ownership is dispersed and therefore owners may have weak incentives to monitor management.
Ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic precursor cells

The availability of several newly described recombinant human hematopoietic growth factors has improved the technique of ex vivo expanison of CD34+ hematopoietic progenitor cells. Of particular interest are the strategies for the cytokine‐mediated expansion of primitive progenitor cells. Moreover, various techniques have been proposed for the differential expansion of CD34+ progenitors toward selective hematopoietic lineages, including myeloid and megakaryocytic progenitors and postprogenitors. In addition, there are several approaches to selectively generate dendritic cells from CD34+ progenitor cells for potential clinical use. Finally, the first clinical applications of ex vivo generated progenitor cells to support hematopoiesis after high‐dose chemotherapy were reported recently. This article briefly summarizes the recent technical developments as well as the first clinical trials with ex vivo expanded hematopoietic progenitors.
Demonstration of tolerance and physical dependence in the dog following a short-term infusion of morphine.

An 8-hour infusion of morphine has been used to produce a demonstrable degree of physical dependence and tolerance in the dog. Physical dependence has been unmasked by nalorphine and the syndrome produced by this procedure is distinct, reproducible, and consists of restlessness, apprehension, violent tremors, lacrimation, salivation, rhinorrhea, urination, defecation, vomiting, mydriasis and tachycardia. Tolerance is readily discernible during the course of infusion and can be clearly demonstrated the day following infusion, using a standard test dose of morphine. Tolerance to behavioral depression (narcosis), depression of the skin twitch, and withdrawal reflex is marked. The reproducibility and brevity of this method may recommend it for preliminary screening of analgesic agents to identify those that produce physical dependence.
­­Depletion of Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) Causes G0 Arrest in Non‐Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) Cells

We recently reported that Amyloid Precursor Protein (APP) regulates global protein synthesis in a variety of human dividing cells, including non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. More specifically, APP depletion causes an increase of both cap‐ and IRES‐dependent translation. Since growth and proliferation are tightly coupled processes, here, we asked what effects artificial downregulation of APP could have elicited in NSCLC cells proliferation. APP depletion caused a G0/G1 arrest through destabilization of the cyclin‐C protein and reduced pRb phosphorylation at residues Ser802/811. siRNA to cyclin‐C mirrored the cell cycle distribution observed when silencing APP. Cells arrested in G0/G1 (and with augmented global protein synthesis) increased their size and underwent a necrotic cell death due to cell membrane permeabilization. These phenotypes were reversed by overexpression of the APP C‐terminal domain, indicating a novel role for APP in regulating early cell cycle entry decisions. It is seems that APP moderates the rate of protein synthesis before the cell clears growth factors‐ and nutrients‐dependent checkpoint in mid G1. Our results raise questions on how such processes interact in the context of (at least) dividing NSCLC cells. The data presented here suggest that APP, although required for G0/G1 transitions, moderates the rate of protein synthesis before the cell fully commits to cell cycle progression following mechanisms, which seem additional to concurrent signals deriving from the PI3‐K/Akt/mTORC‐1 axis. APP appears to play a central role in regulating cell cycle entry with the rate of protein synthesis; and its loss‐of‐function causes cell size abnormalities and death. J. Cell. Physiol. 230: 1332–1341, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company
The course of cognitive impairment in preclinical Alzheimer disease: three- and 6-year follow-up of a population-based sample.

