Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Homeostatic imbalance of regulatory and effector T cells due to IL-2 deprivation amplifies murine lupus

The origins and consequences of a regulatory T cell (Treg) disorder in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are poorly understood. In the (NZBxNZW) F1 mouse model of lupus, we found that CD4+Foxp3+ Treg failed to maintain a competitive pool size in the peripheral lymphoid organs resulting in a progressive homeostatic imbalance of CD4+Foxp3+ Treg and CD4+Foxp3− conventional T cells (Tcon). In addition, Treg acquired phenotypic changes that are reminiscent of IL-2 deficiency concomitantly to a progressive decline in IL-2-producing Tcon and an increase in activated, IFN-γ-producing effector Tcon. Nonetheless, Treg from lupus-prone mice were functionally intact and capable to influence the course of disease. Systemic reduction of IL-2 levels early in disease promoted Tcon hyperactivity, induced the imbalance of Treg and effector Tcon, and strongly accelerated disease progression. In contrast, administration of IL-2 partially restored the balance of Treg and effector Tcon by promoting the homeostatic proliferation of endogenous Treg and impeded the progression of established disease. Thus, an acquired and self-amplifying disruption of the Treg-IL-2 axis contributed essentially to Tcon hyperactivity and the development of murine lupus. The reversibility of this homeostatic Treg disorder provides promising approaches for the treatment of SLE.
The roles of proteins L28 and L33 in the assembly and function of Escherichia coli ribosomes in vivo

Strain BM108 of Escherichia coli has a chromosomal mutation in the rpmB,G operon that prevents synthesis of ribosomal proteins L28 and L33. The mutation was lethal unless synthesis of protein L28 was induced from a plasmid. Without protein L28, RNA and protein synthesis were linear rather than exponential. No 70S ribosomes were made. Instead, RNA accumulated in ‘30S material’ and ‘47S particles’; the latter were distinct from 50S ribosomal subunits, lacked proteins L28 and L33 and had substoicheometric amounts of three other proteins. When L28 synthesis was induced (but protein L33 was still absent), the strain grew as well as, and assembled 70S ribosomes with similar kinetics to, a wild‐type control. Thus, protein L28 is required for ribosome assembly in strain BM108 while protein L33 has no significant effect on ribosome synthesis or function.
Suppression of lymphocyte and neutrophil functions by Pseudomonas aeruginosa mucoid exopolysaccharide (alginate): reversal by physicochemical, alginase, and specific monoclonal antibody treatments

The mucoid exopolysaccharide (MEP or alginate) of Pseudomonas aeruginosa is thought to be a virulence factor for this organism by virtue of its ability to suppress local host defense mechanisms. We purified MEP from clinical isolates of mucoid P. aeruginosa, subjected it to degradation by ultrasonication, heat, alkali, and alginase, and reacted it with monoclonal antibodies specific for MEP epitopes. Partial reversal or complete abrogation of the inhibitory effects of alginate on human neutrophil random migration, chemotaxis, and hexose monophosphate shunt activity and lymphocyte transformation were observed following most of these treatments. Physicochemical analysis of degraded MEP revealed a positive correlation between changes in molecular size and viscosity and loss of biological properties. The biological properties of MEP were also shown to be dependent on the structural integrity of the O-acetyl groups substituted for the mannuronic acid residues. The results show that the capacity of MEP to suppress neutrophil and lymphocyte functions is dependent on its acetyl content and the physical properties of large size and viscosity and may provide part of the explanation for the propensity of mucoid P. aeruginosa to persist in the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis. These findings highlight the important role of MEP as one of the virulence factors in the pathogenesis of inflammatory damage and subsequent pulmonary destruction in cystic fibrosis.
Identification of a thromboplastin inhibitor in serum and in plasma.

