Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lipoprotein (a) and Anticardiolipin Antibodies as Risk Factors for Vascular Disease in Rheumatoid Arthritis

In their interesting paper Rankinen el al. suggested that apolipoprotein (a) associates with carotid atherosclerosis independent of other risk factors for ischemic cardiovascular disease ( I ). On the other hand recently Yamazaki el al. found elevated levels of lipoprotein (a) |Lp(a)| in patients with anliphospholipid antibody syndrome (2). Previous reports published by us and others have shown increased concentrations of anticardiolipin antibodies (aCI.) with increased risk of different vascular diseases ineluding arterial or venous thrombosis and generally vasculitis in patients affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA) (3-6). In the present study we analyzed our data on Lp(a) concentrations in RA patients (functional class II/III) in relation to the presence of aCL and associated thrombotic complications. We determined Lp(a) levels in 74 seropositive (IgM Rheumatoid Factor, IgM-RF) female patients (mean age ± SD = 50 ± 9 years) who were not taking steroids, nor oral contraceptive pill, that is considered a possible risk factor for worsening of RA, and in 62 female healthy sub­ jects that were used as controls (mean age 5 1 ± 12 years). Lp(a) concen­ trations were detected by ELISA using commercial kits (Terumo Med­ ical Corp, Elkton, Md). Patients entered in the study satisfied the 1987 American Rheumatism Association Criteria for RA and were treated in our Extra-Articular Involvement RA Clinic (EIRAC), as a secondary refer­ ral centre from Genoa area and beyond, being affected by frequent RA complications, such as Sjiigren’s syndrome, vasculitis and cardio­ vascular disease. Controls and RA subjects were matched for factors influencing lipoprotein levels such as diet, body mass and physical exercise. The RA patients who entered in this study, were grouped as “ aCL positive” (n = 23) and “ aCL negative” (n = 51) with regard to the aCL positivity. Serum IgG and IgM aCL were assayed by an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as described by Loizou (7) on at least two occasions. Values were expressed in GPL and MPL units. The mean value +5 SD of 86 healthy subjects (15 GPL and 10 MPL) evaluated in our Clinic was considered as cut-off for both IgG and IgM aCL levels. Other laboratory findings included antinuclear antibodies (ANA), antibodies towards double stranded DNA (anti ds-DNA), Scl-70 (anti-Scl 70) and SSA (anti-SSA) in order to investigate the possible association with recent episodes of thromboses (lasting less than six months) and the aCL positivity. The thrombotic events were carefully assessed by a detailed clinical evaluation. The diagnosis o f deep vein thrombosis was confirmed by Doppler ultrasound examination, cere­ bral infarction was diagnosed by lesions noted on computed tomo­ graphy and retinal arterial and vein thrombosis were diagnosed by funduscopic examination.
Glomerular structural quantities in baseline biopsies from cadaveric donor kidney pairs.

Glomerular structural parameters were estimated in kidney biopsies from 11 cadaveric donors at the time of transplantation. The main purpose was to compare the biopsies from the right and left kidney from each donor. Mean glomerular volume was determined by light microscopy. The ultrastructural parameters were basement membrane thickness and volume fractions of mesangial regions with either the tuft or total glomerulus, (i.e. the tuft plus the urinary space in between the capillaries) as reference spaces. Further, the mesangial composition was determined as the volume fraction of basement membrane-like material to total mesangial regions (Vv(BMLM/mes]. The structural quantities conformed with those obtained in living kidney donors. The coefficient of variation (CV) for the group of 11 cases was highest for the mean glomerular volume (0.26) and lowest for the Vv(BMLM/mes) (0.10). The coefficient of error (CE) of the two independent determinations of structural parameters in each individual was well below 5%. The findings therefore demonstrate that, with the methods used, a renal biopsy gives valid and reliable information for that particular individual - at least in cases with 'normal' structures.
A CONTINUUM OF H- TO He-RICH TIDAL DISRUPTION CANDIDATES WITH A PREFERENCE FOR E+A GALAXIES

