Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Crystallographic Evidence for Dimerization of Unliganded Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor (*)

Activation of the cell surface receptors for tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is effected by the aggregation of cytoplasmic domains that occurs when the extracellular domains of two or three receptors bind to trimeric TNFα or TNFβ. The structure of the type I TNF receptor extracellular domain (sTNF-R1), crystallized in the absence of TNF, has now been determined at 2.25-Å resolution. The receptor itself is an elongated molecule comprising four disulfide-rich domains in a nearly linear array. Contrary to expectations, the unliganded domains are found to associate into dimers of two distinct types, in which monomers are related by local two-fold axes of symmetry. In one case, the receptors are antiparallel to each other and associate through an interface that overlaps the TNF binding site. If intact receptors were capable of such an association, their cytoplasmic domains would be separated by over 100 Å. This interaction could inhibit signaling in the absence of TNF. Parallel dimers are also observed in which the dimer interface is well separated from the TNF binding site. Associations among TNF-bound parallel dimers could cause receptor clustering. Both dimers bury substantial areas of protein surface and are formed by polar and non-polar interactions.
Anti-Citrullinated Peptide/Protein Antibodies and Structural Prognosis of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Quantity Versus Quality

Anti-citrullinated peptide antibodies (ACPA) are the most specific known marker for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults. ACPA develop several years before the first clinical manifestations of arthritis and are highly predictive of progression from undifferentiated arthritis to definite RA1, as demonstrated in several longitudinal cohort studies of patients with early undifferentiated arthritis. The presence of ACPA is among the 2010 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism criteria for persistent, nonerosive polyarthritis requiring methotrexate therapy. Of the 6 points needed to warrant methotrexate therapy, the presence of ACPA provides 2 points if the titer is low (2–3 times the upper limit of normal) and 3 points if the titer is high (more than 3 times the upper limit of normal). Thus, quantitative considerations are important when using ACPA for diagnostic purposes. ACPA also help to predict outcomes. In cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort studies of patients with early RA, the presence of ACPA was independent from the disease phenotype (presentation … Address correspondence to Dr. Meyer. E-mail: olivier.meyer{at}bch.aphp. fr
To Study the Incidence, Predictive Factors and Clinical Outcome of Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis in Patients of Cirrhosis with Ascites.

OBJECTIVE To study the prevalence and predictive factors of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) in patients of cirrhosis with ascites and to study the clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with SBP. MATERIALS AND METHODS The present study was conducted on 122 cases admitted in Department of Medicine, through emergency, in Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, Punjab, India. Cases of cirrhosis (irrespective of aetiology) with ascites between the ages of 18-75 years were included in this study. Ascitic fluid of every patient was aspirated under all aseptic measures, before initiation of antibiotic therapy and was sent for biochemical analysis, culture and cytological analysis. RESULTS Mean age of patients enrolled was 50.30± 10.98 years. 85% were male and 15% were female. Alcohol (73.8%) was the leading cause of cirrhosis followed by HCV (37.7%) and HBV (4.9%). Of the 122 patients studied, 27 (20.4%) patients were diagnosed as having SBP and its variants. Monomicrobial Bacterascites (BA) was present in 5 patients and Culture Negative Neutrocytic Ascites (CNNA) was present in 22 patients. Escherichia coli were the most common isolated organism followed by Klebsiella. The various factors that predispose to development of SBP include low ascitic fluid protein concentration, a high level of serum bilirubin, deranged serum creatinine, high Child-Pugh score and high MELD score. CONCLUSION Ascitic fluid analysis remains the single most important test for identifying and assessing a course of SBP. Bedside inoculation of 10-20ml of ascitic fluid into culture bottle at patient bedside will yield better results. Early diagnosis and treatment will reduce the mortality rate in these patients.
Whey Protein Supplementation and Higher Total Protein Intake Do Not Influence Bone Quantity in Overweight and Obese Adults Following a 36-Week Exercise and Diet Intervention.

