Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial Genome Instability in Cancer

The relevant role of mitochondrial mutations in cancer is the most frequent conclusion found in most early publications on the subject. However, it is now clear that this assumption was in many cases based on circumstantial or even flawed evidence. Presently, we know that normal mitochondria structure and functions depend on the concerted interaction between mitochondrial (mt)-genes and different groups of nuclear genes. Thus, somatic mutations of mt- or nuclear genes controlling mitochondrial physiology would influence the cancer transformation process through a disruption of nuclear↔mitochondrial gene interactions. In this regard, somatic mt-mutations influencing carcinogenesis have been detected in preneoplastic lesions. Furthermore, an abnormal respiration process with the subsequent increase in reactive oxygen species production seems to be one of the basic mechanisms favoring oncogenesis. Many mt-genes exhibit inherited polymorphisms associated with their mitochondrial phylogenetic history. In this report we shall summarize data showing that some of these ethnic mt- mutations may increase or alternatively decrease the susceptibility to various forms of malignancy. The interference of mt-mutations with anticancer therapies and the use of body fluids for the analysis of mt-mutations to obtain tumor samples avoiding invasive techniques are two promising fields to be further investigated.
Morphometric and hormonal study of the effect of utrica diocia extract on mammary glands in rats

Urtica diocia es una hierba de usos multiples en la medicina tradicional. Su extracto hidroalcoholico (20, 50 y 100 mg/kg) administrado por via intraperitoneal en ratas hembras Wistar de 21 dias resultaron en un aumento significativo en el numero de alveolos de las glandulas mamarias en dosis de 20 y 50 mg/kg. Los cambios en la prolactina serica y el diametro alveolar no fueron significativos en comparacion con el grupo control. Ademas, hubo un aumento en la prolactina serica y en el diametro alveolar en dosis de 20 y 50 mg/kg. El extracto de Urtica diocia tiene efectos positivos sobre las glandulas mamarias.
A New Alpha-Particle Irradiator with Absolute Dosimetric Determination

Abstract Søyland, C. , Hassfjell, S.P. and Steen, H.B. A New Alpha-Particle Irradiator with Absolute Dosimetric Determination. A new experimental setup for uniform α-particle irradiation of cells in vitro is described. The α-particle irradiator is based on a radioactive 212Pb/212 Bi source. In the experimental setup proposed, cells are grown directly on a polylysine-coated track-etch material that forms the base of custom-made cell dishes. Alpha-particle irradiation is done through the base of the dish. Immediately prior to irradiation, the cell dish is scanned under a microscope, and images of cells with the corresponding coordinates are saved. After irradiation and after the biological end point under study has been determined, the cell dish is etched to develop α-particle tracks in the dish base. A microscope image series of α-particle track images is obtained by accurately revisiting every original (preirradiation) cell position in the track-etched dish. The number of α-particle traversals of each individual cell is scored by mapping images of α-particle tracks onto the images of cells recorded prior to irradiation. The uncertainty of the α-particle hit determination is 0.9 μm. The procedure described thus presents a method for radiobiological experiments with absolute, rather than statistical, cell dosimetry.
Functional characterization of motor neurons derived from human peripheral blood mononuclear iPSC ’ s

Cell reprogramming technologies now allow creation of induced pluripotential stem cells (iPSC) from mature differentiated adult cells that can be obtained from living persons. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive, fatal degeneration of motor neurons (MN). There are currently no meaningful treatments to prevent MN death in ALS. We reprogrammed a healthy subject’s peripheral blood mononuclear cells to iPSC’s using electroporation of a reprogramming plasmid, neuralized the iPSC’s and differentiated the resulting neural stem cells (NSC) into motor neurons that expressed MN factors HB9 and ISL1. After 4 weeks of MN differentiation, we then maintained these cells under low oxygen (5%) culture for up to 7 weeks and characterized electrophysiological properties by patch clamp recording of live MN expressing GFP under control of a HB9 promoter. We observed no change in passive membrane properties, sodium current density increased with time in culture and action potential firing following current injection increased. iPSC-derived motor neurons developed firing characteristics of mature motor neurons including repetitive firing, spike frequency adaptation and rebound action potentials. Prolonged culture of iPSC/NSC-derived MN’s resulted in electrophysiological maturation, suggesting their potential for use in studying motor neuron disorders. (191 words)
Universality-class crossover by a nonorder field introduced to the pair contact process with diffusion.

