Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutrition beyond nutrition: plausibility of immunotrophic nutrition for space travel.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Microgravity has adverse effects on the immune system. We examined the effects of supplemental dietary nucleotides on immune function in ground-based in vivo anti-orthostatic tail-suspended (AOS) mice and in vitro (bioreactor-BIO) analogs of microgravity. METHODS BALB/c mice were divided into the following three groups: group housed, single isolation, and AOS. Mice were fed either control chow or chow supplemented with RNA or uracil. Immune function was assessed by in vivo popliteal lymph node proliferation (PLN), in vitro PHA-stimulated proliferation of splenocytes and cytokine production. BIO splenocytes were cultured in vitro with/without PHA, a nucleoside-nucleotide mixture (NS/NT) or uridine. The cell proliferation and scanning electron microscopic examination for cells were carried out. RESULTS PLN response was significantly suppressed in AOS mice (P<0.05) and was restored by RNA and uracil diets. Splenocytes from AOS mice had decreased phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated proliferation, decreased IL-2 and IFN-gamma cytokine levels (P<0.05). These responses were restored by RNA and uracil diets. In BIO cultures, PHA response was suppressed significantly, and uridine and NS/NT restored the proliferative responses. Scanning electron microscopic analysis of cells cultured in BIO revealed cells with pinched, distorted and eroded membranes. Nucleotide supplementation especially uridine restored normal activated cell surface appearance and ruffling. CONCLUSION In the microgravity analog environment of AOS and BIO, supplemental nucleotides and especially uracil/uridine have up-regulating and immunoprotective effects with potential as a countermeasure to the observed immune dysfunction in true microgravity.
Randomized phase III study of 3-weekly versus weekly docetaxel in pretreated advanced non-small-cell lung cancer: a Spanish Lung Cancer Group trial.

BACKGROUND Docetaxel is a widely accepted second-line treatment in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a risk of myelotoxicity. This study evaluated the efficacy and toxicity profile of two docetaxel regimens in NSCLC patients who had failed first-line non-docetaxel-based chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 259 patients from 33 Spanish centers were randomized to receive either docetaxel 75 mg/m(2) administered every 3 weeks (3W arm) or docetaxel 36 mg/m(2) given weekly (1W arm) for 6 weeks followed by 2 weeks of rest. The primary end point was 1-year survival; secondary end points were median survival, time to progression, response and toxicity. RESULTS One-year survival was 27% in the 3W and 22% in the 1W arm. Median time to progression was also similar in the two arms. Median survival was 6.6 months in the 3W arm versus 5.4 months in the 1W arm (P = 0.075). Response rates were 9.3% in the 3W arm and 4.8% in the 1W arm. More patients in the 1W arm experienced mucositis [1W, nine patients (7.2%); 3W, two patients (1.6%); P = 0.032], while febrile neutropenia was significantly higher in the 3W arm [3W, 10 patients (7.8%); 1W, one patient (0.8%); P = 0.010]. CONCLUSIONS Both weekly and 3-weekly docetaxel were effective and well-tolerated, with different toxicity profiles. In general, there was no indication to recommend the weekly schedule. However, the significant lower rate of febrile neutropenia observed in the weekly schedule makes it a good alternative for patients at risk of severe neutropenia.
Enhancing Classification Performance of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy- Brain–Computer Interface Using Adaptive Estimation of General Linear Model Coefficients

In this paper, a novel methodology for enhanced classification of functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) signals utilizable in a two-class [motor imagery (MI) and rest; mental rotation (MR) and rest] brain–computer interface (BCI) is presented. First, fNIRS signals corresponding to MI and MR are acquired from the motor and prefrontal cortex, respectively, afterward, filtered to remove physiological noises. Then, the signals are modeled using the general linear model, the coefficients of which are adaptively estimated using the least squares technique. Subsequently, multiple feature combinations of estimated coefficients were used for classification. The best classification accuracies achieved for five subjects, for MI versus rest are 79.5, 83.7, 82.6, 81.4, and 84.1% whereas those for MR versus rest are 85.5, 85.2, 87.8, 83.7, and 84.8%, respectively, using support vector machine. These results are compared with the best classification accuracies obtained using the conventional hemodynamic response. By means of the proposed methodology, the average classification accuracy obtained was significantly higher (p < 0.05). These results serve to demonstrate the feasibility of developing a high-classification-performance fNIRS-BCI.
The Gold Standard: A Qualitative Framing Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of Golden Rice in the United States and Philippines

