Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mechanisms of synthesis of virion proteins from the functionally bigenic late mRNAs of simian virus 40

The late 19S RNAs of simian virus 40 (SV40) are functionally polycistronic, i.e., all encode both VP2 and VP3. The VP3-coding sequences are situated in the same reading frame as the VP2-coding sequences, within the carboxy-terminal two-thirds of the VP2-coding sequences. To test whether VP3 is produced by proteolytic processing of VP2, we introduced a variety of deletion and insertion mutations within the amino-terminal end of the VP2-coding sequences. Genetic and biochemical analysis of the proteins synthesized in cells transfected with these mutants indicated that VP2 and VP3 were synthesized independently of each other. A leaky scanning model for the synthesis of VP3 was tested by the insertion of a strong initiation signal (CCAACATGG) upstream of the VP3-coding sequences. When the signal was placed in the same reading frame as VP3, synthesis of VP3 was reduced by a factor of 10 to 20, whereas synthesis of the expected VP3-related fusion protein occurred at a rate similar to that observed for VP3 in cells transfected with wild-type SV40 DNA. Insertion of this strong initiation signal at the same site, but in a different reading frame, resulted in the synthesis of VP3 at one-third of the wild-type rate. Mutation of the VP2 initiator AUG resulted in a small but reproducible (1.6-fold) increase in VP3 accumulation. From these experiments we conclude that (i) VP3 is synthesized predominantly by independent initiation of translation via a leaky scanning mechanism, rather than by proteolytic processing of VP2 or direct internal initiation of translation; (ii) a strong initiation signal 5' of the VP3-coding sequences can significantly inhibit synthesis of VP3, but does not act as an absolute barrier to scanning ribosomes; (iii) approximately 70% of scanning ribosomes bypass the VP2 initiator AUG, which is present in a weak context (GGUCCAUGG), and initiate at the VP3 initiation signal located downstream; and (iv) reinitiation of translation appears to occur on the SV40 late 19S mRNAs at an efficiency of 25 to 50%.
Service quality measurement of the public distribution system in the food grains supply chain

The public distribution system (PDS) is state run supply chain for food grains in India. The PDS in India is the largest distribution machinery of its type in the world. Many studies have been carried out across the world to understand the food grains supply chain in the private sector. This study is an attempt to understand the government-run food grains supply chain which has an obligation to fulfil social responsibility. The survey technique used to identify the influencing factors through factor analysis. Subsequently, analytical hierarchy process technique recognises the priority and rank of the service quality dimensions. This paper suggests measures to improve the service quality dimensions of the authorities, which helps to improve the perceived level of consumers' satisfaction level.
Gamma Delta T Cells Regulate Inflammatory Cell Infiltration of the Lung After Trauma-Hemorrhage

ABSTRACT Trauma-hemorrhage (TH) promotes acute lung injury (ALI) and other pulmonary-related complications in part through an exaggerated inflammatory response. Studies have implicated &ggr;&dgr; T cells in the development of inflammatory complications after major injury; however, it is unknown whether &ggr;&dgr; T cells play a role in the development of ALI after TH. To study this, C57BL/6 wild-type (WT) and &dgr; TCR−/− mice were subjected to TH or sham treatment. Lung injury was clearly evident at 2 h after TH, as evidenced by increased lung permeability, myeloperoxidase levels, and proinflammatory cytokine/chemokine levels (interleukin-1&bgr; [IL-1&bgr;], IL-6, IL-10, keratinocyte chemokine, macrophage inflammatory protein 1&agr;, macrophage inflammatory protein 1&bgr;, and regulated upon activation normal T-cell expressed, secreted chemokine). Phenotypic analysis of lung cells showed an increase in T-cell numbers after TH. The vast majority of these cells were &agr;&bgr; T cells, irrespective of injury. Although &ggr;&dgr; T cells were a small percentage of the total T-cell infiltrate, their numbers did increase after injury. In mice lacking &ggr;&dgr; T cells (&dgr; TCR−/− mice), TH-induced T-cell infiltration of the lung was markedly attenuated, whereas infiltration of other inflammatory cells was increased (i.e., monocytes, granulocytes, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells). In conclusion, these findings suggest that &ggr;&dgr; T cells regulated the infiltration of the lung with inflammatory cells after injury.
Metabolic clearance rate of immunoreactive vasopressin in man