The one-dimensional pair contact process with diffusion (PCPD), an interacting particle system with diffusion, pair annihilation, and creation by pairs, has defied consensus about the universality class to which it belongs. An argument by Hinrichsen [Physica A 361, 457 (2006)PHYADX0378-437110.1016/j.physa. 2005.06. 101] claims that freely diffusing particles in the PCPD should play the same role as frozen particles when it comes to the critical behavior. Therefore, the PCPD is claimed to have the same critical phenomena as a model with infinitely many absorbing states that belongs to the directed percolation (DP) universality class. To investigate if diffusing particles are really indistinguishable from frozen particles in the sense of the renormalization group, we study numerically a variation of the PCPD by introducing a nonorder field associated with infinitely many absorbing states. We find that a crossover from the PCPD to DP occurs due to the nonorder field. By studying a similar model, we exclude the possibility that the mere introduction of a nonorder field to one model can entail a nontrivial crossover to another model in the same universality class, thus we attribute the observed crossover to the difference of the universality class of the PCPD from the DP class.
A Comparative Study of the Monitoring Performance for Weighted Control Charts

Statistical process control (SPC) is the method that monitors process quality characteristic. Through control charts, one can detect whether the present process malfunction. However, some annoyances may arise while the engineers need to choose appropriately control chart under different levels of process malfunction. The main objective of this research is using step-by-step procedures to present a comparative study of the monitoring performance for Shewhart, cumulative sum (CUSUM), exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) and generally weighted moving average (GWMA) control charts. While the process means or the standard deviations were changing in different levels, the performance of each weighted control chart can be then compared by using average run length (ARL). A rule of thumb for selecting better control schemes is provided as a truthfully reference to help engineers in choosing the more appropriate control charts immediately when the assignable causes occurred.
An Estimator for Treatment Comparisons among Survivors in Randomized Trials

Summary In clinical trials of advanced‐stage disease it is often of interest to perform treatment comparisons for endpoints which are defined only for survivors. Examples include time on ventilation in ventilation studies, change in quality of life in health‐related quality‐of‐life studies, and duration of response to therapy in therapeutic trials. Randomized treatment comparisons for these endpoints cannot be performed because the outcomes are only defined in the nonrandomly selected subgroup of survivors. We propose a new evaluation of the survivor average causal effect (SACE) for treatment comparisons of this nature. We provide an estimator of SACE in the presence of no unmeasured confounders, a nontestable assumption, which identifies SACE. We also outline a sensitivity analysis for exploring robustness of conclusions to deviations from this assumption. We apply this method to duration of ventilation in a clinical trial of acute respiratory distress syndrome.
The epidemiology of myasthenia gravis in central and western Virginia

We conducted a study of the epidemiology of myasthenia gravis (MG) in four locations in central and western Virginia from 1970 through 1984. The population surveyed was 555,851 in 1984. A total of 73 new cases of MG occurred during the survey period, producing an overall average annual incidence rate of 9.1 per million. The point prevalence rate in 1980 was 13.4 per 100,000, and in 1984 it was 14.2. Approximately 15% of the population was black, and we found that incidence and prevalence rates for the black population were higher than the corresponding white population. When the population was subdivided into <50 and 50+ age groups, the incidence and prevalence were significantly higher in the older group. The rates we report here are higher than rates reported from any other locality. The reasons for the higher rates include optimal case identification, survey of a population with a higher incidence, and increasing aging of the population.
In Vitro Characteristics of the Microsporidian: Enterocytozoon salmonis

