Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cell Polarity Kinase MST4 Cooperates with cAMP-dependent Kinase to Orchestrate Histamine-stimulated Acid Secretion in Gastric Parietal Cells*

Background: Polarized acid secretion in gastric parietal cells requires ezrin and its phosphorylation at Ser-66 by cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA). Results: Phosphorylation of Ser-66 induces an ezrin conformational change that promotes the phosphorylation of Thr-567 by MST4. Conclusion: PKA phosphorylates MST4 and ezrin to orchestrate histamine-elicited acid secretion. Significance: The PKA-MST4-ezrin signaling axis is essential for parietal cell activation. The digestive function of the stomach depends on acidification of the gastric lumen. Acid secretion into the lumen is triggered by activation of the PKA cascade, which ultimately results in the insertion of gastric H,K-ATPases into the apical plasma membranes of parietal cells. A coupling protein is ezrin, whose phosphorylation at Ser-66 by PKA is required for parietal cell activation. However, little is known regarding the molecular mechanism(s) by which this signaling pathway operates in gastric acid secretion. Here we show that PKA cooperates with MST4 to orchestrate histamine-elicited acid secretion by phosphorylating ezrin at Ser-66 and Thr-567. Histamine stimulation activates PKA, which phosphorylates MST4 at Thr-178 and then promotes MST4 kinase activity. Interestingly, activated MST4 then phosphorylates ezrin prephosphorylated by PKA. Importantly, MST4 is important for acid secretion in parietal cells because either suppression of MST4 or overexpression of non-phosphorylatable MST4 prevents the apical membrane reorganization and proton pump translocation elicited by histamine stimulation. In addition, overexpressing MST4 phosphorylation-deficient ezrin results in an inhibition of gastric acid secretion. Taken together, these results define a novel molecular mechanism linking the PKA-MST4-ezrin signaling cascade to polarized epithelial secretion in gastric parietal cells.
Phase II clinical study on the modified DCF regimen for treatment of advanced gastric carcinoma.

BACKGROUND A phase III trial involving docetaxel, cisplatin, and fluorouracil (DCF) in the treatment of advanced gastric cancer was shown to have superior efficacy compared to cisplatin and fluorouracil alone, but with a high rate of hematologic toxicity. To reduce toxicity while maintaining the efficacy of DCF, we reduced the doses of docetaxel (D) and cis-platinum (CDDP), and administered 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) via a continuous intravenous (CIV) infusion. METHODS Chemotherapy-naive patients with gastric adenocarcinomas received D (60 mg/m(2) 1 hour on day 1), CDDP (30 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 2), and 5-FU (1500 mg×m(-2)×24 h(-1) CIV on days 1 and 8 every 3 weeks). The primary endpoint was the response rate. RESULTS Fourteen patients were enrolled. Based on the efficacy evaluation following at least 2 cycles of treatment, there was 7.1% complete remission (CR), 71% partial remission (PR), 14% stable disease (NC/SD), and 7.1% progressive disease (PD). The median survival time was 13 months. Nine patients (64%) had grade III-IV neutropenia, and 4 patients (29%) had grade IV neutropenia, among whom 1 had grade IV neutropenia with grade III nausea and vomiting. CONCLUSION The modified DCF regimen is highly active and has a favorable toxicity profile in Chinese patients with gastric cancer.
Properties of Recombinant Human Cytosolic Sialidase HsNEU2

