Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of translocation and cleavage of heterogeneous ribonuclear proteins and Rho guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor 2 during apoptosis by subcellular proteome analysis

Jurkat T cells induced to undergo apoptosis by the CD95(Fas/Apo‐1) pathway were investigated by proteome analysis. The most prominent differing protein spots of apoptotic and nonapoptotic cells were identified as various heterogeneous ribonuclear proteins (hnRNPs) and Rho guanin nucleotide dissociation inhibitor (GDI) 2. In apoptotic cells, four spots slightly differing in molecular mass and/or isoelectric point were identified as Rho GDI 2 with the mass and pI as expected after caspase‐3 cleavage near the N‐terminus. Subcellular proteome analysis revealed that Rho GDI 2 was highly enriched in the cytosolic fraction, present in minor amounts in the nuclear fraction and absent from the mitochondrial fraction. In apoptotic cells however, the spots representing processed and modified Rho GDI 2 were found in the cytosol, in the nucleus and also the mitochondria at different spot positions. In addition, twelve different hnRNPs were identified to be altered after induction of cell death of which hnRNPs A/B, D, F, H, I and L were hitherto unknown to be modified during apoptosis. Most of the hnRNP spots were found in the nucleus of nonapoptotic cells, whereas these proteins, either modified or unmodified, relocated to the cytosol and/or the mitochondria in apoptotic cells. Our results demonstrate that modification of proteins during apoptosis is often accompanied by their relocalisation between cellular compartments.
The role of Didemnum perlucidum F. Monniot, 1983 (Tunicata, Ascidiacea) in a marine fouling community.

Didemnum perlucidum is a colonial ascidian that is cryptogenic in southern Brazil but introduced in many regions around the world. It is common in ports and marinas where it may form large colonies although its role in fouling communities is poorly understood. The goal of this study was to evaluate the role of D. perlucidum in a marine fouling community comprised mainly of non-indigenous species. Treatment pairs (D. perlucidum removal and unmanipulated controls) of experimental plates were exposed during 14 months at a mussel farm in southern Brazil. Taxonomic richness and percent cover of the species were compared between treatments (with and without D. perlucidum). D. perlucidum did not influence taxonomic richness or inhibit colonization by any species. Effects of this species on the abundance of others were sporadic, and suggest that it may be a weak competitor. The small effect of D. perlucidum in this community is explained by its low abundance and its occupation of secondary substrate without having detrimental effects on the species it grew over. Given that D. perlucidum is more abundant, and problematic, in other regions of southeastern and southern Brazil, continuous monitoring is desirable to better understand its fouling dynamics.
Study of Maternal Outcome of Emergency and Elective Caesarean Section in a Semi-Rural Tertiary Hospital -

Introduction: Caesarean section is one of the most performed surgical procedures all over the world. It is associated with high morbidity, although, the morbidity has come down over the years(1)Morbidity and mortality are seen to be more with emergency procedures than elective procedure. Aim: To study the maternal morbidity of elective and emergency caesarean sections in a tertiary care teaching hospital in semirural area Methodology: It is a comparative study on the maternal outcomes in elective and emergency caesarean sections. Total 165 patients undergoing caesarean section in the tertiary teaching hospital in semi- rural area were studied. Data was collected and analyzed Conclusion: Maternal morbidity was found to be more in emergency caesarean section than in elective caesarean section.
Long-term survival after curative resection for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

4227 Background: The aim of the study was to determine prognostic factors of long-term survival after curative surgical treatment for pancreatic cancer. METHODS Between 1994 and 2000, resection with curative intent was performed on 75 patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma admitted to Department of Surgery, Medical Faculty of Istanbul. Clinical and demographic features, postoperative adjuvant treatment (5-fluorouracil continuous infusion and external beam irradiation concomitantly), and pathologic variables were analyzed. RESULTS A total of 75 patients was included in the final analysis. The median survival after surgery for all 75 patients was 11.6 months (95% CI: 10,00-13,34). Overall survival was influenced by postoperative adjuvant therapy (p=0.001), T stage of the disease (p=0.001), postoperative high level of CA19-9 (p=0.006) and nodal status (p=0.02). Location of the tumor was not prognostic for survival, although it was close to statistical significance (p=0.058). Multivariate analysis showed that T stage of the disease (p=0.001) and presence of adjuvant therapy (p=0.001) independently correlated with overall survival. CONCLUSIONS Based on the analysis carried out, the authors conclude that the main prognostic factors for long-term survival after pancreatic cancer surgery are related to the tumor itself and adjuvant chemoradiation therapy which significantly improves survival after pancreaticoduodenectomy for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
The Spatial Patterning of Mouse Cone Opsin Expression Is Regulated by Bone Morphogenetic Protein Signaling through Downstream Effector COUP-TF Nuclear Receptors

