Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Large focal tumor‐like demyelinating lesions of the brain: Intermediate entity between multiple sclerosis and acute disseminated encephalomyelitis? A study of 31 patients

Thirty‐one patients with large, focal cerebral demyelinating lesions are reported. Twenty‐four patients had solitary lesions and 7 had multiple foci, the latter apparently of identical age. The lesions presented clinically and radiologically as brain tumors (gliomas or metastases) or as multiple cysts. Six patients were older than 57 years (2 in their 70s) at the onset of their symptoms. The demyelinating nature of the lesions was established through biopsy in each patient and all improved significantly after corticosteroid therapy. Three patients developed additional lesions during the follow‐up periods ranging from 9 months to 12 years consistent with the course of multiple sclerosis. Twenty‐eight patients did not develop additional lesions. These included 6 patients with multiple lesions at the onset. In 1 of the patients, the first symptoms developed 10 days after receiving vaccination against influenza. Two patients had concomitant malignancy (chronic monomyelogenous leukemia and retroperitoneal seminoma respectively) and 1 patient developed immunoblastic sarcoma in the opposite hemisphere after biopsy diagnosis and steroid treatment of her demyelinating lesion. Tumor‐like masses of demyelination may occupy an intermediate position between multiple sclerosis and postinfectious/postvaccination encephalitis. The clinical course (history of vaccination in one instance, acute onset, good response to corticosteroids, no clinical or radiological evidence of new lesions in the great majority of patients) favored postinfectious/postvaccination encephalitis. Lesion size however greatly exceeded that of the small foci of perivenous demyelination seen in typical postinfectious/postvaccination encephalitis and tended to present as space‐occupying masses.
Polymorphisms of vitamin D receptor gene protect against the risk of head and neck cancer

Vitamin D has potent anti-tumour properties. Calcitriol [1,25(OH)2D3], the hormonal derivative of vitamin D3, is an antiproliferative and prodifferentiation factor for several cell types, including human squamous cells of the head and neck. Several polymorphisms of the vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene have been described, including a FokI restriction fragment-length polymorphism (RFLP) in exon 2 and an adjacent TaqI RFLP in exon 9. We hypothesized that the VDR FokI and TaqI polymorphisms are associated with the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). We conducted a hospital-based, case–control study of 719 SCCHN cases and 821 cancer-free controls (all non-Hispanic Whites) to assess the association between VDR polymorphisms and SCCHN risk. The cases and controls were frequency-matched on age, sex and ethnicity. Polymorphisms at the TaqI and FokI restriction sites were determined from genomic DNA by polymerase chain reaction-RFLP methods. Both homozygous variant genotypes (ff and tt) were associated with a decreased risk of SCCHN [odds ratio (OR)=0.72, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.53–0.98 and OR=0.64, 95% CI=0.47–0.87, respectively] compared to the common FF and TT genotypes. The VDR variant genotypes were associated with a decreasing risk of SCCHN in a variant allele dose-dependent manner, and the decreasing trend in OR was statistically significant, particularly for the combined genotypes (Ptrend<0.001). These data suggest that the VDR f and t alleles and their genotypes may protect against SCCHN. However, further studies are warranted to confirm these findings.
Prognostic value of MVD, LVD and vascular invasion in lymph node-negative colon cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS To clarify the influence of microvessel density (MVD), lymphangiogenesis (LVD), and vascular invasion on prognosis in lymph node-negative colon cancer. METHODOLOGY We performed immunohistochemical analysis from 152 Duke's B colon carcinomas, CD34 and LYVE-1 antibodies. Carcinomas were graded as low or high grade. χ2 test was used to examine their relationships and correlations with clinicopathological parameters. Survival time was analyzed and the differences between groups were assessed. RESULTS A statistically significantly correlation was found between increasing MVD with age >60 years, tumor size >4cm, and poor tumor differentiation (χ2=40.018, p<0.001). The increase in MVD was associated with shorter DFS (p<0.001) and shorter OS in patients with colon cancer (p<0.001). LVD was statistically significantly associated with increasing the number of newly created blood vessels (χ2=96.6, p<0.001), low degree of tumor differentiation (χ2=96.6, p<0.001), and vascular invasion (χ2=51.8, p<0.001) in colon cancer. Log rank analysis showed that positive staining for MVD and LVD, high histological grade, vascular invasion, male gender, and age >60 years were connected with shorter survival of patients with Dukes B colon cancer 45 vs. 100 months (p=0.016 to <0.001). CONCLUSIONS Positive expression MVD and LVD was significantly correlation with survival time and with high tumor grade and vascular invasion in patients with Dukes B colon cancer. The correlation of MVD and LVD with vascular invasion in Dukes B colon cancer indicates the need for further confirmation as a possible predictive marker.
Thermal-Lens-Driven Effects in  $N_{\mathrm {g}}$ -Cut Yb-and Tm-Doped Monoclinic KLu(WO4)2 Crystals

