Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regulation of Tissue Plasminogen Activator Activity by Cells

A number of cell types have previously been shown to bind tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which in some cases can remain active on the cell surface resulting in enhanced plasminogen activation kinetics. We have investigated several cultured cell lines, U937, THP1, K562, Molt4, and Nalm6 and shown that they bind both tPA and plasminogen and are able to act as promoters of plasminogen activation in kinetic assays. To understand what structural features of tPA are involved in cell surface interactions, we performed kinetic assays with a range of tPA domain deletion mutants consisting of full-length glycosylated and nonglycosylated tPA (F-G-K1-K2-P), ΔFtPA (G-K1-K2-P), K2-P tPA (BM 06.022 or Reteplase), and protease domain (P). Deletion variants were made in Escherichia coli and were nonglycosylated. Plasminogen activation rates were compared with and without cells, over a range of cell densities at physiological tPA concentrations, and produced maximum levels of stimulation up to 80-fold with full-length, glycosylated tPA. Stimulation for nonglycosylated full-length tPA dropped to 45–60% of this value. Loss of N-terminal domains as in ΔFtPA and K2P resulted in a further loss of stimulation to 15–30% of the full-length glycosylated value. The protease domain alone was stimulated at very low levels of up to 2-fold. Thus, a number of different sites are involved in cell interactions especially within finger and kringle domains, which is similar to the regulation of tPA activity by fibrin. A model was developed to explain the mechanism of stimulation and compared with actual data collected with varying cell, plasminogen, or tPA concentrations and different tPA variants. Experimental data and model predictions were generally in good agreement and suggest that stimulation is well explained by the concentration of reactants by cells.
Imaging Findings in Pediatric Posterior Reversible Encephalopathy Syndrome (PRES)

This study sought to evaluate the radiological and clinical spectrum of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) in pediatric population. A retrospective evaluation of the pediatric patients with posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome seen over the last 5 years in the authors’ hospital was done. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings were analyzed, and a review of literature was performed. Out of 32 pediatric patients of posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome, 10 (31.25%) were males and 22 (68.75%) were females, with a mean age of 10.6 years. Renal disease (62.5%) was the most common primary disease, followed by chemotherapy for hemato-oncologic malignancies (15.6%). Hypertension was present in 81.2% of cases. Atypical MRI findings were seen in 62.5% cases. Frontal involvement was common and seen in 56% of the cases. Overall, MRI findings considered atypical in adults were found to be common in the series of pediatric posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. The understanding of the clinical settings and familiarity with radiological findings in pediatric posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome patients is important to adequately treat these patients and to avoid misdiagnosis.
Gray matter alterations in early aging: A diffusion magnetic resonance imaging study

Many studies have observed altered neurofunctional and structural organization in the aging brain. These observations from functional neuroimaging studies show a shift in brain activity from the posterior to the anterior regions with aging (PASA model), as well as a decrease in cortical thickness, which is more pronounced in the frontal lobe followed by the parietal, occipital, and temporal lobes (retrogenesis model). However, very little work has been done using diffusion MRI (dMRI) with respect to examining the structural tissue alterations underlying these neurofunctional changes in the gray matter. Thus, for the first time, we propose to examine gray matter changes using diffusion MRI in the context of aging. In this work, we propose a novel dMRI based measure of gray matter “heterogeneity” that elucidates these functional and structural models (PASA and retrogenesis) of aging from the viewpoint of diffusion MRI. In a cohort of 85 subjects (all males, ages 15–55 years), we show very high correlation between age and “heterogeneity” (a measure of structural layout of tissue in a region‐of‐interest) in specific brain regions. We examine gray matter alterations by grouping brain regions into anatomical lobes as well as functional zones. Our findings from dMRI data connects the functional and structural domains and confirms the “retrogenesis” hypothesis of gray matter alterations while lending support to the neurofunctional PASA model of aging in addition to showing the preservation of paralimbic areas during healthy aging. Hum Brain Mapp 35:3841–3856, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Minimally invasive lumbar disectomy with the tubular retractor system: 4-7 years follow-up.

