Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epithelial progenitor cell lines as models of normal breast morphogenesis and neoplasia

Abstract. The majority of human breast carcinomas exhibit luminal characteristics and as such, are most probably derived from progenitor cells within the luminal epithelial compartment. This has been subdivided recently into at least three luminal subtypes based on gene expression patterns. The value of knowing the cellular origin of individual tumours is clear and should aid in designing effective therapies. To do this, however, we need strategies aimed at defining the nature of stem and progenitor cell populations in the normal breast. In this review, we will discuss our technical approach for delineating the origin of the epithelial cell types. A major step forward was the purification of each cell type by the application of immunomagnetic cell sorting based on expression of lineage‐specific surface antigens. We then developed chemically defined media that could support either the luminal epithelial or the myoepithelial cell phenotype in primary cultures. Having succeeded in continuous propagation presumably without loss of markers, we could show that a subset of the luminal epithelial cells could convert to myoepithelial cells, signifying the possible existence of a progenitor cell population. By combining the information on marker expression and in situ localization with immunomagnetic sorting and subsequent immortalization, we have identifed and isolated a cytokeratin 19‐positive suprabasal putative precursor cell in the luminal epithelial compartment and established representative cell lines. This suprabasal‐derived epithelial cell line is able to generate both itself and differentiated luminal epithelial and myoepithelial cells, and in addition, is able to form elaborate terminal duct lobular unit (TDLU)‐like structures within a reconstituted basement membrane. As more than 90% of breast cancers arise in TDLUs and more than 90% are also cytokeratin 19‐positive, we suggest that this cell population contains a breast‐cancer progenitor.
Antibacterial activity of aqueous infusion and decoction of dried leaves of oregano (Origanum vulgare) on clinical bacterial isolates

Introduction: Oregano (Origanum vulgare) is a common culinary herb that is known to inhibit the growth of several bacterial strains. Aim: To assess the antibacterial effect of crude aqueous infusion and decoction of dried leaves of Origanum vulgare against common clinical isolates. Materials and Method: Crude extracts of Oregano with a standard concentration of 0.2 g/ml, were tested for their antibacterial activity against 10 isolates each of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi, isolated from various clinical samples, by agar well diffusion assay. The standardised antibiotics (Hi Media, India) used for comparing sensitivity pattern were ciprofloxacin (5 μg/disc) for all strains except P. aeruginosa for which gentamicin (15 μg/disc) was used. Results: In the present study, both the aqueous infusion and decoction showed inhibitory potential against 3 out of the 5 organisms tested. Highest activity was noted against Staphylococcus aureus with 8 out of 10 isolates tested being sensitive with wide range of zone of inhibition between 10-19 mm, followed by Escherichia coli, 6 out of 10 sensitive with a zone of 12-16 mm. 3 out of 10 isolates of K. pneumoniae were sensitive with a zone of 7-10 mm. Both infusion and decoction did not show any activity against Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Conclusion: The data presented confirm the antibacterial potential and highlight the promising role of oregano as new lead structure in the search for novel antibacterial agents. Therefore, further experiment involving a larger sample size and extract concentrations is worthy of evaluation. Keywords: Origanum vulgare, Antibacterial activity, Crude extracts, Clinical bacterial isolates
Local vessel injury following percutaneous coronary intervention does not promote early mobilisation of endothelial progenitor cells in the absence of myocardial necrosis

Background/objectives: Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) are circulating mononuclear cells that are released from the bone marrow in response to injury and participate in vascular repair. Some previous studies have suggested an early mobilisation of EPCs following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) that could modulate the subsequent risk of restenosis or stent thrombosis. However, those studies did not discriminate between vascular injury caused by PCI and any associated myocardial injury. Myocardial injury alone can influence EPC mobilisation in a non-specific manner, and could therefore confound any association with risk. We investigated the effect of local endothelial trauma following PCI on EPC mobilisation in the absence of myocyte necrosis. Design: We quantified circulating EPCs from 20 patients immediately before, 6 hours and 24 hours following elective PCI in patients without a 24-hour troponin rise. Absolute counts of EPCs expressing combinations of CD45, CD34, CD133 and kinase domain receptor (KDR) were recorded using flow cytometry. Results: There was a fall of 7–15% in EPC numbers between baseline and 6 hours post procedure and a subsequent rise (5–18%) from 6 hours to 24 hours. At 24 hours EPC levels were similar to baseline. Conclusions: The specific localised vascular injury induced by PCI did not lead to early mobilisation of EPCs. However, the fall in EPCs 6 hours after PCI was significant and its relation to early post-PCI complications such as stent thrombosis requires further exploration.
Diisopropylammonium methanesulfonate

