Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bile Acid Uptake via the Human Apical Sodium-Bile Acid Cotransporter Is Electrogenic*

Intestinal absorption of bile acids depends on a sodium-bile acid cotransport protein in the apical membrane of the ileal epithelial cell. Transport is Na+-dependent, but the Na+-bile acid stoichiometry and electrogenicity of transport are not known. Studies in whole intestine, isolated cells, and ileal membrane vesicles have been unable to resolve this issue because transport currents are small and can be obscured by other ionic conductances and transport proteins present in these membranes. In this study, the human apical sodium-bile acid transporter was expressed in stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary cells that lack other bile acid transporters. The Na+-dependent transport of a fluorescent bile acid analog, chenodeoxycholyl-Nε-nitrobenzoxadiazol-lysine, was monitored by fluorescence microscopy in single, voltage-clamped cells. Bile acid movement was bidirectional and voltage-dependent with negative intracellular voltage-stimulating influx. A 3-fold reduction in extracellular Na+ produced a negative 52 mV shift of the flux-voltage relationship, consistent with a 2:1 Na+:bile acid coupling stoichiometry. No Na+- or voltage-dependent uptake was observed in nontransfected Chinese hamster ovary cells. These results indicate that the cotransport of bile acids and Na+ by human apical sodium-bile acid transporter is electrogenic and bidirectional and is best explained by a 2:1 Na+:bile acid coupling stoichiometry. These results suggest that membrane potential may regulate bile acid transport rates under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.
Effect of an Interdisciplinary Educational Program on Antipsychotic Prescribing Among Residents With Dementia in Two Long-Term Care Centers

The effect of an educational program on antipsychotic prescribing was assessed in two Canadian long-term care centers (LTCC). In each center (Center A residents, n = 258 and Center B residents, n = 191, with dementia at program inception), the rate of change in the odds of using antipsychotics in residents was estimated using mixed-effects logistic regression during a 6-month program period and a 4-month postprogram period, with baseline proportions of use estimated during the 6 months prior to the program. Preprogram proportions of antipsychotic use were 41.6% and 46.2%, respectively. Antipsychotic use decreased during the program in both centers: (odds ratio with 95% CI: 0.943 per week [0.921, 0.965] and 0.969 per week [0.944, 0.994], respectively). During the postprogram period, antipsychotic use increased in Center A (1.039 per week [1.007, 1.072]) but decreased progressively in Center B. The study results suggest the need to implement an ongoing educational program in LTCC.
GENETIC CONTROL OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE

The transfer of parental (H-2k/k) nonresponder lymphoid cells into heterozygous (H-2k/q) nonresponder recipients at the time of primary challenge with aqueous poly-L(Tyr,Glu)-poly-D,L-Ala-poly-L-Lys [(T,G)-A--L] elicited the production of both IgM and IgG anti-(T,G)-A--L antibody. Normally, the production of IgG anti-(T,G)-A--L antibody is restricted to strains possessing the responder Ir-1 allele. The timing and intensity of the graft-versus-host (GVH) reaction required for this effect were found to be critical. Injection of H-2k/k cells into H-2k/q recipients 1 wk before antigen challenge did not elicit IgG anti-(T,G)-A--L antibody production, and markedly suppressed IgM anti-(T,G)-A--L antibody production. The transfer of alloimmune (H-2q-primed) H-2k/k cells at the time of antigen challenge was also associated with no IgG and little IgM anti-(T,G)-A--L antibody production. These data are consistent with the model that nonresponder thymus-derived lymphocytes (T cells) activated in a GVH reaction can substitute for (T,G)-A--L-reactive T cells to induce a shift from IgM to IgG anti-(T,G)-A--L antibody production.
In vitro activities of lomefloxacin and temafloxacin against pathogens causing diarrhea

The in vitro activities of temafloxacin (A63004) and lomefloxacin (SC-47111; NY-198) were compared with those of seven other antibiotics against 146 isolates of bacterial enteric pathogens, including Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli. Ciprofloxacin was the most active drug against the Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and Vibrio spp. tested. Lomefloxacin, temafloxacin, and difloxacin were the most active drugs tested against Campylobacter spp. (MIC for 90% of strains, 0.125 to 0.25 micrograms/ml).
Electronic Assessment and Feedback Tool in Supervision of Nursing Students during Clinical Training.