ABSTRACT. Enterocytozoon salmonis, an intranuclear microsporidian of salmonid fish, was propagated in vitro using chinook salmon mononuclear leukocytes. Characteristic morphology and infectivity of the cultured parasites were evaluated to determine the effect of in vitro maintenance and passage on the parasites. Cultured parasites developed through several stages from meronts to infectious spores. Parasites obtained from in vitro passages tested up to the 17th subculture, retained their morphological characteristics and pathogenicity for chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). The disease induced by experimental infections with parasites from in vitro cultures was ideniical to that observed in naturally infected chinook salmon. An examination of supernatants obtained from the infected cultures revealed evidence of soluble factor(s) produced by E. salmonis‐infected cells that stimulated uninfected target cells in vitro. This observation may explain in part the proliferative disease of hematopoietic tissues which characterizes the disease in infected chinook salmon.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy for Peyronie's disease: exploratory meta-analysis of clinical trials.

PURPOSE Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) for the treatment of Peyronie's disease is still controversial. This exploratory meta-analysis of published studies in the international literature investigates its therapeutic effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS The treatment outcomes from 17 study groups identified by a computerized literature search were compared with natural history outcomes and data from control groups from 2 controlled ESWT studies. An exploratory meta-analysis was performed because a methodologically sound meta-analysis lege artis did not appear appropriate, since treated groups differ considerably in structure, the selection of outcome measures is inconsistent and measurement is not standardized. RESULTS ESWT seems to have an effect on penile pain during erection and on the improvement of sexual function. Pain seems to resolve faster after ESWT than during the course of the natural history. The effect on plaque size and penile curvature is less impressive. CONCLUSIONS ESWT in Peyronie's disease at least seems to be effective in regard to penile pain and sexual function compared to natural history. Deducing from these data the effect on plaque size and curvature remains questionable. However, ESWT is not an evidence based therapy at present. A controlled (preferably pairwise matched), single blind, multicenter study with careful, detailed documentation of disease symptoms before intervention and of outcomes is required to evaluate the real effect of ESWT.
Supply Chain Inventory Control in Semiconductor Manufacturing

As the semiconductor industry faces more and more fierce competition, it is essential for semiconductor supply chain to integrate back-end and front-end to provide better service to customers. This research develops a semiconductor supply chain monitoring scheme based on the concept of echelon WIP inventory and CONWIP system. The first step in the proposed scheme is to construct a two-echelon model with the goal of minimizing the echelon WIP inventory control limits under target service levels. Next, this two-echelon model is extended to a multi-echelon model. The proposed scheme has been validated through simulation study. Based on the simulation validation results, conclusions are drawn as follows: 1) The proposed scheme can derive the multi-echelon WIP inventory limits effectively; 2) Compared to the traditional stage-based inventory monitoring scheme, the proposed echelon-based monitoring scheme can obtain a higher service level with lower inventory levels.
Sleep in Older African Americans and Caucasians at Risk for Sleep-Disordered Breathing

This study explored differences in sleep between older African Americans (AA) and Caucasians (CA) at risk for sleep-disordered breathing. Seventy AA and 70 CA were compared on ambulatory monitoring sleep variables and on self-reports on health and socioeconomic status (SES). After controlling for SES and health covariates, CA woke up significantly more often than AA (p = .018), but there were no other differences in sleep variables between the two groups. Time awake at night was related to being male, more depression, less walking, and lower income, whereas having more awakenings during the night was related to being CA, higher apnea-hypopnea index, and higher periodic leg movement index. Importance of inclusion of SES, health, and other covariates in studies exploring racial differences in sleep are discussed.
Identity of ‘Orbitozygomatic Muscle’

