Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Macrostructure differences of polar fox and dog lungs

The lungs of the polar fox and dog have the typical form and lobular structure characteristic of beasts of prey. Both display secondary fusion of the cranial and middle lobes in the left lung, but this is more extensive in the fox. A consistent relationship between the beast body mass and the mass and volume of the lungs is present. The relative weight of dog lungs independent of body size (weight index) is 1.7 times that of the polar fox. In the latter the parenchyma is much more subdivided than in the dog. There are 23 segments per lung pair in the polar fox, compared to 19 in the dog. Although these are of unequal size throughout the lungs of both species, corresponding segments in the fox are about half as large as those in the dog. The greater segmentation of polar fox lungs may be of assistance in restricting the spread of inflammatory processes. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Isolation and Characterization of Chromogranins A, B, and C from Bovine Chromaffin Granules and a Rat Pheochromocytoma

Abstract: Bovine chromaffin granules from adrenal medulla contain three acidic secretory proteins: chromogranins A, B, and C. For isolation of these proteins, methods based mainly on high performance liquid chromatography were developed. After removal of contaminating glycoproteins by lectin affinity chromatography, chromogranins were separated by high performance anion‐exchange, gel‐filtration, and reverse phase liquid chromatography. As a final purification step sodium dodecyl sulfate‐gel electrophoresis was performed. Amino acid analysis of isolated bovine chromogranins revealed a similar composition of all three proteins, with glutamic acid being the most prominent amino acid. The methods developed for bovine proteins also proved suitable for isolating rat chromogranins A and B from a transplantable pheochromocytoma. Chromogranin C was not present in sufficient amounts to be isolated from this tissue. The chromogranins purified by these methods were used to raise specific antibodies in rabbits. The use of purified chromogranins together with specific antisera may be valuable in understanding the still undiscovered function of these proteins.
Enhanced antitumor effect of novel dual-targeted paclitaxel liposomes

A novel dual-targeted peptide containing an alpha V integrins specific ligand and a neuropilin-1 specific motif was developed which showed an increased specific targeting affinity to tumors. Active dual-targeted liposomes were then produced with this peptide and exhibited greater binding activity than single-targeted liposomes in vitro. Paclitaxel entrapped in this formulation greatly increased the uptake of paclitaxel in the targeting cells and significantly suppressed the growth of HUVEC and A549 cells compared with general paclitaxel injections (Taxol) and single-targeted paclitaxel liposomes. The treatment of tumor xenograft models with dual-targeted paclitaxel liposomes also resulted in better tumor growth inhibition than any other treatment groups. Therefore, the dual-targeted paclitaxel liposomes prepared in the present study might be a more promising drug for cancer treatment. Furthermore, the dual-targeting approach may produce synergistic effects that can be applied in the development of new targeted drug delivery systems.
General pharmacology of the novel centrally acting antihypertensive agent moxonidine.

Moxonidine (4-chloro-N-(4, 5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-6-methoxy-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinamine, BDF 5895) reduces blood pressure and heart rate in rats with genetic hypertension (SHR/Okamoto) and in rats with renovascular hypertension (Goldblatt 1 k/1 c). The hypotensive action was also confirmed in renal-hypertensive dogs. The hypotensive action is preceded by a reduction in plasma noradrenaline concentration, thus reflecting a reduction in sympathetic activity. In anesthetized cats, administration of moxonidine into the vertebral artery induces a greater hypotensive effect than i.v. injection of same doses, indicating the central nervous system as the site of hypotensive action. Similar to clonidine, the hypotensive action of moxonidine is abolished by pretreatment of the animals with a selective alpha 2-antagonist. Direct application of moxonidine into the cisterna magna of anesthetized rabbits revealed a 10-fold greater hypotensive potency than clonidine, in contrast to i.v. application where moxonidine was 10-fold less potent than clonidine. At least 10-fold higher doses of moxonidine were needed to cause side effects (sedation, inhibition of gastric secretion), when compared with clonidine. Interruption of presynaptic noradrenergic pathways completely abolished the hypotensive action of moxonidine. Thus moxonidine is endowed with a specific central site of action, presumably by stimulating central presynaptic alpha 2-adrenoceptors. This specific central hypotensive action enables a greater dissociation between the antihypertensive effect on the one hand, and the side effects on the other.
Copper nanoparticles toxicity: Laboratory strains verses environmental bacterial isolates