Thromboplastin inhibitors in the blood have received little attention until recently. Tocantins has presented evidence during the past decade which supports the view that a thromboplastin inhibitor exists in normal plasma (1, 2). His work has culminated in the isolation of a lipid inhibitor from normal human plasma which he named "anticephalin" (3). This factor is a strong inhibitor of clotting apparently acting as a thromboplastin antagonist. It is isolated as the methyl alcoholsoluble, ether-soluble fraction of plasma and is obtained from the hemophiliac in a form several times more active than normal. This fundamental information is made even more interesting by Tocantins' recent observations that hemophilic plasma euglobulins, after proper dilution, can promote clotting in whole hemophilic plasma (4). Overman and Wright described an inositol phosphatide which was separated from plasma as well as from tissues and from soy beans (5, 6). This lipid is an inhibitor of clotting which was thought to act in a complex manner involving thromboplastin. A method of preparation of the inhibitor was not published but it is assumed that the procedure was similar to that described by Tocantins (3). Fiala has described a protein inhibitor of clotting which is adsorbed from oxalated plasma by barium carbonate, barium sulfate and celite (7, 8). The manner of action of this inhibitor was not described. Much more impressive as an indication of a thromboplastin inhibitor in serum is the work of Schneider (9) and of Thomas (10). These investigators demonstrated independently that human serum can effectively inactivate tissue thromboplastin. Both used an in uivo assay technic for
Extremely Uniform Tunnel Barriers for Low-Cost Device Manufacture

We report on the final steps needed to achieve the level of control over the properties of single tunnel barriers of AlAs needed to allow the manufacture of high-volume low-cost microwave and millimeter-waves detectors. We achieve a 1% standard deviation of the current-voltage characteristics across 2-in wafers and average currents from different wafers varying by 1%, when modeling shows that a monolayer error in the AlAs barrier layer thickness would result in a 270% change in the same electrical characteristics.
Lessons about autoantibody specificity in systemic lupus erythematosus from animal models

One of the most notable features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the diversity of autoantibodies present in the blood and the variability in the symptoms and antibody profile between individual patients. Antibodies commonly found in SLE patients bind ssDNA, dsDNA, RNA, other nuclear antigens such as Sm, RNP, histones and the non-histone chromatin proteins, phospholipids, cell surface antigens, and eytoskeletal proteins. Similar autoantibody profiles are found in animal models of this autoimmune disease, viz. the (NZB X NZW) Fl hybrid mouse, MRL-Mp-Ipr/lpr and BXSB miee (Theofilopoulos & Dixon, 1985), animals with graftversus-hosl disease (GVHD) (van Dam et al., 1990, this issue) and a tolerant mouse chimaera model of SLE (Goldman et al., 1983; Stott et al., 1988). Many studies have been carried out on the fine specificity of these autoantibodies in both patients and the mouse models, especially on anti-DNA and RNP antibodies. Until recently, studies on human autoantibodies have been limited to serum containing a heterogeneous mixture of antibodies, whereas hybridomas secreting monoclonal autoantibodies can readily be produced by fusion of lymphocytes from unimmunized lupus mice. Similar studies have more recently been performed on autoantibody-secreting B cell lines derived from SLE patients.
Receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK) stimulates the proliferation of epithelial cells of the epidermo-pilosebaceous unit

Receptor activator of NF-κB (RANK), known for controlling bone mass, has been recognized for its role in epithelial cell activation of the mammary gland. Because bone and the epidermo-pilosebaceous unit of the skin share a lifelong renewal activity where similar molecular players operate, and because mammary glands and hair follicles are both skin appendages, we have addressed the function of RANK in the hair follicle and the epidermis. Here, we show that mice deficient in RANK ligand (RANKL) are unable to initiate a new growth phase of the hair cycle and display arrested epidermal homeostasis. However, transgenic mice overexpressing RANK in the hair follicle or administration of recombinant RANKL both activate the hair cycle and epidermal growth. RANK is expressed by the hair follicle germ and bulge stem cells and the epidermal basal cells, cell types implicated in the renewal of the epidermo-pilosebaceous unit. RANK signaling is dispensable for the formation of the stem cell compartment and the inductive hair follicle mesenchyme, and the hair cycle can be rescued by Rankl knockout skin transplantation onto nude mice. RANKL is actively transcribed by the hair follicle at initiation of its growth phase, providing a mechanism for stem cell RANK engagement and hair-cycle entry. Thus, RANK–RANKL regulates hair renewal and epidermal homeostasis and provides a link between these two activities.
A New Approach for Magneto-Static Hysteresis Behavioral Modeling

