Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cellular hypersensitivity in Sjögren's syndrome.

An in vitro method based upon the specific action of human salivary gland extract upon the migration of leucocytes is presented. The results obtained with this method indicate that a certain state of cellular hypersensitivity directed against the salivary glands is present in two-thirds of the patients with Sjogren's syndrome. It appears that there is no correlation between the presence of circulating antibodies and the presence of cellular hypersensitivity. Furthermore, it is not possible from the presented data to conclude whether the cellular hypersensitivity has a closer relationship to the pathogenesis than the presence of circulating antibodies.
Distance-dependent pattern blending can camouflage salient aposematic signals

The effect of viewing distance on the perception of visual texture is well known: spatial frequencies higher than the resolution limit of an observer's visual system will be summed and perceived as a single combined colour. In animal defensive colour patterns, distance-dependent pattern blending may allow aposematic patterns, salient at close range, to match the background to distant observers. Indeed, recent research has indicated that reducing the distance from which a salient signal can be detected can increase survival over camouflage or conspicuous aposematism alone. We investigated whether the spatial frequency of conspicuous and cryptically coloured stripes affects the rate of avian predation. Our results are consistent with pattern blending acting to camouflage salient aposematic signals effectively at a distance. Experiments into the relative rate of avian predation on edible model caterpillars found that increasing spatial frequency (thinner stripes) increased survival. Similarly, visual modelling of avian predators showed that pattern blending increased the similarity between caterpillar and background. These results show how a colour pattern can be tuned to reveal or conceal different information at different distances, and produce tangible survival benefits.
Instruction on death and dying for the medical student

With instruction on death and dying beginning to be included in the curricula of many medical schools and the likelihood that this development will spread, it is timely to examine the best ways in which the subject can be taught. The most important need at this stage is the creation of objectives. Nine objectives have been briefly outlined which have either been reported on by teachers in the field or which seem to be pertinent to death education. The focus on objectives rests on the premise that the format and content of courses will follow largely from the goals that are selected. Questions of who should teach death and dying, when it should be taught and what format should be used, are discussed.
Assessment of Selected Pea Genotypes Reaction to Ascochyta Blight under Field Conditions and the Impact of Disease Severity on Yield Components

The response of pea ( Pisum sativum ) genotypes to ascochyta blight disease and the effect of disease severity on yield components were evaluated in a 4-year trial under field conditions. Peas were inoculated with Ascochyta pinodes , the anamorph of Mycosphaerella pinodes, or with Phoma pinodella separately and with a mixture of both species. Mean infection ratings of all inoculation treatments were significantly higher compared to controls, with the highest infection for inoculation with A. pinodes. P ea genotypes significantly differed for ascochyta blight severity. The differences in extent of infection of the least and the most infected genotypes were quite consistent throughout the study . Frequencies of A. pinodes and P. pinodella isolated from diseased leaf fragments of ten pea genotypes depended on growing season. Deleterious effects of the inoculation with Ascochyta , Phoma and Ascochyta+Phoma treatments on all evaluated agronomic parameters were observed. Greater lodging of plants in all fungi-inoculated treatments was noticed. Inoculated plants revealed decreased seed yield components as follows: number of pods and seed per plant was reduced from 12% to 19% and from 18,5 to 22%, respectively. Seed weight per plant decreased from 18% to 27,7% in comparison with controls. There were also quite large differences between pea genotypes in reduction of all yield components.
Variation of Growth in Height and Weight of Children II. After Infancy

