Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Translocation of rhoA Associated with Ca2+ Sensitization of Smooth Muscle*

We determined the relationship between the localization of rhoA and Ca2+ sensitization of force in smooth muscle. In α-toxin-permeabilized rabbit portal vein at pCa 6.5, the particulate hydrophobic fraction ofrhoA (10 ± 1.6% of the total) was significantly increased by phenylephrine to 18 ± 5.5% at 5 min, by AlF4 − to 26 ± 8.4% at 20 min, and dose-dependently up to 62 ± 9.5% by guanosine 5′-O-(3-thiotriphosphate) (GTPγS; 0.3–50 μm). Translocation of rhoA was selective (Rac1 and Cdc42 were not translocated) and was quantitatively correlated (up to ∼50%; r = 0.91,p < 0.05) with Ca2+ sensitization; high GTPγS concentrations (≥10 μm) further increased translocation without increasing force. The initial recruitment ofrhoA to the membrane paralleled the time course of contraction, but sensitization could be reversed without a decrease in particulate rhoA. High [Ca2+] (pCa 4.5) also increased particulate rhoA to 31 ± 5.8%. Membrane-associated rhoA in unstimulated portal vein was a good substrate for in vitroADP-ribosylation, whereas the large amount translocated by GTPγS was not. We conclude that 1) translocation of rhoA plays a causal role in Ca2+ sensitization, and 2) membrane-boundrhoA can exist in two or more states.
Evaluation of In vitro and In vivo Performance of Granisetron In situ Forming Implants: Effect of Sterilization, Storage Condition and Degradation

Purpose : To investigate the effect of various solvent systems and gamma irradiation on the in vitro and in vivo performance of granisetron HCl injectable phase-sensitive in situ forming implants (ISFIs). Methods : ISFIs were prepared by mixing and sterilized by gamma irradiation. Effect of solvent system was studied. Injectability, polymer degradation and stability studies (4 and 25 oC for 4 months), viscosity measurements, as well as in vitro and in vivo (in rabbits) drug release, and also histological examinations for biocompatibility studies (in rabbits and rats) were carried out. Results : ISFIs showed good injectability from 20-gauge needle and their in vitro drug release increased in the following rank order of solvent/solvent combinations: dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) > DMSO:prophylenecarbonate (PC) > DMSO:triacetin(TA) > DMSO:benzylbenzoate (BB). DMSO:PC incorporating ISFI gave zero order (r2 = 0.9503) drug release for 21 days; application of gamma irradiation accelerated drug release with a difference factor (f1) of 53 but zero order release (r2 = 9690) was maintained. Following test results for DMSO:PC including ISFI as decrease in molecular weight of polymer was descriptive for drug release behavior and sterilization effect, additionally dynamic viscosities decreased in line with polymer degradation and all forms of this ISFI showed plastic flow (fresh, irradiated, aged at 4 and 25 oC for 4 months). In vivo performance showed steady state plasma drug concentrations between 2 to 21 days with value of 0.55 ± 0.03 ig/ml and biocompatibility was confirmed by histological results obtained at specific stages of tissue reactions, and also by lack of fibrous capsule formation. Conclusion : An ISFI for long-term antiemetic therapy achieved in this preliminary study is promising and, therefore, further investigations are required. Keywords : Implant, Poly(DL-lactide-co-glycolide), Granisetron, Gamma irradiation, Sterilization, Degradation, Viscosity, Stability, Pharmacokinetic, Biocompatibility.
Genetic mechanisms of vascular and renal damage.

