Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A general primer GP5+/GP6(+)-mediated PCR-enzyme immunoassay method for rapid detection of 14 high-risk and 6 low-risk human papillomavirus genotypes in cervical scrapings

Two cocktails of digoxigenin-labeled human papillomavirus (HPV) type-specific oligonucleotide probes and an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) were used as a basis to developed a group-specific detection method for 14 high-risk (types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68) and 6 low-risk (types 6, 11, 40, 42, 43, and 44) HPVs, following a general primer GP5+/bioGP6(+)-mediated PCR. The sensitivity of this high-risk/low-risk (HR/LR) HPV PCR-EIA ranged from 10 to 200 HPV copies, depending on the HPV type. Comparison of HR/LR HPV PCR-EIA with radioactive Southern blot hybridization using a general probe on the same PCR products derived from 417 cytomorphologically abnormal cervical scrapings resulted in an overall agreement of 96% between the two methods. Complete concordance between group-specific HR/LR detection and individual typing results for both single and multiple infections indicate the strong specificity of this HR/LR HPV PCR-EIA. Multiple infections could be predicted by comparing PCR-EIA optical density values of the cocktail probes with one of the individual oligonucleotide probes. This novel HR/LR PCR-EIA allows accurate and rapid identification of high-risk and low-risk HPV types in cervical scrapings and will facilitate HPV detection in HPV mass-screening programs.
nana plant2 Encodes a Maize Ortholog of the Arabidopsis Brassinosteroid Biosynthesis Gene DWARF1, Identifying Developmental Interactions between Brassinosteroids and Gibberellins1[OPEN]

nana plant2 encodes an enzyme in the brassinosteroid biosynthetic pathway, and brassinosteroid and gibberellin interact in a developmentally specific manner to control maize architecture. A small number of phytohormones dictate the pattern of plant form affecting fitness via reproductive architecture and the plant’s ability to forage for light, water, and nutrients. Individual phytohormone contributions to plant architecture have been studied extensively, often following a single component of plant architecture, such as plant height or branching. Both brassinosteroid (BR) and gibberellin (GA) affect plant height, branching, and sexual organ development in maize (Zea mays). We identified the molecular basis of the nana plant2 (na2) phenotype as a loss-of-function mutation in one of the two maize paralogs of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) BR biosynthetic gene DWARF1 (DWF1). These mutants accumulate the DWF1 substrate 24-methylenecholesterol and exhibit decreased levels of downstream BR metabolites. We utilized this mutant and known GA biosynthetic mutants to investigate the genetic interactions between BR and GA. Double mutants exhibited additivity for some phenotypes and epistasis for others with no unifying pattern, indicating that BR and GA interact to affect development but in a context-dependent manner. Similar results were observed in double mutant analyses using additional BR and GA biosynthetic mutant loci. Thus, the BR and GA interactions were neither locus nor allele specific. Exogenous application of GA3 to na2 and d5, a GA biosynthetic mutant, also resulted in a diverse pattern of growth responses, including BR-dependent GA responses. These findings demonstrate that BR and GA do not interact via a single inclusive pathway in maize but rather suggest that differential signal transduction and downstream responses are affected dependent upon the developmental context.
Different effect of desipramine on locomotor activity in quinpiroletreated rats after repeated restraint and chronic mild stress

We have studied the effect of chronic treatment with the tricyclic antidepressant drug desipramine on locomotor activity in rats challenged with the administration of the D2-like dopamine agonist quinpirole, after prolonged exposure to two different stress regimens, repeated restraint stress and chronic mild stress (different stressors randomly presented). These stress schedules have been previously reported to influence in opposite ways the sensitivity to the locomotor response mediated by the stimulation of mesolimbic dopamine receptors. In particular, repeated restraint has been reported to induce an increased response to the locomotor effect of amphetamine, while chronic mild stress has been reported to induce a decreased locomotor response to quinpirole. In the present study, repeated restraint stress failed to influence the locomotor activity after challenge with quinpirole, while chronic mild stress reduced this response. Chronic treatment with desipramine failed to influence this response in the control group, but exerted opposite effects in the two stressed groups. In particular, chronic desipramine reduced locomotor activity in quinpirole-treated rats in the restraint stress group, and increased it in the chronic mild stress group, thus preventing the subsensitivity induced by this stress regimen. The present results, taken together with results from earlier studies, are consistent with the hypothesis that the effect of antidepressants on the sensitivity of the mesolimbic dopamine receptors mediating the locomotor behavioural response tends to be opposite with respect to that exerted by stress, regardless of its direction. However, since we failed to show an increased locomotor activity after quinpirole challenge in the repeated restraint group, this hypothesis remains to be demonstrated. The two stress schedules reduced body weight gain in a similar way, therefore their different effects do not seem to be due to a difference in stress severity. Thus, the observation that both stress schedules reduced body weight gain in a similar way, but only chronic mild stress reduced the sensitivity to the locomotor response to quinpirole, shows that this effect is not an artefact of body weight decrease.
Induction of NO synthase in rat cardiac microvascular endothelial cells by IL-1 beta and IFN-gamma.