The title molecular salt, C6H16N+·CH3SO3 −, has been determined at 150 K. Two diisopropylammonium cations (dipH) and two anions form N—H⋯O hydrogen-bonded cyclic dimers lying around centers of symmetry. Only two of the three O atoms of the methanesulfonate anion are involved in hydrogen bonding, resulting in slightly longer S—O bond lengths. The title structure represents an example of a sulfonate anion that is part of a hydrogen-bonding R 4 4(12) graph-set motif, which is well known for related dipH acetates. Additionally, the Raman and the IR spectroscopic data for the title compound are presented.
Intraepithelial macrophage infiltration is related to a high number of regulatory T cells and promotes a progressive course of HPV‐induced vulvar neoplasia

Human papilloma virus (HPV)‐induced usual‐type vulvar intraepithelial neoplasia (uVIN) is infiltrated by myeloid cells but the type and role of these cells is unclear. We used triple immunofluorescent confocal microscopy to locate, identify and quantify myeloid cells based on their staining pattern for CD14, CD33 and CD163 in a cohort of 43 primary and 20 recurrent uVIN lesions, 21 carcinomas and 26 normal vulvar tissues. The progressive course of uVIN is characterized by an increase in both intraepithelial and stromal mature M1 and M2 macrophages. While the M2 macrophages outnumber M1 macrophages in healthy controls and uVIN, they are matched in number by M1 macrophages in cancer. Importantly, uVIN patients with a dense intraepithelial infiltration with mature CD14+ macrophages (irrespective of M1 or M2 type) displayed approximately a six times higher risk to develop a recurrence and a high number of these cells constituted an independent prognostic factor for recurrence. In addition, a dense intraepithelial CD14+ cell infiltration was associated with high numbers of intraepithelial CD4+ Tregs and low numbers of stromal CD8+TIM3+ T cells. Patients with low numbers of intraepithelial CD14+ cells and high numbers of stromal CD8+TIM3+ cells showed the best recurrence‐free survival. These data clearly show the importance of the local immune response in HPV‐induced vulvar neoplasia and may be of help in predicting the prognosis of patients or their response to immunotherapy.
A Study of Ninth-Grade Transition Practices across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Concerns over the academic success of first-time ninth-grade students transitioning into the high school setting continue to stimulate substantial interest in identifying the various factors that cause the ninth-grade bottleneck. Extensive research shows that when ninth-grade students transition into the high school setting, students have a difficult time navigating the more academically rigorous, less nurturing, usually larger and anonymous high school setting. Studies have shown that transition practices to help ninth-grade students are successful in making this transition smoother and more successful for incoming freshmen, thereby leading to more credits and a stronger chance for students to earn a diploma. This dissertation is a replication of a previous Virginia Tech study completed by Henry Johnson titled High School Transition Practices for Ninth Graders: A Descriptive Study of Maryland Public High Schools, but it focuses on public schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The primary data collection method was a survey that was sent to all Virginia principals. First, results from the survey were analyzed to develop a description of the various transition practices existing in Virginia’s public high schools in relation to school size, demographics, and community type. Second, the survey data were analyzed to determine the various perceptions of school officials concerning the effectiveness of reported transition practices. The data provide a description of the transition practices in Virginia’s public schools. Results from this study give administrators and policymakers an idea of what type of transition practices exist in the
Towards a unified customer experience in online shopping environments

Purpose – New developments in e-commerce and m-commerce technologies along with the wide adoption of mobile devices and social media have enabled companies to enhance customers’ shopping experiences and their interaction with brands anytime, anywhere. The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical model for a unified online customer experience by drawing from related literature on consumer behavior in the online contexts. Design/methodology/approach – By synthesizing extant consumer behavior and e-commerce literature, this paper seeks further understanding of online customer experience and offers strategies for e-commerce marketers and Web site designers. Findings – The findings of this paper indicate that easiness to locate the Web site/app, ease of use, perceived usefulness, hedonic and utilitarian features, perceived enjoyment, personalization, social interactions and multi-device compatibility are the antecedents of the unified online customer experience. Brand engagement, positive word of mout.
Effect of High Glucose on Type IV Collagen Production by Cultured Glomerular Epithelial, Endothelial, and Mesangial Cells

Immunochemical and metabolic radiolabeling procedures revealed that homogeneous cultures of calf glomerular epithelial, endothelial, and mesangial cells actively synthesize type IV collagen (primarily as α1(Iv)3) which is secreted into the medium and incorporated into the extracellular matrix. Exposure of confluent cultures of the three cell types to a high glucose concentration (30 mM) for 60 h resulted in a pronounced increase (two- to threefold) in type IV collagen production over that observed at a physiological level (5 mM) of this sugar, as determined by either immunoblotting or fluorography of electrophoretically separated media or cell-matrix components. The elevated glucose did not bring about a change in the rate of cell proliferation or fibronectin production. Moreover, studies with mannitol indicated that the stimulation of type IV collagen synthesis was not a function of hyperosmolarity. In contrast to the glomerular cells, glucose-induced enhancement of formation of this collagen was not observed in 3T3 cells despite a substantial acceleration in the consumption of this sugar. Time studies indicated that the response of the glomerular cells to high glucose occurs over an extended period (maximal at ∼78 h) and, furthermore, that the stimulatory effect on type IV collagen production is only slowly reversed after restoration of the glucose to a normal level. We believe that these findings are relevant to an understanding of the sequence of events that lead to the development of diabetic glomerular lesions.
Expansion of Services Output Share: Traditional Factors or Policy Changes?

