Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of Functional Estrogen Receptors and Galanin Messenger Ribonucleic Acid in Immortalized Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone Neurons: Estrogenic Control of Galanin Gene Expression.

The activity of estradiol on the LHRH neuronal network is crucial in the regulation of reproduction. In vivo, estradiol induces galanin (GAL) gene expression in LHRH neurons and GAL/LHRH colocalization is sexually dimorphic and neonatally determined by steroid exposure. The effects of estradiol on LHRH neurons, however, are considered to be indirect because estrogen receptors (ER) have not been detected in LHRH neurons in vivo. Using immortalized mouse LHRH neurons (GT1–7 cells), we demonstrated by RT-PCR and Southern blotting that GT1–7 cells express ER messenger RNA (mRNA). Sequencing of the amplification products indicated that GT1–7 ER is of the α-subtype (ERα). Additionally, estrogen receptors in GT1–7 cells were characterized by competitive radioligand receptor binding and IC50 values for 17β-estradiol and ICI-182,780 were found to be 0.24 and 4.1 nm, respectively. The ability of endogenous GT1–7 cell ER to regulate transcription was determined in transient transfection studies using a construct tha.
Low-dose fondaparinux in suspected heparin-induced thrombocytopenia in the critically ill.

BACKGROUND In critically ill patients, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is estimated to account for approximately 1 to 10% of all causes of thrombocytopenia. HIT exerts a strong procoagulant state. In case of suspected HIT, it is an important clinical decision to stop heparin and start treatment with alternative nonheparin anticoagulation, awaiting the results of laboratory testing for the final diagnosis of HIT (bridging therapy). Fondaparinux acts by factor Xa inhibition and expresses no cross-reactivity with HIT antibodies. Excretion of fondaparinux is mainly renal. We describe our early experience with fixed low-dose fondaparinux bridging therapy and monitoring of anticoagulant activity for safety reasons. METHODS This retrospective cohort study was conducted in a closed format general intensive care unit in a teaching hospital. Consecutive critically ill patients suspected of HIT were treated with fondaparinux after discontinuation of unfractionated heparin or nadroparin. Anti-Xa levels were determined afterwards. RESULTS Seven patients were treated with fondaparinux 2.5 mg/day for 1.8 to 6.5 days. Anti-Xa levels varied from 0.1 to 0.6 U/ml. A negative correlation was found between creatinine clearance and mean and maximum anti-Xa levels. No thromboembolic complications occurred. Bleeding complications were only minor during fondaparinux treatment. Transfusion requirements did not differ significantly between treatment episodes with fondaparinux or with heparin anticoagulants. CONCLUSION In this small sample of critically ill patients suspected of HIT, bridging therapy with fixed low-dose fondaparinux resulted in prophylactic and therapeutic anti-Xa levels. Monitoring of anticoagulant activity is advised in patients with renal insufficiency.
Myozap Deficiency Promotes Adverse Cardiac Remodeling via Differential Regulation of Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase/Serum-response Factor and β-Catenin/GSK-3β Protein Signaling*

Background: Little is known about cardiac function of myozap, a novel intercalated disc (ID) protein. Results: Myozap deficiency leads to the junctional remodeling, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and increased mortality in response to increased biomechanical stress. Conclusion: Myozap is required for proper adaptation to increased biomechanical stress. Significance: We provide an essential role of the ID in general and myozap in particular in the context of cardiac remodeling. The intercalated disc (ID) is a “hot spot” for heart disease, as several ID proteins have been found mutated in cardiomyopathy. Myozap is a recent addition to the list of ID proteins and has been implicated in serum-response factor signaling. To elucidate the cardiac consequences of targeted deletion of myozap in vivo, we generated myozap-null mutant (Mzp−/−) mice. Although Mzp−/− mice did not exhibit a baseline phenotype, increased biomechanical stress due to pressure overload led to accelerated cardiac hypertrophy, accompanied by “super”-induction of fetal genes, including natriuretic peptides A and B (Nppa/Nppb). Moreover, Mzp−/− mice manifested a severe reduction of contractile function, signs of heart failure, and increased mortality. Expression of other ID proteins like N-cadherin, desmoplakin, connexin-43, and ZO-1 was significantly perturbed upon pressure overload, underscored by disorganization of the IDs in Mzp−/− mice. Exploration of the molecular causes of enhanced cardiac hypertrophy revealed significant activation of β-catenin/GSK-3β signaling, whereas MAPK and MKL1/serum-response factor pathways were inhibited. In summary, myozap is required for proper adaptation to increased biomechanical stress. In broader terms, our data imply an essential function of the ID in cardiac remodeling beyond a mere structural role and emphasize the need for a better understanding of this molecular structure in the context of heart disease.
A 10-year literature review of family caregiving for motor neurone disease: Moving from caregiver burden studies to palliative care interventions

