Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interference between certain neurotropic viruses and transplantable mouse tumors

T HE concept of parasitizing tumor tissue to control neoplastic processes in experimental animals that has occupied many investigators in the past was briefly reviewed by Moore4 in a recent publication. Following the report of Levaditi and Nicolau, in 1923, that high concentrations of vaccinia virus were observed in epitheliomas of mice and rats, other workers have demonstrated that various other viruses show affinity for transplantable experimental tumors. Moreover, in a few cases, a definite interference with the actual growth has taken place. For instance, Levaditi and Haber reported, in 1937, that the avianpest virus caused necrosis of an epithelial mouse tumor, and bioassays made with the remnants of the tumor indicated that the cells were no longer viable. In 1947, infection of sarcoma 180 with neurovaccinia virus was shown by Turner and Mulliken not only to affect the rate of growth of the tumor but also to render the tumor cells nonviable, as judged by failure to obtain further transplants. Recently, Moore3 reported that the Russian spring-summer-
Thrombopoietin Induces Phosphoinositol 3-Kinase Activation through SHP2, Gab, and Insulin Receptor Substrate Proteins in BAF3 Cells and Primary Murine Megakaryocytes*

Thrombopoietin (TPO) is a recently characterized member of the hematopoietic growth factor family that serves as the primary regulator of megakaryocyte (MK) and platelet production. The hormone acts by binding to the Mpl receptor, the product of the cellular proto-oncogene c-mpl. Although many downstream signaling targets of TPO have been identified in cell lines, primary MKs, and platelets, the molecular mechanism(s) by which many of these molecules are activated remains uncertain. In this report we demonstrate that the TPO-induced activation of phosphoinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), a signaling intermediate vital for cellular survival and proliferation, occurs through its association with inducible signaling complexes in both BaF3 cells engineered to express Mpl (BaF3/Mpl) and in primary murine MKs. Although a direct association between PI3K and Mpl could not be demonstrated, we found that several proteins, including SHP2, Gab2, and IRS2, undergo phosphorylation and association in BaF3/Mpl cells in response to TPO stimulation, complexes that recruit and enhance the enzymatic activity of PI3K. To verify the physiological relevance of the complex, SHP2-Gab2 association was disrupted by overexpressing a dominant negative SHP2 construct. TPO-induced Akt phosphorylation was significantly decreased in transfected cells suggesting an important role of SHP2 in the complex to enhance PI3K activity. In primary murine MKs, TPO also induced phosphorylation of SHP2, its association with p85 and enhanced PI3K activity, but in contrast to the results in cell lines, neither Gab2 nor IRS2 are phosphorylated in MKs. Instead, a 100-kDa tyrosine-phosphorylated protein (pp100) co-immunoprecipitated with the regulatory subunit of PI3K. These findings support a model where PI3K activity is dependent on its recruitment into TPO-induced multiphosphoprotein complexes, implicate the existence of a scaffolding protein in primary MKs distinct from the known Gab and IRS proteins, and suggest that, in contrast to erythroid progenitor cells that employ Gab1 in PI3K signaling complexes, utilization of an alternate member of the Gab/IRS family could be responsible for specificity in TPO signaling.
Ligand specificity and ligand‐induced conformational change in gal repressor

Gal repressor (GalR) binds D‐galactose, which is responsible for lifting of repression of the gal operon. Proton T1 measurements of α‐ and β‐anomers of galactose as a function of gal repressor show preferential binding of the β‐anomer. The β‐anomer was isolated by high‐performance liquid chromatography and was shown to bind tightly to GalR. Calorimetry was used to determine enthalpy changes at several temperatures. Heat capacity change was found to be positive, indicating that a significant amount of hydrophobic surface area was exposed upon galactose binding. Bis‐ANS binding to GalR is significantly enhanced in the presence of a saturating amount of galactose, indicating additional exposure of hydrophobic surfaces. We propose that the galactose‐induced conformational change involves the opening of the two subdomains, which may disrupt protein–protein interactions responsible for repression. Proteins 2002;49:554–559. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Inability of the Rarely Missed Index to identify simulated malingering under more realistic assessment conditions