Abstract Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is a major issue in developing countries and affects approximately 250 million children, and blinding 500,000 a year. A proposed intervention to VAD is Golden Rice, a rice that has been genetically modified (GM) to contain beta-carotene, the precursor to Vitamin A. However, Golden Rice is often associated with negatively perceived GM food. Because the media is the most trusted source in providing food-risk related information, a framing analysis of Golden Rice in United States and Philippine newspapers was conducted to determine past and current frames used to describe the rice. Understanding such frames could help domestic and international extension workers develop effective communication strategies and educational opportunities. In the United States, GM food was typically the main topic, and Golden Rice was used as a supporting argument. Science and humanitarian frames were used to describe the rice in the U.S. articles. Golden Rice was more often the main topic in the Philippine articles, and more frames were identified: human health, science, policy, risk, and conflict. Golden Rice appears to be in the emergence phase of the framing cycle in the U.S. and in the conflict/resolution phase in the Philippines. Extension in the U.S. and the Philippines should provide education toolkits to journalists about Golden Rice and consider providing press releases to shape the frames used by the media. Extension workers in the Philippines should educate consumers and farmers about the science of Golden Rice to help them create informed opinions toward the product
Treatment of Parapelvic Cyst by Internal Drainage Technology Using Ureteroscope and Holmium Laser.

BACKGROUND The aim of parapelvic cyst treatment is to have complete drainage of cyst fluid and prevent its further compression of the kidney and collective system. This study explores the efficacy and safety of surgical approaches with holmium laser ureteroscopic internal drainage in the treatment of parapelvic cyst. METHODS The compression effect of parapelvic cyst on the renal collective system was observed by rigid ureteroscope using retrograde ureteroscopic technology. With direct vision, the cyst wall on the obvious parapelvic compression site was cut. The diameter of the cyst wall cut was about 1 cm. The internal drainage was obtained by double-J tubes. When the cyst was in the inferior pole of kidney or where the rigid ureteroscope could not reach, a flexible ureteroscope was used. RESULTS In 28 cases of operation, 27 cases were successful. The cyst treatment time was eight to 40 minutes (average 26 minutes). During the operation, no massive haemorrhage, damage of nearby organ and ureter, or other complications happened. Time of follow-up was 10-72 months (average 39 months). The results of follow-up showed that in 22 cases, the cyst disappeared; the diameter of the cyst in four cases was reduced by more than half, and one case recurred. CONCLUSION The treatment of parapelvic cyst by internal drainage operation using holmium laser and ureteroscopy was effective. The operation was safe with few complications.
Stock market uncertainty and economic fundamentals: an entropy-based approach

This study investigates the effects of stock market uncertainty on economic fundamentals, represented by economic activities and systemic risk, in China. To capture the uncertainty in the Chinese stock market precisely, we use the entropy measure through symbolic time-series analysis. The empirical findings reveal strong spillover effects from stock market uncertainty to economic fundamentals. Specifically, an uncertainty shock generates (i) a short-term decline in industrial production, (ii) a rapid drop and rebound in the composite leading indicator, and (iii) an increase in systemic risk. To understand these findings, we suggest and validate the transmission channel through changes in consumption and investment.
Bombyx mori Homologs of STIM1 and Orai1 Are Essential Components of the Signal Transduction Cascade That Regulates Sex Pheromone Production*