The potential of N<sub>g</sub>-cut monoclinic Yb: and Tm:KLu(WO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub> laser crystals is analyzed from the point of view of thermal lensing, including athermal behavior, unique laser mode stabilization by polarization-switching and potential for microchip operation. To this aim, we characterize dispersion and direction dependence of the generalized thermo-optic coefficients, A, for the light polarizations, E∥N<sub>m</sub> and N<sub>p</sub>, and calculate sensitivity factors of the thermal lens for wide range of experimental conditions, including crystal temperature, laser wavelength, pump spot radius, as well as their relation to probe beam measurements. The polarization-switching between N<sub>m</sub> and N<sub>p</sub> oscillating states is realized for a Tm:KLu(WO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub> crystal and explained on the basis of spectroscopic properties, mode-matching and cavity stability. The thermal lens properties for microchip Tm:KLu(WO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub> laser are also calculated.
Archaeology of overshoot and collapse

The literature on sustainability and the human future emphasizes the belief that population and/or mass consumption caused resource degradation and collapse in earlier societies. Archaeological literature proposing overshoot and collapse appears in current debates over resource conservation versus continued economic growth. The prominence of this debate, with its national and international dimensions, makes it important to assess whether there is evidence in the archaeological literature for overshoot and collapse brought on by Malthusian overpopulation and/or mass consumption.
Expression of the rabbit sperm protein Sp17 in cos cells and interaction of recombinant Sp17 with the rabbit zona pellucida

This study extends our analysis of rabbit recombinant Sp17 (rSp17) by examining whether rSp17 synthesized in transfected COS cells will show a particular localization within the cell and whether the COS cell will bind with zona pellucida. We show, using the cross‐linking, reagent DSS that rSp17 can bind to rabbit zona glycoprotein R45 or R55. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Boosting Virtual Screening Enrichments with Data Fusion: Coalescing Hits from Two-Dimensional Fingerprints, Shape, and Docking

Virtual screening is an effective way to find hits in drug discovery, with approaches ranging from fast information-based similarity methods to more computationally intensive physics-based docking methods. However, the best approach to use for a given project is not clear in advance of the screen. In this work, we show that combining results from multiple methods using a standard score (Z-score) can significantly improve virtual screening enrichments over any of the single screening methods. We show that an augmented Z-score, which considers the best two out of three scores for a given compound, outperforms previously published data fusion algorithms. We use three different virtual screening methods (two-dimensional (2D) fingerprint similarity, shape-based similarity, and docking) and study two different databases (DUD and MDDR). The average enrichment in the top 1% was improved by 9% for DUD and 25% for the MDDR, compared with the top individual method. Improvements of 22% for DUD and 43% for MDDR are seen over the average of the three individual methods. Statistics are presented that show a high significance associated with the findings in this work.
Clinical pathways for patients with newly diagnosed hepatitis C – What actually happens

