Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new haplotype of PDCD1 is associated with rheumatoid arthritis in Hong Kong Chinese.

OBJECTIVE The programmed death 1 (PD-1) molecule is a negative regulator of T cells, and a genetic association between PD-1 and systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Caucasians has been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of PDCD1 polymorphisms and haplotypes with RA in the Chinese population. METHODS Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), PD-1.1 G/A, PD-1.3 G/A, and PD-1.5 C/T, were genotyped in 180 patients with RA and 647 healthy controls in a case-control association study. Analyses of the association of genotypes and alleles with disease, haplotype construction, and linkage disequilibrium (LD) were performed. RESULTS We constructed haplotypes with the alleles of markers PD-1.1 G/A and PD-1.5 C/T and found that the GT haplotype was overrepresented in patients with RA (31%) compared with controls (23%) (P = 0.001, odds ratio [OR] 1.54, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.18-1.99). Among GT double homozygotes the risk of RA was increased even further (OR 2.31, 95% CI 1.31-4.08, P = 0.006). We also observed that the AA genotype of SNP PD-1.1 was associated with a decreased risk for developing RA (OR 0.38, 95% CI 0.15-0.99, P = 0.034). No association for SNP PD-1.5 in RA was found, and SNP PD-1.3 was nonpolymorphic in the Chinese population. CONCLUSION Our results support the involvement of PDCD1 as a susceptibility gene for RA in the Chinese population.
Effect of concurrent chronic exposure of fluoride and aluminum on rat brain

The present in vivo study was designed to investigate the toxic potential of fluoride alone and in conjugation with aluminum on the rat brain. The region-specific response of both elements was studied in different regions of brain, namely the cerebrum, cerebellum, and medulla oblongata. Following fluoride exposure, oxidative stress increased significantly, estimated by increased lipid peroxidation and a decrease in the activity of the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase. The neurotransmitter (e.g., dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin) content was also altered. However, these aspects were more pronounced in animals given fluoride and aluminum together. Histological evidence showed deprival of neuronal integrity with higher magnitude in concurrent fluoride and aluminum exposure, as compared to fluoride alone. Thus, it can be concluded that aluminum appears to enhance the neurotoxic hazards caused by fluoride.
Latent Epstein-Barr virus infection of tumor cells in classical Hodgkin's lymphoma predicts adverse outcome in older adult patients.

PURPOSE In classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (cHL), the impact of tumor cell Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) status on clinical outcome is controversial. PATIENTS AND METHODS We assessed failure-free survival (FFS) and relative survival (RS) in 412 patients with cHL and age-defined subgroups in a population-based study in the northern Netherlands. Tumor cell EBV status was positive in 34%, and the median follow-up time was 7.1 years. Patients' median age at diagnosis was 35 years (range, 7 to 91 years), and 63% had Ann Arbor stage I or II, 24% had stage III, and 12% had stage IV disease. RESULTS EBV status influenced 5-year FFS and RS only in patients from the age group 50 to 74 years. Five-year FFS was 60% in patients with EBV-positive versus 85% in EBV-negative tumors (P = .01). Five-year RS was 69% in patients with EBV-positive versus 82% in EBV-negative tumors (P = .03). After adjusting for histology, HLA class II expression by tumor cells, stage, presence of extranodal localizations and treatment, and the effect of positive EBV tumor status remained significant in FFS multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 3.11; 95% CI, 1.28 to 7.53; P = .01). CONCLUSION This study indicates that treatment failure in older adult patients with cHL is associated with positive tumor cell EBV status.
Role of p70 S6 Protein Kinase in Angiotensin II-induced Protein Synthesis in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells (*)