Sex pheromone production in the pheromone gland (PG) of the silkmoth, Bombyx mori, is mediated by store-operated channels (SOCs) acting downstream of pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) binding. Although recent studies have implicated STIM1 and Orai1 as essential components of SOCs, little is known about the molecular nature of the SOCs involved in sex pheromone production. In this study we cloned silkmoth homologs of STIM1 and Orai1 and sought to determine whether they comprise the PG SOC pathway. BmSTIM1 is expressed in multiple tissues and, in the PG, is encoded by two transcripts of differing size. BmOrai1A and BmOrai1B, which are identical except for a 37-residue N-terminal truncation in BmOrai1B, arise from alternative splicing of the bmorai1 locus and are expressed as independent transcripts in various tissues. In the PG, only BmOrai1B is actively transcribed. Fluorescent chimeras demonstrated that BmSTIM1 expression is restricted to the endoplasmic reticulum, whereas both BmOrai1A and BmOrai1B localize to the cell surface. In Ca2+-free medium, thapsigargin-mediated depletion of endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores resulted in redistribution of BmSTIM1 to the plasma membrane, but only when the BmOrai1 homologs were also overexpressed. Translocation was dependent on the BmSTIM1 C terminus “CRAC activation domain. ” Ala mutation of Lys380, Lys383, Lys384, Arg382, and Arg385 suggests that translocation involves electrostatic interactions. Translocation was also seen following PBAN stimulation in cells co-expressing BmSTIM1, BmOrai1B, and the PBAN receptor. In vivo RNA interference-mediated knockdown of BmSTIM1 and BmOrai1 significantly reduced sex pheromone production without affecting cell viability.
Anti-CD20/CD3 T cell–dependent bispecific antibody for the treatment of B cell malignancies

Anti-CD20/CD3 T cell–dependent bispecific antibodies may be useful for the treatment of B cell malignancies. Two-headed cancer therapy Immunotherapeutic approaches harness either humoral (antibody-mediated) or cellular (T cell–mediated) immunity to fight cancer. Sun et al. combine these approaches by designing a CD3/CD20 TDB (T cell–dependent bispecific), a dual-targeted antibody that recruits T cells to CD20-expressing cells. Their humanized TDB induces T cells to kill primary patient leukemia and lymphoma cells both in vitro and in a mouse model and can deplete CD20-expressing B cells in a macaque model with similar properties as conventional antibodies. If these data hold true in clinical studies, this CD20/CD3 TDB could add to our expanding arsenal of cancer immunotherapeutics. Bispecific antibodies and antibody fragments in various formats have been explored as a means to recruit cytolytic T cells to kill tumor cells. Encouraging clinical data have been reported with molecules such as the anti-CD19/CD3 bispecific T cell engager (BiTE) blinatumomab. However, the clinical use of many reported T cell–recruiting bispecific modalities is limited by liabilities including unfavorable pharmacokinetics, potential immunogenicity, and manufacturing challenges. We describe a B cell–targeting anti-CD20/CD3 T cell–dependent bispecific antibody (CD20-TDB), which is a full-length, humanized immunoglobulin G1 molecule with near-native antibody architecture constructed using “knobs-into-holes” technology. CD20-TDB is highly active in killing CD20-expressing B cells, including primary patient leukemia and lymphoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. In cynomolgus monkeys, CD20-TDB potently depletes B cells in peripheral blood and lymphoid tissues at a single dose of 1 mg/kg while demonstrating pharmacokinetic properties similar to those of conventional monoclonal antibodies. CD20-TDB also exhibits activity in vitro and in vivo in the presence of competing CD20-targeting antibodies. These data provide rationale for the clinical testing of CD20-TDB for the treatment of CD20-expressing B cell malignancies.
Bistable Expression of CsgD in Biofilm Development of Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium

ABSTRACT Bacterial persistence in the environment and in the infected host is often aided by the formation of exopolymer-enclosed communities known as biofilms. Heterogeneous gene expression takes place in microcompartments formed within the complex biofilm structure. This study describes cell differentiation within an isogenic bacterial cell population based on the example of biofilm formation by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. We analyzed the expression of the major biofilm regulator CsgD at the single-cell level with a chromosomal CsgD-green fluorescent protein (GFP) translational fusion. In individual cells, CsgD-GFP expression is mostly found in the cytoplasm. Quantitative expression analysis and results from three different models of S. Typhimurium biofilms demonstrated that CsgD is expressed in a bistable manner during biofilm development. CsgD expression is, however, monomodal when CsgD is expressed in larger amounts due to a promoter mutation or elevated levels of the secondary signaling molecule c-di-GMP. High levels of CsgD-GFP are associated with cellular aggregation in all three biofilm models. Furthermore, the subpopulation of cells expressing large amounts of CsgD is engaged in cellulose production during red, dry, and rough (rdar) morphotype development and in microcolony formation under conditions of continuous flow. Consequently, bistability at the level of CsgD expression leads to a corresponding pattern of task distribution in S. Typhimurium biofilms.
A Long Terminal Repeat Retrotransposon of Fission Yeast Has Strong Preferences for Specific Sites of Insertion

