Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Model for Studying Bacterial Adherence to Epithelial Cells Infected with Viruses

Measles infection decreased adherence of staphylococci, streptococci, and pneumococci to cultured epithelial cells, whereas adenovirus had no effect. Rhinovirus increased staphylococcal and streptococcal adherence. Influenza A increased or decreased staphylococcal adherence at different times after infection.
Tumor and Stem Cell Biology Cytokine Receptor CXCR 4 Mediates Estrogen-Independent Tumorigenesis , Metastasis , and Resistance to Endocrine Therapy in Human Breast Cancer

Estrogen independence and progression to a metastatic phenotype are hallmarks of therapeutic resistance and mortality in breast cancer patients. Metastasis has been associated with chemokine signaling through the SDF-1–CXCR4 axis. Thus, the development of estrogen independence and endocrine therapy resistance in breast cancer patients may be driven by SDF-1–CXCR4 signaling. Here we report that CXCR4 overexpression is indeed correlated with worse prognosis and decreased patient survival irrespective of the status of the estrogen receptor (ER). Constitutive activation of CXCR4 in poorly metastatic MCF-7 cells led to enhanced tumor growth and metastases that could be reversed by CXCR4 inhibition. CXCR4 overexpression in MCF-7 cells promoted estrogen independence in vivo, whereas exogenous SDF-1 treatment negated the inhibitory effects of treatment with the anti-estrogen ICI 182,780 on CXCR4-mediated tumor growth. The effects of CXCR4 overexpression were correlated with SDF-1–mediated activation of downstream signaling via ERK1/2 and p38 MAPK (mitogen activated protein kinase) and with an enhancement of ER-mediated gene expression. Together, these results show that enhanced CXCR4 signaling is sufficient to drive ER-positive breast cancers to a metastatic and endocrine therapy-resistant phenotype via increased MAPK signaling. Our findings highlight CXCR4 signaling as a rational therapeutic target for the treatment of ER-positive, estrogen-independent breast carcinomas needing improved clinical management. Cancer Res; 71(2); 603–13. 2010 AACR.
Variational Walkback: Learning a Transition Operator as a Stochastic Recurrent Net

We propose a novel method to directly learn a stochastic transition operator whose repeated application provides generated samples. Traditional undirected graphical models approach this problem indirectly by learning a Markov chain model whose stationary distribution obeys detailed balance with respect to a parameterized energy function. The energy function is then modified so the model and data distributions match, with no guarantee on the number of steps required for the Markov chain to converge. Moreover, the detailed balance condition is highly restrictive: energy based models corresponding to neural networks must have symmetric weights, unlike biological neural circuits. In contrast, we develop a method for directly learning arbitrarily parameterized transition operators capable of expressing non-equilibrium stationary distributions that violate detailed balance, thereby enabling us to learn more biologically plausible asymmetric neural networks and more general non-energy based dynamical systems. The proposed training objective, which we derive via principled variational methods, encourages the transition operator to "walk back" in multi-step trajectories that start at data-points, as quickly as possible back to the original data points. We present a series of experimental results illustrating the soundness of the proposed approach, Variational Walkback (VW), on the MNIST, CIFAR-10, SVHN and CelebA datasets, demonstrating superior samples compared to earlier attempts to learn a transition operator. We also show that although each rapid training trajectory is limited to a finite but variable number of steps, our transition operator continues to generate good samples well past the length of such trajectories, thereby demonstrating the match of its non-equilibrium stationary distribution to the data distribution. Source Code: this http URL
Adiabatic perturbations in pre-big bang models: Matching conditions and scale invariance

At low energy, the four-dimensional effective action of the ekpyrotic model of the universe is equivalent to a slightly modified version of the pre big bang model. We discuss cosmological perturbations in these models. In particular we address the issue of matching the perturbations from a collapsing to an expanding phase in full generality. We show that, generically, one obtains
Influence of Temporary Employment on Employee Performance: A Case Study of Safaricom Limited

