Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of Epstein-Barr Virus DNA Load Monitoring in Prevention and Early Detection of Post-transplant Lymphoproliferative Disease

Posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) is a severe and life-threatening complication after stem cell or solid-organ transplantation, virtually always associated with presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in the proliferating cells. PTLD is probably caused by the iatrogenically impaired T-cell response allowing outgrowth of EBV-positive B-cells. Quantitative EBV DNA load monitoring is a minimally invasive technique increasingly recognized as a valuable tool in posttransplant patient management. In this review, we focus on the clinical utility of EBV DNA load monitoring in the peripheral blood of transplant recipients using PCR and we discuss the currently most-widely used techniques and their value and limitations in predicting and diagnosing PTLD. Options for EBV DNA load-guided pre-emptive therapy and application of monitoring EBV DNA load dynamics in the prediction of clinical response after therapy are described. Origins of elevated EBV DNA loads in immunosuppressed patients and recent insights in the EBV life cycle in the immuncompromised host are discussed. Finally, a standardization of methodology, clinical specimen type, and cut-off values is proposed. This is essential for comparisons between different institutes and more adequate patient management.
6 Evaluation and Management of Pediatric Thyroid Nodules

The prevalence of palpable thyroid nodules in patients less than 21 years of age is only . 051.8% (American Cancer Society [ACS], 2009; Dinauer & Francis, 2007; Dinauer et al, 2008; Gosepath et al, 2007; Halac & Zimmerman, 2005, Niedziela, 2006; Ortel & Klinck 1965; Rallison et al 1991; Wartofsky, 2000; Wiersinga, 2007). However, the true incidence of incidental nodules may be higher than 13% in the pediatric and adolescent group based on autopsy studies. This is in comparison to the adult population where the rate of palpable thyroid nodules approaches 5% with autopsy studies showing up to 70% of adults harboring incidental thyroid nodules (Ezzat S et al, 1994; Guth et al, 2009). Risk factors for the development of malignant thyroid nodules in pediatric patients include female sex, puberty, family history of thyroid cancer, head and neck radiation exposure, and iodinedeficiency (Crom et al, 1997; Fleming, 1984; Fowler et al, 1989; Josephson & Zimmerman, 2008; Samaan, 1987; Solt et al, 2001).
Prevalence of Epilepsy in the Parsi Community of Bombay

Summary: A door‐to‐door survey was carried out to screen a community of 14,010 people (Parsis living in colonies in Bombay, India) for possible neurologic diseases. High school graduates, social workers, and medical students administered a screening questionnaire that in a pilot survey had a sensitivity of 100% for identifying persons with epilepsy. Neurologists used defined diagnostic criteria to evaluate individuals positive on the screening survey. Sixty‐six persons (43 males, 23 females) suffered from epilepsy (4.7 cases/1,000). Of those, 50 (34 males, 16 females) had active epilepsy (3.6 cases/1,000). The age‐specific prevalence ratios remained fairly constant for each age group except for a small peak in the group aged 20–39 years for all epilepsy cases combined. Age‐adjusted prevalence ratios were higher for males. The most common seizure type was partial (36 cases). The most frequently associated conditions were cerebral palsy and mental retardation. The majority of individuals were receiving medication as of prevalence day (47 cases).
Charnley cups retained during revision of the femoral component: Repeated clinical and radiographic observations of 49 cups for 7-15 years

