Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endothelial cell cytoprotection induced in vitro by allo‐ or xenoreactive antibodies is mediated by signaling through adenosine A2 receptors

Endothelial cell (EC) expression of proteins such as hemoxygenase‐1 or Bcl‐xL is associated with enhanced survival of vascularized allo‐ or xenografts. These grafts are resistant to humoral rejection, a phenomenon called accommodation. In vitro, low concentrations of allo‐ and xenoreactive antibody (XNA) induce a cytoprotective phenotype in EC similar to that seen in accommodated grafts. In this study we examine whether adenosine plays a role in antibody‐induced cytoprotection. Porcine EC were incubated with human anti‐pig XNA or specific alloantibody. EC expressed Bcl‐xL and were protected from TNF‐mediated apoptosis. Bcl‐xL expression was inhibited by an adenosine A2 receptor antagonist. Human anti‐pig XNA were shown to bind and induce cyclic adenosine 3′,5′‐monophosphate (cAMP) generation through these receptors. This activity was abolished by depletion of anti‐galα(1–3)gal‐specific XNA. In contrast, alloantibody caused adenosine production. Protection from TNF‐mediated apoptosis was also mediated through A2 receptor but involved additional non‐cAMP‐dependent signaling. This study indicates a molecular mechanism common to both antibody‐mediated cytoprotection and ischemic preconditioning and suggests a potential therapeutic avenue based on adenosine for improving the outcome of transplanted grafts in those patients with pre‐existing anti‐graft antibody.
Effect of Calcar Screw Use in Surgical Neck Fractures of the Proximal Humerus With Unstable Medial Support: A Biomechanical Study

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of calcar screw use in proximal humeral fractures with unstable medial support treated with locked plates. Methods: Standard osteotomies were performed in 36 cadaveric humeri to create a surgical neck fracture proximal humeral model. For static testing, 12 pairs of humeri were divided into 4 groups: normal alignment and varus deformity groups with and without 5-mm medial deficiencies. Calcar screw function was measured in each group by axial, shear, and torsion stiffness tests. Another 6 pairs of humeri with 5-mm medial deficiencies were subjected to cyclic loading tests in the normal alignment model with and without calcar screw application. Results: Calcar screws improved rotational stability in the normal alignment (P = 0.007) and varus (P = 0.002) groups. Calcar screws improved static and cyclic axial (P = 0.004) and shear (P = 0.017) stability in the normal alignment group with medial deficiency. In specimens with normal alignment and intact medial cortex, calcar screws provided no advantage in axial (P = 0.535) or shear (P = 0.537) stiffness. Calcar screws did not provide sufficient axial (P = 0.782) or shear (P = 0.772) stability to avoid reduction loss in humeri with varus malreduction. Conclusions: In humeri with normal alignment, calcar screws can provide additional stability even when a medial deficiency exists. The use of calcar screws in humeri with varus deformity showed no biomechanical superiority.
Fertility outcomes in asthma: a clinical study of 245 women with unexplained infertility

Evidence is increasing of an association between asthma and aspects of female reproduction. However, current knowledge is limited and furthermore relies on questionnaire studies or small populations. In a prospective observational cohort study to investigate whether time to pregnancy, the number of fertility treatments, and the number of successful pregnancies differ significantly between women with unexplained infertility with and without asthma. 245 women with unexplained infertility (aged 23–45 years) underwent questionnaires and asthma and allergy testing while undergoing fertility treatment. 96 women entering the study had either a former doctor's diagnosis of asthma or were diagnosed with asthma when included. After inclusion they were followed for a minimum of 12 months in fertility treatment, until they had a successful pregnancy, stopped treatment, or the observation ended. The likelihood of achieving pregnancy was lower in women with asthma compared with those without asthma: median total time to pregnancy was 32.3 months in non-asthmatic women versus 55.6 months in those with asthma, hazard ratio 0.50 (95% confidence interval 0.34–0.74) p<0.001. Women with asthma had fewer successful pregnancies during fertility treatment, 39.6 versus 60.4% (p=0.002). Increasing age was of negative importance for expected time to pregnancy, especially among asthmatic women (interaction between age and asthma on time to pregnancy, p=0.001). Female asthmatics had a longer time to pregnancy and less often became pregnant than non-asthmatic women. Increasing age reduced the chances of conceiving especially among asthmatic women. The causal relationship between asthma and subfertility remains unclear. Asthma can be a cause of subfertility: increasing time to pregnancy and decreasing successful number of pregnancies http://ow.ly/WAE6b
PI3K expression and PIK3CA mutations are related to colorectal cancer metastases.

