Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum malondialdehyde and prevalent cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND Oxidative stress has been proposed as a mechanism by which the accelerated rate of cardiovascular disease (CVD) observed in maintenance hemodialysis (HD) patients may be explained. This study examined the effects of HD and CVD on serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels as a marker of oxidative stress in HD patients with and without prevalent CVD. Serum MDA levels and CVD prevalence in HD were modeled. METHODS Serum MDA was determined using spectrophotometry in HD patients (N = 76, 53 men and 23 women, mean age 63.8 years) immediately prior to and at the conclusion of one midweek HD treatment. Traditional CVD risk factors, including serum lipids, lipoproteins, apolipoproteins, and fibrinogen, were also measured, as were serum chemistry and dialysis adequacy. RESULTS Mean serum MDA levels were significantly elevated in HD patients with prevalent CVD compared with those without, whereas serum lipoprotein and plasma fibrinogen levels did not differ between the two groups. Patients in the highest compared with the lowest tertile of postdialysis MDA were nearly four times as likely to have prevalent CVD, and serum MDA was the single strongest predictor of prevalent CVD in this patient population. CONCLUSIONS These findings indicate the presence of oxidative stress in HD patients, and are consistent with the theory of oxidative stress as a factor in accelerated CVD in this population.
A preliminary study of the relationship between general practice care and hospitalisation using a diabetes register, CARDIAB.

BACKGROUND Diabetes can be effectively managed in general practice (GP). This study used record linkage to explore associations between diabetes care in GP and hospitalisation. METHODS Data on patients with type 2 diabetes were extracted from a Division of GP diabetes register (CARDIAB) for 2002-05 and were linked to the New South Wales Admitted Patient and Emergency Department (ED) Data Collection to create a unit record data collection containing demographic, clinical and health service records. Rates of admission and ED presentation per patient-year of follow up were calculated for the year following CARDIAB record. RESULTS The study included 1178 diabetic patients with 2959 patient-years of follow up. Their mean age was 65.7 years and duration of diabetes was 5.9 years. All-cause admission and ED presentation rates were 0.7 and 0.2 per patient-year of follow up respectively and length of admission 3.2 days (s.d. 11.7 days). Admission was associated with age, duration of diabetes and prior admission. The number of processes of care recorded for each patient-year was associated with admission. Admission and length of stay were not associated with achievement of clinical targets. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that receipt of processes of care, rather than clinical targets, will prevent admission. One explanation may be that continuity of care in GP provides opportunity for early intervention and treatment. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TOPIC? Diabetes is a serious public health problem that is largely managed in primary care. Health care planners use health service use (hospital admissions) for diabetes as an indicator of primary care. Guidelines for diabetes care are known to be effective in reducing diabetes-related complications. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD? This paper created a linked data collection comprising demographic and clinical data from general practice and administrative health records of hospital admissions and emergency department presentations. The paper explores the associations between processes of primary care and control of diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors, and use of health services for a general practice population with diabetes. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS? The study suggests that processes of care and not technical control of diabetes and cardiovascular risk factors are important in preventing hospital admission. Continuity of care in general practice that ensures implementation of processes of care provides opportunity for early intervention and treatment.
Presynaptic control of group Ia afferents in relation to acquisition of a visuo‐motor skill in healthy humans

Sensory information continuously converges on the spinal cord during a variety of motor behaviours. Here, we examined presynaptic control of group Ia afferents in relation to acquisition of a novel motor skill. We tested whether repetition of two motor tasks with different degrees of difficulty, a novel visuo‐motor task involving the ankle muscles, and a control task involving simple voluntary ankle movements, would induce changes in the size of the soleus H‐reflex. The slope of the H‐reflex recruitment curve and the H‐max/M‐max ratio were depressed after repetition of the visuo‐motor skill task and returned to baseline after 10 min. No changes were observed after the control task. To elucidate the mechanisms contributing to the H‐reflex depression, we measured the size of the long‐latency depression of the soleus H‐reflex evoked by peroneal nerve stimulation (D1 inhibition) and the size of the monosynaptic Ia facilitation of the soleus H‐reflex evoked by femoral nerve stimulation. The D1 inhibition was increased and the femoral nerve facilitation was decreased following the visuo‐motor skill task, suggesting an increase in presynaptic inhibition of Ia afferents. No changes were observed in the disynaptic reciprocal Ia inhibition. Somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs) evoked by stimulation of the tibial nerve (TN) were also unchanged, suggesting that transmission in ascending pathways was unaltered following the visuo‐motor skill task. Together these observations suggest that a selective presynaptic control of Ia afferents contributes to the modulation of sensory inputs during acquisition of a novel visuo‐motor skill in healthy humans.
Increased Resting Intracellular Calcium Modulates NF-κB-dependent Inducible Nitric-oxide Synthase Gene Expression in Dystrophic mdx Skeletal Myotubes*