Background: There is growing awareness that different terminal diseases translate into different family caregiver experiences, and the palliative and supportive care needs of these families are both similar and unique. Family members caring for people with motor neurone disease may experience exceptional strain due to the usually rapid and progressive nature of this terminal illness. Aim: The purpose of this review is to synthesize contemporary research and provide a comprehensive summary of findings relevant to motor neurone disease family caregivers, as well as highlight some of the suggested interventions to alleviate burden and improve quality of life for this group. Design: We conducted a comprehensive review of empirical research on family caregiving for people with motor neurone disease in peer-reviewed journals published in English, January 2000–April 2011. Fifty-nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Results: This comprehensive literature review was consistent with previous research documenting the substantial burden and distress experienced by motor neurone disease family caregivers and revealed important points in the trajectory of care that have the potential for negative effects. The diagnosis experience, assisted ventilation, cognitive changes and end-of-life decision making create challenges within a short time. This review has also implicated the need for improvements in access to palliative care services and highlighted the absence of interventions to improve care. Conclusions: Caregiver burden and quality-of-life studies on motor neurone disease family caregivers have so far dominated the research landscape . The focus needs to be on developing interventions that provide direct practical and psychosocial supports for motor neurone disease family caregivers.
An inverter-based neural amplifier for neural spike detection

An inverter is employed as an analog amplifier for realizing a front-end amplifier for neural spike detection. The amplifier operates in two phases, a biasing and an amplification phase. A high-pass filter is realized by repetitively resetting the neural amplifier and the high-pass cutoff frequency can be adjusted by the resetting frequency. The neural amplifier is designed in a 0. 18μm 1P5M CMOS process and post-layout periodic small-signal and periodic noise simulations using SpectreRF were carried out. The neural amplifier achieves an input-referred noise of 3. 29μVRMS from 6Hz to 10kHz, a power consumption of 3. 2μW from a 0.8V power supply, and the efficiency factors of noise and power are 2.53 and 5.12 at a reset switching frequency of 10Hz, respectively.
Association of haplotype combination of serotonin transporter gene polymorphisms with monthly headache days in MOH patients

Objectives: To evaluate the role of 5‐HTTLPR, STin2 VNTR, and rs1042173T>G polymorphisms of the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) as susceptibility factors for medication overuse headache (MOH) and to assess their value as predictors of the number of headache days per month, a potential marker of disease severity.
MODELLING THE DIVIDEND BEHAVIOURAL PATTERN OF CORPORATE FIRMS IN NIGERIA

A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE POST GRADUATE SCHOOL, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE
OPTIMAL REQUIREMENT DETERMINATION FOR PRICING AVAILABILITY-BASED SUSTAINMENT CONTRACTS