Abstract. Metabolic clearance of synthetic arginine vasopressin (AVP) has been measured in sixteen healthy subjects and ten uraemic patients on maintenance haemodialysis. Plasma AVP was measured using a specific radioimmunoassay at different intervals after a single injection of 2 μg AVP. The theoretical curve which fitted best with the disappearance curve was the sum of two exponentials in twenty‐two subjects and of three exponentials in the other four. Metabolic clearance rate and the volume of fast initial distribution were 287·1 ml min‐1 (m2)‐1 and 219·3 ml/kg b.w. , respectively, in normal subjects. Metabolic clearance rate was considerably lower in the uraemic group. This emphasizes the role of kidneys in the degradation of AVP and may account, at least in part, for the higher basal plasma value of this hormone observed in uraemic patients.
Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy for Noninvasive Monitoring of Metabolites

Abstract An important class of substances in clinical chemistry are metabolites in body fluids, which are accessible by near-infrared spectroscopy without sample treatment using reagentless, fast and readily automated in vitro assays. Furthermore, noninvasive sensing systems are under development for the determination of blood glucose, especially for diabetic patients or for monitoring in intensive care and surgery. Near-infrared diffuse reflectance spectrometry of skin was employed allowing a certain tissue volume to be integrally probed. For calibration, the partial least-squares (PLS) algorithm was used either based on wide spectral intervals or using special spectral variable selection. Capillary blood glucose reference concentrations were obtained by finger pricking and an automated laboratory method (hexokinase/G6P-DH). Clear evidence is provided for the physical effect, as manifested by the spectral glucose absorptivities, underlying the individual single-person calibration models, which still require improvements in the methodology in the normo- and hypoglycemic concentration range. In extending the potential of noninvasive blood assays by infrared spectroscopy, a novel technique is presented for probing the intravascular fluid space by using fast spectral near-infrared measurements of skin tissue. The pulsatile blood spectrum can be derived from reflectance spectra of oral mucosa by Fourier analysis (near-infrared plethysmography). Future applications and prospects for noninvasive blood assays are discussed.
Antiproliferative effect of the somatostatin analogue octreotide on growth hormone-producing pituitary tumors: results of a multicenter randomized trial.

OBJECTIVE To determine and quantify the in vivo effects of octreotide on the cell cycle kinetics of growth hormone-producing pituitary adenomas. DESIGN A multicenter randomized trial had been conducted to assess the clinical efficacy of octreotide, and we studied tissue specimens from pituitary macroadenomas in 32 patients with acromegaly from that trial-16 of whom had received 4 months of octreotide therapy before surgical resection and 16 of whom had undergone surgical resection only. MATERIAL AND METHODS All tumors had been fully characterized on the basis of their immunophenotypic profile and their ultrastructural morphologic features. Included were 16 densely and 16 sparsely granulated somatotroph adenomas. In each case, immunostaining for the cell cycle-specific nuclear antigen Ki-67 was performed with use of the MIB-1 antibody. The staining reaction was manually quantified, and a tumor growth fraction was derived in each case. RESULTS The mean growth fraction of tumors exposed to octreotide was suppressed by 83% in comparison with untreated surgical controls (0.011+/-0.004% versus 0.065+/-0.016%, respectively; P = 0.0068). The association between octreotide treatment and lower tumor growth fractions was statistically independent of tumor subtype, being evident among both sparsely and densely granulated somatotroph adenomas. CONCLUSION Octreotide exerts a significant antineoplastic effect on somatotroph adenomas, one readily reflected at the level of the cell cycle. This antiproliferative response provides insight into several clinicopathologic issues surrounding octreotide therapy for these neoplasms.
Insight in eating disorders: clinical and cognitive correlates

