Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition and deficiency of the immunoproteasome subunit LMP7 attenuates LCMV‐induced meningitis

In addition to antigen processing, immunoproteasomes were recently shown to exert functions influencing cytokine production by monocytes and T cells, T‐helper cell differentiation, and T‐cell survival. Moreover, selective inhibition of the immunoproteasome subunit LMP7 ameliorated symptoms of autoimmune diseases including CD4+ T‐cell mediated EAE. In this study, we show that LMP7 also plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV)‐induced meningitis mediated by CTLs. Mice lacking functional LMP7 display delayed and reduced clinical signs of disease accompanied by a strongly decreased inflammatory infiltration into the brain. Interestingly, we found that selective inhibition and genetic deficiency of LMP7 affect the pathogenesis of LCMV‐induced meningitis in a distinct manner. Our findings support the important role of LMP7 in inflammatory disorders and suggest immunoproteasome inhibition as a novel strategy against inflammation‐induced neuropathology in the CNS.
The relationship of tutors' content expertise to interventions and perceptions in a PBL medical curriculum

This study addressed three questions: (1) Do content‐expert tutors differ from non‐expert tutors in the extent to which they present/explain case content? (2) Do tutors who present/explain case content differ from those who almost never do in their ratings of various outcomes of a PBL curriculum? (3) Are tutors who present/explain case content rated differently by students from tutors who almost never do? Data were gathered from 88 tutors and 168 students in the first 2 years of a PBL medical curriculum. Students assessed their tutor after each unit, and tutors completed a questionnaire near the end of the academic year. In this study, `content expertise' was defined operationally as tutors' self‐ratings on the question `To what extent could you teach (at the Med I level) the material covered in the cases? ' Less than half of the tutors reported that they almost never presented/explained case content. As tutors' content expertise increased, they tended to present/explain case content more frequently. Tutors who almost never presented/explained case content rated PBL more highly than traditional methods. No differences were found in student ratings of tutors who almost never presented/explained case content, compared to tutors who did. The results suggest that tutors who are content experts find it difficult to maintain the `facilitator' role, but that those who maintain this role are more satisfied with PBL. It appears that other tutor behaviours may have a greater influence on students' ratings of their tutors.
Oscillator control of cell division in Euglena: cyclic AMP oscillations mediate the phasing of the cell division cycle by the circadian clock.

The achlorophyllous ZC strain of Euglena gracilis exhibits a circadian rhythm of cell division in constant darkness (DD). Mitosis occurs during a restricted part of the circadian cycle, corresponding to the dark intervals in a light-dark cycle comprising 12 h of light and 12 h of darkness. We have demonstrated that division-phased cultures also exhibit bimodal, circadian changes of cyclic AMP level. Maximum cyclic AMP levels occurred at the beginning of the light period (CT (circadian time) 00-02), and at the beginning of darkness (CT 12-14). These variations persisted in cultures that had been transferred into DD and appeared to be under the control of the circadian oscillator rather than to be cell division cycle (CDC)-dependent, since they continued in cultures that had reached the stationary phase of growth. In the experiments reported in this paper, we tested for the possible role of this periodic cyclic AMP signal in the generation of cell division rhythmicity by examining the effects of exogenous cyclic AMP signals and of forskolin, which permanently increased the cyclic AMP level, on the cell division rhythm. Perturbations of the cyclic AMP oscillation by exogenous cyclic AMP resulted in the temporary uncoupling of the CDC from the circadian timer. The addition of cyclic AMP during the subjective day resulted in delays (up to 9 h) of the next synchronous division step. In contrast, mitosis was stimulated when cyclic AMP was administered in the middle of the subjective night. Measurement of the DNA content of cells by flow cytometry indicated that cyclic AMP injected at CT 06-08 delayed progression through S phase, and perhaps also through mitosis. When added at CT 18-20, cyclic AMP accelerated the G2/M transition. The circadian oscillator was not perturbed by the addition of exogenous cyclic AMP: the division rhythm soon returned to its original phase. On the other hand, the permanent elevation of cyclic AMP levels in the presence of forskolin induced a rapid loss of cell division rhythmicity. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that cyclic AMP acts downstream from the oscillator and that the cyclic AMP oscillation is an essential component of the signaling pathway for the control of the CDC by the circadian oscillator. The receptors for cyclic AMP in Euglena have been shown to be two cyclic AMP-dependent kinases (cPKA and cPKB). Pharmacological studies using cyclic AMP analogs suggested that cPKA mediates cyclic AMP effects during the subjective day, and cPKB during the subjective night. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Red Cell Distribution Width in Patients with HIV Infection