Background: The mechanisms by which NF-κB signaling is up-regulated in dystrophic muscles are unclear. Results: [Ca2+]rest is elevated in mdx myotubes as a result of both sarcolemmal Ca2+ entry and SR release, resulting in NF-κB-induced iNOS expression. Conclusion: Ca2+ alterations at rest modulate NF-κB transcriptional activity and pro-inflammatory gene expression. Significance: This allows for understanding the mechanism that relates elevated resting calcium and altered gene expression in muscular dystrophy. Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder caused by dystrophin mutations, characterized by chronic inflammation and severe muscle wasting. Dystrophic muscles exhibit activated immune cell infiltrates, up-regulated inflammatory gene expression, and increased NF-κB activity, but the contribution of the skeletal muscle cell to this process has been unclear. The aim of this work was to study the pathways that contribute to the increased resting calcium ([Ca2+]rest) observed in mdx myotubes and its possible link with up-regulation of NF-κB and pro-inflammatory gene expression in dystrophic muscle cells. [Ca2+]rest was higher in mdx than in WT myotubes (308 ± 6 versus 113 ± 2 nm, p < 0.001). In mdx myotubes, both the inhibition of Ca2+ entry (low Ca2+ solution, Ca2+-free solution, and Gd3+) and blockade of either ryanodine receptors or inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors reduced [Ca2+]rest. Basal activity of NF-κB was significantly up-regulated in mdx versus WT myotubes. There was an increased transcriptional activity and p65 nuclear localization, which could be reversed when [Ca2+]rest was reduced. Levels of mRNA for TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6 were similar in WT and mdx myotubes, whereas inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was increased 5-fold. Reducing [Ca2+]rest using different strategies reduced iNOS gene expression presumably as a result of decreased activation of NF-κB. We propose that NF-κB, modulated by increased [Ca2+]rest, is constitutively active in mdx myotubes, and this mechanism can account for iNOS overexpression and the increase in reactive nitrogen species that promote damage in dystrophic skeletal muscle cells.
Political Participation and Economic Development. Evidence from the Rise of Participative Political Institutions in the Late Medieval German Lands

This study investigates the effect of the rise of participative political institutions - i.e, institutions in which groups of citizens previously excluded from political life participated in the political process - in late medieval central European cities on city development. The results show, that the enlargement of political participation is not always conducive to city development. The participation of guilds in the city council, for example had an overall neutral or negative effect (depending on the importance of the guilds). Furthermore, the effect of guild participation is declining over time, implying that this form of PPI is prone to institutional degeneration and increased rent-seeking. Election of city government by the citizens, in contrast, shows a stable and robustly positive effect on city development. Hence, the decisive point for more political participation being conducive for economic development is that the increase in participation is accompanied by increased accountability of the politicians and a politic that is oriented toward public welfare than the special interests of particular groups.
An Ehrlichia chaffeensis Tandem Repeat Protein Interacts with Multiple Host Targets Involved in Cell Signaling, Transcriptional Regulation, and Vesicle Trafficking

ABSTRACT Ehrlichia chaffeensis is an obligately intracellular bacterium that exhibits tropism for mononuclear phagocytes forming cytoplasmic membrane-bound microcolonies called morulae. To survive and replicate within phagocytes, E. chaffeensis exploits the host cell by modulating a number of host cell processes, but the ehrlichial effector proteins involved are unknown. In this study, we determined that p47, a secreted, differentially expressed, tandem repeat (TR) protein, interacts with multiple host proteins associated with cell signaling, transcriptional regulation, and vesicle trafficking. Yeast two-hybrid analysis revealed that p47 interacts with polycomb group ring finger 5 (PCGF5) protein, Src protein tyrosine kinase FYN (FYN), protein tyrosine phosphatase non-receptor type 2 (PTPN2), and adenylate cyclase-associated protein 1 (CAP1). p47 interaction with these proteins was further confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation assays and colocalization in HeLa cells transfected with p47-green fluorescent fusion protein (AcGFP1-p47). Moreover, confocal microscopy demonstrated p47-expressing dense-cored (DC) ehrlichiae colocalized with PCGF5, FYN, PTPN2, and CAP1. An amino-terminally truncated form of p47 containing TRs interacted only with PCGF5 and not with FYN, PTPN2, and CAP1, indicating differences in p47 domains that are involved in these interactions. These results demonstrate that p47 is involved in a complex network of interactions involving numerous host cell proteins. Furthermore, this study provides a new insight into the molecular and functional distinction of DC ehrlichiae, as well as the effector proteins involved in facilitating ehrlichial survival in mononuclear phagocytes.
A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the peptide characteristics of microwave- and ultrasound-assisted digestion in discovery and targeted proteomic analyses.

