Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inflammasome and Autophagy Regulation: A Two-way Street

Inflammation plays a significant role in protecting hosts against pathogens. Inflammation induced by noninfectious endogenous agents can be detrimental and, if excessive, can result in organ and tissue damage. The inflammasome is a major innate immune pathway that can be activated via both exogenous pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) and endogenous damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Inflammasome activation involves formation and oligomerization of a protein complex including a nucleotide oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor (NLR), an adaptor protein and pro-caspase-1. This then allows cleavage and activation of caspase-1, followed by downstream cleavage and release of proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 from innate immune cells. Hyperinflammation caused by unrestrained inflammasome activation is linked with multiple inflammatory diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis. So there is an understandable rush to understand mechanisms that regulate such potent inflammatory pathways. Autophagy has now been identified as a main regulator of inflammasomes. Autophagy is a vital intracellular process involved in cellular homeostasis, recycling and removal of damaged organelles (eg, mitochondria) and intracellular pathogens. Autophagy is regulated by proteins that are important in endosomal/phagosomal pathways, as well as by specific autophagy proteins coded for by autophagy-related genes. Cytosolic components are surrounded and contained by a double-membraned vesicle, which then fuses with lysosomes to enable degradation of the contents. Autophagic removal of intracellular DAMPs, inflammasome components or cytokines can reduce inflammasome activation. Similarly, inflammasomes can regulate the autophagic process, allowing for a two-way mutual regulation of inflammation that may hold the key for treatment of multiple diseases.
MARKETS TALK, FIRMS LISTEN: THE DYNAMICS OF REPEAT ACQUIRERS

Prior studies have shown that repeat acquirers’ early abnormal returns are higher than the returns from later acquisitions. Using new econometric techniques with a panel dataset over two decades, I find that this pattern of declining returns is not caused by market anticipation of later deals. Instead, announcement returns are deal-specific, rather than firm-specific, and thus provide valuable feedback to acquirers about their M&A choices. In a novel approach, I find that firms consider this feedback when making current decisions, providing new evidence of learning in M&As. Finally, I find no support for explanations of declining returns based on agency, hubris, or diminishing opportunity sets. Instead, I propose a cost minimization hypothesis consistent with shareholder wealth maximization through M&As. Balancing search and integration costs leads larger firms to demand larger targets, though of small relative sizes, leading to declining returns. This Version: 18 January 2007 JEL Classification: G30, G32, G34
Anterior corpectomy via the mini-open, extreme lateral, transpsoas approach combined with short-segment posterior fixation for single-level traumatic lumbar burst fractures: analysis of health-related quality of life outcomes and patient satisfaction.

OBJECTIVE The authors present clinical outcome data and satisfaction of patients who underwent minimally invasive vertebral body corpectomy and cage placement via a mini-open, extreme lateral, transpsoas approach and posterior short-segment instrumentation for lumbar burst fractures. METHODS Patients with unstable lumbar burst fractures who underwent corpectomy and anterior column reconstruction via a mini-open, extreme lateral, transpsoas approach with short-segment posterior fixation were reviewed retrospectively. Demographic information, operative parameters, perioperative radiographic measurements, and complications were analyzed. Patient-reported outcome instruments (Oswestry Disability Index [ODI], 12-Item Short Form Health Survey [SF-12]) and an anterior scar-specific patient satisfaction questionnaire were recorded at the latest follow-up. RESULTS Twelve patients (7 men, 5 women, average age 42 years, range 22-68 years) met the inclusion criteria. Lumbar corpectomies with anterior column support were performed (L-1, n = 8; L-2, n = 2; L-3, n = 2) and supplemented with short-segment posterior instrumentation (4 open, 8 percutaneous). Four patients had preoperative neurological deficits, all of which improved after surgery. No new neurological complications were noted. The anterior incision on average was 6.4 cm (range 5-8 cm) in length, caused mild pain and disability, and was aesthetically acceptable to the large majority of patients. Three patients required chest tube placement for pleural violation, and 1 patient required reoperation for cage subsidence/hardware failure. Average clinical follow-up was 38 months (range 16-68 months), and average radiographic follow-up was 37 months (range 6-68 months). Preoperative lumbar lordosis and focal lordosis were significantly improved/maintained after surgery. Patients were satisfied with their outcomes, had minimal/moderate disability (average ODI score 20, range 0-52), and had good physical (SF-12 physical component score 41.7% ± 10.4%) and mental health outcomes (SF-12 mental component score 50.2% ± 11.6%) after surgery. CONCLUSIONS Anterior corpectomy and cage placement via a mini-open, extreme lateral, transpsoas approach supplemented by short-segment posterior instrumentation is a safe, effective alternative to conventional approaches in the treatment of single-level unstable burst fractures and is associated with excellent functional outcomes and patient satisfaction.
Fine structure and plasticity of barosensitive neurons in the nucleus of solitary tract