Cone photopigments, known as opsins, are pivotal elements and the first detection module used in color vision. In mice, cone photoreceptors are distributed throughout the retina, and short-wavelength (S) and medium-wavelength (M) opsins have unique expression patterns in the retina with a gradient along the dorsoventral axis; however, the mechanisms regulating the spatial patterning of cone opsin expression have not been well documented. The purpose of this study was to define the mechanisms regulating the spatial patterning of cone opsin expression. By analyzing knock-outs for bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling, we found an essential role for BMP in forming cone opsin expression patterns in the retina; however, BMP signaling is activated only transiently in the dorsal half of the retina during early retinal development. Thus, BMP is not likely to play a direct role in opsin gene expression, which starts at a later stage of retinal development. We identified the chicken ovalbumin upstream promoter-transcription factor (COUP-TF) nuclear receptor as a link between BMP and opsin expression. BMP signaling is essential for the correct dorsoventral spatial expression of COUP-TFI and COUP-TFII. Through gain- and loss-of-function analyses, we found that both COUP-TFI and COUP-TFII are required to suppress S-opsin expression in the dorsal retina but that only COUP-TFI plays an essential role in suppressing M-opsin expression in the ventral retina. Based on these findings, we propose a new molecular cascade involving BMP and COUP-TFs that conveys dorsoventral information to direct the expression of cone opsins during retinal development.
Passive smoking and the risk of heart disease.

OBJECTIVE This paper reviews the evidence that exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) increases the risk of heart disease death among persons who have never smoked (never-smokers). The annual number of heart disease deaths in the United States attributable to ETS is estimated, as is the individual risk of heart disease death for exposed never-smokers. DATA SOURCES Nine epidemiologic studies and numerous experimental studies are available to evaluate the association of ETS and heart disease. DATA SYNTHESIS The relative risk for never-smokers living with current or former smokers, compared with never-smokers living with nonsmokers, has ranged from 0.9 to 3.0 in nine studies. Seven studies were positive, one was positive for women but not men, and one was negative. Several studies have shown a dose-response relationship and have controlled for other risk factors. Evidence from experimental studies suggests that ETS can damage the cardiovascular system, via both short-term and long-term mechanisms. Assuming that the observed heart disease risk for those exposed to ETS is not an artifact of misclassification or confounding, approximately 35,000 to 40,000 deaths from ischemic heart disease among never-smokers and long-term former smokers are estimated to have occurred annually in the United States as a result of ETS exposure in the early 1980s. An individual male never-smoker living with a current or former smoker is estimated to have an approximately 9.6% chance of dying of ischemic heart disease by the age of 74 years, compared with a 7.4% chance for a male never-smoker living with a nonsmoker. The corresponding lifetime risks for women are 6.1% and 4.9%. CONCLUSIONS The public health burden due to ETS exposure is likely to be much greater for heart disease than for lung cancer, which has been the focus of most debate to date. Individual lifetime excess risks of heart disease death due to ETS of one to three per 100 can be compared with much lower excess risks of one death per 100,000, which are often used in determining environmental limits for other toxins. Exposure to ETS is not currently regulated at the federal level, except for domestic air traffic.
Serum miRNA Signatures Are Indicative of Skeletal Fractures in Postmenopausal Women With and Without Type 2 Diabetes and Influence Osteogenic and Adipogenic Differentiation of Adipose Tissue–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Vitro