Abstract This paper seeks to find whether the shift in the production structure away from agriculture to services is only the result of the change in income status or the changing economic relations among countries has any important role to play here. It tries to find out the factors responsible for the huge expansion of the services output in recent times (1971–2009) considering three different samples (a) a group of developed and developing countries, (b) a group of developing countries, in particular and also (c) the case of India. The paper finds that along with the variables representing changing income status and technological development, policy changes related to globalization and liberalisation are also important but these policy variables can not explain the shift in the output share of the service sector in the 1990s.
Genetic consequences of Pleistocene range shifts: contrast between the Arctic, the Alps and the East African mountains

In wide‐ranging species, the genetic consequences of range shifts in response to climate change during the Pleistocene can be predicted to differ among different parts of the distribution area. We used amplified fragment length polymorphism data to compare the genetic structure of Arabis alpina, a widespread arctic‐alpine and afro‐alpine plant, in three distinct parts of its range: the North Atlantic region, which was recolonized after the last ice age, the European Alps, where range shifts were probably primarily altitudinal, and the high mountains of East Africa, where the contemporary mountain top populations result from range contraction. Genetic structure was inferred using clustering analyses and estimates of genetic diversity within and between populations. There was virtually no diversity in the vast North Atlantic region, which was probably recolonized from a single refugial population, possibly located between the Alps and the northern ice sheets. In the European mountains, genetic diversity was high and distinct genetic groups had a patchy and sometimes disjunct distribution. In the African mountains, genetic diversity was high, clearly structured and partially in accordance with a previous chloroplast phylogeography. The fragmented structure in the European and African mountains indicated that A. alpina disperses little among established populations. Occasional long‐distance dispersal events were, however, suggested in all regions. The lack of genetic diversity in the north may be explained by leading‐edge colonization by this pioneer plant in glacier forelands, closely following the retracting glaciers. Overall, the genetic structure observed corresponded to the expectations based on the environmental history of the different regions.
Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase antisense oligodeoxynucleotides protect against cytosine arabinonucleoside-induced apoptosis in cultured cerebellar neurons.

Cytosine arabinonucleoside (AraC) is a pyrimidine antimetabolite that kills proliferating cells by inhibiting DNA synthesis and, importantly, is also an inducer of apoptosis. We recently reported that age-induced apoptotic cell death of cultured cerebellar neurons is directly associated with an over-expression of a particulate 38-kDa protein, identified by us as glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH; EC 1.2.1.12). We now show that the AraC-induced neuronal death of immature cerebellar granule cells in culture is effectively delayed by actinomycin-D, cycloheximide, or aurintricarboxylic acid (a DNase inhibitor). Furthermore, two GAPDH antisense, but not their corresponding sense, oligodeoxyribonucleotides markedly arrested AraC-induced apoptosis. This protection was more effective than that induced by the above-mentioned classical inhibitors of apoptosis. Prior to AraC-induced neuronal death, GAPDH mRNA levels increased by approximately 2.5-fold, and this mRNA accumulation was blocked by actinomycin-D and the GAPDH antisense (but not sense) oligonucleotide. Like actinomycin-D, a GAPDH antisense oligonucleotide also suppressed the AraC-induced over-expression of the 38-kDa particulate protein (i.e., GAPDH), while the corresponding sense oligonucleotide was totally ineffective. Thus, the present results show that GAPDH over-expression is involved in AraC-induced apoptosis of cultured cerebellar granule cells.
Natural history of proximal deep vein thrombosis assessed by duplex ultrasound.

BACKGROUND The late sequelae of an acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) are difficult to predict. There are many retrospective studies which suggest that the post-phlebitic syndrome is associated with the development of valvular incompetence but these have lead to little understanding of the changes involved in the venous system following an acute thrombotic event. Duplex ultrasound imaging is an useful method to study changes in the venous system because it can locate a thrombus, assess the changes which occur over time and monitor the development of recanalization and reflux of blood flow. METHODS In this study, 50 patients were followed by serial duplex ultrasound examination to determine if a more accurate prediction of patients at risk could be found. Rapid thrombolysis and extent of the thrombosis are both factors which influence the return of the vein to normal function. RESULTS Complete thrombolysis within a short period of time occurred in 24% of patients resulting in preserved valvular function. After one year there were 34% with early post-phlebitic symptoms. All of these patients had veins which recanalized slowly and developed valvular incompetence with reflux. Veins remained occluded in 14% of patients and of these 8% had competent collateral channels. This appeared to be a better outcome because none of these patients had developed symptoms after one year. Recurrent DVT's occurred in 8% within the year. Of these, 4% presented with symptoms and 4% were without symptoms but thrombus was found by ultrasound examination. CONCLUSIONS Serial duplex examination leads to better understanding of the natural history of an acute DVT. This may have clinical implications and lead to better management of acute DVT thereby reducing the long term risks of the post phlebitic limb.
Altered effective connectivity in drug free schizophrenic patients

