Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs), CD4+, CD8+ and their CD45RO+ and CD45RA+ subpopulations in hepatitis C virus (HCV)‐HIV‐co‐infected patients during treatment with interferon alpha plus ribavirin: analysis in a population on effective antiretroviral therapy

Interferon (IFN)‐α induced CD4+ T lymphopenia is a toxic effect of the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)‐co‐infected patients. To increase the knowledge about this secondary effect, we performed an analysis of the evolution of the T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs), CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and of their CD45RO+ and CD45RA+ subpopulations during the treatment of chronic hepatitis HCV with peginterferon alpha (pegIFN‐α) + ribavirin. Twenty HCV/HIV‐co‐infected patients, with undetectable HIV load after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), were treated with pegIFN‐α + ribavirin. TRECs were determined using real‐time polymerase chain reaction. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and their CD45RO+ and CD45RA+ subpopulations were analysed by two‐colour flow cytometry. Median baseline CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were 592 mm3 and 874 mm3, respectively. Median baseline CD45RO+ subpopulation was 48% for CD4+ T and 57% for CD8+ T lymphocytes. A progressive decrease in both T cell populations, as well as of their CD45RO+ and CD45RA+ subpopulations, was detected, with a difference between the baseline and nadir levels approaching 50%. The evolution of T cell populations and TRECs was independent of the response to the treatment. T lymphocytes and their subpopulations returned to baseline levels at 24 weeks after the end of treatment, with the exception of the T CD4+ CD45RA+ subpopulation. The ratio of CD4+ CD45RO+/CD4+ CD45RA+ increased from 0·89 (baseline) to 1·44 (24 weeks after the end of the therapy). TRECs/ml did not return to the basal values. In conclusion, a significant reduction of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and of their CD45RA+ and CD45RO+ subpopulations, in HIV/HCV co‐infected patients treated with pegIFN‐α was observed. Both subpopulations increased after the suppression of treatment, but the CD4+ CD45RA subpopulation did not reach the basal levels as a consequence, at least in part, of a decrease in thymic production.
Oral narrative performance of african american prekindergartners who speak nonmainstream American English.

PURPOSE This study had 4 primary purposes: (a) to describe the oral narrative performance of typically developing African American prekindergarten children with commonly used macro- and microstructure measures; (b) to examine the concurrent and (c) predictive relations between narrative performance, spoken dialect use, vocabulary, and story comprehension; and (d) to explore change in narrative performance during the school year. METHOD Children provided story retells of Frog Where Are You? ( Mayer, 1969) at the beginning ( n = 76) and end ( n = 146) of the school year. Retells were analyzed using the narrative assessment protocol ( Pence, Justice, & Gosse, 2007), the narrative scoring scheme ( Heilmann, Miller, & Nockerts, 2010; Heilmann, Miller, Nockerts, & Dunaway, 2010), high point analysis ( McCabe, Bliss, Barra, & Bennett, 2008), and other common indices of narrative ability (e.g., number of different words). Children also completed spoken dialect use, oral vocabulary, and story comprehension measures. RESULTS Comparisons with data reported in the literature suggest that, on average, the children in this study performed within age-appropriate expectations on each narrative measure. In general, narrative performance was correlated with and predicted by complex syntax and vocabulary skills and was not associated with spoken dialect use. Finally, the children's narrative assessment protocol and high point analysis scores changed significantly during the school year. CONCLUSION The results are useful in interpreting the performance of African American children during the prekindergarten school year.
Comparison of the growth hormone, IGF‐1 and insulin in cerebrospinal fluid and serum between patients with motor neuron disease and healthy controls

