Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proliferation of human melanoma cells is under tight control of protein kinase C alpha

Exponential proliferation of human melanoma cells has been associated with low levels of protein kinase C (PKC)‐α. The aim of the present study was to investigate the functional relationship between PKC‐α and melanoma cell proliferation. Treatment of human melanoma cells with the selective PKC inhibitor Ro‐31‐8220 resulted in a significant increase of cell proliferation as measured by 3H‐thymidine incorporation and a fluorometric microassay. In addition, phosphorothioate antisense‐oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) to PKC‐α enhanced DNA‐synthesis of human melanoma cells. Furthermore, microinjection and transient transfection of melanoma cells with PKC‐α decreased their proliferation, as shown by the reduction of nuclear staining with the proliferation marker Ki‐67. The presented data demonstrate a cause–effect relationship between PKC‐α and melanoma cell growth, whereby PKC‐α reversely influences the rate of cell proliferation. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Esophageal C Risk Factors of Postoperative Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Undergoing ancer Surgery

Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify perioperative risk factors for postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients undergoing esophageal cancer surgery. Design: A retrospective analysis of the prospectively collected medical data. Setting: A tertiary care university hospital. Participants: All consecutive adult patients (n 1⁄4 595) who underwent elective esophageal surgery for cancer between January 2005 and April 2012. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: AKI was defined by the AKI Network criteria based on serum creatinine changes within the first 48 hours after esophageal cancer surgery. The relationship between perioperative variables and AKI was evaluated using multivariate logistic regression. Postoperative AKI developed in 210 (35.3%) patients. Risk factors
Clinical significance of CD155 expression in human pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIM CD155 is expressed in many types of human cells and has diverse functions. We herein evaluated the clinical importance of CD155 in pancreatic cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS We investigated CD155 expression in 134 patients with pancreatic cancer, and evaluated the correlations of CD155 with prognosis, tumor immunity and angiogenesis. Furthermore, CD155 functions were examined. RESULTS CD155 expression was abundant in pancreatic cancer tissues. Patients with high CD155 expression had poorer postoperative prognosis than those with low expression. Multivariate analysis indicated that CD155 expression had a significant independent prognostic value. Tumor CD155 expression inversely correlated with the presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Furthermore, it significantly positively correlated with vascular endothelial growth factor expression and intra tumoral microvessel density. In addition, silencing of CD155 inhibited proliferation, and induced cell-cycle arrest at G2/M phase in pancreatic cancer cells. CONCLUSION CD155 may play a critical role through both immunological and non-immuno logical mechanisms in pancreatic cancer and may be a therapeutic target for this intractable malignancy.
Diagnostic value of sural nerve biopsy in patients with suspected Borrelia neuropathy

Abstract Peripheral neuropathy is a recognized but incompletely understood manifestation of borreliosis. As the pathology of this neuropathy has been described only in small case series, the value of nerve biopsy findings for the pathologic diagnosis of Borrelia‐associated neuropathy is unclear. We collected and investigated 21 patients with peripheral neuropathy and with typical clinical and serologic signs of neuroborreliosis [Borrelia neuropathy (BN)]. Standard histology and immunohistochemistry were performed on sural nerve biopsies using antibodies to CD4, CD68 and membrane attack complex C5b‐9, intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM)‐1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interleukin (IL)‐1, and IL‐6. Nine patients with idiopathic vasculitic neuropathy (VN) and 14 with idiopathic axonal neuropathy (AN) served as disease controls. In BN, the characteristic histology was that of an AN with transmural or perivascular lymphocytic infiltration of nerve vessels. In BN, but less in VN and AN, perineurial thickening and neovascularization were observed. For BN but not for VN, this thickening correlated with increased perineurial immunoreactivity (IR) to TNF‐α, C5b‐9, and ICAM‐1. In comparison to AN, both BN and VN displayed increased perineurial T‐cell infiltration and human leukocyte antigen (HLA)‐DR3‐IR. In the endoneurium, cytokine (IL‐1β, IL‐6, TNF‐α), HLA‐DR3, and ICAM‐1 expression was more pronounced in VN but not in BN. The neuropathy in patients with neuroborreliosis resembles idiopathic VN but shows some distinctive features. None of the findings of this study are disease specific but as a pattern may help support the diagnosis of inflammatory neuropathy in patients with serological evidence for Borrelia infection.
Trading with privacy: the price of personal information