Recombinant human cytosolic sialidase (HsNEU2), expressed in Escherichia coli, was purified to homogeneity, and its substrate specificity was studied. HsNEU2 hydrolyzed 4-methylumbelliferyl α-NeuAc, α2→3 sialyllactose, glycoproteins (fetuin, α-acid glycoprotein, transferrin, and bovine submaxillary gland mucin), micellar gangliosides GD1a, GD1b, GT1b, and α2→3 paragloboside, and vesicular GM3. α2→6 sialyllactose, colominic acid, GM1 oligosaccharide, whereas micellar GM2 and GM1 were resistant. The optimal pH was 5.6, kinetics Michaelis-Menten type, Vmax varying from 250 IU/mg protein (GD1a) to 0.7 IU/mg protein (α1-acid glycoprotein), and Km in the millimolar range. HsNEU2 was activated by detergents (Triton X-100) only with gangliosidic substrates; the change of GM3 from vesicular to mixed micellar aggregation led to a 8.5-fold Vmax increase. HsNEU2 acted on gangliosides (GD1a, GM1, and GM2) at nanomolar concentrations. With these dispersions (studied in detailed on GM1), where monomers are bound to the tube wall or dilutedly associated (1:2000, mol/mol) to Triton X-100 micelles, the Vmax values were 25 and 72 μIU/mg protein, and Km was 10 and 15 × 10–9 m, respectively. Remarkably, GM1 and GM2 were recognized only as monomers. HsNEU2 worked at pH 7.0 with an efficiency (compared with that at pH 5.6) ranging from 4% (on GD1a) to 64% (on α1-acid glycoprotein), from 7% (on GD1a) to 45% (on GM3) in the presence of Triton X-100, and from 30 to 40% on GM1 monomeric dispersion. These results show that HsNEU2 differentially recognizes the type of sialosyl linkage, the aglycone part of the substrate, and the supramolecular organization (monomer/micelle/vesicle) of gangliosides. The last ability might be relevant in sialidase interactions with gangliosides under physiological conditions.
Antimicrobial Activity of Tamarindus indica Linn

Purpose: Tamarindus indica is a plant that is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of cold, fever, stomach disorder, diarrhea and jaundice and as skin cleanser. To evaluate the scientific basis for the use of the plant, the antimicrobial activities of extracts of the stem bark and leaves were evaluated against some common gram negative and gram positive bacteria and fungi. The study also investigated the chemical constituents of the plant and the effect of temperature and pH on its antimicrobial activity. Methods: The phytochemical constituents of the dried powdered plant parts were extracted using aqueous and organic solvents (acetone and ethanol). The antimicrobial activity of the concentrated extracts was evaluated by determination of the diameter of zone of inhibition against both gram negative and gram positive bacteria and fungi using the paper disc diffusion method. Results: Results of the phytochemical studies revealed the presence of tannins, saponins, sesquiterpenes, alkaloids and phlobatamins and the extracts were active against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. The activity of the plant extracts were not affected when treated at different temperature ranges (4 o C, 30 o C, 60 o C and 100 o C), but was reduced at alkaline pH. Studies on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the extracts on the test organisms showed that the lowest MIC and the MBC were demonstrated against Salmonella paratyphi, Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhi and the highest MIC and MBC was exhibited against Staphylococcus aureus . Conclusions: Tamarindus indica has broad spectrum antibacterial activity and a potential source of new classes of antibiotics that could be useful for infectious disease chemotherapy and control. Keywords : Tamarindus indica , Antimicrobial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, chemotherapy, infectious disease. > Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research Vol. 5 (2) 2006: pp. 597-603
Polarization-dependent optical 2D Fourier transform spectroscopy of semiconductors

Optical 2D Fourier transform spectroscopy (2DFTS) provides insight into the many-body interactions in direct gap semiconductors by separating the contributions to the coherent nonlinear optical response. We demonstrate these features of optical 2DFTS by studying the heavy-hole and light-hole excitonic resonances in a gallium arsenide quantum well at low temperature. Varying the polarization of the incident beams exploits selection rules to achieve further separation. Calculations using a full many-body theory agree well with experimental results and unambiguously demonstrate the dominance of many-body physics.
Nutrition education promoted consumption of pulse based foods among rural women of reproductive age in Sidama zone, southern Ethiopia