BACKGROUND Herniated nucleus pulposus (HNP) is a common cause of low back pain. The conventional technique could injure to the surrounding structures. The tubular retractor system (METRx-X tube, Medtronic, Inc, Minneapolis, USA) is instrument to improve visualization and limited soft tissue damage for minimal invasive lumbar discetomy. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the surgical outcomes, complications, reoperation rates and patient satisfaction for using tubular retractor system in lumbar disectomy in long term follow-up at least 4 years. MATERIAL AND METHOD Forty-five patients who had been operated for lumbar microdisectomy with tubular retractor system between Jan 2004-Dec 2007. Demographic data, ODI, VAS scores of back pain and leg pain were collected at the date of admission, 1st week, 1st month, 3rd month and every 6 months until 48 months follow-up. RESULTS Forty-two patients (26 males with average age 30.4; range 20-45 years, 16 females with average age 32.6; range 23-54 years) were included in the present study by excluding 3 loss follow-up patients. The average operating time with tubular retractor system was 90.5 (range 60-250) minutes.Average blood loss was about 45 (range 30-100) milliliters. Length of stay in the present study was about 4.6 days (2-10 days). The average size of incision was about 2.4 (range 2.0-3.5) centimeters. The average follow-up time of all cases was 4 years 7 months (4-7 years). The VAS score of back pain was significantly improved at 1st month post-operation (p < or = 0.05). The VAS score of leg pain was significantly improved at 1st week post-operation (p < or = 0.05). The ODI score was significantly improved at 1st month post-operation (p < or = 0.05). The complication rate was about 9.5% (4 patients) and the recurrent disc that need to re-operation rate was about 4.9% (2 patients). CONCLUSION The tubular retractor system has the advantage over the conventional open technique. The result of operation with the tubular retractor was satisfied by the surgeons and the patients. However, This system is quite expensive and need technological equipment. Besides experience of the surgeons, using tubular retractor system also should be carefully considered for the most benefit to the patients, the surgeons and budgets of the institute.
Eating disorders and antecedent anxiety disorders: a controlled study

We compared the prevalence and age of onset of adult and childhood anxiety disorders relative to the primary diagnosis in 68 women with anorexia nervosa (AN), 116 women with bulimia nervosa (BN), 56 women with major depression with no eating disorder (MD) and 98 randomly selected controls (RC) in order to determine whether antecedent anxiety disorders are plausible risk factors for AN and BN. Comorbid anxiety disorders were common in all three clinical groups (AN, 60%; BN, 57%; MD, 48%). In 90% of AN women, 94% of BN women and 71 % of MD women, anxiety disorders preceded the current primary condition (P=0.01), although panic disorder tended to develop after the onset of AN, BN or MD. In multivariate logistic regressions, the odds ratios (ORs) for overanxious disorder (OR=13.4) and obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OR=11.8) were significantly elevated for AN. The ORs for overanxious disorder and social phobia were significantly elevated for BN (OROAD,=4.9; ORSP=15.5) and MD (OROAD,=6.1; ORSP=6.4). These data suggest that certain anxiety disorders are non‐specific risk factors for later affective and eating disorders, and others may represent more specific antecedent risk factors.
Product Line Strategy in a Vertically Di¤erentiated Duopoly

We consider a duopoly model in which rms with di¤erent costs supply two vertically di¤erentiated products in the same market. We show that the e¢ cient rm produces more of the high-quality good and the ine¢ cient one produces more of the low-quality good in equilibrium. We also nd that a change in the quality superiority of goods and relative cost e¢ ciency ratios leads to cannibalization from one good to the other and characterize graphically the product line strategies of rms through the two ratios.
Pilocarpine test may predict success of argon laser peripheral iridoplasty