M icroalbuminuria, characterized by increased urinary excretion of albumin (UEA), is a well known marker of both early renal damage and progression of kidney disease [1]. It is also a common finding in hypertension, obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation, all of which are underpinned by endothelial dysfunction [1]. Indeed, increased urinary albumin excretion in these conditions is believed to result, at least in part, from systemic endothelial dysfunction and reflect microvascular damage within renal circulation. Even at the levels considered as clinically normal, albuminuria is recognized as a predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in both hypertensive and general population [2–4]. The exact molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction and microalbuminuria are still to be elucidated, but it is believed that both conditions share some pathophysiology including genetic background. One of the major challenges in dissecting the biological relations between human endothelial dysfunction and microalbuminuria is a web of other complex systemic disorders coexistent commonly with both phenotypes (i.e. hypertension). Rodent models of renal and vascular disease including the one reported in this issue of the Journal by Steireif et al. [5] have a potential to provide some mechanistic insights into the molecular background of microalbuminuria and vascular damage by using crossbreeding experiments, refined phenotypes, and availability of relevant tissues. Together with progressive microalbuminuria, the Munich Wistar Fromter (MWF) rats are born with nephron deficit and develop chronic kidney disease [6]. UEA in MWF is largely independent of blood pressure (BP) [7]. The earlier studies using cross-breeding of MWF with Lewis [7] and spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) [8] strains identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for UAE and renal interstitial fibrosis on rat chromosome 6. A separate QTL for UAE on rat chromosome 8 was identified in the cross-
Week 96 analysis of rilpivirine or efavirenz in HIV‐1‐infected patients with baseline viral load ≤ 100 000 copies/mL in the pooled ECHO and THRIVE phase 3, randomized, double‐blind trials

These 96‐week, ECHO/THRIVE pooled analyses evaluated data for antiretroviral treatment‐naïve, HIV‐1‐infected adults with viral load (VL) ≤ 100 000 HIV‐1 RNA copies/mL receiving rilpivirine or efavirenz.
Dynamic analysis of regional convergence in Indonesia

This study examines income convergence among provinces in Indonesia using dynamic panel data approach. The results show that static and dynamic panel data approaches produce different results of convergence patterns. Consistent with the theory, the Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and fixed-effects estimators provide the upper and lower bounds. The first-differences generalized method of moments (FD-GMM) provides invalid estimators which are lower than the coefficient from the fixed effects estimators due to the weak instruments problem. The system-GMM (SYS-GMM) estimators are found to be unbiased, consistent and valid. They show that convergence process prevails among provinces in Indonesia for the period 1983 – 2003. However the speed of convergence is relatively very slow (0.29) compared to other studies in developing countries.
Electrospray ionization mass spectrometric analysis of phospholipids of Escherichia coli

A range of lipid species (Fig. IA ) . The principal peaks have molecular masses that correspond to those of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) with a PE:PG ratio of 73:27; it should be noted that the apparent dominance of PG species in the spectrum is due to the technique being 10 times less sensitive to PE than PG (data not shown). To confirm identifications, in-source collisionally induced dissociation (CID) was used to simultaneously split all these molecules into their constituent groups, enabling the identification of six fatty acid chains and two ions corresponding to cleavage of the head
Analysis of mRNA associated factors during bovine oocyte maturation and early embryonic development

Regulation of gene expression at the translational level is particularly essential during developmental periods, when transcription is impaired. According to the closed‐loop model of translational initiation, we have analyzed components of the 5´‐mRNA cap‐binding complex eIF4F (eIF4E, eIF4G, eIF4A), the eIF4E repressor 4E‐BP1, and 3´‐mRNA poly‐(A) tail‐associated proteins (PABP1 and 3, PAIP1 and 2, CPEB1, Maskin) during in vitro maturation of bovine oocytes and early embryonic development up to the 16‐cell stage. Furthermore, we have elucidated the activity of distinct kinases which are potentially involved in their phosphorylation. Major phosphorylation of specific target sequences of PKA, PKB, PKC, CDKs, ATM/ATR, and MAPK were observed in M II stage oocytes. Furthermore, main changes in the abundance and/or phosphorylation of distinct mRNA‐binding factors occur at the transition from M II stage oocytes to 2‐cell embryos. In conclusion, the results indicate that, at the transition from oocyte to embryonic development, translational initiation is regulated by striking differences in the abundance and/or phosphorylation of 5´‐end and 3´‐end mRNA associated factors, mainly the poly‐(A) bindings proteins PABP1 and 3, their repressor PAIP2 and a Maskin‐like protein with distinct eIF4E‐binding properties which prevents eIF4E/cap binding and eIF4F formation in vitro. Nevertheless, from the M II stage to 16‐cell embryos a substantial amount of eIF4E and, to a lesser extent, of eIF4G was precipitated by 7m‐GTP‐Separose indicating eIF4F complex formation. Therefore, it is likely that in general the reduction in PABP1 and 3 abundance represses overall translation during early embryonic development. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 76: 1208–1219, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Apoptosis resistance-related ABCB5 and DNaseX (Apo10) expression in oral carcinogenesis

