Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of interleukin-8 and growth-regulated oncogene-α in the chemotactic migration of all-trans retinoic acid-treated promyelocytic leukemic cells toward alveolar epithelial cells*

Objective:Although all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) can treat acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), it also causes retinoic acid syndrome with presentations similar to acute respiratory distress syndrome. We investigated the role of interleukin (IL)-8 and growth-regulated oncogene (GRO)-α in the chemotactic transmigration of ATRA-treated NB4 (ATRA-NB4) APL cells toward A549 alveolar epithelial cells. Design:An in vitro human cell culture study. Setting:University hospital research laboratories. Subjects:NB4 and A549 cells. Interventions:NB4 and A549 cells were separately cultured with ATRA and/or dexamethasone for 1–3 days. NB4 or ATRA-NB4 cells were then placed in an upper insert and co-incubated with A549 cells or their conditioned medium located in a lower plate. Measurements and Main Results:ATRA stimulated NB4 cells to transmigrate toward the A549 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Replacement of A459 condition medium by its original medium abrogated this transmigration. Only A549 cells constitutively secreted GRO-α, and both A549 and NB4 cells constitutively secreted IL-8, which was enhanced by ATRA. Exogenous administration of IL-8 or GRO-α also promoted the ATRA-NB4 transmigration. The binding assay demonstrated that ATRA-NB4 cells bound IL-8, but not GRO-α, more avidly. Pretreatment with antibodies directed against IL-8 and GRO-α receptors reduced ATRA-NB4 transmigration by about 60%. Dexamethasone did not suppress their IL-8 secretion and transmigration in ATRA-NB4 cells, but when applied to A549 cells, IL-8 secretion was suppressed but not GRO-α secretion, and there was attenuation of ATRA-NB4 transmigration. Conclusions:IL-8 and GRO-α secreted from alveolar epithelial cells play an important role in the cell-cell interaction involved in the chemotactic transmigration of ATRA-treated APL cells toward alveolar epithelial cells.
Essential Role of the SycP Chaperone in Type III Secretion of the YspP Effector

ABSTRACT The Ysa type III secretion (T3S) system enhances gastrointestinal infection by Yersinia enterocolitica bv. 1B. One effector protein targeted into host cells is YspP, a protein tyrosine phosphatase. It was determined in this study that the secretion of YspP requires a chaperone, SycP. Genetic analysis showed that deletion of sycP completely abolished the secretion of YspP without affecting the secretion of other Ysps by the Ysa T3S system. Analysis of the secretion and translocation signals of YspP defined the first 73 amino acids to form the minimal region of YspP necessary to promote secretion and translocation by the Ysa T3S system. Function of the YspP secretion/translocation signals was dependent on SycP. Curiously, when YspP was constitutively expressed in Y. enterocolitica bv. 1B, it was recognized and secreted by the Ysc T3S system and the flagellar T3S system. In these cases, the first 21 amino acids were sufficient to promote secretion, and while SycP did enhance secretion, it was not essential. However, neither the Ysc T3S system nor the flagellar T3S system translocated YspP into mammalian cells. This supports a model where SycP confers secretion/translocation specificities for YspP by the Ysa T3S system. A series of biochemical approaches further established that SycP specifically interacts with YspP and protected YspP degradation in the cell prior to secretion. Collectively, the evidence suggests that YspP secretion by the Ysa T3S system is a posttranslational event.
Cavity preparation devices: effect on microleakage of Class V resin-based composite restorations.

