Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Targeting rat anti-mouse transferrin receptor monoclonal antibodies through blood-brain barrier in mouse.

Drug targeting through the brain capillary endothelium, which forms the blood-brain barrier (BBB) in vivo, may be achieved with peptidomimetic monoclonal antibodies that target peptide transcytosis systems on the BBB in vivo. Murine monoclonal antibodies to the rat transferrin receptor, such as the OX26 monoclonal antibody, are targeted through the BBB on the transferrin receptor in the rat. However, the present studies show the OX26 monoclonal antibody is not an effective brain delivery vector in mice. The emergence of transgenic mouse models creates a need for brain drug-targeting vectors for this species. Two rat monoclonal antibodies, 8D3 and RI7-217, to the mouse transferrin receptor were evaluated in the present studies. Both the RI7-217 and the 8D3 antibody had comparable permeability-surface area products at the mouse BBB in vivo. However, owing to a higher plasma area under the concentration curve, the mouse brain uptake of the 8D3 antibody was higher, 3.1 +/- 0.4% of injected dose [(ID)/g] compared with the brain uptake of the RI7 antibody, 1.6 +/- 0.2% ID/g, at 60 min after i.v. injection. Conversely, the mouse brain uptake of the OX26 antibody, which does not recognize the mouse transferrin receptor, was negligible, 0.06 +/- 0.01% ID/g. The RI7-127 antibody was more selective for brain because this antibody was not measureably taken up by liver. The capillary depletion technique demonstrated transcytosis of the RI7-217 antibody through the mouse BBB in vivo. The brain uptake of the 8D3 antibody was saturable, consistent with a receptor-mediated transport process. In conclusion, these studies indicate rat monoclonal antibodies to the mouse transferrin receptor may be used for brain drug-targeting studies in mice such as transgenic mouse models.
Improving Patient Satisfaction With Waiting Time

Waiting times are a significant component of patient satisfaction. A patient satisfaction survey performed in the author's health center showed that students rated waiting time lowest of the listed categories—A ratings of 58% overall, 63% for scheduled appointments, and 41% for the walk-in clinic. The center used a quality improvement process and instituted schedule and reception area changes. A follow-up survey 3 months later showed A ratings of 73% overall, 81% for scheduled appointments, and 56% for the walk-in clinic. A repeat survey 4 months later showed A satisfaction ratings of 79% overall, 85% for scheduled appointments, and 68% for the walk-in clinic. The author discusses strategies the center used to improve patient satisfaction with waiting time.
In Vitro Activity of Sanfetrinem and Affinity for the Penicillin-Binding Proteins of Streptococcus pneumoniae

ABSTRACT Against penicillin-susceptible pneumococci, the activity of sanfetrinem was similar to those of penicillin, amoxicillin, cefotaxime, imipenem, and meropenem, while against penicillin-resistant strains, sanfetrinem and the carbapenems exhibited superior activity (MICs at which 90% of strains are inhibited, ≤1 μg/ml). PBP 1a in the penicillin-susceptible strain and PBP 1a and PBP 2b in the more resistant isolates seemed to be the essential penicillin-binding proteins for imipenem and sanfetrinem.
[Effect of panax quinquefolius saponin on angiogenesis and expressions of VEGF and bFGF in myocardium of rats with acute myocardial infarction].