Title of dissertation: OPTIMAL REQUIREMENT DETERMINATION FOR PRICING AVAILABILITY-BASED SUSTAINMENT CONTRACTS Amir Reza Kashani-Pour, Doctor of Philosophy, 2017 Dissertation directed by: Professor Peter A. Sandborn Department of Mechanical Engineering Sustainment constitutes 70% or more of the total life-cycle cost of many safety-, missionand infrastructure-critical systems. Prediction and control of the life-cycle cost is an essential part of all sustainment contracts. For many types of systems, availability is the most critical factor in determining the total life-cycle cost of the system. To address this, availability-based contracts have been introduced into the governmental and nongovernmental acquisitions space (e.g., energy, defense, transportation, and healthcare). However, the development, implementation, and impact of availability requirements within contracts is not well understood. This dissertation develops a decision support model based on contract theory, formal modeling and stochastic optimization for availability-based contract design. By adoption and extension of the “availability payment” concept introduced for civil infrastructure Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and pricing for Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) contracts, this dissertation develops requirements that maximizes the outcome of contracts for both parties. Under the civil infrastructure “availability payment” PPP, once the asset is available for use, the private sector begins receiving a periodical payment for the contracted number of years based on meeting performance requirements. This approach has been applied to highways, bridges, etc. The challenge is to determine the most effective requirements, metrics and payment model that protects the public interest, (i.e., does not overpay the private sector) but also minimizes that risk that the asset will become unsupported. This dissertation focuses on availability as the key required outcome for mission-critical systems and provides a methodology for finding the optimum requirements and optimum payment parameters, and introduces new metrics into availability-based contract structures. In a product-service oriented environment, formal modeling of contracts (for both the customer and the contractor) will be necessary for pricing, negotiations, and transparency. Conventional methods for simulating a system through its life cycle do not include the effect of the relationship between the contractor and customer. This dissertation integrates engineering models with the incentive structure using a game theoretic simulation, affine controller design and stochastic optimization. The model has been used to explore the optimum availability assessment window (i.e., the length of time over which availability must be assessed) for an availability-based contract. OPTIMAL REQUIREMENTS DETERMINATION FOR PRICING AVAILABILITY-BASED SUSTAINMENT CONTRACTS
Role of CYP2E1 in the Hepatotoxicity of Acetaminophen (*)

CYP2E1, a cytochrome P-450 that is well conserved across mammalian species, metabolizes ethanol and many low molecular weight toxins and cancer suspect agents. The cyp2e1 gene was isolated, and a mouse line that lacks expression of CYP2E1 was generated by homologous recombination in embryonic stem cells. Animals deficient in expression of the enzyme were fertile, developed normally, and exhibited no obvious phenotypic abnormalities, thus indicating that CYP2E1 has no critical role in mammalian development and physiology in the absence of external stimuli. When cyp2e1 knockout mice were challenged with the common analgesic acetaminophen, they were found to be considerably less sensitive to its hepatotoxic effects than wild-type animals, indicating that this P-450 is the principal enzyme responsible for the metabolic conversion of the drug to its active hepatotoxic metabolite.
[The treatment of benign positional paroxysmal vertigo of posterior semicircular canal by Epley maneuver combined with Semont maneuver].

OBJECTIVE To investigate the treatment of benign positional paroxysmal vertigo of posterior semi-circular canal by Epley maneuver combined with Semont maneuver. METHOD One hundred and fifty patients with benign positional paroxysmal vertigo of posterior semicircular canal were randomly divided into three groups: group A, B and C. Patients in group A were treated by Epley maneuver and patients in group B were treated by Semont maneuver. Patients in group C were received the treatment of Epley maneuver combined with Semont ma- neuver. We recorded the times of treatments in different groups respectively. Statistics of treatment effects and follow-up studies with 3 months after the recovery were assessed. RESULT The cure rate of the canalith repositioning on the primary, secondary and tertiary treatment in group A was respective 72% (38/53) and 81% (43/53) and 85% (45/53), in group B was 68% (30/44) and 80% (35/44) and 84% (37/44), in group C was 89% (47/53) and 94% (50/53) and 98% (52/53). The cure rate in group C is significantly higher than group A and group B (χ2 = 6.777, P < 0.05; χ2 = 6.647, P < 0.05). 3 months after recovery 6 patients in group A, 5 patients in group B and 1 patient in group C were relapsed. CONCLUSION By the use of Epley maneuver combined with Semont maneuver in the treatment of benign positional paroxysmal vertigo of posterior semicircular canal, the primary cure rate was increased and the numbers of treatments were reduced and the relapse was decreased. It is suitable to use Epley maneuver combined with Semont maneuver in the clinic.
Regional Analgesic Techniques for Postoperative Cesarean Section Pain

