Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnóstico del liquen plano oral

El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar los aspectos clinicos y patologicos necesarios para conocer mejor el liquen plano oral y poder diagnosticarlo correctamente. El diagnostico se obtiene en primer lugar por el aspecto clinico de las lesiones. Se debe realizar siempre biopsia y estudio anatomopatologico para confirmar la sospecha clinica y realizar diagnostico diferencial con otras entidades de apariencia clinica similar. Los pasos que debemos seguir para realizar un diagnostico de certeza son: estudio de la clinica (anamnesis y exploracion clinica), biopsia para estudio histopatologico y analitica sanguinea y determinacion de la tension arterial, buscando una posible relacion con determinados procesos sistemicos. Se hara una inmunofluorescencia directa cuando haya que diferenciarlo de dermatopatias similares (lupus, penfigoide o penfigo). En ocasiones podremos realizar un analisis estructural y otras pruebas diagnosticas.
Sonographic Appearance of the Submandibular Glands in Patients With Immunoglobulin G4‐Related Disease

Swelling of the salivary glands is often an initial sign of immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)‐related disease or IgG4‐related sclerosing/autoimmune disease. We encountered 2 patients with IgG4‐related disease who showed swollen submandibular glands with a unique characteristic sonographic pattern. Bilateral submandibular glands of both patients were enlarged with a smooth contour. The internal echo texture indicated multiple hypoechoic foci scattered against a heterogeneous background, which characteristically appeared with a mottled or irregular netlike appearance. A histopathologic examination of a resected section showed multiple foci of dense infiltrated lymphoplasmacytic cells and lymph follicles encircled by fibrous bands. A mottled appearance in the sonographic findings of the submandibular glands suggests the characteristic of IgG4‐related disease and can be helpful in the differential diagnosis at the initial manifestation.
Iridoid Glucosides with Insecticidal Activity from Galium melanantherum

The insecticidal activity of the endemic species Galium melanantherum was evaluated against Crematogaster scutellaris ants and Kalotermes flavicollis termites. Iridoid glucosides 1-7 were isolated for the first time as metabolites of the investigated plant, along with the coumarin scopolin. The main components of the extract were found to be the non-acetylated iridoids: geniposidic acid (1), 10-hydroxyloganin (2), deacetyldaphylloside (3), monotropein (4), deacetylasperulosidic acid (5) and scandoside (6), while asperulosidic acid (7) was present only in minute quantities. All isolated metabolites were identified on the basis of their spectral data. Laboratory bioassays revealed significant levels of toxicity for 1-4 against Kalotermes flavicollis termites and Crematogaster scutellaris ants
Serum Cytokine Profiles Differentiating Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome

Hantavirus infection is an acute zoonosis that clinically manifests in two primary forms, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). HFRS is endemic in Europe and Russia, where the mild form of the disease is prevalent in the Tatarstan region. HPS is endemic in Argentina, as well as other countries of North and South American. HFRS and HPS are usually acquired via the upper respiratory tract by inhalation of virus-contaminated aerosol. Although the pathogenesis of HFRS and HPS remains largely unknown, postmortem tissue studies have identified endothelial cells as the primary target of infection. Importantly, cell damage due to virus replication, or subsequent tissue repair, has not been documented. Since no single factor has been identified that explains the complexity of HFRS or HPS pathogenesis, it has been suggested that a cytokine storm may play a crucial role in the manifestation of both diseases. In order to identify potential serological markers that distinguish HFRS and HPS, serum samples collected during early and late phases of the disease were analyzed for 48 analytes using multiplex magnetic bead-based assays. Overall, serum cytokine profiles associated with HPS revealed a more pro-inflammatory milieu as compared to HFRS. Furthermore, HPS was strictly characterized by the upregulation of cytokine levels, in contrast to HFRS where cases were distinguished by a dichotomy in serum cytokine levels. The severe form of hantavirus zoonosis, HPS, was characterized by the upregulation of a higher number of cytokines than HFRS (40 vs 21). In general, our analysis indicates that, although HPS and HFRS share many characteristic features, there are distinct cytokine profiles for these diseases. These profiles suggest a strong activation of an innate immune and inflammatory responses are associated with HPS, relative to HFRS, as well as a robust activation of Th1-type immune responses. Finally, the results of our analysis suggest that serum cytokines profiles of HPS and HFRS cases are consistent with the presence of extracellular matrix degradation, increased mononuclear leukocyte proliferation, and transendothelial migration.
Effects of the hisT mutation of Salmonella typhimurium on translation elongation rate