The aim of this study was to determine nursing teachers' and students' attitudes to and experiences of using an electronic assessment and feedback tool in supervision of clinical training. The tool was called eTaitava, and it was developed in Finland. During the pilot project, the software was used by 12 nursing teachers and 430 nursing students. Nine of the teachers participated in the interviews and survey, and 112 students responded to the survey. The data were mainly analysed with qualitative methods. In the eTaitava web-based user interface, the teacher constructs questions to map the students' learning process, and sets them to be sent on a daily basis. According to the findings, four-fifths of the students responded to the questions almost daily. They thought the software was easy to use and answering the questions took about 5 minutes a day. Based on the students' and teachers' experiences, the use of the electronic assessment and feedback tool supported supervision of clinical training. It supported the students' target-oriented learning, supervised the students' daily work, and made it visible for the teachers. Responding to the software questions inspired the students' cognitive learning, and based on the responses, the teachers noticed which students needed more support and could consequently allocate them more supervision time. Responding also supported the students' continuous self-evaluation, and considering the responses structured the students' and teachers' final assessment discussion. By means of the electronic assessment and feedback tool, it is possible to promote learning during clinical training by challenging students to reflect on their learning experiences. Students' professional development process can be supported through pedagogically planned conceptual supervision which is integrated into experiential learning during clinical training.The findings of the pilot study were encouraging, indicating that the method is worth further development and potentially useful in supervision in all fields of education.
Culture conditions influencing phytase production of Mitsuokella jalaludinii, a new bacterial species from the rumen of cattle

Aims: The effects of pH, temperature, phytate, glucose, phosphate and surfactants on the phytase production of Mitsuokella jalaludinii, a new bacterial species from the rumen of cattle, were evaluated. Method and Results: By using batch fermentation, it was found that phytase production of M. jalaludinii was induced by sodium phytate. Inclusion of glucose into rice bran–soybean milk (RB‐SM) medium inhibited the phytase production. Supplementation of 0·05–0·5% of phosphate to RB‐SM medium neither inhibited nor stimulated the phytase production. The optimum pH and temperature for the phytase production of M. jalaludinii were 7·02 and 39°C, respectively. Surfactants such as Tween‐80 (0·5% and 1·0%) and Triton X‐100 (1·0%) did not affect the phytase production. Conclusions, Significance and Impact of the Study: The study has provided important data on the culture conditions affecting phytase production of M. jalaludinii, which will facilitate future research on the optimization of fermentation processes for production of high phytase activity by M. jalaludinii.
Response of Retinal Vessel Diameters to Flicker Stimulation in Patients with Early Open Angle Glaucoma

