Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Pro-/Anti-Inflammatory Cytokines and Their Correlation With Established Risk Factors in South Indians With Coronary Artery Disease

Cytokines are responsible for the modulation of immunological and inflammatory processes and play a significant role in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease. We estimated the levels of pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokines in South Indian patients with coronary artery disease. The study population comprised of groups 1-3: 100 patients each with acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, and stable angina, respectively, and group 4 (100 healthy controls). Cytokine levels (interleukin-6, interleukin-8, interleukin-10, and tumor necrosis factor-α) were estimated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Interleukin-6, interleukin-8, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels were significantly higher in patients from groups 1 and 2, than in group 3 and controls. Acute myocardial infarction patients exhibited higher serum levels of interleukin-10 compared with other groups and control subjects. Patients with unstable angina had significantly lower interleukin-10 concentrations than those with stable angina. The ratios of pro-/anti-inflammatory cytokines in all the study groups increased significantly when patients with unstable angina were compared to other groups. In patients with acute myocardial infarction, interleukin-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α levels showed significant correlation with established risk factors such as body mass index, blood pressure, and lipid levels. Acute myocardial infarction patients show elevation in proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines, while unstable angina is associated with low levels of serum interleukin-10. Higher levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 may be needed to provide protection in unstable angina. These cytokines are markers of coronary artery disease and may be used for the identification of high-risk patients with unstable angina/acute myocardial infarction.
A new method for demonstrating mitochondria.

Some time ago it was found by the author that after Regaud fixation, Wilder's (1935) silver method for demonstrating reticular fibres in paraffin sections often showed what appeared to be mitochondria in the cytoplasm of many of the cells. This observation has been followed up, and a technique has been devised which regularly and specifically demonstrates mitochondria. Good preparations have a clarity and intensity of impregnation which surpasses that of the usual anilinefuchsin and iron-haematoxylin techniques, and rivals that of the best preparations by the copper-chrome-haematoxylin method of Bensley. The last method, moreover, sometimes unaccountably fails to stain the mitochondria which alternative methods show to be present. METHOD
Relationship between C-reactive protein and glucose levels in community-dwelling subjects without diabetes: the Hisayama Study.

C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation, is emerging as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (1,2). It has also been reported that serum CRP levels are elevated in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (3) or diabetes (4). A few prospective studies have shown that increased CRP levels are an independent risk factor for future diabetes (5,6). Although these findings indicate that CRP levels in peripheral blood are closely associated with glucose levels, it remains unclear whether a relationship exists between CRP levels and plasma glucose levels in the pre-diabetic range. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between CRP concentrations and pre-diabetic plasma glucose levels in a general Japanese population. A population-based prospective study of cardiovascular disease has been underway since 1961 in the town of Hisayama, Kyushu Island, Japan. In 1988, as a part of the study, a cross-sectional diabetes survey of Hisayama residents was conducted (7). Of all 3,227 residents aged 40–79 years in the town registry, 2,587 (80.2%) consented to take part in a comprehensive assessment, including a fasting 75-g oral glucose tolerance test. After excluding 82 nonfasting participants, 15 of whom failed to complete the oral glucose tolerance test, 302 with diabetes based on the American Diabetes Association …
Secure Implementation in Economies with Indivisible Objects and Money

This paper studies the application of the notion of secure implementation (Cason, Saijo, Sjostrom, and Yamato, 2006; Saijo, Sjostrom, and Yamato, 2007) to the problem of allocating indivisible objects with monetary transfers. We propose a new domain-richness condition, termed as minimal richness. We then establish that on any minimally rich domain, only constant social choice functions are securely implementable.
The Discovery of Common Recurrent Transmembrane Protease Serine 2 (TMPRSS2)-Erythroblastosis Virus E26 Transforming Sequence (ETS) Gene Fusions in Prostate Cancer: Significance and Clinical Implications