ABSTRACT. To provide for early detection of abnormal changes in growth, we propose the monitoring of all children for changes in relative height and relative weight as indirect indicators of growth velocity. To this end we analyzed the growth of 2156 children, as recorded by the child health surveillance services at ages 2 to 19 years. From their data we constructed growth standards on charts of a novel type, which allow direct reading of relative height (SD score, SDS) and relative weight (percentage deviation of weight from median weight for height and sex, % DW). Variation in height explained most (mean 60%) of the variation in weight, and age did not contribute significantly. Hence, our weight charts are height‐based. Next, we defined the variations of changes in (Δ) SDS and %DW during the different periods of growth. The group means of changes in each period were zero. Variation in ΔSDS is widest at the earliest ages, then decreases until year 9‐10 (girls) and 10‐11 (boys), and again increases. For Δ%DW the picture is similar. We present these variations as diagrams for use in growth screening.
Low‐molecular‐weight variants of osteopontin generated by serine proteinases in urine of patients with kidney stones

Osteopontin (OPN) is a multifunctional glycosylated phosphoprotein found in body fluids, including urine, and has been implicated in urinary stone formation. We tested the hypothesis that OPN levels in urine of patients with kidney stones differed from normal individuals. To quantify OPN levels in the urine, we developed an ELISA using a combination of a mouse monoclonal and rabbit polyclonal antibodies raised against a recombinant glutathione‐S‐transferase‐human OPN fusion protein. In a group of 34 patients diagnosed with kidney stones compared with a control group of 23 normal individuals, we found that OPN levels in urine of the patient and control groups ranged from 0.01 to 2.7 μg/ml, with no significant difference in their medians (P > 0.8, Mann‐Whitney test). OPN in urine was qualitatively assessed by Western blotting using a biotinylated monoclonal antibody to detect various molecular forms. The urine of most individuals contained OPN species within in the 55‐ to 66‐kDa electrophoretic mobility range. However, a significantly higher proportion of individuals in the patient group (13 of 34) was found to have aberrant urine OPN species (≤ 40 kDa) compared to 2 of 23 for the control group (P < 0.03, x2 test). Mixing experiments indicated that urine samples with aberrant OPN contain proteases inhibitable with phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride. Such proteases could break down normal urine OPN in vitro. Therefore, urine from a high frequency of kidney stone patients contains serine proteases that contribute to proteolytic cleavage of OPN. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
IL-21 Is Required to Control Chronic Viral Infection

Controlling Chronic Viral Infections Chronic viral infections such as HIV and hepatitis B and C viruses are major public health concerns. T cell—mediated immune responses are critical for controlling viral infections. In contrast to acute infections, chronic viral infections are characterized by “exhausted” cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, cells which exhibit reduced proliferative capacity, cytokine secretion, and cytotoxicity. Treatments that reverse exhaustion result in increased viral control. Despite their exhaustion, these CD8+ T cells eventually help to control chronic infections by killing virally infected cells, and require CD4+ T cell help to do so. How do CD4+ T cells provide help to CD8+ T cells during chronic infection (see the Perspective by Johnson and Jameson)? Elsaesser et al. (p. 1569, published online 7 May), Yi et al. (p. 1572, published online 14 May), and Fröhlich et al. (p. 1576, published online 28 May) now show that the cytokine, interleukin-21 (IL-21), known to be critical for the differentiation of certain CD4+ T cell effector subsets, is an essential factor produced by CD4+ T cells that helps CD8+ T cells to control chronic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection in mice. Acute and chronic infections resulted in differing amounts of IL-21 production by virus-specific CD4+ T cells. CD8+ T cells required IL-21 directly, and when CD8+ T cells were unable to signal through IL-21 or IL-21 was not available, they were reduced in number, exhibited a more exhausted phenotype, and were not able to control the virus. In contrast, the absence of IL-21–dependent signaling did not affect primary CD8+ T cell responses to acute infection or responses to a viral rechallenge, suggesting that differentiation of memory CD8+ T cells is independent of IL-21. Interleukin-21 produced by CD4+ T cells helps CD8+ T cells control viral infection in a mouse model. CD4+ and CD8+ T cell functions are rapidly aborted during chronic infection, preventing viral clearance. CD4+ T cell help is required throughout chronic infection so as to sustain CD8+ T cell responses; however, the necessary factor(s) provided by CD4+ T cells are currently unknown. Using a mouse model of chronic viral infection, we demonstrated that interleukin-21 (IL-21) is an essential component of CD4+ T cell help. In the absence of IL-21 signaling, despite elevated CD4+ T cell responses, CD8+ T cell responses are severely impaired. CD8+ T cells directly require IL-21 to avoid deletion, maintain immunity, and resolve persistent infection. Thus, IL-21 specifically sustains CD8+ T cell effector activity and provides a mechanism of CD4+ T cell help during chronic viral infection.
Development and Preliminary Validation of a Chinese Version of the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire in a Population of Hong Kong Chinese