Objective: To examine the association between elevated levels of red cell distribution width (RDW) and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and metabolic syndrome (MS) in HIV-patients. Methods: Cross-sectional study including all asymptomatic HIV-outpatients under follow-up during 2007. Patients completed a questionnaire about CVRF, underwent a physical examination, and an 8-hour fasting blood analysis. Elevated RDW was defined as ≥75th percentile. Patients with and without an elevated RDW were compared. Results: 666 patients (79.3% men) were included: mean age 44.7 years, mean CD4 506/mm3 and 87.5% on antiretroviral therapy (85.3% with undetectable viral load). Mean RDW was 13.7% (range: 7.7% - 33.6%; 75th percentile, 14.1%). The prevalence per quartile of MS was 15.7%, 9.3%, 18.8% and 16.6% and of patients with CVRF > 20% was 8.4%, 4.0%, 4.4%, and 6.4%, respectively (p > 0.05); 23.4% of the patients had an elevated RDW (>14.1%). The top percentile of RDW was associated with AIDS (OR 1.6; 95% CI, 1.0 - 2.4; p = 0.02), detectable viral load (OR 1.5; 95% CI, 1.01 - 2.4; p = 0.04) and hypertension (OR 2.3; 95% CI, 1.4 - 4.0; p = 0.001). Conclusions: In HIV-outpatients, higher RDW is related with detectable viral load and with AIDS. Although it was associated with hypertension, we found no relation with MS nor with higher cardiovascular risk.
Cooling blocks rat hippocampal neurotransmission by a presynaptic mechanism: observations using 2‐photon microscopy

Over the past decade there has been great interest in the therapeutic potential of brain cooling for epilepsy, stroke, asphyxia and other neurological diseases. However, there is still no consensus regarding the neurophysiological effect(s) of brain cooling. We employed standard physiological techniques and 2‐photon microscopy to directly examine the effect of temperature on evoked neurotransmitter release in rat hippocampal slices. We observed a monotonic decline in extracellular synaptic potentials and their initial slope over the temperature range 33–20°C, when the slices were cooled to a new set point in less than 5 s. Imaging the fluorescent synaptic marker FM1‐43 with 2‐photon microscopy showed that the same cooling protocol dramatically reduced transmitter release between 33 and 20°C. Cooling also reduced the terminal FM1‐43 destaining that was induced by direct depolarization with elevated K+, indicating that axonal conduction block cannot account for our observations. The temperature dependence of FM1‐43 destaining correlated well with the effect of temperature on field potential slope, compatible with a presynaptic explanation for our electrophysiological observations. Optical measurement of FM1‐43 dissociation from cell membranes was not affected by temperature, and rapid cooling of slices loaded with FM1‐43 did not increase their fluorescence. Our experiments provide visible evidence that a major neurophysiological effect of cooling in the mammalian brain is a reduction in the efficacy of neurotransmitter release. This presynaptic effect may account for some of the therapeutic benefits of cooling in epilepsy and possibly stroke.
Unified Differential Spatial Modulation

This letter proposes a unified differential spatial modulation (DSM) architecture, where a flexible rate-diversity tradeoff is achieved, while enabling a simple single-RF transmitter structure along with non-coherent detection that dispenses with channel estimation at the receiver. In our proposed scheme, by assigning a set of sparse complex-valued antenna-index matrices, only one transmit antenna element is activated during each symbol interval and then a phase-shift keying (PSK) symbol is transmitted from the activated antenna element. The explicit benefit of the proposed scheme's universal DSM framework is ability to strike a balance between previous DSM schemes, such as the symbol-based and the block-based DSM schemes. Moreover, to attain a useful attainable diversity gain, we further extend the proposed DSM scheme in a manner that permits flexible planning of the number of symbols employed per antenna-index block.
Texture and Wavelet-Based Spoof Fingerprint Detection for Fingerprint Biometric Systems