Nutrition education about locally available, nutritionally rich crops, such as pulses, is one of the promising strategies to reduce the burden of malnutrition among women in rural communities of low-income and middle income countries such as Ethiopia. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of nutrition education on the knowledge, attitude and practice of women of reproductive age using the Health Belief Model. A pre-test post-test controlled intervention study was conducted on 200 randomly selected women from Hawassa Zuria district in two groups: intervention (n=100) and control (n=100). Nutrition education intervention was given using Health Belief Model (HBM) only to the intervention group, every 15 days for consecutive six months whereas the control group got the same information in a summarized form at the end of the study. Women in both groups completed knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) and food frequency questionnaires at baseline and after six months of intervention. Data were analyzed using independent and paired sample t-tests to find out the effect of nutrition education intervention by comparing the pre and post test data between the two groups and within each group. The result showed a significant improvement in the mean knowledge (p<0.001), attitude (p<0.001), and practice scores (p<0.001) in the intervention group compared to control group. There was significant (p<.001) improvement in the scores of HBM constructs: perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, and taking health action by the intervention group to the control group. The success of this intervention using nutrition education to improve practices using pulses may be due to there being repeated demonstrations of pulse processing and recipes, to group discussions involving peer learning and experience sharing, and to interest from the mothers regarding health benefits. It is concluded that nutrition education based on HBM can be effective in bringing positive change on the KAP of women of reproductive age towards household utilization of pulse based diets. Key words: pulses, education, Health Belief Model, Ethiopia, legumes, women, diet, nutrition
Hospital Costs Associated With Atrial Fibrillation for Patients With Ischemic Stroke Aged 18–64 Years in the United States

Background and Purpose— Hospital costs associated with atrial fibrillation (AFib) among patients with stroke have not been well-studied, especially among people aged <65 years. We estimated the AFib-associated hospital costs in US patients aged 18 to 64 years. Methods— We identified hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of ischemic stroke from the 2010 to 2012 MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters inpatient data sets, excluding those with capitated health insurance plans, aged <18 or >64 years, missing geographic region, hospital costs below the 1st or above 99th percentile, and having carotid intervention (n=40 082). We searched the data for AFib and analyzed the costs for nonrepeat and repeat stroke admissions separately. We estimated the AFib-associated costs using multivariate regression models controlling for age, sex, geographic region, and Charlson comorbidity index. Results— Of the 33 500 nonrepeat stroke admissions, 2407 (7.2%) had AFib. Admissions with AFib cost $4991 more than those without AFib ($23 770 versus $18 779). For the 6582 repeat stroke admissions, 397 (6.0%) had AFib. The costs were $3260 more for those with AFib than those without ($24 119 versus $20 929). After controlling for potential confounders, AFib-associated costs for nonrepeat stroke admissions were $4905, representing 20.6% of the total costs for the admissions. Both the hospital costs and the AFib-associated costs were associated with age, but not with sex. AFib-associated costs for repeat stroke admissions were not significantly higher than for non-AFib patients, except for those aged 55 to 64 years ($3537). Conclusions— AFib increased the hospital cost of ischemic stroke substantially. Further investigation on AFib-associated costs for repeat stroke admissions is needed.
Expression of heat shock proteins in Alzheimer's disease

In an investigation of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients and cognitively intact control subjects, we found that 2 HSPs, termed “HSP72” and “GRP78,” underwent major changes in expression in AD. HSP72, which was present at very low levels in control brains, increased dramatically in AD patients, and was localized exclusively in neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. We hypothesize that HSP72 is induced as an early response to the formation of abnormal proteins, perhaps targeting them for proteolysis. In contrast, GRP78 increased in AD only in neurons that remained cytologically normal, especially in the CA3 subfield of the hippocampus and the deep layers of the entorhinal cortex. The increased expression of GRP78 within successfully surviving neurons suggests that this protein may protect such cells from AD-specific damage.
Measles virus-specific antibody levels in Sudanese infants: a prospective study using filter-paper blood samples