Intravenous phenylephrine (PE) activates neurons in the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) whose distribution conforms to those of central projections of the carotid sinus and aortic depressor nerves. This was exploited to permit fine structural characterization of cells presumed to compose the first station in the processing of arterial baroreceptor input, and their responses to stimulation. Rats were perfused at varying intervals after PE injection, and sections through the baroreceptor afferent zone of the NTS prepared for preembedding immunolocalization of Fos‐immunoreactivity. Labeled neurons composed a continuous strip extending from the dorsal part of the commissural NTS (NTScom) to the dorsal subnucleus at the level of the area postrema (NTSap). PE‐sensitive neurons in these regions were medium‐sized, round to ovoid in shape, with scant cytoplasm and an unremarkable complement of organelles. Distinctive features included extensively invaginated nuclei and well‐developed Golgi apparati; Fos‐ir cells in the NTSap were distinguished from those in NTScom by virtue of better‐developed rough endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi, and less convoluted nuclei. Proximal synaptic input to PE‐sensitive neurons was sparse and was provided by terminals containing predominantly small, clear synaptic vesicles that formed mainly symmetric junctions with somata and primary dendrites. Prolonged stimulation was accompanied by accentuation of nuclear invaginations, marked accumulation of heterochromatin at their apices, and evidence of enhanced Golgi activity (vesicular budding). These may represent adaptations to facilitate changes in gene expression, to maintain neurotransmitter availability, or both, in the face of a persistent hypertensive challenge. J. Comp. Neurol. 422:338–351, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Localization of immunoglobulins in human prostatic tissue.

Prompted by recent reports of the successful therapeutic use of cryosurgery for destroying benign and malignant human prostatic tissue (1) and of the reported occurrence of an “immunologic response” accompanied by remission in cases of metastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate following cryoprostatectomy (2), we have endeavored to study the immunologic and immunochemical properties of the prostate in man and in experimental animals (3). In view of the identification of rabbit IgG in coagulo-prostatic fluid, a secretory product of the coagulating and prostate glands of the male rabbit (4), and of the recent observation of the in vivo binding of rabbit IgG to the stroma in a serpentine manner within the folds of each acinus and to accumulations of secretory granules lying within the lumen of the rabbit prostate (5), we though it would be of interest to examine human prostatic tissue for the presence of in vivo bound immunoglobulins.
Discrimination for two-way models with insurance applications

In this paper, we review and apply several approaches to model selection for analysis of variance models which are used in a credibility and insurance context. The reversible jump algorithm is employed for model selection, where posterior model probabilities are computed. We then apply this method to insurance data from workers' compensation insurance schemes. The reversible jump results are compared with the Deviance Information Criterion, and are shown to be consistent.
The neurotic versus delusional subtype of taijin‐kyofu‐sho: Their DSM diagnoses

