Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of fibronectin deposition in branching morphogenesis of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells.

BACKGROUND Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) epithelial cells grown in collagen gels in the presence of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) form branching tubules. The tubule-lining epithelial cells are polarized with the basolateral surface in contact with the collagen gel and the apical surface facing the lumen. To delineate whether MDCK branching tubules construct the basal lamina, we characterized the composition of the extracellular matrix deposited by MDCK tubules. The tubule-lining cells produced an apparently incomplete basal lamina containing a discontinuous laminin substratum. In addition, a thick layer of fibronectin surrounded the basal cell surface of the branching tubule. In an attempt to delineate the role of fibronectin deposition in branching morphogenesis, we conducted this study. METHODS MDCK cells cultured in collagen gel were employed. We first used arginine-glycine-aspartate peptides containing disintegrin rhodostomin to disturb the interactions between fibronectin and cell surface integrins. Furthermore, we established several stable transfectants expressing fibronectin antisense RNA to examine the role of fibronectin in branching morphogenesis directly. RESULTS Rhodostomin inhibited the formation of branching tubules. The transfectants expressing fibronectin antisense RNA exhibited relatively lower levels of synthesized fibronectin and markedly diminished growth rates of branching tubules than the control clone. An inhibition of branching morphogenesis induced by the overexpression of fibronectin antisense RNA was manifested by the decrease in cell growth rates and cell migration. CONCLUSION These results indicate that the deposition of fibronectin underlying the tubule-lining epithelium serves to enhance cell proliferation and migration, and hence facilitates the branching tubulogenesis of MDCK cells.
p53 mutations in adrenal tumors: Caucasian patients do not show the exon 4 "hot spot" found in Taiwan.

Mutations in the p53 tumor suppressor gene are frequently present in human cancers but have rarely been described in benign tumors. We previously reported mutations in the "hot spots" between exons 5-8 of the p53 gene in adrenocortical carcinomas but not in adenomas. Recently, a previously unknown hot spot in exon 4 of the p53 gene was described in adrenal adenomas and pheochromocytomas of Taiwanese patients. We, therefore, investigated whether these mutations are also present in Caucasian patients from the U.S. and Europe. We analyzed tumor tissue of 12 aldosterone-producing adenomas, 7 cortisol-producing adenomas, and 6 pheochromocytomas. Overexpression of the p53 protein was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Point mutations within exon 4 were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and direct sequencing of the PCR product. The pYNZ22 microsatellite located on chromosome 17p, close to the p53 gene, was used to screen for allelic loss (LOH) of the p53 gene. Overexpression of p53 was not identified in any of the adenomas and pheochromocytomas. Point mutations within exon 4 were found in 0/25 tumors. LOH was present in 1/13 informative adenomas and 0/2 informative pheochromocytomas. We conclude that p53 mutations do not play a major role in the tumorigenesis of adrenal adenomas and pheochromocytomas of Caucasian patients. Thus, ethnic and environmental factors may be responsible for the mutational spectrum found in Taiwanese patients.
Recruited Brain Tumor‐Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Contribute to Brain Tumor Progression

The identity of the cells that contribute to brain tumor structure and progression remains unclear. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have recently been isolated from normal mouse brain. Here, we report the infiltration of MSC‐like cells into the GL261 murine glioma model. These brain tumor‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BT‐MSCs) are defined with the phenotype (Lin‐Sca‐1+CD9+CD44+CD166+/−) and have multipotent differentiation capacity. We show that the infiltration of BT‐MSCs correlates to tumor progression; furthermore, BT‐MSCs increased the proliferation rate of GL261 cells in vitro. For the first time, we report that the majority of GL261 cells expressed mesenchymal phenotype under both adherent and sphere culture conditions in vitro and that the non‐MSC population is nontumorigenic in vivo. Although the GL261 cell line expressed mesenchymal phenotype markers in vitro, most BT‐MSCs are recruited cells from host origin in both wild‐type GL261 inoculated into green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐transgenic mice and GL261‐GFP cells inoculated into wild‐type mice. We show the expression of chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CXCR6 on different recruited cell populations. In vivo, the GL261 cells change marker profile and acquire a phenotype that is more similar to cells growing in sphere culture conditions. Finally, we identify a BT‐MSC population in human glioblastoma that is CD44+CD9+CD166+ both in freshly isolated and culture‐expanded cells. Our data indicate that cells with MSC‐like phenotype infiltrate into the tumor stroma and play an important role in tumor cell growth in vitro and in vivo. Thus, we suggest that targeting BT‐MSCs could be a possible strategy for treating glioblastoma patients. Stem Cells 2014;32:1110–1123
Apoptotic Mechanisms in Fulminant Hepatic Failure: Potential Therapeutic Target