This article concerns 49 consecutive polyethylene cups retained in cemented first revisions of the femoral component and evaluated on several occasions 7-15 years after the index operation. At the last follow-up 5 cups were revised, 3 were radiographically loose, 1 was revised because of recurrent dislocation and 1 stable cup was revised because the surgeon wished to use a 28 mm head. Moreover, 1 unrevised cup was radiographically loose. This corresponded to a mechanical failure rate of 0.1 (5/49) and revision rate of 0.1 (4/49). 3 cups which were radiographically loose (100% radiolucency) had not been revised when the stem was exchanged. If these cups were excluded, the revision rate would have dropped to 0.02 (1/46) and the mechanical failure rate to 0.04 (2/46). This indicates the importance of careful preoperative radiographic evaluation on both AP and lateral views. Progression of radiolucent lines always occurred as an increase in extension from the periphery to the central region of the interface. In conclusion, Charnley cups with non-circumferential radiolucent lines and little, if any, wear can be retained without compromising the longevity of the implant. However, it should be stressed that this conclusion is based on a patient population in which four-fifths of the patients at the index operation were 65 years of age or older.
Inhibition and Activation of Bacterial Luciferase Synthesis

Luciferase synthesis is repressed when bioluminescent bacteria are inoculated into fresh medium but is induced after the cells have grown in the medium for some time. In minimal medium, an activator which leads to induction of the enzyme is released into the medium by the bacteria. Complete medium contains a dialyzable and quite stable inhibitor which leads to repression of luciferase. The bacteria remove the inhibitor from the medium and also produce activator, thus allowing synthesis of the enzyme. Two unidentified nonluminescent strains of bacteria were unable to remove the inhibitor. Two different bioluminescent strains, Photobacterium fischeri and P. fischeri strain MAV, produce specific activators that are ineffective with cells of the other strain. The two activators are different with respect to heat stability, but both are small molecules. The activators can be assayed on the basis of their ability to counteract the inhibitor. Identification of the inhibitor and the activators may allow the bioluminescent system to be linked to other metabolic processes of the cells.
Notice of RetractionSpermatogenesis-Related Gene Selection by Singular Value Decomposition and Correlation Analysis

The aim of this study is to select significant genes associated with spermatogenesis. We use singular value decomposition to extract the principal component of the DNA microarray dataset and the expression profile of the first eigengene shows the expression tendency of most genes' expression. Basing on this observation, we rank genes using correlation of each gene expression and the first eigengene's profile. Five kinds of correlation methods are considered and experimental results on a real spermatogenesis microarray dataset demonstrate that the cosine correlation method can find 75 informative genes among top 100 probes/genes. The selected significant genes, especially the top 10 probes/genes, are related to spermatogenesis through literature analysis.
Activation of m1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor induces surface transport of KCNQ channels through a CRMP-2-mediated pathway

ABSTRACT Neuronal excitability is strictly regulated by various mechanisms, including modulation of ion channel activity and trafficking. Stimulation of m1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (also known as CHRM1) increases neuronal excitability by suppressing the M-current generated by the Kv7/KCNQ channel family. We found that m1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor stimulation also triggers surface transport of KCNQ subunits. This receptor-induced surface transport was observed with KCNQ2 as well as KCNQ3 homomeric channels, but not with Kv3.1 channels. Deletion analyses identified that a conserved domain in a proximal region of the N-terminal tail of KCNQ protein is crucial for this surface transport – the translocation domain. Proteins that bind to this domain were identified as α- and β-tubulin and collapsin response mediator protein 2 (CRMP-2; also known as DPYSL2). An inhibitor of casein kinase 2 (CK2) reduced tubulin binding to the translocation domain, whereas an inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) facilitated CRMP-2 binding to the translocation domain. Consistently, treatment with the GSK3 inhibitor enhanced receptor-induced KCNQ2 surface transport. M-current recordings from neurons showed that treatment with a GSK3 inhibitor shortened the duration of muscarinic suppression and led to over-recovery of the M-current. These results suggest that m1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor stimulates surface transport of KCNQ channels through a CRMP-2-mediated pathway. Summary: Activation of m1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor is well known to suppress KCNQ channel activities, but it also induces surface transport of KCNQ channels through a CRMP-2 mediated mechanism.
Effects of Changing Roughness on Acoustic Scattering: (2) Anthropogenic Changes