Summary. Management of hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐infected individuals requires referral to specialist care. To determine whether patients newly diagnosed as anti‐HCV positive are appropriately referred for further investigation and management, and if not, to determine why not. We studied patients tested for antibodies to HCV by Nottingham Public Health Laboratory in a 2‐year period (2000–2002). The progress of newly diagnosed anti‐HCV positive patients into specialist clinics for further management was documented. For patients not referred for specialist care, a questionnaire was sent to the clinician requesting the initial anti‐HCV test, to identify reasons for nonreferral. Eleven thousand one hundred and seventy‐seven patients were tested for anti‐HCV. Two hundred and fifty‐six (2.3%) were newly diagnosed as being anti‐HCV positive. Two per cent of samples sent from primary care were anti‐HCV positive, compared to 18.8, 18.9 and 1.3% sent from prison, drug and alcohol units, and secondary care, respectively. About 64.3% of positive patients diagnosed in primary care were referred to specialist care, compared to 18.4, 42.4 and 62.6% of patients diagnosed in the other three settings. One hundred and twenty‐five (49%) newly diagnosed patients were referred appropriately for further management. 68 of these attended clinic, 45 underwent liver biopsy and 26 (10%) began treatment. One hundred and thirty‐one patients (51%) were not referred. In 54 cases, there was no evidence that the anti‐HCV positive result reached the patient. In 15, referral was considered but rejected, and 20 patients were referred to non‐HCV‐specialists (their general practitioners or to genito‐urinary medicine). Hence less than 50% of newly diagnosed anti‐HCV positive patients are referred to an appropriate clinic for further investigation and management. Reasons for this are multifarious and complex, reflecting both systems failure and patient choice. Unless these are understood and addressed, the Department of Health Hepatitis C Strategy (2002) and Action Plan for England (2004) will fail to achieve their intended objectives.
High density plasma processing of p-Hg0.7Cd0.3Te

Reactive ion etching of HgCdTe using H2/Ar-based gas chemistry is known to result in conductivity type conversion of exposed material and surface depletion of Hg. Secondary ion mass spectrometry has been used to investigate the compositional profile of HgCdTe material exposed to H2/CH4/Ar plasma in an inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching tool, as a function of varying the plasma process pressure and temperature. The results of this profiling show that increasing the process pressure is related to an increase in the degree of Hg-depletion at the exposed surface. It has also been found that increasing the process pressure is associated with increased incorporation of C into the sample surface.
Evaluating idiopathic venous thromboembolism: what is necessary, what is not.

■ When homocysteine levels are elevated in the presence of factor V Leiden or the prothrombin gene G20210A mutation, risk of recurrent thrombosis appears to be increased beyond the risk associated with any one defect alone (B). I n which direction, and how aggressively, should the investigation proceed when common and obvious causes of venous thromboembolism—recent surgery, trauma, immobilization, or malignancy—are absent from a patient’s history? Two causes of hypercoagulability warrant consideration: occult malignancy and coagulation disorders resulting in thrombophilia. This review provides guidance on diagnostic testing and extent of the work-up, summarized in an algorithm (Figure).
Subtypes of stalking (obsessional following) in adolescents.

Stalking, which has been given the clinical term "obsessional following", is repetitive threatening or harassing behavior that creates a fear of harm in the victim. Empirical and theoretical literature on this form of behavior is beginning to develop and focuses primarily on adults. Three major subtypes of obsessional following have been identified: erotomania, love obsessional, and simple obsessional/borderline erotomania. Using this typology and available empirical research, a context is set in which three cases of adolescent obsessional following are discussed and analysed. These cases document that stalking/obsessional following occurs in adolescents and that important similarities and differences appear to exist between adult and adolescent offenders. Hypotheses are generated to encourage further study of this significant problem.
Cathepsin D in cartilage: the immunohistochemical demonstration of extracellular enzyme in normal and pathological conditions.