Introduction:Diffuse luminance flicker increases retinal vessel diameters in animals and humans, indicating the ability of the retina to adapt to different metabolic demands. The current study seeks to clarify whether flicker-induced vasodilatation of retinal vessels is diminished in glaucoma patients. Methods:Thirty-one patients with early stage glaucoma (washout for antiglaucoma medication) and 31 age- and sex- matched healthy volunteers were included in the study. Retinal vessel diameters were measured continuously with a Retinal Vessel Analyzer. During these measurements three episodes of square wave flicker stimulation periods (16, 32, and 64 secs; 8 Hz) were applied through the illumination pathway of the retinal vessel analyser. Results:Flicker-induced vasodilatation in retinal veins was significantly diminished in glaucoma patients as compared with healthy volunteers (ANOVA, P < 0.01). In healthy volunteers, retinal venous vessel diameters increased by 1.1 ± 1.8% (16 seconds, P < 0.001), 2.0 ± 2.6 (32 seconds, P < 0.001), and 2.1 ± 2.1% (64 seconds, P < 0.001) during flicker stimulation. In glaucoma patients, venous vessel diameters increased by 0.2 ± 1.7% (16 seconds, P < 0.6), 1.1 ± 2.1% (32 seconds, P < 0.01), and 0.8 ± 2.5 (64 seconds, P < 0.09). In retinal arteries, no significant difference in flicker response was noticed between the two groups (ANOVA, P < 0.6). In healthy controls, flicker stimulation increased retinal arterial vessel diameters by 1.0 ± 2.4% (P < 0.03), 1.6 ± 3.2% (P < 0.004) and 2.4 ± 2.6% (P < 0.001) during 16, 32, and 64 seconds of flicker, respectively. In glaucoma patients, flickering light changed arterial vessel diameters by 0.3 ± 2.6% (16 seconds, P = 0.4), 1.3 ± 3.1% (32 seconds, P = 0.03), and 1.8 ± 3.8% (64 seconds, P = 0.005). Conclusion:Flicker-induced vasodilatation of retinal veins is significantly diminished in patients with glaucoma compared with healthy volunteers. This indicates that regulation of retinal vascular tone is impaired in patients with early glaucoma, independently of antiglaucoma medication.
An Energy Efficient 40 Kb SRAM Module With Extended Read/Write Noise Margin in 0.13  $\mu$m CMOS

Based on the dynamic criteria for data stability, we introduce segmented virtual grounding architecture with extended read, write noise margin to realize a low leakage current, energy efficient SRAM module. The architecture offers subthreshold operation for the entire module, except for the selected segments. In addition, a new operational mode for the SRAM cell is introduced which allows only the bitlines of the selected columns to be discharged in an operation. The stability of the cells is enhanced in both read and write operation by controlling the cell access time and cell supply voltage, respectively. A 2048 times 20 bit eSRAM unit is implemented in a regular 0.13 mum CMOS technology to confirm the idea. The unit operates at 100 MHz and consumes less than 1 mW in both read and write operations. Thanks to the reverse body bias of the transistors, the leakage current of a 0.4 V cell drops to 27 pA during the non-access time. The measurement results shows a 28% noise margin enhancement for this scheme when a subthreshold cell is accessed.
Use of Wallstents for hemodialysis access-related venous stenoses and occlusions untreatable with balloon angioplasty.

PURPOSE To determine whether the Wallstent endoluminal prosthesis can be used to maintain patency of venous stenoses and occlusions related to hemodialysis access. MATERIALS AND METHODS Wallstents were placed in 52 patients with 56 lesions. Thirty-two lesions were in central veins and 24 were in peripheral veins. Stents were placed immediately after failed angioplasty in 39 patients, because of early restenosis after angioplasty in four, and for treatment of a lesion unsuitable for angioplasty in eight. The remaining five lesions were treated at the operator's discretion after predilation. RESULTS The procedural success rate was 96%. The cumulative primary patency rate was 46% at 6 months and 20% at 12 months; however, with repeat treatment, the cumulative assisted patency rate was 76% at 6 months and 33% at 12 months. Known causes of recurrence included intimal hyperplasia in or near the stent, stent slippage, and remote stenoses. Complications included two stent migrations due to central line placement and one stent-related pseudoaneurysm. CONCLUSION Wallstents are safe to deploy for dialysis access. Wallstents are useful for treating lesions that fail angioplasty and catheter-related central venous occlusions.
Bortezomib, but not cisplatin, induces mitochondria-dependent apoptosis accompanied by up-regulation of noxa in the non–small cell lung cancer cell line NCI-H460

Defects in the apoptotic machinery may contribute to chemoresistance of non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. We have previously showed a deficiency in mitochondria-dependent caspase-9 activation in NSCLC H460 cells after exposure to cisplatin, a drug widely used to treat NSCLC. Here we show that, unlike cisplatin, the novel anticancer agent bortezomib efficiently induces caspase-9 activation and apoptosis in H460 cells. A comparative analysis of molecular events underlying cell death in bortezomib-treated versus cisplatin-treated H460 cells revealed that bortezomib, but not cisplatin, caused a rapid and abundant release of cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO from mitochondria. This was associated with a marked increase in levels of the BH3-only proapoptotic protein Noxa and the antiapoptotic protein Mcl-1. Taken together, our data show that bortezomib, by promoting a proapoptotic shift in the levels of proteins involved in mitochondrial outer-membrane permeabilization, is a potent activator of the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis in NSCLC cells. Our preclinical results support further investigation of bortezomib-based therapies as a possible new treatment modality for NSCLC. [Mol Cancer Ther 2007;6(3):1046–53]
Impact of age on epicardial and pericoronary adipose tissue volume.