The hisT mutation in Salmonella typhimurium which results in loss of pseudouridine base modifications in the anticodon regions of many tRNAs was shown to reduce the rate of protein synthesis in vivo by about 20 to 25% as compared with that measured in hisT strains. Reduced protein synthesis rate occurred predominantly at the level of translation rather than transcription. Increased sensitivity of hisT mutants to growth inhibition by antibiotics that inhibit translation elongation, but not by those that inhibit translation initiation, transcription initiation, or transcription elongation, indicates that the hisT mutation leads to a defect in one or more of the steps in the polypeptide chain elongation mechanism. These results can account for effects of the hisT mutation on regulation of certain amino acid biosynthetic operons, including the his, leu, and ilv operons.
Three new isolates of porcine respiratory coronavirus with various pathogenicities and spike (S) gene deletions

Three new isolates of porcine respiratory coronavirus (PRCV) were isolated and partially characterized. These PRCV isolates showed a selective tropism for respiratory tissue and were antigenically related to transmissible gastroenteritis virus. PCR amplification of the 5' half of the spike (S) genes of the three PRCV isolates indicated that a large deletion, characteristic of PRCV, was present. By using cDNA probes specific for the transmissible gastroenteritis virus S gene, the PCR products were shown to be specific in a Southern blot. The three new PRCV isolates were shown to vary in S gene deletion size. In a separate study, these isolates have also been shown to vary in pathogenicity. These new PRCV isolates should serve as important tools in gaining a better understanding of the pathogenesis of coronavirus infections.
Calpain-Dependent Degradation of Nucleoporins Contributes to Motor Neuron Death in a Mouse Model of Chronic Excitotoxicity

Glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity induces neuronal death by altering various intracellular signaling pathways and is implicated as a common pathogenic pathway in many neurodegenerative diseases. In the case of motor neuron disease, there is significant evidence to suggest that the overactivation of AMPA receptors due to deficiencies in the expression and function of glial glutamate transporters GLT1 and GLAST plays an important role in the mechanisms of neuronal death. However, a causal role for glial glutamate transporter dysfunction in motor neuron death remains unknown. Here, we developed a new animal model of excitotoxicity by conditionally deleting astroglial glutamate transporters GLT1 and GLAST in the spinal cords of mice (GLAST+/−/GLT1-cKO). GLAST+/−/GLT1-cKO mice (both sexes) exhibited nuclear irregularity and calpain-mediated degradation of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which are responsible for nucleocytoplasmic transport. These abnormalities were associated with progressive motor neuron loss, severe paralysis, and shortened lifespan. The nuclear export inhibitor KPT-350 slowed but did not prevent motor neuron death, whereas long-term treatment of the AMPA receptor antagonist perampanel and the calpain inhibitor SNJ-1945 had more persistent beneficial effects. Thus, NPC degradation contributes to AMPA receptor-mediated excitotoxic motor neuronal death, and preventing NPC degradation has robust protective effects. Normalization of NPC function could be a novel therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative disorders in which AMPA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity is a contributory factor. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Despite glial glutamate transporter dysfunction leading to excitotoxicity has been documented in many neurological diseases, it remains unclear whether its dysfunction is a primary cause or secondary outcome of neuronal death at disease state. Here we show the combined loss of glial glutamate transporters GLT1 and GLAST in spinal cord caused motor neuronal death and hindlimb paralysis. Further, our novel mutant exhibits the nuclear irregularities and calpain-mediated progressive nuclear pore complex degradation. Our study reveals that glial glutamate transporter dysfunction is sufficient to cause motor neuronal death in vivo.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in the evaluation of antihypertensive treatment: additional information from a large data base.