Extracellular cathepsin D has been demonstrated immunohistochemically in cultured chicken and rabbit cartilage. Enzyme released from viable cells was captured by specific anti-cathepsin D antibody to form extracellular immunoprecipitates which were demonstrated with fluoresceinlabelled antibodies. In unfixed frozen sections these immunoprecipitates could be dissolved in antigen excess, and closely resembled those observed in immunoprecipitin lines. Extracellular cathepsin D was detected in the perichondria of normal chick cartilaginous limb-bones and, to a lesser degree, beneath them in the epiphyseal cartilage. In cultured rabbit ear cartilage, cathepsin D was detected around chondroblasts and some peripherally situated chondrocytes. In chicken and rabbit cartilage exposed to supra-physiological levels of retinol, much extracellular enzyme was detected which had been released from chondrocytes of hypertrophic and epiphyseal chick cartilage and rabbit ear cartilage.
Ultrastructural distribution of NADPH‐diaphorase in cortical synapses

To elucidate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in synaptic structures, the ultrastructural localization of the enzyme NO synthase (NOS), based on the cytochemical NADPH-diaphorase staining, was studied in neocortical and hippocampal neuropil areas. For the localization of NADPH-diaphorase activity a special tetrazolium salt (BSPT) was applied. BSPT-formazan, the osmiophilic reaction product, was found to be attached to endomembranes, predominantly the endoplasmic reticulum. Quantitative studies on synaptic regions revealed that mainly pre-synaptic areas (41% in hippocampus, 38% in neocortex) showed labelling. Postsynaptic regions were only exceptionally labelled by BSPT-formazan (3% in hippocampus, 5% in neocortex). The present findings support the view that NO may be involved in diverse synaptic functions acting preferentially from the presynaptic side.
Aldosterone Upregulates Production of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 by Renal Mesangial Cells

In vivo studies have demonstrated that aldosterone is an independent contributor to glomerulosclerosis. In the present study, we have investigated whether aldosterone itself mediated glomerulosclerosis, as angiotensin II (Ang II) did, by inducing cultured renal mesangial cells to produce plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and whether these effects were mediated by aldosterone-induced increase in transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) expression and cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity. Quiescent rat mesangial cells were treated by aldosterone alone or by combination of aldosterone and spironolactone, Ang II, neutralizing antibody to TGF-β1 or antioxidant Nacetylcysteme (NAC). This study indicate that aldosterone can increase PAI-1 mRNA and protein expression by cultured mesangial cells alone, which is independent of aldosterone-induced increases in TGF-β1 expression and cellular ROS. The effects on PAI-1, TGF-β1 and ROS generation were markedly attenuated by spironolactone, a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist, which demonstrate that mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) may play a role in mediating these effects of aldosterone.
Estimation of Transformers Health Index Based on the Markov Chain

This paper presents a study on the application of the Markov Model (MM) to determine the transformer population states based on Health Index (HI). In total, 3195 oil samples from 373 transformers ranging in age from 1 to 25 years were analyzed. First, the HI of transformers was computed based on yearly individual oil condition monitoring data that consisted of oil quality, dissolved gases, and furanic compounds. Next, the average HI for each age was computed and the transition probabilities were obtained based on a nonlinear optimization technique. Finally, the future deterioration performance curve of the transformers was determined based on the MM chain algorithm. It was found that the MM can be used to predict the future transformers condition states. The chi-squared goodness-of-fit analysis revealed that the predicted HI for the transformer population obtained based on MM agrees with the average computed HI along the years, and the average error is 3.59%.
Effectiveness of delayed enhanced MRI for identification of cardiac sarcoidosis: comparison with radionuclide imaging.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of delayed enhanced MRI for detecting cardiac sarcoidosis and to clarify the relationship between the findings of MRI and those of radionuclide imaging. CONCLUSION Delayed enhanced MRI is considered a useful method for the early identification of cardiac sarcoidosis. Delayed hyperenhancement is frequently associated with a reduction of regional wall motion and thallium-201 perfusion defects.
A recombinant C‐terminal toxin fragment provides evidence that membrane insertion is important for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin cytotoxicity

Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE) is believed to be involved in several important gastrointestinal illnesses. Recent studies have identified a number of distinct molecular events which occur after CPE treatment of eukaryotic cells or isolated membranes. Additional studies are underway to determine the temporal order and intrinsic importance of each CPE event for cytotoxicity. We now demonstrate that a truncated CPE fragment binds to membranes, but is unable to Insert into membranes or cause any other subsequent post‐insertion event. This is the first experimental evidence supporting the importance of membrane insertion for CPE cytotoxicity. Binding of the CPE fragment is also shown to be irreversible, strongly suggesting that the irreversible binding of wild‐type CPE is not due solely to insertion of CPE into membranes.
Autologous Fibrin Sealant Reduces Pain After Tonsillectomy