Background The aim of this study was to explore the extent of lack of insight and its components in eating disorders (EDs) and to investigate the relationship between insight and clinical and cognitive characteristics in this group. Method Seventy-five participants were enrolled in the study: 25 with anorexia nervosa (AN), 15 with bulimia nervosa (BN) and 35 healthy controls (HC). Insight was assessed with a modified version of the Schedule for the Assessment of Insight for EDs (SAI-ED) and multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analysis was used to clarify the internal structure of the scale. Neuropsychological tests included the Trail Making Test (TMT), the Brixton Test and a Verbal Fluency Task. Results Only a subgroup of AN patients (24%) had severe impairment of insight. Patients with the restricting type of AN (AN-R) had poorer overall insight than patients with the binge-purge type of the disorder (AN-B/P). More of the ED patients displayed a deliberate denial of illness rather than a lack of awareness of the illness. A regression model revealed that only performance in part B of the TMT (TMT-B) was a moderate predictor of insight level. No association was found between insight and other cognitive or clinical variables. Conclusions Impaired insight is a significant feature of some ED patients. Insight in EDs seems to be partially dependent on intact mental flexibility.
Patients' perceptions of their postoperative recovery for one month.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To explore orthopaedic and general surgery patients' perceptions of their postoperative recovery for one month. BACKGROUND In general, nursing research in the postoperative context has been directed towards a single symptom or area, which is valuable. However, there is a lack of studies of orthopaedic and general surgery patients' perceptions of postoperative recovery from a short-term perspective. DESIGN A quantitative approach with a longitudinal design was used. METHODS A total of 180 patients participated in the study. Data were collected using a standardised questionnaire, the Postoperative Recovery Profile, for self-assessment of recovery. Descriptive statistics reported as proportions were used for the categorical variables. Analytic statistics were used to identify statistically significant differences. Mean values and t-tests were used for quantity variables, and Mann-Whitney U-tests and Chi-squared tests were used for nonparametric variables. RESULTS Overall, the orthopaedic patients were substantially less recovered than the general surgery patients. Two-thirds of the orthopaedic patients and half of the general surgery patients perceived severe or moderate pain in the acute recovery phase. Within the general surgery group, there were significant differences in the recovery between the Gastric Bypass patients and colon/ileum surgery patients. The gastric bypass patients were overall more recovered than the other groups of patients. The Gastric Bypass patients reported that they had improved after one month compared to their own status prior to surgery. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Nursing support for orthopaedic patients must be improved, especially after they are discharged from the hospital. To structure and monitor individual recovery, a top-five priority profile of the most important problems should be used during follow-up calls after the patient is discharged from the hospital. Postoperative pain continues to represent a clinical problem that requires attention. Heterogeneity in the perceptions of recovery within the general surgery group was indicated, which may depend on the surgical procedure as well as the patients' expectations and comparisons with their lives before surgery. Rather than return to their preoperative levels, certain patients tend to continue towards a new or different life postoperatively.
Comparative in vivo safety and efficacy of a glycoprotein G-deficient candidate vaccine strain of infectious laryngotracheitis virus delivered via eye drop

Infectious laryngotracheitis (ILT) is an acute respiratory disease in poultry that is commonly controlled by vaccination with conventionally attenuated virus strains. Despite the use of these vaccines, ILT remains a threat to the intensive poultry industry. Our laboratory has developed a novel candidate vaccine strain of infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) lacking glycoprotein G (ΔgG-ILTV). The aim of the present study was to directly compare this candidate vaccine with three currently available commercial vaccines in vivo. Five groups of specific-pathogen-free chickens were eye-drop inoculated with one of the three commercial vaccine strains (SA2-ILTV, A20-ILTV or Serva-ILTV), or ΔgG-ILTV, or sterile medium. Vaccine safety was assessed by examining clinical signs, weight gain and persistence of virus in the trachea. Vaccine efficacy was assessed by scoring clinical signs and conducting post-mortem analyses following challenge with virulent virus. Following vaccination, birds that received ΔgG-ILTV had the highest weight gain among the vaccinated groups and had clinical scores that were significantly lower than birds vaccinated with SA2-ILTV or A20-ILTV, but not significantly different from those of birds vaccinated with Serva-ILTV. Analysis of clinical scores, weight gain, tracheal pathology and virus replication after challenge revealed a comparable level of efficacy for all vaccines. Findings from this study further demonstrate the suitability of ΔgG-ILTV as a vaccine to control ILT.
A specific miRNA signature correlates with complete pathological response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.

3610 Background: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules which are emerging as key regulators of numerous cellular processes. MiRNAs may be abnormally down-regulated or up-regulated in colo-rectal cancer. Specific miRNA patterns may be associated to particular behaviour of tumours and could be used as a predictive factor of response to treatments. We used microarrays and RT-PCR to profile miRNA expression patterns in patients (pts) with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemo-radiotherapy followed by surgery, in order to identify a specific "signature" correlating with response rate. METHODS 39 pts with locally advanced rectal cancer (cT3-4/N+) were treated with capecitabine-oxaliplatin and pelvic conformal radiotherapy (45 cGy) followed by surgery (after 6-8 weeks). Pathologic response was scored according to the tumor regression grade (TRG) scale. MiRNA expression profile was analysed by microarray on fresh frozen biopsies obtained before treatment start and confirmed by RT-PCR. The correlation between miRNA expression profile and the TRG coded as TRG1 (pathologic Complete Response-pCR) versus TRG >1 (no pCR) was assessed by the χ(2) test and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS 9/39 pts experienced a pCR and in 7/9 pts the fluorescence levels of 12 miRNAs (has-miR-765, has-miR-1183, hsv-miR-H1, hsa-miR-483-5p, has-miR-622, hsa-miR-125a-3p, has-miR1224-5p, has-miR-188-5p, has-miR-1471, has-miR-671-5p, has-miR1909STAR, has-miR-630), were significantly higher with respect to TRG>1 patients (all p<0.005); moreover, these 12 miRNAs are strongly linked each other (sensitivity of 78% and a specificity of 80%). CONCLUSIONS A specific cluster of 12 miRNAs is strongly associated with therapeutic outcome and may represent a specific "signature" of response. This information may be utilized as a novel biomarker to predict response to treatments.
Capacity in a CDMA macrocell with a hotspot microcell: exact and approximate analyses