IntroductionPathogenesis of fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) in nonacetaminophen etiology is not elucidated. We have investigated the significance of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) type-I receptor (TNF-R1) and Fas receptor (CD95, APO-1) in FHF. MethodsLiver biopsy samples were obtained from 14 FHF patients. Liver tissue samples of 10 patients with acute viral hepatitis (AVH) and 10 cases who died, unrelated to liver disease served as tissue biopsy controls. Immunohistochemical methods were employed to analyze expression of TNF-R1 and Fas expression in hepatocytes. ResultsImmunohistochemical analysis revealed high expression (P<0.001) of Fas and TNF-R1 in FHF cases in relation to AVH cases. This expression was more in cytoplasm of apoptotic hepatocytes than viable swollen hepatocytes and this correlated with the extent of hepatocyte apoptosis. The mean apoptotic index was significantly (P<0.001) higher in FHF in relation to AVH. ConclusionsEnhanced expression of TNF-R1 and Fas receptors on the apoptotic hepatocytes suggest that both may be involved in the pathogenesis of FHF and seem to be potential therapeutic target.
Exploiting implicit and explicit signed trust relationships for effective recommendations

Trust networks have been widely used to mitigate the data sparsity and cold-start problems of collaborative filtering. Recently, some approaches have been proposed which exploit explicit signed trust relationships, i.e., trust and distrust relationships. These approaches ignore the fact that users despite trusting/distrusting each other in a trust network may have different preferences in real-life. Most of these approaches also handle the notion of the transitivity of distrust as well as trust. However, other existing work observed that trust is transitive while distrust is intransitive. Moreover, explicit signed trust relationships are fairly sparse and may not contribute to infer true preferences of users. In this paper, we propose to create implicit signed trust relationships and exploit them along with explicit signed trust relationship to solve sparsity problem of trust relationships. We also confirm the similarity (resp. dissimilarity) of implicit and explicit trust (resp. distrust) relationships by using the similarity score between users so that users' true preferences can be inferred. In addition to these strategies, we also propose a matrix factorization model that simultaneously exploits implicit and explicit signed trust relationships along with rating information and also handles transitivity of trust and intransitivity of distrust. Extensive experiments on Epinions dataset show that the proposed approach outperforms existing approaches in terms of accuracy.
Information processing speed and attention in multiple sclerosis: Reconsidering the Attention Network Test (ANT)

Objective: The Attention Network Test (ANT) assesses attention in terms of discrepancies between response times to items that differ in the burden they place on some facet of attention. However, simple arithmetic difference scores commonly used to capture these discrepancies fail to provide adequate control for information processing speed, leading to distorted findings when patient and control groups differ markedly in the speed with which they process and respond to stimulus information. This study examined attention networks in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) using simple difference scores, proportional scores, and residualized scores that control for processing speed through statistical regression. Method: Patients with relapsing-remitting (N = 20) or secondary progressive (N = 20) MS and healthy controls (N = 40) of similar age, education, and gender completed the ANT. Results: Substantial differences between patients and controls were found on all measures of processing speed. Patients exhibited difficulties in the executive control network, but only when difference scores were considered. When deficits in information processing speed were adequately controlled using proportional or residualized score, deficits in the alerting network emerged. The effect sizes for these deficits were notably smaller than those for overall information processing speed and were also limited to patients with secondary progressive MS. Conclusions: Deficits in processing speed are more prominent in MS than those involving attention, and when the former are properly accounted for, differences in the latter are confined to the alerting network.
Parasitism and Suitability of Different Egg Ages of the Leguminivora glycinivorella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) for Three Indigenous Trichogramma Species