ABSTRACT Nanoparticles have emerged as significant environmental contaminants and their impact has been studied using laboratory strains of bacteria. This study focuses on investigating the response of environmental isolate and laboratory strains of E. coli to 50 and 100 nm size of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs). The laboratory cultures included pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains. The environmental isolate and the non-pathogenic E. coli strain showed different inactivation patterns. After 2 h exposure to 50 nm CuNPs, the environmental isolate and the lab strain of E. coli lost 7.22 and 6.47 log; whereas the reduction of 6.16 and 6.68 log resulted after exposure to 100 nm CuNPs, respectively. The pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 exposed to 50 and 100 nm CuNPs for 2 h resulted in 5.24 and 6.54 log reduction, respectively. Although the environmental isolate and the laboratory strains of E. coli showed similar inactivation trends; they exhibited different toxicity elicitation mechanisms after exposure to the CuNPs. The pathogenic and non-pathogenic strains elicited significantly different levels of glutathione reductase (GR) activities, an enzyme critical for protection against radicals. Similarly, the environmental isolate and the lab strains of E. coli exhibited opposite trend in GR activities. These results clearly indicate divergence in the toxicity elicitation in the environmental isolate versus the laboratory strains from exposure to CuNPs, which highlights the need for an in-depth investigation of the impact of NPs on the biological processes and long-term effect of high load of NPs on the stability of aquatic and terrestrial ecologies.
The phenomenon of multifocality does not affect the biologic behavior of histologic prostate carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The affect of multifocality on the biologic behavior of histologic prostate carcinoma is a controversial issue. The aim of this study was to determine if tumor multifocality influences the prognosis of patients with prostatic cancer. MATERIAL/METHODS Samples consisted of 264 autopsy tissues from men older than 40 years of age and less than 98 years of age who died (between August 2002 and December 2005) of diseases other than clinically diagnosed prostate carcinoma. The entire prostate and seminal vesicles were sectioned, tinted, and fixed in acetic acid. Specimens were immersed in formalin, serial sectioned at a thickness of 4 mm, postfixed, resectioned at a thickness of 2 mm, dehydrated, cleared in xylene, and immersed in paraffin. Two expert pathologists examined the sections. RESULTS Most latent carcinomas (61%) were multifocal and were composed of 2 or more foci. Ninety percent of distinct foci were found to originate from the peripheral zone. Multifocality was more common among larger prostates, and large tumors were almost exclusively multifocal. Half of these had a total volume less than 1 cm3 and a Gleason score of 2 to 6; there was a clear correlation between tumor volume and Gleason score. Heterogeneity of Gleason grade in multifocal tumors was proportional to the number of foci. No statistically significant difference was observed with respect to capsular penetration or perineural or vascular invasion of multifocal tumors compared to those of unifocal tumors. CONCLUSIONS Despite relative heterogeneity, the biologic behavior of multifocal tumors is not different from that observed in unifocal histologic tumors.
Study on the Social Maturity, Self-Perception, and Associated Factors, Including Motor Coordination, of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

This study was designed to identify characteristics of social maturity and self-perception in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to elucidate associated factors, including motor coordination. The subjects were 15 children (14 boys and 1 girl, in elementary school grades 3 to 6). Their characteristics were assessed with the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC), the Japanese version of the Social Maturity Scale-R (S-M scale), and Harter's Self Perception Profile for Children (SPPC). The results of the study suggested that most of the subjects had some degree of motor problem and delay of social maturity. They also suggested an association between social maturity and static-dynamic balance, which was one of the indices of motor coordination.
Dynamic Interactions between Foreign Institutional Investment Flows and Stock Market Returns – The Case of India