Argon laser peripheral iridoplasty (ALPI) is often used in patients with primary angle closure (PAC) and elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) following peripheral iridotomy. In these patients, factors other than pupillary block contribute to persistent angle closure such as plateau iris syndrome1 and ALPI has been proposed as a means to widen the angle recess by causing thinning and contraction of the peripheral iris.2.
Interdomain Interaction of Merlin Isoforms and Its Influence on Intermolecular Binding to NHE-RF*

Merlin, the neurofibromatosis 2 tumor suppressor protein, has two major isoforms with alternate C termini and is related to the ERM (ezrin, radixin, moesin) proteins. Regulation of the ERMs involves intramolecular and/or intermolecular head-to-tail associations between family members. We have determined whether merlin undergoes similar interactions, and our findings indicate that the C terminus of merlin isoform 1 is able to associate with its N-terminal domain in a head-to-tail fashion. However, the C terminus of isoform 2 lacks this property. Similarly, the N terminus of merlin can also associate with C terminus of moesin. We have also explored the effect of merlin self-association on binding to the regulatory cofactor of Na+-H+exchanger (NHE-RF), an interacting protein for merlin and the ERMs. Merlin isoform 2 captures more NHE-RF than merlin isoform 1 in affinity binding assays, suggesting that in full-length merlin isoform 1, the NHE-RF binding site is masked because of the self-interactions of merlin. Treatment with a phospholipid known to decrease self-association of ERMs enhances the binding of merlin isoform 1 to NHE-RF. Thus, although isoform 1 resembles the ERM proteins, which transition between inactive (closed) and active (open) states, isoform 2 is distinct, existing only in the active (open) state and presumably constitutively more available for interaction with other protein partners.
Differential chemical protection of mammalian cells from the exotoxins of Corynebacterium diphtheriae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Many drugs or chemicals had markedly different effects on the cytotoxicity induced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A (PE) or Corynebacterium diphtheriae exotoxin (DE). The glycolytic inhibitor NaF protected cells from DE but potentiated the cytotoxicity of PE. Another energy inhibitor, salicylic acid, also protected cells from DE but had no effect with PE. Colchicine and colcemid did not affect the cytotoxicity of either toxin. Cytochalasin B exhibited a modest protection from DE but no effect with PE. Ouabain, a specific inhibitor of the Na+, K+-dependent adenosine 5'-triphosphatase (ATPase), did not affect the cytotoxicity of either toxin. Ruthenium red, a specific inhibitor of the Ca2+, Mg2+,-dependent ATPase, conferred marked protection from DE-induced cytotoxicity but did not affect PE-induced cytotoxicity. A number of local anesthetics were tested, and they too presented differential results with PE and DE. Most chemicals that affected toxin-induced cytotoxicity had little or no influence on the in vitro adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribosylation catalyzed by either toxin. This work presents further evidence that PE and DE have different mechanisms of intoxication and suggests that these differences lie in the attachment or internalization stages of intoxication.
Set-Size Effects in Simple Visual Search for Contour Curvature

In a visual-search paradigm, both perception and decision processes contribute to the set-size effects. Using yes – no search tasks in set sizes from 2 to 8 for contour curvature, we examined whether the set-size effects are predicted by either the limited-capacity model or the decision-noise model. There are limitations in perception and decision-making in the limited-capacity model, but only in decision-making in the decision-noise model. The results of four experiments showed that the slopes of the logarithm of threshold plotted against the logarithm of set size ranged from 0.24 to 0.32, when the curvature was high or low, contour convexity was upward or downward, and stimulus was masked or unmasked. These slopes were closer to the prediction of 0.23 by the decision-noise model than that of 0.73 by the limited-capacity model. We interpret this that in simple visual search for contour curvature, the decision noise mainly affects the set-size effects and perceptual capacity is not limited.
Investigation of Plants Used for the Ethnoveterinary control of Gastrointestinal Parasites in bénoué Region, cameroon