Recurrent gene fusions and chromosomal rearrangements were previously thought to be the primary oncogenic mechanism of hematological malignancies and sarcomas. The recent discovery of recurrent gene fusions in a majority of prostate cancers represents a paradigm shift in understanding the molecular mechanisms of one of the most prevalent epithelial malignancies, with important clinical and biologic implications. The prostate cancer gene fusions that have been identified so far are characterized by 5′-genomic regulatory elements, most notably the androgen-controlled prostate specific gene, transmembrane protease serine 2, fused to members of the erythroblastosis virus E26 transforming sequence family of transcription factors, most notably ERG, leading to the overexpression of oncogenic transcription factors. The erythroblastosis virus E26 transforming sequence gene fusions most likely define a distinct class of prostate cancer with potential implications for early diagnosis, prognosis, and rational therapeutic targeting. In this review, we summarize the bioinformatics approach that led to the discovery of gene fusions, the current state of the frequency, and diversity of gene fusions that define the molecular heterogeneity of prostate cancer, their associations with prostate cancer progression and clinical outcome, the subsequent morphological characteristics, and the potential application of gene fusions as biomarkers in the diagnosis and management of prostate cancer.
Impact of an automated system for endocytoscopic diagnosis of small colorectal lesions: an international web-based study

Background and study aims: Optical diagnosis of colorectal polyps is expected to improve the cost-effectiveness of colonoscopy, but achieving a high accuracy is difficult for trainees. Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) is therefore receiving attention as an attractive tool. This study aimed to validate the efficacy of the latest CAD model for endocytoscopy (380-fold ultra-magnifying endoscopy). Patients and methods: This international web-based trial was conducted between August and November 2015. A web-based test comprising one white-light and one endocytoscopic image of 205 small colorectal polyps (≤ 10 mm) from 123 patients was undertaken by both CAD and by endoscopists (three experts and ten non-experts from three countries). Outcome measures were accuracy in identifying neoplastic change in diminutive (≤ 5 mm) and small (≤ 10 mm) polyps, and accuracy in predicting post-polypectomy surveillance intervals according to current guidelines for high confidence optical diagnoses of diminutive polyps. Results: Of the 205 small polyps (147 neoplastic and 58 non-neoplastic), 139 were diminutive. CAD was accurate for 89 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 83 % – 94 %) of diminutive polyps and 89 % (84 % – 93 %) of small polyps, which was significantly greater than results for the non-experts (73 % [71 % – 76 %], P < 0.001; and 76 % [74 % – 78 %], P < 0.001, respectively) and comparable with the experts’ results (90 % [87 % – 93 %], P = 0.703; and 91 % [89 % – 93 %], P = 0.106, respectively). The surveillance interval predicted by CAD provided 98 % (93 % – 100 %) and 96 % (91 % – 99 %) agreement with pathology-directed intervals of the European and American guidelines, respectively. Conclusions: The use of CAD in endocytoscopy can be effective in the management of diminutive/small colorectal polyps. UMIN Clinical Trial Registry: UMIN000018185.
Nonlocal Patch Functional Minimization for Image Denoising Using Nonsubsampled Contourlet

The nonsubsampled contour let transform (NSCT) is an excellent multi scale and multidirection representation for images, born in redundant and shift-invariant quality suitable for denoising. Most NSCT or NSCT-like denoising methods borrow the mature algorithms from wavelets, and are restricted by the precision of the prior model to describe the coefficients statistics. This paper presents a discrete regularization approach relying on the nonlocal weighted patches function and the NSCT sub band estimator, to relieve the effect of prior precision while suppressing the additive noise and the resultant artifacts. Results on the PSNR and vision comparisons with the advanced denoising algorithms demonstrate the superiority of the proposed method.
The Brain’s Default Network and Its Adaptive Role in Internal Mentation