The Wechsler Memory Scale-III (WMS-III) Rarely Missed Index (RMI) was developed by Killgore and DellaPietra (1999b, 2000b, 2001) to detect malingering. Its development was based on item-response biases in the Logical Memory Delayed Recognition (LMDR) items of the WMS-III (Killgore & DellaPietra, 1999a, 2000a). We completed replication studies using undergraduates, analog malingerers, and patients. In Experiment 1, 100 undergraduates naïve to the WMS-III Logical Memory stories were administered the LMDR, and item-response biases were explored. In Experiment 2, 49 undergraduates feigned brain injury on cognitive and symptom validity tests. Data were also extracted from 83 traumatic brain injury (TBI), dementia, psychiatric/pain, stroke, and other patient files. Neither the previously reported item-response biases nor the diagnostic utility of the RMI in identifying simulated malingerers were replicated.
Novel Technique for Shaped Planar Inductor Winding Optimization in Gapped Core Applications

AC-loss analysis in gapped-core inductor windings can be performed using finite element analysis (FEM) software with good results. The process however becomes very time consuming especially if the winding is shaped in the vicinity of the air gap. The lack of closed form solutions for optimization of shaped windings emphasizes the need for alternative techniques offering solutions quicker than running FEM-simulations for all the possible conductor arrangements. A novel technique for optimisation of shaped planar inductor windings is proposed in this work but should be applicable to larger low frequency power system components with minor adjustments. The flux density as a function of the distance from the air gap is estimated using a very simple model and the subsequent losses calculated using a first-principle method with good results. The simulated results are verified experimentally.
The effects of the attending obstetrician's anxiety trait and the corresponding obstetric intervention rates

Summary Anecdotally, it has been suggested that obstetricians of similar training and experience have different intervention rates on the labour ward. This phenomenon has not been studied in depth. The aim of this study was to record the intra-partum intervention rates for third on-call registrars and correlate this with the anxiety traits of the corresponding registrars. An analysis of births occurring during out-of-hours in the main delivery unit of a large teaching hospital during the period September 2005–September 2006 was carried out. The rate of interventions per cumulative number of deliveries that occurred specific to each doctor on-call was calculated. Anxiety traits were calculated with a validated questionnaire. There is a significant difference in the caesarean section rates between registrars of similar experience. There is also a strong correlation between the registrar's anxiety trait level and the registrar's emergency caesarean section rates (Pearsons correlate 0.722, p<0.01).
The incidence of health financing in South Africa: findings from a recent data set

Abstract There is an international call for countries to ensure universal health coverage. This call has been embraced in South Africa (SA) in the form of a National Health Insurance (NHI). This is expected to be financed through general tax revenue with the possibility of additional earmarked taxes including a surcharge on personal income and/or a payroll tax for employers. Currently, health services are financed in SA through allocations from general tax revenue, direct out-of-pocket payments, and contributions to medical scheme. This paper uses the most recent data set to assess the progressivity of each health financing mechanism and overall financing system in SA. Applying standard and innovative methodologies for assessing progressivity, the study finds that general taxes and medical scheme contributions remain progressive, and direct out-of-pocket payments and indirect taxes are regressive. However, private health insurance contributions, across only the insured, are regressive. The policy implications of these findings are discussed in the context of the NHI.
Microtubules containing detyrosinated tubulin are less dynamic.