There are important phenotypic differences between endothelial cells of large vessels and the microvasculature and among microvascular endothelial cells isolated from different tissues and organs. In contrast to most macrovascular endothelial cells, we demonstrate that cultured cardiac microvascular endothelial cells (CMEC) have no detectable constitutive NO synthase (NOS) activity but have a robust increase in NOS activity in response to specific inflammatory cytokines. To determine the identity of the inducible NOS (iNOS) isoform(s) induced by cytokines, we used reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction techniques to clone and sequence a 217-bp cDNA fragment from CMEC cultures pretreated with interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) that was identical to the corresponding portion of the murine macrophage iNOS cDNA. By use of this CMEC iNOS cDNA as a probe in Northern analyses, IL-1 beta, but not IFN-gamma, increased iNOS mRNA content in CMEC, although IFN-gamma markedly potentiated iNOS induction in these cells. In IL-1 beta- and IFN-gamma-pretreated CMEC, dexamethasone only minimally suppressed the rise in iNOS mRNA, protein abundance, or maximal iNOS enzyme activity in whole cell lysates but suppressed nitrite production by 60% in intact CMEC. Dual labeling of cytokine-pretreated CMEC in primary culture with an anti-iNOS antiserum and a fluorescein-labeled lectin specific for the microvascular endothelium of rat heart (GS-1) confirmed the presence of iNOS expression in these cells. iNOS was also detected in microvascular endothelium in situ in ventricular muscle from lipopolysaccharide-, but not sham-injected, rat hearts. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
CONTINUOUS (DYNAMIC) MELTING THEORY REVISITED

The concept of trace element behavior during mantle melting, in which melt is partially retained in the residue, was introduced by [Langmuir et al. (1977)][1], but without an explicit treatment of the process. Many subsequent workers have explored possible mechanisms, using both incremental (stepped) and continuous melting; most have discussed the melting of mantle to form basalt. Because calculations with the available models do not always give identical results, and because the assumptions embodied in those models are not always clear, this paper presents a complete statement of the formalism needed for modeling the melting of simple closed and open mantle systems, and the consequences of choosing particular values for model parameters. [1]: #ref-14
Gemcitabine and vinorelbine as second-line therapy for non-small cell lung cancer after treatment with paclitaxel plus platinum.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the activity and feasibility of combination therapy of gemcitabine and vinorelbine for patients with advanced NSCLC after the failure of initial treatment with paclitaxel plus platinum. METHODS From March 2000 to August 2002, 38 evaluable patients (median age 55 years) with NSCLC, who had failed to recover after treatment with paclitaxel plus platinum, received vinorelbine (30 mg/m(2) i.v. ) followed by gemcitabine (1000 mg/m(2) i.v. ), both being administered on days 1 and 8 and recycled every 3 weeks. RESULTS Objective responses were as follows: partial response, 8/38 [21%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 8-23%]; and stable disease, 21/38 (55%). Median time to progression was 3.9 months and the median overall survival was 8.1 months. Grades III and IV neutropenia were seen in 17 and 11% of patients, respectively. CONCLUSION This combination chemotherapy with gemcitabine and vinorelbine is active and highly tolerable as a second-line therapy for NSCLC.
A neonatal screening in Lebanon: Results of five years' experience.

BACKGROUND Neonatal screening programs for common disorders like phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency are not fully established at the national level in Lebanon. Screening for the above disorders was carried out for newborns delivered at the American University of Beirut Medical Center over a period of five years. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Blood specimens collected 2-3 days after birth were applied to neonatal screening blood collection cards. A total of 9117 newborns were screened using phenylalanine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and G6PD activity measurements on blood spots. RESULTS One case of phenylketonuria and another of hyperphenylalaninemia were detected. We also detected 5 cases of permanent type of congenital hypothyroidism, giving an incidence of 5:9117 (1:1823). The age range at initiation of hormonal replacement therapy was 9-46 days. The overall incidence of G6PD was 106:9117 (1:86 or 1.16%), of which 84 had complete deficiency (1:109 or 0.92%), and 22 with intermediate activity. CONCLUSION The incidence of these disorders found in this Lebanese sub-population warrants consideration of a comprehensive nationwide neonatal screening program.
Spring viremia of carp virus RNA and virion-associated transcriptase activity