ABSTRACT Pod borers are economically important soybean pests in temperate and tropical regions. However, the biological control of these pests using their natural insect enemies has been poorly studied to date. Indigenous natural populations of three Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) species, Trichogramma chilonis Ishii, Trichogramma ostriniae Pang & Chen, and Trichogramma leucaniae Pang & Chen, were collected from Leguminivora glycinivorella (Matsumura) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) eggs in soybean fields in China. In this study, we compare the parasitic capacities and suitabilities of three indigenous Trichogramma species on L. glycinivorella eggs at various ages. Host eggs of all ages were accepted by T. chilonis, T. ostriniae, and T. leucaniae. T. chilonis tended to parasitize 0–2-d-old eggs more than 3–4-d-old eggs. There were no significant differences in parasitism between the 0–2-d-old eggs and the 1–4-d-old eggs for T. ostriniae and T. leucaniae. For eggs at various ages, T. chilonis parasitized the smallest number of eggs, while T. leucaniae and T. ostriniae exhibited similar parasitic capacities. With 0-d-old host eggs, T. ostriniae developed over the longest time period (8.7 d), and T. leucaniae produced the most female progeny (87.9%). Both T. leucaniae and T. ostriniae had similar developmental times, survival rates and percentages of female progeny with 1–3-d-old eggs. These results show that T. leucaniae can parasitize host eggs at varying ages with the best development and suggest that it may be a valuable biological control agent for soybean pod borers.
Qualitative and quantitative characterization of the arsenic-binding behaviour of sulfur-containing peptides and proteins by the coupling of reversed phase liquid chromatography to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

Phenylarsenic-substituted cysteine-containing peptides and proteins were completely differentiated from their unbound original forms by the coupling of reversed phase liquid chromatography with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The analysis of biomolecules possessing structure-stabilizing disulfide bridges after reduction provides new insights into requirements concerning the accessibility of cysteine residues for reducing agents as well as for arsenic compounds in a spatial protein structure. Complementary binding studies performed using direct ESI-MS without chromatographic coupling in different solvent systems demonstrated that more than one binding site were activated for aprotinin and lysozyme in denaturing solvents because of a stronger defolding. From the intensities of the different charge states occurring in the mass spectra as well as from the LC elution behaviour, it can be deduced that the folding state of the arsenic-bound protein species resembles the native, oxidized conformation. In contrast, although the milk protein α-lactalbumin has several disulfide bridges, only one phenylarsenic moiety was bound under strongly denaturing conditions. Because of the charge state distribution in the ESI mass spectra, a conformational change to a molten globule structure is assumed. For the second considered milk protein ß-lactoglobulin, a noncovalent interaction with phenylarsine oxide was detected. In general, smaller apparent binding constants for the condensation reactions of the biomolecules with phenylarsine oxide leading to covalent arsenic-sulfur bindings were determined from direct injection ESI-MS measurements than from LC-ESI-MS coupling. The following order of binding affinities for one phenylarsenic group can be assumed from both ESI-MS and LC-ESI-MS: nonapeptide vasopressin > nonapeptide vasotocin > lysozyme > aprotinin > α-lactalbumin > thioredoxin. Kinetic investigations by LC-ESI-MS yielded a partial reaction order of 2 for vasopressin, Lys and α-lactalbumin and corresponding half-lives of 0.93, 2.56 and 123.5 min, respectively.
Prospective study of Helicobacter pylori antigens and gastric noncardia cancer risk in the nutrition intervention trial cohort