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of Panax quinquefolius Saponin (PQS), an extraction from stem and leaf of American ginseng, on vascular regeneration in infarcted area, and expressions of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in myocardium of rats with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS Fifty male Wistar rats were established into AMI model successfully and randomly divided into 5 groups equally, i.e. the model group, the high, middle and low dose PQS groups and the metoprolol group. They were treated with saline, different doses of PQS (54 mg/kg x d, 27 mg/kg x d, 13.5 mg/kg x d)and metoprolol (4.5 mg/kg x d) respectively, by gavage once a day for 14 days. Besides, a sham operated group and a normal control group were set up for control with 10 rats in each group. All rats were killed on the 15th day. Six samples of heart were chosen from each group for examining expressions of VEGF, bFGF and the VIII coagulation factor under light microscopy by immunohistochemical staining, and the quantitative analysis on positive responsive intensity of VEGF and bFGF was conducted on the other 4 heart samples using the image analysing system, then mean micro-vessel density (MMVD) was calculated. RESULTS The expressions of VEGF and MMVD were higher in the high and the middle dose PQS groups than those in the model group (P < 0.05) and the expression of bFGF was higher in the three PQS groups than that in the model group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION PQS can protect myocardium from ischemic injury in rats after AMI by way of promoting angiogenesis in the infarcted or ischemic area of myocardium and up-regulating expressions of VEGF and bFGF in myocardial cells.
ROR functions as a ceRNA to regulate Nanog expression by sponging miR-145 and predicts poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer

lncRNAs have emerged as key regulators of tumor development and progression. ROR is a typical lncRNA that plays important regulatory roles in the pathogenesis and progression of tumors. Nevertheless, current understanding of the involvement of ROR in pancreatic adenocarcinoma tumorigenesis remains limited. In this study, we measured ROR in 61 paired cancerous and noncancerous tissue samples by qRT-PCR and investigated the biological role of ROR on the phenotypes of pancreatic cancer stem cells (PCSCs) in vitro and in vivo. The effects of ROR on PCSCs were studied by RNA interference approaches in vitro and in vivo. Insights of the mechanism of competitive endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) were gained from bioinformatic analysis, luciferase assays and RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation. The positive ROR/Nanog interaction was identified and verified by immunohistochemistry assay. Compared with adjacent non-tumor tissues, ROR was up-regulated in most tumor tissues. Knockdown of ROR by RNA interference in PCSCs inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis and decreased migration. Moreover, ROR silencing resulted in significantly decreased tumourigenicity of PCSCs in nude mice than controls. In particular, ROR may act as a ceRNA, effectively becoming a sink for miR-145, thereby activating the derepression of core transcription factors Nanog. In conclusions, we demonstrated that decreased ROR expression could inhibit cell proliferation, invasion, and tumourigenicity by modulating Nanog. Therefore, ROR is a potential novel prognostic marker to predict the clinical outcome of pancreatic cancer patients after surgery and may be a rational target for therapy.
Use of 11C-PE2I PET in Differential Diagnosis of Parkinsonian Disorders

In idiopathic Parkinson disease and atypical parkinsonian disorders, central dopaminergic and overall brain functional activity are altered to different degrees, causing difficulties in achieving an unambiguous clinical diagnosis. A dual examination using 123I-FP-CIT (123I-N-ω-fluoropropyl-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl)nortropane, or 123I-ioflupane) SPECT and18F-FDG PET provides complementary information on dopamine transporter (DAT) availability and overall brain functional activity, respectively. Parametric images based on a single, dynamic 11C-PE2I (N-(3-iodoprop-2E-enyl)-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-methyl-phenyl)nortropane) scan potentially supply both DAT availability (nondisplaceable binding potential [BPND]) and relative cerebral blood flow (relative delivery [R1]) at voxel level. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of 11C-PE2I PET against the dual-modality approach using 123I-FP-CIT SPECT and 18F-FDG PET. Methods: Sixteen patients with parkinsonian disorders had a dual examination with 18F-FDG PET and 123I-FP-CIT SPECT following clinical routines and additionally an experimental 11C-PE2I PET scan. Parametric BPND and R1 images were generated using receptor parametric mapping with the cerebellum as a reference. T1-weighted MR imaging was used for automated definition of volumes of interest (VOI). The DAT VOIs included the basal ganglia, whereas the overall brain functional activity was examined using VOIs across the brain. BPND and R1 values were compared with normalized 123I-FP-CIT and 18F-FDG uptake values, respectively, using Pearson correlations and regression analyses. In addition, 2 masked interpreters evaluated the images visually, in both the routine and the experimental datasets, for comparison of patient diagnoses. Results: Parametric 11C-PE2I BPND and R1 images showed high consistency with 123I-FP-CIT SPECT and 18F-FDG PET images. Correlations between 11C-PE2I BPND and 123I-FP-CIT uptake ratios were 0.97 and 0.76 in the putamen and caudate nucleus, respectively. Regional 11C-PE2I R1 values were moderately to highly correlated with normalized 18F-FDG values (range, 0.61–0.94). Visual assessment of DAT availability showed a high consistency between 11C-PE2I BPND and 123I-FP-CIT images, whereas the consistency was somewhat lower for appraisal of overall brain functional activity using 123I-FP-CIT and 18F-FDG images. Substantial differences were found between clinical diagnosis and both neuroimaging diagnoses. Conclusion: A single, dynamic 11C-PE2I PET investigation is a powerful alternative to a dual examination with 123I-FP-CIT SPECT and 18F-FDG PET for differential diagnosis of parkinsonian disorders. A large-scale patient study is, however, needed to further investigate distinct pathologic patterns in overall brain functional activity for various parkinsonian disorders.
Synergistic effects of water temperature and dissolved nutrients on litter decomposition and associated fungi