Despite a growing acceptance that temporary employment is likely to be a persisting and significant feature of contemporary work, there is no clear idea about how it affects the satisfaction, well being and performance of workers. Studies attempting to shade some light on the influence of temporary employment on employee performance are more generalistic and have failed to give detailed insights and analysis of the issues under the current study especially in Kenya. The purpose of the study therefore was to examine the influence of temporary employment on employee performance at Safaricom Limited. The study adopted a descriptive design. A sample of 112 staff of Safaricom Limited were selected using stratified random sampling. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires. Out of the 112 selected respondents , 97 filled and returned the questionnaires. The responses in the questionnaire were tabulated, coded and processed by use of computer Statistical Package for Social Scientists. (SPSS) versions 17.0. Descriptive statistics such as mean and percentages were applied in the data analysis. The study found out that there was a positive relationship between temporary employment and employee performance. Employees took up temporary employment as an alternative to lack of permanent employment, and with the hope of gaining permanent employment in the longer term. This motivated them to work harder to enhance their performance. The study also found out that the company was promoting the employability of the employees through coaching and work autonomy and enhancing their employment continuity through contract renewal. This gave the temporary employees a sense of job security which in turn enhanced their performance. Based on the findings the study recommends that in future, it would be better if studies would be carried out to independently interrogate the contribution of each of the studied variables to the performance of the employees. A study could also be carried out comparing the performance of permanent and temporary employees to establish whether they are influenced by the same factors. The study also recommends that the management of Safaricom Ltd should enact a policy which gives preference to temporary employees already on board when recruiting permanent employees. This will go a long way in encouraging employees to be more committed to their jobs.
Prevalence and correlates of physical fighting among school-going adolescents in Santiago, Chile.

OBJECTIVE There is a growing interest in injury as a public health issue across the world. There is paucity of data on the prevalence and social correlates of non-fatal interpersonal violence in low- and middle-income income nations. The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of, and associated factors for physical fighting among school-going adolescents in Santiago, Chile. METHOD We conducted a secondary analysis of the Chilean Global School-Based Health Survey conducted in 2004 in Santiago. We aimed to assess the prevalence and social correlates of having been involved in a physical fight in the prior 12 months. RESULTS Of the 2111 respondents, 40.7% (54.3% males and 26.6% females) reported having been in a physical fight in the prior 12 months. Males were more likely to have been in a physical fight than females [OR = 3.89, 95% CI (3.11, 4.85)]. Substance use (cigarette smoking, drinking alcohol, and using drugs) and bullying victimization were positively associated with fighting [OR = 3.05, 95% CI (2.40, 3.87) for substance use, and OR = 1.65, 95% CI (1.32, 2.05) for bullying]. Parental supervision was negatively associated with physical fighting [OR = 0.62, 95% CI (0.50, 0.78)]. CONCLUSION We have estimated the prevalence of having engaged in a physical fight among in-school adolescents in Santiago, Chile. We have found that the prevalence is similar to what has been reported in diverse settings in Africa, Europe and North America.
Photodynamic therapy of human undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma-bearing nude mice using topical 5-aminolevulinic acid.

OBJECTIVE We determined and evaluated the effect of photodynamic therapy (PDT) using topical 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) cream in treating human undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma (UTC)-bearing nude mice. BACKGROUND DATA UTC constitutes almost 10% of thyroid cancers and shows a very poor response to chemotherapy. Today PDT with topical ALA is successfully used for the treatment of a variety of neoplastic and non-neoplastic diseases. MATERIALS AND METHODS UTC tumor was implanted in the right flank of the nude mice after anesthesia. When the actual tumor size reached about 345 mm3, all mice were divided randomly into a treatment group (n = 10) and a control group (n = 10). ALA cream was applied to tumors in treated mice and left on for 6 has a retention interval; then the tumors were irradiated by a 633-nm diode laser with an incident dose of 60 J/cm2. The tumor volumes were measured 7, 14, and 21 days after PDT in both groups. The percentage of tumor growth delay after PDT was calculated. All mice were sacrificed and the tumor weights were determined 21 days after PDT. RESULTS Mean tumor volumes on 21 days after PDT were 1141.19 +/- 153.74 mm3 in the treated group and 2370.75 +/- 300.42 mm3 in the control group. The percentage of tumor growth delay was -48.13 +/- 13.76 7 days after PDT, -54.9 +/- 8.83 14 days after PDT, and -51.11 +/- 8.95 21 days after PDT. Mean tumor weights 21 days after PDT were 1.78 +/- 0.32 g in the treated group and 3.60 +/- 0.60 g in the control group. There were significant differences (p < 0.001) in mean tumor volume and weight between the treated and control groups after PDT. CONCLUSIONS PDT is effective in delaying the growth of UTC-bearing nude mice using topical ALA cream and laser light with inappropriate parameters. ALA cream as a topically applied photosensitizer was effective, safe, and convenient in PDT.
Selective Attention in Depression: Influence of Emotionality and Personal Relevance