Neurotrophic effects of the growth hormone (GH), insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) and insulin on the central nervous system have become more apparent in the past decade. In this study, we measured serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of GH, IGF‐1 and insulin in 35 patients with motor neuron disease (MND) [24 patients with definite amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 11 patients with progressive bulbar palsy] and in 40 healthy controls. Levels of serum concentrations of GH and IGF‐1 did not significantly differ between the MND patient group and the healthy controls, while the level of insulin was significantly decreased (P = 0.0033) in the MND patient group. However, levels of all three examined parameters in CSF were significantly lower in the MND group than in the healthy controls with the statistical significance for IGF‐1 and insulin of P < 0.001. This finding has not been reported previously, and further investigations into its association with ALS should establish whether it can be used as an early marker of the disease, or whether it merely represents a consequence of ALS development.
Time Course of Biological Activity in Fresh Murine Osteochondral Allografts Paralleled to the Recipient's Immune Response

The use of fresh osteochondral allografts is a popular approach to treat articular cartilage lesions. Immunological reactions of the recipient elicited by the allograft's osseous portion, however, frequently result in their deterioration. So far, little emphasis has been put on describing morphology and biological activity in fresh allografts and paralleling these to the immunological processes triggered in the host. Therefore, in the present study murine neonatal femora, serving as osteochondral grafts, were transplanted as fresh isografts (controls) or allografts (the latter in non- or presensitized mice) and retrieved after 2, 5, 10, and 20 days. It was shown that (1) in isografts active bone cells (osteoblasts, osteoclasts) were present, the bone marrow was repopulated with hematopoietic cells, the diaphysis increased in length, and no specific immunological reaction by the recipient was evoked. (2) Allografts transplanted into nonsensitized hosts initially appeared similar as isografts, but activated T lymphocytes at the transplantation site preceded loss of active bone cells within the graft and development of fibrosis within the marrow cavity. (3) In allografts transplanted into presensitized recipients, severe deterioration of the graft was observed with very few active bone cells, accompanied by an invasion of T lymphocytes and fibrosis in the marrow cavity already in early stages. Similar to vital organ transplantation, the function of cells within osteochondral allografts is severely impaired after being recognized by the immune system. Therefore, emphasis has to be placed on the development of procedures preserving cartilage biology while reducing the antigenicity of the allograft's osseous portion.
Public service motivation and performance: a critical perspective

Purpose - – A growing body of literature points to the importance of public service motivation (PSM) for the performance of public organizations. The purpose of this paper is to assess the method predominantly used for studying this linkage by comparing the findings it yields without and with a correction suggested by Brewer (2006), which removes the common-method bias arising from employee-specific response tendencies. Design/methodology/approach - – First, the authors conduct a systematic review of published empirical research on the effects of PSM on performance and show that all studies found have been conducted at the individual level. Performance indicators in all but three studies were obtained by surveying the same employees who were also asked about their PSM. Second, the authors conduct an empirical analysis. Using survey data from 240 organizational units within the Swiss federal government, the paper compares results from an individual-level analysis (comparable to existing research) to two analyses where the data are aggregated to the organizational level, one without and one with the correction for common-method bias suggested by Brewer (2006). Findings - – Looking at the Attraction to Policy-Making dimension of PSM, there is an interesting contrast: While this variable is positively correlated with performance in both the individual-level analysis and the aggregated data analysis without the correction for common-method bias, it is not statistically associated with performance in the aggregated data analysis with the correction. Originality/value - – The analysis is the first to assess the robustness of the performance-PSM linkage to a correction for common-method bias. The findings place the validity of at least one part of the individual-level linkage between PSM and performance into question.
Identifying differentially expressed genes in the mammalian retina and the retinal pigment epithelium by suppression subtractive hybridization

