Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cancer Stem Cell Analysis and Clinical Outcome in Patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme

Purpose: Cancer stem cells (CSC) are thought to represent the population of tumorigenic cells responsible for tumor development. The stem cell antigen CD133 identifies such a tumorigenic population in a subset of glioblastoma patients. We conducted a prospective study to explore the prognostic potential of CSC analysis in glioblastoma patients. Experimental Design: We investigated the relationship between the in vitro growth potential of glioblastoma CSCs and patient death or disease progression in tumors of 44 consecutive glioblastoma patients treated with complete or partial tumorectomy followed by radiotherapy combined with temozolomide treatment. Moreover, we evaluated by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence the prognostic value of the relative presence of CD133+ and CD133+/Ki67+ cells in patient tumors. Results:In vitro CSC generation and the presence of ≥2% CD133+ cells in tumor lesions negatively correlated with overall (P = 0.0001 and 0.02, respectively) and progression-free (P = 0.0002 and 0.01, respectively) survival of patients. A very poor overall (P = 0.007) and progression-free (P = 0.001) survival was observed among patients whose tumors contained CD133+ cells expressing Ki67. Taking into account symptom duration, surgery type, age, O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase promoter methylation, and p53 status, generation of CSCs and CD133/Ki67 coexpression emerged as highly significant independent prognostic factors, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.92 (95% confidence interval, 1.37-6.2; P = 0.005) and 4.48 (95% confidence interval, 1.68-11.9; P = 0.003), respectively. Conclusions: The analysis of CSCs may predict the survival of glioblastoma patients. In vitro CSC generation and presence of CD133+/Ki67+ cells are two considerable prognostic factors of disease progression and poor clinical outcome.
Overview and semantic issues of text mining

Text mining refers to the discovery of previously unknown knowledge that can be found in text collections. In recent years, the text mining field has received great attention due to the abundance of textual data. A researcher in this area is requested to cope with issues originating from the natural language particularities. This survey discusses such semantic issues along with the approaches and methodologies proposed in the existing literature. It covers syntactic matters, tokenization concerns and it focuses on the different text representation techniques, categorisation tasks and similarity measures suggested.
Developing multidimensional scale for effective measurement of rural leadership.

Many social researchers measure multidimensional variables, such as rural leadership, by aggregating the scores of individual dimensions / sub-dimensions. These dimensions / sub-dimensions are highly correlated and have inherent problem of multicolinearity which causes attenuation in measurement. In order to overcome this problem, the M-K-J-B-D method developed by a group of researchers, has been used to construct multidimensional scale of rural leadership. The advantage of multidimensional rural leadership scale is being demonstrated by comparing it with uni-dimensional scale in further statistical analysis. The present study is a blending of two research findings where the data on rural leadership have been collected from randomly selected 160 followers and 40 leaders from rural areas of Uttarakhand State of India and these have been tested through a method for developing a valid multidimensional scale with absolute reliability for effective measurement of rural leadership.
Tunable PDL of twisted-tilted fiber gratings

We fabricated highly tilted fiber gratings and demonstrated that the broad-band polarization-dependent loss (PDL) of the gratings may be tuned by twisting the fiber along the length of the grating. We show that the PDL for a given twist angle can be determined from a simple Jones matrix calculation which can also take into account birefringence on the PDL axis. We combine the twisted-tilted grating with a polarization controller to form a PDL compensator and use it to minimize the polarization-dependent responsivity of a nonlinear silicon avalanche photodiode.
Tissue factor-expressing monocytes inhibit fibrinolysis through a TAFI-mediated mechanism, and make clots resistant to heparins