In this paper, a new behavioral modeling approach for magneto-static hysteresis is presented. Many accurate models are currently available, but none of them seems to be able to correctly reproduce all the possible B-H paths with low computational cost. By contrast, the approach proposed in this paper is based on simple functions, which do not require calculus to be involved, thus assuring a very good efficiency in the algorithm. In addition, the proposed method enables initial magnetization curves, symmetric loops, minor loops, normal curves, and reversal curves of any order to be reproduced, as demonstrated through the pertinent results provided in this paper. A model example based on the proposed modeling technique is also introduced and used as inductor core, in order to simulate an LR series circuit. Finally, the model ability to emulate hysteretic inductors is proved by the satisfactory agreement achieved when comparing the measured and simulated results.
Prenatal ultrasound detection of cleft lip, or cleft palate, or both, in southern Sweden, 2006–2010

Abstract It has been possible to detect cleft lip (CL), with or without cleft palate (CLP), using ultrasound (US) since the beginning of the 1980s. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of prenatal diagnosis of cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and isolated cleft palate (ICP), in our catchment area. Screening protocols in the different US clinics in southern Sweden were also compared, as regards evaluation of the fetal face and prenatal diagnosis of CLP. Forty-four (31%) of the patients were diagnosed by prenatal US and 97/144 (67%) were diagnosed at birth. The detection rate was 44/102 (43%) if the ICP are excluded. The specificity was 100%. Among the prenatally diagnosed clefts, 25/44 (57%) were diagnosed before the gestational age of 20 weeks. In 19/44 (43%) of the cases the US diagnosis of cleft was accurate in the light of the postnatal outcome. All US departments in our catchment area follow the Swedish guidelines and offer one routine US examination during the second trimester between 18 and 20 weeks of pregnancy. In addition, many of the clinics offer an additional US examination during the third trimester. Our detection rate is similar to previous findings. The detection rates and the accuracy of the prenatal diagnosis can be improved. To achieve this, an increased focus on detecting clefts, standardising scanning plans, and rescans in case of incomplete facial views, are essential.
Response to : Comments on ‘ ‘ Evaluation of Estrogenic Activities of Aquatic Herbicides and Surfactants Using a

Response to: Comments on ‘‘Evaluation of Estrogenic Activities of Aquatic Herbicides and Surfactants Using a Rainbow Trout Vitellogenin Assay’’ We have read the comments of Kramer et al. (unpublished data) on our paper, ‘‘Evaluation of estrogenic activities of aquatic herbicides and surfactants using a rainbow trout vitellogenin assay’’ (Xie et al., 2005a). We appreciate their comments and would like to respond to them.
Bio-optical provinces in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and their biogeographical relevance

Abstract. The relationship between phytoplankton assemblages and the associated optical properties of the water body is important for the further development of algorithms for large-scale remote sensing of phytoplankton biomass and the identification of phytoplankton functional types (PFTs), which are often representative for different biogeochemical export scenarios. Optical in-situ measurements aid in the identification of phytoplankton groups with differing pigment compositions and are widely used to validate remote sensing data. In this study we present results from an interdisciplinary cruise aboard the RV Polarstern along a north-to-south transect in the eastern Atlantic Ocean in November 2008. Phytoplankton community composition was identified using a broad set of in-situ measurements. Water samples from the surface and the depth of maximum chlorophyll concentration were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), flow cytometry, spectrophotometry and microscopy. Simultaneously, the above- and underwater light field was measured by a set of high spectral resolution (hyperspectral) radiometers. An unsupervised cluster algorithm applied to the measured parameters allowed us to define bio-optical provinces, which we compared to ecological provinces proposed elsewhere in the literature. As could be expected, picophytoplankton was responsible for most of the variability of PFTs in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Our bio-optical clusters agreed well with established provinces and thus can be used to classify areas of similar biogeography. This method has the potential to become an automated approach where satellite data could be used to identify shifting boundaries of established ecological provinces or to track exceptions from the rule to improve our understanding of the biogeochemical cycles in the ocean.
Methanogenesis in Big Soda Lake, Nevada: an Alkaline, Moderately Hypersaline Desert Lake