Retina and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells are of neuroectodermal origin with highly specialized functions in light perception. Identification and characterization of genes differentially expressed in these cells will greatly aid our understanding of their functional roles in retinal biology. As a source enriched for gene transcripts from the retina/RPE, we generated a human retina and a bovine RPE cDNA library applying the PCR-based technique of suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Sequencing of 1,080 retina and 2,350 RPE SSH clones resulted in the identification of 321 and 343 non-redundant human transcripts, respectively. Of these, only 27 genes were in common between the two cDNA libraries. One transcript expressed exclusively in retina and RPE is the novel gene C4orf11 which is comprised of four exons on chromosome 4q21.2. We report the full-length cloning of two isoforms of C4orf11, 919 bp and 857 bp in length, both of which contain four identical open reading frames (ORFs). While ORFs 1 to 3 show no homologies to known proteins or protein domains, ORF4 reveals 50% sequence identity to RPE-spondin, a hypothetical protein on 8q13.3 with unknown function. We demonstrate that both the retina and the RPE SSH cDNA libraries are excellent resources for identifying known and novel genes exclusively or abundantly expressed in the retina/RPE complex. In combination with other approaches such as microarray analysis or serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE), the availability of highly sensitive and specific SSH cDNA libraries will facilitate the comprehensive description of the retina/RPE transcriptome.
Neonatal loss of motor function in human spina bifida aperta.

OBJECTIVE In neonates with spina bifida aperta (SBA), leg movements innervated by spinal segments located caudal to the meningomyelocele are transiently present. This study in neonates with SBA aimed to determine whether the presence of leg movements indicates functional integrity of neuronal innervation and whether these leg movements disappear as a result of dysfunction of upper motor neurons (axons originating cranial to the meningomyelocele) and/or of lower motor neurons (located caudal to the meningomyelocele). METHODS Leg movements were investigated in neonates with SBA at postnatal day 1 (n = 18) and day 7 (n = 10). Upper and lower motor neuron dysfunction was assessed by neurologic examination (n = 18; disinhibition or inhibition of reflexes, respectively) and by electromyography (n = 12; absence or presence of denervation potentials, respectively). RESULTS Movements, related to spinal segments caudal to the meningomyelocele, were present in all neonates at postnatal day 1. At day 1, leg movements were associated with signs of both upper (10 of 18) and lower (17 of 18) motor neuron dysfunction caudal to the meningomyelocele. In 7 of 10 neonates restudied after the first postnatal week, leg movements had disappeared. The absence of leg movements coincided with loss of relevant reflexes, which had been present at day 1, indicating progression of lower motor neuron dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that the presence of neonatal leg movements does not indicate integrity of functional lower motor neuron innervation by spinal segments caudal to the meningomyelocele. Present observations could explain why fetal surgery at the level of the meningomyelocele does not prevent loss of leg movements.
Differential gene expression in Ndph-knockout mice in retinal development.

PURPOSE Mutations in the NDP gene impair angiogenesis in the eyes of patients diagnosed with a type of blindness belonging to the group of exudative vitreoretinopathies. This study was conducted to investigate the differential gene expression caused by the absence of Norrin (the NDP protein) in the developing mouse retina and to elucidate early pathogenic events. METHODS A comparative gene expression analysis was performed on postnatal day (p)7 retinas from a knockout mouse model for Norrie disease using gene microarrays. Subsequently, results were verified by quantitative real-time PCR analyses. Immunohistochemistry was performed for the vascular permeability marker plasmalemma vesicle associated protein (Plvap). RESULTS Our study identified expression differences in Ndph(y/-) versus wild-type mice retinas at p7. Gene transcription of the neutral amino acid transporter Slc38a5, apolipoprotein D (ApoD), and angiotensin II receptor-like 1 (Agtrl1) was decreased in the knockout mouse, whereas transcript levels of adrenomedullin (Adm) and of the plasmalemma vesicle associated protein (Plvap) were increased in comparison to the wild-type. In addition, ectopic expression of Plvap was found in the developing retinal vasculature of Norrin-knockout mice on the protein level. CONCLUSIONS These data provide molecular evidence for a role of Norrin in the development of the retinal vasculature. Expression of two genes, Plvap and Slc38a5, is considerably altered in retinal development of Norrin-knockout mice and may reflect or contribute to the pathogenesis of the disease. In particular, ectopic expression of Plvap is consistent with hallmark disease symptoms in mice and humans.
Adverse Welfare Shocks and Pro‐Environmental Behavior: Evidence from the Global Economic Crisis