It is often noted that the activation of the fibrinolytic system begins as the clot is formed, but it is also true that antifibrinolytic mechanisms are activated at the same time and both depend on the generation of thrombin. In this paper, the authors show that the increased thrombin generation driven by monocyte-associated tissue factor activates TAFI and thus make the clot more resistant to fibrinolysis. Background Thrombin is the main activator of the fibrinolysis inhibitor TAFI (thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor) and heightened clotting activation is believed to impair fibrinolysis through the increase of thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor activation. However, the enhancement of thrombin generation by soluble tissue factor was reported to have no effect on plasma fibrinolysis and it is not known whether the same is true for cell-associated tissue factor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of tissue factor-expressing monocytes on plasma fibrinolysis in vitro. Design and Methods Tissue factor expression by human blood mononuclear cells (MNC) and monocytes was induced by LPS stimulation. Fibrinolysis was spectrophotometrically evaluated by measuring the lysis time of plasma clots containing LPS-stimulated or control cells and a low concentration of exogenous tissue plasminogen activator. Results LPS-stimulated MNC (LPS-MNC) prolonged fibrinolysis time as compared to unstimulated MNC (C-MNC) in contact-inhibited but not in normal citrated plasma. A significantly prolonged lysis time was observed using as few as 30 activated cells/μL. Fibrinolysis was also impaired when clots were generated on adherent LPS-stimulated monocytes. The antifibrinolytic effect of LPS-MNC or LPS-monocytes was abolished by an anti-tissue factor antibody, by an antibody preventing thrombin-mediated thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor activation, and by a TAFIa inhibitor (PTCI). Assays of thrombin and TAFIa in contact-inhibited plasma confirmed the greater generation of these enzymes in the presence of LPS-MNC. Finally, the profibrinolytic effect of unfractionated heparin and enoxaparin was markedly lower (~50%) in the presence of LPS-MNC than in the presence of a thromboplastin preparation displaying an identical tissue factor activity. Conclusions Our data indicate that LPS-stimulated monocytes inhibit fibrinolysis through a tissue factor-mediated enhancement of thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor activation and make clots resistant to the profibrinolytic activity of heparins, thus providing an additional mechanism whereby tissue factor-expressing monocytes/macrophages may favor fibrin accumulation and diminish the antithrombotic efficacy of heparins.
Expression patterns of mitotic and meiotic cell cycle regulators in testicular cancer and development

Mitotic and meiotic cell cycle regulation is essential for normal development and tumor prevention. The underlying molecular mechanisms are not completely characterized. The aim of our analysis was to derive a global expression map of cell cycle regulators in mitosis and meiosis. First, the expression of cyclins, CDKs and CDK inhibitors was determined during postnatal testis maturation in mice using microarrays and quantitative RT‐PCR. The abundance of cyclins A1, B2, K, M4, CDK2, all CDKLs, CDKN2c, CDKN2d and INCA1 increased during testis maturation. In contrast, cyclins A2, B1, D2, G1, G2, CDK1, CDK4 and CDK2AP1 showed a maturation‐associated decrease. Gene expression profiles of isolated germ cells and testicular somatic cells confirmed these results. Second, we determined cyclin expression patterns in human normal and malignant testis samples (n = 36) modeling the reciprocal difference between meiosis and mitosis. Testicular tumors strictly expressed cell cycle regulators identified in mitotically dividing germ cells. Expression of several transcripts was histology‐specific in testicular tumors, providing novel molecular markers and potential therapeutic targets. Taken together, our data provide a comprehensive expression map of cell cycle regulators at the switch between mitosis and meiosis in testis development and in cancerogenesis. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
On the role of the two extracytoplasmic substrate‐binding domains in the ABC transporter OpuA

Members of two transporter families of the ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) superfamily use two or even four extracytoplasmic substrate‐binding domains (SBDs) for transport. We report on the role of the two SBDs in the translocation cycle of the ABC transporter OpuA from Lactococcus lactis. Heterooligomeric OpuA complexes with only one SBD or one functional and one non‐functional SBD (inactivated by covalent linkage of a substrate mimic) have been constructed, and the substrate binding and transport kinetics of the purified transporters, reconstituted in liposomes, have been determined. The data indicate that the two SBDs of OpuA interact in a cooperative manner in the translocation process by stimulating either the docking of the SBDs onto the translocator or the delivery of glycine betaine to the translocator. It appears that one of these initial steps, but not the later steps in translocation or resetting of the system to the initial state, is rate determining for transport. These new insights on the functional role of the extracytoplasmic SBDs are discussed in the light of the current knowledge of substrate‐binding‐protein‐dependent ABC transporters.
Nitric oxide and antioxidant enzyme levels in blood of respiratory distress syndrome – Egyptian preterms and their mothers