The present fMRI study aimed to investigate effective connectivity within a cortical-subcortical-cerebellar information processing network in drug free schizophrenic patients while performing a 2-back working memory task. The finding of enhanced thalamo-cortical and cortico-cortical intrahemispheric connectivity could be interpreted as a compensatory increase of neuronal connection strength consistent with a model of cortical inefficiency in schizophrenic patients. Additionally, the result could be integrated into a model of deficient thalamo-cortical filter functions. Conversely, lower interhemispheric connectivity of the frontal and parietal association cortex appears to be the functional correlate of reduced cognitive performance in schizophrenic patients. The study demonstrated the feasibility to model information processing within cognitive networks and provided additional evidence for the concept of cognitive dysmetria in schizophrenia.
Synaptologic and fine structural features distinguishing a subset of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons embedded in the dense intrinsic fiber network of the caudal extended amygdala

Cholinergic basal forebrain neurons confined within the intrinsic connections of the extended amygdala in the caudal sublenticular region and anterior amygdaloid area (cSLR/AAA) differ from other basal forebrain cholinergic neurons in several morphological and neurochemical respects. These cSLR/AAA cholinergic neurons have been subjected to additional investigations described in this report. First, fibers traced anterogradely following injections of Phaseolus vulgaris‐leucoagglutinin in the central amygdaloid nucleus were shown to contact cSLR/AAA cholinergic neurons and dendrites. Second, these neurons were shown to be contacted by numerous GABAergic boutons with symmetric synaptic specializations. Third, the numbers of synaptic densities of morphologically characterized symmetric contacts on the somata and proximal dendrites of cSLR/AAA cholinergic neurons were shown to significantly exceed those of extra‐cSLR/AAA cholinergic neurons. Fourth, fine structural features distinguishing cSLR/AAA cholinergic neurons from other basal forebrain cholinergic neurons were revealed. Specifically, cSLR/AAA cholinergic neurons have less abundant cytoplasm and a less well‐organized system of rough endoplasmic reticulum than their counterparts in other parts of the basal forebrain. Thus, morphologically and neurochemically distinct cSLR/AAA cholinergic neurons exhibit robust proximal inhibitory inputs, of which a significant number originate in the extended amygdala, while cholinergic neurons outside this region lack a substrate for strong proximal inhibitory input. The implications of these findings for interaction of fear, anxiety, and attention are considered. J. Comp. Neurol. 498:93–111, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The long-term risk of malignant astrocytic tumors after structural brain injury--a nationwide cohort study.

BACKGROUND Neoplastic transformation of damaged astrocytes has been proposed as a possible pathological mechanism behind malignant astrocytic tumors. This study investigated the association between structural brain injuries causing reactive astrogliosis and long-term risk for malignant astrocytic tumors. METHODS The cohort consisted of all individuals living in Denmark between 1978 and 2011. The personal identification number assigned to all individuals allowed retrieval of diagnoses of traumatic brain injury, cerebral ischemic infarction, and intracerebral hemorrhage from the National Patient Discharge Register. Diagnoses of anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme (World Health Organization grades III and IV) were retrieved from the Danish Cancer Registry. Rate ratios (RR's) were estimated using log-linear Poisson regression. RESULTS In a cohort of 8.2 million individuals, 404 812 experienced a structural brain injury and 6152 developed a malignant astrocytic tumor. No significant association was observed 1-4 years after a structural brain injury (RR = 1.14; 95% CI: 0.87-1.46), whereas the long-term (5+ y) risk for malignant astrocytic tumors was significantly reduced (RR = 0.68; 95% CI: 0.49-0.90) compared with no injury. The specific long-term risks by type of injury were: traumatic brain injury RR = 0.32 (95% CI: 0.10-0.75); cerebral ischemic infarction RR = 0.69 (95% CI: 0.47-0.96); and intracerebral hemorrhage RR = 1.39 (95% CI: 0.64-2.60). CONCLUSION We found no evidence for an association between structural brain injury and malignant astrocytic tumors within the first 5 years of follow-up. However, our study indicated a protective effect of astrogliosis-causing injuries 5 or more years after structural brain injury.