Peptide antibodies specific for tyrosinated (tyr‐tubulin) or detyrosinated alpha‐tubulin (glu‐tubulin) have been generated for studying the relative stability of microtubules enriched in either form of alpha‐tubulin. Treatment of Vero cells with nocodazole has revealed that interphase microtubules rich in glu‐tubulin (glu‐microtubules) are resistant to higher concentrations of the microtubule‐disrupting drug than the microtubules containing only tyr‐tubulin (tyr‐microtubules). Glu‐tubulin is enriched in centrioles and mid‐bodies, but absent from the first interphase microtubules that have repolymerized in late telophase. Tubulin (including both forms) has been labeled with rhodamine (rh‐tubulin) and microinjected into Vero cells to study in vivo the dynamic properties and incorporation rates of tubulin into microtubules rich in either glu‐ or tyr‐tubulin. Tyr‐microtubules are significantly more rapidly labeled by the microinjected rh‐tubulin than glu‐microtubules. Ten minutes after injection, rh‐tubulin is present in virtually all tyr‐microtubules. The half‐time of turnover of glu‐microtubules is approximately 1 h. Even several hours after microinjection, some of the glu‐microtubules have consistently not incorporated visible amounts of rh‐tubulin. These results suggest that tyr‐ and glu‐microtubules respectively represent relatively dynamic and stable subclasses of interphase microtubules.
A novel method for the prediction of functional biological activity of polyethylene wear debris

Abstract The comparative performance of artificial hip joints has been extensively investigated in vitro through measurements of wear volumes. in vivo a major cause of long-term failure is wear-debris-induced osteolysis. These adverse biological reactions are not simply dependent on wear volume, but are also controlled by the size and volumetric concentration of the debris. A novel model is presented which predicts functional biological activity; this is determined by integrating the product of the biological activity function and the volumetric concentration function with the wear volume over the whole particle size range. This model combines conventional wear volume measurements with particle analysis and the output from in vitro cell culture studies to provide a new indicator of osteolytic potential. The application of the model is demonstrated through comparison of the functional biological activity of wear debris from polyethylene acetabular cups articulating under three different conditions in a hip joint simulator.
Urea flux in the ureter.

It has been hypothesized that urea from the final urine is recycled into the renal papilla through the pelvic epithelium. To test this hypothesis, samples of urine were collected by micropuncture proximally and distally through the intact, contracting ureter of the anesthetized rat. In 12 rats, in which urine flow was 5.89 +/- 0.67 microliter/min (a moderate antidiuresis), the ratio of proximal-to-distal urea concentration, corrected for water movement, was 0.93 +/- 0.03 (P less than 0.01 compared with unity), indicating that approximately 7% of urea in the urine emerging from the terminal collecting duct was reabsorbed by the time it reached the distal ureter. To assess the possible contribution of urea reabsorption by the ureter, the ureter was cannulated proximally and distally and perfused with urine of known composition at 6.26 +/- 0.10 microliter/min. In nine rats, the ratio of urea concentration in the perfusate collected from the distal end of the ureter to that in the perfusate entering the proximal end was 0.93 +/- 0.02 (P less than 0.01 compared with unity), indicating 7% reabsorption. Movement of solute across the ureteral epithelium was not restricted to urea. Potassium and creatinine were also reabsorbed [3.4 +/- 0.9 (P less than 0.01) and 3.5 +/- 1.2% (P less than 0.05), respectively], whereas sodium was secreted [9.2 +/- 2.3% (P less than 0.01)]. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Gastric bypass surgery improves metabolic and hepatic abnormalities associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Most patients with extreme obesity have nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Although gastric bypass (GBP) surgery is the most common bariatric operation performed in obese patients in the United States, the effect of GBP surgery-induced weight loss on the metabolic and hepatic abnormalities associated with NAFLD are not clear. METHODS Whole-body glucose, fatty acid and lipoprotein kinetics, liver histology, and hepatic cellular factors involved in inflammation and fibrogenesis were evaluated in 7 extremely obese subjects (body mass index, 58 +/- 4 kg/m(2)) before and 1 year after GBP surgery. RESULTS At 1 year after surgery, subjects lost 29% +/- 5% of initial body weight (P < .01); palmitate rate of appearance in plasma, an index of adipose tissue lipolysis, decreased by 47% +/- 4% (P < .01); endogenous glucose production rate decreased by 27% +/- 7% (P < .01); and very-low-density lipoprotein-triglyceride secretion rate decreased by 44% +/- 9% (P < .05). In addition, GBP surgery-induced weight loss decreased hepatic steatosis but did not change standard histologic assessments of inflammation and fibrosis. However, there was a marked decrease in hepatic factors involved in regulating fibrogenesis (collagen-alpha1(I), transforming growth factor-beta1, alpha-smooth muscle actin, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 expression and alpha-smooth muscle actin content) and inflammation (macrophage chemoattractant protein 1 and interleukin 8 expression) (P < .05, compared with values before weight loss). CONCLUSIONS These data demonstrate that weight loss induced by GBP surgery normalizes the metabolic abnormalities involved in the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of NAFLD and decreases the hepatic expression of factors involved in the progression of liver inflammation and fibrosis.
Surgical Volume and the Risk of Surgical Site Infection in Community Hospitals: Size Matters