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how users in an anonymous virtual environment react to an offer to trade in access to their social network profile. Design/methodology/approach – The experiment was conducted in Second Life (SL). Participants were offered varied sums of money in exchange for access to their Facebook profile, effectively undermining their anonymity. Findings – Even in an anonymous environment, money plays a role in users’ decisions to disclose their offline identity, but a closer look at the findings reveals that users also use deception to enjoy the benefits of the offer without paying the costs. The results illustrate three types of users according to the strategies they employ: abstainers, traders, and deceivers. Research limitations/implications – The implications to the field of online information disclosure lie at the ability to illustrate and distinguish between the different strategies users choose with regard to online information disclosure, as the study design si.
First isolation of Mycobacterium setense from hospital water

Objective: To present the findings of a study on isolation of four unrelated environmental strains of Mycobacterium setense (M. setense) from hospital environment and help to assess the natural habitat and the mode of transmission in man. Methods: The water samples were collected from hospital departments and cultured on Lowenstein-Jensen and Sauton's media. The isolates, i.e., AW3-2, AW5, AW11 and AW18 were subjected to identification by conventional and molecular tests including sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA. Results: The water isolates revealed the phenotypic and molecular features which were consistent with M. setense including a genus specific amplicon of the hsp65 gene and 99.6% similarities with those of M. setense CIP: 109395T 16S rRNA gene sequences. Conclusions: The current report will contribute to a better understanding of the pathogenesis and path of transmission of this opportunistic pathogen to human.
Heterogeneous Cell Renewal of Pancreas in Mice: [3H]-thymidine Autoradiographic Investigation

Introduction Although cell kinetics of the gastrointestinal mucosa has been extensively examined, that of the pancreas has not been fully analyzed. Aim To determine the renewal rate of pancreatic cells directly. Methodology Postnatal proliferative activity and cellular renewal of the parenchymal cells in ICR mouse pancreas were studied by immunohistochemistry and [3H]thymidine autoradiography. Results In the single labeling experiments, the proliferative activity of the parenchymal cells in pancreas showed peaks at a few days after birth, decreased thereafter, and reached a low level at 2 months after birth. Continuous labeling experiments revealed that, in the adult pancreas, the half lives of acinar cells, islet cells, and duct epithelial cells were approximately 70 days, 47 days, and 40 days, respectively. Moreover, in the exocrine pancreas, acinar cells of the peri-insular region proliferated more actively than those of the tele-insular region. The renewal rate of glucagon cells was more rapid than that of insulin cells or somatostatin cells. Large ducts showed a high rate of cell renewal in comparison with small ducts. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that cell renewal rates of the pancreas are not homogeneous, but heterogeneous.
Relationship of tumour necrosis factor alpha gene polymorphisms and neuropsychiatric lupus

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem disorder which appears to be influenced by genetic make-up. In this study we determine allele frequency and genotype distribution of TNFa polymorphisms in two populations of SLE patients (with and without neuropsychiatric manifestations) in order to determine whether the rare allele (TNF2) confers susceptibility for neuropsychiatric disease in SLE. Patients with SLE were retrospectively reviewed to determine presence (n = 17) or absence (n = 47) of documented neuropsychiatric manifestations attributable to SLE. The DNA from these patients was extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and PCR amplification, NcoI enzyme digestion and 10% polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis were performed to define the different TNFa alleles. Two alleles were demonstrated, TNF1 (wild-type) and TNF2 (rare type), with three possible genotypes, TNF1,1, TNF1,2 and TNF2,2. A frequency of 24% was found for the TNF2 patients with neuropsychiatricinvolvement and was not statistically different to a frequency of 28% found in SLE patients without neuropsychiatric manifestations. The TNF-2 allele does not confer susceptibility for neuropsychiatric manifestations in SLE patients.
Peritoneal carcinomatosis: intra-operative and post-operative assessment of patients undergoing cytoreduction and HIPEC.