ABSTRACT The successful dispersal of transposons depends on the critical balance between the fitness of the host and the ability of the transposon to insert into the host genome. One method transposons may use to avoid the disruption of coding sequences is to target integration into safe havens. We explored the interaction between the long terminal repeat retrotransposon Tf1 and the genome of the yeast Schizosaccharomycespombe. Using techniques that were specifically designed to detect integration of Tf1 throughout the genome and to avoid bias in this detection, we generated 51 insertion events. Although 60.2% of the genome of S. pombe is coding sequence, all but one of the insertions occurred in intergenic regions. We also found that Tf1 was significantly more likely to insert into intergenic regions that included polymerase II promoters than into regions between convergent gene pairs. Interestingly, 8 of the 51 insertion sites were isolated multiple times from genetically independent cultures. This result suggests that specific sites in intergenic regions are targeted by Tf1. Perhaps the most surprising observation was that per kilobase of nonrepetitive sequence, Tf1 was significantly more likely to insert into chromosome 3 than into one of the other two chromosomes. This preference was found not to be due to differences in the distribution or composition of intergenic sequences within the three chromosomes.
Remittances and Labour Supply Revisited: New Evidence from the Macedonian Behavioural Tax and Benefit Microsimulation Model

The objective of the paper is to revisit the role of remittances for labour-supply responses. Previous studies documented conflicting results, while the key methodological concern – remittances’ endogeneity about labour supply – has not been resolved convincingly. We construct behavioural tax and benefit microsimulation model and simulate labour-market responses of singles and couples had remittances not existed in their households. This is a novel methodological approach avoiding the usual trap of utilisation of inappropriate instruments to remittances. Our results suggest that remittances are prevalently associated with lower labour-market activity, especially for women. However, the labour-supply response is found quite feeble and only in single families. Hence, while previous findings are not entirely rebutted, they may have been overstated and are highly dependent on the construct of the receiving household.
Optimization of trichloroethylene degradation using soluble methane monooxygenase of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b expressed in recombinant bacteria

By complementing cell‐free extracts of Pseudomonas putida F1/pSMMO20 with purified soluble methane monooxygenase (sMMO) components of Methylosinus trichosporium OB3b, the low cloned‐gene sMMO activity in the recombinant strain was found to be due to incomplete activity of the hydroxylase component. To address this incomplete activity, additional sMMO‐expressing strains were formed by transferring mmo‐containing pSMMO20 and pSMMO50 into various bacterial species including pseudomonads and α‐2 subdivision strains such as methanotrophs, methylotrophs, Agrobacterium tumefaciens A114, and Rhizobium meliloti 102F34 (11 new strains screened); sMMO activity was detected in the last two strains. To increase plasmid segregational stability, the hok/sok locus originally from Escherichia coli plasmid R1 was inserted downstream of the mmo locus of pSMMO20 (resulting in pSMMO40) and found to enhance plasmid stability in P. putida F1 and R. meliloti 102F34 (first report of hok/sok in Rhizobium). To further increase sMMO activity, a modified Whittenbury minimal medium was selected from various minimal and complex media based on trichloroethylene (TCE) degradation and growth rates and was improved by removing the sMMO‐inhibiting metal ions [Cu(II), Ni(II), and Zn(II)] and chloramphenicol from the medium and by supplementing with an iron source (3.6 μM of ferrous ammonium sulfate). Using chemostat‐grown P. putida F1/pSMMO40, it was found that sMMO activity was higher for cells grown at higher dilution rates. These optimization efforts resulted in a twofold increase in the extent of TCE degradation and more consistent sMMO activity. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Effect of Health Qigong Ba Duan Jin on Blood Pressure of Individuals with Essential Hypertension

