Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Recently Described Tests for Detection of the Lupus Anticoagulant

Summary It is known that lupus anticoagulants (LA) are antibodies which interfere with phospholipid-dependent coagulation tests, but due to the heterogeneity of LA and the differences in sensitivity of reagents and tests, the diagnosis of LA remains difficult. Recently, Triplett et al. (26) have proposed a new test based on two venoms, Textarin (T) and Ecarin (E), that activate prothrombin but differ in their phospholipid requirements. By testing this new assay we have evaluated 36 patient plasmas containing LA according to standard tests (activated partial thromboplastin time, dilute Russell viper venom time and platelet neutralization procedure) and our results confirm a high sensitivity for LA of the T/E test. In addition, we observed a greater sensitivity of the tissue thromboplastin inhibition test using a recombinant thromboplastin instead of a human placenta thromboplastin. Our study also showed that the T/E test seems to be a useful assay in confirming the diagnosis of LA in patients with an unexplained prolonged APTT.
Electrostatic oscillations in the presence of grain-charge perturbations in dusty plasmas.

The properties of electrostatic oscillations and instability phenomena are studied, accounting for the time-dependent variation of the grain electric charge due to wave motions in an unmagnetized dusty plasma. It is found that charge fluctuations on the dust grains give rise to two purely damped modes, in addition to causing a collisionless damping of the existing normal modes. Furthermore, some interesting electrostatic instabilities arise in the presence of an equilibrium drift of charged fluids.
Claustroneocortical projections studied in the cat by means of multiple retrograde fluorescent tracing

The topographical interrelations of Claustroneocortical cells and their degree of divergent collateralization were investigated in cat by means of retrograde fluorescent double labeling. The tracers Fast Blue (FB) and Nuclear Yellow (NY) were injected in several combinations in two different cortical fields. FB‐labeled and NY‐labeled cells were found in all cases in the insular portion of the ipsilateral claustrum (C1I). The distributions of labeled cells confirmed the organization reported in previous studies. In some cases the two labeled cell populations were segregated in different parts of the C1I; in other cases there was more or less overlap in the two distributions. The degree of overlap was not simply related to the topographic proximity of the injected cortical territories.
Molecular mechanism of interleukin‐8 gene expression

A potent leukocyte chemotactic and activating cytokine, interleukin‐8 (IL‐8), is produced by numerous types of cells in response to inflammatory stimuli. Accumulating evidence indicate that the transcription of IL‐8 gene requires the activation of either the combination of NF‐xB and AP‐1 or that of NF‐xB and NF‐IL6, depending on the type of cells. Alternatively, the activation of NF‐xB is indispensable for IL‐8 gene activation in any types of cells examined. On the other hand, an immunosuppressant, FK506, and a glucocorticoid inhibit the gene transcription as well as the production of IL‐8. Molecular analyses of IL‐8 gene repression by these agents revealed that both affected the activity of the transcription factor(s) bound to the NF‐xB site, albeit in different ways, thereby suppressing IL‐8 gene transcription. Collectively, IL‐8 production seems to be controlled mainly at the activation step of the transcription factor(s) bound to the NF‐xB site. J. Leukoc. Biol. 56: 554–558; 1994.
A ferredoxin, designated FdxP, stimulates p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase activity in Caulobacter crescentus

A gene, fdxP, was identified upstream of the rrnA gene in Caulobacter crescentus and shown to encode ferredoxin II (FdII) by insertional inactivation. FdII is homologous to a class of [2Fe-2S] ferredoxins typified by putidaredoxin. Furthermore, reconstitution assays demonstrated that FdII was able to promote p-hydroxybenzoate hydroxylase activity in ferredoxin-depleted extracts. Thus, biodegradation of p-hydroxybenzoate may be ferredoxin dependent in C. crescentus.
Building a Statistical Machine Translation System for Translating Patent Documents

This paper describes the work we conducted for building a statistical machine translation (SMT) system for the Chinese-English subtask of the NTCIR-9 patent MT evaluation. Our results show that most of the generic techniques we had developed for improving SMT performance work on patent data as well, and the changes we made to our SMT system training procedure in order to address special characteristics of patent documents produced additional improvements.
Journal of Agricultural & Food Industrial Organization Does the Prevalence of Contract Hog Production Influence the Price Received by Independent Hog Producers ?