Aims of our study were i) to compare in a large number of hypertensive subjects the relative effect of antihypertensive treatment on clinic (C) blood pressure (BP) and various ambulatory (A) BP components, and ii) to determine whether antihypertensive treatment affects BP variability. In 266 mild essential hypertensive outpatients (age: 18-78 years) CBP (trough measurements) and ABP (Spacelabs 90202 or 90207) were measured after 3 to 4 weeks of wash-out and after 4 to 8 weeks of treatment with an ACE-inhibitor (n = 135) or a calcium-antagonist (n = 131). ABP recordings were analyzed to obtain average 24 h, day-time (6 a.m. to midnight) and night-time (midnight to 6 a.m.) systolic and diastolic BP values and standard deviations (BP variabilities). Treatment reduced both CBP and ABP. Treatment-induced changes in CBP showed a poor correlation with those in 24h, day- and night-time BP (r never > 0.23) and the correlation was poor also when trough ABP (mean of last 2 h) was considered. Twenty-four hour, day- and night-time BP were similarly reduced by treatment with a direct relationship between the initial BP values and the subsequent BP falls. BP standard deviations were also reduced by treatment in relation to the pretreatment values but the overall reduction was small, limited to the day-time and proportional or less than proportional to the reduction in mean values, with no changes or an increase in variation coefficients. The effects of ACE-inhibitor and calcium-antagonist treatments were superimposable. Our results from a large data base show that antihypertensive treatment effectively reduces all ABP components. The reduction cannot be predicted by the concomitant fall in CBP but it relates to the initial ABP values. Treatment has a limited effect on BP variability, this being the case both for ACE-inhibitors and calcium-antagonists.
Vortical Flow Structure Identification and Flow Transport in Arteries

Our interest in vortices arises for two reasons. Firstly, at moderate to large Reynolds numbers (at least 100) which characterise flow in larger arteries, vortices are quite persistent. The presence of vortices in a flow may exert a strong influence on its behaviour, although tracking vortices may be difficult as they can evolve rapidly. The effects of vortices or vortical structures are particularly evident when considering both flow stability, and the processes of mixing and transport by the flow. The object of this paper is to examine the dynamics both of vortex motion and of particle transport in arteries, and to relate these to parameters such as geometry and unsteadiness. The Lagrangian particle tracking and the vortex dynamic techniques which are described should help in understanding arterial fluid dynamics and suggest new approaches to modelling.
Beta-lapachone-mediated apoptosis in human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) and human prostate cancer cells: a p53-independent response.

beta-Lapachone and certain of its derivatives directly bind and inhibit topoisomerase I (Topo I) DNA unwinding activity and form DNA-Topo I complexes, which are not resolvable by SDS-K+ assays. We show that beta-lapachone can induce apoptosis in certain cells, such as in human promyelocytic leukemia (HL-60) and human prostate cancer (DU-145, PC-3, and LNCaP) cells, as also described by Li et al. (Cancer Res., 55: 0000-0000, 1995). Characteristic 180-200-bp oligonucleosome DNA laddering and fragmented DNA-containing apoptotic cells via flow cytometry and morphological examinations were observed in 4 h in HL-60 cells after a 4-h, > or = 0.5 microM beta-lapachone exposure. HL-60 cells treated with camptothecin or topotecan resulted in greater apoptotic DNA laddering and apoptotic cell populations than comparable equitoxic concentrations of beta-lapachone, although beta-lapachone was a more effective Topo I inhibitor. beta-Lapachone treatment (4 h, 1-5 microM) resulted in a block at G0/G1, with decreases in S and G2/M phases and increases in apoptotic cell populations over time in HL-60 and three separate human prostate cancer (DU-145, PC-3, and LNCaP) cells. Similar treatments with topotecan or camptothecin (4 h, 1-5 microM) resulted in blockage of cells in S and apoptosis. Thus, beta-lapachone causes a block in G0/G1 of the cell cycle and induces apoptosis in cells before, or at early times during, DNA synthesis. These events are p53 independent, since PC-3 and HL-60 cells are null cells, LNCaP are wild-type, and DU-145 contain mutant p53, yet all undergo apoptosis after beta-lapachone treatment. Interestingly, beta-lapachone treatment of p53 wild type-containing prostate cancer cells (i.e., LNCaP) did not result in the induction of nuclear levels of p53 protein, as did camptothecin-treated cells. Like other Topo I inhibitors, beta-lapachone may induce apoptosis by locking Topo I onto DNA, blocking replication fork movement, and inducing apoptosis in a p53-independent fashion. beta-Lapachone and its derivatives, as well as other Topo I inhibitors, have potential clinical utility alone against human leukemia and prostate cancers.
Banking Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines for Clinical Application?

