Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Affecting the Developmental Capacity of Mouse Oocytes Undergoing Maturation in Vitro a

One of the major problems encountered by in vitro fertilization ( I V F ) clinics is to recognize the maturational state of the oocytes obtained from stimulated follicles, and to treat them appropriately if they are judged to be too immature for fertilization. For example, at the Norfolk clinic, more than half of the recovered oocytes were judged to be immature, and about 73% of these were still in the germinal vesicle stage. ’ Immature ova are usually cultured for some period of time with the hope that the maturational program will be completed normally so that fertilization can be attempted. This protocol is followed even though various investigators using several species have had difficulty in achieving fertilization and development of oocytes matured in vitro. 2-s While the nuclear events of maturation, namely germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and polar body formation, progressed normally, the cytoplasm of the oocytes usually failed to promote male pronuclear formation after sperm penetration. Accordingly, it was concluded that full “cytoplasmic maturation ” did not occur during spontaneous maturation in vitro. 2.5 It was suggested that either the environment of the intact follicle was needed to actively promote cytoplasmic maturation, or that culture systems were inadequate or toxic, or both. Successful fertilization and development of oocytes matured in vitro were achieved in some and these studies suggested that general culture deficiencies were the source of previous difficulties rather than the lack of a special follicular factor( s ) needed to support normal cytoplasmic maturation. Our approach therefore
Resolving inconsistencies in trends in old-age disability: Report from a technical working group

In September 2002, a technical working group met to resolve previously published inconsistencies across national surveys in trends in activity limitations among the older population. The 12-person panel prepared estimates from five national data sets and investigated methodological sources of the inconsistencies among the population aged 70 and older from the early 1980s to 2001. Although the evidence was mixed for the 1980s and it is difficult to pinpoint when in the 1990s the decline began, during the mid- and late 1990s, the panel found consistent declines on the order of 1%–2.5% per year for two commonly used measures in the disability literature: difficulty with daily activities and help with daily activities. Mixed evidence was found for a third measure: the use of help or equipment with daily activities. The panel also found agreement across surveys that the proportion of older persons who receive help with bathing has declined at the same time as the proportion who use only equipment (but not personal care) to bathe has increased. In comparing findings across surveys, the panel found that the period, definition of disability, treatment of the institutionalized population, and age standardizing of results were important to consider. The implications of the findings for policy, national survey efforts, and further research are discussed.
Centrilobular distribution of acetaldehyde and collagen in the ethanol‐fed micropig

We established a new animal model of alcoholic liver disease in the micropig, a species that consumes ethanol voluntarily in the diet. Ten micropigs were pair‐fed diets containing 40% of calories as ethanol or cornstarch with identical amounts of fat, protein and micronutrients for 12 mo. Liver histopathology in the ethanol‐fed pigs included steatonecrosis in all five and interstitial and perivenous fibrosis in three. Electron microscopy showed Ito‐cell transformation with perisinusoidal collagen accumulation. Acetaldehyde adducts were found by immunofluorescence in the centrilobular region and were focused in perivenous zone 3 of all ethanol‐fed animals. Protein and triglyceride levels were increased, whereas vitamin A and iron levels were decreased in liver homogenates from ethanol‐fed animals. Thus, in this new animal model of alcoholism, ethanol feeding produced the features of alcoholic liver disease concurrent with hepatic deficiency of selected nutrients. Histological and immunofluorescent studies provide in vivo evidence that perivenous collagen deposition is linked to ethanol metabolism and acetaldehyde production. (HEPATOLOGY 1993;18:954‐960).
Critical Analysis of Trends in Fusion for Degenerative Disc Disease Over the Past 20 Years: Influence of Technique on Fusion Rate and Clinical Outcome

Study Design. Critical analysis of the results reported in published literature. Objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether various technical advancements have affected the outcome of lumbar spinal fusion for degenerative disease by critically analyzing the available literature from the past two decades. Summary of Background Data. To improve fusion rate and clinical outcome, various surgical options for lumbar spinal fusion for degenerative disc disorders have been introduced over the past 20 years. However, an important fundamental question still remains: What has been the impact of these new techniques and innovations on surgical results? Methods. A comprehensive computer search of the English literature from 1979 to 2000 concerning lumbar/lumbosacral spinal fusion was performed using the keywords degenerative, lumbar, and fusion. Results. Numerous deficiencies were noted in the reviewed literature. Nearly half of the studies failed to specify methodologic design, and documentation of brace use, graft source, fusion location, and fusion rate was missing in 38, 10, 2, and 4 of the 84 articles reviewed, respectively. From the data gathered, a noticeable trend toward the increasing use of internal fixation was noted, accounting for 23% of fusions in the 1980s versus 41% in the 1990s. Despite this trend, an improvement in overall fusion rate or clinical outcome could not be demonstrated. Conclusions. Numerous technologic advancements in lumbar spine fusion have been made over the past 20 years. Future advances in care are dependent on review of reported results. The numerous deficiencies detected in the analyzed literature herald the necessity for a uniform system of outcomes reporting containing a core of critical demographic, perioperative, and postsurgical information. Although a shift toward a greater use of technology was noted in the published literature, the clinical benefit of this trend remains unclear.
UTILIZATION OF BY-PRODUCTS FROM FOOD PROCESSING AS LIVESTOCK FEED IN JAPAN