We present the results of a Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) archival search for blue transients that lie in the magnitude range between “normal” core-collapse and superluminous supernovae (i.e., with −21 ⩽ MR (peak) ⩽ − 19). Of the six events found after excluding all interacting Type IIn and Ia-CSM supernovae, three (PTF09ge, 09axc, and 09djl) are coincident with the centers of their hosts, one (10iam) is offset from the center, and a precise offset cannot be determined for two (10nuj and 11glr). All the central events have similar rise times to the He-rich tidal disruption candidate PS1-10jh, and the event with the best-sampled light curve also has similar colors and power-law decay. Spectroscopically, PTF09ge is He-rich, while PTF09axc and 09djl display broad hydrogen features around peak magnitude. All three central events are in low star formation hosts, two of which are E+A galaxies. Our spectrum of the host of PS1-10jh displays similar properties. PTF10iam, the one offset event, is different photometrically and spectroscopically from the central events, and its host displays a higher star formation rate. Finding no obvious evidence for ongoing galactic nuclei activity or recent star formation, we conclude that the three central transients likely arise from the tidal disruption of a star by a supermassive black hole. We compare the spectra of these events to tidal disruption candidates from the literature and find that all of these objects can be unified on a continuous scale of spectral properties. The accumulated evidence of this expanded sample strongly supports a tidal disruption origin for this class of nuclear transients.
Platelet Function and Spontaneous Thrombolytic Activity of Patients with Cerebral Infarction Assessed by the Global Thrombosis Test

Measurements of platelet reactivity and assessment of the efficacy of antiplatelet drugs are widely recognized as pre-requisite for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients. A recently established shear-induced platelet reactivity test using non-anticoagulated blood (the Global Thrombosis Test) has facilitated measurements of physiologically relevant platelet function and thrombolytic activity. 195 healthy volunteers, not taking antiplatelet drugs or anticoagulants, and 185 patients with acute cerebrovascular diseases were enrolled. The effect of antiplatelet drugs on platelet function and thrombolytic activity was assessed using the Global Thrombosis Test after 14 days of medication. The occlusion time (OT), an index of platelet reactivity, in healthy controls was 284.9 ± 92.2 s. The lysis time (LT), an index of thrombolytic activity, in healthy controls was 2,231 ± 1,223 s. Both times had no significant difference between males and females. The OT of all stroke patients was 210.3 ± 140.8 s and was shorter than that of the healthy controls (284.9 ± 92.2, p < 0.0001). The LT of all stroke patients was 3,159 ± 1,549 s and was longer than that of the controls (2,231 ± 1,223, p < 0.0001). Medication significantly prolonged the OT from 184.5 ± 150.6 s (before) to 295.3 ± 208.1 s (after) in all patients, indicating a reversal of the hyper-platelet reactivity. In addition, medication shortened the LT from 3,924 ± 1,718 s (before) to 3,107 ± 1,794 s (after) in all patients. A prothrombotic state exists in stroke patients due to enhanced platelet function and suppressed thrombolytic activity. Medication improved these physiological parameters of haemostasis.
Influence of heparin and hirudin on endothelial binding of antithrombin in experimental thrombinemia