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection is the strongest known risk factor for gastric noncardia adenocarcinoma (GNCA). We used multiplex serology to determine whether seropositivity to 15 H. pylori proteins is associated with the subsequent development of noncardia gastric cancer in Linxian, China. We included 448 GNCA cases and 1242 controls from two time points within the Linxian General Population Nutrition Intervention Trial, Linxian. H. pylori multiplex seropositivity was defined as positivity to ≥4 of the 15 included antigens. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were adjusted for major GNCA risk factors. In addition, we undertook a meta‐analysis combining H. pylori multiplex serology data from both time points. H. pylori multiplex seropositivity was associated with a significant increase in risk of GNCA at one time point (1985; OR: 3.44, 95% CI: 1.91, 6.19) and this association remained significant following adjustment for H. pylori or CagA ELISA seropositivity (OR: 2.92, 95% CI: 1.56, 5.47). Combining data from both time points in a meta‐analysis H. pylori multiplex seropositivity was associated with an increased risk of GNCA, as were six individual antigens: GroEL, HP0305, CagA, VacA, HcpC and Omp. CagM was inversely associated with risk of GNCA. We identified six individual antigens that confer an increase in risk of GNCA within this population of high H. pylori seroprevalence, as well as a single antigen that may be inversely associated with GNCA risk. We further determined that the H. pylori multiplex assay provides additional information to the conventional ELISA methods on risk of GNCA.
Severe valvular regurgitation and antiphospholipid antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus: a prospective, long-term, followup study.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies is related to the incidence and progression of severe valvular dysfunction and the need for valve replacement in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS In this prospective, long-term followup study, the initial echocardiographic findings in a cohort of 61 consecutive SLE patients were compared with those of 40 matched controls. All patients were serially evaluated for 14 +/- 3 years and had a followup echocardiogram 8 +/- 3 years after the initial evaluation. Serial determinations of anticardiolipin antibodies and lupus anticoagulant were performed in all cases. RESULTS The number of SLE patients with valvular abnormalities increased from 39% to 73% between the initial and the followup echocardiography, but only 7 patients (12%) developed severe valvular regurgitation. Severe valvular regurgitation was significantly associated with the presence of high levels of IgG anticardiolipin antibodies (P = 0.001). The combined incidence of stroke, peripheral embolism, need for valve surgery, and death was 86% in patients with severe valvular regurgitation, compared with 25% in those without (P = 0.003). CONCLUSION In SLE patients, the presence of high levels of IgG anticardiolipin antibodies is associated with the development of severe valvular regurgitation and with a high incidence of thromboembolic events and the need for valvular surgery.
Evaluation of pediatric abdominal masses by fine‐needle aspiration cytology: A clinicoradiologic approach

The pathologist forms a very important part of the clinical team in the management of pediatric intra‐abdominal masses in giving a rapid, accurate diagnosis for these potentially curable tumors. Fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is an invaluable tool in this regard when interpreted with clinicoradiologic parameters. With this in mind, we decided to evaluate the role of FNAC in pediatric abdominal masses in our institution. A total of 83 of 105 FNAC accessioned in the pathology department over 5 years (2003–2007) were studied. These included only cases where a diagnosis could be offered on cytology. Detailed clinicoradiological features were obtained from hospital records. Cytomorphological features examined included cellularity, architectural pattern, background, key cellular details. Immunocytochemistry were done where necessary. Lesions diagnosed on FNAC included Wilms' tumor (19), lymphoma (10), neuroblastoma (6), hepatoblastoma (5), PNET (5), rhabdomyosarcoma (2), DSRCT (2), germ cell tumor (6), and miscellaneous tumors (7). Definite diagnosis could be offered on cytomorphology in 74.7% (62) cases, while in 25.3% (21) cases only a diagnosis of round cell tumor could be offered. Concordance with final histopathology and biochemical parameters was subsequently obtained in 79/83 (95.5%) of cases. A clinically relevant classification is possible on FNAC in pediatric abdominal tumors when interpreted with clinicoradiologic parameters. This obviates the need for a more time‐consuming biopsy procedure in critical situations and in stage II nephroblastoma where it is contraindicated. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Antimicrobial efficacy of complete denture cleansers.

