Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of CXCL9/CXCR3 Chemokine Biology during Pathogenesis of Acute Lung Allograft Rejection 1

Acute allograft rejection is a major complication postlung transplantation and is the main risk factor for the development of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome. Acute rejection is characterized by intragraft infiltration of activated mononuclear cells. The ELR-negative CXC chemokines CXCL9, CXCL10, and CXCL11) are potent chemoattractants for mononuclear cells and act through their shared receptor, CXCR3. Elevated levels of these chemokines in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid have been associated with human acute lung allograft rejection. This led to the hypothesis that the expression of these chemokines during an allogeneic response promotes the recruitment of mononuclear cells, leading to acute lung allograft rejection. We performed studies in a rat orthotopic lung transplantation model of acute rejection, and demonstrated increased expression of CXCL9 and CXCL10 paralleling the recruitment of mononuclear cells and cells expressing CXCR3 to the allograft. However, CXCL9 levels were 15-fold greater than CXCL10 during maximal rejection. Inhibition of CXCL9 decreased intragraft recruitment of mononuclear cells and cellular expression of CXCR3, resulting in lower acute lung allograft rejection scores. Furthermore, the combination of low dose cyclosporin A with anti-CXCL9 therapy had more profound effects on intragraft leukocyte infiltration and in reducing acute allograft rejection scores. This supports the notion that CXCL9 interaction with cells expressing CXCR3 has an important role in the recruitment of mononuclear cells, a pivotal event in the pathogenesis of acute lung allograft rejection.
Quality of life of adult coeliac patients treated for 10 years.

BACKGROUND For patients with coeliac disease, adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) is essential to restore the intestinal mucosa. It is less clear whether this ensures well-being of the patient. We have therefore assessed aspects of the quality of life of adult coeliac patients who had been on a GFD for 10 years. METHODS By means of the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36), the subjective health status was measured in 89 adult coeliac patients (61% women) aged 35-74 years. Patients shown to be in histologic remission (n=60) were evaluated by means of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS). RESULTS The coeliac patients scored significantly lower in the SF-36 than general population, notably within the General Health and Vitality domains. The low scoring was confined to the female patients, who also reported significantly more gastrointestinal symptoms in the GSRS than the male coeliacs. The functional status and perceived health of the coeliac patients appeared unrelated to their biopsy findings. CONCLUSIONS After 10 years on a GFD adult coeliac patients fail to attain the same degree of subjective health as the general population. This is particularly true for female patients and suggests that factors beyond normalization of the intestinal mucosa are of importance for the perceived health status of coeliacs diagnosed in adult life.
Harpy, production systems and human cognition

Harpy is a speech understanding system that attained (in 1976) a set of highly demanding specifications laid down in 1971 for the recognition of continuous speech (902 accuracy, 1000 words, several speakers, but restricted syntax and semantics). Harpy is an achievement in artificial intelligence, without regard to psychology. Its success, however, makes it worthwhile to ask for its implications for the psychology of speech perception. This paper explores that issue by performing a sufficiency analysis, ie, by constructing a psychological model of speech perception that is faithful to Harpy and then inquiring whether it is acceptable given what we know about human processing capabilities. The strategy for accomplishing this is to select a specific model of basic human cognitive architecture, a production system architecture called HPSA77 that is under investigation independently as a model of cognition; and then to map Harpy into this structure in a way that maintains performance plausibility. The paper (1) presents the production system architecture; (2) presents Harpy; (3) performs the mapping; (4) detours into a consideration of intensity encoding in production systems to solve a problem in the mapping; (5) does the sufficiency analysis; (6) examines what the model says about some human speech phenomena; (7) attempts to state what has been achieved. It seems to the author that a viable and interesting theory of human speech perception has been generated by this exercise, though it has several major difficulties (as noted).
Evidence concerning the origin of liver macrophages.