An RNA-dependent RNA polymerase activity has been demonstrated for spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV). The optimal temperature for in vitro synthesis of RNA was 20 to 25 degrees C. The SVCV enzyme activity was stimulated when the methyl donor S-adenosyl-L-methionine was included in the reaction mixture. S-adenosyl-L-methionine was not particularly effective in stimulating the virion RNA polymerase activity of vesicular stomatitis virus or pike fry rhabdovirus. The 5' nucleotide of the SVCV viral RNA is pppAp.
In Vitro Evaluation of Some Traits in Stevia rebaudiana (Bertoni) under Drought Stress and Their Relationship on Stevioside Content

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the differences of plant growth as well as sweetener material of two types of Stevia rebaudiana under conditions of absence and presence of drought stress. In vitro, the experiment was conducted as drought traits using four levels of polyethylene glycol (0.0, 10,000, 20,000, 30,000 ppm). It was observed that survival % and No. of shoots should be considered as the important factors associated with stevioside content in stevia plant. According to path coefficient analysis and positive direct effect of studied traits, survival % recorded the highest value (0.5386), whereas No. of shoots recorded the highest value (– 0.8827) as negative direct effect in related to stevioside content. The results showed that all traits were affected, especially under 30,000 ppm level of polyethylene glycol. Generally, the most of studies traits exhibited a recorded clearly difference between the two types and used drought levels on stevia plants. Therefore, selection based on survival % would be more effective to improving stevioside content of stevia plants in drought stress conditions.
Regulation of GTP cyclohydrolase I gene transcription by basic region leucine zipper transcription factors

Tetrahydrobiopterin is an essential cofactor for the phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan hydroxylases, and the family of nitric oxide synthases. The initial and rate‐limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of tetrahydrobiopterin is GTP cyclohydrolase I. The proximal promoter of the human GTP cyclohydrolase I gene contains the sequence motif 5′‐TGACGCGA‐3′, resembling a cAMP response element (CRE). The objective of this study was to analyze the regulation of GTP cyclohydrolase I gene transcription by basic region leucine zipper (bZIP) transcription factors. A constitutively active mutant of the cAMP response element binding (CREB) protein strongly stimulated GTP cyclohydrolase I promoter activity, indicating that the CRE in the context of the GTP cyclohydrolase I gene is functional. Likewise, GTP cyclohydrolase I promoter/luciferase gene transcription was stimulated following nuclear expression of the catalytic subunit of cAMP‐dependent protein kinase. Constitutively active mutants of activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) and c‐Jun additionally stimulated GTP cyclohydrolase I promoter activity, but to a lesser extent than the constitutively active CREB mutant. The fact that stress‐activated protein kinases target the GTP cyclohydrolase I gene was corroborated by expression experiments involving p38 and MEKK1 protein kinases. We conclude that signaling pathways involving either the cAMP‐dependent protein kinase or stress‐activated protein kinases converge to the GTP cyclohydrolase I gene. Hence, enzymatic reactions that require tetrahydrobiopterin as cofactor are therefore indirectly controlled by signaling cascades involving the signal‐responsive transcription factors CREB, c‐Jun, and ATF2. J. Cell. Biochem. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Challenges and Opportunities of Knowledge Management in University Library: A Case Study of Dhaka University Library in Bangladesh

Knowledge Management (KM) has become a fundamental process for all types of institutions in society. Academic libraries are also an integral part of the knowledge system, these institutions being one of the forms that contribute to knowledge development. This study aims to find out the challenges and opportunities associated with KM practices in Dhaka University Library (DUL). The specific objectives were to ascertain the understanding of KM concepts among library professionals of DUL, to explore an overview of KM and its role, and to identify the rationale behind not practicing KM properly at DUL. Appropriate methods were employed. The findings indicate that limited expertise and lack of clear guidelines are the major challenges for the implementation of KM in DUL.
Ergotamine tolerance in patients with migraine.

The use of ergot for the treatment of headache was first recommended in 1898 by Thomson 1 in a medical textbook. In 1922 alkaloid ergotamine tartrate was developed, and several years after this its use in the treatment of migraine was suggested. 2 Since then it has become generally recognized as the treatment of choice in migraine. In view of its widespread and sometimes indiscriminate use, particularly in the treatment of headaches, it seems appropriate to review the value and use of this medicament. In particular we would like to discuss the phenomenon of tolerance in relation to drugs of the ergot family. PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF ERGOT Ergot, a fungus (dried sclerotium of Claviceps purpurea) growing on the grain of cereals, is obtained commercially from infected rye. All ergot alkaloids are derived from lysergic acid and are related chemically and with respect to their actions. They occur in
Review: Immune‐Related Adverse Events With Use of Checkpoint Inhibitors for Immunotherapy of Cancer