Angiotensin II (AII) is a growth factor which induces cellular hypertrophy in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC). To understand the molecular basis of this action, we have examined the role of the 70-kDa S6 kinases (p70S6K) in the hypertrophic response to AII in aortic SMC. AII potently stimulated the phosphotransferase activity of p70S6K, which reached a maximal value at 15 min and persisted for at least 4 h. This response was completely abolished when the cells were incubated in the presence of the AT1-selective receptor antagonist losartan. The enzymatic activation of p70S6K was associated with increased phosphorylation of the enzyme on serine and threonine residues. The immunosuppressant drug rapamycin was found to selectively inhibit the activation of p70S6K by AII, but not the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase or the induction of c-fos mRNA expression. Treatment of aortic SMC with rapamycin also potently inhibited AII-stimulated protein synthesis with a half-maximal concentration similar to that required for inhibition of p70S6K. These results provide strong evidence that p70S6K plays a critical role in the signaling pathways by which AII induces hypertrophy of vascular SMC.
Comparison of Capillary Electrophoresis and Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis for the Evaluation of T and B Cell Clonality by Polymerase Chain Reaction

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique is widely used in the diagnosis of lymphoma, and PCR amplification products are typically detected by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). However, the identification of small clonal populations, or the distinction of clonal PCR products in a polyclonal milieu remains difficult, requiring technically demanding alterations to gel analysis. This study describes an alternative approach using a capillary electrophoresis (CE) system to produce an accurately sized electropherogram. A variety of patient samples were examined, including solid tissue, peripheral blood, bone marrow aspirates, and paraffin-embedded tissue. A total of 28 samples were evaluated by PCR for B-cell clonality by detection of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement and 29 samples for T-cell clonality by detection of T-cell gamma locus gene rearrangement. Standard 10% PAGE analysis of PCR products was compared with CE. There was a 100% concordance in the assessment of both B-cell and T-cell clonality. Dilution studies with the SUP-B15 cell line showed a detection limit of 0.03% for B-cell clonality and 0.05% for T-cell clonality using CE, versus 0.2% to 1%, respectively for PAGE. Automated, fluorescent analysis of PCR products by CE seems to be at least equally as effective as gel-based analysis for the detection of clonal B-cell and T-cell populations. Moreover, CE offers superior resolution and improved sensitivity, thus representing a significant improvement over traditional gel electrophoretic techniques in these regards.
Circumcision and human papillomavirus infection in men: a site-specific comparison.

BACKGROUND Lack of circumcision has been identified as a risk factor for male genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, although this association has not been consistently supported. METHODS Specimens for HPV testing were collected from a cohort of 379 (primarily heterosexual) adult males. HPV prevalence in the glans penis and coronal sulcus, penile shaft, scrotum, semen, and urine was compared by circumcision status. RESULTS Overall, HPV DNA prevalence ranged from 6% in semen to 52% in the penile shaft. The prevalence of any HPV infection in the glans/corona was significantly higher in uncircumcised men (46%) than in circumcised men (29%) (odds ratio [OR], 1.96 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02-3.75], adjusted for demographic characteristics and sexual history). Uncircumcised men also had an increased risk of oncogenic HPV infection (adjusted OR, 2.51 [95% CI, 1.11-5.69]) and infection with multiple HPV types (adjusted OR, 3.56 [95% CI, 1.50-8.50]). Among uncircumcised men, HPV prevalence in the foreskin (44%) was comparable to that in the glans/corona, and type-specific positivity was observed between the 2 sites (kappa=0.52). CONCLUSIONS Uncircumcised men have an increased risk of HPV infection, including with oncogenic HPV, specifically localized to the glans/corona, possibly because of its proximity to the foreskin, which may be particularly vulnerable to infection.
Stem hydraulic capacitance decreases with drought stress: implications for modelling tree hydraulics in the Mediterranean oak Quercus ilex.