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic concepts of taijin‐kyofu‐sho (TKS) and social phobia, by comparing the clinical diagnosis of TKS and the operational diagnosis of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd edition, revised; DSM‐III‐R). Three evaluators conducted semistructured interview for DSM‐III‐R (SCID axis I and II, the Japanese version) to 88 outpatients who visited Jikei University Daisan Hospital, Japan, over a period of 1 year, requesting Morita therapy. The patients were also independently diagnosed by three psychiatrists to identify TKS. A total of 65.8% of 38 cases of TKS were diagnosed as social phobia. Among the neurotic TKS cases, the percentage was high at 81.5%, while among the delusional TKS cases it was 27.3%. A total of 42.1% of the TKS cases were diagnosed as mood disorder; 60.5% of the TKS cases presented some axis II disorders, among which avoidant personality disorder was the most prevalent (31.6%). There was no significant difference between the neurotic and delusional subtypes of TKS, regarding comorbidity with axis I diagnoses. As for axis II diagnoses, delusional TKS patients had a higher rate of comorbidity with paranoid personality disorder, although they demonstrated very similar trends in comorbidity with all other personality disorders. In the diagnostic system of DSM‐III‐R, it is highly likely that the neurotic and delusional subtypes of TKS will be seen to correspond to different diagnostic categories.
Using mouse models to investigate the biological and physiological consequences of defects in the Fanconi anaemia/breast cancer DNA repair signalling pathway

Fanconi anaemia (FA) is a rare, predominantly autosomal recessive syndrome (with one X‐linked form) that results in congenital defects, abnormal haematopoiesis and a greatly increased risk of solid tumours in humans. Mutations in at least 14 different genes have been shown to cause FA, and several of these genes, including FANCJ/BRIP1, FANCD1/BRCA2 and FANCN/PALB2, also predispose to breast cancer in heterozygote carriers. The FA genes code for proteins that act in complexes to coordinate the repair of damaged DNA, and thus the FA repair network is intimately linked with hereditary breast cancer. Much remains to be learnt about the functions and interactions of the FA proteins and one experimental approach involves the generation of mice that are deficient in various FA genes. Mouse models for FANCN/PALB2 have recently been generated, including one reported in a recent issue of The Journal of Pathology. Given the pivotal role of the PALB2 protein, which interacts with both BRCA1 and BRCA2, these mice provide valuable insights into the FA phenotype and mechanisms of tumourigenesis caused by disruption of the FA protein network. Copyright © 2011 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
β‐Amyloid protein enhances macrophage production of oxygen free radicals and glutamate

Cells of the monocyte phagocytic system can generate superoxide and glutamate anions, both of which are neurotoxic at high levels. We used rat peritoneal macrophages as a model system to test the effects of various stimulants on the production of these molecules. Glutamate production by such cells was enhanced, in a concentration‐dependent manner, by treatment with serum‐opsonized zymosan (OZ), lipopolysaccharide (LPS), phorbol myristate acetate (PMA), and β‐amyloid peptide Aβ (1–40); but not by treatment with the reverse Aβ (40–1) or the Aβ (25–35) subfragment. Superoxide anion production by the cells was stimulated by OZ, PMA, Aβ (1–40), and Aβ (25–35). Moreover, Aβ and its subfragment, when used as priming agents, also enhanced the stimulatory effect of PMA. However, they did not act as priming agents for OZ, suggesting a competition for receptors or intracellular signaling pathways linked to those receptors. Inflammatory mediators, including Aβ, could place glutamate‐sensitive neurons at risk by enhancing glutamate and oxygen free radical production by monocyte‐derived cells. Such mechanisms could contribute to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease. J. Neurosci. Res. 49:229–235, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Sperm Adenylate Cyclase a