I developed a Chinese version of the Aggression Questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992) by translating scale items into Chinese and subjecting them to standard validation procedures. I used confirmatory factor analysis via structural equation modeling to compare several measurement models. Models based on Buss and Perry's (1992) original four-factor (29-item) scale failed to replicate in the Chinese sample; however, the construct validity of Bryant and Smith's (2001) abridged version of the Aggression Questionnaire received strong overall support. The new 12-item scale demonstrated good fit to the data and adequate internal reliability. Evidence for criterion validity was provided by the scale's sensitivity to differing levels of aggression in males and females. Convergent and discriminant validity received partial support from the pattern of correlations with a measure of anger rumination. Linguistic and metric equivalence were supported by high correlation coefficients between scores on Chinese and English versions of the scale completed by bilingual Chinese on separate occasions. Consistent replications of these preliminary results across three independent samples suggest that the Chinese version of the Aggression Questionnaire may be useful for clinical assessment and cross-cultural research.
Variation in Detection of VEGF in Maternal Serum by Immunoassay and the Possible Influence of Binding Proteins

Using radioimmunoassay (RIA) and a polyclonal antibody we have shown that maternal serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is elevated during pregnancy. In contrast, a commercial VEGF ELISA utilizing a sandwich two-site immunoassay was unable to detect VEGF in 19 of the 20 maternal serum samples analysed. In addition, the recovery of exogenous VEGF added to the pregnancy samples was low or not recordable with the ELISA. Using RIA, 82–101% of the added VEGF was recovered. These differing results could be explained by the formation of VEGF-protein complexes that are detectable using RIA but undetectable with the ELISA. Our data imply that there is a substantial increase in circulating VEGF binding proteins during pregnancy. The increase in VEGF and its binding proteins during pregnancy may reflect important physiological events in the mother and feto-placental unit.
Abundance and Species Composition of Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) at Cattle Facilities in Southern Alberta, Canada

Abstract Culicoides fauna was examined at seven feedlots and one rangeland site (Warner) in southern Alberta, Canada, during a 3-yr period. Eight species and species groups accounted for >99% of the Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) captured. The most abundant species or groups were Culicoides gigas Root & Hoffman, Culicoides sonorensis (Wirth & Jones), Culicoides (Selfia) group, and Culicoides palmerae group. These accounted for 78–88% of the Culicoides captured, with the balance being members of the Culicoides cockerellii section, Culicoides crepuscularis Malloch, Culicoides wisconsinensis Jones, and Culicoides yukonensis Hoffman. Univariate and multivariate analyses indicated that the rangeland site was characterized by greater abundance of C. sonorensis and C. palmerae and lower abundance of C. (Selfia) compared with the feedlot sites. The Culicoides fauna was more dissimilar among sites as geographic distance between sites increased. Species of Culicoides captured in this study showed three broad patterns of seasonal abundance. The C. palmerae group had the earliest seasonal activity, with an increase in June, peak in July, and greatly reduced abundance thereafter. C. crepuscularis, C. (Selfia), C. wisconsinensis, and C. gigas had later periods of activity, with peak abundance in July, but moderate abundance in June and August. C. cockerellii, C. yukonensis, and C. sonorensis had the latest periods of activity, with populations increasing through June and July, peaking in August, and declining thereafter. C. sonorensis was somewhat unique on that it was the only species with moderate abundance as late as September.
Killer Ig-Like Receptor Ligand Mismatch Directs NK Cell Expansion In Vitro