SUMMARY We conducted a prospective birth cohort study in rural Sudan to assess measles virus (MV)-specific antibody levels at different time points in infancy. Dried blood spots were collected on filter paper at birth (cord blood) and at ages 6, 12 and 24 months (heel-prick). Maternally derived MV-specific antibody levels were high in cord blood samples, but at the age of 6 months had dropped below cut-off values in half of the infants. By extrapolation it was concluded that the current Expanded Programme of Immunization (EPI) target age for measles vaccination of 9 months was an appropriate choice for this area. At the age of 24 months acquired MV-specific antibodies were detected in 65–85% of the cohort, which corresponded well with the 79% of infants reported to be vaccinated by this age. This study demonstrates the usefulness of filter paper blood samples for seroepidemiological studies in developing countries.
Simultaneous scheduling of machines and tools in multimachine flexible manufacturing systems using artificial immune system algorithm

This article deals with simultaneous scheduling of machines and tools in a multimachine flexible manufacturing system to generate best optimal sequences that minimise makespan. As flexible manufacturing system (FMS) is an integrated manufacturing facility, simultaneous scheduling of different components of FMS is essential. In this research work, attempts have been made to integrate machines and tools. The aim of this article is to address combined machine and tool scheduling in a FMS consisting of machines and a central tool magazine. Four heuristics, priority dispatching rules, modified nondelay schedule generation algorithm with six different priority dispatching rules, modified Giffler and Thompson algorithm and artificial immune system (AIS) algorithm, have been proposed for solving combined machine and tool problems with makespan as objective. The proposed heuristics are numerically tested on various problems and the results are compared. The result shows that AIS algorithm yields better results for simultaneous scheduling of machines and tools.
NUCLEAR MEMBRANES FROM MAMMALIAN LIVER

The qualitative and quantitative lipid composition of nuclei and nuclear membranes from pig and rat liver were determined. These determinations were compared with the corresponding data obtained for microsomes from the same material after similar treatments. The results indicate that, at least, by far the major part of the nuclear lipids is located in the membranes of the nuclear envelope. The phospholipid pattern of the nuclear membranes and the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes in general is widely identical in both species. As a striking difference in the lipid composition, however, a fourfold increase of esterified cholesterol in the nuclear membranes was found. In a quantitative approach the ratio of total surface area of the nuclear lipids to the total surface area of the nuclear envelope membranes was calculated as being 3.6, a value which fairly approximates the requirements of a bimolecular lipid leaflet model.
Pharmacognostic Evaluation of the Bark of Acacia suma Roxb (Fabaceae)

Purpose: To undertake the pharmacognostic evaluation of Acacia suma Roxb bark for the purpose of identification and differentiation from related species. Methods: The macroscopic and microscopic features of the bark were studied, including the use of powder microscopy with the aid of suitable tools and reagents. Physicochemical parameters such as ash values, extractive values and loss on drying were also determined. The bark powder was successively extracted with different solvents followed by preliminary phytochemical screening of the extracts. Results: Macro- and microscopic studies revealed an outer hard and woody exfoliating old bark consisting of dead elements of secondary bast alternating with tangential strips of compressed cork tissue. The outer layer consists of cork cell with lenticels, followed by phellum, phellogen and pheloderm layers. Concentric rings of secondary phloem tissue alternating with regularly arranged polygonal stone cells and radially traversed medullary rays were present. Preliminary phytochemical screening showed the presence of alkaloids, carbohydrates, proteins, tannins and phenolic compounds, gums and mucilages, steroids and triterpenoids, saponins and flavonoids in the bark. Conclusion: The findings of this study will facilitate pharmacognostic standardization of the plant material and aid in the preparation of a herbal monograph for the species.
Beamforming and Combining in Hybrid Satellite-Terrestrial Cooperative Systems