The increasing use of production contracts in the hog sector has reduced the number of spot market transactions and raised concerns about price manipulation by packers. These concerns have helped spur legislative efforts to restrict packer ownership of livestock and to regulate livestock contracts. Using panel data from the 2002 and 2007 Census of Agriculture, this study looks for evidence that production contracts are associated with market manipulation by examining whether the local prevalence of production contracts affects the price of finished hogs received by independent producers. The empirical approach examines whether changes in the prevalence of contracting at the county level are correlated with changes in the spot market price received by individual farmers. By comparing differences over time, this approach controls for unobservable time-invariant individual and county characteristics—such as product quality and location—that might be correlated with price and contracting prevalence. Results are sufficiently precise to rule out an economically significant negative relationship between contracting prevalence and the spot price as statistically unlikely.
[Sleep patterns and circadian types of nursing students during shift schedules].

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to investigate sleep habits, sleep disturbance, and circadian types, and to identify factors influencing sleep disturbance in nursing students. METHODS Participants were 140 senior nursing students. The data were collected from May 19 to 27, 2008 using self-report questionnaires. RESULTS 1) Evening type delayed sleep-wake schedules were more frequent than for morning type, especially during weekend and evening shift duty. 2) In total sleep time, there were no significant statistical differences between morning type and evening type during weekdays, weekend, day or evening shift duty. 3) On weekdays and day shift duty, the mean score for sleep disturbance was significantly higher in the evening type compared to the morning type. 4) Sleep disturbance in weekday and day shift duty was influenced by circadian types, eating habits, and gender. CONCLUSION The circadian types are a very important factor for determining the sleep quantity and quality in nursing students.
Salivary alpha-amylase, salivary cortisol, and anxiety during a youth taekwondo championship

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the stress-related responses and the coach's capability to match perceived efforts of youth athletes during a taekwondo championship. Using a cross-sectional study design, salivary cortisol (sC) and alpha-amylase (sAA) were measured in 6 males and 3 females young (11.0 ± 0.9 years) athletes at awakening, 5 minutes before, and 1 minute and 30 minutes after official combats. State anxiety was recorded 60 minutes before the first competition, whereas coach's and athletes’ ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) were obtained at the end of the combats. Time-matched (awakening and pre-competition) salivary samples and trait anxiety were collected 7-day postcompetition during a resting day. No effect for match outcome emerged. No difference emerged between athletes and coach RPEs. Higher (P = .03) state anxiety (41.6 ± 10.9 points) was shown than trait anxiety (34.8 ± 7.1 points). Time-matched sAA were similar. Peak sAA observed at the end of the combat (114.2 ± 108.1 U/mL) was higher (P < .01) than the other samples (range: 20.6–48.1 U/mL), whereas sC increased (P < .05) from awakening (8.0 ± 1.5 nmol/L), with peak levels observed at 30 minutes into the recovery phase (19.3 ± 4.3 nmol/L). Furthermore, pre-competition sC (16.5 ± 4.5 nmol/L) values were higher (P < .01) with respect to time-matched samples during the resting day (4.6 ± 1.0 nmol/L). The 3 athletes engaged in consecutive matches showed a tendency toward increasing sAA and sC. Taekwondo combats pose a high stress on young athletes, eliciting a fast reactivity of the sympathetic-adreno-medullary system relative to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system. Understanding the athlete's efforts during combats, coaches are recommended to apply effective recovery strategies between matches.
Four novel mutations in the cystathionine β‐synthase gene: Effect of a second linked mutation on the severity of the homocystinuric phenotype