Patients who undergo cesarean delivery offer a unique challenge for the anesthesiologist. Whereas general surgery patients often list postoperative nausea and vomiting as their major concern, the major fear of patients undergoing cesarean delivery is pain. Despite this, these patients are reluctant to use prescribed analgesics for fear of potential neonatal effects. As a result, these patients may accept higher levels of postoperative pain before asking for analgesic medication. Aside from the usual deleterious effects of postoperative pain, 2 important points require mentioning. First, pain and stress may negatively influence breastfeeding by acting on the endocrine and nervous systems. Second, chronic postoperative pain is a significant problem after Pfannensteil incision. Its incidence varies from 18% to 33% and can be severe in a large proportion of cases. One major predictor of chronic pain is the degree of acute postoperative pain. It seems reasonable to conclude that one should aggressively treat acute postoperative pain in this vulnerable patient population.
Regulation and trafficking of the HLA‐E molecules during monocyte‐macrophage differentiation

HLA‐E is a nonclassical HLA‐class I molecule whose best known role is to protect from the natural killer cells. More recently, an additional function more similar to that of classical HLA‐class I molecules, i.e., antigen presentation to T cells, is emerging. However, much remains to be explored about the intracellular trafficking of the HLA‐E molecules. With the use of 3 different cellular contexts, 2 monocytic cell lines, U937 and THP1, and peripheral blood monocytes, we show here a remarkable increase of HLA‐E during monocyte‐macrophage differentiation. This goes independently from the classical HLA‐class I, the main source of HLA‐E‐specific peptides, which is found strongly up‐regulated upon differentiation of peripheral blood monocytes but not at all in the case of U937 and THP1 cell lines. Although in all cases, there was a moderate increase of HLA‐E expressed in the cell surface, lysis by natural killer cells is comparably restored by an anti‐NKG2A antibody in untreated as well as in PMA‐differentiated U937 cells. Instead, the great majority of the HLA‐E is retained in the vesicles of the autophagy‐lysosome network, where they colocalize with the microtubule‐associated protein light chain 3, as well as with the lysosomal‐associated membrane protein 1. We conclude that differently from the classical HLA‐class I molecules, the primary destination of the newly synthesized HLA‐E molecules in macrophages is, rather than the cell membrane, the intracellular autophagy‐lysosomal vesicles where they are stored and where they can encounter the exogenous antigens.
Penicillinase‐Producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Dade County, Florida: Evidence of Core‐Group Transmitters and the Impact of Iilicit Antibiotics

In 1985, 2,455 cases of infection due to penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae were reported from Dade County, Florida. These cases represent the largest concentration of PPNG infections reported to date in the United States. A zip code-based geographic analysis of morbidity caused by gonorrhea and PPNG identified a core area where the percentage of all gonorrhea cases due to PPNG was 31-36%. This percentage decreased in a radial pattern outward from the central core. A prospective study of patients presenting to the Dade County central clinic with gonorrhea found that men infected with PPNG were more likely to have medicated themselves with illicit antibiotics than were patients infected with penicillin-sensitive N. gonorrhoeae (odds ratio, 3.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.9-6.8). Of all self-medicated patients, 42% obtained antibiotics via illicit over-the-counter purchase at pharmacies in the hyperendemic area. In contrast to previous reports, PPNG infection was not associated with either narcotic- or prostitution-related activities. The results show that PPNG is endemic in Dade County and is arrayed in a core distribution. Antibiotic abuse may have played an important role in the Miami epidemic and in the establishment of PPNG as an endemic strain.
Ibutilide – recent molecular insights and accumulating evidence for use in atrial flutter and fibrillation