Chemical stimulation with endotoxin, estradiol or glucan has been used in conjunction with irradiation to modify various dynamic aspects of the RE system. Specific liver and spleen irradiation has been found to be as effective as whole body irradiation in suppressing the normal increase in RES activity and cell proliferation in the oestradiol stimulated mice. In contrast, irradiated animals were found to continue to respond to endotoxin stimulation. It has been concluded, therefore, that endotoxin stimulates largely by activation of existing cells while oestradiol stimulates largely by cell proliferation. Though these phagocytic cells in the liver may have had ancestral precursors from the bone marrow, we conclude from cell proliferation studies in stimulated animals that cell division of existing littoral cells is the predominant source of the increased number of hepatic macrophages.
S100B + A1 CELISA: A Novel Potency Assay and Screening Tool for Redifferentiation Stimuli of Human Articular Chondrocytes

During monolayer expansion, a necessary step in autologous chondrocyte implantation, human articular chondrocytes (HAC) dedifferentiate and lose their capacity to produce stable hyaline cartilage. Determining HAC potency and learning how to trigger their redifferentiation would improve cell‐based cartilage regeneration therapies. We previously identified S100B and S100A1 proteins as markers of HAC redifferentiation potential. Here, we aimed to: (i) demonstrate a correlation between S100B + A1‐positive HAC in monolayer culture and their neochondrogenesis capacity in pellet culture; (ii) develop an S100B + A1 cell‐based ELISA, and (iii) prove that S100B + A1 induction in HAC increases their chondrogenic capacity. Expression patterns of S100A1 and S100B were investigated in HAC during dedifferentiation (monolayer) or redifferentiation (pellet or high‐osmolarity/BMP4 treatment in monolayer) using qRT‐PCR, immunocytochemistry, or immunohistochemistry. A cell‐based ELISA (CELISA) was developed as a 96‐well microplate multiplex assay to measure S100B + A1 (chondrogenesis), alkaline phosphatase (hypertrophy), and DNA amount (normalization), and applied to HAC, bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells and the chondrocytic cell line ATDC5. The direct correlation between the percentage of S100B + A1‐positive HAC in monolayer and their neochondrogenesis in pellets validates S100B + A1 as a marker of chondrogenic potency. The S100B + A1‐CELISA accurately determines HAC differentiation status, allows identification of chondrogenic stimuli, and permits the simultaneous monitoring of the undesirable hypertrophic phenotype. This novel assay offers a high‐throughput, comprehensive and versatile approach for measuring cell chondrogenic potency and for identifying redifferentiation factors/conditions. HAC improved neochondrogenesis in pellets—induced with high‐osmolarity and BMP4 treatment in monolayer—suggests that cell instruction prior to implantation may improve cartilage repair. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 1559–1570, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms, tobacco and risk of lung cancer: a case-control study from Galicia, Spain.

BACKGROUND Only 15% of heavy smokers go on to develop lung cancer, indicating the existence of individual predisposition. PATIENTS AND METHODS Using a case-control study, we ascertained whether there were differences between cases and controls in the frequency of GSTM1 and GSTT1 gene polymorphisms, and whether their effect might be linked to smoking habit. RESULTS While a risk of lung cancer of 1.7 (1.0-3.0) was observed for GSTM1 gene deficiency, there appeared to be no such association for absence of the GSTT1 gene. The interaction observed with tobacco use indicated an excess risk of 24.5% (IC 95%-59.8-109.0) for the GSTM1 gene, with no such interaction in evidence for the GSTT1 gene. The highest risk for a combination of the different haplotypes was for subjects with the GSTT1 gene present and the GSTM1 gene deleted, with an Odds Ratio of 2.19 (1.18-4.07). CONCLUSION The absence of the GSTM1 gene is, while that of the GSTT1 gene is seemingly not, implicated in susceptibility to lung cancer.
Regulation of Constitutively Expressed and Induced Cutinase Genes by Different Zinc Finger Transcription Factors inFusarium solani f. sp. pisi(Nectria haematococca)*