PURPOSE To evaluate the in vitro antimicrobial efficacy of alkaline peroxides against microbial biofilms on acrylic resin surfaces. METHODS Denture base acrylic resin (Lucitone 550; n= 360) circular specimens (15 x 3 mm) were obtained from a circular metal matrix and sterilized with microwave irradiation (650 W, 6 minutes). The specimens were then contaminated with suspensions [106 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL] of Candida albicans (Ca), Candida glabrata (Cg), Staphylococcus aureus (Sa), Streptococcus mutans (Sm), Bacillus subtilis (Bs), Enterococcus faecalis (Ef), Escherichia coli (Ec), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa). After contamination, the specimens were incubated at 37 degrees C for 48 hours and then placed in a stainless steel basket, which was immersed in a beaker with one of the following solutions prepared and used according to the manufacturers' instructions (n= 10 per group): Group PC (positive control), phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution; Group MI, NitrAdine, Medical Interporous; Group EF, Efferdent Plus; Group CT, Corega Tabs; and Group NC (negative control; n= 5), no contamination and immersed in PBS. After incubation (37 degrees C, 24 hours), the number of colonies with characteristic morphology was counted, and CFU/mL values were calculated. The data were processed following the transformation into the formula log" (CFU + 1) and statistically analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's tests (alpha = 0.05). RESULTS There were significant differences between the groups for the evaluated microorganisms with a significant reduction in the CFU/mL. MI was effective for Ca, Cg, Sa, Sm, Ef, Ec and Pa; EF was effective for Cg, Sm, Ef, Ec and Pa; and CT was effective for Sa, Bs and Ec, when compared with the PC group.
A time-course study of trimethyltin induced neuropathology in rats.

The extent and time course of trimethyltin (TMT) induced lesions in the rat nervous system was studied. Adult Long-Evans rats were treated with a single dose of 6.0 mg TMT/kg b.w. and were sacrificed at 8 hours, 3, 15, 30 or 60 days following exposure. Histopathological examination of the brains revealed that neurons in the pyriform/entorhinal cortices and in the olfactory tubercle were extremely sensitive to TMT toxicity showing significant necrotic changes 3 days after exposure. Extensive neuronal loss and astrogliosis were observed 15 days after intoxication. In the hippocampal formation, the granule cells of fascia dentata showed early changes; however, evidence of toxic destruction in this area was not extensive and subsided considerably by the 3rd week of intoxication. On the other hand, destruction of the pyramidal neurons in Ammon's horn became more pronounced throughout the experimental period, resulting in extensive cell loss in this structure. It is interesting to note that the CA3 neurons in the anteromedial (septal) portion of the Ammon's horn appeared to be more vulnerable than those located more laterally (temporally), while the reverse pattern was observed for the CA1,2 neurons. Large mesencephalic trigeminal neurons in the brain stem also showed early chromatolytic changes. Since total normal morphology of these neurons was observed at later posttreatment time without apparent neuronal loss in these areas, total recovery of these nerve cells could be postulated.
In vivo engraftment potential of clinical hematopoietic grafts.

BACKGROUND Quantitative assays are needed to characterize the multilineage engraftment potential of clinical hematopoietic grafts. After we observed a dose-response relationship between the number of human hematopoietic cells transplanted into nonobese diabetic-scid/scid (NOD/SCID) mice and the number of human CD45+ cells recovered in the chimeras' marrows and spleens, we sought to develop a multiple linear regression model that allows quantitative comparisons of human cell engraftment in vivo. METHODS We used this NOD/SCID xenotransplant model to compare the engraftment potential of cord blood vs. adult marrow or mobilized blood, after either of 2 commonly used clinical graft engineering procedures: CD34+ cell selection or T cell depletion. RESULTS The engraftment per transplanted cell was > 20 fold higher for cord blood cells, as compared to hematopoietic cells from adults. However, there was no difference in engraftment per CD34+ cell transplanted between marrow and mobilized blood. Levels of human cell engraftment from all sources could be increased by administration of human hematopoietic growth factors to human/mouse chimeras after transplantation. Correlation analysis of the number of human CD13+ myeloid cells and CD19+ B lymphoid cells in the chimeras' marrows 8 weeks after transplantation provided evidence that almost all the human myeloid and B lymphoid cells were derived from the same primitive precursor cells. CONCLUSIONS These findings and assay may be useful in the development of clinical hematopoietic cell therapies.