Abstract Background: The mechanisms of tissue injury in respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) have not been completely elucidated but the involvement of oxidative damage due to reactive oxygen species (ROS) is important in the pathogenesis of preterm labor and RDS. Objectives: To assess the oxidative status in preterms with and without RDS and in their mothers. Patients and methods: Measuring and comparing concentrations of serum nitric oxide (NO), and erythrocytic activities of some antioxidant enzymes in blood of 20 preterms with RDS and 20 preterms without and their mothers, respectively. Results: Our results confirm significant elevation of mean levels of serum NO and reduced mean levels of erythrocytic activities of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT), in RDS preterms and their mothers compared with controls and their mothers. A significant positive correlations were found between maternal and preterm serum NO (r = 0.3 & 0.6) and erythrocytic activity of SOD (r = 0.5 & 0.4) for RDS and control groups, respectively. In addition, a significant negative correlations were found between NO and SOD in all groups. Conclusions: The existence of oxygen metabolites and lipid peroxidation was significantly more obvious in RDS preterms and in their mothers than those without.
Ground Reaction Forces for Irish Dance Landings in Hard and Soft Shoes

Ground Reaction Forces for Irish Dance Landings in Hard and Soft Shoes Sarah Elizabeth Klopp Department of Exercise Sciences, BYU Master of Science Introduction: Irish dance has evolved to become more athletically demanding, thus making the art form very hard on dancers’ bodies. Irish dancers must land from difficult moves without letting their knees bend or heels touch the ground, causing large amounts of force to be absorbed by the body. Past studies have found dancers landing with a range of 4.5–6 times body weight, potentially causing high amounts of overuse injury. The majority of injuries incurred by Irish dancers are due to overuse (79.6%). The landings that occur in Irish dance have been minimally evaluated in current literature. Obtaining values of vertical ground reaction forces (GRFs) produced by Irish dancers will assist in understanding the causes of overuse injuries, fill significant gaps in the current literature, and identify which Irish dance moves should be used less frequently to possibly reduce the chance for overuse injury. Purpose: To determine vertical GRFs produced by female Irish dancers in hard and soft shoes during common movements. The purpose of this study was to determine peak force, rise rate of force, and impulse in selected Irish hard shoe and soft shoe dance movements. Materials and Methods: Sixteen female Irish dancers between 14 and 25 years of age were recruited from the 3 highest competitive levels. Each performed a warm-up, reviewed 8 common Irish dance moves, and then performed each move 3 times upon a force plate. Four moves each were performed in soft and hard shoes. GRFs were measured using a 3-dimensional force plate running at 1000 Hz. Peak force, rise rate, and vertical impulse were all calculated. It was hypothesized that the 8 moves would produce different GRFs. Results: Peak forces normalized by each dancer’s body weight were significantly different across moves (F = 65.4, p < 0.01; F = 65.0, p < 0.01; and F = 67.4, p < 0.01 respectively). Years of experience was not correlated with peak force, rise rate, or impulse (p > 0.40). Conclusion: There is a large range in peak forces created by Irish dancers. Moves that have high average peak forces may have a higher risk in causing overuse injuries. All dancers should take care to limit the use of these moves in their choreography to prevent such injury.
New Drugs for Chronic Hepatitis B: A Review