Hydraulic modelling is a primary tool to predict plant performance in future drier scenarios. However, as most tree models are validated under non-stress conditions, they may fail when water becomes limiting. To simulate tree hydraulic functioning under moist and dry conditions, the current version of a water flow and storage mechanistic model was further developed by implementing equations that describe variation in xylem hydraulic resistance (RX ) and stem hydraulic capacitance (CS ) with predawn water potential (ΨPD ). The model was applied in a Mediterranean forest experiencing intense summer drought, where six Quercus ilex trees were instrumented to monitor stem diameter variations and sap flow, concurrently with measurements of predawn and midday leaf water potential. Best model performance was observed when CS was allowed to decrease with decreasing ΨPD . Hydraulic capacitance decreased from 62 to 25 kg m-3 MPa-1 across the growing season. In parallel, tree transpiration decreased to a greater extent than the capacitive water release and the contribution of stored water to transpiration increased from 2.0 to 5.1%. Our results demonstrate the importance of stored water and seasonality in CS for tree hydraulic functioning, and they suggest that CS should be considered to predict the drought response of trees with models.
THE WFC3 INFRARED SPECTROSCOPIC PARALLEL (WISP) SURVEY

We present the WFC3 Infrared Spectroscopic Parallel (WISP) Survey. WISP is obtaining slitless, near-infrared grism spectroscopy of ∼90 independent, high-latitude fields by observing in the pure-parallel mode with the Wide Field Camera Three on the Hubble Space Telescope for a total of ∼250 orbits. Spectra are obtained with the G102 (λ = 0.8–1.17 μm, R ∼210) and G141 grisms (λ = 1.11–1.67 μm, R ∼130), together with direct imaging in the J and H bands (F110W and F140W, respectively). In the present paper, we present the first results from 19 WISP fields, covering approximately 63 arcmin2. For typical exposure times (∼6400 s in G102 and ∼2700 s in G141), we reach 5σ detection limits for emission lines of f ∼ 5 × 10−17 erg s−1 cm−2 for compact objects. Typical direct imaging 5σ limits are 26.3 and 26.1 mag. (AB) in F110W and F140W, respectively. Restricting ourselves to the lines measured with the highest confidence, we present a list of 328 emission lines, in 229 objects, in a redshift range 0.3 < z < 3. The single-line emitters are likely to be a mix of Hα and [O iii]5007,4959 Å, with Hα predominating. The overall surface density of high-confidence emission-line objects in our sample is approximately 4 per arcmin2. These first fields show high equivalent width sources, active galactic nucleus, and post-starburst galaxies. The median observed star formation rate (SFR) of our Hα-selected sample is 4 M☉ yr−1. At intermediate redshifts, we detect emission lines in galaxies as faint as H140 ∼ 25, or MR < −19, and are sensitive to SFRs down to less than 1 M☉ yr−1. The slitless grisms on WFC3 provide a unique opportunity to study the spectral properties of galaxies much fainter than L* at the peak of the galaxy assembly epoch.
Subcostal Transversus Abdominis Plane Phenol Injection for Abdominal Wall Cancer Pain

A subcostal transversus abdominis plane (TAP) phenol injection was performed on a patient with refractory cancer pain due a metastatic involvement of the abdominal wall. A diagnostic block with local anesthetic was performed under ultrasound guidance (USG), resulting in a decrease of 80% and 100% in dynamic and static visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, respectively, for 20 hours. A phenol injection was then performed under USG. The patient reported 70% and 100% reduction in the dynamic and static VAS for pain and had a 50% decrease in the opioid requirement that was maintained for 2 months. TAP blocks offer an interesting tool for either diagnosis or therapeutic purpose in chronic pain management. USG provides an optimal approach to soft‐tissue lesions where fluoroscopy techniques are not useful.
On intersecting families of finite sets

Let F be a family of k-element subsets of an n-set, n > n0(k). Suppose any two members of F have non-empty intersection. Let τ(F) denote min|T|, T meets every member of F. Erdös, Ko and Rado proved and that if equality holds then τ(F) = 1. Hilton and Milner determined max|F| for τ(F) = 2. In this paper we solve the problem for τ(F) = 3. The extremal families look quite complicated which shows the power of the methods used for their determination.
Angiopoietin-1 Inhibits Endothelial Cell Apoptosis via the Akt/Survivin Pathway*

