Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heparin modulates the growth and adherence and augments the growth‐inhibitory action of TNF‐α on cultured human keratinocytes

Previous works suggest the involvement of mast cells in the epithelialization of chronic wounds. Since heparin is a major mediator stored in the secretory granules of mast cells, the purpose of this work was to elucidate the function of heparin in epithelialization using in vitro culture models. For this, low‐ and high‐calcium media in monolayer and epithelium cultures of keratinocytes were used. Also, an assay based on keratinocyte adherence onto plastic surface was used as well. Heparin (0.02–200 μg/ml) inhibited keratinocyte growth in a non‐cytotoxic and dose‐dependent manner in low‐ and high‐calcium media, Keratinocyte‐SFM® and DMEM, in the absence of growth factors and serum. Also, heparin inhibited the growth of keratinocyte epithelium in the presence of 10% fetal calf serum and DMEM. Instead, in the presence of Keratinocyte‐SFM and growth factors, heparin at 2 μg/ml inhibited the growth by 18% but at higher heparin concentrations the inhibition was reversed to baseline. TNF‐α is another preformed mediator in mast cell granules and it inhibited keratinocyte growth in monolayer and epithelium cultures. Interestingly, heparin at 2–20 μg/ml augmented or even potentiated this growth‐inhibitory effect of TNF‐α. The association of TNF‐α with heparin was shown by demonstrating that TNF‐α bound tightly to heparin‐Sepharose chromatographic material. However, heparin could not augment TNF‐α‐induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase or intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 expression in keratinocytes. In the cell adherence assay, heparin at 2 μg/ml inhibited significantly by 12–13% or 33% the adherence of keratinocytes onto the plastic surface coated with fibronectin or collagen, respectively, but this inhibition was reversed back to baseline at 20 or 200 μg/ml heparin. Also, heparin affected the cell membrane rather than the protein coat on the plastic surface. In conclusion, heparin not only inhibits or modulates keratinocyte growth and adherence but it also binds and potentiates the growth‐inhibitory function of TNF‐α. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparison between an interactive web-based self-administered 24 h dietary record and an interview by a dietitian for large-scale epidemiological studies

Online self-administered data collection, by reducing the logistic burden and cost, could advantageously replace classical methods based on dietitian's interviews when assessing dietary intake in large epidemiological studies. Studies comparing such new instruments with traditional methods are necessary. Our objective was to compare one NutriNet-Santé web-based self-administered 24 h dietary record with one 24 h recall carried out by a dietitian. Subjects completed the web-based record, which was followed the next day by a dietitian-conducted 24 h recall by telephone (corresponding to the same day and using the same computerised interface for data entry). The subjects were 147 volunteers aged 48–75 years (women 59·2 %). The study was conducted in February 2009 in France. Agreement was assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for foods and energy-adjusted Pearson's correlations for nutrients. Agreement between the two methods was high, although it may have been overestimated because the two assessments were consecutive to one another. Among consumers only, the median of ICC for foods was 0·8 in men and 0·7 in women (range 0·5–0·9). The median of energy-adjusted Pearson's correlations for nutrients was 0·8 in both sexes (range 0·6–0·9). The mean Pearson correlation was higher in subjects ≤ 60 years (P = 0·02) and in those who declared being ‘experienced/expert’ with computers (P = 0·0003), but no difference was observed according to educational level (P = 0·12). The mean completion time was similar between the two methods (median for both methods: 25 min). The web-based method was preferred by 66·1 % of users. Our web-based dietary assessment, permitting considerable logistic simplification and cost savings, may be highly advantageous for large population-based surveys.
Rituximab for the treatment of patients with autoimmune hepatitis who are refractory or intolerant to standard therapy.