RATIONALE Fast digestion methods can dramatically accelerate enzyme digestion and increase the throughput of proteomic analysis. However, the peptide characteristics of fast digestion methods and their performance in discovery and targeted proteomic analysis must be systematically evaluated. METHODS Three digestion methods, including overnight digestion, microwave-assisted protein enzymatic digestion (MAPED), and high-intensity focused ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic digestion (HIFUSAED), in trypsin or in trypsin/Lys-C were comprehensively compared in both discovery and targeted proteomics analysis using the HeLa cell proteome. In discovery proteomic analysis, the highest numbers of peptides and proteins were identified when the sample was digested via the MAPED method with trypsin/Lys-C. RESULTS The fast digestion methods showed a higher mis-cleavage rate and a lower semi-tryptic rate than the overnight digestion method. In both label-free quantitative analysis and targeted proteomic analysis, both fully cleaved peptides (FCPs) and mis-cleaved peptides (MCPs) from the fast digestion methods and the overnight digestion method showed good reproducibility if they showed good abundance. CONCLUSIONS When both the FCPs and MCPs were included in the analysis, the MAPED with trypsin/Lys-C method showed the best results for both discovery proteomic analysis and relative quantitative targeted proteomic analysis. These results will be beneficial for the application of fast digestion methods to proteomics.
e‐Antigen and Anti‐e in Two Categories of Chronic Carriers of Hepatitis B Surface Antigen

Abstract. Screening for e antigen and anti‐e was performed in 517 HBs antigen chronic carriers, 329 blood donors and 188 hemodialyzed patients, e antigen was detected in 35 blood donors (10.6%): 88% had a high titre of HBs Ag, and 80% had a disturbed liver function. No difference was noted regarding sex and age of the carrier. Anti‐e was detected in 33.7% of the blood donors. A significant difference (p < 0.01) was noted between males (29%) and females (46.6%). Anti‐e was found more prevalent in young people between 21 and 34 than in older people (p < 0.05). Anti‐e was rarely found when the titre of HBs Ag was low or high. 88% of the anti‐e carriers had an intermediate titre from 1/1 to 1/32 by CEP.
Cilazapril Inhibits Wall Thickening of Vein Bypass Graft in the Rat

Venous grafts implanted in the systemic circulation progressively undergo wall thickening, a phenomenon thought to be responsible for late saphenous graft disease after bypass surgery. Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors recently have been shown to prevent myointimal thickening after arterial injury. Thus, the goal of the present study was to test the effects of ACE inhibition in a rat model of venous graft. For this purpose, a segment of jugular vein was interposed in the right carotid artery of nonnotensrve rats that received either placebo or 10 mg/kg/day cilazapril, a long-acting ACE inhibitor. Three weeks later, the venous grafts and the implanted carotid arteries were fixed under perfusion and embedded for morphometric analysis. In the control group, the wall of the venous graft thickened dramatically compared with the nonimplanted contralateral jugular vein (up to 20 times increase in total cross-sectional area). On the arterial side, thickening of the wall and a neointima also were observed, most likely because of the surgical arterial injury. Cilazapril decreased by 33% (p<0.05) and 26% (p<0.01) the total cross-sectional area of the wall of the venous grafts and of the carotid arteries, respectively. Thus, these results suggest a role of the renin-angiotensin system in the early process of venous graft thickening. This study also suggests that ACE inhibitors could be a new therapeutic means to prevent late saphenous graft disease.
Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Ameliorates Clinical Phenotype and Progression of the CNS Pathology in the Mouse Model of Late Onset Krabbe Disease

Krabbe disease is a genetic demyelinating disease caused by a deficiency of galactosylceramidase. The majority of cases are of infantile onset with rapid clinical course. A rare late onset form with milder clinical symptoms also exists. The latter form has been reported to respond well to the bone marrow transplantation (BMT) therapy. We tested whether the BMT could be an effective therapy for the mouse model of the late onset form, saposin-A−/− (SAP-A−/−) mice. We used green fluorescent protein transgenic mice as the donors. Chimeric SAP-A−/− mice that received BMT showed very little evidence of neurologic symptoms. At postnatal day 190 when severe demyelination was evident in naive SAP-A−/− mice, demyelination was virtually absent in the brain of chimeric SAP-A−/− mice. Presence of residual enzyme activity, at the time of rapid myelination in SAP-A−/− mice, appears to limit initial inflammatory responses and macrophage infiltration, thereby preventing progression of demyelination in the CNS in SAP-A−/− mice. In contrast, the peripheral nerves showed features of hypertrophic neuropathy with hypomyelination and onion bulb formation, suggesting that there are different cellular responses to the BMT in the CNS and PNS.
Prospective study in periodontal maintenance therapy: comparative analysis between academic and private practices.