This paper describes an image-based system to detect spoof fingerprint attacks in fingerprint biometric systems. It is based on the observation that, real and spoof fingerprints exhibit different textural characteristics. These are based on structural, orientation, roughness, smoothness and regularity differences of diverse regions in a fingerprint image. Local binary pattern (LBP) histograms are used to capture these textural details. Wavelet energy features characterizing ridge frequency and orientation information are also used for improving the efficiency of the proposed method. Dimensionality of the integrated feature set is reduced by running Pudilpsilas Sequential Forward Floating Selection (SFFS) algorithm. We propose to use a hybrid classifier, formed by fusing three classifiers: neural network, support vector machine and k-nearest neighbor using the ldquoProduct Rulerdquo. Classification rates achieved with these classifiers, including a hybrid classifier are in the range ~94% to ~97%. Experimental results indicate that, the new liveness detection approach is a very promising technique, as it needs only one fingerprint and no extra hardware to detect vitality.
Human endothelial cells selectively express large amounts of pancreatic‐type ribonuclease (RNase 1)

Pyrimidine‐specific ribonucleases are a superfamily of structurally related enzymes with distinct catalytic and biological properties. We used a combination of enzymatic and non‐enzymatic assays to investigate the release of such enzymes by isolated cells in serum‐free and serum‐containing media. We found that human endothelial cells typically expressed large amounts of a pancreatic‐type RNase that is related to, if not identical to, human pancreatic RNase. This enzyme exhibits pyrimidine‐specific catalytic activity, with a marked preference for poly(C) substrate over poly(U) substrate. It was potently inhibited by placental RNase inhibitor, the selective pancreatic‐type RNase inhibitor Inhibit‐Ace, and a polyclonal antibody against human pancreatic RNase. The enzyme isolated from medium conditioned by immortalized umbilical vein endothelial cells (EA.hy926) possesses an amino‐terminal sequence identical to that of pancreatic RNase, and shows molecular heterogeneity (molecular weights 18,000–26,000) due to different degrees of N‐glycosylation. Endothelial cells from arteries, veins, and capillaries secreted up to 100 ng of this RNase daily per million cells, whereas levels were low or undetectable in media conditioned by other cell types examined. The corresponding messenger RNA was detected by RT‐PCR in most cell types tested so far, and level of its expression was in keeping with the amounts of protein. The selective strong release of pancreatic‐type RNase by endothelial cells suggests that it is endowed with non‐digestive functions and involved in vascular homeostasis. J. Cell. Biochem. 86: 540–552, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Potential Impact of Radix Paeoniae Alba in Embryonic Development of Mice

Although Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) has been ranked as one of the top 6 herbs used frequently to prevent and treat miscarriages clinically, there is no clear evidence regarding its safety in embryonic development. This study aims to evaluate the potential impacts of RPA on embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and pregnant mice. Cytotoxicity assays of the extract were performed in ESCs and 3T3 cells. Pregnant ICR mice were orally treated with RPA extracts at dosages of 0 (G1 group as negative controls), 2, 8 and 32 g/kg/day (G2, G3 and G4 groups) respectively from the gestation day (Gd) 6–15. On Gd 18, there was no significant difference in the IC50 values between ESCs and 3T3 cells (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in the maternal and fetal evaluations among four groups (p > 0.05). Fetal IL‐2, IL‐2r, TNF‐α, TNF‐αr, IL‐4, IL‐4r, IL‐10r, IL‐17 and IL‐17r of G4 group were significantly lower than G1 group (p < 0.05). In conclusion, RPA at dosage of 32 g/kg/day (16‐folds of human daily dosage) did not cause adverse impact in cultured ESCs and pregnant mice. RPA might down‐regulate fetal Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines and receptors maybe beneficial to embryonic survival and development. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Development and Impact of the Modern High‐speed Train: A Review