During the many idle moments that comprise daily life, the human brain increases its activity across a set of midline and lateral cortical brain regions known as the “default network. ” Despite the robustness with which the brain defaults to this pattern of activity, surprisingly little is known about the network’s precise anatomical organization and adaptive functions. To provide insight into these questions, this article synthesizes recent literature from structural and functional imaging with a growing behavioral literature on mind wandering. Results characterize the default network as a set of interacting hubs and subsystems that play an important role in “internal mentation”—the introspective and adaptive mental activities in which humans spontaneously and deliberately engage in every day.
Automatic selection of phonemes from an equally spaced quasi-phoneme string by the entropy principle

A new method to perform the phonemic segmentation of speech is introduced. The proposed method is based on analyzing the equally spaced quasi-phoneme string produced by the acoustic preprocessing and the phonemic labeling. The string consists of the most probable phonemic candidates and their reliabilities. The probabilities of different phonemes and the entropy of the string are evaluated at each analysis interval. The minima of the entropy indicate the steady-state regions of the phonemes. The performance of the entropy method is compared with that of two other segmentation methods.
LIFE HISTORY VARIATION IN AN ARTIFICIALLY SELECTED POPULATION OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER: PLEIOTROPY, SUPERFLIES, AND AGE‐SPECIFIC ADAPTATION

We measured age‐specific fecundity and survival in recombinant inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster that were derived from an artificial selection experiment for delayed reproduction. Age at peak oviposition is highly heritable (h2B= 0.55). We find three qualitative categories of peak oviposition: early‐, midlife‐, and bimodal. Genetic correlations between life span and early fecundity are not significantly different from zero, but correlations with midlife fecundity are positive and statistically significant. Long‐lived genotypes exhibit a midlife fecundity peak. There is no evidence for a shift of reproductive effort from early to later stages. The existence of qualitatively recombinant phenotypes, including “superflies” that exhibit both enhanced survival and high levels of early fecundity, argues against the widespread idea that life history evolution in Drosophila is dominated by negative pleiotropy. There is clear evidence of age‐specific adaptation in the timing of oviposition.
Occurrence of Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and Feline Leukemia (FeLV) in SÃ£o LuÃ­s-MA

The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus in the city of SA£o LuA­s, MaranhA£o state (MA), Brazil. A total of 120 blood samples were tested using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect the proviral DNA, with an amplification of a fragment of 244bp of the FIVâs gene gag. To detect anti-FIV antibodies and the p27antigen of FeLV, the samples were tested with a commercial immunoassay kit, SNAP Combo Plus (IDEXXÂ® Laboratories, USA), an indirect ELISA was also carried out for FIV. All three tests used gave 18.33% (22/120) of positivity for FIV. PCR and indirect ELISA found 10.83% (13/120) of the animals with FIV, while the SNAP Combo Plus found 9.17% (11/120). Only 0.83% (1/120) of the samples were positive for FeLV in the SNAP combo plus. Comparatively, SNAP combo plus showed higher sensitivity, whereas the indirect ELISA and PCR had, similar and better specificity (p
Body Mass Index in Celiac Disease: Beneficial Effect of a Gluten-free Diet