BACKGROUND Controversy exists concerning the effects of higher total protein intake (TPro) on bone health, which may be associated with reduced bone mineral density (BMD). However, whey protein (WP) may induce bone formation because of its basic component, milk basic protein. OBJECTIVE This study assessed the effects of WP supplementation, TPro, and change in TPro (postsupplementation - presupplementation) on BMD and bone mineral content (BMC; total body, lumbar spine, total femur, and femoral neck) in overweight and class I obese middle-aged adults following an exercise intervention. METHODS This analysis used data from a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled 36-wk WP supplementation trial, wherein participants consumed a 1.7-MJ (400-kcal) supplement (0, 20, 40, or 60 g WP/d) along with their otherwise unrestricted diet while participating in a resistance and aerobic exercise intervention (3 d/wk). TPro was the summation of WP and habitual dietary intakes (4-d food record). Statistical analyses for WP were based on group and bone data [n = 186, 108 women; mean ± SD age: 49 ± 8 y; body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2): 30.1 ± 2.8], whereas TPro was based on dietary and bone data (n = 113, 70 women; age 50 ± 8 y; BMI 30.1 ± 2.9). RESULTS WP supplementation, regardless of dose, did not influence BMD or BMC following the intervention. By using a multiple linear regression model, TPro (expressed as g/d or g · kg-1 · d-1) and change in TPro (expressed as g/d) were not associated with responses over time in total or regional BMD or BMC. By using a cluster analysis approach [<1.0 (n = 41), 1.0-1.2 (n = 28), and ≥1.2 g · kg-1 · d-1 (n = 44)], TPro was also not associated with responses in total or regional BMD or BMC over time. CONCLUSION WP supplementation and total dietary protein intake did not negatively or beneficially influence bone quantity in overweight and obese adults during a 9-mo exercise intervention. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00812409.
p53 contributes to T cell homeostasis through the induction of pro-apoptotic SAP

Lack of functional SAP protein, due to gene deletion or mutation, is the cause of X-linked lymphoproliferative disease (XLP), characterized by functionally impaired T and NK cells and a high risk of lymphoma development. We have demonstrated earlier that SAP has a pro-apoptotic function in T and B cells. Deficiency of this function might contribute to the pathogenesis of XLP. We have also shown that SAP is a target of p53 in B cell lines. In the present study, we show that activated primary T cells express p53, which induces SAP expression. p53 is functional as a transcription factor in activated T cells and induces the expression of p21, PUMA and MDM2. PARP cleavage in the late phase of activation indicates that T cells expressing high levels of SAP undergo apoptosis. Modifying p53 levels using Nutlin-3, which specifically dissociates the MDM2-p53 interaction, was sufficient to upregulate SAP expression, indicating that SAP is a target of p53 in T cells. We also demonstrated p53’s role as a transcription factor for SAP in activated T cells by ChIP assays. Our result suggests that p53 contributes to T cell homeostasis through the induction of the pro-apoptotic SAP. A high level of SAP is necessary for the activation-induced cell death that is pivotal in termination of the T cell response.
Laughter Classification Using Deep Rectifier Neural Networks with a Minimal Feature Subset

Laughter is one of the most important paralinguistic events, and it has specific roles in human conversation. The automatic detection of laughter occurrences in human speech can aid automatic speech recognition systems as well as some paralinguistic tasks such as emotion detection. In this study we apply Deep Neural Networks (DNN) for laughter detection, as this technology is nowadays considered state-of-the-art in similar tasks like phoneme identification. We carry out our experiments using two corpora containing spontaneous speech in two languages (Hungarian and English). Also, as we find it reasonable that not all frequency regions are required for efficient laughter detection, we will perform feature selection to find the sufficient feature subset.
Cell death in the developing and sensory‐deprived rat olfactory bulb