In this month’s issue of the Journal, Tamaoki et al. report the derivation of human pluripotent stem cell lines from dental pulp cells, which can be obtained from extracted teeth. The authors present an interesting possibility for constructing HLAtype banking of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines from such easily accessible sources. More specifically, they report the presence of 2 donated samples that were homozygous for 3 HLA-loci (HLA-A, B, DR), which are considered to be most valuable for predicting the intensity of immunological rejection after transplantation therapy. The possibility of the HLA-type banking of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines was first reported by Taylor et al. (2005), with calculations based on HLA-type distribution in a UK population. Our group later published the supportive potential of banking conventional or parthenogenetic hESC lines (Nakajima et al., 2007), with projections for the Japanese population. After derivation of hiPSC lines was reported (Takahashi et al., 2007), we extended these findings to the banking possibility of hiPSC lines derived from somatic cells donated by individuals homozygous for the 3 HLA loci (Nakatsuji et al., 2008). This extrapolation predicts that banking of ca. 200 hESC lines would provide beneficial matching for 80% of the Japanese population, because one can find the cell line with 2 loci matched (at low-resolution matching level) among the 3 most important HLA-loci. Furthermore, if one could accumulate hESC or hiPSC lines homozygous for the 3 HLA-loci, 50 lines would enable full matching for 80-90% of the population, because homozygous cell lines can give much wider HLA-type matching than heterozygous ones. This new report by Tamaoki et al. (2010) indicates that it is indeed possible to identify homozygous donors for hiPSC lines for the construction of such HLA-type banking. Furthermore, a report was recently published for a Chinese population (Lin et al., 2009), in which ca. 200 hESC lines were derived from donated spare embryos, and analysis of HLA-typing data predicted beneficial matching for the majority of the local population, as projected by these assumptions. Another possibility of deriving parthenogenetic ESC lines was Banking Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines for Clinical Application?
Comparative electrophysiological, functional, and histological studies of nerve lesions in rats

The aim of this study was to establish a nerve lesion model to compare serial electrophysiological and functional outcome measures with histological findings. The relative significance of the parameters in lesions of diverse severity, the time course of recovery, and the tools for serial longitudinal studies after nerve lesions were studied in rats. We compared weekly electrophysiological and functional studies for 100 or 150 days in rats after crush or section/suture of the sciatic nerve at midthigh level. Finally, tibial nerves were taken for histology. We confirmed that recovery was faster and more complete in nerves regenerating after crush than after section, irrespective of method of evaluation. Furthermore, continuous maturational changes occurred in control nerves, and such continuous growth‐related changes should be taken into account when evaluating maturational changes during nerve regeneration. A lack of correlation between evaluation methods supports that functional, morphological, and physiological parameters show different aspects of the recovery process after nerve lesions, and that these outcome measures should be included separately in therapeutic studies. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 25:508–519, 2005.
A Model of the Distribution of Branded Personal Products in Jamaica