ObjectiveDuring the last decade, experimental and clinical evidence has accumulated that antithrombin (AT) exerts anti-inflammatory effects when given in high doses. Meanwhile, AT substitution has been shown to significantly increase prostacyclin release. However, the link between endothelial AT binding and anti-inflammatory AT effects remains to be established in vivo, although heparin has been shown to counteract anti-inflammatory AT effects. We hypothesized that the administration of heparin in endotoxin-challenged rats would decrease endothelial AT binding and systemic prostacyclin concentrations. DesignProspective, randomized, controlled experimental in vivo study. SettingResearch laboratory of a university hospital. AnimalsFifty-six Wistar rats. InterventionsBaseline values of coagulation variables were measured in six animals. Forty of 50 Wistar rats in the study groups were given endotoxin (50 mg·kg−1 iv) and were treated with saline (group LPS), AT (15 units·kg−1·hr−1) (LPS+AT), AT and heparin (80 IU·kg−1·hr−1), or AT and hirudin (0.12 mg·kg−1 · hr−1); the other 10 received saline instead of endotoxin and were treated with AT alone. Before endotoxin application, a tracheostomy was performed, and venous and arterial catheters were inserted for blood sampling and infusion. MeasurementsIntravital endothelial AT binding was studied by using fluorescence isothiocyanate-marked antibodies during intravital microscopy of intestinal submucosal venules. Systemic prostacyclin, thrombin-AT complex, and fibrinogen concentrations were measured after 4 hrs. Intergroup differences were tested by Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance on ranks. Main ResultsAT and AT + heparin were equally effective in inhibiting systemic procoagulant turnover as reflected by fibrinogen concentrations. Only the administration of AT + hirudin significantly prevented fibrinogen consumption (p < .05). In contrast with all other treatments, the administration of heparin significantly reduced intravital endothelial AT binding (p < .05). However, prostacyclin concentrations were similarly increased in all endotoxin-challenged study groups irrespective of the anticoagulatory treatment. ConclusionsThere is evidence that heparin in contrast with hirudin prevents AT from being bound to the endothelial cell surface in this experimental model. Under low-dose AT substitution, systemic prostacyclin concentrations do not depend on whether heparin or hirudin is used for thrombin inhibition. These results support the view that heparin may counteract anti-inflammatory AT effects by keeping AT away from its endothelial binding sites; however, the results question the view that decreased endothelial prostacyclin release is solely responsible.
To Be Looked at as Though Air

Humans need social connections, and without them, people experience physical and psychological problems (Baumeister & Leary, 1995; Williams, 2009). Because social connections are fundamental to survival, researchers argue that humans evolved systems to detect the slightest cues of inclusion or exclusion (Kerr & Levine, 2008; Leary, Tambor, Terdal, & Downs, 1995; Pickett, Gardner, & Knowles, 2004; Williams, 2009). For example, simple eye contact is sufficient to convey inclusion. In contrast, withholding eye contact can signal exclusion. One form this signal can take relates to the German expression “wie Luft behandeln,” which literally means “to be looked at as though air. ” Even though one person looks in the general direction of another, no eye contact is made, and the latter feels invisible. Survey data suggest that people purposefully withhold eye contact as a form of ostracism (Williams, Shore, & Grahe, 1998). Diary data suggest that people feel ostracized even when strangers fail to give them eye contact (Williams, Govan, Wheeler, & Nezlek, 2004). Experimental data confirm that eye contact signals social inclusion, and lack of eye contact signals ostracism (Wirth, Sacco, Hugenberg, & Williams, 2010). We investigated the effect of acknowledgment compared with the effect of being “looked at as though air” in a field experiment in which we further tested the subtle conditions that can fulfill or threaten humans’ need to belong. We hypothesized that being acknowledged by a stranger via eye contact would decrease an individual’s feelings of disconnection, whereas being looked at as though air would increase these feelings. We also tested whether an acknowledgment with a smile was necessary to induce feelings of social connection (Grahe, Williams, & Hinsz, 2000).
Darwinian natural selection for orange bioluminescent color in a Jamaican click beetle

The Jamaican click beetle Pyrophorus plagiophthalamus (Coleoptera: Elateridae) is unique among all bioluminescent organisms in displaying a striking light color polymorphism [Biggley, W. H. , Lloyd, J. E. & Seliger, H. H. (1967) J. Gen. Physiol. 50, 1681–1692]. Beetles on the island vary in the color of their ventral light organs from yellow–green to orange and their dorsal organs from green to yellow–green. The genetic basis for the color variation involves specific amino acid substitutions in the enzyme luciferase. Here, we show that dorsal and ventral light color in P. plagiophthalamus are under separate genetic control, we resolve the allelic basis for color variation, and, through analyses of luciferase sequence variation, we demonstrate that natural selection has produced a long-term adaptive trend for longer wavelength (more orange) ventral light on Jamaica. Our results constitute a novel example connecting the selective fixation of specific nucleotides in nature to their precisely determined phenotypic effects. We also present evidence suggesting that a recently derived ventral orange luciferase allele on the island has deterministically increased in frequency. Thus, the current luciferase polymorphism for P. plagiophthalamus appears to be mirroring the long-term anagenic trend on Jamaica, revealing a possible ongoing adaptive color transition in progress.
Pregnancy rates of beef cattle are not affected by Campylobacter fetus subsp. venerealis real-time PCR-positive breeding sires in New Zealand