In woodland streams, the decomposition of allochthonous organic matter constitutes a fundamental ecosystem process, where aquatic hyphomycetes play a pivotal role. It is therefore greatly affected by water temperature and nutrient concentrations. The individual effects of these factors on the decomposition of litter have been studied previously. However, in the climate warming scenario predicted for this century, water temperature and nutrient concentrations are expected to increase simultaneously, and their combined effects on litter decomposition and associated biological activity remains unevaluated. In this study, we addressed the individual and combined effects of water temperature (three levels) and nutrient concentrations (two levels) on the decomposition of alder leaves and associated aquatic hyphomycetes in microcosms. Decomposition rates across treatments varied between 0.0041 day−1 at 5 °C and low nutrient level and 0.0100 day−1 at 15 °C and high nutrient level. The stimulation of biological variables at high nutrients and temperatures indicates that nutrient enrichment of streams might have a higher stimulatory effect on fungal performance and decomposition rates under a warming scenario than at present. The stimulation of fungal biomass and sporulation with increasing temperature at both nutrient levels shows that increases in water temperature might enhance fungal growth and reproduction in both oligotrophic and eutrophic streams. The stimulation of fungal respiration and litter decomposition with increasing temperature at high nutrients indicates that stimulation of carbon mineralization will probably occur at eutrophied streams, while oligotrophic conditions seem to be ‘protected’ from warming. All biological variables were stimulated when both factors increased, as a result of synergistic interactions between factors. Increased water temperature and nutrient level also affected the structure of aquatic hyphomycete assemblages. It is plausible that if water quality of presently eutrophied streams is improved, the potential stimulatory effects of future increases in water temperature on aquatic biota and processes might be mitigated.
What about gr/gr deletions and male infertility? Systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND The impact of gr/gr deletions on male fertility is unclear. These partial deletions of the AZFc region of the Y chromosome have been detected more frequently in infertile patients. However, few individual studies have demonstrated a statistically significant association. This study aims to quantify the strength of association between gr/gr deletions and male infertility, and to explore potential sources of heterogeneity, including ethnicity and geographical location. METHODS Medline was searched up to 31 December 2009 for full articles investigating the prevalence of gr/gr deletions in infertile and control men. A pooled odds ratio (OR) was estimated by a random-effects model. Heterogeneity was assessed by the Cochran's Q test, and quantified by I(2) statistic. RESULTS A total of 18 case-control studies, including 6388 cases and 6011 controls, met our inclusion criteria and showed that gr/gr deletions were present in 6.86% of cases and 4.69% of controls. The association between gr/gr deletions and infertility was significant (P < 0.001), with a pooled random-effects OR of 1.76 (1.21-2.66) for infertile men versus normozoospermic controls (13 studies). The test for heterogeneity among studies yielded a Q test P = 0.089 with I(2) value of 37%, indicating moderate heterogeneity. The association between gr/gr deletions and infertility was dependent on ethnicity and geographic region. CONCLUSIONS Our meta-analysis comprising >12 000 men demonstrates that gr/gr deletions occur more frequently in infertile than control men. The association between gr/gr deletions and infertility varies according to ethnicity and geographic region, with an association reaching significance among Caucasian men, in Europe and the Western Pacific region.
Genetic vulnerability and premature death in schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A 28-year follow-up of adoptees in the Finnish Adoptive Family Study of Schizophrenia