BACKGROUND Although most patients with autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) respond to treatment with prednisone and⁄or azathioprine, some patients are intolerant or refractory to standard therapy. Rituximab is an anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody that depletes B cells and has demonstrated efficacy in other autoimmune conditions. AIMS To evaluate the safety and efficacy of rituximab in patients with refractory AIH in an open-label, single-centre pilot study. METHODS Six patients with definite, biopsy-proven AIH who failed prednisone and azathioprine treatment received two infusions of rituximab 1000 mg two weeks apart and were followed for 72 weeks. RESULTS Rituximab was well tolerated with no serious adverse events. By week 24, mean (± SD) aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels had significantly improved (90.0±23.3 U⁄L versus 31.3±4.2 U⁄L; P=0.03) and mean immunoglobulin G levels had fallen (16.4±2.0 g⁄L versus 11.5±1.1 g⁄L; P=0.056). The prednisone dose was weaned in three of four subjects, with one subject flaring after steroid withdrawal. Inflammation grade improved in all four subjects who underwent repeat liver biopsy at week 48. Regulatory T cell levels examined by FoxP3 immunohistochemistry paralleled inflammatory activity and did not increase on follow-up biopsies. There was no significant change in serum chemokine or cytokine levels from baseline to week 24 (n=5), although interferon-gamma-induced protein 10 levels improved in three of five subjects. CONCLUSIONS Rituximab was safe, well tolerated and resulted in biochemical improvement in subjects with refractory AIH. These results support further investigation of rituximab as a treatment for AIH.
Effect of Medium on H2O2 Levels and Peroxidase-Like Activity by Mycoplasma pneumoniae

H2O2 levels accumulated by Mycoplasma pneumoniae can be influenced by carbon source, different horse sera, yeast extract, thallium acetate, or growth in a simplified, dialyzed medium. Thus, increased levels of H2O2 were detected by growth in glycerol, by omission of thallium acetate, and by the use of dialyzed medium. The ability of M. pneumoniae in the presence of glucose, but not with fructose, mannose, or glycerol, to remove both endogenous and exogenous H2O2 suggests an inducible peroxidase similar to bacterial enzymes in streptococci. This peroxidase-like activity is in turn influenced by the complex interplay of medium components, explaining perhaps some of the variability of H2O2 accumulations observed with glucose. A survival value has been suggested for this “peroxidase-like” activity.
Internationalization and hotel performance

Few industries are as inherently international as the hotel industry. This article sets out to investigate the impact of internationalization on performance in the hotel industry. Building on the theory of organizational learning the authors test several hypotheses regarding the shape of the internationalization–performance relationship as well as the impact of four moderating variables. In line with the research aim and the underlying dynamism of organizational learning theory, these hypotheses are tested using a dynamic Bayesian model. The results indicate that internationalization has a U-shaped impact on hotel performance, moderated by cultural distance, regulations and restrictions and the level of development congruence. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for practice and provide directions for future research.
Corporate Tax Planning: A Study On Corporate Effective Tax Rates of Malaysian Listed Companies

This study attempts to examine corporate effective tax rates (ETRs) of Malaysian public companies listed on Bursa Malaysia during official assessment system and self assessment system tax regimes. The objective is to examine the level of corporate ETRs during official assessment system and self assessment system tax regime and. To achieve the objective, this study uses pooled sample data of 316 companies for the years 1993 to 2006. In determining the two tax regime, the investigation period is classified into two, where the period from 1993 to 2000 represents the official assessment system tax regime whereas the period from 2001 to 2006 represents the self assessment system tax regime. This study finds that corporate ETRs are below the statutory tax rate (STR) in both tax regimes. Moreover, this study reveals that ETRs during the self assessment system tax regime is lower than the official assessment system tax regime. Additionally, this study also examines the determinants of corporate ETRs during both tax regimes. The result supports political cost theory which suggests that larger companies endure higher ETRs. Besides that, lower ETRs are significantly related to highly leverage companies, greater investment in fixed assets and lower investment in inventory. This study also finds that companies with higher return on assets face lower ETRs. Further, sector analysis are carried out to provide the evidence for the variability of ETRs across sectors. The results indicate that companies from trading and services, properties and construction sectors face higher ETRs. Overall, this study explains the impacts of tax incentives to corporate ETRs and determinants of corporate ETRs.
NMDA receptor‐mediated transmission of carotid body chemoreceptor input to expiratory bulbospinal neurones in dogs.