AIM To assess the significance of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) in colorectal cancer (CRC) and toxicity of LY294002 in CRC cells with different metastatic abilities. METHODS Sixty formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded CRC tumor specimens were investigated. Adjacent normal colonic mucosa specimens from 10 of these cases were selected as controls. PI3K protein was detected by immunohistochemistry and PIK3CA mutations were investigated by gene sequencing analysis. A flow-cytometry-based apoptosis detection kit was used to determine PI3K inhibitor-induced apoptosis in CRC cell lines SW480 and SW620. Expression of phosphorylated protein kinase B in CRC cell lines was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS There was a significant difference in the proportion of primary lesions (30%, 18/60) vs metastatic lesions (46.7%, 28/60) that were positive for PI3K (P < 0.05). Mutations were detected in exon 9 (13.3%) and exon 20 (8.3%). Out of 60 cases, seven mutations were identified: two hotspot mutations, C.1633G>A resulting in E545A, and C.3140A>G resulting in H1047R; two novel missense mutations C.1624G>A and C.3079G>A; and three synonymous mutations (C.1641G>A, C.1581C>T and C.3027T>A). Exposure of SW480 cells to PI3K inhibitor for 48 h resulted in a significant increase of apoptotic cells in a dose-dependent manner [3.2% apoptotic cells in 0 μmol/L, 4.3% in 5 μmol/L, 6.3% in 10 μmol/L (P < 0.05), and 6.7% in 20 μmol/L (P < 0.05)]. Moreover, PI3K inhibitor induced a similar significant increase of apoptotic cells in the SW620 cell line for 48 h [3.3% apoptotic cells in 0 μmol/L, 13.3% in 5 μmol/L (P < 0.01), 19.2% in 10 μmol/L (P < 0.01), and 21.3% in 20 μmol/L (P < 0.01)]. CONCLUSION High PI3K expression is associated with CRC metastasis. PI3K inhibitor induced apoptosis in CRC cells and displayed strong cytotoxicity for highly metastatic cells. PI3K inhibition may be an effective treatment for CRC.
Arcs, Angles, or Areas: Individual Data Encodings in Pie and Donut Charts

Pie and donut charts have been a hotly debated topic in the visualization community for some time now. Even though pie charts have been around for over 200 years, our understanding of the perceptual factors used to read data in them is still limited. Data is encoded in pie and donut charts in three ways: arc length, center angle, and segment area. For our first study, we designed variations of pie charts to test the importance of individual encodings for reading accuracy. In our second study, we varied the inner radius of a donut chart from a filled pie to a thin outline to test the impact of removing the central angle. Both studies point to angle being the least important visual cue for both charts, and the donut chart being as accurate as the traditional pie chart.
Is Steroid Therapy Needed in the Treatment of Destructive Thyrotoxicosis Induced by α-Interferon in Chronic Hepatitis C?

Objective: Treatment with interferon (IFN) of patients affected by chronic hepatitis C (CH-C) may produce alterations in thyroid function, such as hypothyroidism, Graves’-like hyperthyroidism and destructive thyrotoxicosis (DT). IFN-induced DT is characterized by suppressed serum TSH levels, normal or elevated FT4 and FT3 concentrations, with the presence or absence of thyroid peroxidase antibodies and antithyroglobulin antibodies, the absence of thyroid receptor antibodies and radioactive iodine uptake suppressed or <5%. Design: IFN-induced DT is a mild clinical disease, because thyroid-destructive processes last for a short time and involve a small portion of the gland. At present, the therapeutic approach in DT suggests IFN withdrawal and 1–2 months of methylprednisolone treatment. Methods: In consideration of possible untoward side effects of steroid treatment in patients with CH-C, we studied two groups of patients with CH-C who developed DT after treatments with various preparations of recombinant IFN (with or without ribavirin). Patients sequentially entered the study during a 4-year period, at the time of DT diagnosis, when IFN therapy was discontinued. The first 12 subjects (group A) were treated with 8–16 mg/day methylprednisolone for 30–40 days after IFN withdrawal; in the following 15 patients (group B), IFN withdrawal was not followed by any additional treatment. All patients underwent clinical and laboratory controls of thyroid function at 1, 2, 3 and 6 months after DT diagnosis. Results: The results showed restoration of euthyroidism in both group A and group B patients at 6 months after DT diagnosis, regardless of steroid treatment. Conclusions: The simple withdrawal of IFN therapy in patients with CH-C, who had developed DT, appears to be effective in the treatment of the thyroid disease. This therapeutic approach should be preferred in order to avoid possible undesired side effects of steroid therapy in patients with CH-C.
Primary orbital squamous cell carcinoma