Objective:To determine if surgical volume affects the risk of surgical site infections (SSI) in community hospitals. Background:The utility of public reporting and the optimal methods to employ when reporting SSI rates remain controversial and contentious issues. Studies examining the association between surgical volume and SSI risk have included few community hospitals and have reported conflicting results. Methods:A prospective study of surgical procedures performed at 18 community hospitals from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2005, was performed. Hospitals were separated based on average surgical volume per year: small (<1500 procedures), medium (1500 ≤ procedures < 4000), and large (≥4000 procedures). The risk of SSI for each category was determined using multivariable Poisson regression. Results:Prospective surveillance identified 1434 SSIs after 132,111 surgical procedures (prevalence rate = 1.09/100 procedures). In unadjusted analysis, the risk of SSI was almost twice as high at small hospitals [prevalence rate ratio (PRR) = 1.9 (95% CI 1.78–2.05)] and large hospitals [PRR = 1.79 (95% CI 1.70–1.90)] compared with medium hospitals. After adjusting for differences between hospital category and important confounders, the risk of SSI at small hospitals was still 1.5 times higher than medium hospitals [adjusted PRR = 1.49 (95% CI 1.39–1.60)], whereas the risk at large hospitals was substantially decreased compared with medium hospitals [adjusted PRR = 1.29 (95% CI 1.22–1.36)]. Outcomes:The relationship between hospital surgical volume and rates of SSI in community hospitals is important and complex. As public reporting of SSI rates expands, improved methods for risk-adjusting infection rates are needed.
Behavioural and neurotoxicological changes caused by cadmium treatment of rats during development

Behavioural and electrophysiological changes caused by inorganic cadmium were investigated in the offspring of female Wistar rats. Dams were given 3.5, 7.0 or 14.0 mg kg−1 cadmium (cadmium chloride dissolved in distilled water) in three different treatment regimes: days 5–15 of pregnancy; days 5–15 of pregnancy + 4 weeks of lactation; days 5–15 of pregnancy + 4 weeks of lactation followed by the same oral treatment of male rats of the F1 generation for 8 weeks. The behavioural (open‐field exploration) and electrophysiological (electrocorticogram, cortical evoked potentials, conduction velocity and refractory periods of a peripheral nerve) parameters of F1 male rats exposed by various treatments were investigated at the age of 12 weeks. It was found that cadmium dose and treatment time dependently altered the spontaneous and evoked electrophysiological functions (e.g. increased the frequency of the electrocorticogram, lengthened the latency and duration of evoked potentials, etc.). Interestingly, only the combination of treatment during prenatal development and the 4‐week suckling period resulted in a significant dose‐dependent decrease of horizontal and vertical exploratory activity and a significantly lower exploration frequency of the open‐field centre. The results showed that low‐level pre‐ and postnatal inorganic cadmium exposure affects the bioelectrical and higher order functions of the nervous system. In the case of human populations, a similar prolonged exposure might be just as harmful. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Isolation and Partial Characterization of Carotenoid Pigments of Mycobacterium Rhodochrous

It was the purpose of this investigation to isolate and characterize the pigments of Mycobacterium rhodochrous by partition behavior, chromatographic data, and absorption spectra. In addition, it was the purpose to determine whether or not the type of pigments found in M. rhodochrous is typical of those found in other mycobacteria.
Crossing Experiments Supporting the Specific Status of Anopheles maculatus Chromosomal Form K

