Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preemptive Donor Apoptotic Cell Infusions Induce IFN-γ–Producing Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells for Cardiac Allograft Protection

We have previously shown that preemptive infusion of apoptotic donor splenocytes treated with the chemical cross-linker ethylcarbodiimide (ECDI-SPs) induces long-term allograft survival in full MHC-mismatched models of allogeneic islet and cardiac transplantation. The role of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the graft protection provided by ECDI-SPs is unclear. In this study, we demonstrate that infusions of ECDI-SPs increase two populations of CD11b+ cells in the spleen that phenotypically resemble monocytic-like (CD11b+Ly6Chigh) and granulocytic-like (CD11b+Gr1high) MDSCs. Both populations suppress T cell proliferation in vitro and traffic to the cardiac allografts in vivo to mediate their protection via inhibition of local CD8 T cell accumulation and potentially also via induction and homing of regulatory T cells. Importantly, repeated treatments with ECDI-SPs induce the CD11b+Gr1high cells to produce a high level of IFN-γ and to exhibit an enhanced responsiveness to IFN-γ by expressing higher levels of downstream effector molecules ido and nos2. Consequently, neutralization of IFN-γ completely abolishes the suppressive capacity of this population. We conclude that donor ECDI-SPs induce the expansion of two populations of MDSCs important for allograft protection mediated in part by intrinsic IFN-γ–dependent mechanisms. This form of preemptive donor apoptotic cell infusions has significant potential for the therapeutic manipulation of MDSCs for transplant tolerance induction.
Spontaneous Verbal Labeling: Visual Memory and Reading Ability in Children with Cleft

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine different types of short-term memory deficits (visual versus verbal) of children with cleft and to determine what type of memory deficits were associated with reading disorders. Design The study examined memory and reading in 48 consecutive cases of children with cleft, aged 7 to 9 years. A memory test designed to assess memory modalities (verbal-visual) was administered, along with tests of reading ability. Results Visual and verbal memory were examined with a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The memory pattern indicated greatest deficit in visual memory. Two subgroups were formed, according to whether or not there was evidence of visual memory impairment. A hit rate predicting reading disability based on group membership was calculated to be 65%. Visual memory was significantly correlated with reading ability (r = .48). Conclusion A brief visual memory test was almost as good as Full Scale IQ in predicting reading disability.
Antidepressant-induced excessive sweating: clinical features and treatment with terazosin.

BACKGROUND Antidepressant-induced excessive sweating (ADIES) occurs in 5% to 14% of patients taking antidepressants, usually persists throughout treatment, and causes subjective distress and functional impairment. We conducted the first clinical trial of any treatment for ADIES. METHODS Clinical features of ADIES were assessed using a semi-structured form. Twenty-three patients with moderate or greater ADIES were assessed for a 2-week baseline period , followed by 6 weeks of open-label treatment with flexible dose terazosin, 1 to 6 mg/d. Improvement in ADIES was measured by the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scale and other measures. RESULTS ADIES commonly was prominent in the scalp (62%), face (95%), neck (48%), and chest (57%); usually occurred either episodically or with episodic bursts (82%); and was persistent (median 63 months). Twenty-two of the 23 patients responded to terazosin (CGI-I scores 1 or 2), with CGI-Severity improving from median of 5 to median of 2 (P < .0001). Patient-rated daytime and nighttime severity of ADIES and proportion of time in ADIES also improved significantly. The most common adverse effects of terazosin therapy were dizziness/lightheadedness (n = 9) and dry mouth (n = 4). No patient dropped out because of adverse effects. Sitting and standing systolic blood pressure decreased by median values of 3 (P = .044) and 5 (P = .063) mm Hg, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Terazosin may be an effective treatment for ADIES. Although dizziness/lightheadedness may occur in some patients, the treatment generally was well tolerated.
Secretion of a Novel, Developmentally Regulated Fatty Acid-binding Protein into the Perivitelline Fluid of the Parasitic Nematode, Ascaris suum*