PURPOSE To evaluate the effect of cavity preparation device (i.e. carbide bur, diamond bur, air abrasive, Sonicsys, and Er:YAG laser) on microleakage of Class V resin-based composite (RBC) restorations, the tooth restoration interface and dentin ultrastructure. MATERIALS AND METHODS Eight groups (n=18) of 9 human molars each were prepared on the buccal and lingual surfaces for Class V RBC restorations using five preparation devices: Group 1: carbide bur #8 round; Group 2: diamond bur #801; Group 3: KCP 1000 air abrasion unit; Group 4: Sonicsys Approx.; Group 5: Er:YAG laser; Group 6: carbide bur plus air abrasive; Group 7: carbide bur plus laser, and Group 8: laser without etching. Circular cavity preparations, 3 mm diameter and 1.5 mm deep, were cut at the CEJ on the buccal and lingual surfaces of each tooth. A bevel was placed on the enamel margin. All cavities were restored using Single Bond adhesive system and Silux Plus according to manufacturer's directions, with the exception that no etchant was used with Group 8. After thermocycling, specimens were tested for microleakage using silver nitrate methodology. Dye penetration data was collected and subjected to non-parametric statistical analysis. SEM analysis of the dentin-RBC interface, as well as the effect of each cavity preparation device on the surface of dentin was performed. RESULTS Microleakage did not occur in enamel for any method of cavity preparation when the enamel was etched prior to adhesive application. Kruskal-Wallis One-way ANOVA revealed differences in dentin microleakage among the tested groups at alpha=0.05. Mann-Whitney Test for Paired Comparisons at alpha=0.01 demonstrated significantly greater dentin microleakage in Groups 5 and 7 compared to all groups except Group 3 (air abrasive). Although Group 8 had the least microleakage in dentin, this was not significantly different from Groups 1, 2, 4 and 6. SEM observation revealed hybridization at the dentin-resin interface for all groups except for Group 8 (laser prepared, non-etched). Surface analysis showed differences related to the operating mode of each preparation device. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The method of cavity preparation did not affect microleakage in etched enamel. When using a laser for cavity preparation, enamel should be etched although not etching dentin may help to improve marginal seal.
Arterial Onyx Embolisation of Intracranial DAVFs with Cortical Venous Drainage

Purpose: To present our experience with the endovascular management of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas with direct cortical venous drainage by trans-arterial embolisation using Onyx. Materials & Methods: Between January 2004 and April 2008, 12 consecutive high grade intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas (Cognard type III (eight patients) or IV (three patients)) were treated by trans-arterial embolisation with Onyx. The majority of cases were treated by Onyx embolisation alone. One case had additional embolisation with n-butyl-2-cyanoacrylate at the same session. Imaging follow-up was obtained in all but one patient (mean 3.6 months). Results: Nine patients had a technical success at the end of the embolisation procedure with complete angiographic exclusion of the fistula. Two patients had a small residual fistula at the end of embolisation, one of which had residual mild cortical venous drainage. Both were stable at follow-up angiography. One patient had a residual fistula supplied by the ophthalmic artery, which was thought to be unsafe to embolise and was sent for surgery, which was curative. In one patient the microcatheter ruptured, with a fragment of the distal microcatheter left in the occipital artery. No clinical complications were observed in this series at clinical follow-up (mean 3.3 months). Two patients were noted to have significant radiation dose. Conclusion: Endovascular management of intracranial dural arteriovenous fistulas with direct venous cortical drainage by trans-arterial Onyx embolisation is a safe and effective treatment according to our experience. Fluoroscopy times and radiation dose may be a concern.
Tolerance of early life-stages in Ciona intestinalis to bubble streams and suspended particles

There is an urgent need to develop and test potential eradication agents to prevent biofouling by ascidian tunicates in sheltered harbor’s before they can spread to, and subsequently, disrupt benthic ecosystems and aquaculture ventures. We test the effects of bubble streams and suspended particles on two key stages in the early life cycle of Ciona intestinalis (Linnaeus, 1767); (i) Larval settlement 3 d after introducing free swimming larvae, and (ii) juvenile survival following exposure of ~ 21 d old juvenile recruits to the tested treatments for the first time. Larval settlement was effectively prevented after exposure to bubble streams at > 10 l min or ≥ 25 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) of suspended particles. Suspended particles settling as a layer ≥ 0.3 mm thick onto the test substrate also reduced larval settlement by over 90%. None of the treatments were effective at eradicating juvenile C. intestinalis which proved more resistant to the tested treatments. Body size in juvenile recruits was also not significantly different across bubble stream rates. Juvenile recruits exposed to suspended particles were, however, significantly smaller than in the control treatment. In conclusion, as C. intestinalis settled, and grew, it became progressively more resilient to the tested treatments. Thus, continuous treatment is required during the spawning season to target larval settlement and prevent fouling by Ciona intestinalis.
K-nearest neighbour-based algorithm for P- and T-waves detection and delineation