Selective attention to negative stimuli has been discussed as being an essential characteristic of depressive disorder. Theories and empirical data, however, are contradictory. The present study addressed the question of whether depressive patients selectively attend to negatively valenced and personally relevant or irrelevant stimuli and whether they habituate to these stimuli. Thirty-one inpatients with major depressive disorder and 37 healthy controls participated in the study. They underwent a modification of the emotional Stroop paradigm. The results indicated that personally relevant stimuli evoked more pronounced Stroop interference than did stimuli without personal relevance in all subjects. Furthermore, habituation to personally relevant negative stimuli was seen in both depressive patients and control subjects. The present findings question a generally negative attentional bias as being a specific characteristic of depressive disorder. Furthermore, as depressed patients habituated to personally relevant negative stimuli, exposure therapy might be suitable for the treatment of depressive disorder.
Restoration of denervated skeletal muscle transplants after reinnervation in rats.

The present study describes reinnervation and restoration of rat skeletal muscle denervated for the duration of 3, 6 or 12 months. Denervation of extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle was achieved by cutting and ligating the donor rat sciatic nerve in situ. At 3, 6 and 12 months, the denervated EDL muscles were removed and transplanted into an innervated normal leg of another rat. In addition, normal (i.e., no prior denervation) muscles were transplanted as controls for comparison. The muscles were analyzed at 4 and 12 weeks after transplantation. The EDL muscle weight and myofiber size decreased with extended denervation times. After transplantation, the muscles underwent regeneration and reinnervation, and recovered as determined by an increase in muscle mass and myofiber size. The 3-month denervated muscle regenerates recovered completely, and were similar to the non-denervated normal muscle regenerates. Reinnervation, and partial recovery of muscle weight and myofiber size was observed in 6- and 12-month denervated muscle transplants. These results document that while regeneration and reinnervation does occur in denervated muscles after transplantation, the extent of recovery is related to the duration of denervation.
A Comparison of the Safety and Efficacy of Alprazolam and Desipramine in Moderately Severe Depression *

Fifty-four patients (34 outpatients, 20 inpatients)fulfilling Research Diagnostic Criteria for Definite Major Depressive Disorder were enrolled in a double-blind study comparing the antidepressant effects of alprazolam versus desipramine. The mean daily dose of alprazolam and desipramine at study termination was 3.78mg and 208mg respectively. As there were no significant demographic or clinical differences between outpatients and inpatients, both groups were combined in data analysis. Using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) both drug groups showed highly significant improvement beginning with the first week of active drug treatment. HAM-D scores continued to decrease through study termination (six weeks of active drug). There were no significant differences when comparing alprazolam and desipramine (outpatients, inpatients, or both groups combined) on any of the subjective or objective psycho-metrics used in this study. Clinically, only twelve of thirty-four outpatients (35.3%) were felt to be “markedly or moderately” improved, suggesting that neither the outpatient alprazolam nor desipramine patients did particularly well with drug treatment. In terms of drug safety there was no difference between the alprazolam and desipramine in the number of excessive or serious drug side effects. However, five of twenty-nine alprazolam patients had to discontinue therapy because of excessive drowsiness, and two of the alprazolam outpatients had motor vehicle accidents directly related to this adverse event. Alprazolam appeared as effective as desipramine in the pharmacotherapy of this group of depressed outpatient and inpatients. Alprazolam appeared well-tolerated by most subjects although drowsiness was a common — and at times serious — medication side effect.
Fully-Developed Circular-Pipe Flow of a Non-Newtonian Pseudoplastic Fluid