There has been a marked increase in the magnitude of Foreign Institutional Investments (FIIs) into India since the 1990s, resulting in increased forex reserves and liquidity and a higher-valued Indian capital market. However, such investment is more volatile than other types of flows, causing disruptive effects in the form of sudden stops (for example, the crash of the Indian stock market on January 21, 2008). This study empirically examines the dynamic relationship between FIIs and Indian stock market returns. It also analyses the effects of FIIs on Indian capital market returns, using data from January, 2004 through September, 2012. The analysis employs a Cross Correlation Function (CCF) approach, a Granger Causality Test and Vector Auto Regression after dividing the data into two parts: Pre Global financial crisis and Post Global financial crisis periods. The results of the CCF suggest bi-directional causality between FIIs and Nifty returns, whereas the Granger Causality Test and the VAR analysis suggest uni-directional causality running Nifty returns to FIIs.
Audits and critical incident reporting in paediatric anaesthesia: lessons from 75,331 anaesthetics.

INTRODUCTION This study reports our experience of audit and critical incidents observed by paediatric anaesthetics from 2000 to 2010 at a paediatric teaching hospital in Singapore. METHODS Data pertaining to patient demographics, practices and critical incidents during anaesthesia and in the perioperative period were prospectively collected via an audit form and retrospectively analysed thereafter. RESULTS A total of 2,519 incidents were noted at the 75,331 anaesthetics performed during the study period. There were nine deaths reported. The majority of incidents reported were respiratory critical incidents (n = 1,757, 69.8%), followed by cardiovascular incidents (n = 238, 9.5%). Risk factors for critical incidents included age less than one year, and preterm and former preterm children. CONCLUSION Critical incident reporting has value, as it provides insights into the system and helps to identify active and system errors, thus enabling the formulation of effective preventive strategies. By creating and maintaining an environment that encourages reporting, we have maintained a high and consistent reporting rate through the years. The teaching of analysis of critical incidents should be regarded by all clinicians as an important tool for improving patient safety.
Platinum-based combination chemotherapy vs. weekly cisplatin during adjuvant CCRT in early cervical cancer with pelvic LN metastasis.

AIM Adjuvant concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) should be considered in surgically-treated patients with early-stage cervical cancer (ECC) who exhibit pelvic lymph node (LN) metastasis. Platinum-based chemotherapy is usually recommended during adjuvant CCRT, however, it is unclear which regimen has better prognostic outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS We reviewed the electronic medical records to find patients with primary ECC (FIGO stages IB-IIA) who underwent type III radical hysterectomy and adjuvant CCRT due to pelvic LN metastasis at the Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine in Seoul, Korea, from November 1997 to September 2007. RESULTS Among 75 patients, 34 received weekly cisplatin. Combination chemotherapy was performed without consolidation in 21 patients and with consolidation in 20 patients. The mean follow-up period was 59.0 months and the five-year survival rate was 84.4%. In multivariate analysis, combination chemotherapy with and without consolidation was associated with improved disease-free survival [hazard ratio (HR)=0.23, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.06-0.88, p=0.032, and HR=0.29, 95% CI=0.09-0.91, p=0.034, respectively]; combination chemotherapy with consolidation significantly improved overall survival (HR=0.11, 95% CI=0.02-0.87, p=0.037) when compared to weekly cisplatin. CONCLUSION We found that platinum-based combination chemotherapy during adjuvant CCRT after surgery promoted better survival than a weekly cisplatin regimen in ECC patients with pelvic LN metastasis.
Web identity security : advanced phishing attacks and counter measures