Background: Excess mortality is widely reported among schizophrenia patients, but rarely examined in adoption study settings. Aim: We investigated whether genetic background plays a role in the premature death of adoptees with schizophrenia. Methods: Mortality among 382 adoptees in the Finnish Adoptive Family Study of Schizophrenia was monitored from 1977 to 2005 through the national causes-of-death register. The sample covered 190 adoptees with a high genetic risk of schizophrenia (HR) and 192 with a low risk (LR). Results: Overall mortality among the adoptees did not differ between the HR and LR groups, as 10% and 9% respectively had died during the follow-up, at mean ages of 45 and 46 years. Schizophrenia spectrum disorder was the most significant predictor of premature death in both groups, with dysfunction in the rearing family environment associated with mortality, unnatural deaths and suicides in the HR but not in the LR group. All the suicides involved HR cases. Conclusions: Mortality among the adoptees was not related to genetic factors but to environmental ones. The association of unnatural deaths and suicides with dysfunction in the rearing environment among the HR adoptees may indicate that they had a greater genetically determined vulnerability to environmental effects than their LR counterparts. The genetic and rearing environments can be disentangled in this setting because the biological parents give the offspring their genes and the adoptive parents give them their rearing environment. Our findings add to knowledge of the factors associated with the premature death of adoptees in mid-life.
Effects of 24-week Tai Chi exercise on the knee and ankle proprioception of older women

This study examined the effects of regular Tai Chi (TC) exercise on the kinaesthesia of the knee and ankle joints of older women. A total of 43 women aged 55–68 years participated in this study. In a 24-week study period, the TC group (n = 22) underwent an organized TC exercise, whereas the control group (n = 21) maintained a sedentary lifestyle. Customized instruments were used to measure the threshold for the detection of the passive motion of the knee and ankle joints. After 24 weeks, the TC group showed a significantly smaller threshold for the detection of passive motion of knee extension (31.4%, p = 0.009), knee flexion (27.0%, p = 0.044), and ankle dorsal flexion (28.9%, p = 0.014) than the control group. Other comparisons showed no significant differences. The 24-week TC exercise benefited the lower-limb kinaesthesia of the knee joint flexion and extension and ankle dorsal flexion.
Belief and Suggestion in the Recovery of Memories of Childhood Sexual Abuse

The increasingly frequent clinical reports of the recovery of repressed memories of childhood sexual abuse have drawn both skepticism and support in the analytic community. Two contrasting paradigms are offered to account for the processes by which fully repressed memories are recovered. On the one hand, the analyst's belief that one can reconstruct early traumatic experience creates fertile ground for overt and covert suggestion, which, in conjunction with an anxious patient seeking affiliation, may lead to the production of false memories. On the other hand, the analyst's belief in the likelihood of repressed abuse and that it can be reconstructed may constitute a necessary precondition for the emergence of valid memories. With these beliefs providing an essential holding environment, the recovery of repressed memories of sexual trauma may be an instance of the retrieval of state-dependent memory. Although the preponderance of evidence favors the suggestion hypothesis, the evidence is not conclusive. Which paradigm the analyst adopts, however, carries enormous clinical implications.
Endoscopic assessment of airway function as a predictor of racing performance in Thoroughbred yearlings: 427 cases (1997-2000).