OBJECTIVE The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of age on epicardial and pericoronary adipose tissue volume. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eighty healthy individuals with normal body mass index underwent multi-slice computed tomography (MSCT) with coronary computed tomography angiography, and their scanning images were stored and analysed. Among them, 62 subjects were male, and 18 subjects were female. The patients were grouped by age: 10 subjects were < 35 yrs, 20 were 35-44 yrs, 20 were 45-54 yrs, 20 were 55-64 yrs, and 10 were > 65 yrs. Pericoronary adipose tissue (PCAT), and the volume and the thickness of epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) were measured. RESULTS The correlation analysis showed that age was positively correlated to EAT volume. Moreover, spearman correlation analysis showed that the volumes of PCAT in the left main-left anterior descending artery (LM-LAD) and right coronary artery (RCA) gradually increased with increasing age, but not with the left circumflex artery (LCX) and EAT thickness (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the volumes of EAT and the adipose tissue surrounding the LM-LAD and RCA increase with increasing age.
Violence Between Therapy-Seeking Veterans and Their Partners

Among male veterans and their female partners seeking therapy for relationship issues, three violence profiles were identified based on self-reports of physical violence: nonviolent, in which neither partner reported perpetrating physical violence (44%); one-sided violent, in which one partner reported perpetrating violence (30%); and mutually violent, in which both partners reported perpetrating physical violence (26%). Profiles were distinguished based on the veteran's psychiatric diagnosis, woman's age, and both partners' reports of the frequency and severity of violence. Men and women in mutually violent couples reported more verbal and physical aggression than did men or women in any other group. The three groups reported comparable rates of sexual aggression. Appraisals of marital satisfaction and intimacy were not different based on violence profile. No gender differences emerged in the self-reports of frequency and severity of verbal, physical, and sexual aggression.
EVALUATION OF THE EFFICACY, SAFETY, AND TOLERABILITY OF EZETIMIBE IN PRIMARY HYPERCHOLESTEROLAEMIA: A POOLED ANALYSIS FROM TWO CONTROLLED PHASE III CLINICAL STUDIES

Ezetimibe is a novel cholesterol absorption inhibitor that blocks intestinal absorption of dietary and biliary cholesterol. Data from 1719 patients who participated in two multicentre, double‐blind studies of ezetimibe were pooled to evaluate the drug's efficacy and safety in patients with primary hypercholesterolaemia. Following dietary stabilisation, a two‐ to 12‐week washout period, and a four‐week, single‐blind, placebo lead‐in period, patients were randomised to ezetimibe 10 mg or placebo once daily in the morning for 12 consecutive weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was percent reduction in plasma low‐density lipoprotein (LDL)‐cholesterol from baseline at endpoint. Ezetimibe reduced LDL‐cholesterol by a mean of 18.2% compared with an increase of 0.9% with placebo (p<0.01) and resulted in favourable, statistically significant changes in HDL‐cholesterol, triglycerides and apo B. The response to ezetimibe was consistent across all subgroups analysed. Ezetimibe was well tolerated, with a safety profile similar to placebo. (Int J Clin Pract 2003; 57(5): 363–368)
Solid–mush interface conditions for mushy layers