The quantity of by-products from food processing has doubled over the last three decades in Japan. Using these by-products for animal feed would achieve a decrease in environmental pollution, as well as a reduction of the cost of animal production. By-products now constitute about 30% of the total feed consumed in Japan, and are used especially on dairy farms. Some by-products are beneficial in stabilizing fermentation in the rumen, while supplying a high energy level in rations, because they have special chemical properties which are not found in ordinary feed grain or forage. However, since most food processing by-products have a high moisture content, a decrease in transportation costs and an improvement in preservation methods are required for these by-products to be used more widely.
Neural Progenitor Cell Polarity and Cortical Development

Neurons populating the cerebral cortex are generated during embryonic development from neural stem and progenitor cells in a process called neurogenesis. Neural stem and progenitor cells are classified into several classes based on the different location of mitosis (apical or basal) and polarity features (bipolar, monopolar and non-polar). The polarized architecture of stem cells is linked to the asymmetric localization of proteins, mRNAs and organelles, such as the centrosome and the Golgi apparatus (GA). Polarity affects stem cell function and allows stem cells to integrate environmental cues from distinct niches in the developing cerebral cortex. The crucial role of polarity in neural stem and progenitor cells is highlighted by the fact that impairment of cell polarity is linked to neurodevelopmental disorders such as Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and schizophrenia.
Financial Strain and Mental Health Among Older Adults During the Great Recession.

OBJECTIVES The economic recession has garnered the interest of many scholars, with much attention being drawn to how the recession has affected labor force participation, household wealth, and even retirement decisions. Certainly, the Great Recession has influenced the financial well-being of older adults, but has it had discernible effects on mental health? METHOD This study draws on 5,366 respondents from the Health and Retirement Study (2006-2010) to examine objective and subjective measures of financial well-being in the period surrounding the Great Recession. Guided by cumulative inequality theory, this research investigates whether the economic downturn contributed to worsening anxiety and depressive symptoms over a 4-year period. RESULTS Results from linear fixed effects models reveal that decreases in objective financial resources were associated with increased financial strain during the Great Recession. Unlike the objective indicators, however, financial strain was a strong and robust predictor of worsening mental health between 2006 and 2010. DISCUSSION Building on prior research, this study elucidates the factors that shape financial strain and provides evidence that the Great Recession not only affected the financial well-being of older adults but also had adverse effects on mental health.
AP-1 and NF-kappaB regulation in rheumatoid arthritis and murine collagen-induced arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To determine the expression and regulation of nuclear transcription factors AP-1 and NF-kappaB in rheumatoid arthritis and in collagen-induced arthritis in mice. METHODS AP-1 and NF-kappaB expression and function were determined in RA, OA and normal synovial tissue by electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and immunohistochemistry. The kinetics of transcription factor expression were then examined in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. EMSAs were performed with the nuclear extracts obtained from paws of CIA mice from 10 to 45d after immunization to determine AP-1 and NF-kappaB binding activity. The expression of collagenase-3 (MMP13) and stromelysin (MMP3) mRNA was examined by northern blot analysis. RESULTS Immunohistochemistry showed that NF-kappaB expression was increased in both RA and OA synovial intimal lining. AP-1 components Jun and Fos were also present in the intimal lining and was significantly greater in RA than OA. The DNA binding activities of both AP-1 and NF-kappaB were significantly higher RA patients compared with OA. In CIA, AP-1 and NF-kappaB expression increased by day 20, which was 1-2 weeks before onset of clinical arthritis. However, collagenase and stromelysin gene expression did not increase until day 35. CONCLUSION The DNA binding activity of AP-1 and NF-kappaB are markedly increased in both CIA and RA. In CIA, activation of AP-1 and NF-kappaB precede both clinical arthritis and metalloproteinase gene expression. NF-kappaB expression correlated better than AP-1 with metalloproteinase expression.
Mobile ICT use in early adopter vs. late majority countries