Three nucleotide/nucleoside analogs are used for chronic hepatitis B (HBV): lamivudine, adefovir dipivoxil, and entecavir. Lamivudine and adefovir are advantageous for oral administration and safety but induce a sustained response after withdrawal of therapy in only a minority of patients. Thus, the treatment should be given in trials in a majority of patients for a long period of time. In addition, the long-term efficacy of lamivudine is limited by the frequent emergence of drug-resistant HBV mutants. Adefovir is associated with a low frequency of resistance, but its antiviral effect is not optimal. Entecavir, a cyclopentyl guanosine analog, is a potent inhibitor of HBV-DNA polymerase and it inhibits both priming and elongation steps of viral DNA replication. In phase II and III clinical trials, entecavir was found to be superior to lamivudine for all primary end points evaluated in both nucleoside-naive and lamivudine-resistant patients, and it was effective in both HBeAg-positive and HBeAg-negative nucleoside-naive patients. Only one trial has shown cases of viral resistance to this drug. The approved dosage in treatment-naive patients is 0.5 mg per day orally, whereas in patients who have failed lamivudine therapy or who are known to harbor lamivudine-resistant mutants, the approved dosage is 1.0 mg per day. Recent preliminary results show that clevudine, telbivudine, and emtricitabine may be potent analogs available for the treatment of HBV. Further studies are being conducted to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of these drugs.
Colonoscopic Hydrostatic Balloon Dilatation of Crohn's Strictures

Recurrent strictures cause considerable morbidity among many patients with Crohn's disease. We present a retrospective review of the outcome of patients who underwent endoscopic hydrostatic balloon dilatation of Crohn's strictures in our hospital over the past 7 years. All patients were under observation at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge. An initial assessment of all strictures was made radiologically, and any patient with active disease was treated before consideration of endoscopic dilatation. Dilatation was carried out with Microvasive Rigiflex balloons. Outcome after dilatation was assessed by review at subsequent clinic visits. Sixteen of 22 patients had resolution of their obstructive symptoms after dilatation, although one third of patients required more than two dilatations over the follow-up period. Six of 22 patients had persisting symptoms after endoscopic treatment, requiring surgery. There were no complications noted after any of the 71 dilatations that were performed. We conclude that hydrostatic balloon dilatation is a safe and effective alternative to surgery in the management of Crohn's strictures within the reach of the colonoscope.
Study on Operation of a Surface-Wave Oscillator Around the $\pi$ -Point Region

We numerically and experimentally studied the operation of a W-band (75-110 GHz) surface-wave oscillator driven by the electron beam energy of less than 100 keV. Two numerical methods of the real wavenumber analysis and the saddle point analysis are studied to examine the operation of the oscillator. We analyzed the Cherenkov instability for the interaction of the space charge modes and the structure modes EH01. We showed that the instabilities are of absolute instabilities when the oscillator operates around the π-point region. In the experiment, radiations due to the absolute instability are detected around the π-point region when the length of the slow-wave structure (SWS) is short enough. On the other hand, the absolute instability generates no meaningful radiation in the π-point region for the long length of SWS.
Training Instructional Skills With Paraprofessional Service Providers at a Community-Based Habilitation Setting

The present study evaluates a training program with paraprofessional service providers at a community-based habilitation setting. Four staff were taught to implement alternative and augmentative communication instruction with an adult who had autism and mental retardation through a combination of instruction, demonstration, behavior rehearsal, and performance feedback. Training was conducted under natural conditions at the adult's group home residence. Three of the four staff were able to maintain near-100% instructional accuracy following initial training. The results add to the limited research literature concerning community-based training of direct-care personnel.
Synthesis, Characterization and Antibacterial Properties of Dihydroxy Quaternary Ammonium Salts with Long Chain Alkyl Bromides

