Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structure‐activity studies of the s‐echistatin inhibition of bone resorption

Synthetic Arg‐Gly‐Asp (RGD)‐containing peptides were examined in bone resorption or attachment and detachment assays with isolated mammalian osteoclasts in an effort to elucidate the mechanistic and structural basis for the inhibition of bone resorption by s‐echistatin. Bone resorption was the process most sensitive to inhibition by s‐echistatin, with IC50 = 0.3 nM; inhibition of attachment to bone or detachment (lamellipodial retraction) was 30‐ to 70‐fold less sensitive, with IC50 = 10 or 20 nM, respectively. Single amino acid substitutions within the 49‐residue sequence of s‐echistatin showed that although the efficacy of s‐echistatin is dependent on the Arg24‐Gly25‐Asp26 sequence, additional residues, including Asp27, Met28, and Cys39, are also critical for potent inhibition of the resorbing activity of isolated rat osteoclasts. Because of the identification of the avβ3 as the primary integrin on rat osteoclasts interacting the RGD peptides (Helfrich et al.), we examined the possibility of modeling bone resorption with other β3‐mediated processes. Specifically, avβ3 endothelial cell (human or rat) attachment to vitronectin and aIIbβ3 platelet aggregation were compared with bone resorption for sensitivity to s‐echistatin analogs, linear RGD peptides, and cyclic RGD peptides. Essentially no similarity in sensitivity to RGD peptides were observed between bone resorption, platelet aggregation, or endothelial cell attachment. Because rat osteoclasts and human giant cell tumors (osteoclastomas) shared similar sensitivity to s‐echistatin and rat and human endothelial cells showed a similar sensitivity profile to RGD peptides, the dissimilarity of bone resorption to other β3‐mediated processes cannot be explained in terms of species differences. These data show that the osteoclast avβ3 integrin is functionally distinct, despite epitopic similarity to the vitronectin receptor on other cells. Laser scanning confocal and scanning electron micrographs of rat osteoclasts on bone supported the hypothesis that resorption differs from the processes of attachment or detachment from substrates and suggest that inhibition of a minority of integrin‐bone interactions by s‐echistatin is sufficient to inhibit bone resorption. s‐Echistatin was also found to inhibit bone resorption in an organ culture system of neonatal mouse calvariae with IC50 = 1 μM. Taken together, these data show that although it may be possible to target the osteoclast avβ3 integrin for the development of pharmaceuticals, s‐echistatin itself is not useful in this capacity.
The quality of family planning services in the United States: findings from a literature review.

CONTEXT Family planning services are frequently used and important services for American women, yet little is known about their quality. Service quality has important implications for women's reproductive health. If women do not receive adequate information and tools, and learn appropriate skills, from their providers, they may be hampered in their efforts to control their fertility. METHODS A variety of strategies, including database, journal and Internet searches, were used to identify published and unpublished U.S. studies on family planning service quality that came out between 1985 and 2005. Studies were categorized by their focus, and key points of their methodologies and findings were assessed. RESULTS Twenty-nine studies were identified, most of which were based on client surveys. Most conceptualized quality as a multidimensional construct, but a uniform definition of quality is lacking, and the domains studied have not been consistent. The available studies focus on four areas: assessments of quality, its correlates, its consequences for client behavior and attitudes, and clients' values and preferences regarding services. Relations between clients and service facility staff have typically been rated favorably, but communication, patient-centeredness and efficiency have been rated more poorly. Service quality varies by characteristics of the facility, provider, client and visit. Research on the consequences of service quality for clients' contraceptive behavior or risk of unintended pregnancy has been very limited and yielded mixed results. CONCLUSIONS Studies that assess service quality need stronger designs and greater consistency in measures used so that results are comparable.
Clinical Outcome Results of Pedicle Subtraction Osteotomy in Ankylosing Spondylitis With Kyphotic Deformity

Study Design. A prospective study was performed in 45 patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Objectives. To assess the outcomes of decancellation pedicle subtraction extension osteotomy in ankylosing spondylitis patients with severe fixed kyphotic deformity. Summary of Background Data. There have been several studies regarding correction of kyphotic deformity in ankylosing spondylitis. However, most of them concern surgical technique. There have been no reports concerning clinical results of decancellation pedicle subtraction osteotomy in ankylosing spondylitis. Methods. The kyphotic deformity was corrected by a one-stage pedicle subtraction extension osteotomy. Radiographic assessment for sagittal balance was performed by measuring thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, distance between the vertical line on anterosuperior point of T1 and that of S1, and sacral inclination. Chin brow–vertical angle was measured on the preoperative and postoperative clinical photograph of patients. Clinical outcomes were assessed by questionnaire measuring changes in physical function, indoor activity, outdoor activity, psychosocial activity, pain, and patient satisfaction with surgery. Results. Final follow-up radiograph showed an increase in lumbar lordosis from 10° to 44° (an increase of 34°), whereas thoracic kyphosis remained stable from 50° to 54°. Sagittal imbalance significantly improved from 94 to 8 mm, whereas sacral inclination increased from 8° to 24°. The chin brow–vertical angle was 32.0° before surgery and 0.9° after surgery. Satisfactory clinical outcome was achieved; however, clinical improvements did not correlate with changes in radiologic measurements. Conclusions. Most of the patients maintained good correction and had good clinical results. Based on the results of this study, pedicle subtraction extension osteotomy is effective for correction of kyphotic deformity in ankylosing spondylitis.
The abattoir condemnation of meat because of parasitic infection, and its economic importance: results of a retrospective study in north–eastern Iran