This paper studies the number of voice users supported on the uplink (user capacity) of a single-macrocell/single-microcell CDMA system. A "hotspot" microcell is embedded within a larger macrocell and operates over the same bandwidth as the larger cell. Analytic methods are presented for computing user capacity which account for propagation loss, multiple-access interference, power-control, and random locations of user terminals, as well as two distinct methods by which users select base stations (tiers). Along with the exact user capacity, a technique for approximations is also presented. Simulation results verify both the exact and approximate analytical methods. This simulation is also employed to study capacity gains of a third, more optimal, tier-selection scheme. The results point to differences in capacity performance based on the tier-selection method as well as on the traffic density within the hotspot region.
Gene frequencies of the HPA‐1 platelet antigen alleles in the Lebanese population

summary The objective was to study the gene frequencies of HPA‐1 in the Lebanese population for the first time. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of 1a and 1b HPA‐1 alleles in healthy Lebanese individuals and compare with the international literature. Human platelet antigen (HPA) systems are involved in alloimmunization, organ transplantation rejection and the development of cardiovascular disease. Of several classified HPA systems, HPA‐1 specifically has been considered to be the most important antigenic system implicated in the Caucasian population. This specific gene has never been investigated in our population. DNA was extracted from specimens collected from 205 healthy unrelated Lebanese individuals and tested, using a reverse hybridization polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, for the prevalence of 1a and 1b HPA‐1 alleles. Genotypes 1a/1a, 1a/1b, and 1b/1b were assigned accordingly. We observed that the 1a/1a genotype was the most prevalent (65·85%) followed by 1a/1b (30·24%) and 1b/1b (3·91%) with allelic frequencies for 1a and 1b of 0·81 and 0·19, respectively. As compared with other ethnic groups, the Lebanese population was found to have a relatively high prevalence of the HPA‐1b, which may predispose to a higher risk of alloimmunization. This report is the first to study the prevalence of the HPA‐1 system in the Lebanese population and serves as a template for future clinical research involving platelet disorders and cardiovascular diseases.
Fabrication, characterization, and physics of III–V heterojunction tunneling Field Effect Transistors (H-TFET) for steep sub-threshold swing

This work demonstrates the steepest subthreshold swing (SS &#60; 60mV/decade) ever reported in a III–V Tunneling Field Effect Transistor (TFET) by using thin gate oxide, heterojunction engineering and high source doping. Owing to a lower source-to-channel tunnel barrier height, heterojunction III–V TFETs demonstrate steeper subthreshold swing (SS) at a given drain current (ID) and improved drive current compared to the homojunction III–V TFETs. Electrical oxide thickness (EOT) scaling and increased source doping in tandem with tunnel barrier height reduction are shown to greatly improve the SS of the III–V TFETs and increase ID by more than 20X.
Feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of Dignity Therapy for older people in care homes: A phase II randomized controlled trial of a brief palliative care psychotherapy

Background: A pilot study of Dignity Therapy conducted with hospice patients reported high levels of self-reported benefits of the psychotherapy. Aim: To assess the feasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of Dignity Therapy to reduce distress in older people in care homes. Design: A randomized controlled open-label trial (ISRCTN37589515). Setting and participants: 60 residents aged 65+ with no major cognitive impairment living in care homes in London, UK. Intervention: Dignity Therapy, a brief palliative care psychotherapy. Outcomes: Potential effectiveness (dignity-related distress, depression, hopefulness, quality of life at baseline and 1 and 8-week follow-up); acceptability (residents’ views on self-reported benefits of Dignity Therapy/the Dignity Therapy study); and feasibility (time taken to deliver the intervention). Results: We randomized 60/755 (8%) residents: 29 – control, 31 – intervention. We found no significant differences between groups on measures of potential effectiveness at any time. There was a reduction in dignity-related distress across both groups (p = 0.026). The intervention group outperformed the control group on all the acceptability items at both follow-ups. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) ranged from small (0.25) to large (0.85). These were significant for feeling that Dignity Therapy/the Dignity Therapy study had made their life more meaningful at 2-week follow-up (p = 0.04), and that it would help their families at both follow-ups (p = 0.02 and p = 0.01, respectively). Although it was feasible to deliver the intervention in this setting, it took longer to complete than anticipated. Conclusions: Although Dignity Therapy took longer to deliver than expected, this intervention may be a way of enhancing the end-of-life experiences of residents.