Background There is concern about celiac disease patients being overweight and gaining more weight while on a gluten-free diet (GFD). Aim To investigate body mass index (BMI) and effect of GFD on BMI of celiac disease patients in the United States where obesity is a systematic problem. Methods BMI at diagnosis and after 2.8 years (mean) on a GFD were compared with national data. Results Among our patients (n=369, 67.2% female), 17.3% were underweight, 60.7% normal, 15.2% overweight, and 6.8% obese. All patients were followed by a dietitian. Compared with national data, females had lower BMI (21.9 vs. 24.2, P<0.0001) and fewer were overweight (11% vs. 21%, P<0.0001); more males had a normal BMI (59.5% vs. 34%, P<0.0001) and fewer were underweight (9.1% vs. 26.7%, P<0.0001). Factors associated with low BMI were female sex, Marsh IIIb/c histology, and presentation with diarrhea. On GFD, 66% of those who were underweight gained weight, whereas 54% of overweight and 47% of obese patients lost weight. Conclusions A GFD had a beneficial impact on BMI, underweight patients gained weight and overweight/obese patients lost weight. The improvement in BMI adds to the impetus to diagnose celiac disease. Expert dietary counseling may be a major factor in the beneficial effects we noted.
Cyclophilin D inactivation protects axons in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the leading cause of neurological disability in young adults, affecting some two million people worldwide. Traditionally, MS has been considered a chronic, inflammatory disorder of the central white matter in which ensuing demyelination results in physical disability [Frohman EM, Racke MK, Raine CS (2006) N Engl J Med 354:942–955]. More recently, MS has become increasingly viewed as a neurodegenerative disorder in which neuronal loss, axonal injury, and atrophy of the CNS lead to permanent neurological and clinical disability. Although axonal pathology and loss in MS has been recognized for >100 years, very little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. Progressive axonal loss in MS may stem from a cascade of ionic imbalances initiated by inflammation, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and energetic deficits that result in mitochondrial and cellular Ca2+ overload. In a murine disease model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice lacking cyclophilin D (CyPD), a key regulator of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP), developed EAE, but unlike WT mice, they partially recovered. Examination of the spinal cords of CyPD-knockout mice revealed a striking preservation of axons, despite a similar extent of inflammation. Furthermore, neurons prepared from CyPD-knockout animals were resistant to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species thought to mediate axonal damage in EAE and MS, and brain mitochondria lacking CyPD sequestered substantially higher levels of Ca2+. Our results directly implicate pathological activation of the mitochondrial PTP in the axonal damage occurring during MS and identify CyPD, as well as the PTP, as a potential target for MS neuroprotective therapies.
Early life history of Syngnathus abaster

The embryonic and larval development of the pipefish Syngnathus abaster is described, based on ex situ observations. The full development sequence lasted 24-32 days (at 18-19° C), which was shortened to 21 days at higher temperatures (21-22° C). Newborn juveniles, with a uniform dark brown colouration, immediately assumed a benthic spatial distribution. This vertical distribution pattern remained unchanged at least during the first 4 weeks, after the release from the marsupium. The apparent absence of a pelagic life phase might have important repercussions in terms of population connectivity given increasing fragmentation and degradation of the eelgrass habitat in the species' range.
Stand-alone ClpG disaggregase confers superior heat tolerance to bacteria

Significance Severe heat stress causes massive protein loss by aggregation ultimately causing cell death. Cellular survival relies on protein disaggregation mediated by the Hsp70-ClpB (Hsp100) bichaperone system in most bacteria. Pseudomonas aeruginosa additionally codes for two stand-alone ClpG disaggregases, which had been acquired by horizontal gene transfer by the species and most abundant clone C strains, respectively. These ClpG disaggregases largely contribute to the resolution of protein aggregates to confer superior heat tolerance partially replacing the DnaK-ClpB system. AAA+ disaggregases solubilize aggregated proteins and confer heat tolerance to cells. Their disaggregation activities crucially depend on partner proteins, which target the AAA+ disaggregases to protein aggregates while concurrently stimulating their ATPase activities. Here, we report on two potent ClpG disaggregase homologs acquired through horizontal gene transfer by the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa and subsequently abundant P. aeruginosa clone C. ClpG exhibits high, stand-alone disaggregation potential without involving any partner cooperation. Specific molecular features, including high basal ATPase activity, a unique aggregate binding domain, and almost exclusive expression in stationary phase distinguish ClpG from other AAA+ disaggregases. Consequently, ClpG largely contributes to heat tolerance of P. aeruginosa primarily in stationary phase and boosts heat resistance 100-fold when expressed in Escherichia coli. This qualifies ClpG as a potential persistence and virulence factor in P. aeruginosa.
A method for measurement of antibiotics in human interstitial fluid.