A fully-developed flow of a non-Newtonian pseudoplastic fluid through a circular pipe has been studied using a four-parameter model, as an example, for the shear-rate dependent apparent viscosity. The model used in this investigation is a modification of the two-parameter Ostwald-de Waele power law (1), which correctly represents the lower and upper regions of Newtonian behavior characteristic of pseudoplastic polymer melts and solutions. Since there has only one set complete experimental data available for the shear-rate dependent viscosity, we use them to show that a perfect match can be achieved between the mod- ified power-law viscosity model and the experimental data. Such a perfect match is required for an accurate prediction of the flow behavior in internal flow problems. the non-dimensional parameter, the fluid behaves like a Newtonian fluid with a viscosity equal to the zero-shear- rate viscosity in the central region of the pipe, and like a Newtonian fluid with a viscosity equal to the infinite- shear-rate viscosity in the outer region of the pipe adja- cent to the pipe wall; power-law behavior is seen in the middle region of the pipe, between the central and outer regions. At intermediate values of the non-dimensional parameter, there are two distinct regions of flow: an inner central region where the fluid behaves like a New- tonian fluid with a viscosity equal to the zero-shear-rate viscosity, and an outer region adjacent to the pipe wall where the fluid behaves like a power-law fluid. The re- sults have been compared with those predicted by the Ostwald-de Waele power-law model (1); the superiority and necessity of the modified model is clearly demon- strated. Non-Newtonian fluids may be broadly classified into three categories: viscous time-independent fluids, vis- cous time-dependent fluids and viscoelastic fluids. Flu- ids for which the shear stress at a point is deter-
Expansion of BCR/ABL1 + cells requires PAK2 but not PAK1

The p21‐activated kinases (PAKs) are key nodes in oncogenic signalling pathways controlling growth, survival, and motility of cancer cells. Their activity is increased in many human cancers and is associated with poor prognosis. To date, PAK deregulation has mainly been studied in solid tumours, where PAK1 and PAK4 are the main isoforms deregulated. We show that PAK1 and PAK2 are the critical isoforms in a BCR/ABL1+ haematopoietic malignancy. In suspension, leukaemic cells deficient for PAK1 and PAK2 undergo apoptosis, while the loss of either protein is well tolerated. Transfer of medium conditioned by shPAK2‐ but not shPAK1‐expressing leukaemic cells interferes with endothelial cell growth. We found that leukaemic cells produce exosomes containing PAK2. Transfer of isolated exosomes supports endothelial cell proliferation. In parallel, we found that leukaemic cells explicitly require PAK2 to grow towards an extracellular matrix. PAK2‐deficient cells fail to form colonies in methylcellulose and to induce lymphomas in vivo. PAK2 might therefore be the critical isoform in leukaemic cells by controlling tumour growth in a dual manner: vascularization via exosome‐mediated transfer to endothelial cells and remodelling of the extracellular matrix. This finding suggests that the PAK2 isoform represents a promising target for the treatment of haematological diseases.
FROM VITAMIN A TO RETINOIDS IN EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL ONCOLOGY: ACHIEVEMENTS, FAILURES, AND OUTLOOK

The problems of prevention and therapy of cancer are far from being solved. Regarding therapy, it is beyond doubt that surgery and radiotherapy cure a certain percentage of cancer patients. Cancer chemotherapy with the conventional cytostatic agents is a further means by which oncologists can help patients. Immunotherapy, including the newest methods of treatment with thymosin, and particularly interferon, may bring further progress. In the field of prevention of cancer mortality, early detection of precancerous and cancerous lesions and elimination of carcinogenic agents are up to now the most successful means. The continuing high mortality of cancer, even in the most developed countries, underlines the still unsatisfactory medical methods at our disposal. New approaches to the cancer problem are badly needed. It is the purpose of this conference to acquaint us with the basic research work done in the field of retinoids. The retinoids (vitamin A and analogs) represent a fairly new development in the cancer field, offering a new approach differing markedly in their more physiological mode of action from the hitherto existing approaches in prevention and therapy of cancer.
How Do Nurses Use Their Time?