lution of his subcutaneous emphysema, the periorbital and subconjunctival emphysema also disappeared with no sequel. Subconjunctival emphysema has only rarely been reported in the literature, probably because of its uneventful course. It is mostly associated with orbital emphysema, in cases of medial orbital wall fracture due to the newly created sino-orbital communication. Rarely, it has been reported after direct trauma to the conjunctiva in cases of compressed air injuries in the absence of orbital wall fracture. However, Lee et al. in 1980 reported a case of subconjunctival and periorbital emphysema in a patient put on mechanical ventilation and Seiff et al. reported similar patient in 1985. These authors postulated that air from the pleural cavity dissects between the fascial planes of the chest wall, neck and face resulting in perior bital emphysema; subconjunctival emphysema can be explained by a probable communication between subcutaneous and subconjunctival planes, although the orbital septum usually forms a barrier between these two potential spaces. Woolley reported a case of subconjunctival emphysema without periorbital involvement and proposed that subconjunctival emphysema must exist with severe subcutaneous emphysema, because of laxity of conjunctival tissues. The above case of severe bilateral periorbital and subconjunctival emphysema in the absence of local trauma supports the above hypothesis that in severe cases of emphysema, some tissue laxity might exist between the subcutaneous and subconjunctival planes, with spreading of air between these two planes through the orbital septum. Subconjunctival emphysema may occur without local trauma to conjunctiva or periorbital tissues, albeit the course of air extension remains uncertain.
Magnesium Levels in Plasma, Erythrocyte and Urine in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Hypomagnesemia has been reported to occur in diabetes mellitus in the course of recovery from ketoacidoses (Martin and Wertman 1947), as well as during insulin maintenance therapy (Jackson and Meier 1968). Moreover, the hypomagnesemia in patients with diabetic retinopathy has also been reported in the recent study (McNair, Christensen, Madsbad, Lauritzen, Faber, Binder and Transbol 1978). However, it is well known that the serum magnesium level does not accurately reflect the true state of total body magnesium (Warren and Parisi 1968; Mather and Levin 1979). In the present study, magnesium (Mg) levels in plasma, erythrocyte and urine were determined in patients with diabetes mellitus. These were then investigated in relation to the degree of diabetic retinopathy.
Influence of Facebook brand-page posts on online engagement

– The purpose of this paper is to examine how various characteristics of brand posts influence online engagement on Facebook brand pages. , – The data used for this study were obtained from the posts of ten popular official brand pages. For the selected period between March 1 and May 1, 2014, a total of 1,030 posts were obtained and manually processed on September 1, 2014. To assign post categories to the posts created by page administrators, the authors performed manual coding, following the coding development strategy. , – The results demonstrated that the media and content type of posts exert a significant effect on user online engagement. This study used liking, commenting and sharing behavior as a measure of users’ online engagement to specify the new phenomena. , – The findings are relevant for the theory of information dissemination and provide valuable and directly applicable implications for the social media marketing of companies.
Intimate Partner Violence, Depression, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder as Additional Predictors of Low Birth Weight Infants Among Low-Income Mothers

Estimates of intimate partner violence (IPV) during pregnancy vary by population being studied, measures, and other methodological limitations, hindering the ability to gauge the relationship between IPV and negative birth outcomes. The authors report aggregated data from a subsample (n = 148) of the first three waves of the Women's Employment Study. The authors compared groups of women who did and did not give birth to low birth weight infants on demographic, material deprivation, risk behavior, mental health, and IPV factors. The prevalence of domestic violence was more than twice as high for women with low birth weight infants as those women who had a normal weight infant. When considering additional risk factors, including food insufficiency, substance dependence, and depression and/or posttraumatic stress disorder, IPV remained a significant indicator, but it was most strongly associated with low birth weight among women also experiencing depression and/or posttraumatic stress disorder.
Kinetics of cytokine expression in melanoma metastases classifies immune responsiveness