Abstract Background. Apoptosis resistance is a crucial factor for the carcinogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Methods. Expression of apoptosis resistance-related ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter ABCB5 [subfamily B (MDR/TAP) member 5] and DNaseX (Apo10) were analyzed in normal oral mucosa (n = 5), oral precursor lesions (simple hyperplasia, n = 11; squamous intraepithelial neoplasia, SIN I–III, n = 35), and OSCC specimen (n = 42) by immunohistochemistry. Results. Expression of ABCB5 and Apo10 were significantly increased in the carcinogenesis of OSCC compared with normal tissue. Compared with SIN I–III, ABCB5 expression was significantly decreased in OSCC. Apo10 expression did not significantly differ from OSCC compared with SIN I–III. Conclusions. This study provides the first evidence of the expression of ABCB5 and Apo10 in the multi-step carcinogenesis of OSCC. Overcoming drug resistance of ABCB5+ and Apo10+ cells in precursor lesions and tumors by natural compounds may act as sensitizers for apoptosis or could be useful for chemoprevention.
Nursing students' perceptions of research: usefulness, implementation and training.

AIMS The present study explored students' perceptions of the usefulness of research for nursing practice; beliefs about difficulties in implementing research on the wards; and finally, their satisfaction with the research training received. BACKGROUND Anecdotal reports of nursing students' dislike of research. METHOD Recruiting preregistration students for the present study was the first obstacle, and so the sample size remained small, consisting of 12 students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and later transcribed. RESULTS The findings indicated that resistance, both by students and by qualified nurses, was a recurring issue. Several students disagreed with the training and expressed a need for more practical experience. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the present study suggests that educational and organizational improvements need to be introduced to transform nursing into a research-active profession.
Ecological Stoichiometry: The Biology of Elements from Molecules to the Biosphere

D ifferent areas in biology are often criticized for being either too myopic and not asking questions about how their results fit into a larger framework or for being too broad and ignoring important details. A few research programs are now attempting to make general claims derived from simple, micro-level phenomena. This is great progress for biology, resolving some of the tensions between different approaches. A merging of these fields may lead to even greater advances. One of the most exciting of these new programs is ecological stoichiometry (ES), which has been spearheaded by Sterner and Elser. Their recent book provides an overview of this developing field. With clear exposition they explain how analysis at the level of molecules can have broad implications for many macro-level ecological phenomena. Moreover, they keep their theory closely tied to available data and to the design of new experiments, thereby bridging the gap between two dividing perspectives in biology. As such, Ecological Stoichiometry contains a much needed overview of this research program as well as a good example of future directions in biology. Sterner and Elser use the first part of their book to develop the essential ideas behind ES. The foremost assumption is that an entire organism can be treated as a single, extremely large molecule. Humans, for example, are reducible to the formula:
Analysis of the urine proteome via a combination of multi‐dimensional approaches