The rapid global diffusion of smartphones has not been uniform. This study uses Triandis' theory of interpersonal behaviour to investigate what drives smartphone use in early adopter USA versus late majority Slovakia countries. By surveying both current and potential owners, we also revisit Karahanna et al.'s question: Do potential adopters and users of IT hold the same behavioural and normative beliefs? Partial least squares analysis finds that habit, affect, and perceived social norms explain 65% of the intention to buy a smartphone. Surprisingly, perceived consequences i.e., perceived usefulness and whether people live in an early adopter versus late majority country, are not significant. Comparing users and non-users finds that they differ in almost every attribute measured in the study, and that users intend to continue using a smartphone whereas non-users have more ambivalent intentions.
Activation of the alternative complement pathway by mannose‐binding lectin via a C2‐bypass pathway

MBL is a serum lectin that activates the lectin pathway of the complement system. MBL forms complexes with three types of MASPs. Upon binding to Salmonella serogroup C‐specific oligosaccharide, MBL activates the alternative pathway via a C2‐bypass pathway without involving MASP‐2, C2 or C4. We demonstrate that mannan‐bound MBL activates the alternative pathway via a C2‐bypass pathway that requires MASP‐2 and C4. Thus, depending on the ligands to which MBL binds, there may be two distinct MBL‐mediated C2‐bypass pathways.
Wnt/beta-catenin signaling in murine hepatic transit amplifying progenitor cells.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Oval cells are postnatal hepatic progenitors with high proliferative potential and bipotent differentiation ability to become hepatocytes and cholangiocytes. Because Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is a known regulatory pathway for liver development and regeneration, we studied the role of Wnt signaling in oval cells using a mouse model of chronic liver injury. METHODS A 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC)-enriched diet was used to stimulate oval cell proliferation. Livers were harvested for histologic analysis and determination of Wnt family gene expression by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization. The transgenic beta-catenin reporter mouse (TOPGAL) was use to confirm canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signal transduction in proliferating oval cells within atypical ductal proliferations (ADPs). Confocal fluorescence microscopy and immunohistochemistry was used to confirm colocalization of beta-catenin with the oval cell antigen A-6. RESULTS Several Wnt ligands were significantly induced in the liver of DDC-fed mice and localized to proliferating cells in and adjacent to the ADPs. Oval cells isolated from DDC-fed mouse livers showed the presence of active beta-catenin in the nucleus along with cell-cycle entry in response to purified Wnt3a in vitro. Moreover, Wnt3a-induced beta-catenin/T-cell factor/lymphoid enhancer factor (TCF/LEF) transcriptional activation was quantified by TCF/LEF luciferase reporter assays. CONCLUSIONS From these data, we conclude that oval cells respond to Wnt ligands (Wnt3a) in vitro with an increase in amino-terminus dephosphorylated beta-catenin and cell-cycle entry and that canonical Wnt/beta-catenin/TCF signaling is active in proliferating facultative hepatic progenitor cells in vivo. These findings may lend insight to the consequences of increased canonical Wnt signaling during periods of chronic liver injury.
Activation of Tumor-Promoting Type 2 Macrophages by EGFR-Targeting Antibody Cetuximab

Purpose: In a recent randomized phase III clinical trial in metastatic colorectal cancer patients, the addition of the anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody (mAb) cetuximab to bevacizumab and chemotherapy resulted in decreased progression-free survival, in particular for patients with the high-affinity FcγRIIIA. Experimental Design: The presence of natural killer (NK) cells and type 2 (M2) macrophages in colorectal cancer was determined by immunohistochemistry, using antibodies to lineage-specific markers NKp46 and CD68 with CD163, respectively. Influence of tumor-bound cetuximab on M2 macrophages was carried out in vitro with EGFR-expressing tumor cells and short-term differentiated monocytes from blood donors, who were typed for the FcγRIIIA polymorphism (CD16). Results: Antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity by NK cells is generally proposed as one of the antitumor mechanisms of mAbs. We found that CD163-positive M2 macrophages are much more abundant in colorectal carcinomas. In vitro analysis of M2 macrophages revealed high levels of Fc-gamma receptors (FcγR) and PD-L1 and production of IL-10 and VEGF but not IL-12. These anti-inflammatory and tumor-promoting mediators were released upon coculture with EGFR-positive tumor cells loaded with low concentrations of cetuximab. Macrophage activation depended on EGFR expression on the tumor cells, FcγRs, target specificity of the mAb and mobility of antibody complexes. Cetuximab-induced macrophage responses were more pronounced for FCGR3A 158-Val (high-affinity) carriers. Conclusion: These results suggest that tumor-promoting M2 macrophages are activated by the therapeutic mAb cetuximab in the local tumor microenvironment and argue that this immune mechanism should be taken into account for the application of therapeutic antibodies. Clin Cancer Res; 17(17); 5668–73. ©2011 AACR.
The development of and interaction among alerting, orienting, and executive attention in children

A sex-balanced sample (N = 96) of children from age 6.5 to age 12.5 completed a modified Attention Network Test. Across these ages, we found evidence for developmental changes to alerting and executive control but stable orienting. Additionally, we found that the youngest members of our sample manifested an interaction between alerting and executive control that is opposite to that typically found in adults; a reversal that diminishes with age to achieve the adult pattern by the older end of the age range of our sample.
Observations of serum protein values of cows during estrus, lactation, parturition and milk fever.