Summary This study was conducted in the localities of Lainde Karewa and Israel, in the Benoue region of Cameroon. Carefully structured questionnaires and discussions were used to identify 25 plant species used for traditional veterinary treatment in the Mbororo settlements, in order to control internal worms and parasites in cows, sheep and goats. These plant species belong to 16 families. Combretaceae were most frequently used, while Mitragyna inermis (14.07%) and Anogeissus leiocarpus (20.96%) were most frequently used for sheep and goats, respectively. Stem bark was the most frequently used part of the plant (58.33%), generally in decoction form (31.25%) or by mixing the whole plant with the animal’s food (31.25%), and represented the majority of medicinal preparations. Medicinal plants are generally used on their own and rarely in combination with other plants. These medicinal plant remedies are almost always administered orally. Even if their safety and effectiveness have yet to be proven, they could represent an alternative strategy for managing helminthiases in the region.
A culture of survival : the construction and maintenance of household living standards in low-income self-employment

There was a major growth in self-employment in Britain during the 1980s, Currently well over three million people (or around 13 per cent of the work force) are self-employed in their main job, of whom around two thirds work on their own. Although there are difficulties with interpreting data on income from selfemployment, there is evidence that a substantial proportion of self-employed households, particularly among the more recent entrants, have relatively low earnings. A considerable amount of research has been carried out on the start up or failure of new small businesses, but little has been known about the living standards sustained by low earnings or the household dynamics associated with this sector of employment. Self-employment can be expected to continue growing, along with other forms of 'atypical' employment, as a contributor to the new 'flexible workforce'. However, the self-employed are increasingly a problem area within social security. With the growth of the sector as a whole, including the more recent development of quasi-self employed subcontractual arrangements in a number of industries, has come some recognition that the self-employed, along with other 'atypical' workers, may be wrongly excluded from certain kinds of protection or entitlements available to other employees. Lower paid self-employed people are entitled in some circumstances to claim various means-tested benefits, including family credit and housing benefit. Yet there has been a widespread view that declared earnings of self-employed people are frequently understated and do not represent a true picture of household living standards. This thesis examines how living standards relate to declared earnings in families where an adult is in self-employed work and receives the means-tested family credit. The empirical research is put in context by a wide-ranging review of the growth and contemporary nature of self-employment from the perspective of sociology, labour market studies, gender, and income distribution. The circumstances of self-employed family credit recipients are then compared to those of employees, using secondary analysis of administrative data. The empirical core of the thesis is a series of qualitative, in-depth interviews with a sample of 40 self-employed recipients of family credit and their domestic partners in the case of couples. The thesis examines qualitatively the ways in which people become self-employed, how particular living standards are produced and sustained in self-employed households, and the participation in the economic process by different household members. There was little evidence widespread inaccuracy or misrepresentation of earnings by self-employed recipients, even if incomes were occasionally boosted in some trades by small amounts of undeclared work. Yet the families were highly heterogeneous, and living standards varied considerably, even among families on similar income levels.
Fatigue and Team Performance in Soccer

We investigate the role of fatigue in soccer (football). Although this issue is important for the “productivity” of players and the optimal organization of national and international championships, empirical evidence is lacking. We use data on all the matches played by national teams in all the tournaments of the Soccer World Cup (from 1930 to 2010) and the European Football Championship (from 1960 to 2012). We relate team performance (in terms of points gained and goals scored and conceded) to the respective days of rests that teams have had after their previous match, controlling for several measures of teams’ abilities. Using different estimators we show that, under the current structure of major international tournaments, there are no relevant effects of enjoying different days of rest on team performance. However, we find that before 1990s days of rest had a positive impact on performance, presumably because athletic preparation of players was less effective. Furthermore, we show that the advantage of additional rest is quite relevant, when rest time of one of the opposing teams is three days or less.
Quality of Life of Men and Women With Borderline Intelligence and Attention Deficit Disorders Living in Community Residences: A Comparative Study

The research studies the quality of life (QOL) of 127 men and women diagnosed as having a borderline IQ and ADHD living in two major residential programs of the Sharon region in central Israel in respect to their personal, disability, and social ecological variables. Core findings indicate that men and women differ significantly according to their educational background. Among those who studied in a regular educational environment, the main predictor of men’s QOL is their monthly income, whereas the main predictor for women is their level of attention deficit symptoms. The only predictor of QOL among men who studied in a special education program is the quality of contact with their mothers, whereas no significant predictor is observed among women.
The Assessing Patients’ Preferred Treatments (APPT-1) study