A productive angiogenic response must couple to the survival machinery of endothelial cells to preserve the integrity of newly formed vessels. Angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1) is an endothelium-specific ligand essential for embryonic vascular stabilization, branching morphogenesis, and post-natal angiogenesis, but its contribution to endothelial cell survival has not been completely elucidated. Here we show that Ang-1 acting via the Tie 2 receptor induces phosphorylation of the survival serine-threonine kinase, Akt (or protein kinase B). This is associated with up-regulation of the apoptosis inhibitor, survivin, in endothelial cells and protection of endothelium from death-inducing stimuli. Moreover, dominant negative survivin negates the ability of Ang-1 to protect cells from undergoing apoptosis. The activation of anti-apoptotic pathways mediated by Akt and survivin in endothelial cells may contribute to Ang-1 stabilization of vascular structures during angiogenesis, in vivo.
Habit Reversal as a Treatment for Chronic Skin Picking

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of habit reversal (HR) to a wait-list control as a treatment for chronic skin picking in adults. Twenty-five adults with a chronic skin-picking problem were randomly assigned to a wait-list control or HR group. At pretreatment, posttreatment, and a 3-month follow-up, self-reported skin picking was assessed, and photographs were taken of the damaged areas and later rated by independent observers. Treatment acceptability data were collected at posttreatment only. Results showed that HR produced a greater decrease in skin picking at posttreatment and follow-up when compared to the wait-list control group. Data from the independent raters confirmed these findings. HR was also viewed as an acceptable intervention by the participants.
PROOFREADING INSTRUCTIONS

Creativity of designers can be enhanced by the application of appropriate triggers. The presence of triggers helps designers to search solution spaces. The searching of a solution space increases the possibility of finding creative solutions. Both representation and content of the triggers or stimulus to which the designers are exposed are believed to play a vital role in the representation and content of the outcome of the designers during problem solving. We studied the effect of representation of triggers on ideas generated by six design engineers while trying to solve a given problem. A variety of representations (video/animation and audio, text, explanation, and others) that are potentially useful to designers for five prespecified triggers were administered to each designer, who generated ideas in response to each trigger–representation combination individually. The effect of representations of these triggers on the content and representation of the solutions generated by the design engineers was studied. The results showed significant influence of the representation of the triggers on the representations, number, and quality of the resulting ideas that were generated.
Induction of microsomal NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and cytochrome P-450IVA1 (P-450LA omega) by dehydroepiandrosterone in rats: a possible peroxisomal proliferator.

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a naturally occurring C19-steroid that is found in the peripheral circulation of mammals, including humans. The feeding of DHEA to rodents has been shown to inhibit chemical carcinogenesis in colon, liver, and lung. Therefore, the effect of DHEA on hepatic enzyme activities that are associated with carcinogen metabolism was assessed. Microsomal NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase activity and the content of cytochrome b5 were induced 1.8- and 1.4-fold, respectively, upon feeding male Sprague-Dawley rats a synthetic diet containing 0.45% DHEA (w/w). No significant changes in total content of microsomal cytochrome P-450 or the activities of microsomal NADH-cytochrome b5 reductase and cytosolic or microsomal NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase were noted at day 7 of feeding. Cytosolic glutathione S-transferase activity was decreased to 68% of control activity. Administration of DHEA p.o. or by i.p. injection for 5 days led to the same extent of induction of NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase activity. Maximal induction of this flavoprotein reductase was noted between days 3 and 4 of feeding or at a dose of 80-120 mg/kg i.p. A small but statistically significant increase in total microsomal cytochrome P-450 was observed after DHEA administration i.p. Rats fed DHEA had a slower growth rate compared with rats fed control diet, whereas rats treated with DHEA i.p. had growth rates identical to those of controls. The liver weights of rats given DHEA by p.o. or i.p. routes were increased significantly compared to those of control rats. Pair feeding of rats with DHA-containing or control diets served to demonstrate that the levels of induction of hepatic microsomal NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase and at least one form of cytochrome P450 (P-450IVA1) were the same as those seen in livers of rats fed DHEA ad libitum. This finding suggested that the induction of the flavoprotein and at least one form of the cytochrome was not due to caloric restriction. The increase in NADPH-cytochrome P-450 reductase content of liver microsomes prepared from rats either fed or treated i.p. with DHEA was also observed by Western blotting techniques. DHEA did not appear to induce any of the major forms of rat liver microsomal cytochrome P-450 that are normally increased by either phenobarbital, beta-naphthoflavone, or dexamethasone pretreatment of rats in vivo. However, the measurement of androstenedione and testosterone metabolism in vitro showed pronounced decreases in the 16 alpha-hydroxylase activities of liver microsomes following DHEA feeding. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The Coupling of Motion and Conductive Heating of a Gas by Localized Energy Sources