Early development of the parasitic nematode, Ascaris suum, occurs inside a highly resistant eggshell, and the developing larva is bathed in perivitelline fluid. Two-dimensional gel analysis of perivitelline fluid from infective larvae reveals seven major proteins; a cDNA encoding one of these, As-p18, has been cloned, sequenced, and protein expressed in Escherichia coli The predicted amino acid sequence of As-p18 exhibits similarities to the intracellular lipid-binding protein (iLBP) family including retinoid- and fatty acid-binding proteins (FABP). As-p18 is unusual in that it possesses a hydrophobic leader that is not present in the mature protein, the developmental regulation of its expression, and in terms of its predicted structure. Recombinant As-p18 is a functional FABP with a high affinity for both a fluorescent fatty acid analog (11(((5-(dimethylamino)-1-naphthalenyl)sulfonyl)amino) undecanoic acid) and oleic acid, but not retinol. Circular dichroism of rAs-p18 reveals a high β-sheet content (62%), which is consistent with secondary structure for the protein predicted from sequence algorithms, and the structure of iLBPs. Unusual features are apparent in a structural model of As-p18 generated from existing crystal structures of iLBPs. As-p18 is not found in unembryonated eggs, begins to be synthesized at about day 3 of development, reaches a maximal concentration with the formation of the first-stage larva and remains abundant in the perivitelline fluid of the second-stage larva. Since As-p18 is not present in the post-infective third-stage larva or adult worm tissues, it appears to be exclusive to the egg. Surprisingly, however, Northern blot analysis yields mRNA for As-p18 not only in the early larval stages, but also the unembryonated egg, third-stage larvae, and ovaries of adult worms, even though the protein is not detectable from any of those sources. As-p18 may play a role in sequestering potentially toxic fatty acids and their peroxidation products, or it may be involved in the maintenance of the impermeable lipid layer of the eggshell.
Close Relation of Endothelial Function in the Human Coronary and Peripheral Circulations

Objectives. The relation between endotbelium-dependent vasodilator function in the brachial and coronary arteries was determined in the same subjects. Background. Coronary artery endothelial dysfunction precedes the development of overt atherosclerosis and is important in its pathogenesis. A noninvasive assessment of endothelial function in a peripheral conduit vessel, the brachial artery, was recently described, but the relation between brachial artery function and coronary artery vasodilator function has not been explored. Methods. In 50 patients referred to the catheterization laboratory for the evaluation of coronary artery disease (mean age -+ SD 56 -+ 10 years), the coronary vasomotor response to serial intracoronary infusions of the endothelium-dependent agonist acetylcholine (10 -s to 10 -4 tool/liter), was studied. Endotheliumdependent vasodilation was also assessed in the brachial artery by measuring the change in brachial artery diameter in response to reactive hyperemia. Results. Patients with coronary artery endothelial dysfunction manifested as vasoconstriction in response to acetylcholiue had significantly impaired flow-mediated vasodilation in the brachial artery compared with that of patients with normal coronary endothelial function (4.8 _+ 5.5% vs. 10.8 _+ 7.6%, p < 0.01). Patients with coronary artery disease also had an attenuated brachial artery vasodilator response compared with that of patients with angiographically smooth coronary arteries (4.5 -+ 4.6% vs. 9.7 -+ 8.1%, p < 0.02). By multivariate analysis, the strongest predictors of reduced brachial dilator responses to flow were baseline brachial artery diameter (p < 0.001), coronary endothelial dysfunction (p = 0.003), the presence of coronary artery disease (p = 0.007) and cigarette smoking (p = 0.016). The brachial artery vasodilator response to sublingual nitroglycerin was independent of coronary endothelial responses or the presence of coronary artery disease. The positive predictive value of abnormal brachial dilation (<3%) in predicting coronary endothelial dysfunction is 95%. Conclusions. This study demonstrated a close relation between coronary artery endothelium-dependent vasomotor responses to acetyicholine and flow-mediated vasodilation in the brachial artery. This noninvasive method may become a useful surrogate in assessing the predisposition to atherosclerosis in patients with cardiac risk factors. (J Am Coll Cardioi 1995;26:1235-41)
Investor Fears and Risk Premia for Rare Events