BACKGROUND/AIMS The aim of this study is to evaluate the results of intraoperative and postoperative parameters in patients presenting peritoneal carcinomatosis in which we performed cytoreductive surgery (CS) and hyperthermic introperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC). PATIENTS AND METHODS The population included 55 patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis from colorectal origin in 19, gastric in 6, ovarian in 23, sarcomas in 5 and pseudomyxoma peritonei in 2. The peritoneal cancer index (PCI) which directly reflected the volume of the peritoneal disease in our study ranged from 3-29 (median 19,7). The main endpoints were morbidity, mortality, completeness of cytoreduction, survival rates and main intraoperative characteristics. RESULTS The CS was considered as CCo (no residual disease) in 85% of patients. The mean survival in the patients with complete cytoreduction was 19 months versus 9,8 m in patients with incomplete cytoreduction (p < 0.05). The PCI was one of the most important factors concerning the long-term survival. Patients with PCI < 16 had better survival than these with PCI > 16 (11,8 vs 6,4 m p < 0.05). There are many intraoperative and postoperatives parameters with interesting results which predicts the postoperative outcome but not the long-term survival. The mortality rate was 3.6% (2 patients), twenty-two patients (41.5%) presented one or more complications. Actuarial 5 year survival was 52%. CONCLUSION Interactive CS + HIPEC is on effective treatment strategy in PC patients.
DX-9065a, a New Synthetic, Potent Anticoagulant and Selective Inhibitor for Factor Xa

Summary DX-9065a is an orally active newly synthesized and specific inhibitor for factor Xa. We have examined the property of DX-9065a in vitro and ex vivo. DX-9065a prolonged human plasma recalcification time, APTT and PT. Its doubling concentrations for clotting times of each coagulation assay were 0.49, 0.97 and 0.52 μM, respectively. Kinetic study revealed that DX-9065a inhibited competitively human factor Xa (Ki value: 41 μM). Ki values (pM) for other human serine proteases were as follows; thrombin >2000, trypsin 0.62, chymotrypsin >2000, plasmin 23, t-PA 21, plasma kallikrein 2.3 and tissue kallikrein 1000. DX-9065a up to 100 μM had no effects on human platelet aggregation. After intravenous or oral administration, DX-9065a significantly prolonged APTT and PT with a dose dependent manner. These effects were well correlated with anti-Xa activity in plasma. These results suggest that DX-9065a may become an anticoagulant by means of the specific inhibition of factor Xa.
Treatment for femoral pseudoaneurysms.

BACKGROUND Femoral pseudoaneurysms may complicate up to 8% of vascular interventional procedures. Small pseudoaneurysms can spontaneously clot, but sometimes definitive treatment is needed. Surgery has traditionally been considered the 'gold standard' treatment, although it is not without risk in patients with severe cardiovascular disease. Less invasive treatment options such as Duplex ultrasound-guided compression and percutaneous thrombin injection are available, however, evidence of their efficacy is limited. This is an update of a Cochrane review first published in 2006. OBJECTIVES To assess the effects of different treatments for femoral pseudoaneurysms resulting from endovascular procedures, specifically assessing less invasive treatment options such as blind manual or mechanical compression, ultrasound-guided compression, or percutaneous thrombin injection. SEARCH STRATEGY The Cochrane Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group searched their Specialised Register (last searched December 2008) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2008, Issue 4). Additional searches were also made of the bibliographies of papers found through the electronic searches, and by handsearching relevant journals. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing two treatments for femoral pseudoaneurysms following vascular interventional procedures were considered for inclusion in the review. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Four studies were included in the analyses comparing: manual compression versus ultrasound-guided compression; ultrasound-guided application of a mechanical device (FemoStop) versus blind application; and ultrasound-guided compression versus percutaneous thrombin injection (two studies). There were no studies with a surgical intervention arm. Data were extracted independently by both authors. MAIN RESULTS Compression (manual or FemoStop) was effective in achieving pseudoaneurysm thrombosis although ultrasound-guided application failed to confer any benefit (risk ratio (RR) 0.96; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.88 to 1.04). Percutaneous thrombin injection was more effective than a single session of ultrasound-guided compression in achieving primary pseudoaneurysm thrombosis within individual RCTs but merged data failed to show statistical significance (RR 2.81; 95% CI 0.44 to 18.13). There was no statistically significant difference in the length of hospital stay between the two groups and no complications were reported apart from one deep vein thrombosis in the compression group. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS The limited evidence base appears to support the use of thrombin injection as an effective treatment for femoral pseudoaneurysm. A pragmatic approach may be to use compression (blind or ultrasound-guided) as first-line treatment, reserving thrombin injection for those in whom the compression procedure fails.
Diffusion and High Resolution MRI of Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats: Time Course and Correlation with Histology