BACKGROUND This prospective study aims to evaluate and compare the periodontal status, periodontitis progression, tooth loss, and influence of predictable risk variables of two periodontal maintenance therapy programs over a 12-month period. METHODS A total of 288 individuals diagnosed with chronic moderate-to-advanced periodontitis, who had finished active periodontal treatment, were evaluated in a public academic environment (AG) (n = 138), as well as in a private clinic (PG) (n = 150). A full-mouth periodontal examination was performed at baseline and at quadrimestral recalls, evaluating plaque index, probing depth, clinical attachment level, furcation involvement, bleeding on probing (BOP), and suppuration. Individuals' social, demographic, and biologic data, as well as compliance with recalls, were recorded. The effect of variables of interest and confounders were tested by univariate and multivariate analysis. RESULTS The PG demonstrated lower rates of periodontitis progression and tooth loss than did the AG. After adjusting for confounders, the risk variables of BOP (P = 0.047), smoking (P = 0.003), and diabetes (P = 0.028) for the PG and smoking (P = 0.047) for the AG showed a negative influence on periodontal status. CONCLUSIONS In both groups, the periodontal maintenance therapy minimized the negative effect of the risk variables. However, PG showed significantly less progression of periodontitis and tooth loss compared to AG.
Interaction of virally coded protein and a cell cycle-regulated cellular protein with the bovine parvovirus left terminus ori

Replication of parvoviruses requires cis signals located in terminal palindromes that function as origins of replication in conjunction with trans-acting viral and cellular proteins. A gel retardation assay was used to identify proteins in crude nuclear extracts of bovine parvovirus (BPV)-infected bovine fetal lung cells that interact with the hairpinned left end (3' OH terminus of the viral minus strand in the flop conformation) of BPV. Three specific DNA-protein complexes formed. One complex was shown to involve a BPV structural protein(s) by inhibiting its formation when antiserum specific for these BPV proteins was used. By specific competition with serum containing antibodies against the BPV nonstructural proteins, a second complex was shown to involve a BPV nonstructural protein. A third complex contained protein of cellular origin and was also formed with extracts of uninfected bovine fetal lung cells. DNA competition assays suggest that the viral proteins do not bind to the right hairpin, which differs in sequence and secondary structure from the left terminus, or to a BPV terminus that lacks the first 52 nucleotides, preventing formation of the stem of the hairpin. The cellular protein is regulated in a cell cycle-dependent fashion, with its binding activity increased in uninfected, actively dividing cells compared with contact-inhibited cells. Since autonomous parvovirus replication requires an S-phase factor for progeny formation, the terminal binding protein demonstrated here is a candidate for this factor.
The Performance of German Water Utilities: A First Non-Parametric Analysis

The German water supply industry is characterized by a multitude of water utilities and a high variety in prices, possibly arising due to structural differences outside the control of the management but also due to inefficiency. In this paper we determine technical efficiency scores of water utilities in Germany based on cross sectional data from 373 water utilities in 2006 using Data Envelopment Analysis. A bootstrapped truncated regression is applied in order to determine the structural variables with significant impact on performance. We find high differences in technical efficiency scores even after inclusion of significant structural variables.
Pretreatment Factors Associated with Recurrence for Patients with Cervical Cancer International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics Stage IB1 Disease

Background: Pretreatment prognostic information is lacking for patients with cervical cancer International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage IB1 disease. Thus, we attempted to identify a high-risk subgroup among them prior to treatment. Methods: Cervical cancer FIGO stage IB1 patients who had received curative treatment with various modalities in our institute between January 2004 and December 2010 were enrolled. Pretreatment clinical parameters including age, squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), carcinoembryonic antigen, hemoglobin (Hb) level, platelet count, histological type, and treatment modality were analyzed for treatment outcomes. Results: One hundred ninety-seven patients were included with a median follow-up of 66 months (range 6-119 months). In Cox regression analysis, only SCC histology (HR 0.457, 95% CI 0.241-0.967, p = 0.017) was an independent factor predicting better disease-free survival (DFS). Among SCC histology, patients with an Hb level less than 12 g/dl and a SCC-Ag level more than 3 ng/ml had worse treatment outcomes. The 5-year DFS rates were 89.2, 69.3, and 44.4% for the patients at low-risk (SCC, Hb >12 g/dl, SCC-Ag ≤3 ng/ml), intermediate-risk (non-SCC), and high-risk (SCC, Hb ≤12 g/dl, SCC-Ag >3 ng/ml), respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Non-SCC and SCC histology with both anemia and high pretreatment SCC-Ag level were associated with recurrence. Further validation studies are warranted for clarification.