Cutin monomers, generated by the low levels of constitutively expressed cutinase, induce high levels of cutinase that can help pathogenic fungi to penetrate into the host through the cuticle whose major structural polymer is cutin. We cloned three highly homologous cutinase genes, cut1, cut2, andcut3, from Fusarium solani f. pisi(Nectria haematococca). Amino acid sequence deduced from the nucleotide sequence of cut1 andcut2/3 matched with that of the peptides from cutinase 1 and cutinase 2, respectively, isolated from F. solani pisigrown on cutin as the sole carbon source. Induction of β-glucuronidase gene fused to the promoters of the cutinases integrated into F. solani pisi genome indicates thatcut2 is constitutively expressed and induced under starvation, whereas cut1 is highly induced by cutin monomers. A palindrome binding protein (PBP) previously cloned binds only to palindrome 1 of cut1 promoter but not palindrome 1 of cut2/3 which contains two base substitutions. PBP is thought to interfere with the binding of CTF1α, the transcription factor involved in induction, to cut1 promoter and thus keep cut1 gene repressed until induced by cutin monomers. Because PBP cannot bind palindrome 1 of cut2, this gene is not repressed. CTF1α does not transactivate cut2 promoter. A new Cys6Zn2 motif-containing transcription factor, CTF1β, that binds palindrome 2 was cloned and sequenced. In yeast, CTF1β transactivates cut2 promoter but not cut1 promoter unless its palindrome 1 is mutated, unlike CTF1α which transactivates cut1. Thus, CTF1β is involved in the constitutive expression of cut2 that causes production of low levels of cutin monomers that strongly inducecut1 using CTF1α as the transcription factor.
Clinical effects and safety of treating diabetic macular edema with intravitreal injection of ranibizumab combined with retinal photocoagulation

Background This study was designed to examine the clinical effects of treating diabetic macular edema with an intravitreal injection of ranibizumab in combination with retinal photocoagulation. Methods Sixty-two cases (75 eyes) with confirmed severe proliferative diabetic retinopathy or proliferative diabetic retinopathy in combination with macular edema were randomly divided into the observation group (37 eyes were given an intravitreal injection of ranibizumab combined with retinal photocoagulation) and the control group (38 eyes received retinal photocoagulation only). Vision, fundus condition, central macular thickness, and the macular leakage area were recorded before and after treatment. Results The best-corrected visual acuity and macular leakage area were similar between the observation and control groups (P>0.05). The best-corrected visual acuity in the observation group was higher than that in the control group 3 and 6 months after treatment (P<0.05) and showed a rising tendency. The macular leakage area in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group 1 and 3 months after treatment (P<0.05). However, the macular leakage area was similar 6 months after treatment (P>0.05). The central macular thickness of the observation group was lower than that in the control group 1, 3, and 6 months after treatment (P<0.05). The laser energy used in the observation group was also smaller than that in the control group (P<0.05). The intraocular pressure was not significantly different between the groups (P<0.05). No patients in the two groups developed eye or systemic complications, such as glaucoma, cataract, or vitreous hemorrhage during treatment. Conclusion Intravitreal injection of ranibizumab combined with retinal photocoagulation was proven to be effective in treating diabetic macular edema as it improved vision and resulted in fewer complications.
Comparative Study of Meningomyelocele Repair or Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunt as Primary Treatment in Spina Bifida

From a study of 119 children with meningomyelocele who were treated in different ways, it is reported that there is a definite advantage in controlling the hydrocephalus before considering local myelodysplasia repair. This approach significantly reduced central nervous system infection and local myelodysplasia repair breakdown rates. Repair of the lesion was unnecessary in 40 per cent of the children treated first by control of the hydrocephalus.
Cesarean Scar Pregnancy

A cesarean scar (ectopic) pregnancy occurs when a pregnancy implants on a cesarean scar. This condition is an uncommon but potentially devastating occurrence. The incidence is increasing as cesarean deliveries become more common. Early recognition of the salient sonographic findings is critical because a delay can lead to increased maternal morbidity and mortality. Magnetic resonance imaging is a valuable troubleshooting tool when sonography is equivocal or inconclusive before therapy or intervention. Early diagnosis by sonography directs therapy and improves outcomes by allowing preservation of the uterus and future fertility. We review the imaging features, differential diagnosis, complications, and treatment of cesarean scar pregnancies in the first trimester.
Re-examining the SLIP Task: Completely Lexical vs. Completely Non-Lexical