Abstract : Deliberate modification of bottom roughness including smoothing to eliminate centimeter scale natural roughness and raking to induce quasiperiodic roughness was investigated using diver observation, quantification of bottom roughness from Stereo photography, and measurement of acoustic backscattering strength. At 40 kHz. raking perpendicular to the acoustic line-of-sight with a tine spacing equal to one-half wavelength increased scattering by 12-18 dB which decayed to background levels within 24 hours due to biological modification of seafloor roughness. Raking parallel to the acoustic line-of-sight had little effect. Measured and modelled acoustic scattering strengths are not in total agreement suggesting a failure of perturbation theory for these roughness conditions.
The Incidence of Concurrent Osteitis in Patients with Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Clinicopathological Study

Background The pathogenesis of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) has been found to be multifactorial, with environmental, general host, and local anatomic factors all contributing to its development. Recent studies have indicated that local osteitis of the underlying bone also may play a critical role in the elaboration of CRS by inducing persistent inflammatory changes in the surrounding mucosa. The purpose of this study was to determine the clinical incidence rate of osteitis in patients with CRS undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery. Methods From January to July 2003, a prospective study was performed on 121 patients undergoing functional endoscopic sinus surgery for CRS. Age, number of previous surgeries, radiographic bony characteristics, and pathological findings were all documented. The presence of concurrent osteitis was assessed using both radiographic (neoosteogenesis) and pathological (bony remodeling) criteria. Results The mean age of the patients was 44.3 years. Fifty-eight percent of the cases were revision surgeries, with each patient having an average of 2.2 operative procedures in the past. Computed tomography (CT) showed neoosteogenesis in 36% of patients, and 53% showed pathological evidence of osteitis on histological analysis of surgical specimens. Conclusion Concurrent osteitis can be found in 36–53% of patients with CRS, using both radiographic and pathological criteria, respectively. Although a causal relationship between osteitis and CRS can not be inferred from this data, these clinical findings correlate well with previous evidence of bone involvement in CRS found in animal models, further reaffirming the association between underlying osteitis and the pathogenesis of CRS.
Socioeconomic measures and CKD in the United States and The Netherlands.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES According to the cost of health care utilization systems, there may be regional differences in the relative strength of association of income and education-based socioeconomic status measures with CKD. This study investigated the relative strength of the association of income and education with CKD in a United States and a Dutch population. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS This cross-sectional study examined individuals who participated in the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES) and in Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-stage Disease (PREVEND 1997-1998), general population-based cohorts in the United States and The Netherlands, respectively. The main outcome was CKD, defined as estimated GFR <60 ml/min per 1.73 m(2) (using creatinine) or albuminuria ≥ 30 mg/24 hours or albumin-to-creatinine ratio ≥ 30 mg/g. RESULTS In NHANES (n=6428), income was strongly associated with CKD (adjusted odds ratio, 2.34 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.68 to 3.27]; P for trend<0.001) but education was not (adjusted odds ratio, 1.62 [95% CI, 0.87 to 2.25]; P for trend=0.05]. In contrast, in PREVEND (n=7983), low income was weakly associated with CKD whereas low education had a strong association. The fit of the logistic regression model estimating association of income and education with CKD was significantly improved only after income was added in NHANES (P<0.001) and education was added in PREVEND (P=0.01). Sensitivity analyses that used other CKD-defining variables and restricted analyses to participants <65 years of age resulted in similar findings. CONCLUSION In the United States, where access to health care is traditionally income dependent, income appeared more strongly associated with CKD than in The Netherlands, where education showed a stronger association.
Selective Activation of p38 MAPK Cascade and Mitotic Arrest Caused by Low Level Oxidative Stress*