1. This study tested the hypothesis that excitatory amino acid receptors mediate the excitatory response of expiratory bulbospinal neurones to carotid body chemoreceptor inputs. 2. Studies were carried out in thiopental sodium anaesthetized, paralysed, ventilated, vagotomized dogs. 3. Brisk, short‐duration chemoreceptor activation was produced by bilateral bolus injections of CO2‐saturated saline (PCO2 > 700 mmHg) into the autoperfused carotid arteries. A pressurized‐reservoir‐solenoid valve system was used to deliver the CO2 bolus injections just prior to the onset of the neural expiratory phase, as determined from the phrenic neurogram, about once per minute. 4. Multibarrelled micropipettes were used to record neuronal unit activity and deliver neurotransmitter agents. Net responses of expiratory bulbospinal neurones to peripheral chemoreceptor activation were determined by subtracting the mean discharge frequencies (Fn) during three control expiratory cycles from the Fn during administration of a CO2 test bolus. The role of excitatory amino acid receptors in mediating this response was determined by comparing the baseline and bolus expiratory neuronal Fn before, during and after the pressure microejection of the NMDA receptor antagonist 2‐amino‐5‐phosphonovalerate (AP5) or the non‐NMDA receptor antagonist 2,3‐dihydroxy‐6‐nitro‐7‐sulphamoyl‐ benzo(f)quinoxaline (NBQX). Ejection rates of AP5 and NBQX were measured by monitoring the movement of the pipette meniscus. 5. AP5 reduced Fn during both the control and bolus cycles, as well as reducing the change in Fn between control and bolus cycles. NBQX had no effect on either baseline or bolus responses. 6. AP5 did not prevent excitation of expiratory bulbospinal neurones by AMPA. Coadministration of AMPA with AP5 prevented the AP5‐mediated decrease in Fn but not the dose‐dependent reduction in the CO2 bolus response. 7. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that the carotid chemoreceptor‐mediated excitation of expiratory bulbospinal neurones is dependent on NMDA but not non‐NMDA glutamate receptors.
Sex ratio in spontaneous abortions

An analysis of sex ratio was made for chromosomally normal and trisomic spontaneous abortions identified in a cytogenetic survey of spontaneous abortions. For the chromosomally normal group, the extent of maternal contamination among 46, XX abortions was determined by comparing chromosome heteromorphisms of the parents with those from the tissue samples. The sex ratio among the normal abortions was then estimated to be approximately 1.30, after correcting for the maternal contaminants and 46, XX hydatidiform moles of androgenetic origin. This estimate is significantly higher than values typically reported for newborns, indicating an effect of X‐linked genes acting in utero.
Differential Heat Shock Tolerance and Expression of Heat-Inducible Proteins in Two Stored-Product Psocids

Abstract The recent recognition of psocids as a major concern in stored products and also the reemergence of heat treatment as a control tactic of stored-product insects led to the present investigation. The objectives of this study were to determine whether there are differences in heat shock tolerance of two species of stored-product psocids—Lepinotus reticulatus Enderlein (Trogiidae) and Liposcelis entomophila (Enderlein) (Liposcelididae)—and to determine whether heat shock proteins (HSPs) underlay such tolerance. Time-response bioassays were therefore carried out at increasing temperatures for both psocids. The lethal time (LT)50 and LT95 estimates were correlated with the expression of heat shock proteins after exposure at the same range of temperatures for 30 min. The expression of HSP was determined through Western blot analyses using HSP 70 antibody. Liposcelis entomophila was more than two-fold more tolerant than L. reticulatus for nearly all of the range of temperatures (≥40.0°C). Expression of HSP 70 was not observed for either of the psocid species, but the expression of two low-molecular-mass heat-inducible proteins (HIPs; 23 and 27 kDa) was observed in L. entomophila. The expression of these small proteins was induced by exposure to higher temperatures, and the trend was particularly strong for HIP 27. In contrast, no expression of small heat-inducible proteins was detected in L. reticulatus, reflecting its higher susceptibility to heat treatments. The relatively high heat tolerance of L. entomophila might help explain its more common occurrence in grain stored in warmer regions of the world.
Detecting Novelty and Significance