Nurses spend an average of only 31% of their time with patients. The authors determined how nurses spend their time and suggest three ways to reduce time spent on non-essential nursing functions: delegation of some tasks to support personnel, greater use of pharmacy personnel in a decentralized setting, and greater use of computers, Together these changes may both decrease demand for nurses' time and enable professional nurses to focus their energy on tasks that require professional expertise.
Expression of transcription factor Snai1 and tubulointerstitial fibrosis in progressive nephropathy.

BACKGROUND Tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) is seen as the final stage of progressive nephropathy, and the degree of TIF is reported to be a major determinant in renal outcomes. In recent years, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and the zinc-finger transcription factor snail homolog 1 (Snai1) have each been implicated in the mechanism of TIF. The relationship between EMT and these transcription factors is unclear, however, so in this study we attempted to elucidate the correlation between the expression of Snai1 and clinical markers. METHODS We performed immunohistochemical staining on human renal tissue obtained from patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN), IgA nephropathy (IgAN), minimal change disease (MCD) and minor glomerular abnormality (MGA) using anti-Snai1 and anti-vimentin antibodies. We counted Snai1-positive and Snai1/vimentin double positive tubular epithelial cells. RESULTS Snai1 protein was mainly observed in the nuclei of flattened, damaged tubular epithelial cells, especially in IgAN and DN, and positive cell numbers were significantly higher in IgAN than in MGA, MCD or DN. Snai1/vimentin double staining showed that some vimentin-positive tubular epithelial cells also contained Snai1-positive nuclei, and double positive cell numbers were increased in IgAN and DN. Statistical analysis revealed positive correlations between Snai1/vimentin double positive cell numbers and proteinuria and creatinine in IgAN. Positive correlations were also seen between Snai1/vimentin double positive cell numbers and the severity of proteinuria in DN. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that Snai1 plays an important role in TIF in patients with progressive nephropathy.
Genetic linkage of Kozak sequence polymorphism of the platelet glycoprotein Ibα with human platelet antigen‐2 and variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism, and its relationship with coronary artery disease

The −5 C/T polymorphism of platelet glycoprotein (GP) Ibα is a major determinant of the level of GP Ib/V/IX complex surface expression. We investigated the frequency of this polymorphism among Asian populations. The gene frequencies of cytosine (C) in this polymorphism were 0·283 and 0·219 in Japanese and Korean populations respectively. The C allele is linked with human platelet antigen (HPA)‐2a and smaller types of variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR). A novel allele, C‐HPA‐2a‐D of VNTR, was found. No association was observed between these alleles and coronary artery disease in this case–control study. The clinical relevance of this polymorphism in the thrombotic status remains undetermined.
Confocal Microscopy of Subepithelial Infiltrates Occurring After Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis

Purpose: To describe the confocal microscopic findings in subepithelial infiltrates (SEIs) associated with epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC). Methods: Observational case report. Results: A 14-year-old Saudi girl with keratoconus developed SEIs after the onset of bilateral EKC. Confocal microscopy of the left cornea 8 weeks after the onset of EKC showed many highly reflective dendritic cells at the level of basal epithelium, epithelial basement membrane zone, and anterior stroma, as well as many highly reflective fusiform and round cells within the anterior stroma, with decreasing density in progressively deeper layers of the stroma. These findings were not present on confocal microscopy that had been performed 2 weeks before the onset of EKC. Conclusion: Confocal microscopic examination of SEIs after EKC provides evidence of an inflammatory response localized to the basal epithelium and anterior stroma of the central cornea.