Objectives/Hypothesis Pain is a major cause of morbidity after tonsillectomy. Although various efforts have been made to reduce pain, the use of oral analgesics, which can have adverse side effects, remains the standard of care. It is hypothesized that fibrin sealant, used to achieve hemostasis and enhance healing in many surgical procedures, might help decrease pain after this operation.
The Role of Tec Protein-tyrosine Kinase in T Cell Signaling*

The Tec protein-tyrosine kinase family includes Btk, Itk/Tsk/Emt, Tec, Rlk/Txk, and Bmx which are involved in signals mediated by various cytokines or antigen receptors. Itk is expressed primarily in T cells and activated by TCR/CD3, CD28, and CD2. However, the defect in T cell signaling in itk-deficient mice is very modest. Thus, we looked for other Tec family kinases that could be expressed in lymphoid cells and involved in T cell signal transduction. Here, we demonstrate that Tec, expressed in T cells, is activated following TCR/CD3 or CD28 ligation and interacts with CD28 receptor in an activation-dependent manner. This interaction involves the Tec SH3 domain and the proline-rich motifs in CD28. We also show that Tec can phosphorylate p62 dok , one CD28-specific substrate, whereas Itk cannot. Overexpression of Tec but not Itk can enhance the interleukin-2 promoter activity mediated by TCR/CD3 or CD28 stimulation and introduction of a kinase-dead Tec but not Itk can suppress interleukin-2 expression, indicating that Tec is directly involved in T cell activation. Altogether, these data demonstrate that Tec kinase is an integral component of T cell signaling and that the two Tec family kinases, Tec and Itk, have distinct roles in T cell activation.
Involvement of T Cells in Enhanced Resistance to Klebsiella pneumoniae Septicemia in Mice Treated with Liposome-Encapsulated Muramyl Tripeptide Phosphatidylethanolamine or Gamma Interferon

ABSTRACT We have previously shown that prophylactic administration of the liposome-encapsulated immunomodulating agents muramyl tripeptide phosphatidylethanolamine (MTPPE) and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) results in strongly increased survival of mice from a normally lethal septicemia with Klebsiella pneumoniae. It was anticipated that the treatment acts on macrophages and nonspecifically augments host resistance to various infections. In the present study, we provide evidence for a key role for T cells in host defense potentiation by the liposomal immunomodulators toward K. pneumoniae septicemia. It is shown that both CD4 and CD8 cells are important in immunomodulation, most likely due to production of IFN-γ. Depletion of circulating IFN-γ resulted in strong reduction of the antimicrobial host defense activation. Administration of interleukin-10 resulted in decreased antimicrobial host defense activation by liposomal immunomodulators. Moreover, administration of liposomal immunomodulators was shown to induce predominantly T-helper type 1 (Th1) cell populations in the spleen. These findings indicate that immunomodulation with liposomal MTPPE and IFN-γ favors Th1 and NK cell activation.
Experiences with lab-centric instruction

Lab-centric instruction emphasizes supervised, hands-on activities by substituting lab for lecture time. It combines a multitude of pedagogical techniques into the format of an extended, structured closed lab. We discuss the range of benefits for students, including increased staff interaction, frequent and varied self-assessments, integrated collaborative activities, and a systematic sequence of activities that gradually increases in difficulty. Instructors also benefit from a deeper window into student progress and understanding. We follow with discussion of our experiences in courses at U.C. Berkeley, and using data from some of these investigate the effects of lab-centric instruction on student learning, procrastination, and course pacing. We observe that the lab-centric format helped students on exams but hurt them on extended programming assignments, counter to our hypothesis. Additionally, we see no difference in self-ratings of procrastination and limited differences in ratings of course pace. We do find evidence that the students who choose to attend lab-centric courses are different in several important ways from students who choose to attend the same course in a non-lab-centric format.