Studies of cognition often use an “oddball” paradigm to study effects of stimulus novelty and significance on information processing. However, an oddball tends to be perceptually more novel than the standard, repeated stimulus as well as more relevant to the ongoing task, making it difficult to disentangle effects due to perceptual novelty and stimulus significance. In the current study, effects of perceptual novelty and significance on ERPs were assessed in a passive viewing context by presenting repeated and novel pictures (natural scenes) that either signaled significant information regarding the current context or not. A fronto-central N2 component was primarily affected by perceptual novelty, whereas a centro-parietal P3 component was modulated by both stimulus significance and novelty. The data support an interpretation that the N2 reflects perceptual fluency and is attenuated when a current stimulus matches an active memory representation and that the amplitude of the P3 reflects stimulus meaning and significance.
Online Persuasion for E-Commerce Websites

The persuasive design of e-commerce websites has been shown to support people with online purchases. Therefore, it is important to understand how persuasive applications are used and assimilated into e-commerce website designs. This paper demonstrates how the PSD model's persuasive features could be used to build a bridge supporting the extraction and evaluation of persuasive features in such e-commerce websites; thus practically explaining how feature implementation can enhance website persuasiveness. To support a deeper understanding of persuasive e-commerce website design, this research, using the Persuasive Systems Design (PSD) model, identifies the distinct persuasive features currently assimilated in ten successful e-commerce websites. The results revealed extensive use of persuasive features; particularly features related to dialogue support, credibility support, and primary task support; thus highlighting weaknesses in the implementation of social support features. In conclusion we suggest possible ways for enhancing persuasive feature implementation via appropriate contextual examples and explanation.
Effects of internal sodium and hydrogen ions and of external calcium ions and membrane potential on calcium entry in squid axons.

Squid giant axons were impaled with electrodes to measure pNai, pHi, Em, and were injected with either aequorin or arsenazo III to measure [Ca]i or with phenol red to measure [H]i. Depolarization of such axons with elevated [K] in sea water leads to a Ca entry that is a function of [Ca]o, [Na]i, and [H]i. With saturating [Na]i half‐maximal Ca entry is produced by a [Ca]o of 0.58 mM. With saturating [Ca]o, depolarization produced by 450 mM‐K+ leads to half‐maximal Ca entry when [Na]i is 25 mM; entry is virtually undetectable if [Na]i is 18 mM. If [Ca]o is 50 mM, Ca entry upon depolarization as measured with aequorin is phasic with a rapid phase of light emission and a plateau; Ca entry as measured with arsenazo III shows no such phasic behaviour, absorbance vs. time is a square wave that closely follows the depolarization vs. time trace. Both detectors of [Ca]i show a square‐wave response if [Ca]o is 3 mM. The introduction of 2 mM‐CN into the sea water bathing the axon does not affect the response to depolarization nor does the destruction of most of the ATP in the axon following the injection of apyrase. If axons are microinjected with phenol red rather than arsenazo, the entry of Ca produces an acidification in the peripheral parts of the axoplasm. Other experiments measuring [Ca]i show that Ca entry is strongly inhibited by a decrease in pHi. Making sea water alkaline with pH buffers scarcely affects the Ca entry induced by depolarization; making axoplasm alkaline by adding NH4+ to sea water greatly enhances Ca entry by Na/Ca exchange and also enhances the ability of axoplasmic buffers to absorb Ca.
Physical exercise and reduced risk of breast cancer in young women.