OBJECTIVES To examine the ability of the total score and individual items from the Mini-Mental State Examination in predicting the development of Alzheimer disease (AD) across a 3- and 6-year period in a population-based sample, and to describe the longitudinal changes in these measures across the same follow-up periods. DESIGN Prospective follow-up of a community-based cohort, with 3 times of testing across a 6-year period. At each time of measurement, participants were clinically examined by physicians to identify demented and nondemented participants according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition, criteria. PARTICIPANTS The study population consisted of all participants who were nondemented at the first follow-up and participated in the second follow-up examination. Among those, 459 remained nondemented and 73 developed AD during the second follow-up period. RESULTS Baseline differences in the total Mini-Mental State Examination score and the delayed memory item were seen 6 years before eventual dementia diagnosis (P<.01). Analysis of the longitudinal changes showed no differences in the rate of decline for the incident AD or nondemented group between time 1 and time 2 (P>.10). However, the incident AD group exhibited precipitous declines in 8 of the 10 subscales between time 2 and time 3, the point at which they were clinically diagnosed (P<.01). Logistic regression analyses showed that only the delayed memory item was a significant predictor of who would develop AD, independent of age, sex, and years of education, at both of the first 2 times of measurement (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS The diagnosis of AD is preceded by a long preclinical phase in which deficits in memory performance are most common. These deficits remain relatively stable up until the time that a dementia diagnosis can be rendered. Arch Neurol. 2000.
Prevalence of metabolic syndrome components in a population of bank employees from St. Petersburg, Russia.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to assess prevalence of metabolic syndrome and its components according to different criteria in the population of bank employees in St. Petersburg, Russia. METHODS A total of 1,600 office workers were screened at their working places from the Sberbank state bank in St. Petersburg. All subjects were interviewed by a special questionnaire that included personal data, smoking status, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and medical history. Anthropometry measurements, vital signs, and fasting blood samples were obtained. Serum lipids and plasma glucose were measured. RESULTS In all, 1,561 responders were included in the final analysis. Hypertension (HTN) was observed in 35.2% of subjects (64% in males and 25.4% in females), abdominal obesity (AO) according to Internation Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria in 45.6% (51.5% in males and 44.0% in females), high triglyceride levels in 28.4%, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in 23.9%, and elevated fasting glucose over 5.6 mmol/L in 28.4% of subjects. AO associated with HTN was observed in 24.3%. Metabolic syndrome according to IDF criteria was diagnosed in 21.5% (17.9% in females and 34.6% in males, P<0.01), and according to Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) (2005) criteria in 18.8% of subjects (16.2% in females and 28.4% in males, P<0.01). The correlation between criteria was ρ(S)=0.79. Low physical activity, smoking, and alcohol abuse were associated with metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Metabolic syndrome and its distinct components were very prevalent in Russian bank office workers. AO was most prevalent component for females with metabolic syndrome, whereas HTN was most prevalent for males. Coexistence of HTN and AO was the most frequent coupling of metabolic syndrome components. Unhealthy lifestyle characterized the selected group and was associated with metabolic syndrome, especially low physical activity.
Hyaline‐vascular and plasma‐cell types of giant lymph node hyperplasia of the mediastinum and other locations

A clinicopathologic analysis of 81 cases of giant lymph node hyperplasia was undertaken, with review of previously reported cases. Most of the lesions were intrathoracic. The lesions were discovered most often on routine roentgeno‐grams of the chest or because of pressure symptoms or the presence of a palpable mass if outside the thorax. Evidence is presented that the lesions are enlarged, hyperplastic, altered lymph nodes. They have been divided into 2 histologic types: the hyaline‐vascular lesions, which were most numerous, were characterized by small hyaline‐vascular follicles and interfollicular capillary proliferation; the plasma‐cell lesions were characterized by large follicles with intervening sheets of plasma cells. Systemic manifestations, such as fever, anemia, and hyperglobulinemia, were frequently associated with the plasma‐cell lesions. These clinical signs and other data presented appear to favor an infectious or inflammatory etiology. All the lesions have behaved in a benign fashion, and complete surgical excision has been curative.
Investigation of computed tomographic scan concurrent criterion validity in doubtful scaphoid fracture of the wrist.

BACKGROUND Rapid diagnosis of scaphoid bone fracture in the wrist is important so that appropriate treatment can be started. If a fracture is clinically suspected without being visible on radiography, further investigation has to be conducted to reveal a fracture or to rule it out. The objective of this study was to investigate the validity of computed tomographic (CT) scanning and bone scintigraphy compared with the clinical fracture rate during follow-up of 1 year for examining patients with a suspected scaphoid fracture. METHODS Bone scintigraphy and CT scanning were performed in 29 patients with persistent clinical suspicion of a scaphoid bone fracture 5 to 10 days after trauma. RESULTS The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the CT scan were 100%. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of bone scintigraphy were 78%, 90%, 78%, and 90%, respectively. Seven patients showed a fracture on both CT scanning and bone scintigraphy. Eighteen patients showed no fracture on both CT scanning and bone scintigraphy. A false-positive bone scintigram showed up in two patients and a false-negative bone scintigram in another two patients. CONCLUSION CT scanning is a rapid, simple, valid method for demonstrating or ruling out a scaphoid fracture and is superior to bone scintigraphy.