Abstract The aim of an automated Electrocardiogram (ECG) delineation system is the reliable detection of the characteristic waveforms and determination of peaks and limits of individual QRS-complex, P- and T-waves. In this paper, a classical statistical pattern recognition algorithm characterized with high accuracy and stability, i.e., K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN) has been proposed for locating the fiducial points along with their waveform boundaries in ECG signals. First, the QRS-complex along with its onset and offset points of each beat is detected from the ECG signal. After that P- and T-wave, relative to each QRS-complex along with their onset and offset points, are then identified using this algorithm. The feature extraction is done using the gradient of the ECG signals. The performance of the proposed algorithm has been evaluated on two standard manually annotated databases, (i) CSE and (ii) QT, and also on ECG data acquired using BIOPAC®MP100 system in laboratory settings. The results in terms of accuracy, i.e., 92.8% for CSE database obtained, clearly indicate a high degree of agreement with the manual annotations made by the referees of CSE dataset-3. Further, the delineation results of the CSE and QT database are compared with the accepted tolerances as recommended by the CSE working party. The results for ECG records acquired using the BIOPAC®MP100 system, in terms of QRS duration, heart rate, QT-interval, P-wave duration and PR-interval using KNN algorithm have also been computed.
Information Theory Minimum mean square error vector precoding

We derive the minimum mean square error (MMSE) solution to vector precoding for frequency flat multiuser scenarios with a centralised multi-antenna transmitter. The receivers employ a modulo operation, giving the transmitter the additional degree of freedom to choose a perturbation vector. Similar to existing vector precoding techniques, the optimum perturbation vector is found with a closest point search in a lattice. The proposed MMSE vector precoder does not, however, search for the perturbation vector resulting in the lowest unscaled transmit power, as proposed in all previous contributions on vector precoding, but finds an optimum compromise between noise enhancement and residual interference. We present simulation results showing that the proposed technique outperforms existing vector precoders, as well as the MMSE Tomlinson-Harashima precoder, and compare the turbo-coded performance to the capacity of the broadcast channel. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Theory of Power Law Distributions for the Returns to Capital and of the Credit Spread Puzzle

I build a model of the cross section of leverage ratios for borrowers - for example, traders or entrepreneurs - assuming heterogenous beliefs about future asset returns and endogenous collateral constraints a la Geanakoplos (1997). Under minimal assumptions on the underlying distribution of beliefs, the leverage ratios of borrowers follow a Pareto distribution in the upper tail, with an endogenous tail coecient equal to two, a prediction precisely verified for hedge funds in the TASS database. This Pareto distribution can lead to similar Pareto distributions for the returns of borrowers, be they investment bankers or entrepreneurs, with empirically plausible Pareto-Lorenz coecients between one and three, providing a new intuition for the skewness of the income distribution. In the model, borrowers and lenders are matched assortatively according to their relative levels of optimism, which can help explain the Over-The-Counter structure of many collateralized asset markets : borrowers with a relatively higher valuation for the asset eectively borrow from more optimistic lenders with a lower collateral requirement. Finally, interest rates earned by lenders are not linked to expected default probabilities, which can shed a new light on the credit spread puzzle.
Agressão física contra técnicos de enfermagem em hospitais psiquiátricos