Cell death is ubiquitous in the developing brain and an important regulator of cell number. The olfactory bulb, the first central relay for information from the nose, is a particularly appropriate region for studying cell death. The bulb is constantly infused with new cells, has a strictly organized anatomy, and cell survival is known to depend on levels of afferent activation. The present study examined patterns of cell death in both the normally developing and sensory‐deprived rat olfactory bulb terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate‐biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL). In control pups, TUNEL‐labeled profiles were high at postnatal day 5 (P5, day of birth = P0), but then decreased rapidly to constant levels. In contrast, blocking airflow through half of the nasal cavity by surgically closing an external naris on P1 resulted in a gradual increase in TUNEL‐positive figures within the ipsilateral olfactory bulb by P20, with the effects being seen in the mitral and granule cell layers until at least P60. The effect was largely age dependent, because subjects occluded from P30 to P60 showed only slight increases in cell death. Furthermore, although interlaminar differences were encountered, the pattern of cell death appeared uniform over much of the bulb. Finally, reopening occluded nares decreased cell death levels to control values, suggesting an inverse relationship between the level of olfactory function and the extent of cell death. Thus, the data indicate that cell death is prevalent in the normal olfactory bulb, and that it is directly regulated by the level of olfactory function. J. Comp. Neurol. 431:311–319, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Permafrost carbon−climate feedback is sensitive to deep soil carbon decomposability but not deep soil nitrogen dynamics

Significance As the climate warms, the carbon balance of arctic ecosystems will respond in two opposing ways: Plants will grow faster, leading to a carbon sink, while thawing permafrost will lead to decomposition and loss of soil carbon. However, thawing permafrost also releases nitrogen that fertilizes plant growth, offsetting some carbon losses. The balance of these processes determines whether these ecosystems will act as a stabilizing or destabilizing feedback to climate change. We show that this balance is determined by the rate at which permafrost carbon decomposes as it thaws, and that the stabilizing effects of nitrogen from permafrost is weaker than the destabilizing carbon losses from those soil layers. Permafrost soils contain enormous amounts of organic carbon whose stability is contingent on remaining frozen. With future warming, these soils may release carbon to the atmosphere and act as a positive feedback to climate change. Significant uncertainty remains on the postthaw carbon dynamics of permafrost-affected ecosystems, in particular since most of the carbon resides at depth where decomposition dynamics may differ from surface soils, and since nitrogen mineralized by decomposition may enhance plant growth. Here we show, using a carbon−nitrogen model that includes permafrost processes forced in an unmitigated warming scenario, that the future carbon balance of the permafrost region is highly sensitive to the decomposability of deeper carbon, with the net balance ranging from 21 Pg C to 164 Pg C losses by 2300. Increased soil nitrogen mineralization reduces nutrient limitations, but the impact of deep nitrogen on the carbon budget is small due to enhanced nitrogen availability from warming surface soils and seasonal asynchrony between deeper nitrogen availability and plant nitrogen demands. Although nitrogen dynamics are highly uncertain, the future carbon balance of this region is projected to hinge more on the rate and extent of permafrost thaw and soil decomposition than on enhanced nitrogen availability for vegetation growth resulting from permafrost thaw.
Skin window studies of the acute inflammatory responses of neutropenic patients.

The acute inflammatory responses of three cyclic neutropenic and 15 chronic neutropenic patients were studied with the Rebuck skin window technique. The neutrophil responses at 3 and 5 hr after initiation of the inflammation were roughly proportional to the blood neutrophil counts. Cyclic neutropenics in their neutropenic phase and severe chronic neutropenics both showed normal mononuclear cell responses. These observations indicate that neutrophil accumulation at an inflammatory site is not necessary to initiate the mononuclear cell response as previously postulated. It is further suggested that in these patients with decreased neutrophils but normal monocyte counts the monocytes play a vital role in preventing serious infections.
The comparison of the methods for the identification of pathogenic serotypes and biotypes of Yersinia enterocolitica : Microbiological methods and PCR