Abstract In nine districts in the north of Khorasan province, in north–eastern Iran, a 5-year retrospective study was carried out to determine the prevalences, in livestock slaughtered in abattoirs, of the parasitic infections responsible for the condemnation of the animals' carcasses and viscera (and the economic importance of such infections in terms of lost meat and offal). Between 20 March 2005 and 19 March 2010, 436,620 animals (45,360 cattle, 275,439 sheep, 115,674 goats and 147 camels) were slaughtered in the study area and the livers of 30,207 (6.9%), the lungs of 23,259 (5.3%) and the carcasses of 1072 (0.2%) of these animals were condemned. Almost all (92.4%) of the condemned livers, most (68.9%) of the condemned lungs but only 10.8% of the condemned carcasses were rejected because of parasitic infection. The parasitic lesions observed in the condemned livers were attributed to Echinococcus granulosus, Fasciola hepatica and/or Dicrocoelium dendriticum (cattle, sheep and goats) or entirely to E. granulosus (camels). All the parasitic lesions observed in the condemned lungs (which also came from cattle, sheep, goats and camels) were attributed to E. granulosus. Sarcocystis cysts and/or Taenia cysticerci were found in ovine muscle while only Taenia cysticerci were detected in bovine muscle (no parasitic lesions were observed in the muscles of the goats and camels). Parasites were responsible for 80.8% of the condemned organs or carcasses, and the value of the food lost because of parasite-related condemnation (based on market prices in 2010) was estimated to be U.S.$421,826 (U.S.$47,980 for cattle, U.S.$316,344.0 for sheep, U.S.$57,372 for goats and U.S.$130 for camels). The parasites contributing most to the condemnation of otherwise marketable organs and muscles were E. granulosus (52.2%) and D. dendriticum flukes (29.5%). These parasites clearly remain too common and cause considerable economic loss in Khorasan and, presumably, other areas of Iran.
The effect of ICTs on academic achievement: the Conectar Igualdad programme in Argentina

The objective of this paper is to determine the “premium,” in terms of academic achievement, that accrues to student beneficiaries of the Conectar Igualdad programme with respect to students not participating in the programme. For this purpose, the propensity score matching (PSM) method is used. The programme is described, as is the theoretical framework used to define the explanatory factors of academic achievement, which may affect the likelihood of participation in the programme. The target population are 15-year-old students in Argentina. The study draws on data from the 2012 round of Programme for the International Student Assessment (PISA) tests. The findings indicate that there are statistically significant differences in average academic achievement associated with participation in the Conectar Igualdad programme.
Methanotroph‐derived bacteriohopanepolyol signatures as a function of temperature related growth, survival, cell death and preservation in the geological record

Interpretation of bacteriohopanepolyol (BHP) biomarkers tracing microbiological processes in modern and ancient sediments relies on understanding environmental controls of production and preservation. BHPs from methanotrophs (35-aminoBHPs) were studied in methane-amended aerobic river-sediment incubations at different temperatures. It was found that: (i) With increasing temperature (4°C-40°C) a 10-fold increase in aminopentol (associated with Crenothrix and Methylobacter spp. growth) occurred with only marginal increases in aminotriol and aminotetrol; (ii) A further increase in temperature (50°C) saw selection for the thermophile Methylocaldum and mixtures of aminopentol and C-3 methylated aminopentol, again, with no increase in aminotriol and aminotetrol. (iii) At 30°C, more aminopentol and an aminopentol isomer and unsaturated aminopentol were produced after methanotroph growth and the onset of substrate starvation/oxygen depletion. (iv) At 50°C, aminopentol and C-3 methylated aminopentol, only accumulated during growth but were clearly resistant to remineralization despite cell death. These results have profound implications for the interpretation of aminoBHP distributions and abundances in modern and past environments. For instance, a temperature regulation of aminopentol production but not aminotetrol or aminotriol is consistent with and, corroborative of, observed aminopentol sensitivity to climate warming recorded in a stratigraphic sequence deposited during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM).
Resource partitioning in tolerant and intolerant macaques