Our exploration disclosed 17 (40%) stranded muscles of 42 hemifacial specimens of Korean cadavers. We name this distinct muscle 'Orbitozygomatic Muscle (OZM)' that is either an aberrant orbiculairs oculi muscle or a separate muscle. A triangular space bounded superiorly by the lowest edge of the orbicularis oculi muscle (OOM), laterally by Zygomaticus Minor, and inferiorly by OMZ gives way to neurovascular bundle and suborbicularis oculi fat pad (SOOF).
The Exchange Rate, Employment and Hours: What Firm-Level Data Say

Using a representative panel of manufacturing firms, we estimate the response of job and hours worked to currency swings, showing that it depends primarily on firms' exposure to foreign sales and their reliance on imported inputs. We also show that, for a given international exposure, the response to exchange rate fluctuations is magnified when firms exhibit a lower monopoly power and when they face foreign pressure in the domestic market through import penetration. The degree of substitutability between imported and other inputs and the distribution of workers by type introduce additional degrees of specificity in the employment sensitivity to exchange rate swings. Moreover, we show that episodes of entry and exit in the export market are associated with a heterogeneous employment response depending on the degree of external orientation when the switch of export status occurs.
In Situ-Synthesized Virulence and Marker Gene Biochip for Detection of Bacterial Pathogens in Water

ABSTRACT Pathogen detection tools with high reliability are needed for various applications, including food and water safety and clinical diagnostics. In this study, we designed and validated an in situ-synthesized biochip for detection of 12 microbial pathogens, including a suite of pathogens relevant to water safety. To enhance the reliability of presence/absence calls, probes were designed for multiple virulence and marker genes (VMGs) of each pathogen, and each VMG was targeted by an average of 17 probes. Hybridization of the biochip with amplicon mixtures demonstrated that 95% of the initially designed probes behaved as predicted in terms of positive/negative signals. The probes were further validated using DNA obtained from three different types of water samples and spiked with pathogen genomic DNA at decreasing relative abundance. Excellent specificity for making presence/absence calls was observed by using a cutoff of 0.5 for the positive fraction (i.e., the fraction of probes yielding a positive signal for a given VMG). A split multiplex PCR design for simultaneous amplification of the VMGs resulted in a detection limit of between 0.1 and 0.01% relative abundance, depending on the type of pathogen and the VMG. Thermodynamic analysis of the hybridization patterns obtained with DNA from the different water samples demonstrated that probes with a hybridization Gibbs free energy of approximately −19.3 kcal/mol provided the best trade-off between sensitivity and specificity. The developed biochip may be used to detect the described bacterial pathogens in water samples when parallel and specific detection is required.
EVOLUTION OF SPRINT SPEED IN AFRICAN SAVANNAH HERBIVORES IN RELATION TO PREDATION

Predator–prey arms races are widely speculated to underlie fast speed in terrestrial mammals. However, due to lack of empirical testing, both the specificity of any evolutionary coupling between particular predator and prey species, and the relevance of alternative food‐based hypotheses of speed evolution, remain obscure. Here I examine the ecological links between the sprint speed of African savannah herbivores, their vulnerability to predators, and their diet. I show that sprint speed is strongly predicted by the vulnerability of prey to their main predators; however, the direction of the link depends on the hunting style of the predator. Speed increases with vulnerability to pursuit predators, whereas vulnerability to ambush predators is associated with particularly slow speed. These findings suggest that differential vulnerability to specific predators can indeed drive interspecific variation in speed within prey communities, but that predator hunting style influences the intensity and consistency with which selection on speed is coupled between particular species.
Functionally relevant variations of the interleukin-10 gene associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-negative Churg-Strauss syndrome, but not with Wegener's granulomatosis.