haps hip fractures in nonagenarians no longer require special attention, as other authors have suggested, but rather demand the same treatment as their younger counterparts because surgical treatment significantly improves the chances of postoperative mobility and may be associated with lower 1-year mortality than conservative treatment. The current findings suggest that surgery, specifically bipolar hemiarthroplasty, is effective in nonagenarians with hip fracture. So is hip fracture surgery in nonagenarians really feasible? With a multidisciplinary approach and the criterion standard being involving a geriatrician perioperatively, we are the devil’s advocate and believe it is.
A Biomechanical Analysis of Four Humeral Fracture Fixation Systems

A biomechanical study was initiated to compare four fracture fixation devices: the AO dynamic compression plate, a distal fin locking nail, a solid locked intramedullary nail, and paired flexible nails for humeral fracture fixation. Eighteen pairs of fresh-frozen, intact humeri were harvested, standardized midshaft transverse osteotomies were created in each specimen, and left and right specimens were fixed with plates and nails, respectively. The bending properties of the plate-fixed humeri were significantly greater than the nailed humeri in both the anteroposterior and mediolateral planes on a paired basis. The distal fin nail and solid locked nail had comparable bending properties, and both had bending properties superior to those measured for the paired flexible nails. The torsional properties of humeri fixed with plates and solid locked nails were equivalent, except for rigidity and stiffness, which were superior for the nail. Both fixation methods resulted in torsional properties significantly greater to those measured for humeri fixed with paired flexible nails or a distal fin nail.
Effects of L-dopa-induced dopamine accumulation on 45Ca2+ efflux and insulin secretion in isolated rat islets.

It has previously been demonstrated in several species that the secretory granules of pancreatic beta-cells have the ability to store substantial amounts of calcium and bioactive amines, such as dopamine and serotonin. Furthermore, evidence for a similar topographical localization for amine and calcium within the periphery of the granules has been obtained. In the present study, a possible interaction between dopamine and calcium on insulin release was investigated. Isolated rat islets were loaded with 45Ca2+ in the presence of theophylline and high glucose and then perifused in a dynamic system where radioactivity and insulin were determined in the effluent. When perifused in a bicarbonate buffer with 2 mmol/l Ca2+ and supplemented with the monoamine oxidase inhibitor pargyline, L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa)-induced dopamine accumulation in the islets brought about a slight and transient increase in 45Ca2+ efflux. This increase was more pronounced and sustained in a Ca2+-deficient buffer or in a Ca2+-deficient buffer supplemented with ethyleneglycolbis(aminoethylether)tetraacetic acid (EGTA). Insulin release was transiently stimulated by islet dopamine accumulation in the Ca2+-deprived media, but not in a medium with 2 mmol/l Ca2+. Glucose-induced insulin release in 2 mmol/l Ca2+ was potentiated by acute dopamine accumulation. The combined effect of glucose stimulation and islet accumulation of dopamine induced a transient insulin release in the Ca2+-deprived media with and without EGTA. This release of insulin was accompanied by an increased 45Ca2+ efflux which was most pronounced in the presence of EGTA. Stimulation with glucose alone, i.e. without addition of L-dopa tended to decrease insulin release and 45Ca2+ efflux in a Ca2+-deficient medium. No effects of L-dopa or L-dopa + glucose were encountered in a Ca2+-deficient buffer when the monoamine oxidase inhibitor pargyline was replaced by the dopa-decarboxylase inhibitor benserazide. The results are interpreted as being a consequence of a complex interaction between the accumulated dopamine and a pool of Ca2+ mainly confined to the secretory granules. This interaction could be followed by a transient increase in cytosolic Ca2+ and a subsequent efflux of Ca2+ out of the cell, eventually accompanied by insulin release. Increasing the cytosolic Ca2+ by acute dopamine accumulation makes the cell more sensitive to a concomitant stimulation with glucose, and the release of insulin is triggered. A long-term dopamine accumulation. On the other hand, might diminish the granular Ca2+ pool to such a level where insulin release is inhibited after stimulation with certain secretagogues.