VALUES for total protein and protein fractions in the plasma of normal, lactating cows have been reported in the literature (2, 5) but values for cattle at estrus were not found. In one study (17), male calves implanted with diethyl stilbestrol developed increased concentrations of total serum protein and globulins but the concentration of serum albumin decreased. Within four weeks prior to parturition, serum protein concentrations of normal pregnant cows decreased by 10 to 30% with the lowest values recorded at the time of parturition. The decrease was due to a loss of immune globulins from the serum (10, 11). Carlstrom (3, 4) also found lower serum protein values in normal cows after calving than values in the non-calving period. In one of the reports (3), the decline in total serum protein values was attributed to a decline in the total serum globulin fraction, but in a later study (4), this fraction was found to be increased when compared to values from cows outside the calving period. In cows with milk fever, serum protein values have been found to be lower than (9), slightly higher than (6), or similar to protein values in healthy parturient cows (3, 4, 12). With respect to values for the various serum protein fractions Carlstrom (3, 4) could demonstrate no differences in these values between healthy, parturient cows and cows with milk fever. He did, however, observe a lower calcium-binding capacity of serum proteins in recently calved cows and cows with milk fever when compared to cows outside the calving period. In recently calved cows, the lower calcium-binding capacity was almost exclusively limited to the albumin fraction of total serum protein. The present study was part of a larger investigation of calcium (Ca) and protein values as well as certain other parameters in the
Oxytocin Improves β-Cell Responsivity and Glucose Tolerance in Healthy Men

In addition to its pivotal role in psychosocial behavior, the hypothalamic neuropeptide oxytocin contributes to metabolic control by suppressing eating behavior. Its involvement in glucose homeostasis is less clear, although pilot experiments suggest that oxytocin improves glucose homeostasis. We assessed the effect of intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) administered to 29 healthy, fasted male subjects on glucose homeostasis measured by means of an oral glucose tolerance test. Parameters of glucose metabolism were analyzed according to the oral minimal model. Oxytocin attenuated the peak excursion of plasma glucose and augmented the early increases in insulin and C-peptide concentrations in response to the glucose challenge, while slightly blunting insulin and C-peptide peaks. Oral minimal model analyses revealed that oxytocin compared with placebo induced a pronounced increase in β-cell responsivity (PHItotal) that was largely due to an enhanced dynamic response (PHId), and a more than twofold improvement in glucose tolerance (disposition index). Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, glucagon, and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) concentrations were not or were only marginally affected. These results indicate that oxytocin plays a significant role in the acute regulation of glucose metabolism in healthy humans and render the oxytocin system a potential target of antidiabetic treatment.
Learning Advanced TFBS Models from Chip-Seq Data - diChIPMunk: Effective Construction of Dinucleotide Positional Weight Matrices

Identification and consequent analysis of DNA sequence motifs recognized by transcription factors is an important component in studying transcriptional regulation in higher eukaryotes. In particular, motif discovery methods are applied to construct transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) models. The TFBS models are then used for prediction of putative binding sites in genomic regions of interest. The most popular TFBS model is a positional weight matrix (PWM). The PWM is usually constructed from nucleotide positional frequencies estimated from a gapless multiple local alignments of experimentally identified TFBS sequences. Modern high-throughput experiments, like ChIP-Seq, provide enough data for careful training of more advanced models having more parameters. Until now, the majority of existing tools for TFBS prediction in ChIP-Seq data still rely on PWMs with independent positions. This is partly explained with only marginal improvement of specificity and sensitivity of TFBS recognition for advanced models over those based on traditional PWMs if trained on ChIP-Seq data. Here we present a novel computational tool, diChIPMunk (http://autosome.ru/dichipmunk/), which can construct dinucleotide PWMs accounting for neighboring nucleotide correlations in input sequences. diChIPMunk retains advantages of the published ChIPMunk algorithm, including usage of ChIP-Seq peak shape and overall computational efficiency. Using public ChIP-Seq data for several TFs we show that carefully trained dinucleotide PWMs perform significantly better as compared to PWMs based on mononucleotide