For years, the SLIP task, a methodology used to elicit speech errors in a laboratory setting, has added invaluable evidence in developing models of language production. It has lead to the finding that speech errors more commonly result in real words than in non-words, called the ‘lexical bias effect’. In turn, it has been used to support the idea of a self-monitor that monitors for speech errors, and is more likely to let real words slip past than non-words, as well as a theory of feedback between levels of processing, which increases the number of lexical errors, and more recently a theory that combines the self-monitor and feedback. However, past usage of the SLIP task has never directly compared results for a completely lexical context to that of a completely non-lexical context. The purpose of the present study is to fill this gap in the literature by using two levels of context, one block where no non-words are presented, and another where no real words are presented, as well as an outcome condition, where the intended error outcome of a target is either lexical or non-lexical. 52 participants read word pairs and the number and variety of speech errors and other responses they made were recorded. The results found no significant evidence for a difference in the number of exchanges between any conditions, however there were effects for the number of corrections made and for the number of times participants failed to respond. These results can add support to existing models of language production, particularly in the role of feedback in the selection of lexical concepts after an error is detected by the monitor.
Treatment of inflammatory bowel disease in a rodent model with the intestinal growth factor glucagon-like peptide-2.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE Microinjection of a Fisher (F344) rat zygote with human HLA-B27 and beta2-microglobulin genes induces spontaneous chronic gastrointestinal (GI) inflammation similar to lesions seen in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). This study was designed to evaluate the potential therapeutic benefit of GLP-2, an intestinal growth factor, in this transgenic rat model of IBD. METHODS Five F344 (control) and 10 HLA-B27 (on a F344 background) rats at 25 weeks of age were used. Rats were divided into the following 3 groups: group 1, F344 rats, no treatment (n = 5); group 2, HLA-B27, no treatment (n = 5); and group 3, HLA-B27, treated with a 14-day systemic infusion (via the jugular vein) of GLP-2 at 50 microg/kg/d (n = 5). After infusion, all rats underwent laparotomy, and the intestine from the ligament of Treitz to the rectum was harvested. Total mucosal damage (percent surface area) was measured using image analysis software (Sigmascan 2.0). Microscopic analysis was performed by a blinded reviewer and scored as follows: 0, no inflammation; 1, mild inflammation; 2, moderate inflammation; and 3, severe inflammation. Colonic mucosal total RNA was assayed for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), internal standard, mRNA by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Statistical analysis was performed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and expressed as mean +/- SEM. RESULTS Normal F344 rats did not show evidence of gross or histological lesions in the small or large intestine. GLP-2 reduced total mucosal damage from 9.0% +/- 0.7% in group 2 to 0.9% +/- 0.5% in group 3 (P < .01). The histological lesion score was reduced from 7.0 +/- 0.6 in group 2 to 4.4 +/- 0.8 in group 3 (P < .01). Furthermore, GLP-2 reduced the mean band intensity (MBI) of TNF-alpha (0.4 +/- 0.04 in group 2 to 0 in group 3, P < .01) and IFN-gamma (0.3 +/- 0.02 in group 2 to 0 in group 3, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS These data show for the first time that GLP-2 significantly reduces gross (90% decrease) and histological (40% decrease) lesions in this rat model of IBD. This is further supported by a significant decrease in gene expression of the inflammatory mediators TNF-alpha (100% decrease) and IFN-gamma (100% decrease). These data suggest a potential therapeutic role for GLP-2 in IBD.
GENETIC LINKAGE OF NUCLEAR MORPHOLOGY OF MOUSE LUNG TUMORS TO THE KRAS-2 LOCUS

Search for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) has been successful in the past decade by revealing numerous susceptibility to lung cancer loci in specially designed experimental crosses in mice. Although qualitative aspects of lung tumorigenesis are also genetically controlled, no loci affecting such traits have so far been identified. We analyzed a series of lung tumors derived from various inbred and recombinant congenic strains and F2 crosses for two histological characteristics: nuclear cytoplasmic invaginations (NCIs)and lymphocytic infiltration (LI)and performed linkage analysis. A significant linkage of the Kras-2 locus with presence or absence of NCI was detected. The implications of this linkage as well as the relationships between NCI, LI, tumor size and Kras-2 alleles are discussed.
Role of intraoperative cytology combined with histology in detecting continuous and skip type intraductal cancer existence for intraductal papillary mucinous carcinoma of the pancreas