In this study, pathogenic strains of Y. enterocolitica were identified by microbiological and PCR methods. The samples were collected from pigs, cattle, poultry, and slaughter houses. Three common techniques were used to isolate Y. enterocolitica from the samples - ITC, PSB, and direct on the CIN. Primers A1/A2, Y1/Y2, and rfbC 1/rfbC 2 were used for the specific detection of the pathogenic strains of Y. enterocolitica. Traditional microbiological methods were found to be insufficient for the specific identification of the Y. enterocolitica pathogen. In comparison with PCR which was able to detect 149 strains, the biochemical test could detect only 138 species. These results show that the use of biochemical methods of cultivation did not allow the identification of all Y. enterocolitica pathogens. In total, 149 strains of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica were examined of which 120 were from pigs, 19 from poultry, 8 were cattle strains, and 2 came from the environments of slaughterhouses.
Systolic cardiac function assessment by feature tracking echocardiography in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate endomyocardial and epimyocardial left ventricular circumferential and longitudinal peak systolic strain and strain rate in dogs with myxomatous mitral valve disease using two-dimensional feature tracking imaging echocardiography. MATERIALS AND METHODS Epimyocardial and endomyocardial global and regional myocardial peak systolic strain and strain rate using two-dimensional feature tracking imaging were evaluated in healthy dogs and those in stages B1, B2 and C of myxomatous mitral valve disease. Strain and strain rate in circumferential and longitudinal aspect were evaluated in 48 small- and medium-sized dogs. RESULTS Global endomyocardial circumferential strain and global epimyocardial circumferential strain systolic peak were lower in stage C than in stage B2 (P = 0 · 04 and P = 0 · 02) and similar to healthy dogs. Endomyocardial circumferential strain rate in septal and inferior segments were lower in stage C compared to B2 (P = 0 · 0007 and P = 0 · 0056), but not different from healthy dogs. There were no statistical differences in the epimyocardial circumferential strain rate, longitudinal strain and strain rate between healthy and affected dogs. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Two-dimensional feature tracking imaging determination of myocardial deformation in epimyocardial and endomyocardial layers allows detection of increased compensatory circumferential left ventricular myocardial systolic performance due to volume overload and absence of this response as disease advances to congestive heart failure.
Effect of Hydroperoxy Fatty Acids on Acylation and Deacylation of Arachidonoyl Groups in Synaptic Phospholipids

Abstract: The effect of hydroperoxy fatty acids on reactions involved in the acylation‐deacylation cycle of synaptic phospholipids was studied in vitro, using nerve ending fraction isolated from rat forebrain. 15‐Hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (15‐HPETE), 13‐hydroperoxylinoleic acid (13‐HP 18: 2), and hydroperoxydocosahexaenoic acid (22:6 Hpx), at 25 μM final concentration, all inhibited the incorporation of [1‐14C]arachidonate into synaptosomal phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and triacylglycerides by 50–80%. The lowest effective concentration of 15‐HPETE and 13‐HP 18:2 resulting in significant inhibition of the reacylation of PI was 5 μM, whereas the inhibition of [1‐14C]arachidonate incorporation into PC required 10 and 5 μM hydroperoxy fatty acids, respectively. Cumene hydroperoxide and tert‐butyl hydroperoxide at concentrations of 100 μM did not inhibit reacylation of PI and PC. Synthesis of labeled arachidonoyl‐CoA from [1‐14C]arachidonate was decreased by about 50% by 25 μM hydroperoxy fatty acids both in synaptosomes and in the microsomal fraction. Use of [1‐14C]arachidonoyl‐CoA as a substrate, to bypass the fatty acid activation reaction, revealed that activity of acyltransferase was not affected significantly by 25 μM 15‐HPETE and 13‐HP 18:2. At the same time, however, the hydrolysis of labeled arachidonoyl‐CoA was substantially enhanced. Exposure of synaptosomes to 25 μM fatty acid hydroperoxides did not affect significantly the endogenous concentrations of five major free fatty acids. It is concluded that (1) among synaptic phospholipids, reacylation of PI and PC is the most susceptible to the inhibitory action of fatty acid hydroperoxides, and (2) the enzymes affected by these compounds in nerve endings are arachidonoyl‐CoA synthetase and hydrolase.
The diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of radiation injuries produced by atomic bombs.