NK cell alloreactivity is governed largely through failure to detect self-HLA class I ligands by the clonally distributed inhibitory killer Ig-like receptors (KIR) expressed on the NK cell surface. In this study, we investigated the extent to which HLA class I-KIR interactions influence human NK cell proliferation in the allogeneic setting. NK cells were cultured with feeder cells either matched or mismatched for inhibitory KIR ligands, the latter lacking one or more ligands present in the NK cell donor. In postculture cytotoxicity assays, the ability of polyclonal NK cells to kill KIR ligand-mismatched targets was enhanced by exposure to appropriately mismatched feeder cells in prior culture. This corresponded with an increased frequency of postculture donor NK cells expressing a given inhibitory KIR if the allogeneic feeder cells used in the culture lacked its ligand. Similar skewing of KIR distribution was seen in clonally expanded NK cells. Finally, a flow cytometry-based proliferation assay was used to show KIR-specific NK cell division in response to missing self. The findings demonstrate that KIR distribution among a population of alloresponding peripheral blood NK cells is shaped by the HLA class I environment.
Identification and characterization of specific sequences encoding pathogenicity associated proteins in the genome of commensal Neisseria species.

The distribution of distinct sequences in pathogenic and commensal Neisseria species was investigated systematically by dot blot analysis. Probes representing the genes of Rmp, pilin and IgA1 protease were found to hybridize exclusively to the chromosomal DNA of the pathogenic species, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and/or Neisseria meningitidis. In contrast, specific sequences for the genes of the porin protein Por and the opacity protein (Opa) were also detected in a panel of commensal Neisseria species such as N. lactamica, N. subflava, N. flava, N. mucosa and N. sicca. Using opa-specific oligonucleotides as probes in chromosomal blots, the genomes of the commensal Neisseria species show a totally reduced repertoire of cross-hybridizing loci compared to the complex opa gene family of N. gonorrhoeae. DNA sequence analysis of one opa-related gene derived from N. flava and N. sicca, respectively, revealed a large degree of homology with previously described gonococcal and meningococcal genes, e.g., a typical repetitive sequence in the leader peptide and the distribution of the hypervariable and conserved regions. This observation, together with the finding, that the gene is constitutively transcribed, leads to the assumption that some of the commensal Neisseria species may have the potential for the expression of a protein harboring similar functions as the Opa proteins in pathogenic Neisseriae.
Loss Aversion in Riskless Choice: A Reference-Dependent Model

Much experimental evidence indicates that choice depends on the status quo or reference level: changes of reference point often lead to reversals of preference. We present a reference-dependent theory of consumer choice, which explains such effects by a deformation of indifference curves about the reference point. The central assumption of the theory is that losses and disadvantages have greater impact on preferences than gains and advantages. Implications of loss aversion for economic behavior are considered.
Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta mimics and anti-TGF-beta antibody abrogates the in vivo effects of cyclosporine: demonstration of a direct role of TGF-beta in immunosuppression and nephrotoxicity of cyclosporine.