OBJECTIVE To compare endoscopic findings of the upper portion of the respiratory tract in Thoroughbred yearlings with their subsequent race records to determine whether subjective assessment of airway function may be used as a predictor of future racing performance. DESIGN Retrospective study. ANIMALS 427 Thoroughbred yearlings. PROCEDURES Endoscopic examination findings were obtained from the medical records and the videoendoscopic repository of the Keeneland 1996 September yearling sales. Racing records were requested for the yearlings through the end of their 4-year-old racing season (1997-2000). Twenty-nine measures of racing performance were correlated with endoscopic findings. Subjective arytenoid cartilage movement grades were determined, using a 4-point grading scale (grade 1 = symmetrical synchronous abduction of the arytenoid cartilages; grade 4 = no substantial movement of the left arytenoid cartilage). RESULTS Of the 427 Thoroughbred yearlings included in this study, 364 established race records, and 63 did not. Opinions regarding suitability for purchase, meeting conditions of the sale, and the presence of epiglottic abnormalities had no significant association with racing performance. Arytenoid cartilage movement grades were significantly associated with many of the dependent variables. However, palatine abnormalities were not predictive of inferior racing performance. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Thoroughbred yearlings with grade-1 and -2 arytenoid cartilage movements had significantly better racing performance as adults, compared with yearlings with grade-3 arytenoid cartilage movements. In contrast, epiglottic and palatine abnormalities were not predictive of inferior racing performance. Therefore, evaluation of laryngeal function, but not epiglottic or palatine abnormalities, using the 4-point grading system, should be the major factor in developing recommendations for prospective buyers.
The Effects of Social Support and Hope in the Healing of Diabetic Foot Ulcers Treated with Standard Care.

Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disorder that can cause various complications. Diabetic foot ulcer is a major complication of diabetes mellitus; although highly preventable, it has become a mental, physical, social, and economic burden affecting patients. Although wound care is an important aspect in diabetic foot ulcer management, other factors, such as the patient’s emotional state, hope, life commitment, social support resources, and compliance with treatment, should be considered in its management. Holistic care, including social and psychological support, has not been well studied to date. We performed a prospective cohort study to investigate the effects of ‘‘social support’’ and ‘‘hope’’ on 50% reduction of wound size after 4 weeks of treatment with standard care in patients who presented with Grade B, Stage I diabetic foot ulcer to the podology clinic of a university hospital in Kocaeli, Turkey. The study sample consisted of patients aged ‡40 years, with type 2 diabetes, HbA1c concentration of >7%, and Grade B, Stage I diabetic foot ulcers according to the Texas Diabetic Wound Classification system. Patients with known risk factors affecting wound healing were excluded from the study. The Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used in this study. A 50% decrease in any wound size was considered reliable information about healing potential; 4 weeks was considered sufficient time to assess healing. All patients received standard care according to a diabetic foot ulcer study protocol developed by the researcher based on published guidelines. The researcher was trained for 4 months at the Steno Diabetes Center and Copenhagen School of Podiatry in management and care of diabetic foot ulcers. Wound surface area (cm) was calculated on days 1 and 30; it was calculated whether there was 50% reduction in wound surface area on days 1 and 30. BHS and MSPSS scores were compared between patients with or without a 50% reduction after 4 weeks. Data were analyzed using SPSS computer software version 15.0 (SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL). MSPSS scores were higher in patients with over 50% reduction in wound size than those with less than 50% reduction (Mann-Whitney U Test, P = 0.001). A positive correlation was noted between family social support and percentage of recovery (r = 406, P = 0.01); the rate of recovery increased with increased family social support. BHS showed that self-perceived motivation loss scores of patients with over 50% reduction in wound size was lower than that of those with less than 50% reduction in wound size (MannWhitney U Test, P = 0.03) A negative correlation was found between social support from the family and hopelessness (r = -0.539, P = 0.01). Furthermore, a negative relationship was detected between total score of social support and hopelessness score (r = -0.449, P = 0.01).