Objetivo: caracterizar os casos de agressao fisica contra tecnicos de enfermagem em dois hospitais psiquiatricos e analisar os fatores relacionados a ocorrencia desses eventos. Metodos: estudo transversal realizado com 125 tecnicos de enfermagem. Foi utilizado questionario autoaplicavel e pesquisa documental. Foram analisados os registros de ocorrencias de agressoes fisicas junto ao servico de saude e seguranca do trabalho dos hospitais. Foram calculadas frequencias, medias, desvios-padroes e percentis. A associacao entre a ocorrencia de agressao fisica e as variaveis pesquisadas foi verificada por meio de regressao logistica. Resultados: 96 (76,8%) participantes relataram ter passado pela experiencia de agressao fisica. Entre estes, 94,3% referiram consequencias psicologicas, 28,4% relataram lesao fisica. Apenas 30,3% dos respondentes afirmaram ter recebido suporte da instituicao apos a ocorrencia. Foi identificada associacao estatistica significante entre agressao fisica e percepcao de inseguranca, sexo feminino e maior tempo de trabalho em instituicoes psiquiatricas. Tambem foi observado subnotificacao de casos. Conclusao: a agressao fisica e vivenciada com alta frequencia entre os tecnicos de enfermagem, que relatam pouco suporte institucional e sentimentos de inseguranca no ambiente de trabalho, mostrando a necessidade de instituir medidas que melhorem as condicoes de trabalho e previnam a violencia.
Exercise‐induced stress resistance is independent of exercise controllability and the medial prefrontal cortex

Exercise increases resistance against stress‐related disorders such as anxiety and depression. Similarly, the perception of control is a powerful predictor of neurochemical and behavioral responses to stress, but whether the experience of choosing to exercise, and exerting control over that exercise, is a critical factor in producing exercise‐induced stress resistance is unknown. The current studies investigated whether the protective effects of exercise against the anxiety‐ and depression‐like consequences of stress are dependent on exercise controllability and a brain region implicated in the protective effects of controllable experiences, the medial prefrontal cortex. Adult male Fischer 344 rats remained sedentary, were forced to run on treadmills or motorised running wheels, or had voluntary access to wheels for 6 weeks. Three weeks after exercise onset, rats received sham surgery or excitotoxic lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex. Rats were exposed to home cage or uncontrollable tail shock treatment three weeks later. Shock‐elicited fear conditioning and shuttle box escape testing occurred the next day. Both forced and voluntary wheel running, but not treadmill training, prevented the exaggerated fear conditioning and interference with escape learning produced by uncontrollable stress. Lesions of the medial prefrontal cortex failed to eliminate the protective effects of forced or voluntary wheel running. These data suggest that exercise controllability and the medial prefrontal cortex are not critical factors in conferring the protective effects of exercise against the affective consequences of stressor exposure, and imply that exercise perceived as forced may still benefit affect and mental health.
Daylight photodynamic therapy vs. Conventional photodynamic therapy as skin cancer preventive treatment in patients with face and scalp cancerization: an intra‐individual comparison study

Individuals with medical history of non‐melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) usually develop multiple and/or recurrent malignant lesions around the site of the primary neoplasm. The latter represents the clinical expression of the ‘field cancerization’ theory; supporting the presence of multiple malignant clones of dysplastic keratinocytes over the entire epithelium that potentially can progress into clinical lesions. Taking into consideration that the burden of NMSCs on public health and health‐care cost is high, adequate control of recurrences and management of field change is challenging.
The complex nature of informal care in home-based heart failure management.

AIM This paper is a report of a study to examine the complexities of informal caregiving for people with chronic heart failure. BACKGROUND Little is known of the activities involved and underlying informal care. Heart failure is a common and burdensome condition in which carers play an important management role. METHOD Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 30 informal carers nominated by patients with mild-to-moderate heart failure (24 spouses, four children, one sibling and one neighbour). Interviews examined knowledge of heart failure, its effects, reported management practices and concerns, decision making and support. The data were collected in 2001. FINDINGS The management of heart failure was a shared and ongoing responsibility between the carer and patient. Carers' clinical knowledge of the condition and management was often limited, but they developed extensive knowledge of its personal effects on the patient. Invisible care activities included monitoring signs of symptom exacerbation and energy boundaries against perceived current and future demands and priorities. Visible care activities included medication management, dressing, bathing and help-seeking. Carers responded to patients' capacities, and adopted philosophies that sought to foster independence while facilitating as normal a life for the patient as was possible and safe. CONCLUSION Interventions for informal carers around effective chronic heart failure management should address both visible and invisible informal caring. Future research is needed to develop interventions with carers to improve quality of care, reduce costs and improve patient quality of life. More research is needed to explore the complexities of lay caregiving and to explore the invisible dimensions of informal care further.
Nucleotide sequence of pilA, the gene encoding the structural component of type 1 pili in Escherichia coli