BACKGROUND Cyclosporine (CsA) has been shown to induce the expression of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta both in vitro and in vivo. It is hypothesized that the efficacy as well as the side effects of CsA are mediated by TGF-beta. This study was planned to investigate whether anti-TGF-beta mitigated and TGF-beta reproduced the in vivo effects of CsA to directly prove this hypothesis. METHODS B6AF1 (H2b/k.d) mice were divided into groups and received the following: CsA, vehicle (olive oil), CsA + anti-TGF-beta1 antibody, TGF-beta1, or vehicle phosphate-buffered saline/bovine serum albumin. All studies were carried out at 10 and 28 days after the last day of CsA administration with the exception of the exogenous TGF-beta experiments, which were performed 5 days after exogenous TGF-beta administration. The efficacy was studied by the anti-CD3-induced ex vivo proliferation of splenocytes measured by [3H]thymidine uptake; TGF-beta protein levels were quantified by ELISA. TGF-beta, collagen, and fibronectin gene expression was studied using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, and histopathological analysis was made on periodic acid-Schiff- and trichrome C-stained thin kidney sections. RESULTS CsA treatment resulted in decreased ex vivo proliferation of splenocytes, an increase in TGF-beta protein in the sera, and renal histopathological changes including tubular swelling, vacuolization, thrombotic microangiopathy, and increased expression of TGF-beta, collagen and fibronectin genes. All of these findings were blocked by anti-TGF-beta antibody. CONCLUSION The study demonstrates the in vivo modulation of the effects of CsA by manipulating TGF-beta levels and suggests that TGF-beta at least in part mediates CsA's beneficial and detrimental effects.
1 RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOB SATISFACTION AND PERFORMANCE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN OHAOZARA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EBONYI STATE

This study was carried out to examine the relationship between job satisfaction and job performance among secondary school teachers in both public and private schools in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. The population of the study was 198 teachers. It was a descriptive survey research. Questionnaire was used to solicit information directly from the respondents. Data were also collected on the performance of students in each of the affected schools in their Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) during the five years preceding this study. This study was guided by two null hypotheses. A negative correlation between job satisfaction and performance was got in public schools while it was positive in private schools. The study ended with some recommendations. Background to the Study One of the major concerns of employers of labour all over the world is how to motivate workers for increased productivity. A happy and satisfied worker is said to be highly motivated and productive. The concept of motivation for workers seems not to have gained much grounds with employers of labour in both the private and public sectors in Nigeria; though the private sector is better off in many respects in this regard. Motivation for workers is either not seen as important or is out rightly ignored by all concerned. This lack of concern for the well being of workers is evident in the frequent long drawn out industrial disputes between workers and management in both sectors. In the last thirty years, Nigeria is said to have witnessed more industrial unrest than ever before. Almost all strikes embarked upon by workers during this period were hinged on demands for improved pay and other conditions of service. Those demands have been consistently ignored by the authorities in most cases. In the educational sector, industrial unrest have assumed much proportions. The just ended six months Academic Staff Union of universities (ASUU) strike was
The role of NAT2 gene polymorphism in aetiology of the most frequent neurodegenerative diseases with dementia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The role of N-acetyltransferase gene (NAT2) polymorphism in the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) is an interesting issue; it is suggested that the slow acetylator genotype favours the damage of central nervous system cells by environmental toxins. The aims of the study were: 1) to determine the genotype of NAT2 in patients with sporadic PD with dementia and in patients with sporadic AD; 2) to evaluate the relationship between the genotype of NAT2 and the age at the onset of the disease, the extent of dementia, and the dose and side effects of L-dopa (in PD patients only); 3) to evaluate the predispositions to PD and AD. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty two PD patients with dementia aged 51-82 years (mean: 70.35) and 53 AD patients aged 58-84 years (mean: 72.58) were recruited. The control group consisted of 90 healthy subjects aged 65-86 years (mean: 72.11). Four standardized instruments for evaluation of dementia in PD patients were used. Clinical scales for PD evaluation were used. Each AD patient satisfied the National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke/Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association criteria for probable AD. Methods of molecular biology were used for genetic studies. RESULTS The NAT2*5/NAT2*5 genotype was more frequent in PD patients with dementia; the NAT2*4/NAT2*5 genotype was more frequent and the NAT2*4/NAT2*6 genotype was less frequent in AD patients. No relationship was found between genotypes and NAT2 alleles and the age at onset, severity of dementia or with the dose and side effects of L-dopa (in PD patients). CONCLUSIONS The analysis of NAT2 polymorphism does not seem to be useful in predicting the risk of PD with dementia or AD.