Standard DXA measurements, including Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) scores, have shown limitations in assessing fracture risk in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), underscoring the need for novel biomarkers and suggesting that other pathomechanisms may drive diabetic bone fragility. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are secreted into the circulation from cells of various tissues proportional to local disease severity and were recently found to be crucial to bone homeostasis and T2D. Here, we studied, if and which circulating miRNAs or combinations of miRNAs can discriminate best fracture status in a well‐characterized study of diabetic bone disease and postmenopausal osteoporosis (n = 80 postmenopausal women). We then tested the most discriminative and most frequent miRNAs in vitro. Using miRNA‐qPCR‐arrays, we showed that 48 miRNAs can differentiate fracture status in T2D women and that several combinations of four miRNAs can discriminate diabetes‐related fractures with high specificity and sensitivity (area under the receiver‐operating characteristic curve values [AUCs], 0.92 to 0.96; 95% CI, 0.88 to 0.98). For the osteoporotic study arm, 23 miRNAs were fracture‐indicative and potential combinations of four miRNAs showed AUCs from 0.97 to 1.00 (95% CI, 0.93 to 1.00). Because a role in bone homeostasis for those miRNAs that were most discriminative and most present among all miRNA combinations had not been described, we performed in vitro functional studies in human adipose tissue–derived mesenchymal stem cells to investigate the effect of miR‐550a‐5p, miR‐188‐3p, and miR‐382‐3p on osteogenesis, adipogenesis, and cell proliferation. We found that miR‐382‐3p significantly enhanced osteogenic differentiation (p < 0.001), whereas miR‐550a‐5p inhibited this process (p < 0.001). Both miRNAs, miR‐382‐3p and miR‐550a‐5p, impaired adipogenic differentiation, whereas miR‐188‐3p did not exert an effect on adipogenesis. None of the miRNAs affected significantly cell proliferation. Our data suggest for the first time that miRNAs are linked to fragility fractures in T2D postmenopausal women and should be further investigated for their diagnostic potential and their detailed function in diabetic bone. © 2016 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Exploring a continuum of support for bereaved people with intellectual disabilities

People strive to make meaning out of the death of their loved ones. People with intellectual disabilities, however, may not be actively involved in death and may therefore experience disenfranchised grief. Bereavement support for this population remains at best inconsistent across the UK. The aim of this article is to further explore a bereavement support model recently developed. A case study is utilized to demonstrate the practicalities inherent in the integrated approach offered. A bereavement support framework can provide a holistic perspective for people with intellectual disabilities when integrated with a systems approach to care delivery. The resultant strategy incorporates practical ideas that address the bereavement needs of people with intellectual disabilities, encapsulating all aspects of current and future care delivery. Finally, core recommendations are offered for consideration.
Interrelationship of Sexist, Racist, and Antihomosexual Attitudes

College undergraduates (211, female and male, mostly white) responded to a 7-point questionnaire with subscales on racial, sexual, and homosexual groups. Political orientation, religious membership and involvement, and parent's educational level were also obtained. All intercorrelations of the three scales were positive and significant (p < .001) and ranged from . 44 to . 69. Females were significantly lower than males in sexism but not in racism or gayism. Sexism and gayism scores were negatively correlated with father's and mother's education. All three forms of prejudice were higher for those professing more religious involvement; other typical patterns of bias among the three major U. S. religions were found. Political orientation was also related to prejudice, with more bias found as one approaches the Conservative end of the spectrum.
Development of microsatellite markers for the dwarf bamboo species Sasa cernua and Sasa kurilensis (Poaceae) in northern Japan