Major advances in the past 2 decades have enhanced our understanding of the complex interactions between the immune system and cancer cells and their environment. Genetic and epigenetic alterations in tumor cells result in diverse antigenic expression that can elicit an immune response, primarily mediated by T cells. Immune responses are regulated by stimulatory, costimulatory, and inhibitory (checkpoint) signals. Inhibitory signals play an important role in self-tolerance under normal conditions. In the presence of tumor cells, immune checkpoint pathways can be disrupted, resulting in tumoral immune resistance. In the past few decades, several approaches have been proposed to enhance host antitumor responses. Among the most salient strategies is the use of monoclonal antibodies against regulatory immune checkpoint molecules that inhibit T cell activation (1). These agents up-regulate the immune function by blocking checkpoint inhibition, resulting in durable tumor responses in patients with metastatic disease that are not seen with traditional chemotherapy. Nonetheless, despite its impressive therapeutic benefits, checkpoint blockade can induce profound inflammatory and immune-related adverse events (AEs), which can be severe and limit use of checkpoint inhibition (2). Tumor immunity
Cigarette smoking and rate of gastric emptying: effect on alcohol absorption.

OBJECTIVE--To examine the effects of cigarette smoking on alcohol absorption and gastric emptying. DESIGN--Randomised crossover study. SETTING--Research project in departments of medicine and nuclear medicine. SUBJECTS--Eight healthy volunteers aged 19-43 who regularly smoked 20-35 cigarettes a day and drank small amounts of alcohol on social occasions. INTERVENTIONS--Subjects drank 400 ml of a radiolabelled nutrient test meal containing alcohol (0.5 g/kg), then had their rates of gastric emptying measured. Test were carried out (a) with the subjects smoking four cigarettes an hour and (b) with the subjects not smoking, having abstained for seven days or more. The order of the tests was randomised and the tests were conducted two weeks apart. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Peak blood alcohol concentrations, absorption of alcohol at 30 minutes, amount of test meal emptied from the stomach at 30 minutes, and times taken for 50% of the meal to leave the proximal stomach and total stomach. RESULTS--Smoking was associated with reductions in (a) peak blood alcohol concentrations (median values in non-smoking versus smoking periods 13.5 (range 8.7-22.6) mmol/l v 11.1 (4.3-13.5) mmol/l), (b) area under the blood alcohol concentration-time curve at 30 minutes (264 x 10(3) (0-509 x 10(3)) mmol/l/min v 140 x 10(3)) (0-217 x 10(3) mmol/l/min), and (c) amount of test meal emptied from the stomach at 30 minutes (39% (5-86%) v 23% (0-35%)). In addition, smoking slowed both the 50% gastric emptying time (37 (9-83) minutes v 56 (40-280) minutes) and the intragastric distribution of the meal. There was a close correlation between the amount of test meal emptied from the stomach at 30 minutes and the area under the blood alcohol concentration-time curve at 30 minutes (r = 0.91; p less than 0.0001). CONCLUSION--Cigarette smoking slows gastric emptying and as a consequence delays alcohol absorption.
Protuberant fibro-osseous lesions of the temporal bone: a unique clinicopathologic diagnosis.

OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to describe the clinical presentation and treatment of exophytic fibro-osseous temporal bone lesions, a clinical entity never previously reported, and to consider the differential diagnosis. STUDY DESIGN The design of the study was a retrospective case review. SETTING The setting was a tertiary referral center. PATIENTS Two patients diagnosed with exophytic fibro-osseous temporal bone lesions were included in the study. INTERVENTION The intervention used was surgical excision. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The main outcome measures were clinical, radiographic, and histopathologic examination. RESULTS There was no evidence of recurrence at 15 and 17 months after surgery. CONCLUSION Although fibro-osseous lesions of the temporal bone have been previously reported, there have been no reported cases of an exophytic variant.
Monoamine modulation of tonic GABAA inhibition

Abstract In recent years, it has become evident that many neurotransmitters and endogenous ligands differentially modulate synaptic γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptors (sGABAARs) and extrasynaptic GABAAR (eGABAARs). In this mini-review, we will summarize the available evidence on the ability of the monoamines serotonin (5-HT), noradrenaline (NA), and, in particular, dopamine (DA) to alter the functional response of eGABAARs, thus either increasing or decreasing tonic GABAA inhibition. Although this field of research is still in its infancy, it has already been demonstrated that eGABAARs show a nucleus-selective and neuronal-type-selective regulation by monoamines in a way that differs from that of sGABAARs. Further work will undoubtedly advance our knowledge of the intricate talk between monoamines and eGABAAR and may ultimately provide new leads for the treatment of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders, where alteration in GABAAR function is one of the underlying causes.