This paper uses the method developed by Bollerslev and Todorov (2011b) to estimate risk premia for extreme events for the US and the German stock markets. The method extracts jump tail measures from high-frequency futures price data and from options data. In a second step, jump tail distributions are approximated using the extreme value theory. Applying the method to German data yields very similar results to the ones shown for the US data. The risk premia for rare events constitute a considerable part of the total equity and variance risk premia for both markets. When using the results to build an investor fear index for the US and Germany, I find that the correlation of the fear index for the US with the VIX is 89.5% and that of the fear index for Germany with the VDAX is 90.6%.
Airborne Particulate Matter and Human Health: Toxicological Assessment and Importance of Size and Composition of Particles for Oxidative Damage and Carcinogenic Mechanisms

Air pollution has been considered a hazard to human health. In the past decades, many studies highlighted the role of ambient airborne particulate matter (PM) as an important environmental pollutant for many different cardiopulmonary diseases and lung cancer. Numerous epidemiological studies in the past 30 years found a strong exposure-response relationship between PM for short-term effects (premature mortality, hospital admissions) and long-term or cumulative health effects (morbidity, lung cancer, cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases, etc). Current research on airborne particle-induced health effects investigates the critical characteristics of particulate matter that determine their biological effects. Several independent groups of investigators have shown that the size of the airborne particles and their surface area determine the potential to elicit inflammatory injury, oxidative damage, and other biological effects. These effects are stronger for fine and ultrafine particles because they can penetrate deeper into the airways of the respiratory tract and can reach the alveoli in which 50% are retained in the lung parenchyma. Composition of the PM varies greatly and depends on many factors. The major components of PM are transition metals, ions (sulfate, nitrate), organic compound, quinoid stable radicals of carbonaceous material, minerals, reactive gases, and materials of biologic origin. Results from toxicological research have shown that PM have several mechanisms of adverse cellular effects, such as cytotoxicity through oxidative stress mechanisms, oxygen-free radical-generating activity, DNA oxidative damage, mutagenicity, and stimulation of proinflammatory factors. In this review, the results of the most recent epidemiological and toxicological studies are summarized. In general, the evaluation of most of these studies shows that the smaller the size of PM the higher the toxicity through mechanisms of oxidative stress and inflammation. Some studies showed that the extractable organic compounds (a variety of chemicals with mutagenic and cytotoxic properties) contribute to various mechanisms of cytotoxicity; in addition, the water-soluble faction (mainly transition metals with redox potential) play an important role in the initiation of oxidative DNA damage and membrane lipid peroxidation. Associations between chemical compositions and particle toxicity tend to be stronger for the fine and ultrafine PM size fractions. Vehicular exhaust particles are found to be most responsible for small-sized airborne PM air pollution in urban areas. With these aspects in mind, future research should aim at establishing a cleared picture of the cytotoxic and carcinogenic mechanisms of PM in the lungs, as well as mechanisms of formation during internal engine combustion processes and other sources of airborne fine particles of air pollution.
Heritability in Relation to Selection Differential in Cattle.

The concept of heritability as generally used, involves the assumption that additive genetic variance is a constant proportion of total variance over the entire range of phenotypes. If this assumption holds, selection response will be linearly related to selection differential. If not, prediction of selection response will not be possible from a knowledge of the phenotypic selection differential and the average proportion of additive genetic variance. Thus the validity of this assumption has a bearing on the design of efficient selection schemes for many situations. In the field of applied animal breeding, for example, this will affect such important questions as the increase in rate of genetic improvement to be expected from the use of artificial insemination. Milk production records from 5740 first lactation dam-daughter pairs were studied to determine if the heritable fraction of total variation is related to selection differential. Heritability was essentially constant over the entire range of phenotypic variability, there being no evidence for curvilinearity of the offspring-parent regression line. Thus at least short-term selection response is predicted to be linearly related to selection differential, and also to be independent of direction of selection. The estimate of heritability from the total data was . 43 ± . 03, substantially higher than many published estimates for this trait. The estimate by the paternal half-sib method from the proportion of the data provided by artificially sired daughters (2568) was . 25, while the daughter-dam estimate from the same subsample was . 44. Possible reasons for the difference between the two estimates are discussed.
Insertional Tagging, Cloning, and Expression of the Toxoplasma gondii Hypoxanthine-Xanthine-Guanine Phosphoribosyltransferase Gene