Urine is a biological fluid that is non‐invasively and easily harvested, and exhibits high stability from the proteomics point of view. At the downside, the overall low protein content of urine as well as the presence of low‐ and high‐abundance proteins underscores the need for protein enrichment. As a continuation of previous efforts towards the comprehensive characterization of the urine proteome, the current study targeted the mining of urine proteins through the combined application of different protein separation methodologies, specifically, liquid chromatography and preparative electrophoresis along with 1D gel electrophoresis and protein identification by mass spectrometry. In order to enhance comparison and integration of different experimental data sets, the “standard” urine sample developed within the European Kidney and Urine Proteomics (EuroKUP) COST Action, was employed. As a contribution to the existing knowledge, we focused on maintaining and providing information about experimental mass of the identified proteins as well as information pertaining to their relative abundance – as allowed by technical limitations – thus providing an initial view of different isoforms representation and facilitating their future characterization. The difficulties in comparing proteome mining data sets become once more evident, underscoring the need for adopting standardized ways for data reporting as well as for potential new approaches for data analysis involving a thorough investigation of received information at the peptide level.
GPR for road inspection: Georeferencing and efficient approach to data processing and visualization

GPR is a recommendable non-destructive technique for thickness measurement of pavement layers because data acquisition takes place at normal traffic speeds, making GPR a cost-effective technique. On the other hand, the large collected data, when the GPR system is mounted on a moving vehicle, is difficult to process. Given that processing is conducted by qualified practitioners, it is a key to obtain software tools that allow for accurate thickness measurements and fast processing times. In this paper, an easy to use and intuitive tool for pavement thickness measurement is presented. Exploiting the power of C++ programming language and the Qt framework advantages for developing applications with graphic interface, a simple and intuitive tool for a qualified worker is implemented in order to reduce the processing times and to give information at the earliest possible moment. Furthermore, the software provides a visualization application for the georeferencing of the field GPR data by using additional GPS (Global Positioning System) data. Given that the GPR acquisition software can connect to an external GPS for trace tagging, NMEA synchronization was used in this case. If the connection is set properly, the GPR acquisition software creates a number of files in order to get the GPR traces paired with a GGA sentence. After post-processing, all the traces are referenced to a SBET (Smooth Best Estimated Trajectory).
Mortality Risks, Health Endowments, and Parental Investments in Infancy: Evidence from Rural India

This paper examines whether increased background mortality risks induce households to make differential health investments in their high- versus low-endowment children. We argue that increases in background mortality risks may disproportionately affect the survival of the low-endowment sibling, consequently increasing the mortality gap between the high- and low-endowment siblings. This increase in mortality gap may induce households to investment more in their high endowment children. We test this hypothesis using nationally representative data from rural India. We use birth size as a measure of initial health endowment, immunization & breastfeeding as measures of childhood investments and infant mortality rate in the child's village as a measure of mortality risks. We find that in villages with high mortality risks, small-at-birth children in a family are 6 - 17 percent less likely to be breastfed or immunized compared to their large-at-birth siblings. In contrast, we find no significant within family differences in investments in villages with low mortality risks.
Are 2D:4D finger-length ratios related to sexual orientation? Yes for men, no for women.

The ratio of index and ring finger lengths (2D:4D) is thought to be a marker of prenatal androgen exposure. In a sample of over 2,000 participants, men had significantly lower 2D:4D ratios than women (d = .36 and .23 for right and left hands, respectively), and these results were consistent across ethnic groups. Heterosexual men had significantly lower (more male typical) 2D:4D ratios than gay men (d = .32 and .31 for right and left hands, respectively), and these results tended to be consistent across ethnic groups. Heterosexual and lesbian women showed no significant differences in 2D:4D ratios, after ethnicity was taken into account. The current findings add to evidence that prenatal hormonal factors may be linked to men's sexual orientation.
Pathologic and Immunohistochemical Findings in Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) and Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) Naturally Infected with West Nile Virus