Homocystinuria due to cystathionine β‐synthase (CBS) deficiency is frequently caused by missense mutations. In this article, we report four novel missense mutations in the CBS gene: 172C→T (R58W) linked in cis with A114V; 376A→G (M126V); 904G→A (E302K); and 1006C→T (R336C). The CBS activity of the corresponding mutant enzymes expressed in Escherichia coli was greatly diminished, confirming the pathogenicity of these mutations. Western analysis showed that the R58W+A114V and M126V mutant enzymes were unstable in E. coli, while the E302K subunits were partially degraded to shorter products. Using site‐directed mutagenesis we found that CBS containing either the R58W or A114V as the only mutations demonstrated 18% and 46% of normal activity, respectively. Both mutant forms of CBS were stable in E. coli. When these two mutations were expressed in cis, the resultant mutant protein exhibited activity 1.3% that of a control. All these in vitro results were in good agreement with the clinical manifestation in these patients. The Italian patient 2241, an A114V+R58W/M126V compound heterozygote, exhibited severe pyridoxine nonresponsive homocystinuria, while another Italian patient 2242, with an A114V/E302K genotype, responded to pyridoxine treatment and had a much milder phenotype. The third patient 3064, an English compound heterozygote for two severe mutations R336C and G307S, was B6 nonresponsive. This report of a ninth homocystinuric allele carrying two mutations in cis raises the possibility that double mutant alleles may be underestimated in homocystinuric patients. In this context, a search for additional mutations in cis may sometimes be necessary to establish a good genotype‐phenotype relationship. Hum Mutat 13:453–457, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Flow Cytometric Determination of the Effects of Antibacterial Agents on Mycoplasma agalactiae, Mycoplasma putrefaciens, Mycoplasma capricolum subsp. capricolum, and Mycoplasma mycoides subsp. mycoides Large Colony Type

ABSTRACT Flow cytometry together with SYBR green I and propidium iodide was used to study the effects of enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, oxytetracycline, and tylosin on four mycoplasma species. Inhibition of mycoplasma growth could be detected by as early as 3 h after the start of treatment. The strongest effect was observed with enrofloxacin- and ciprofloxacin-treated cells.
Sequence elements essential for function of the Xenopus laevis ribosomal DNA enhancers

The intergenic spacer region of the Xenopus laevis ribosomal DNA contains multiple elements which are either 60 or 81 base pairs long. Clusters of these elements have previously been shown to act as position- and distance-independent enhancers on an RNA polymerase I promoter when located in cis. By a combination of deletion and linker scanner mutagenesis we show that the sequences essential for enhancer function are located within a 56-base-pair region that is present in both the 60- and 81-base-pair repeats. Within the 56-base-pair region one linker scanner mutation was found to be relatively neutral, suggesting that each enhancer element may be composed of two smaller domains. Each 56-base-pair region appears to be an independent enhancer with multiple enhancers being additive in effect. We review the current evidence concerning the mechanism of action of these enhancers.
Rac1 contributes to trastuzumab resistance of breast cancer cells: Rac1 as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of trastuzumab-resistant breast cancer

Although treatment with trastuzumab improves outcomes for women with ErbB2-positive breast cancer, many patients who achieve an initial response to trastuzumab subsequently acquire resistance within 1 year. Rac1, a Ras-like small GTPase, has been implicated in the control of cell growth and morphology and is believed to be associated with breast cancer progression and metastasis. Here, we show that when parental SKBR3 cells become resistant to trastuzumab, Rac1 activity is increased, leading to altered cell morphology, which is accompanied by significant cytoskeleton disorganization. Furthermore, both trastuzumab-mediated down-regulation of ErbB2 and epidermal growth factor–induced down-regulation of epidermal growth factor receptor are impaired in the trastuzumab-resistant SKBR3 cells, indicating that the endocytic down-regulation of ErbB receptors is compromised in the resistant cells. This results in an aberrant accumulation of ErbB2 on the cell surface and enhanced ErbB2 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity in trastuzumab-resistant SKBR3 cells. Additionally, overexpression of constitutively active Rac1G12V in parental SKBR3 cells reduces sensitivity to trastuzumab. After reduction of Rac1 activity by NSC23766, a specific Rac1 inhibitor, trastuzumab-resistant SKBR3 cells display a cellular morphology similar to parental SKBR3 cells. Moreover, we show that NSC23766 restores trastuzumab-mediated endocytic down-regulation of ErbB2 and reduces extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity in resistant SKBR3 cells. Our findings highlight an important role for Rac1 in trastuzumab resistance of human breast cancer cells and identify the impaired trastuzumab-mediated endocytic down-regulation of ErbB2 as a novel mechanism of trastuzumab resistance. The significant effects of NSC23766 on trastuzumab-resistant SKBR3 cells warrant further study of NSC23766 as a potential treatment of trastuzumab-resistant breast cancers. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(6):1557–69]
Clinical and Therapeutic Profile of Patients Presenting With Acute Coronary Syndromes Who Do Not Have Significant Coronary Artery Disease