BACKGROUND Epidemiologic evidence strongly suggests that cumulative exposure to ovarian hormones is a determinant of breast cancer risk. Because physical activity can modify menstrual cycle patterns and alter the production of ovarian hormones, it may reduce breast cancer risk; yet few epidemiologic studies have assessed this relationship. PURPOSE The major objective of this study was to determine whether young women (aged 40 and younger) who regularly participated in physical exercise activities during their reproductive years had a reduced risk of breast cancer. METHODS Using a case-control design, we conducted personal interviews of a total of 545 women (aged 40 and younger at diagnosis) who had been newly diagnosed with in situ or invasive breast cancer between July 1, 1983, and January 1, 1989, and a total of 545 control subjects. Case patients and control subjects were individually matched on date of birth (within 36 months), race (white), parity (nulliparous versus parous), and neighborhood of residence. Lifetime histories of participation in physical exercise activities on a regular basis were obtained during the personal interview. RESULTS After adjustment for potential confounding factors, we found that the average number of hours spent in physical exercise activities per week from menarche to 1 year prior to the case patient's diagnosis was a significant predictor of reduced breast cancer risk (two-sided P for trend < .0001). The odds ratio (OR) of breast cancer among women who, on average, spent 3.8 or more hours per week participating in physical exercise activities was 0.42 (95% confidence limits [CLs] = 0.27, 0.64) relative to inactive women. The effect was stronger among women who had had a full-term pregnancy. Comparing most active (> or = 3.8 hours/wk of exercise) women to inactive women, the ORs were 0.28 (95% CL = 0.16, 0.50) for parous and 0.73 (95% CL = 0.38, 1.41) for nulliparous women. CONCLUSIONS Most previously identified risk factors for breast cancer are reproductive and menstrual events that cannot be readily altered. The protective effect of exercise on breast cancer risk in the women whom we studied suggests that physical activity offers one modifiable lifestyle characteristic that may substantially reduce a woman's lifetime risk of breast cancer. IMPLICATIONS Whether the protective effects of exercise on breast cancer risk are due to alterations in ovarian function and whether they extend into women's menopausal years need to be established. Our results suggest that implementation of regular physical exercise programs as a critical component of a healthy lifestyle should be a high priority for adolescent and adult women.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia

Red blood cell (RBC) autoantibodies are a relatively uncommon cause of anemia. However, autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) must be considered in the differential diagnosis of hemolytic anemias, especially if the patient has a concomitant lymphoproliferative disorder, autoimmune disease, or viral or mycoplasmal infection. Classifications of AIHA include warm AIHA, cold agglutinin syndrome, paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria, mixed‐type AIHA, and drug‐induced AIHA. Characteristics of the autoantibodies are responsible for the various clinical entities. As a result, diagnosis is based on the clinical presentation and a serologic work‐up. For each classification of AIHA, this review discusses the demographics, etiology, clinical presentation, laboratory evaluation, and treatment options. Am. J. Hematol. 69:258–271, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Homology modeling of rabbit prolactin hormone complexed with its receptor

The pituitary hormone prolactin (prl) is implicated in a number of biological functions, especially lactation, which is mediated through specific lactogenic receptors (PrlR). Human growth hormone (hGH) is also a pituitary hormone responsible for linear growth. While the growth hormone receptor (hGHR) binds only hGH, hPrlR can interact with both hGH and hPrl. Using structural information from the human growth hormone (hGH)/receptor (hGHR) complex, we modeled by homology a complex between rabbit prolactin hormone (rbPrl) and its receptor (rbPrlR). While the somatogenic hormone/somatogenic receptor (hGH/hGHR) and somatogenic hormone/lactogenic receptor (hGH/hPrlR) interactions are now known and well studied, here we propose a model for the interaction of the lactogenic hormone with its receptor (rbPrl/rbPrlR), and compare these three kinds of ligand/receptor interaction. We identified residues contributing to the active site and tested the potential dimerization of the receptor. Biochemical studies and information deduced from the modeled complex do not exclude a homodimeric form but point to a functional heterodimeric complex. Proteins 27: 459–468, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.