This paper investigates the time evolution of the near-isobaric flow field produced in a gas after the sudden application of a constant heat flux from a localized energy source. The problems of plane, line, and point heat sources are all investigated, with a power law for the temperature dependence of the thermal conductivity, after reduction to a quasi-linear heat equation for the temperature. In the planar and spherical cases, the constant heat flux defines scales for the length and time, which are used to nondimensionalize the problem. Numerical integration is used to provide the evolution of the temperature and velocity, and limiting solutions corresponding to small and large rescaled times are obtained. In the axisymmetric case, due to the absence of characteristic length and time scales, the solution is seen to admit a self-similar description in terms of the nondimensional heat flux. Profiles of temperature and radial velocity are provided for different values of this parameter, and the asymptotic .
Inter-hemispheric asynchrony of the brain during events of apnoea and EEG arousals

Sleep apnoea hypopnea syndrome (SAHS) is a serious sleep disorder affecting a large percentage of the population. Apnoea/hypopnea and electroencephalographic-arousal (EEGA) events occur frequently in SAHS patients. These events significantly disturb the sleep architecture, as revealed through nocturnal EEG signals. Even though EEG carries vital information on the state of the brain, its use in clinical SAHS diagnosis is limited mainly to routine sleep staging. In this paper, we address this issue. We propose a novel measure, called the inter-hemispheric asynchrony (Ψa→b), to capture EEG-symmetry changes associated with a transition a → b between the brain states ‘a’ and ‘b’. Our work takes into account macro-states such as the traditional sleep stages, and micro-states such as EEGA and apnoea/hypopnea events. We measured EEG data using electrodes C4–A2 and C3–A1 of the International 10/20 System from 18 subjects undergoing polysomnography (PSG) testing. These electrode pairs are symmetrical about the brain mid-line and allow us to discern any hemispheric EEG asymmetry. EEG data were segmented and filtered into classical bands δ(0.5–4 Hz), θ(4.1–8 Hz), α(8.1–12 Hz) and β(12.1–16 Hz). Then they were further categorized according to the particular sleep state of their origin. Spectral correlation coefficients were computed between the EEG data from the two hemispheres and averaged over the overnight EEG recording. This was done for each frequency band and state of interest, and then the measure Ψa→b was computed. Results from the 18 subjects showed that Ψa→b increased significantly (p < 0.05) when the sleep state changed from NREM to REM, in all the frequency bands considered. Similarly, within both NREM and REM macro-states, Ψa→b changes significantly (p < 0.1) with micro-state changes from the background state towards apnoea/hypopnea and EEGA states. Extensive statistical analysis we conducted with the 18 subjects indicated that the measure Ψa→b provides a novel insight into the functional asymmetry of the brain during SAHS events.
Use of the mean, hot deck and multiple imputation techniques to predict outcome in intensive care unit patients in Colombia

A cohort of intensive care unit (ICU) patients in 20 Colombian ICUs is used to describe the application of three imputation techniques: single, hot deck and multiple imputation. These strategies were used to impute the missing data in the variables used to construct APACHE II scores, a scoring system for the ICU patients that provides an unbiased standardized estimate of the probability of hospital death. Imputed APACHE II scores were then used in the APACHE II model to estimate adjusted hospital mortality rates. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare imputation strategies with respect to predictive power. While statistically significant differences were found for the area under the ROC curve, these differences were not clinically significant. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.