OBJECTIVE Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) and Churg-Strauss syndrome (CSS) belong to the heterogeneous group of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitides. Current understanding of their pathogenesis and genetic background is limited. Expression levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10), a potent and pleiotropic cytokine, are largely determined by variations in the gene encoding the IL-10 precursor. This study was undertaken to determine the impact of IL10 polymorphisms on the pathogenesis of both WG and CSS in large cohorts. METHODS Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tagging the promoter haplotypes of the IL10 gene (IL10 -3575, IL10 -1082, and IL10 -592) were analyzed in 403 patients with WG and 103 patients with CSS as well as 507 matched control subjects from Germany. In addition, 3 informative SNPs in other parts of IL10 were genotyped. RESULTS None of the markers or their haplotypes was associated with WG or any of its subgroups classified according to ANCA status, sex, or presence of further WG genetic risk factors. In contrast, the IL10 -3575/-1082/-592 TAC haplotype, part of the extended ancient haplotype IL10.2, was highly significantly associated with ANCA-negative CSS (chi2 = 19.14, P = 0.000012, corrected P = 0.0003, odds ratio 2.16, 95% confidence interval 1.52-3.06). CONCLUSION These findings challenge those from previous studies of IL10 in WG and provide further evidence that CSS and WG have distinct genetic backgrounds. Because the IL10.2 haplotype has been correlated reproducibly with increased IL10 expression, the possible role of IL-10 in the pathogenesis of ANCA-negative CSS needs to be further elucidated.
Motor events underlying gastro‐oesophageal reflux in ambulant patients with reflux oesophagitis

Abstract Information on the mechanism of gastro‐oesophageal reflux in patients with reflux disease is limited largely to studies in resting recumbent subjects. Evidence exists that both posture and physical activity may influence reflux. The aim of this study was to investigate reflux mechanisms in ambulant patients with reflux oesophagitis.
Effects of cow's milk supplementation on milk output of protein deficient lactating mothers and on their infants' energy and protein status

A cow's milk supplement providing 500 kcal (2093 kJ) and 18 g of protein a day was given during 2 months to 83 lactating Zairian mothers suffering from protein malnutrition. The mothers′ nutritional status improved significantly after 2 months. The initial 24‐hour mother′s milk output was on average 607 ml (s.d.: 182) and did not change significantly after 2 months (604 ml; s.d.: 178). Initial milk output and change in milk output did not differ according to mothers' nutritional status at inclusion. Breast‐fed infants showed a significant improvement of their mean serum albumin concentration while their growth was similar to the mean growth of children of the same age.
Los modelos de regulación de los mercados financieros: el mensaje de la Encíclica

The author analyzes the global financial crisis in the light of the new Encyclical. From her point of view, globalization has changed the ability of States to regulate financial activities and therefore requires new ways of re-channeling the financial system to avoid a new crisis. To this end, the author discusses the construction of institutions for the financial system, proposes alternative ways to overcome the model of anonymous and mechanical markets of recent years and suggests educational interventions.
Long-Term Culture of Purified Postnatal Oligodendrocyte Precursor Cells

Oligodendrocytes myelinate axons in the vertebrate central nervous system (CNS). They develop from precursor cells (OPCs), some of which persist in the adult CNS. Adult OPCs differ in many of their properties from OPCs in the developing CNS. In this study we have purified OPCs from postnatal rat optic nerve and cultured them in serum-free medium containing platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), the main mitogen for OPCs, but in the absence of thyroid hormone in order to inhibit their differentiation into oligodendrocytes. We find that many of the cells continue to proliferate for more than a year and progressively acquire a number of the characteristics of OPCs isolated from adult optic nerve. These findings suggest that OPCs have an intrinsic maturation program that progressively changes the cell's phenotype over many months. When we culture the postnatal OPCs in the same conditions but with the addition of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), the cells acquire these mature characteristics much more slowly, suggesting that the combination of bFGF and PDGF, previously shown to inhibit OPC differentiation, also inhibits OPC maturation. The challenge now is to determine the molecular basis of such a protracted maturation program and how the program is restrained by bFGF.