Apoptosis induced by high level oxidative stress accompanies diverse cellular biochemical events including activation of the stress signal cascades of JNK and NF-κB. We report here selective activation of p38 MAPK cascade and mitotic arrest under a low level oxidative stress that lacks apoptosis induction. U937 human lymphoid cells treated with low dose (0.02 mm) H2O2 rapidly caused p38 MAPK cascade activation detectable by phosphorylation of MKK3/6, p38 MAPK, activating transcription factor-2, and cAMP-responsive element-binding protein, leaving the JNK and NF-κB cascades unaffected. The p38 kinase activation was sustained for 24 h under the low level stress conditions and led to formation of polyploid nuclei.N-Acetyl-l-cysteine, a precursor of anti-oxidant glutathione, canceled both p38 MAPK activation and abnormal cell cycle progression, whereas blockage of the kinase by specific inhibitor SB203580 allowed the appearance of apoptotic cells. Thus, mimicking the effects of nocodazole, the low level oxidative stimulus caused inhibition of cell division in the M phase through p38 MAPK activation. The kinase cascade may serve as a primary transducer of cytoplasmic oxidative signals to nucleus for stress-relieving gene expression and cell cycle control before apoptosis-inducing signals are transduced. This is the first report demonstrating that oxidative stress can participate in cell cycle control by induction of a signal cascade.
Discharge Properties of Group III and IV Muscle Afferents: Their Responses to Mechanical and Metabolic Stimuli

Static contraction of the hind limb muscles induced by electrical stimulation of the ventral roots has been firmly established to reflexly increase cardiovascular and ventilatory function. Moreover, Group III and IV afferents are known to compose the afferent arm of this reflex arc. The present experiments investigated the discharge properties of Group in and IV afferents whose activation is responsible for the pressor reflex response to static contraction. In general, we found that Group III afferents were more responsive to mechanical stimuli, such as distortion of their receptive fields and tendon stretch, than were Group IV afferents. In contrast, Group IV afferents were more responsive to ischemic contraction than were Group III afferents. In addition, equal percents of Group III and IV afferents were found to be stimulated by increasing interstitial potassium to levels that were similar to those found during muscular contraction. The afferents' response to potassium adapted within seconds, while the Interstitial concentration of this ion remained elevated for several minutes. This rapidly adapting response casts doubt on the effectiveness of potassium as the metabolite that signals blood supply and demand in a working muscle are improperly matched.
Age Differences in Stroop Interference in Working Memory

Working memory capacity can be conceptualized as the ability to use controlled attention in short term memory (Engle, Tuholski, Laughlin, & Conway, 1999). We tested this idea in young and older adults by combining the task demands of two neuropsychological tests, word span, and Stroop color-naming. Young and older adults were asked to name the colors of a series of congruent and incongruent color-words (between 2 and 6 words/trial). After all the color-words were presented participants attempted to recall the colors in their serial order. This task required inhibition of the prepotent word reading response (i.e., color naming), with a concurrent memory load (caused by the need to maintain already named colors in short-term memory). Older adults showed greater interference effects, and these interference effects increased as a function of memory load. Regression analyses showed that measures of working memory capacity and executive function accounted for unique variance in incongruent color-word errors for older adults. Defining working memory capacity as the ability to use controlled attention in short-term memory may be a fruitful way to think about this concept in studies of executive function.
EQUAL VALUE OF LIFE AND THE PARETO PRINCIPLE

A principle claiming equal entitlement to continued life has been strongly defended in the literature as a fundamental social value. We refer to this principle as ‘equal value of life'. In this paper we argue that there is a general incompatibility between the equal value of life principle and the weak Pareto principle and provide proof of this under mild structural assumptions. Moreover we demonstrate that a weaker, age-dependent version of the equal value of life principle is also incompatible with the weak Pareto principle. However, both principles can be satisfied if transitivity of social preference is relaxed to quasi-transitivity.
Formation and Exhumation of Ultrahigh-Pressure Terranes