Abstract The inauguration of the Shinkansen high‐speed train service between Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, at 210 kph maximum operating speed some 40 years ago marked the comeback of the train as an important passenger mode of transport. Since then high‐speed train (HST) services have been introduced in many countries and are planned in many more, and the train has once more become the dominant mode of transport on many routes. This review summarizes the different elements of HST operation with the aim of characterizing HST operation and putting in context its impact in terms of what it is best designed for and what it can deliver. The review concludes that the HST is best designed to substitute conventional railway services on routes where much higher capacity is required and to reduce travel time, further improving the railway service, also against other modes, therefore leading to mode substitution. However, the high investment in HST infrastructure could not be justified based on its economic development benefits since these are not certain. Finally, the following definition for HST services is suggested: high capacity and frequency railway services achieving an average speed of over 200 kph.
Potential associations between hematogenous complications and bacterial genotype in Staphylococcus aureus infection.

BACKGROUND The impact of bacterial clonality on infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus is unclear. METHODS Three hundred seventy-nine S. aureus isolates (125 methicillin-resistant S. aureus [MRSA] and 254 methicillin-susceptible S. aureus [MSSA]) were genotyped by spa typing and multilocus sequence typing. For MRSA isolates, the staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) element was also typed. Three clinical categories were identified: nasal carriage only (n=118), uncomplicated infection (n=104), and bacteremia with hematogenous complications (n=157). RESULTS By use of eBURST, 18 clonal complexes (CCs) were found in 371 isolates. Eight CCs accounted for 89% of isolates and occurred in all clinical categories. CC5 (P=.0025) and CC30 (P=.0308) exhibited a significant trend toward more frequent hematogenous complications. Isolates within spa types 2 and 16 showed the same significant trend and grouped within CC5 and CC30, respectively. SCCmec II isolates also showed the same significant trend compared with SCCmec IV; 96% were CC5 or CC30. CONCLUSIONS Although most S. aureus genotypes exhibited the capacity to cause invasive disease, strains within CC5 and CC30 exhibited a significant trend toward increasing levels of hematogenous complications. Isolates within these CCs were also implicated by use of spa and SCCmec typing. The genetic determinants underlying these findings remain to be demonstrated.
Enhancing integrin function by VEGF/neuropilin signaling

This review advances the hypothesis that the ability of integrins to engage their extracellular matrix ligands and signal can be regulated in tumor cells by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a major angiogenic factor that also has direct effects on the function of tumor cells. More specifically, we will discuss how neuropilins (NRPs), a distinct class of VEGF receptors, enable the function of specific integrins that contribute to tumor initiation and progression.
The Role of Root Damage in the Chelate-Enhanced Accumulation of Lead by Indian Mustard Plants

In the present study, increasing ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) concentration from 0 to 0.5 mmol L−1 resulted in progressive increases in root elongation and in shoot and root dry matter (DM) of Indian mustard seedlings (Brassica juncea. L.) exposed at 0.5 mmol L−1 of lead (Pb). The highest concentration of Pb in the shoots of Indian mustard reached 1140 mg kg−1 dry weight (DW) in the treatment with 0.5 mmol L−1 of Pb + 0.25 mmol L−1 of EDTA. A significantly positive correlation was found between the concentrations of Pb and EDTA in the shoots of mustard. Roots were pretreated with an MC (methanol:trichloromethane) solution, 0.1 mol L−1 of HCl, and 65°C hot water. The plants were then exposed to 0.5 mmol L−1 of Pb + 3 mmol L−1 of EDTA in solution for 2 d. The pretreatments with MC, HCl, and hot water all increased the concentration of Pb in shoots by 14-, 7-, and 15-fold, respectively, compared with the shoots that had not been pretreated. Therefore, some physiological damage to roots would be useful to enhance the uptake of metal by plants and to minimize the application of doses of chelates in the practical operation of chelate-assisted phytoremediation.
Human upper airway structural cell-derived cytokines support human peripheral blood monocyte survival: a potential mechanism for monocyte/macrophage accumulation in the tissue.