Production of cytokines (CKs) in the tumor micro‐environment may modulate tumor–host interactions. However, pre‐clinical models often provide conflicting data and there is no established role for CKs as modulators of the natural or treatment‐related behavior of tumors. Serial sampling by fine‐needle aspirates (FNAs) of identical metastases from patients affected with metastatic melanoma and undergoing IL‐2–based vaccination allowed prospective measurement of IL‐10, TGF‐β1, TGF‐β2 and IFN‐γ transcriptional levels assessed by quantitative real‐time PCR. Thus, it was possible to prospectively document the expression of markers relevant to a given treatment and follow at the same time the clinical outcome of the lesions left in place. Eight of 27 metastatic lesions completely regressed in response to the treatment and 1 demonstrated >50% shrinkage. These regressions occurred after the follow‐up FNA had been obtained. IL‐10 transcript was differentially expressed in pre‐treatment FNA of responding lesions (t‐test p2 = 0.002). During treatment, INF‐γ transcript levels significantly increased in regressing compared to non‐regressing lesions (t‐test p2 = 0.03). These data suggest that the pre‐treatment CK profile of the tumor micro‐environment may determine clinical responsiveness to immune therapy. Furthermore, temporal changes in CK expression during treatment might describe the biological characteristics of an effective immune response. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency of Gamma rays and Ethyl Methane Sulphonate in pearl millet ( Pennisetum typhoides ( Burn .

Pearl millet is a drought tolerant cereal crop grown primarily as a food grain in India. The present investigation was carried out to find out the seedling injury, lethality and pollen sterility of gamma rays and EMS treated progeny. The seeds of Pennisetum typhoides were treated with 10, 20,30,40,50 and 60 kR of gamma rays and 10,20,30,40 and 50 mM of EMS along with control. Mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency was calculated based on biological damage in M1 and chlorophyll mutations in M2. The results indicated that, mutagenic effectiveness and efficiency decreased with increase in mutagenic treatments. The seedling injury and pollen sterility increased with an increase in concentration of mutagenic treatments of both EMS and gamma rays in pearl millet.
The Right Ventricular Outflow Tract: The Road to Septal Pacing

Background: Pacing from the right ventricular apex is associated with long‐term adverse effects on left ventricular function. This has fuelled interest in alternative pacing sites, especially the septal aspect of the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT). However, it is a common perception that septal RVOT pacing is difficult to achieve.
Expression of inhibitory "killer cell lectin‐like receptor G1" identifies unique subpopulations of effector and memory CD8 T cells

T cell and natural killer (NK) cell functions are regulated by triggering of activating and inhibitory cell surface receptors. Here, we have studied the expression profile and predicted inhibitory function of mouse "killer cell lectin‐like receptor G1" (KLRG1) on CD8 T cells. KLRG1 was present on 1 – 3 % of adult splenic CD8 cells that expressed CD8α β heterodimers as well as a polyclonal TCR Vβ repertoire indicative of conventional CD8 cells. The majority of KLRG1+ CD8 cells belonged to the memory pool as determined by extensive phenotypic marker analysis. Spontaneous IFN‐γ production by approximately 20 % of KLRG1+ CD8 cells identified them as pro‐inflammatory effector cells. In contrast to NK cells, Ly49 and KLRG1 expression on CD8cells was found to be mutually exclusive. Therefore, distinct programs regulate KLRG1 expression in CD8 and NK cells. Finally, we provide evidence that KLRG1 triggering interferes with TCRα β‐mediated Ca++ mobilization and cytotoxicity, raising the possibility that KLRG1 functionally participates in down‐regulation of CD8 T cell responses.
The effects of Maras powder (smokeless tobacco) on oxidative stress in users