The role of cyclic AMP in spermatozoa physiology and mobility is now being recognized, albeit little is known about the intimate mechanisms by which cyclic AMP acts.14 CycEAMP is synthesized from ATP by the enzyme adenylate cyclase (EC 4.6.1.1 .) and we shall only deal with this aspect of cyclic AMP metabolism in the present report. We will summarize recent data from our laboratory concerning the characterization of ram sperm adenylate cyclase, the proteolytic activation and solubilization of the enzyme, and recent progress made in its purification.
A Note on Chromatic Number and Induced Odd Cycles

An odd hole is an induced odd cycle of length at least 5. Scott and Seymour confirmed a conjecture of Gyarfas and proved that if a graph $G$ has no odd holes then $\chi(G)\le 2^{2^{\omega(G)+2}}$. Chudnovsky, Robertson, Seymour and Thomas showed that if $G$ has neither $K_4$ nor odd holes then $\chi(G)\le 4$. In this note, we show that if a graph $G$ has neither triangles nor quadrilaterals, and has no odd holes of length at least 7, then $\chi(G)\le 4$ and $\chi(G)\le 3$ if $G$ has radius at most $3$, and for each vertex $u$ of $G$, the set of vertices of the same distance to $u$ induces a bipartite subgraph. This answers some questions in Plummer and Zha (2014).
Corporate Social and Environmental Disclosure: A Positive Accounting Theory View Point

This study provides an examination of Indonesian corporate social and environmental disclosure in the Positive Accounting Theory (PAT) perspective. This study identified three key hypotheses such as management compensation hypothesis (bonus plan hypothesis), the debt hypothesis (debt/equity hypothesis), and the political cost hypothesis. The population of this study is about 1857companies (for five year period), yielded in a sample of 911 usable companies listed in Indonesia Stock Exchange. The social and environmental disclosure level is measured using combination of Clarson’Environmental Index (2007) and Sutantoputra’ social index (2009). The regression analysis shows that corporate social and environmental in Indonesia is associated with: ROA, firm’ size, and firm’s earning management. Thus, the result support the bonus plan hypothesis and political cost hypothesis, conversely debt/equity hypothesis can not be support.
Possible mechanism of the antidepressant effect of 3,6′‐disinapoyl sucrose from Polygala tenuifolia Willd

Objective The present study was designed to observe the effects of 3,6′‐disinapoyl sucrose (DISS), an active oligosaccharide ester component obtained from the roots of Polygala tenuifolia Willd. , on behavioral and biochemical aspects of depression induced by chronic mild stress (CMS) in rats. It is the first exploration of the possible association between DISS's antidepressant‐like effects and biochemical markers of depression, and involved measuring monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity, cortisol levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels.
Released adenosine diphosphate stabilizes thrombin-induced human platelet aggregates.

Normal human platelets aggregated by thrombin undergo the release reaction and are not readily deaggregated by the combination of inhibitors hirudin, chymotrypsin, and prostaglandin E1 (PGE1). In contrast, thrombin-induced aggregates of platelets from patients with delta-storage pool deficiency (delta-SPD), which lack releasable nucleotides, are readily deaggregated by the same combination of inhibitors. The ease with which delta-SPD platelets are deaggregated is caused by the lack of stabilizing effects of released ADP, since: (1) exogenous adenosine diphosphate (ADP) (10 mumol/L), but not serotonin (2 mumol/L), abolishes the ability of these inhibitors to deaggregate delta-SPD platelets; (2) thrombin-induced aggregates of platelets from a patient (V.R.) (whose platelets have a severe, selective impairment of sensitivity to ADP, but normal amounts of releasable nucleotides) can be readily deaggregated, and addition of ADP does not stabilize the platelet aggregates; (3) apyrase or creatine phosphate (CP)/creatine phosphokinase (CPK), added before thrombin, make control platelets more easily deaggregated by hirudin, chymotrypsin, and PGE1, and do not change the deaggregation response of delta-SPD platelets and of V.R. 's platelets. Thrombin-induced aggregation and release of beta-thromboglobulin in control, delta-SPD, and in V.R. 's platelets was similar and not inhibited by apyrase or CP/CPK. The stabilizing effect of ADP on platelet aggregates is specific, since epinephrine in the presence of apyrase to remove traces of released ADP does not stabilize the aggregates of control, delta-SPD, or of V.R. 's platelets. Because epinephrine increases fibrinogen binding to thrombin-stimulated platelets to a greater extent than ADP, but does not stabilize the aggregates, it is unlikely that the additional fibrinogen binding sites induced by ADP have a major role in inhibiting deaggregation by the combination of inhibitors.
RETRACTED: Simple versus branched pedal bypass in the treatment of critical limb ischemia