Incubated sediment slurries from Big Soda Lake, Nevada, produced significant levels of CH4, and production was inhibited by 2-bromoethanesulfonic acid and by autoclaving. Methane production was stimulated by methanol, trimethylamine, and, to a lesser extent, methionine. Surprisingly, hydrogen, acetate, and formate amendments provided only slight or no stimulation of methanogenesis. Methane production by sediment slurries had a pH optimum of 9.7. A methanol-grown enrichment culture containing a small, epifluorescent coccus as the predominant organism was recovered from sediments. The enrichment grew best when FeS or autoclaved sediment particles were included in the media, had a pH optimum of 9.7, and produced 14CH4 from 14CH3OH. The methane formed by methanolgrown enrichment cultures was depleted in 13C by 72 to 77‰ relative to the methanol.
MUC3 and MCA Serum Levels and Steroid Receptor Content in Breast Cancer

Mucins are an important class of complex glycoproteins expressed by many epithelial cells and their malignant counterparts. The aim of this study was to determine the serum levels of MUC3 and mucin-like carcinoma-associated antigen (MCA) in patients with primary breast cancer and to analyze the possible relationships between these two mucins and the steroid receptor status. The preoperative basal serum levels of MUC3 (ELISA assay with monoclonal antibody 1143/B7) and MCA (EIA assay with anti-MCA mouse monoclonal antibody b-12) were determined in 44 patients with breast cancer while estrogen receptor (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) levels were measured by the dextran-coated charcoal method in the cytosol of neoplastic tissue. MUC3 was expressed in 43/44 serum samples while high MCA serum levels were found in 16/44 only; the mean values of both markers did not correlate with menopausal status, tumor size, nodal involvement or ER. The only significant difference observed was a lower median value of MCA in patients with small tumors (T1–T2). No statistically significant correlation between MUC3 and MCA, MUC3 and ER or MCA and ER was observed; a statistically significant direct correlation between MUC3 and PgR+ status and a statistically significant inverse correlation between MCA and PgR+ were observed. Our results suggest that further investigations are necessary to establish whether progesterone can modulate MUC3 and MCA expression in breast cancer.
Effect of changing the priority for HLA matching on the rates and outcomes of kidney transplantation in minority groups.

BACKGROUND HLA typing and the time a patient has spent on the waiting list are the primary criteria used to allocate cadaveric kidneys for transplantation in the United States. Candidates with no HLA-A, B, and DR mismatches are given top priority, followed by candidates with the fewest mismatches at the HLA-B and DR loci; this policy contributes to a higher transplantation rate among whites than nonwhites. We hypothesized that changing this allocation policy would affect graft survival and the racial balance among transplant recipients. METHODS We estimated the relative rates of kidney transplantation according to race resulting from the current allocation policy and racial differences in HLA antigen profiles, using a Cox model for the time from placement on the waiting list to transplantation. Another model, also adjusted for HLA-B and DR antigen profiles, estimated the relative rates of kidney transplantation that would result if the distribution of these antigen profiles were identical among the racial and ethnic groups. We also investigated the effect of HLA matching on the risk of graft failure, using a Cox model for the time from the first transplantation to graft failure. The results of the two analyses were used to estimate the change in the racial balance of transplantation and graft-failure rates that would result from the elimination of HLA-B matching or HLA-B and DR matching as a means of assigning priority. RESULTS Eliminating the HLA-B matching as a priority while maintaining HLA-DR matching as a priority would decrease the number of transplantations among whites by 4.0 percent (166 fewer transplantations over a one-year period), whereas it would increase the number among nonwhites by 6.3 percent and increase the rate of graft loss by 2.0 percent. CONCLUSIONS Removing HLA-B matching as a priority for the allocation of cadaveric kidneys could reduce the existing racial imbalance by increasing the number of transplantations among nonwhites, with only a small increase in the rate of graft loss.
Employment, Income, and Migration in Appalachia: A Spatial Simultaneous Equations Approach