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) is a recently discovered pancreatic tumor that has continuous or discontinuous (skip) lesions. Recent reports suggest a higher frequency of cancer recurrence in the remnant pancreas after surgical resection of IPMN. It is therefore important to precisely detect intraductal cancer extension and skip lesions when resecting IPMN.
The Impact of Perceived Stress, Social Support, and Home-Based Physical Activity on Mental Health among Older Adults

This study investigated how perceived stress, social support, and home-based physical activity affected older adults' fatigue, loneliness, and depression. We also explored whether social support and physical activity mediated the relationships between stress and mental health problems. The data of 163 older participants were analyzed in this study. Structural equation modeling using LISREL 8.71 was performed to assess the effects of stress, support, and physical activity on mental health. The findings indicate that perceived stress predicted higher levels of depression, social support predicted lower levels of loneliness and fatigue, and physical activity predicted lower levels of fatigue among older adults. Social support and physical activity mediated the relationships between stress and mental health, except depression. In conclusion, the relative impacts of perceived stress, social support, and physical activity on types of mental health (e.g., fatigue, loneliness, and depression) were different. Furthermore, stress had direct and indirect effects on each construct of mental health (e.g., fatigue, loneliness, and depression).
Upstream Stimulatory Factors Regulate Aortic Preferentially Expressed Gene-1 Expression in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells*

The phenotypic modulation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) plays a central role in the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis. Aortic preferentially expressed gene-1 (APEG-1), a VSMC-specific gene, is expressed highly in differentiated but not in dedifferentiated VSMC. Previously, we identified an E-box element in the mouse APEG-1 proximal promoter, which is essential for VSMC reporter activity. In this study, we investigated the role of upstream stimulatory factors (USF) in the regulation of APEG-1 transcription via this E-box element. By electrophoretic mobility shift assays, recombinant USF1 and USF2 homo- and heterodimers bound specifically to the APEG-1 E-box. Nuclear extracts prepared from primary cultures of rat aortic smooth muscle cells exhibited specific USF1 and USF2 binding to the APEG-1 E-box. To investigate the binding properties of USF during VSMC differentiation, nuclear extracts were prepared from the neural crest cell line, MONC-1, which differentiates into VSMC in culture. Maximal USF1 and USF2 protein levels and binding to the APEG-1 E-box occurred 3 h after the differentiation of MONC-1 cells was initiated. Co-transfection experiments demonstrated that dominant negative USF repressed APEG-1 promoter activity, and USF1, but not USF2, transactivated the APEG-1 promoter. Our studies demonstrate that USF factors contribute to the regulation of APEG-1 expression and may influence the differentiation of VSMC.
Comparison of three methods for DNA extraction from paraffin-embedded tissues

DNA extraction from paraffin-embedded tissue (PET) is a critical step for many molecular techniques. Several protocols have been carried out for this objective according to the literature. In the present study, the performances of three DNA extraction methods from PET were compared to establish the optimal protocol for our laboratory. Ten lymph nodes from ten patients dying of AIDS were investigated. Histological and bacteriological studies were performed in lymph nodes samples. DNA was extracted using three methods: boiling for 20 minutes in distilled water (Method A); boiling for 30 minutes in 5% Chelex-100 resin solution (Method B) and a 4-hours lasting proteinase K digestion (Method C). PCR with specific sequence (IS 6110) were evaluated for the identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in PET. The DNA extract by the three methods was degraded. Statistical differences were observed when three DNA extraction methods were compared according to the purity of extracted DNA. Only with Methods B and C successful amplification was obtained. The last method (C) was the more time consuming of all. These results demonstrated that the Chelex-100 DNA extraction method (Method B), which uses a quelating resin, is useful as a routine method to achieve DNA extraction with good enough quality and quantity in a short period of time from PET. Method B is a good option in molecular pathology research.