Abstract AIMS: Campylobacter fetus subspecies venerealis (C. fetus venerealis) is the causal agent of bovine genital campylobacteriosis, a venereal disease that is asymptomatic in bulls but responsible for reproductive wastage in female cattle. In New Zealand, a commercial real-time PCR assay was introduced in 2007 to identify the DNA of this pathogen in preputial scrapings; however, concerns were raised about the specificity of the test following anecdotal reports of a high number of test-positive bulls with no apparent relationship to reproductive performance. The objective of this study, therefore, was to examine the association between real-time PCR assay results from beef breeding bulls and pregnancy rates in beef herds using these bulls. METHODS: Veterinarians from four veterinary practices selected beef cattle herds with relatively high and low pregnancy rates between December 2008 and February 2009. Preputial scrapings were collected from bulls used for mating in those herds. Samples were tested using the real-time PCR assay under consideration. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were used to assess the relationship between pregnancy rates in each mob (15-month-old heifers, 27-month-old heifers and mixed-age cows) and the percentage of real-time PCR-positive bulls in each mob. RESULTS: Sixty-four (28.8%) of 222 bulls tested positive, 130 (58.6%) tested negative, and 28 (12.6%) returned an inconclusive result to the real-time PCR assay. The percentage of bulls testing real-time PCR-positive in these mobs was not associated with pregnancy rates (p=0.757) after controlling for mob, average body condition score of cows, cow to bull ratio, length of the mating period, and farm. CONCLUSION: Real-time PCR assay results were not associated with pregnancy rates, suggesting that the specificity of the real-time PCR assay was too low to be used to reliably detect C. fetus venerealis. This study adds to a growing body of evidence indicating that C. fetus venerealis strains are either absent from, or present at clinically insignificant levels of endemicity among, beef breeding herds in New Zealand. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The real-time PCR assay that was assessed in this study should not be used for the detection of C. fetus venerealis in bulls or for investigations of low conception rates in cattle in New Zealand. During the course of this survey, sequencing analysis of an apparent C. fetus venerealis isolate from the intestines of a Friesian bull turned out to be Campylobacter hyointestinalis. As a consequence, this real-time PCR assay for C. fetus venerealis is no longer being offered by diagnostic laboratories in New Zealand.
Konsistensi Praktik Sistem Pengendalian Intern dan Akuntabilitas pada Lazis Konsistensi Praktik Sistem Pengendalian Intern dan Akuntabilitas pada Lazis (Studi Kasus di Lazis X Jakarta)

Makalah ini bertujuan untuk menganalisa konsistensi antara praktik sistem pengendalian intern dengan pemahaman akuntabilitas manajemen sebuah Lazis di Jakarta. Dengan menggunakan pendekatan single case study dan analisa deskriptif-kualitatif ditemukan bahwa terdapat ketidak-konsistenan antara praktik sistem pengendalian intern dengan pemahaman akuntabilitas. Ketidak-konsistenan ini disebabkan oleh lemahnya sumber daya manusia. Namun demikian, dari penelitian ini ditemukan adanya keunikan pada pemahaman akuntabilitas. Akuntabilitas dalam konteks penelitian ini dipahami dalam tiga tingkatan, yaitu akuntabilitas pada muzakki, munfiq, dan musaddiq, pada Dewan Penasehat, dan pada Tuhan yang meliputi aspek fisik, mental, dan spiritual.
Twilight Phenomena Caused by the Eruption of Agung Volcano