Although widely employed in studies of cerebral ischemia, the use of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been both limited and primarily confined to the first few hours after injury. Therefore, the present study examined the temporal evolution of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) signal changes from hours to weeks after moderate fluid-percussion TBI in rats. We used isotropic diffusion along three directions and high resolution (HR) spin-echo pulse sequences to visualize DWI and HR MRI changes, respectively. Late changes were compared to histopathological and neurological outcome. A significant decrease (P<0.05) in the apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) below preinjury levels was found in the left cortex and left hippocampus (ipsilateral to injury) at 1-2 h post-TBI. At 2 weeks post-TBI, ADCs were significantly elevated (P<0.05) above preinjury levels in both cortex and hippocampus. Regions of hypo- and hyperintensity detected in HR MRI scans also showed evidence of tissue damage by histological evaluation. Neurological assessment indicated that such changes were observed at a level of injury which produced moderate impairment 2 weeks after the insult. These results indicate that alterations in DWI and HR MRI signals occur both early (hours) and late (weeks) after lateral fluid-percussion injury. Furthermore, the study showed that DWI was sensitive to MR signal change at 1-2 h post TBI (in select ROIs), whereas HR scans showed MR signal change primarily at later time points (3-4 h and later). Moreover, regions which demonstrate late changes are associated with histological damage and neurological impairment. The study demonstrates the utility of MRI to detect early changes, in some cases, that are predictive of long-lasting damage verified histologically.
The ineffectiveness of the ‘window field’ in the initiation of muscle contraction

It is generally believed that the contraction of a muscle fibre is initiated in some way by the propagated electric activity of its surface membrane. The way in which the two processes are coupled is unknown, but it has been suggested that the activation of the contractile substance starts at the fibre surface and rapidly spreads inwards at each point where the action potential wave has passed (see Hill, 1950, pp. 45-7; Sandow, 1952). The possibility has been considered that the longitudinal current or electric field set up inside the fibre during the propagation of an impulse might stimulate the contractile material directly but this has been rejected on the grounds that in the absence of propagation muscles contract only at the points where electric current leaves the fibres and not along the axial field. Recently, Bay, Goodall & Szent-Gy6rgyi (1953; see also Bay & SzentGyorgyi, 1951) have once more put forward the hypothesis that the longitudinal action currents or the propagating longitudinal field are the responsible agent, this time under the name of the 'window field'. They recognize that, in order to maintain this theory, contraction must be shown to occur along the whole length of a muscle fibre when it is placed in a field of sufficient intensity, even in the absence of an action potential. Bay et al. (1953) claim that this occurred in an experiment in which the muscle was treated with novocaine and then subjected to a longitudinal field. In view of the theoretical importance of this observation and its disagreement with earlier statements in the literature, it was desirable to repeat the experiment. It was also felt that more objective evidence was needed on this point than has hitherto been presented. It is difficult to decide by visual inspection alone whether a muscle contracts in one part or along its whole length. The method used here was to label various points of the muscle surface with graphite particles and photograph the displacement of these particles during the experiment.
Placental Growth Factor Provides a Novel Local Angiogenic Therapy for Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