This retrospective study compared mid-term outcome of a simple pedal bypass (n1⁄4 58) and branched pedal bypass (n1⁄4 42) constructed with reverse saphenous grafts in patients with peripheral arterial disease stage 5 or 6 and TASC D lesions. Patients were followed-up at regular intervals during the first two-and-a-half postoperative years. Survival analysis showed better primary (67% vs. 46% at 20 months, p< 0.05), assisted (74% vs. 54%, p< 0.01), and secondary (84% vs. 70%, p< 0.05) patency in branched pedal bypass compared to that of simple pedal bypass. The limb-salvage rate, survival, and the need for reoperation due to wound bleeding or infection were comparable. We suggest that branched pedal bypass should be attempted in patients, where at least one imaging modality showed patency of both the dorsal and plantar artery and where the saphenous graft of sufficient quality, caliber, and length can be safely harvested.
Comment on: Hattori et al. (2007) Globular Adiponectin Activates Nuclear Factor-κB and Activating Protein-1 and Enhances Angiotensin II–Induced Proliferation in Cardiac Fibroblasts: Diabetes 56:804–808

We read with interest the recent articles by Hattori et al. (1,2), which report activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) transcription by the recombinant globular domain of adiponectin. However, these findings contrast directly with a substantial body of published and ongoing work. As initially reported by Ouchi et al. and confirmed by other groups (3,4), a major effect of adiponectin is the suppression of proinflammatory endothelial responses, which include reversing the activation of NF-κB, reducing adhesion molecule expression, and enhancing nitric oxide bioavailability. We have shown that the globular domain of adiponectin also suppresses endothelial reactive oxygen species generation in response to various agonists, including oxidized LDL and high glucose (5,6). At the American Diabetes Association 66th …
Women's health during mid-life survey: the use of complementary and alternative medicine by symptomatic women transitioning through menopause in Sydney

Objective:To survey the extent of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among women for the alleviation of menopausal symptoms. Design:A total of 1,296 eligible women aged 45 to 65 years were recruited from three Sydney menopause clinics, general practice clinics, and government agencies between July 2003 and July 2004. Volunteers were invited to complete a 19-item questionnaire covering basic demographics, general health status, use of CAM therapies and products, use of pharmaceuticals, and sources of CAM advice. Results:Of respondents, 53.8% had visited a CAM practitioner and/or used a CAM product during the past year, with 34% using a product only and 5% consulting a practitioner only. The most commonly visited practitioners were naturopaths (7.2%) and acupuncturists (4.8%), whereas the most popular products were soy (25.4%) and evening primrose oil (18.4%). Massage, chiropractic, and nutrition were rated the most effective therapies, and phytoestrogen tablets, evening primrose oil, and black cohosh were deemed the most effective products. Of the 59.9% of respondents currently using prescription or over-the-counter pharmaceuticals, 62.5% reported using CAM products during the past 12 months. Of CAM users 71% had informed their doctor about CAM use, whereas 26.4% of respondents reported their doctor had inquired about CAM use. Conclusions:CAM use by women to alleviate menopausal symptoms is common, with several therapies perceived to be effective. Although a significant proportion of women may use CAM in conjunction with pharmaceuticals, relevant communication between medical practitioners and patients remains inadequate and may expose the patient to potential drug-herb interactions.