ABSTRACT There are 3 recognized chromosomal forms (B, E, K) in the taxon of Anopheles maculatus, 1 of the 8 members of the Anopheles maculatus group. Previous studies suggested that forms B and E are cytotypes of the species, but genetic characteristics of form K are unknown. The present study used crossing experiments, and polytene chromosomes of the ovarian nurse cell in F1 hybrids to show that form K is genetically distinct from forms B and E. In addition, postzygotic genetic incompatibility between form K and An. sawadwongporni, An. dravidicus, and An. pseudowillmori are demonstrated. In all crosses, hybrid males were sterile, with atrophied testes and accessory glands, or partially sterile with abnormal spermatozoa. The hybrid females showed varying degrees of atrophied ovaries. The ovarian nurse cell polytene chromosomes of the F1 hybrid females displayed ∼70% to almost complete asynapsis. The results provide clear evidence that form K should no longer be regarded as a cytotype of An. maculatus. The present study supports previous suggestions that form K represents another species of the Maculatus group.
The economic cost of asthma in Singapore.

BACKGROUND Asthma is a common chronic disorder. In Singapore, it is estimated that 140,000 individuals have current asthma and more than 100 individuals die of this disease annually. OBJECTIVE This study estimates the economic cost of asthma, both direct and indirect, to the patient and community. METHOD Direct cost estimates were based on all levels of medical care, which included inpatient care, emergency room visits, specialist outpatient and primary healthcare, and medication costs. Indirect costs were estimated from cost of time lost by patients and their families attending to medical needs and the loss of productivity due to absenteeism. These estimates were calculated to the 1992/93 US dollar. RESULTS The total cost of asthma in Singapore was estimated to be US $33.93 million per annum. This was made up of US $17.22 million in direct costs and US $16.71 million in indirect costs. Inpatient hospitalisation accounted for the largest proportion of direct medical expenditure, approximately US $8.55 million. The loss of productivity from acute asthma accounted for the largest proportion of the indirect costs at US $12.70 million. The cost estimates did not include premature death due to disease. These estimates represent approximately US $238 per asthmatic person per year or US $11.90 per person per year. CONCLUSION This study shows that the economic cost of asthma is also considerable in populations outside the Western hemisphere, and justifies the need for a concerted effort to reduce asthma morbidity worldwide.
Effects of antithrombin and heparin cofactor II levels on anticoagulation with Intimatan

Summary Heparin is the current mainstay drug for anticoagulation during cardiac surgery, but it requires normal levels of antithrombin (AT) for optimal anticoagulation. Heparin anticoagulation may be less effective in cardiac surgical patients because of decreased AT levels due to the prolonged heparin therapy. Therefore, other anticoagulants that would work well in AT deficient patients may be more desirable. One such agent currently being evaluated is Intimatan, which catalyzes heparin cofactor II (HCII) dependent inhibition of thrombin. In the current in vitro study we examined the effects of Intimatan (20 μg/ml), heparin (0.25 U/ml), or both drugs in combination on thrombin generation in plasma with decreasing levels of AT, HCII or both cofactors, using a novel method based on the continuous measure-ment of thrombin generation. For the study, we collected blood samples from healthy volunteers, isolated platelet poor plasma by centrifugation and mixed it withAT, HCII, orAT-HCII deficient plasma samples to achieve different levels of AT, HCII and AT-HCII. Thrombin generation was inhibited equally well with heparin or Intimatan when the level of their respective cofactors was within the normal range. With decreasing levels of AT or HCII, heparin and Intimatan became less effective in thrombin inhibition, respectively. With the absence of both cofactors, neither agent alone or in combination had any effect on thrombin generation. We conclude that Intimatan may be an effective adjunct to heparin therapy under low AT conditions. The study was presented in part at the annual meeting of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, Honolulu, HI on April 26, 2004