BackgroundA proportion of patients who present with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are found to have insignificant coronary artery disease (CAD) during coronary angiography, but these patients have not been well characterized. Methods and ResultsOf the 5767 patients with non–ST-segment elevation ACS who were enrolled in the Platelet Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa in Unstable Angina: Receptor Suppression Using Integrilin (Eptifibatide) Therapy (PURSUIT) trial and who underwent in-hospital angiography, 88% had significant CAD (any stenosis >50%), 6% had mild CAD (any stenosis >0% to ≤50%), and 6% had no CAD (no stenosis identified). The frequency of death or nonfatal myocardial infarction at 30 days was reduced with eptifibatide treatment in patients with significant CAD (18.3% versus 15.6% for placebo, P =0.006) but not in those with mild CAD (6.6% versus 5.4%, P =0.62) and with no CAD (3.0% versus 1.2%, P =0.28). We identified independent baseline predictors of insignificant CAD (mild or no CAD) and used them to develop a simple predictive nomogram of the probability of insignificant CAD for use at hospital presentation. This nomogram was validated in a separate population of patients with non–ST-segment elevation ACS. ConclusionsPatients with suspected ACS found to have insignificant CAD have a low risk of adverse outcomes, do not appear to benefit from treatment with eptifibatide, and can be predicted with a simple nomogram drawn from baseline characteristics. Because patients with significant CAD appear to have an enhanced benefit from eptifibatide treatment, the predictive nomogram developed can be used to determine indications for glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade.
Global Evolutionary Trend of the Prevalence of Primary Glomerulonephritis over the Past Three Decades

Objective: The prevalence of primary glomerulonephritis in Singapore is compared with that of 28 other countries to review changing trends in the evolution of primary glomerulonephritis in Asia and other countries. Method: 2,586 renal biopsies in Singapore over the past 3 decades were reviewed and compared with data from 28 other countries. Results: In the 1st decade most Asian countries have mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis as the most common form of primary glomerulonephritis, and in the 3rd decade there has been a dramatic increase in focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis reflecting aging and obesity in keeping with more developed countries. IgA nephritis remains the commonest glomerulonephritis in many countries. Membranous glomerulonephritis continues to be more prevalent in Western countries while mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis remains prevalent in many Asian countries. Conclusion: Apart from geographical and genetic influences, socioeconomic factors may play a role in the evolution of the biopsy pattern in some countries. Worldwide, the prevalence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis continues to increase. In third world countries some of the commoner forms of glomerulonephritis are related to infections, in contrast to developed countries where the antigenic exposure may be related to diet, allergens and other industrial agents.
Micronucleus induction by metronidazole in rat vaginal mucosa

Metronidazole (MTZ) is used for the treatment of many infectious diseases, including vaginal infections. While data indicate that MTZ is mutagenic and induces micronuclei in rodents, there is no information on the genotoxicity of MTZ in epithelial vaginal cells or cervical cells. In the present study, we have instilled MTZ into the vagina of rats and evaluated the micronucleus (MN) frequency in proestrus rat vaginal mucosal cells. The first identified proestrus before treatment was used to establish basal proestrus micronucleated cell (PMNC) frequencies. Rats then were assigned to one of five groups: a negative control, three MTZ treatment groups (30, 50, or 100 mg/kg MTZ), and a positive control treated with 2.5 mg of 5‐fluorouracil (5‐Fu) per rat. Following treatment for five consecutive days, vaginal cell samples were taken daily until three cycles of estrus were completed. Smears prepared from the samples were evaluated for micronuclei in proestrus cells. No differences were found between the PMNC frequencies of the negative control and the 30 and 50 mg/kg MTZ groups. The group treated with 100 mg/kg MTZ, however, had significantly elevated PMNC frequencies in the first and second proestrus samples, while 5‐Fu treatment produced significant increases in PMNC frequency in the second and third proestrus. These results indicate that topical administration of relatively high concentrations of MTZ is genotoxic in rat vaginal mucosa cells. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. , 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Immediate Postoperative Intensive Care Treatment of Pediatric Combined Liver-Kidney Transplantation: Outcome and Prognostic Factors