Ten polymorphic microsatellite markers were isolated from the dwarf bamboo species Sasa cernua and Sasa kurilensis. The applicability of these markers was confirmed by genotyping of open‐pollinated seeds and leaf samples from natural populations. Genotypes of seeds from each culm shared at least one allele from the maternal parent without contradiction. All 10 loci were polymorphic in S. cernua with 2–15 alleles (average HE = 0.532). Eight loci were polymorphic in S. kurilensis with 2–10 alleles (average HE = 0.532). These markers will be useful in detailing the extent of clonal and sexual reproduction in these species.
Arterial abnormalities in the offspring of patients with premature myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND Findings from epidemiologic and autopsy studies suggest that the offspring of patients with premature coronary disease may be at increased risk for atherosclerosis. We undertook a study to determine whether changes in brachial-artery reactivity and thickness of the carotid intima and media, two markers of early atherosclerosis, are present in adolescents and young adults with a parental history of premature myocardial infarction. METHODS We enrolled 40 healthy young people whose parents had had premature myocardial infarction (48 percent male; mean [+/-SD] age, 19.0+/-5.2 years) and 40 control subjects who were matched with the first group according to age and sex. All the subjects underwent high-resolution B-mode ultrasound examinations for the measurement of the brachial-artery vasodilatory response after arterial occlusion (i.e., reactive hyperemia) and the intima-media thickness of the distal common carotid arteries. Lipid profiles, blood pressure while at rest, body-mass index, and smoking status were also determined. RESULTS As compared with the control subjects, the offspring of patients with premature myocardial infarction had lower flow-mediated reactivity of the brachial arteries (5.7+/-5.0 percent, vs. 10.2+/-6.6 percent in the control subjects; P=0.001) and greater mean intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery (0.49+/-0.08 mm, vs. 0.44+/-0.07 mm in the control subjects, P=0.004). In the subjects with a parental history of premature myocardial infarction, an inverse association was found between brachial-artery reactivity and carotid intima-media thickness (r=-0.46, P=0.003). In a conditional logistic-regression analysis, both brachial-artery reactivity and carotid intima-media thickness were significantly and independently correlated with a parental history of premature myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS Structural and functional changes are present at an early age in the arteries of persons with a parental history of premature myocardial infarction.
Existence and Construction of Edge-Disjoint Paths on Expander Graphs

Given an expander graph $G=(V,E)$ and a set of $q$ disjoint pairs of vertices in $V$, the authors are interested in finding for each pair $(a_i, b_i)$ a path connecting $a_i$ to $b_i$ such that the set of $q$ paths so found is edge disjoint. (For general graphs the related decision problem is NP complete.) The authors prove sufficient conditions for the existence of edge-disjoint paths connecting any set of $q\leq n/(\log n)^\kappa$ disjoint pairs of vertices on any $n$ vertex bounded degree expander, where $\kappa$ depends only on the expansion properties of the input graph, and not on $n$. Furthermore, a randomized $o(n^3)$ time algorithm, and a random $\cal NC$ algorithm for constructing these paths is presented. (Previous existence proofs and construction algorithms allowed only up to $n^\epsilon$ pairs, for some $\epsilon\ll \frac{1}{3}$, and strong expanders [D. Peleg and E. Upfal, Combinatorica, 9 (1989), pp.~289--313. ]. ) In passing, an algorithm is developed for splitting a sufficiently strong expander into two edge-disjoint spanning expanders.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THIOPURINE METHYLTRANSFERASE ACTIVITY FOR THE USE OF AZATHIOPRINE IN TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS1

The immunosuppressive efficacy of azathioprine is related to its rapid metabolism in vivo to 6-mercaptopurine (6MP), with subsequent conversion to thioguanine nucleotides by an anabolic route involving hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase. Two alternative catabolic routes exist: oxidation to 6-thiouric acid via xanthine oxidase and methylation to 6-methylmercaptopurine via the enzyme thiopurine methyltransferase (TPMT). Catabolism via either route would restrict formation of the active metabolites.We analyzed TPMT activity in erythrocyte lysates of 25 controls, 25 uremic patients on dialysis, and 68 transplanted patients. Median activity was lower in controls (31.0 pmol/hr/mg Hb, range 16.2–43.0) and transplanted patients receiving only cyclosporine and prednisolone (31.7 pmol/hr/mg Hb, range 12.7–43.5) than in the azathioprine treated group, (36.1 pmol/hr/mg Hb, range 16.1–71.3), or the uremic group on dialysis, (35.5 pmol/hr/mg Hb, range 18.6–62.6) suggesting that both azathioprine and uremia induce the enzyme, but CsA does not.
Structural and Electronic Properties of Pb- Intercalated Graphene on Ru(0001)