Abstract A subtle issue in the study of mushy zones which form during the solidification of binary alloys is that there are two distinct types of solid–mush interfaces which may occur. One of these is a eutectic front and the other is a front which separates the mushy layer and, assuming complete solute rejection, a layer of pure solid. For semi-infinite-domain configurations that admit similarity solutions, such as those at a uniform initial temperature and concentration with an imposed cold temperature at the lower boundary, only one of the two types appears, and the type of front is determined by the various parameters of the system. In a finite domain, it is possible for each type of front to appear at different times. Specifically, the advance of the eutectic front is restricted by the isotherm associated with the eutectic temperature, and the other front type will appear over a longer time scale. Leading up to the time when the front changes type, the concentration being frozen into the solid decreases. This process writes a history of the system into the solid.
Transverse fields to tune an Ising-nematic quantum phase transition

Significance Many interesting materials, including various high-temperature superconductors, exhibit a low-temperature “electron nematic” phase in which the electronic properties spontaneously break the rotational symmetry of the crystal. A nematic quantum critical point (QCP) marks the zero-temperature phase transition from a nematic ground state to a symmetric state as a function of a macroscopic nonthermal parameter. Here, we examine appropriate general means to tune Ising nematic systems to a QCP and in particular show that shear strain is a powerful tuning parameter. Moreover, we identify 4f ferroquadrupolar order as a realization of Ising nematic order and argue that it provides a promising platform for fundamental studies of metallic QCPs in the laboratory. The paradigmatic example of a continuous quantum phase transition is the transverse field Ising ferromagnet. In contrast to classical critical systems, whose properties depend only on symmetry and the dimension of space, the nature of a quantum phase transition also depends on the dynamics. In the transverse field Ising model, the order parameter is not conserved, and increasing the transverse field enhances quantum fluctuations until they become strong enough to restore the symmetry of the ground state. Ising pseudospins can represent the order parameter of any system with a twofold degenerate broken-symmetry phase, including electronic nematic order associated with spontaneous point-group symmetry breaking. Here, we show for the representative example of orbital-nematic ordering of a non-Kramers doublet that an orthogonal strain or a perpendicular magnetic field plays the role of the transverse field, thereby providing a practical route for tuning appropriate materials to a quantum critical point. While the transverse fields are conjugate to seemingly unrelated order parameters, their nontrivial commutation relations with the nematic order parameter, which can be represented by a Berry-phase term in an effective field theory, intrinsically intertwine the different order parameters.
Microscopic Colitis: a Clinical and Pathological Review

‘Microscopic colitis’ is a term that embraces collagenous and lymphocytic colitis but also includes the appearance of increased in ammation in the lamina propria without the speci c features of the other two colitides (1–4). Collagenous colitis was  rst described by Lindstrom in 1976 (5). It is characterized by surface epithelial injury, a thickened subepithelial collagen plate and increased cellularity of the lamina propria, with a predominance of lymphocytes, plasma cells and in some cases eosinophils. Crypt distortion is absent and neutrophils are rare. Misdiagnosis of collagenous colitis may occur by focusing on the subepthelial collagen layer. This can be more prominent in metaplastic polyps and may be artefactually increased by tangential sectioning (3, 6). Lymphocytic colitis is characterized by the presence of intraepithelial lymphocytes and a similarly increased cellularity of the lamina propria. This condition was characterized as a separate condition by Lazenby et al. in 1989 (7, 8). There is an overlap between these two colitides, as some patients with collagenous colitis may have increased intraepithelial lymphocytes (9). Microscopic colitis has become a collective term to describe these two colitides. However, it is apparent that there is a third group within the umbrella of microscopic colitis. There are patients whose biopsies show an increase in cellular in ltrate in the lamina propria (with minimal distortion of crypt architecture) but without a collagen band or intraepithelial lymphocytes (10). The de nition of this subgroup of microscopic colitis is controversial and also confusing, because of the lack of agreement on terminology (Fig. 1). We have used the term ‘microscopic colitis not otherwise speci ed’ (nos) for this histological diagnosis. This concept and terminology was  rst proposed by Jawhari et al. (11). The term ‘microscopic colitis’ when used as a description of the clinical entity is perhaps more correctly expressed as ‘microscopic colitis syndrome’ (2). This term implies the triad of chronic diarrhoea (which is often watery), a normal or near normal colonoscopy and appropriate histological  ndings.