In this paper, we consider the transmission of signals in a hybrid satellite-terrestrial cooperative system. In particular, we address the problem of beamforming and combining based amplify-and-forward (AF) relaying in a hybrid satellite-terrestrial cooperative system. In this set-up, a multiple antenna based relay node forwards the received satellite signals to the destination, by using a beamforming vector, and multiple antenna based destination node uses maximal ratio combining. The approximate average symbol error rate of the considered beamforming and combining based hybrid AF cooperative scheme for M-ary phase shift keying constellation is derived; analytical diversity order of the hybrid system is also obtained. Moreover, diversity calculations for some specific antenna configurations are shown for providing useful insight of the proposed scheme, at high signal-to-noise ratio.
Evolutionary history of Daphnia drives divergence in grazing selectivity and alters temporal community dynamics of producers

Abstract Consumers with different seasonal life histories encounter different communities of producers during specific seasonal phases. If consumers evolve to prefer the producers that they encounter, then consumers may reciprocally influence the temporal composition of producer communities. Here, we study the keystone consumer Daphnia ambigua, whose seasonal life history has diverged due to intraspecific predator divergence across lakes of New England. We ask whether grazing preferences of Daphnia have diverged also and test whether any grazing differences influence temporal composition patterns of producers. We reared clonal populations of Daphnia from natural populations representing the two diverged life history types for multiple generations. We conducted short‐term (24 hr) and long‐term (27 days) grazing experiments in equal polycultures consisting of three diatom and two green algae species, treated with no consumer, Daphnia from lakes with anadromous alewife, or from lakes with landlocked alewife. After 24 hr, life history and grazing preference divergence in Daphnia ambigua drove significant differences in producer composition. However, those differences disappeared at the end of the 27‐day experiment. Our results illustrate that, despite potentially more complex long‐term dynamics, a multitrophic cascade of evolutionary divergence from a predator can influence temporal community dynamics at the producer level.
SB203580 promote EGF‐stimulated early morphological differentiation in PC12 cell through activating ERK pathway †

MAP kinases have important role in PC12 cell differentiation, since the activities of both extracellular regulated protein kinase (ERK) and p38 have been indicated as necessary signal for PC12 cell differentiation. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and NGF both activate ERK and p38 in PC12 cells, but only NGF trigger differentiation. It has been proposed that the duration of ERK activation determines the switch from proliferation to differentiation, since EGF causes more transient activation of ERK than NGF in PC12 cells. Here we report that treatment of PC12 cells with EGF in the presence of SB203580, a widely used p38 inhibitor, caused differentiation. The pro‐differentiation effect of SB203580 in EGF‐treated PC12 cells was found to be independent of its function of p38 inhibition but was through an effect on the ERK pathway that has been recently reported (Kalmes et al. [ 1999 ] FEBS Lett. 444: 71–74; Hall‐Jackson et al. [ 1999 ] Onc. 18: 2047–2054). We found that SB203580 by itself did not affect the activity of ERK1/2 but significantly extended EGF‐induced ERK activation in PC12 cells, which resulted in early morphological differentiation. Our data indicated that although both ERK and p38 are required for PC12 cell differentiation, activation of p38 is not required when ERK is superactivated. Our data provided further evidence for the threshold theory that differentiation is determined by the duration of ERK activation. J. Cell. Biochem. 83: 585–596, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Distributional Consequences of Supply-Side Reforms in General Equilibrium

Using a heterogeneous agent model allowing for different degrees of complementarity between capital, skilled and unskilled labour, this paper evaluates supply-side reforms consistent with lower public debt-to-GDP in the long-run. We find that, relative to the other tax reforms, capital tax cuts lead to the highest aggregate welfare but are skill-biased and can thus increase inequality in the long-run. Depending on the elasticity of substitution between capital and unskilled labour, falls in the capital tax can result in welfare losses for unskilled workers, even in the absence of other frictions and increases in other forms of taxation. On the other hand, reductions in labour taxes can hurt the capitalists. We also show that including the transition period in the welfare evaluation lowers the inequality effects of capital tax reduc-tions since the complementarity between capital and all labour inputs is higher in the short- than in the long-run. Finally, our results suggest that a form of "irrational exuberance" can arise after a tax cut under heterogeneous learning in the initial conditions after the reform.