Background. Studies reporting the immediate pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) treatment after combined liver-kidney transplantation (CLKT) are scarce, although this period is pivotal for survival and long-term outcome. Methods. We retrospectively analyzed all pediatric CLKT performed in our center between 1998 and 2010. Results. Sixteen patients underwent 17 CLKT at a median age of 5.3 years (range, 1.3–15.9 years). Median body weight at CLKT was 17.7 kg (range, 9.2–55 kg). Underlying diagnosis was primary hyperoxaluria type 1 in nine patients and autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease in seven patients. Median time on PICU was 8.5 days (range, 3–68 days); however, patients with primary hyperoxaluria type 1 had a significantly longer stay (P=0.031). Median duration of ventilation was 1 day; however, five patients required ventilation for 25 to 52 days. Continuous veno-venous hemofiltration was applied in nine patients due to delayed kidney graft function, volume overload, or high plasma oxalate. Overall, the survival rate after CLKT was 100% and long-term outcome was very good at a mean follow-up of 3.6 years (range, 0.5–12.2 years). Waiting time, donor age, and donor-to-recipient weight ratio were found to be significant risk factors for an extended PICU stay (P=0.02, 0.0031, and 0.014, respectively). Conclusions. Immediate postoperative course after CLKT may be challenging and complex. However, excellent results can be achieved, even in small children.
Some problems with two axiomatizations of discussive logic

Problems in two axiomatizations of Ja\'skowski's discussive (or discursive) logic D2 are considered. A recent axiomatization of D2 and completeness proof relative to D2's intended semantics seems to be mistaken because some formulas valid according to the intended semantics turn out to be unprovable. Although no new axiomatization is offered, nor a repaired completeness proof given, the shortcomings identified here may be a step toward an improved axiomatization.
Simultaneous confidence bands using model assisted Cox regression

In the first part, entitled “Model assisted Cox regression” and published in Journal of Multivariate Analysis (JMVA), it was shown that standard Cox regression, combined with Dikta’s semiparametric random censorship models, provides an effective framework for obtaining improved parameter estimates. Here, this methodology is exploited to construct simultaneous confidence bands (SCBs) for subject-specific survival curves. Simulation results are presented to compare the performance of the proposed SCBs with the SCBs that are based only on standard Cox. The new SCBs provide correct empirical coverage and are more informative. The proposed SCBs are illustrated with two real examples. An extension to handle missing censoring indicators is also outlined.
Induction of High-Frequency Oscillations in a Junction-Coupled Network

Rhythmic oscillations of up to 600 Hz in grouped neurons frequently occur in the brains of animals. These high-frequency oscillations can be sustained in calcium-free conditions and may be blocked by gap junction blockers, implying a key role for electrical synapses in oscillation generation. Mathematical theories have been developed to demonstrate oscillations mediated by electrical synapses without chemical modulation; however, these models have not been verified in animals. Here we report that oscillations of up to 686 Hz are induced by paired spikes of short spike intervals (SIs) in a junction-coupled network. To initiate oscillations, it was essential that the second spike was elicited during the relative refractory period. The second spike suffered from slow propagation speed and failure to transmit through a low-conductance junction. Thus, at the spike initiation site, paired spikes of short SIs triggered one transjunctional spike in the postsynaptic neuron. At distant synaptic sites, two transjunctional spikes were produced as the SI increased during spike propagation. Consequently, spike collision of these asymmetrical transjunctional spikes occurred in the interconnected network. The remaining single spike reverberated in a network serving as an oscillator center. Paired-spike-induced oscillations were modeled by computer simulation and verified electrophysiologically in a network that mediates the tail-flip escape response of crayfish.