A central feature of chronic airway inflammation is accumulation of monocyte/macrophages in the tissue. It is well known that circulating monocytes are short-lived cells whereas tissue macrophages are longer-lived cells. One mechanism that may account for accumulation of inflammatory cells includes enhanced survival and/or differentiation of these cells. Recent studies imply that signals released by tissue structural cells may be crucial in these events. To investigate this notion, human blood monocytes were cultured with either culture medium alone as a control, human nasal epithelial cell-conditioned medium (EpCM), or fibroblast-conditioned medium (FCM) for more than 1 wk. Survival of monocytes in medium alone was 17% at day 7, whereas survival of those cultured with 50% of EpCM or FCM was 62% and 64%, respectively. The effect of EpCM and FCM was dose dependent. Preincubation of either conditioned medium (CM) with an antibody against granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) or an antibody against macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) resulted in a partial abrogation of the survival-enhancing effect, to an average of 50% and 30%, respectively. Complete inhibition was obtained by preincubation of the CM with a combination of both antibodies. The effect of CM represented true survival because CM only induced a low profile of [3H]thymidine incorporation and, furthermore, less than 0.3% of the cells cultured with CM underwent DNA synthesis as assessed by autoradiography. In addition, ultrastructural observations demonstrated that most monocytes cultured with either CM but not with control culture medium assumed ultrastructural features of macrophages by day 8 of culture. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The ar of the chameleon. Chamaeleo höhnelii and Chamaeleo jacksoni.

The study of the chameleon ear that began with Chamaeleo senegalensis and Chamaeleo quilensis has now been extended to two further species, Chamaeleo hohnelii and Chameleo jacksoni, with results that are different in important respects. As measured in terms of cochlear potentials, the two species of the present study show definitely poorer sensitivity to aerial sounds. Also their responsiveness to these sounds is not made much worse by severing the columella, an observation that stands in contrast with the serious impairment that this operation produces in C. senegalensis and C. quilensis. The explanation lies in a difference between the sound receptive mechanisms in the two groups. In the species examined earlier a substitute tympanic membrane was found: beneath the surface at the side of the head is a diaphragm formed by a thin plate of the pterygoid bone and a membrane extending its surface to the border of the quadrate bone. In addition there is a branch process (anterior process) of the extracolumella that attaches to the middle of this pterygoid plate, and transmits the movements made by the plate in response to sounds to the stapedial footplate in the oval window. In C. hohnelii and C. jacksoni this anterior process is lacking, and the pterygoid plate cannot function as a sound receptive surface.
A Novel Function for Galectin-1 at the Crossroad of Innate and Adaptive Immunity: Galectin-1 Regulates Monocyte/Macrophage Physiology through a Nonapoptotic ERK-Dependent Pathway1

Several environmental factors can differentially regulate monocyte and macrophage response patterns, resulting in the display of distinct functional phenotypes. Galectin-1, an endogenous lectin found at peripheral lymphoid organs and inflammatory sites, has shown immunoregulatory activity in vivo in experimental models of autoimmunity and cancer. Whereas compelling evidence has been accumulated regarding the effects of galectin-1 on T cell fate, limited information is available on how galectin-1 may impact other immune cell types. In the present study, we report a novel role for galectin-1 in the regulation of monocyte and macrophage physiology. Treatment with galectin-1 in vitro differentially regulates constitutive and inducible FcγRI expression on human monocytes and FcγRI-dependent phagocytosis. In addition, galectin-1 inhibits IFN-γ-induced MHC class II (MHC-II) expression and MHC-II-dependent Ag presentation in a dose-dependent manner. These regulatory effects were also evident in mouse macrophages recruited in response to inflammatory stimuli following treatment with recombinant galectin-1 and further confirmed in galectin-1-deficient mice. Investigation of the mechanisms involved in these functions showed that galectin-1 does not affect survival of human monocytes, but rather influences FcγRI- and MHC-II-dependent functions through active mechanisms involving modulation of an ERK1/2-dependent pathway. Our results provide evidence of a novel unrecognized role for galectin-1 in the control of monocyte/macrophage physiology with potential implications at the crossroad of innate and adaptive immunity.