The clumped distribution of food resources promotes food defensibility and can lead to the monopolizing of resources by high-ranking individuals. However, the balance of power is set at different levels according to societies, meaning that resource partitioning should vary between them. This study investigates whether dominance asymmetry and resource partitioning are related in non-human primates by comparing two species with contrasting social styles, namely rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) which display strong social intolerance and a steep gradient of dominance, and Tonkean macaques (Macaca tonkeana), which exhibit higher levels of tolerance and more balanced dominance relationships. Study groups were kept in semi-free ranging conditions. Animals were provided with fruit in three different clumped conditions during 30-min trials. We found that higher-ranking rhesus macaques had priority for the access to fruit: these individuals spent longer in the feeding area in the first 10-min period of trials, while lower-ranking individuals had diminished access to fruit under the most clumped condition; this was associated with sustained agonistic interactions. Dominance effects were weaker in Tonkean macaques. They exhibited co-feeding between high- and low-ranking individuals in the first period; there was no significant effect of dominance even in the most clumped condition; and frequencies of agonistic interactions remained moderate relative to the number of individuals present in the feeding area. These results show that food resources were more equitably distributed among group members in tolerant macaques than in their intolerant counterparts. Dominance gradient and social tolerance may be considered as two aspects of the same phenomenon.
Foreign Country-Specific Experience And Ownership Level: Moderating Effect Of Host Country’s Government Corruption

According to internalization theory, corporate international expansion occurs as a series of incremental commitment processes, such as an increased level of ownership. In addition, it is well known that host country-specific experience facilitates the increased ownership level. However, the existing empirical studies show the mixed results about the relationship between host country-specific experience and ownership level: positive, negative, and non-significant. To elucidate these mixed results, this study carefully explores how host country’s government corruption moderates the relationship, given that institutional environments influence standard economic activities within a specific economy. This study found that host country-specific experience has a positive effect on the ownership level in their foreign subsidiaries but the positive relationship was moderated by the negative effect of host countries’ government corruption. Accordingly, this study carefully qualifies the direct relationship between country-specific experience and ownership strategy, suggesting that an institutional contingency perspective needs to be considered to understand corporate international expansion strategies by the increased ownership level.
European Society for Medical Oncology 2006: meeting highlights on targeted therapies

Considerable advances in our understanding of the complex cellular, molecular and genetic mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis over the last decade have contributed to the development of novel and improved targeted therapies in cancer intervention. These novel therapies interfere specifically with signaling pathways essential for tumor cell proliferation, survival and migration, they may be able to inhibit tumor growth and metastasis effectively, with fewer severe adverse events than seen with existing chemotherapeutic interventions, which have a narrow therapeutic index and are associated with severe toxic side effects. Among the most recent advances in anticancer treatments are therapies that target novel cellular entities, such as epidermal growth factor receptor and vascular endothelial growth factor. Monoclonal antibodies and protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors represent two classes among these promising new therapeutic interventions. During the European Society for Medical Oncology Congress 2006 (Istanbul, Turkey, 29 September – 3 October) new and emerging biological therapies have represented a central argument of research. These highlights summarize the most interesting studies concerning molecular agents, such as panitumumab, lapatinib, sunitinib, sorafenib, erlotinib, bevacizumab and cetuximab, to provide a comprehensive overview of the important points and news about this area of research discussed during the meeting.
Examination of fatigue development in elite soccer in a hot environment: a multi‐experimental approach

The study examines fatigue in elite soccer played in hot conditions. High‐profile soccer players (n=20) were studied during match play at ∼31 °C. Repeated sprint and jump performances were assessed in rested state and after a game and activity profile was examined. Additionally, heart rate (HR), blood lactate, muscle temperature and body mass changes were determined. Repeated sprint and jump performances were reduced (P<0.05) by 2.6% and 8.2%, respectively, after the game. The fatigue index in the repeated sprint test was 6.0±0.7% after the game compared with 1.7±1.0% at rest (P<0.05). High‐intensity running was 57±4% lower (P<0.05) during the last 15‐min interval of the game compared with the first 15‐min period. No differences were observed in mean HR or blood lactates between halves. Muscle temperature was 40.5±0.4 °C after the first half, which was 0.8±0.2 °C higher (P<0.05) than after the second half. Net fluid loss during the game was >2% of the body mass. Correlations were observed between net‐fluid loss and repeated sprint test fatigue index after the game (r=0.73, P<0.05) and Yo‐Yo intermittent recovery, level 1 test performance and high‐intensity running during the final 15 min of the game (r=0.51, P<0.05). The study provides direct evidence of compromised repeated sprint and jump performances induced by soccer match play and pronounced reduction in high‐intensity running toward the end of an elite game played in a hot environment. This fatigue could be associated training status and hyperthermia/dehydration.
'Brexit': A Case Study in the Relationship between Political and Financial Market Uncertainty