Abstract The carcasses of 25 great horned owls and 12 goshawks were investigated for West Nile virus (WNV) infection by immunohistochemistry (IHC) performed on various organs, including brain, spinal cord, heart, kidney, eye, bone marrow, spleen, liver, lungs, pancreas, intestine, and proventriculus, using a WNV-antigen–specific monoclonal antibody and by WNV-specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), performed on fresh brain tissue only. WNV infection was diagnosed by IHC in all owls and all goshawks. WNV-specific RT-PCR amplified WNV-RNA in the brain of all goshawks but only 12 owls (48%). Cachexia was a common macroscopic finding associated with WNV infection in owls (76%). Myocarditis was occasionally macroscopically evident in goshawks (33%). Microscopically, inflammatory lesions, including lymphoplasmacytic and histiocytic encephalitis, myocarditis, endophthalmitis, and pancreatitis were present in both species but were more common and more severe in goshawks than in owls. The most characteristic brain lesion in owls was the formation of glial nodules, in particular in the molecular layer of the cerebellum, while encephalitis affecting the periventricular parenchyma of the cerebral cortex was common in the goshawks. In owls, WNV-antigen–positive cells were present usually only in very small numbers per organ. Kidney (80%), heart (39%), and cerebellum (37%) were the organs that most commonly contained WNV antigen in owls. WNV antigen was frequently widely distributed in the organs of infected goshawks, with increased amounts of WNV antigen in the heart and the cerebrum. Spleen (75%), cerebellum (66%), heart (58%), cerebrum (58%), and eye (50%) were often WNV-antigen positive in goshawks. In contrast with the goshawks, WNV antigen was not present in cerebral and retinal neurons of owls. WNV infection appears to be capable of causing fatal disease in great horned owls and goshawks. However, the distribution and severity of histologic lesions, the antigen distribution in the various organs, and the amount of antigen varied among both species. Therefore, the diagnostician may choose organs for histology and immunohistochemistry as well as RT-PCR depending on the investigated species in order to avoid false-negative results.
Which anthropometric indices of regional adiposity are related to the insulin resistance of aging?

OBJECTIVE To determine which anthropometric methods of assessing body fat distribution are the most predictive of the insulin resistance of aging. DESIGN Commonly used indices of regional adiposity were correlated with whole-body insulin sensitivity in 55 men and 29 women (age range 18-80 years). MEASUREMENTS Insulin sensitivity (SI, minimal model), waist and hip girths, waist-to-hip ratios, conicity index, skinfolds, body fat percentage, maximal oxygen consumption. RESULTS There was a wide disparity in the strength of relationships between commonly used anthropometric indices of fat distribution and whole-body insulin sensitivity. In both sexes minimal waist girth, however, was the primary variable in multivariate regression analysis, accounting for approximately 37% of the variance in SI. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that anthropometric measures of regional adiposity are not interchangeable and/or equivalent when attempting to discern relationships between body fat distribution, insulin sensitivity, and aging.
Isotopomer fractionation in the UV photolysis of N 2 O : 2 . Further comparison of theory and experiment

[1] Wavelength-dependent fractionation of various isotopomers in the photodissociation of N2O is studied. The absorption cross sections are calculated by a time-independent reflection principle, related to the Prakash et al. (2005) treatment but now with an inclusion of the NN stretching coordinate and both the 2A0 and 1A00 electronic excited states. The added 1A00 state is found to have little effect on both the absorption cross section and the fractionation. The improvements include more physical details in the photodissociation of N2O, while maintaining an advantage of a treatment in the work by Prakash et al. (2005) that was not computationally intensive. The present calculated fractionation, without a significant adjustable parameter, gives good agreement with experiments in the absorption cross section in the low-energy region, the important region for the experimentally observed isotopic fractionation.
Changes in quality of life and coping among people with multiple sclerosis over a 2 year period

There is a need to investigate the impact of different coping strategies on quality of life (QOL) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), in order to better inform intervention programs for this population. This study evaluated the relationship between QOL and coping over a 2 year period among people with MS. Participants were 382 people with MS (144 male, 238 females) and 291 people without a neurological or other chronic illness from the general population (101 males, 190 females). People with MS experienced lower QOL than the control group in the domains of global QOL, independence, social and spiritual QOL scales, as well as the problem solving and social/emotional support coping scales. Interestingly, people with MS experienced higher psychological QOL than the general population, and higher detachment and focusing on the positive coping. Over time, people with MS demonstrated increases in their global QOL as well as in their social/emotional support coping. Women demonstrated higher levels than men of global QOL and Social/emotional support coping. The results of these findings have implications for information and intervention programs for people with MS.