Phishing is an emerging type of social engineering crime on the Web. Most phishers initiate attacks by sending emails to potential victims. These emails lure users to access fake websites, and induce them to expose sensitive and/or private information. The rapid development and evolution of phishing techniques pose a big challenge in Web identity security for computer science researchers in both academia and industry. Advanced counter measures are required in urgency. All phishing attacks spoof users from the visual level and semantic level, i.e., they make the appearances of web pages look similar to the real ones and make the web links and web page contents semantically related to the real ones. All such scams happen through human computer interaction. In this dissertation, we address a series of advanced counter measures against the most prominent phishing scams. We also propose a tool to provide web page originality verification. The backbone of this dissertation consists of four parts: Visual Assessment Approach, Semantic Assessment Approach, Human Computer Interaction Enforcement, and Website Originality Verification. We develop a system with algorithmic solutions for handling the phishing problem with different tools. In addition, we present experimental results showing the effectiveness of our work. Finally, we discuss future research topics and directions. In the Visual Assessment Approach, we detect phishing attacks using visual features of web pages. Study in [48] demonstrated that visual assessment based detection is successful, but it fails in advanced phishing attacks, as shown in Chapter 2 (Section 2.2).
Genetic evidence for the presence of two species of Onchocerca from the wild boar in Japan.

In order to clarify the genetic differences between Onchocerca dewittei japonica, the causative agent of zoonotic onchocerciasis in Japan and a related undescribed Onchocerca sp. , both parasitizing wild boar (Sus scrofa) of which the infective larval stages are indistinguishable from each other, we compared the sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene region from four infective larvae (recovered from experimentally infected black flies), one microfilaria, and one adult of O. dewittei japonica, and from one infective larva (recovered from an experimentally infected black fly), one microfilaria, and a pool of several microfilariae of O. sp. The length of the CO1 gene region was 649 bp for all samples but there was a difference of 8.8 to 9.4% in the sequences between the two species although there were intraspecific variations of 0 to 0.5%. The CO1 sequences of O. sp. did not correspond to any of those deposited in the databases. Our study provides evidence that O. dewittei japonica and O. sp. are genetically different from each other.
Effect of dietary protein content during recovery from high-intensity cycling on subsequent performance and markers of stress, inflammation, and muscle damage in well-trained men.

Nutrition is an important aspect of recuperation for athletes during multi-day competition or hard training. Post-exercise carbohydrate is likely to improve recovery, but the effect of protein is equivocal. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of post-exercise dietary protein content imposed over a high-carbohydrate background on subsequent performance. Using a crossover design, 12 cyclists completed 3 high-intensity rides over 4 days. Day 1 comprised 2.5 h intervals, followed by repeat-sprint performance tests on days 2 (15 h post) and 4 (60 h post), interspersed with a rest day. During 4 h recovery on days 1 and 2, cyclists ingested either 1.4 g.kg(-1). h(-1) carbohydrate, 0.7 g.kg(-1). h(-1) protein and 0.26 g.kg(-1). h(-1) fat (protein-enriched) or 2.1 g.kg(-1). h(-1) carbohydrate, 0.1 g.kg(-1). h(-1) protein, and equal fat (control). At other times, cyclists ingested a standardized high-carbohydrate diet. Anabolism was gauged indirectly by nitrogen balance, stress and inflammation via cortisol and cytokines, skeletal-muscle membrane disruption by creatine kinase, and oxidative stress by malonyl dealdehyde. Sprint mean power was not clearly different on day 2 (0.0%; 95%CL: +/-3.9%), but on day 4 it was 4.1% higher (+/-4.1%) in the protein-enriched condition relative to control. Reduced creatine kinase was possible (26%; +/-30%) but effects on oxidative stress, inflammatory markers, and cortisol were inconclusive or trivial. Overnight nitrogen balance was positive in the protein-enriched condition on day 1 (249+/-70 mg N.kg FFM(-1); mean+/-SD), but negative (-48+/-26 mg N.kg FFM(-1)) in the control condition. A nutritive effect of post-exercise protein content was not discernible short term (15 h), but a delayed performance benefit (60 h) was observed following protein-enriched high-carbohydrate ingestion.
Analysis of hepatitis C virus core/NS5A protein co-localization using novel cell culture systems expressing core-NS2 and NS5A of genotypes 1-7.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is an important human pathogen infecting hepatocytes. With the advent of infectious cell culture systems, the HCV particle assembly and release processes are finally being uncovered. The HCV core and NS5A proteins co-localize on cytoplasmic lipid droplets (cLDs) or on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) at different stages of particle assembly. Current knowledge on assembly and release is primarily based on studies in genotype 2a cell culture systems; however, given the high genetic heterogeneity of HCV, variations might exist among genotypes. Here, we developed novel HCV strain JFH1-based recombinants expressing core-NS2 and NS5A from genotypes 1-7, and analysed core and NS5A co-localization in infected cells. Huh7.5 cells were transfected with RNA of core-NS2/NS5A recombinants and putative adaptive mutations were analysed by reverse genetics. Adapted core-NS2/NS5A recombinants produced infectivity titres of 10(2.5)-10(4.5) f.f. u. ml(-1). Co-localization analysis demonstrated that the core and NS5A proteins from all genotypes co-localized extensively, and there was no significant difference in protein co-localization among genotypes. In addition, we found that the core and NS5A proteins were highly associated with cLDs at 12 h post-infection but became mostly ER associated at later stages. Finally, we found that different genotypes showed varying levels of core/cLD co-localization, with a possible effect on viral assembly/release. In summary, we developed a panel of HCV genotype 1-7 core-NS2/NS5A recombinants producing infectious virus, and an immunostaining protocol detecting the core and NS5A proteins from seven different genotypes. These systems will allow, for the first time, investigation of core/NS5A interactions during assembly and release of HCV particles of all major genotypes.
Microbacterium enclense sp. nov., isolated from sediment sample.