Maras Powder (MP) is a special kind of smokeless tobacco widely used in the southeast region of Turkey especially in Kahramanmaras and Gaziantep and other southeastern cities. It is obtained from a tobacco species, Nicotiana rustica L and ash of oak or grapevine wood. Tobacco may increase oxidative stress, which is related to the products of the oxygen metabolism taking place in all cells. Cellular antioxidants, e.g. catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glucose 6‐phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) protect the cell against oxidative damage. An imbalance between the ROS and antioxidants in favour of ROS is described as oxidative stress. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of MP on antioxidant enzyme levels and lipid peroxidation. We measured malondialdehyde (MDA), CAT, SOD and G6PD levels in blood of 68 MP users and 30 healthy controls who did not use MP. CAT, SOD and G6PD levels were lower in MP users than in the controls. On the other hand, lipid peroxidation levels (MDA), one of the best indicators of cytological damage, was increased in MP users compared with the controls. The present study showed that MP increases oxidative stress, which may cause many systemic disorders, including arteriosclerosis. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparative study of the effects of organic selenium on hen performance and productivity of broiler breeders

Abstract 1. A 10-week experiment was conducted with Ross 308 broiler breeder chickens in cages to evaluate the influence of organic and inorganic sources of selenium (Se) supplementation. A total of 600 birds at 29 weeks of age were divided at random into 4 groups and fed on a maize–soya basal diet supplemented with different forms of Se. 2. The first (control) group was given the basal diet without Se supplementation, whereas the second, third and fourth groups were given, respectively, the basal diet with 0.3 mg/kg of inorganic Se in the form of sodium selenite or 0.3 and 0.5 mg/kg of organic Se in the form of Se enriched yeast (Se-yeast). 3. The experiment was carried out for 10 weeks to compare and evaluate the influence of Se supplementation on breeder performance, egg production, hatchability and the quality of eggs. Samples were collected for analysis at weeks 0, 5 and 10 of the experimental period. 4. At the end of the experiment (39 weeks), there was a reduction in mortality in breeders given diets supplemented with 0.5 mg/kg of Se-yeast. Supplementation of feed with 0.5 mg/kg organic Se increased egg production, percentage of settable eggs and hatchability. 5. Selenium supplementation increased egg weight and specific gravity compared to the control diet. However, no significant variation was found in albumen or yolk protein content at the end of week 10. 6. Selenium accumulation and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) activity were lower in the egg albumen and yolk of control compared with Se-supplemented treatments. Se accumulation and GSHPx activity were higher in the group given 0.3 mg/kg organic compared to 0.3 mg/kg of inorganic Se. 7. The results favour the use of Se-yeast at the dose of 0.5 mg/kg in broiler breeder diets for better productivity of eggs, settable eggs, hatchability and higher Se accumulation and antioxidant status in eggs.
Seizure occurrence

Objective: To explore the relationship of seizure occurrence with candidate seizure precipitants in a prospective diary study, and to determine the relationship of precipitants to seizure self-prediction. Methods: Eligible subjects were 18 or older, had localization-related epilepsy, at least one seizure within 12 months, and were able to maintain a daily diary. Information collected included the occurrence, time and characteristics of all seizures, hours of sleep, medication compliance, stress, anxiety, alcohol use, menstruation, and seizure self-prediction. Each night, subjects reported their estimate of the likelihood of a seizure the next day (self-prediction). Logit-normal models with a random subject-specific intercept were used to estimate an OR for the association of precipitants with seizure occurrence. Results: Seventy-one subjects returned 15,179 complete diary days. For each hour of increased sleep on the preceding night, the relative odds of a seizure the following day decreased (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.82, 0.99). One-unit increments of stress and anxiety (on a 10-point scale) were associated with an increased risk of seizure the following day (OR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01, 1.12 and OR 1.07; 95% CI 1.02, 1.12). With self-prediction included in the model, self-prediction (OR 3.7; 95% CI 1.8, 7.2) and hours of sleep for the night prior to the seizure (OR 0.90; 95% CI 0.82, 0.99) remained significant. Conclusion: Lack of sleep and higher self-reported stress and anxiety levels were associated with seizure occurrence. In a model that included self-prediction, less sleep, and self-prediction had significant effects, whereas stress and anxiety did not. The psychological and biologic mechanisms which link stress and anxiety to self-prediction of seizures requires further exploration. Ultimately, seizure prediction based on precipitants, premonitory features, and self-prediction may provide a foundation for preemptive treatment. GLOSSARY: CDEM = chronic disorders with episodic manifestations; MMC = Montefiore Medical Center.