The purpose of this paper is the presentation of practical information on the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of such radiation injuries as may be seen in atomic warfare. Others have amply covered the physical effects of the atomic bomb. The chaos that will exist in the immediate post-explosion period has been succinctly described. We are all aware that the greatest hazard is panic caused by the overwhelming fear. Progressive education and indoctrination of the public should allay this greatest of hazards in atomic warfare. Providing that there is some semblance of order in the civil population, it seems self-evident that care of the injured should be organized along the general lines of military medical care, i.e., first aid, collection, transportation, evacuation, etc., but under previously organized civil direction not military. The medical problems following an atomic bomb explosion are complex. The immediate problem will be of a magnitude that will seem almost insuperable. It may be necessary in .
Rational use of the PFA-100 device for screening of platelet function disorders and von Willebrand disease

Two hundred and five patients referred for evaluation of platelet functions and 126 healthy controls were tested with the PFA-100 instrument. A cut-off value of 150 s for collagen/epinephrine (CEPI) closure time (CT) produced most acceptable sensitivity (90%), specificity (85.2%), and positive (82.6%) and negative (91.6%) predictivity values for screening of platelet function disorders and von Willebrand disease (vWD). All patients with vWD and Glanzmann thrombasthenia could be detected by PFA-100. Both CEPI and collagen/adenosine diphosphate (CADP) CTs were elevated in all of these cases. Sensitivity of the device was 81.6% for patients with platelet secretion defects. CADP CT was normal in 63.9% of the patients in this subgroup. Specificity (47%) and positive predictivity (57%) of the instrument were diminished in patients with low hemoglobin concentrations. Depending on the results, an algorithm was developed for screening of platelet function disorders and vWD with PFA-100.
How Do Women Entrepreneurs Use the Virtual Network Facebook?

This paper examines the views and attitudes of a sample of 228 female entrepreneurs in Belgium towards the virtual social network Facebook. It uses statistical analysis to evaluate the impact of their gendered sector of activity and of their self-perceptions on: how Facebook is perceived as responding to gender-related difficulties; how Facebook is used in terms of objectives and activities; how Facebook supports women's networks; and the outcomes of Facebook for women-owned businesses. The results highlight significant differences according to women's sectors of activity and self-perceptions with regard to how Facebook is perceived and used. They support the idea of an active posture of women entrepreneurs, allowing for action to be taken to deconstruct and counterbalance existing gender dynamics. The paper highlights certain implications for public and private initiatives and underlines the potential of this and other virtual social networking sites for women's entrepreneurship.
Morphogenetic expression of Moraxella bovis fimbriae (pili) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Type 4 fimbriae (pili) are found in a wide variety of gram-negative bacteria and are composed of small structural subunits which share significant sequence homology among different species, especially at their amino-terminal ends. Previous studies demonstrating morphogenetic expression of Bacteroides nodosus fimbriae from cloned subunit genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa suggested that there is a common mechanism for type 4 fimbriae assembly and that the structural subunits are interchangeable (J. S. Mattick et al., J. Bacteriol. 169:33-41, 1987). Here we have examined the expression of Moraxella bovis fimbrial subunits in P. aeruginosa. M. bovis subunits were assembled into extracellular fimbriae in this host, in some cases as a homopolymer but in others as a mosaic with the indigenous subunit, indicating structural equivalence. This result contrasts with other studies in which recombinant P. aeruginosa expressing different subunits produced fimbriae composed almost exclusively of one subunit or the other (T. C. Elleman and J. E. Peterson, Mol. Microbiol. 1:377-380, 1987). Both observations can be explained by reversibility of subunit-subunit interactions at the site of assembly, with the forward equilibrium favoring chain extension between compatible subunits.