This letter explores a single research question: How does political uncertainty, outside of the election cycle, influence financial market uncertainty? Using the UK (‘Brexit’) referendum on EU membership as a novel event to examine this question, I identify a positive and well defined relationship between political and financial market uncertainty. Implied volatility on both UK and German financial markets rises as uncertainty around the polling result increases. Political uncertainty is most important for investors as the polling date draws near and in the instances when opinion polls indicate the outcome is particularly close. This result has implications for firms making financing and investment decisions, and investors making portfolio choices, around the time of important political events.
AN2/NG2 protein‐expressing glial progenitor cells in the murine CNS: Isolation, differentiation, and association with radial glia

During early neural development, the lineage specification of initially pluripotent progenitor cells is associated with proliferation, differentiation, and migration. Oligodendroglial progenitor cells migrate from their sites of origin to reach the axons that they will myelinate. We have described a cell‐surface protein, AN2, expressed by oligodendroglial progenitor cells in vitro and showed that antibodies against AN2 inhibited the migration of cultured primary oligodendroglial progenitor cells, suggesting that the AN2 antigen plays a role in their migration. Recently, results from MALDI mass spectroscopy showed that AN2 is the mouse homologue of the rat NG2 protein. In this study, we have analyzed cells staining with AN2 antibodies during development and in the adult murine central nervous system (CNS), carried out double stainings with antibodies against NG2, and investigated the differentiation potential of cells in vitro after isolation from early postnatal brain using AN2 antibodies. AN2 and NG2 antibodies stained totally overlapping populations of cells in the CNS. AN2/NG2 expressing cells in embryonic and postnatal brain expressed the PDGF‐α‐receptor and in postnatal brain exhibited electrophysiological properties typical of glial progenitor cells. Cells isolated from early postnatal brain using AN2 monoclonal antibody developed into oligodendrocytes in low serum medium or into astrocytes in the presence of fetal calf serum. In the embryonic spinal cord, cells staining with AN2 antibodies were found closely apposed to radial glial cells, suggesting that glial precursors, like neurons, may use radial glia as scaffolds for migration. GLIA 34:213–228, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Analysis of crisis impact on crude oil prices: a new approach with interval time series modelling

This paper proposes two types of dummy variables for an interval regression model to assess the impact of economic shocks/crises on an interval time series (ITS), e.g. daily intervals of energy prices. We present different economic interpretations of the two types of dummy variables for an interval regression model. Particularly, we discuss how they measure the direction and magnitudes of the change of an ITS caused by an economic crisis, and develop the corresponding hypothesis tests. A main advantage of the proposed ITS modelling approach over traditional point-based methods is that it can assess the change in both the trend and volatility of an asset price process simultaneously. This is due to the informational gain of an ITS sample over a point-valued sample, e.g. closing prices, since an interval observation contains both the trend and variation information of a price process in a given period. Using the proposed interval framework, we focus on the impact of the subprime mortgage crisis in the commodity market as a case study based on the ITS of monthly crude oil future price data. Empirical results suggest a strong evidence that the subprime crisis has lowered the level/trend and increased the volatility of crude oil prices. We also show that the trend of crude oil future prices moves towards an equilibrium state driven by the variation of the price process in last period, and the speculation index, as a proxy of crude oil market liquidity, is significant in explaining the dynamics of crude oil prices. Both findings provide quantitative evidence for theoretical results in the previous literature.
Sporadic breast cancers exhibit loss of heterozygosity on chromosome segment 10q23 close to the Cowden disease locus

Cowden disease, a dominantly inherited syndrome characterized by a variety of proliferative lesions and predisposition to breast and thyroid cancer, has recently been linked to the polymorphic marker D10S215 on chromosome segment 10q23. Loss of heterozygosity in prostate cancer is linked to the same marker, whereas loss of heterozygosity in glioblastoma, endometrial cancer, and other malignancies also localizes to this region. Most recently, a putative tumor suppressor gene (PTEN/MMAC1) has been identified in the region between D10S215 and an adjacent, more telomeric marker (D10S541) and was found to be altered in breast cancers, prostate cancers, and glioblastomas. We examined 22 invasive breast cancers for loss of heterozygosity in the 10q23 region and found loss in 41% (9/22). There were two distinct regions of loss, including one near the D10S541 marker, with an approximately equal frequency of deletion in each. The observed pattern of deletion is consistent with the presence of a tumor suppressor gene between D10S215 and D10S541. Most of the poorly differentiated carcinomas in the case collection showed loss of heterozygosity in the region near D10S215, suggesting that this loss correlates with a poor prognosis. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 21:166–171, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.