The pilA gene of Escherichia coli J96 encoding pilin, the structural component of type 1 pili, was sequenced and found to specify a polypeptide 159 amino acids long preceded by a 23-amino-acid signal peptide. As determined from the DNA sequence, the mature peptide lacked tryptophane and methionine, two amino acids previously shown to be lacking in type 1 pili from E. coli. Also, the amino-terminal sequence of amino acids inferred from the DNA sequence corresponded to earlier 20-amino-acid amino-terminal sequences determined by protein sequencing. In addition, piliation was abolished after a mutation was introduced into the pilA coding region in vitro. A possible site for initiation of transcription and a possible site encoding translation initiation were suggested 85 and 7 base pairs, respectively, from the pilA start codon. There appeared to be scant DNA sequence homology and scant amino acid sequence homology between type 1 pilin and other pilin species isolated from uropathogenic and enteropathogenic E. coli.
GABAergic control of synaptic summation in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons

The primary function of neurons is to integrate synaptic inputs and to transmit the results to other cells. It was shown previously that separate excitatory inputs to hippocampal pyramidal neurons are summated nonlinearly. In the hippocampus, responses of pyramidal neurons are influenced by GABAergic inputs in feed‐forward or feedback manner, and also by oscillatory network activities. It is likely that these GABAergic inputs regulate the way synaptic inputs are summated. To examine the roles of GABAergic inputs on synaptic summation, we made whole‐cell recordings from the cell bodies of CA1 pyramidal neurons in rat hippocampal slices while stimulating two independent input pathways with short interstimulus intervals, and examined the manner by which postsynaptic potentials were summated. We found that: 1) the summation of the perforant pathway and the Schaffer collateral pathway inputs was sublinear when the interval between two inputs was shorter than 30 ms, 2) the blockade of GABAA receptors partially suppressed the sublinearity, and 3) further blockade of GABAB receptors removed the sublinearity totally. We also found that 4) the summation was superlinear under the concomitant blockade of GABAA and GABAB receptors when the two inputs arrived with no delay. Thus our study demonstrates that GABAergic inputs are responsible for keeping the summation of two separate inputs on CA1 pyramidal neurons sublinear. Hippocampus 2001;11:683–689. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
SELECTION PRESSURES AFFECTING MALE NUTRIENT INVESTMENT AT MATING IN HELICONIINE BUTTERFLIES

Current reproductive investment patterns in any organism are the result of selective pressures and constraints acting in evolutionary time. These constraints and selective pressures may depend upon a number of factors, including the life history, habitat, density or morphology of the organism. A first step in determining what these selective pressures and constraints are and how they operate, then, is a comparative examination, among related organisms, of the interactions between investment patterns and life history. This will yield testable hypotheses concerning the forces which have determined current reproductive investment patterns. Reproductive investment patterns are perhaps most easily studied in organisms with no behavioral parental care of offspring. In such cases, males may still make a substantial investment in a female's progeny through donation of nutrients at mating. In arthropods, mechanisms of nutrient transfer include provision by the male of "nuptial gifts" of insect prey, accessory gland products, or himself for the female to feed on during or after mating, or absorption of male accessory gland products through the female's bursa (Thornhill, 1976). Nutrients obtained at mating may increase the female's fitness either through increased fecundity, or increased survivorship of offspring due to increased nutrient investment per offspring (e.g., in scorpionflies, Thornhill, 1980). Thus, a male should be under selective pressure to donate enough nu-