A novel bacterium (strain NIO-1002(T)) belonging to the genus Microbacterium was isolated from a marine sediment sample in Chorao Island, Goa Province, India. Its morphology, physiology, biochemical features and 16S rRNA gene sequence were characterized. Cells of this strain were Gram-stain-positive, non-motile, non-spore-forming rods that formed yellow-pigmented colonies. It grew in 0-12% (w/v) NaCl and at 25-37 °C, with optimal growth at 30 °C. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain NIO-1002(T) is associated with members of the genus Microbacterium, with highest sequence similarity with Microbacterium hominis CIP 105731(T) (98.1%) and Microbacterium testaceum KCTC 9103(T) (98.0%). Within the phylogenetic tree, this novel strain shared a branching point with M. hominis CIP 105731(T). The DNA G+C content was 66.5 mol% and DNA-DNA hybridization relatedness between NIO-1002(T), M. hominis CIP 105731(T) and M. testaceum KCTC 9103(T) was 39.0 ± 2.0% and 41.0 ± 2.0%, respectively. The major fatty acids were ai-C15 : 0, i-C16 : 0 and ai-C17 : 0 and the diamino acid in the cell-wall peptidoglycan of NIO-1002(T) was lysine. Data obtained from DNA-DNA hybridization and chemotaxonomic phenotypic analysis support the conclusion that strain NIO-1002(T) represents a novel species within the genus Microbacterium. The name Microbacterium enclense sp. nov. is proposed, with NIO-1002(T) ( = NCIM 5454(T) = DSM 25125(T) = CCTCC AB 2011120(T)) as the type strain.
Dystonia and cerebellar atrophy in Cacna1a null mice lacking P/Q calcium channel activity

P/Q‐type voltage‐dependent calcium channel CACNA1A mutations cause dominantly inherited migraine, episodic ataxia, and cerebellar atrophy in humans and cause recessively inherited ataxia, episodic dyskinesia, cerebellar atrophy, and absence epilepsy in mice. The basis of these species differences and the disease mechanism(s) are not understood. To address this question and to identify required P/Q function in vivo, we created a germline Cacna1a null mutation (designated Cacna1a Fcrtm1) by gene targeting. Null mice develop dystonia and late‐onset cerebellar degeneration in a specific pattern. This indicates a requirement for P/Q function for survival in a subset of cerebellar neurons. Homozygous null mice completely lack P/Q‐type channel activity, and they also lack ω‐CTx‐MVIIC receptors, indicating that a single gene encodes P/Q channel activity. An increase of L‐and N‐type current densities is detected in P/Q‐null granule cells. Heterozygous Cacna1a Fcrtm1/+ mice are phenotypically normal, despite having a 50% reduction in current density, indicating that reduced current density is not itself sufficient to cause the pathophysiology of spontaneous mouse mutants with ataxia and seizures.