A nonhomologous integration vector was used to identify the Toxoplasma gondii hypoxanthine-xanthine-guanine phosphoribosyl transferase (HXGPRT) gene by insertional mutagenesis. Parasite mutants resistant to 6-thioxanthine arose at a frequency of ∼3 × 10−7. Genomic DNA flanking the insertion sites was retrieved by marker rescue and used to identify molecular clones exhibiting unambiguous homology to H(X)GPRT genes from other species. Sequence analysis of vector/genome junction sites reveals that integration of the linearized vector occurred with minimal rearrangement of either vector or target sequences, although the addition of filler DNA and small duplications or deletions of genomic sequences at the transgene termini was observed. Two differentially spliced classes of cDNA clones were identified, both of which complement hpt and gpt mutations in Escherichia coli. Kinetic analysis of purified recombinant enzyme revealed no significant differences between the two isoforms. Internally deleted clones spanning the genomic locus were used to create “knock-out” parasites, which lack all detectable HXGPRT activity. Complete activity could be restored to these knock-out mutants by transient transformation with either genomic DNA or cDNA-derived minigenes encoding both enzyme isoforms. Stable HXGPRT+ transformants were isolated under selection with mycophenolic acid, demonstrating the feasibility of HXGPRT as both a positive and negative selectable marker for stable transformation of T. gondii.
Minority-carrier transport parameters in degenerate n-type silicon

Direct measurements of the minority-hole transport parameters in degenerate n-type silicon were done by analyzing transient photocurrent in the frequency domain. Minority-hole mobility is found to increase with doping for dopings larger than 4*10/sup 19/ cm/sup -3/. The ratio of minority-hole to majority-hole mobility is found to be about 2.8 at N/sub D/=7.2*10/sup 19/ cm/sup -3/. The measured lifetime shows a strongly Auger-dependent mechanism. The extracted Auger coefficient at 296 K is C/sub n/=2.22*10/sup -31/ cm/sup 6/-s/sup -1/, and is in agreement with that reported on other works. Self-consistent checking is used to validate the accuracy of the measured results. <<ETX>>
New Vessel Formation and Aberrant VEGF/VEGFR Signaling in Acute Leukemia: Does it Matter?

Although many patients with acute leukemia achieve a hematological complete remission with aggressive intensive therapy protocols, a large proportion shows reoccurrence of disease. Novel strategies are warranted. In acute leukemia new vessel formation is observed. New vessel formation is the result of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. The degree of neovascularization in the bone marrow is correlated with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in the leukemic cells. The present review discusses the impact of new vessel formation related to acute leukemia, the relation with various angiogenic factors and will focus on VEGF/VEGF receptor signaling.
"Glass fairies" and "bone children": adolescents and young adults with anorexia nervosa show positive reactions towards extremely emaciated body pictures measured by the startle reflex paradigm.

In this study, we investigated the emotional processing of extremely emaciated body cues in adolescents and young adults with (n = 36) and without (n = 36) anorexia nervosa (AN), introducing a new picture type, which was taken from websites that promote extreme thinness and is targeted specifically at adolescents interested in extreme thinness. A startle reflex paradigm was used for implicit reactions, while a self-assessment instrument was used for subjective responses. We found a significant group difference with a startle inhibition (appetitive response) among the patients and a startle potentiation (aversive response) among the controls, whereas no such difference for subjective measures was found. The results are in contrast to previous studies, which proposed a general failure to activate the appetitive motivational system in AN, but in keeping with findings from other addictions, where the same response pattern has been found. Implications for prevention and therapy are discussed.
Heterotopic ossification in rectal cancer: Rare finding with a novel proposed mechanism