The reigning paradigm for the formation and exhumation of continental ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) terranes is the subduction of crust to mantle depths and the return of crustal slices within the subduction channel—all at plate tectonic rates. Additional processes beyond the paradigm are needed to explain the diversity of geological observations gathered from the growing study of UHP terranes—for example, variations in the size, degree of deformation, petrologic evolution, timing of UHP metamorphism, and exhumation rates. Numerical models that evaluate physical parameters in time and space have produced new insights into the formation and exhumation of UHP terranes.
Elevation dependence of building penetration loss for satellite services at 3.5 GHz and 5.0 GHz

Based on experimental results obtained during an extensive measurement campaign aimed at building penetration loss for satellite services, an elevation dependence of penetration loss is discussed in this paper. For the analysis, three different types of typical buildings in an urban area were selected. These case-study buildings are compared here by addressing the trend and absolute values of the corresponding elevation-dependent penetration loss with respect to the particular measurement scenario as well as their respective structures and building material.
Proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and adipocytes in rat bone marrow stromal cell cultures: Effects of dexamethasone and calcitriol

During bone loss, osteoblast population can be replaced by adipose tissue. This apparent reciprocal relationship between decreased bone density and increased fat formation can be explained by an imbalance in the production of bone‐forming and fat‐forming cells in the marrow cavity. Thus, osteoblast and adipocyte pathways seem more closely and inversely related. In the present study, we investigated the effects of dexamethasone (dex) and calcitriol [1,25(OH)2D3] on proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts and adipocytes in rat bone marrow stromal cell cultures. Stromal cells were grown in primoculture in presence of dex and subcultivated in presence of dex and/or 1,25(OH)2D3. Total cell proliferation, osteoblast and adipocyte‐cells number, and ‐mRNA specific markers were used to study the effects of hormonal treatment on stromal cells. Total cell proliferation was stimulated by dex and inhibited by 1,25(OH)2D3. Dex increased osteoblast and adipocyte cell population whereas calcitriol decreased bone‐forming cell number and increased fat cell population. The presence of both hormones led to a strong decrease in osteoblastic cells and to a strong increase in adipocytic cell number. Dex induced mRNA osteoblastic markers expression like bone sialoprotein (BSP) and osteocalcin (OC) and an adipocyte marker expression, the fatty acid binding protein aP2. Calcitriol decreased the dex‐induced BSP expression but stimulated slightly OC and aP2 mRNA. The effects of both hormones was to increase strongly OC and aP2 mRNA. These results support that, in rat bone marrow, adipocyte proliferation and differentiation are stimulated by glucocorticoids and calcitriol which act synergically, whereas osteoblastic cell proliferation and differentiation are increased by dex and inhibited by 1,25(OH)2D3. J. Cell. Biochem. 89: 364–372, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Long-term follow-up of an Alport syndrome patient with a novel mutation of COL 4 A 5

Background: Alport syndrome (AS) is a genetic disease characterized by progressive glomerulonephritis with a high life-time risk for end-stage renal disease (ESRD), sensorineural hearing loss and ocular abnormalities. So far, a lot of mutations were reported in COL4A3, COL4A4 and COL4A5 genes, which are related to AS. Methods: Whole-exome sequencing in combination with AS-related genes filtering strategy was applied to investigate a Chinese AS family. We also employed Sanger sequencing to confirm the family co-segregation. In addition, we also summed up a long-term follow-up data from 2003 to 2016. Results: In this study, we have detected a novel insertion mutation (c.348_349insTCCGG/p.G117Sfs×40) of COL4A5, which may lead to a truncated protein in the proband. Sanger sequencing confirmed that this novel mutation was co-segregated with all the family members. The longterm follow-up data showed that the progress of chronic kidney disease become more and more serious in the proband. Conclusions: A novel mutation (c.348_349insTCCGG/p.G117Sfs×40) of COL4A5 was identified in this study. In addition, approximately 15 years long-term follow-up data was provided in this paper. Our study not only expands the spectrum of COL4A5 mutations, but also analysis the progress of AS and fills the knowledge about course and potential further complications and health risks of AS.