Appalachia remains a symbol of poverty in the midst of prosperity. During the 1990s it fell further behind the rest of the nation. Persistent poverty during a period of strong growth is a serious as well as an interesting subject to study. We examine determinants of growth in Appalachia between 1990 and 2000. We show that employment, migration, and median household income were jointly determined by regional covariates and that county economic conditions were conditional on the performance in neighboring counties. One conclusion is that regional cooperation and geographically focused programs may yield the greatest returns to policy investments.
Unprotected intercourse for extra money among commercial sex workers in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract This study assessed the extent and correlates of the practice of engaging in unprotected intercourse for extra money among commercial sex workers (CSWs) in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire among a convenience sample of 136 CSWs. More than one-quarter of CSWs (26.5%) engaged in unprotected intercourse for extra money. These CSWs charged about 3.5 times more for unprotected intercourse than for protected intercourse. Multivariate logistic regression showed that CSWs who engaged in unprotected intercourse for extra money were significantly more likely to live or work in non-downtown (lower socioeconomic) areas of Kinshasa (odds ratio [OR] = 3.07), to have at least one child less than six years of age (OR = 2.95), and to know other CSWs who engaged in the same practice (OR = 9.38). We hypothesize that desperate socioeconomic conditions combined with peer/social norms drive the practice of engaging in unprotected intercourse for extra money. Additional circumstances under which Kinshasa CSWs engaged in unprotected intercourse included intercourse with clients who tore their condoms to increase sexual pleasure (58.8% of CSWs), episodes of condom failure (56.8% of CSWs), and unprotected intercourse with regular noncommercial partners (only 5.3% of CSWs with noncommercial partners always used condoms with these partners).
PD98059 enhanced insulin, cytokine, and growth factor activation of xanthine oxidoreductase in epithelial cells involves STAT3 and the glucocorticoid receptor

PD98059 and U0126 are organic compound inhibitors frequently used to block the activity of the MEK‐1/2 protein kinase. In the present work, promoter activation analyses of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOR) in epithelial cells uncovered the unexpected opposite effect of these inhibitors on activation of XOR. Activation of an XOR‐luciferase fusion gene was studied in stably transfected epithelial cells. The XOR reporter gene was activated by the epidermal growth factors (EGF), prolactin, and dexamethasone and by the acute phase cytokines (APC) IL‐1, IL‐6, and TNFα as previously reported for its native gene, and insulin further stimulated activation induced with acute phase cytokines or growth factors. Activation of the proximal promoter was blocked by inhibitors of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), p38 MAP kinase, and U0126. Unexpectedly, PD98059 activated the promoter and significantly enhanced expression induced by insulin, APC, or growth factors. Analysis of the XOR upstream DNA and proximal promoter revealed primary roles for the GR and STAT3 in mediating the effects of PD98059 on XOR activation and protein complex formation with the promoter. STAT3 phosphotyrosine‐705 was rapidly induced by PD98059, dexamethasone, and insulin. XOR activation by PD98059, dexamethasone, or insulin was superinduced by a constitutively active derivative of STAT3, while a dominant negative derivative of STAT3 blocked the enhancing effect of PD98059 on XOR activation. These data demonstrate a previously unrecognized effect of PD98059 on STAT3 and the GR that could have unanticipated consequences when used to infer the involvement of the MEK‐1/2 protein kinase. J. Cell. Biochem. 101: 1567–1587, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.