The rare finding of heterotopic ossification in a case of primary rectal adenocarcinoma is described along with a review of the literature. Immunohistochemistry for a bone morphogenic protein (BMP‐2) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF‐2), both of which induce and stimulate bone formation, was performed and revealed overexpression of BMP‐2 by the tumor cells, elucidating a possible mechanism which up to now had been based merely on speculation. J. Surg. Oncol. 2003;82:132–136. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Does Informality Imply Segmentation in Urban Labor Markets? Evidence from Sectoral Transitions in Mexico

This article offers an alternative to the traditional dualistic view of the relationship between formal and informal labor markets. For many workers inefficiencies in formal sector protections and low levels of labor productivity may make informal sector employment a desirable alternative to formal sector employment. The analysis offers the first study of worker transitions between sectors using detailed panel data from Mexico and finds little evidence in favor of the dualistic view. Traditional earnings differentials cannot prove or disprove segmentation in the developing-country context. The patterns of worker mobility do not suggest a rigid labor market or one segmented along the formal and informal division.
Letter to the Editor, “The Role of Membrane Attack Complex Formation against Gram-positive Bacteria”

We read with enthusiasm the article by Jeanneau et al. (2015) on human pulp fibroblasts’ ability to kill cariogenic bacteria via complement activation and the membrane attack complex (MAC) formation. The authors demonstrated that the MAC, produced by lipoteichoic acid–stimulated pulp fibroblasts, is functional and can kill Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguinis. This finding differs from the literature showing that MAC formation plays a minor role in the defense against Gram-positive bacteria, as their cell wall prevents lysis by the MAC (Lambris et al. 2008; Berends et al. 2013; Merle et al. 2015). One of the effects of complement activation is the assembly of the terminal components to form a MAC (Bubeck 2014). The result is a pore in the lipid bilayer that destroys membrane integrity. This is thought to kill the pathogen by destroying the proton gradient across the cell membrane (Janeway 2001). Nevertheless, most Gram positives can resist complement lysis by the MAC, as it cannot penetrate the thick peptidoglycan layer of their cell wall (Merle et al. 2015). Berends et al. (2013) studied whether C5b-9 deposition affects the viability of Gram-positive bacteria after incubation with serum and observed deposition of a nonlytic C5b-9 complex unable to kill the bacteria. However, Jeanneau et al. (2015) showed that under serum-free conditions, lipoteichoic acid– stimulated pulp fibroblasts induced complement activation and MAC formation, resulting in bacterial killing. The dissimilarities in these studies suggest that there may be other host components involved in the different susceptibility of Gram positives to the MAC. Thus, the findings by Jeanneau et al. (2015) open avenues for further research and provide recent evidence on how Grampositive bacteria can be affected by the MAC. Acknowledgments
The atypical E 2 F family member E 2 F 7 couples the p 53 and RB pathways during cellular senescence

Ozlem Aksoy, Agustin Chicas, Tianying Zeng, Zhen Zhao, Mila McCurrach, Xiaowo Wang, and Scott W. Lowe Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10065, USA; Watson School of Biological Sciences, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724, USA; MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinformatics, Bioinformatics Division, TNLIST, Department of Automation, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, New York, New York 10065, USA
Detection and serotyping of rotaviruses in stool specimens by using reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction amplification

Direct rotavirus serotyping (VP7, G type) in stool specimens was carried out by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction amplification (RT‐PCR) and compared to serotyping by enzyme immunoassay with monoclonal antibodies (EIA‐MAb). The methods used for double‐stranded (ds) RNA extraction, RT‐PCR amplification, and the primers used were modified from previous reports [Gouvea et al.: Journal of Clinical Microbiology 29:519–523, 1990; Gentsch et al.: Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 1992]. For samples that were positive by both methods, the serotypes obtained were identical, however RT‐PCR typing was found to be considerably more sensitive (70.4% samples serotyped) than EIA‐MAb (35.6% of samples serotyped). The overall sensitivities for detection of rotavirus in stool samples by latex agglutination, enzyme immunoassay, electron microscopy, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and RT‐PCR were essentially the same. The results confirm that RT‐PCR typing (genotyping) is extremely valuable for G typing of samples which cannot be typed by EIA‐MAb. We also developed a PCR confirmation technique for serotypes 1, 2, and 4. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.