A five equation model of the Jamaican distribution structure is fitted to data on four branded personal products. Decision rules appear oriented toward sales for retailers, wholesalers, importers, and manufacturers, and some policy implications for stimulating the structure are suggested. Problems associated with procedures for fitting sets of equations and examples of the effects of multi-collinearity on simultaneous equation estimation are discussed.
Oligozoospermia: recent prognosis and the outcome of 73 pregnancies in oligozoospermic couples

The minimum value for each of the five main semen parameters, below which conception rarely occurred or did not occur at all, was calculated in a group of 1884 couples complaining of primary and secondary infertility: 304 conceptions including first as well as consecutive conceptions, occurred. The parameters evaluated were (minimum value calculated in this study between brackets) volume (1.0 ml), sperm count ml−1 (2.0 million), total sperm count (4.0 million), motility (10%), forward progression (2.0 MacLeod units: scale 1–4) and normal sperm morphology (3%). The pregnancy rate in the group of 308 oligozoospermic men and the minimum value of semen parameters were the cornerstones in determining the prognosis for oligozoospermic patients. A sperm count of >2.0 million ml−1 was considered relatively adequate for eventual conception judged by the 68 of 308 (22.1%) pregnancies that occurred among oligozoospermic men in this study, provided that the other five semen parameters showed values above the minimum value. In cases where the average sperm count was <2 million ml−1, the chances for conception became rare, viz five of 308 (1.6%). The total number of pregnancies in the group classified as oligozoospermic was 73 (23.7%). With these pregnancies there was no increase in the rate of foetal wastage and congenital abnormalities. Abortion occurred in 15.09% and ectopic pregnancy in 0.9% among first and consecutive pregnancies. One infant among the 56% boys and 44% girls was born with congenital abnormalities. Most of these infants had a normal birth mass of >2500 g.
A Comparative Study of Agile Methods: Towards a New Model-based Method

: Agile development is an approach for managing and building software projects and teams, in order to satisfy customers by providing adaptive planning, evolutionary development, early delivery and continuous improvement. It is a collection of methodologies such as Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum and Feature Driven Development (FDD). Even if agile methods are rapid and flexible to change, they still suffer from some problems example, difficulty of estimating the effort required at the beginning of the development software life cycle, especially for large projects. Also, it is important to keep design phases sufficiently long to allow for a real maturation of needs and avoid reflection based only on reactions to what has been developed, which can lead to a lot of reworking. As a first step towards a new agile method, this paper aims to provide a comparative study of available agile methods in order to propose a new model-based method.
The Effect of Hyperosmotic Stress and Protein Kinase A Manipulation on Ciliary Beat Frequency at 20oC

Mannitol is sometimes administered as an aerosol to increase mucociliary clearance. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of mannitol on regulation of ciliary beat frequency, a component of mucociliary clearance; and to investigate the interplay between mannitol induced hyperosmotic stress and protein kinase A. Ciliated nasal epithelial cells were collected from ten healthy volunteers undergoing surgery. Using video microscopy, ciliary beat frequency was measured at 20 o C in the presence of protein kinase A modulators with or without 400mM mannitol in medium 199. Protein kinase A activation with db-cAMP (1mM) in isosmotic medium significantly increased ciliary beat frequency (p<0.05) but kinase inhibition was without effect and similar to control. A reversible 75% reduction in ciliary beat frequency occurred when cells were exposed to a hyperosmotic solution of 400mM mannitol in normal culture medium. The ciliary beat frequency under hyperosmotic conditions was slightly lowered further when PKA was activated whereas PKA inhibition had a slight stabilizing effect; almost the opposite of what was observed under isosmotic conditions. In conclusion protein kinase activation in isosmotic medium increases ciliary beat frequency at 20 o C and its inhibition has no effect. Mannitol induced hyperosmotic stress reduces ciliary beat frequency and this reduction is affected by PKA manipulation in a complex manner.