Limited information is currently available on patient preferences regarding administration frequency, tablet load and the trade-off between side effects and convenience in choosing antiretroviral regimens. A standardized questionnaire of persons with HIV infection across 5 large European countries was used to assess patient preference. 504 people with HIV participated. Participants showed a preference for once-daily therapy administration. However, several factors affected this preference.
Analysis of Bilirubins in Biological Fluids by Extraction and Thin‐Layer Chromatography of the Intact Tetrapyrroles: Application to Bile of Patients with Gilbert's Syndrome, Hemolysis, or Cholelithiasis

A method was developed to extract quantitatively the bilirubins from bile, urine, serum, stool, and preparations from liver with a chloroform‐ethanol mixture at pH 1.8 in the presence of ascorbic acid and NaCl. Extracted pigment was submitted to thin‐layer chromatography, and the separated bilirubins were either immediately eluted and determined spectrophotometrically or individually converted to ethyl anthranilate azo derivatives for thin‐layer chromatographic analysis of each isolated pigment band. Bilirubins in duodenal bile of eight healthy adults comprised 1.5 ± 1.3% unconjugated bilirubin‐IXα, 69 ± 6% bilirubin diglucuronide, and 16 ± 4% bilirubin monoglucuronides. Mixed diconjugates containing one glucuronosyl moiety and either one xylosyl or one glucosyl group amounted to 10 ± 3%. Most samples (6 of 8) contained trace amounts (0.6 ± 0.6%) of unconjugated bilirubin‐IXβ, in agreement with nearly exclusive cleavage of heme at the α‐meso position. The composition of the bilirubins in bile was normal in 6 patients with cholesterol gallstones, 4 with chronic hepatitis, and 3 with hemolysis. In duodenal bile of individuals with Gilbert's syndrome (n = 10), the concentration of bttirubin conjugates was comparable to that in healthy adults, but the proportion of bilirubin diglucuronides (52 ± 8%) was decreased. The concentration of unconjugated bilirubin‐IXα showed a fair positive correlation with that of bilirubin monoglucuronide and was increased in half of the patients with Gilbert's syndrome.
The histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A, enhances radiation sensitivity and accumulation of gammaH2A.X

Histone deacetylase inhibitors have been shown to induce numerous biologic effects including, altering cell cycle distribution, cytostasis and in certain cases apoptosis. Given their ability to disrupt critical biological processes in cancer cells, these agents are emerging as potential therapeutics for cancer. Recently, it has been identified that histone deacetylase inhibitors can also efficiently enhance the radiation sensitivity of cells, both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, we investigated whether the potent histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A, modulates the radiation sensitivity of human erythroleukemic K562 cells. The endpoints we used were clonogenic survival, apoptosis and ? H2AX immunoprecipitations of soluble chromatin. The findings from clonogenic survival assays indicated that incubation with Trichostatin A 24 hours prior to irradiation enhances the radiation sensitivity of K562 cells. The dose modification factors ranged from 1.1 when cells were incubated with 0.1 ? M Trichostatin A to 2.3 at 1 ? M Trichostatin A. Similarly, caspase-3 and caspase-7 assays indicated that Trichostatin A potentiates radiation-induced apoptosis in K562 cells, in a concentration dependent manner. Our results suggest the modulation of radiation effects observed at the lower Trichostatin A concentrations was associated with histone hyperacetylation and changes in phosphorylated ? H2A.X formation on euchromatin. In contrast, at the higher Trichostatin A concentrations mechanisms such as drug-mediated cytotoxicity and G1 cell cycle arrest, contributed to the sensitization effect. More generally, our findings are consistent with those from recent studies and support the development of histone deacetylase inhibitors for use as radiation sensitizers, particularly for targeting radioresistant cancers.