Increase in twilight glow and in the dust stripes in the twilight arch have been observed from several places in the northern hemisphere from the fall of 1963 until now. Measurements of the twilight brightness indicate a considerable increase of dustiness in the stratosphere; this turbidity may be due to drifting ashes from the eruption of Agung volcano on Bali.
Confining the angular distribution of TGF emission

We present the first constraints on the TGF emission cone, based on accurately geolocated TGFs. The distribution of the observation angles for 106 TGFs are compared to Monte Carlo simulations. We find that TGF emissions within an isotropic half angle >30° can generate the observations. In addition, 36 events are used for spectral analysis. The result is a significant softening of the TGF energy spectrum for large observation angles, which is consistent with a TGF emission half angle <40°. The constraints 30° −40° indicates that the electrons which produce TGFs are accelerated in nearly vertical electric fields.
Structure of the chlorovirus PBCV-1 major capsid glycoprotein determined by combining crystallographic and carbohydrate molecular modeling approaches

Significance The three-dimensional structure of Vp54, the major capsid protein of the chlorovirus Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus (PBCV-1), was determined by combining two powerful techniques, X-ray diffraction and carbohydrate molecular modeling. This strategy resolved the limitations posed by each technique alone and increases our understanding of how glycans fold, their flexibility, and the type of interactions they exert within the protein component. The glycans of the major capsid protein (Vp54) of Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus (PBCV-1) were recently described and found to be unusual. This prompted a reexamination of the previously reported Vp54 X-ray structure. A detailed description of the complete glycoprotein was achieved by combining crystallographic data with molecular modeling. The crystallographic data identified most of the monosaccharides located close to the protein backbone, but failed to detect those further from the glycosylation sites. Molecular modeling complemented this model by adding the missing monosaccharides and examined the conformational preference of the whole molecule, alone or within the crystallographic environment. Thus, combining X-ray crystallography with carbohydrate molecular modeling resulted in determining the complete glycosylated structure of a glycoprotein. In this case, it is the chlorovirus PBCV-1 major capsid protein.
Role of Matrix in an Early Postentry Step in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Life Cycle

ABSTRACT The matrix protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) has been reported to play a crucial role in the targeting of the Gag polyprotein precursor to the plasma membrane and in the incorporation of viral envelope glycoproteins into budding virions. In this report, we present evidence that mutation of a highly conserved Leu at matrix amino acid 20 blocks or markedly delays virus replication in a range of cell types, including T-cell lines, primary human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and monocyte-derived macrophages. These mutations do not impair virus assembly and release, RNA encapsidation, or envelope glycoprotein incorporation into virions but rather cause significant defects in an early step in the virus life cycle, as measured by single-cycle infectivity assays and the analysis of viral DNA synthesis early postinfection. This infectivity defect is independent of the type of envelope glycoprotein carried on mutant virions; similar results are obtained in pseudotyping experiments using wild-type or truncated HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins, the amphotropic murine leukemia virus envelope, or the vesicular stomatitis G protein. Intriguingly, matrix residue 20 mutations also increase the apparent binding of Gag to membrane, accelerate the kinetics of Gag processing, and induce defects in endogenous reverse transcriptase activity without affecting virion density or morphology. These results help elucidate the function of matrix in HIV-1 replication.
Sexual Dysfunction in Women With Cardiovascular Disease: What Do We Know?

The problem of sexual dysfunction in cardiovascular disease has received attention in both professional and lay literature, particularly for men. There is only beginning awareness of the problem of sexual dysfunction in women in general and for those with cardiovascular disease. This evidence-based review focuses on the problem of sexual dysfunction in women in the general population compared with those women with cardiovascular disease. The underlying mechanisms of female sexual dysfunction are addressed, along with what is known about female sexual dysfunction in those with coronary artery disease, hypertension, and heart failure. The assessment and management of female sexual dysfunction in the presence of cardiovascular disease are addressed, although the strategies for management are controversial and evidence is lacking in some cases. Nurses can play a key role in initiating discussion with women related to sexual dysfunction and assisting them in finding appropriate resources and treatment.