Ibutilide is a ‘pure’ class III antiarrhythmic drug, used intravenously against atrial flutter and fibrillation. At a cellular level it exerts two main actions: induction of a persistent Na+ current sensitive to dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel blockers and potent inhibition of the cardiac rapid delayed rectifier K+ current, by binding within the channel pore cavity upon channel gating. Ibutilide has been shown to terminate atrial flutter and fibrillation in animal studies, with some risk of ventricular pro-arrhythmia. Experimental models of hypertrophy/heart failure show altered sensitivity to ibutilide, with increased dispersion of repolarisation and incidence of pro-arrhythmia. Patient trials show that ibutilide is effective at terminating atrial arrhythmias when given alone, and that it can increase effectiveness and reduce energy requirements of electrical cardioversion. The risk to patients of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia necessitates careful patient selection and monitoring during and after treatment. An ibutilide analogue, trecetilide, requires further investigation but may offer a less readily metabolised and pro-arrhythmic alternative to ibutilide.
Antigenic Characterization of an Intrinsically Unstructured Protein, Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein 2

ABSTRACT Merozoite surface protein 2 (MSP2) is an abundant glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored protein of Plasmodium falciparum, which is a potential component of a malaria vaccine. As all forms of MSP2 can be categorized into two allelic families, a vaccine containing two representative forms of MSP2 may overcome the problem of diversity in this highly polymorphic protein. Monomeric recombinant MSP2 is an intrinsically unstructured protein, but its conformational properties on the merozoite surface are unknown. This question is addressed here by analyzing the 3D7 and FC27 forms of recombinant and parasite MSP2 using a panel of monoclonal antibodies raised against recombinant MSP2. The epitopes of all antibodies, mapped using both a peptide array and by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy on full-length recombinant MSP2, were shown to be linear. The antibodies revealed antigenic differences, which indicate that the conserved N- and C-terminal regions, but not the central variable region, are less accessible in the parasite antigen. This appears to be an intrinsic property of parasite MSP2 and is not dependent on interactions with other merozoite surface proteins as the loss of some conserved-region epitopes seen using the immunofluorescence assay (IFA) on parasite smears was also seen on Western blot analyses of parasite lysates. Further studies of the structural basis of these antigenic differences are required in order to optimize recombinant MSP2 constructs being evaluated as potential vaccine components.
Effect of isoflurane on related gene expression in hippocampus of rats

Continuous general anesthesia is able to exert an influence on the related molecules expression in central nervous system. In this study, we established a short time isoflurane inhalation SD rat model to explore the effect of isoflurane on regulating the relative genes expression in hippocampus. Ten-week male SD rats were anesthesia inducted for 30min. We obtained rat hippocampus tissues after anaesthesia on 1st and 3rd day, then reversed transcription of 18 gene expressions before PCR detection. We found that isoflurane could upregulate 6 kinds of gene under different circumstances, Hspd1, Plat, Npr3 were upregulated 1.7 ± 0.2 fold, 1.37 ± 0.1 fold, 1.4 ± 0.2 fold respectively in 1 day after anaesthesia, Thbs4 was upregulated 1.8 ± 0.25 fold in 3 day after anaesthesia and Syp and Mgst1 were upregulated 1.65 ± 0.1 fold and 1.4 ± 0.1 fold in 1d, also upregulated 1.5 ± 0.1 fold and 1.48 ± 0.1 fold in 2 d. Our study showed that isoflurane inhalation anesthesia could upregulate the related gene expression of rat hippocampus, which could influence subsequent expression of the relevant molecular level and the corresponding effect would last for at least 3 days. All these above could provide the basis for clinical application.
Pengaruh Corporate Governance terhadap Peringkat Obligasi dan Yield Obligasi

This paper investigated the effect of corporate governance to bond ratings and bond yield. The proxies of corporate governance are institution ownership, independent committe, audit committee, and managerial ownership. Those proxies are independent variables, and the dependent variables are bond rating and bond yield. Logistic regression (logit) is used to examine first hipothesis, and multiple regression is used to examine second hypothesis. Sample are all bonds that issued period 2001-2003, and data are collected from Surabaya Stock Exchage and PT PEFINDO. The paper proved that implementation of corporate governance influences bond ratings and yields. The existence of independent committee have positive effect to bond rating but the opposite effect is to bond yield. The better of corporate governance implementation the higher bond ratings, but bond yields will decresase. The existence of audit committee have negative effect to bond yield. It concluded that the existence of aucit committee give effect for investor judgement.