© 2018 International Association for Research in Income and Wealth This paper examines the effects of the 2008–9 global economic crisis on people's pro-environmental behavior and willingness to pay for climate change mitigation. We hypothesize that the crisis has affected pro-environmental behaviors through tightening of budget constraints and relaxation of time constraints. Using data from a large representative survey Life in Transition II, conducted in 35 European and Central Asian countries in 2010, we find that people adversely affected by the crisis are more likely to act in an environmentally-friendly way, but less likely to be willing to pay for climate change mitigation. Our findings confirm the importance of time and budget constraints for undertaking pro-environmental action, and highlight a potentially positive role of adverse, external welfare shocks in shaping pro-environmental behavior.
Matrix MTM adjuvanted virosomal H5N1 vaccine induces balanced Th1/Th2 CD4+ T cell responses in man

T cellular responses play a significant role in mediating protective immune responses against influenza in humans. In the current study, we evaluated the ability of a candidate virosomal H5N1 vaccine adjuvanted with Matrix MTM to induce CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses in a phase 1 clinical trial. We vaccinated 60 healthy adult volunteers (at days 0 and 21) with 30 μg haemagglutinin (HA) alone or 1.5, 7.5, or 30 μg HA formulated with Matrix MTM. To evaluate the T cellular responses, lymphocytes were stimulated in vitro with homologous (A/Vietnam/1194/2004 [H5N1]) and heterologous H5N1 (A/Anhui/1/05 or A/Bar-headed Goose/Qinghai/1A/05) antigens. The antigen-specific cytokine responses were measured by intracellular cytokine staining and by multiplex (Luminex) assays. An increase in CD4+ Th1 and Th2 cytokines was detected 21 days after the first vaccine dose. No increase in Th cytokine responses was observed after the second dose, although it is possible that the cytokine levels peaked earlier than sampling point at day 42. Formulation with the Matrix MTM adjuvant augmented both the homologous and cross-reactive cytokine response. Antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses were detected only in a few vaccinated individuals. The concentrations of Th1 and to a lesser extent, Th2 cytokines at 21 days post-vaccination correlated moderately with subsequent days 35 and 180 serological responses as measured by the microneutralisation, haemagglutination inhibition, and single radial hemolysis assays. Results presented here show that the virosomal H5N1 vaccine induced balanced Th1/Th2 cytokine responses and that Matrix MTM is a promising adjuvant for future development of candidate pandemic influenza vaccines.
Vena cava encirclement predicts difficult native hepatectomy

Recipient hepatectomy is a challenging liver transplantation (LT) procedure that has life‐threatening complications. The current predictive mortality clinic‐biological scores (Child/Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease [MELD]) do not take into consideration the recipient's liver anatomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the dorsal sector anatomy of a cirrhotic liver on the morbidity/mortality rates of hepatectomy. A multicenter retrospective study (clinic‐biological and morphologic) was performed from 2013 to 2014. The degree of encirclement of the inferior vena cava (IVC) by the dorsal sector of the liver was measured. The study population included 320 patients. Seventy‐four (23%) patients had complete IVC encirclement. A correlation (P = 0.01) has been reported between the existence of a circular dorsal sector and the number of transfusions during LT (4 packed red blood cell [PRBC] transfusions in the group without IVC versus 7 PRBC transfusions in the other group). The existence of such anatomy increases the relative risk of early reoperation for IVC bleeding by 31% (P = 0.05). There is a correlation between alcoholic cirrhosis and dorsal‐sector hypertrophy (126 cc versus 147.5 cc; P = 0.05). Concerning surgical time, we found no significant between‐group differences. Compared to the severity of cirrhosis, an inverse correlation was observed between the MELD and Child scores and the dorsal sector hypertrophy (P < 0.001). No significant difference in terms of transfusion was found between the temporary portocaval shunt group (n = 168) and the other group (n = 152). The presence of a circular sector is associated with an increased risk of hemorrhage during hepatectomy, as well as an immediate postoperative risk of reoperation. Liver Transplantation 22 906–913 2016 AASLD
Impacting Factors of the Chinese Military Enterprises’ Capital Structure and Approaches of Importing Private Capital