Five N‐methyl‐N‐R‐N,N‐bis(2‐hydroxyethyl) ammonium bromides (R = ‐benzyl (chloride, BNQAS), ‐dodecyl (C12QAS), ‐tetradecyl (C14QAS), ‐hexadecyl (C16QAS), ‐octadecyl (C18QAS)) were prepared based on N‐methyldiethanolamine (MDEA) and halohydrocarbon. Five QAS were characterized by FTIR, NMR, and MS. BNQAS, C12QAS, C14QAS, and C16QAS were confirmed by X‐ray single‐crystal diffraction. Their antibacterial properties indicated good antibacterial abilities against E. coli, S. aureus, B. subtilis, especially C12QAS with the best antibacterial ability (100% to E. coli, 95.65% to S. aureus, and 91.41% to B. subtilis). In addition, C12QAS also displayed the best antifungal activities than BNQAS and C18QAS against Cytospora mandshurica, Botryosphaeria ribis, Physalospora piricola, and Glomerella cingulata with the ratio of full marks. The strategy provides a facile way to design and develop new types of antibacterial drugs for application in preventing the fruit rot, especially apple.
Differential relative efficacy between drug-eluting stents in patients with bare metal and drug-eluting stent restenosis; evidence in support of drug resistance: insights from the ISAR-DESIRE and ISAR-DESIRE 2 trials.

AIMS In drug-eluting stent (DES) restenosis, the contribution of drug hyporesponsiveness is poorly defined. We sought to evaluate if, in the setting of treatment for in-stent restenosis, the relative efficacy of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) and of paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) depends on the underlying substrate in which the stents are implanted, i.e., on whether the restenosis occurs within bare metal stents or within SES. METHODS AND RESULTS We pooled data from the ISAR-DESIRE and ISAR-DESIRE 2 randomised trials and analysed outcomes in SES-treated and PES-treated patients. In all, 650 patients were included. Angiographic follow-up was available for 87% of patients. In SES-treated patients, both late loss (LL) and percentage diameter stenosis (%DS) were lower in patients treated for bare metal stent restenosis compared with SES restenosis (0.21±0.59 mm versus 0.41±0.66 mm, p=0.007; 27.6±19.4% versus 34.0±20.9%, p=0.015, respectively). In PES-treated patients, LL and %DS were similar in patients treated for bare metal stent restenosis compared with SES restenosis (0.48±0.59 mm versus 0.39±0.71, p=0.47; 33.5±22.2% versus 32.7±18.6%, p=0.75, respectively). Similarly, in terms of overall clinical efficacy, in SES-treated patients clinical outcomes were better in patients with bare metal stent restenosis compared with SES restenosis while in PES-treated patients outcomes were similar in both groups. At multivariate analyses the use of SES to treat restenosis within SES was predictive of both higher LL and %DS. CONCLUSIONS The efficacy of sirolimus-eluting but not paclitaxel-eluting stents is significantly reduced when used for treatment of SES restenosis as compared to bare metal stent restenosis. The lower antirestenotic efficacy following SES implantation in patients with SES restenosis may support a role for drug resistance in restenosis within these stents.
Neutrophils and Ly6Chi monocytes collaborate in generating an optimal cytokine response that protects against pulmonary Legionella pneumophila infection

Early responses mounted by both tissue-resident and recruited innate immune cells are essential for host defense against bacterial pathogens. In particular, both neutrophils and Ly6Chi monocytes are rapidly recruited to sites of infection. While neutrophils and monocytes produce bactericidal molecules, such as reactive nitrogen and oxygen species, both cell types are also capable of synthesizing overlapping sets of cytokines important for host defense. Whether neutrophils and monocytes perform redundant or non-redundant functions in the generation of anti-microbial cytokine responses remains elusive. Here, we sought to define the contributions of neutrophils and Ly6Chi monocytes to cytokine production and host defense during pulmonary infection with Legionella pneumophila, responsible for the severe pneumonia Legionnaires’ disease. We found that both neutrophils and monocytes are critical for host defense against L. pneumophila. Both monocytes and neutrophils contribute to maximal IL-12 and IFNγ responses, and monocytes are also required for TNF production. Moreover, natural killer (NK) cells, NKT cells, and γδ T cells are sources of IFNγ, and monocytes direct IFNγ production by these cell types. Thus, neutrophils and monocytes cooperate in eliciting an optimal cytokine response that promotes effective control of bacterial infection.