To measure the antibiotic activity in interstitial fluid of volunteers, an area of skin 1 cm2 was denuded and covered with a chamber that was subsequently filled with saline. After the administration of an antibiotic, the portion that was not bound to protein was diffused out of the vascular space and equilibrated with the fluid in the chamber. At hourly intervals, the fluid was removed and immediately frozen, and the chamber was refilled. Serum was obtained simultaneously. Antibiotic activity was measured by the cup-plate and agar-well diffusion techniques. Volunteers were given each of the following antibiotics on separate days: cephalexin, ampicillin, benzylpenicillin, phenoxymethylpenicillin, nafcillin, and flucloxacillin. Antibiotics with lower percentages of protein binding diffused into the fluid of the skin window better than antibiotics with high percentages of protein binding. Flucloxacillin, 95% of which is bound to protein, had no detectable fluid levels in the skin window. The results suggest that the ability of antibiotics to diffuse into the interstitial fluid is related to the percentage of free drug in serum.
HIV infection in vitro enhances the activity of src-family protein tyrosine kinases.

OBJECTIVE We examined the effect of HIV infection on src-family protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) activity to determine if alterations in src-family PTK activity could contribute to the HIV-related chronic immune system activation observed in patients infected with HIV. METHODS Jurkat, a CD4+ human T lymphocyte cell line was infected with HIV IIIB. Kinase activity was determined by in vitro immune complex kinase assays using antibodies specific for the src-family PTKs, p56lck, p59fyn and p60c-src expressed in T lymphocytes. PTK protein and total phosphotyrosine levels were assessed by Western blotting. The role of the gp120-CD4-Lck interaction in HIV-related PTK activation was determined using gp 120-treated Jurkat cells and HIV-infection of JCaM 1.6 cells, a Jurkat-derived cell line that lacks p56lck. RESULTS Cells infected with HIV for 24 h exhibited increased levels of total tyrosine phosphorylation and enhanced src-family PTK activity without altered levels of expression of src-family kinases. The activity of Lck and Fyn was enhanced within 30 min of infection. HIV-related src-family PTK activation was not a function of the gp120-CD4-Lck interaction and occurred in the presence of 10 mmol/l zidovudine indicating that reverse transcriptase and activation of the HIV genome is not required. CONCLUSIONS HIV-related activation of src-family PTK is a response of the cell to early stages of the virus life cycle, possibly either membrane fusion or viral uncoating. These results indicate that endogenous src-family PTKs may play a role in HIV-related immune activation and dysfunction. Moreover, activation of src-family PTK may be a mechanism used by the virus to facilitate some aspect of its own life cycle.
Latinos and Cancer Information: Perspectives of Patients, Health Professionals and Telephone Cancer Information Specialists.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 Latino cancer patients diagnosed in California; 10 health professionals from the San Francisco Bay Area and Fresno, California; and 10 Cancer Information Services (CIS) information specialists from the regional offices handling calls from Spanish-speakers. Interview guides were designed by the investigators to answer three main research questions: 1) How do Latinos obtain information about cancer and what types of information do they access? ; 2) What sources of cancer information do they seek out and find credible? ; and 3) What are the barriers and facilitators to Latinos obtaining cancer information? Stakeholders generally viewed health professionals as the most credible source of cancer information. All groups regarded family and friends as important sources of information. Patients and health professionals tended to differ on the value of print materials. Although patients found them generally useful, health professionals tended to view them as inadequate for meeting the informational needs of their Latino patients due to the challenge of low health literacy. Health professionals also tended to undervalue Internet resources compared to patients and CIS specialists. All stakeholders viewed language, ethnic discordance and the impact on patients of the initial diagnosis as barriers to effective communication of cancer information. Health professionals and CIS specialists, but not patients, mentioned low literacy as a barrier. Our findings underscore the importance of the physician-patient relationship as a point of intervention to address the unmet informational and psychosocial needs of Latino cancer patients.