Abstract Background: Heart failure occurs predominantly due to coronary artery disease and may be amenable to novel revascularization therapies. This study evaluated the effects of placental growth factor (PlGF), a potent angiogenic agent, in a rat model of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Methods: Wistar rats underwent high proximal ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery and direct injection of PlGF (n = 10) or saline as a control (n = 10) into the myocardium bordering the ischemic area. After 2 weeks, the following parameters were evaluated: ventricular function with an aortic flow probe and a pressure/volume conductance catheter, left ventricular (LV) geometry by histology, and angiogenesis by immunofluorescence. Results: PlGF animals had increased angiogenesis compared to controls (22.8 ± 3.5 vs. 12.4 ± 3.2 endothelial cells/high‐powered field, p < 0.03). PlGF animals had less ventricular cavity dilation (LV diameter 8.4 ± 0.2 vs. 9.2 ± 0.2 mm, p < 0.03) and increased border zone wall thickness (1.85 ± 0.1 vs. 1.38 ± 0.2 mm, p < 0.03). PlGF animals had improved cardiac function as measured by maximum LV pressure (95.7 ± 4 vs. 73.7 ± 2 mmHg, p = 0.001), maximum dP/dt (4206 ± 362 vs. 2978 ± 236 mmHg/sec, p = 0.007), and ejection fraction (25.7 ± 2 vs. 18.6 ± 1%, p = 0.02). Conclusions: Intramyocardial delivery of PlGF following a large myocardial infarction enhanced border zone angiogenesis, attenuated adverse ventricular remodeling, and preserved cardiac function. This therapy may be useful as an adjunct or alternative to standard revascularization techniques in patients with ischemic heart failure.
Reinforced Control and Operation of DFIG-Based Wind-Power-Generation System Under Unbalanced Grid Voltage Conditions

This paper proposes an enhanced control and operation of a doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) based wind power generation system under unbalanced grid voltage conditions. System behaviors of grid-side and rotor-side converters (GSCs and RSCs) are described. The RSC is controlled to eliminate the electromagnetic torque oscillation at double the grid frequency. Meanwhile, three selective control targets for the GSC, i.e., reducing the pulsations in the total active or reactive power, or unbalanced current outputs from the overall system, are identified and analyzed during voltage imbalance. A new current-control scheme is presented for the GSC and RSC without involving the decomposing of positive and negative sequence currents. The controller consists of a proportional (P) regulator and a resonant (R) one tuned at the grid frequency, which is implemented in the stator stationary reference frame. Finally, simulation studies are carried out on a 1.5-MW wind-turbine-driven DFIG system. The validity of the presented current controller and the feasibility of the proposed control targets are all confirmed by the simulated results.
eIF3i activity is critical for endothelial cells in tumor induced angiogenesis through regulating VEGFR and ERK translation

Translational control is a critical step in the regulation of gene expression. Accumulating evidence shows that translational control of a subgroup of mRNAs tends to be selective. However, our understanding of the function of selective translational control in endothelial cells is still incomplete. We found that a key translational regulator, eIF3i, is highly expressed in endothelial cells during embryonic and tumor angiogenesis. Knockdown of eIF3i restrained cell proliferation and migration in endothelial cells. In zebrafish angiogenesis model, eIF3i mutant endothelial cells could not respond to induction signals from tumor mass. Mechanistically, we showed that eIF3i knockdown reduced VEGFR/ERK signaling by down-regulating VEGFR2 and ERK protein expression. Gene therapy model suggested that the growth and metastasis of cancer cells were suppressed by eIF3i shRNA. Therefore, our work established a selective translational regulatory mechanism during tumor induced angiogenesis and suggested that targeting eIF3i may be applicable for anticancer therapy.