Abstract This paper analyzes the impacting factors of the capital structure of military listed companies in China, based on the 2001–2015 panel data of 104 Chinese listed companies, and we explore practical approaches for Chinese private capital entering the military enterprises, given the strategy of the civil–military integration. We show that: (1) state-owned shares and domestic legal person shares negatively impact the capital structure of military enterprises and mainly show in non-current liability. While the foreign legal person shares and the shareholding ratio of executives and managers have no significant impact. (2) As for the financial indicators, coefficients of firm size, asset tangibility, and growth are positive, while those of profitability, non-debt tax shield, and growth opportunity are negative. (3) Given the civil–military integration strategy, equity financing imposes a negative impact on the capital structure of military enterprises. The negative impact increases, with the increase in military enterprises’ profitability, business risk, and growth opportunities, and with the decrease in military enterprises’ growth and firm size. (4) The negative impacts of equity financing are significant, if debt ratios of the military enterprises are too small or too large. While the state-owned shares only have significant negative impact on military enterprises whose debt ratios are too small. As a conclusion, we suggest private capital to prioritize the corporate bonds or short-term borrowing to enter the military industry, and choose smaller or medium-sized military enterprises with more growth opportunities and lower business risks.
A pan-European epidemiological study reveals honey bee colony survival depends on beekeeper education and disease control

Reports of honey bee population decline has spurred many national efforts to understand the extent of the problem and to identify causative or associated factors. However, our collective understanding of the factors has been hampered by a lack of joined up trans-national effort. Moreover, the impacts of beekeeper knowledge and beekeeping management practices have often been overlooked, despite honey bees being a managed pollinator. Here, we established a standardised active monitoring network for 5 798 apiaries over two consecutive years to quantify honey bee colony mortality across 17 European countries. Our data demonstrate that overwinter losses ranged between 2% and 32%, and that high summer losses were likely to follow high winter losses. Multivariate Poisson regression models revealed that hobbyist beekeepers with small apiaries and little experience in beekeeping had double the winter mortality rate when compared to professional beekeepers. Furthermore, honey bees kept by professional beekeepers never showed signs of disease, unlike apiaries from hobbyist beekeepers that had symptoms of bacterial infection and heavy Varroa infestation. Our data highlight beekeeper background and apicultural practices as major drivers of honey bee colony losses. The benefits of conducting trans-national monitoring schemes and improving beekeeper training are discussed.
Constructing investor rights? Why some states (fail to) terminate bilateral investment treaties

ABSTRACT The hundreds of legal claims brought by foreign investors against states under bilateral investment treaties (BITs) have prompted growing public backlash. Yet, governments are responding to this backlash differently. Some countries heavily targeted by investor claims have terminated BITs while others have sought only moderate reforms to key provisions. Despite the rich literature on BITs, we know little about the dissonance in government approaches toward investor rights: Why do some countries terminate BITs while others seek to reform them? This article explores the strategies governments used to defend public and political interests during investor–state disputes in Argentina and Ecuador. Governments in both cases adopted policies they knew were likely to infringe on investor rights and employed strategies to mitigate the costs of investor claims with some success. Variation in government approaches, namely Ecuador's decision to terminate BITs and Argentina's decision to maintain them, stems from ideological differences and state–society relations. Ideological differences, which reflect their social bases, caused policy-makers to weigh the costs and benefits of BITs relative to domestic interests differently. This demonstrates that governments are not passive recipients of international rules, but instead will knowingly break with such rules where domestic interests are perceived to necessitate it.