The Pb intercalation at the interface of monolayer graphene (MG) and Ru(0001) is studied by means of low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (LT-STM) and Raman spectroscopy. Despite being covered by MG, the atomic structures of the Pb layer formed between MG and Ru(0001) have been directly imaged using LT-STM. The Pb layer intercalated underneath MG exhibits a √7 × √7-R19° superstructure with respect to the Ru(0001) surface. STM and Raman spectroscopy measurements and density functional theory calculations reveal that the epitaxial MG are effectively decoupled from the Ru(0001) substrate and recover its intrinsic electronic property after Pb intercalation.
PYY3‐36 as an anti‐obesity drug target

The neuropeptide Y (NPY)/peptide YY (PYY) system has been implicated in the physiology of obesity for several decades. More recently, Batterham et al. 2002 ignited enormous interest in PYY3‐36, an endogenous Y2‐receptor agonist, as a promising anti‐obesity compound. Despite this interest, there have been remarkably few subsequent reports reproducing or extending the initial findings, while at the same time studies finding no anti‐obesity effects have surfaced. Out of 41 different rodent studies conducted (in 16 independent labs worldwide), 33 (83%) were unable to reproduce the reported effects and obtained no change or sometimes increased food intake, despite use of the same experimental conditions (i.e. adaptation protocols, routes of drug administration and doses, rodent strains, diets, drug vendors, light cycles, room temperatures). Among studies by authors in the original study, procedural caveats are reported under which positive effects may be obtained. Currently, data speak against a sustained decrease in food intake, body fat, or body weight gain following PYY3‐36 administration and make the previously suggested role of the hypothalamic melanocortin system unlikely as is the existence of PYY deficiency in human obesity. We review the studies that are in the public domain which support or challenge PYY3‐36 as a potential anti‐obesity target.
Perforin expression in T cells and virological response to PEG-interferon alpha2b in HIV-1 infection

Objective and design: Interferon α (IFNα), which is known to directly inhibit the HIV-1 replicative cycle and to increase the activity of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), is being tested as an anti-HIV agent. As CTL play a major role in immune defence against HIV, we wanted to further characterize CTL activity and the effect of IFNα on it. Methods: We followed by flow cytometry the intracellular expression of the key mediator of cytotoxicity, perforin, in peripheral blood T cells of patients treated with IFNα. Results: We observed that the percentage of T cells harbouring perforin was higher in infected subjects than in non-infected controls. Administration of IFNα2b attached to polyethylene glycol increased this perforin expression further and reduced viral load (P = 0.010). The increase in the percentage of T cells expressing perforin correlated with IFNα-induced decrease in viral load (r, 0.753; P = 0.003). In addition, the level of perforin expression before IFNα administration was inversely correlated with viral load remaining after IFNα administration (r, −0.647; P = 0.017). Conclusion: The pre-therapeutic percentage of perforin-positive T cells might be a predictive marker of the virological response to IFNα in HIV-1-infected patients.
Oesophageal cancer coexisting with colorectal lesions.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the incidence of colorectal lesions in patients who present with oesophageal cancer. DESIGN Prospective open study. SETTING University hospital, Japan. SUBJECTS 135 of 218 patients who presented with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus during the seven year period 1988-1994 were randomly allocated to have a barium enema examination. INTERVENTIONS Barium enema examinations, and if colorectal lesions were found, colonoscopy and biopsy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Incidence of coexistent colorectal lesions. RESULTS No abnormal findings were found in 52 (39%), diverticula were present on 37 (27%), benign polypoid lesions in 51 (38%), and malignant lesions in 6 (4%). We examined the clinical and histopathological details of all patients to see if it was possible to distinguish the patients at high risk of developing oesophageal and colorectal cancer but could find no differences among the groups. CONCLUSION Asymptomatic colorectal lesions are relatively common in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus in Japan.
Adenine and Blood Storage *

The beneficial effect of adenine on red cells of blood stored in A.C. D. at 4°C, has been confirmed by post‐transfusion survival studies in rabbits and by biochemical studies of human and rabbit blood. Nevertheless probably this effect of adenine is too unreliable for routine use in the storage of blood for transfusion.