Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Inhibits Cytokine-mediated Induction of Human Metalloelastase in Macrophages*

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) have been identified in vulnerable areas of atherosclerotic plaques and may contribute to plaque instability through extracellular matrix degradation. Human metalloelastase (MMP-12) is a macrophage-specific MMP with broad substrate specificity and is capable of degrading proteins found in the extracellular matrix of atheromas. Despite its potential importance, little is known about the regulation of MMP-12 expression in the context of atherosclerosis. In this study, we report that in human peripheral blood-derived macrophages, MMP-12 mRNA was markedly up-regulated by several pro-atherosclerotic cytokines and growth factors including interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, macrophage colony-stimulating factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and platelet-derived growth factor-BB. In contrast, the pleiotropic anti-inflammatory growth factor transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) inhibited cytokine-mediated induction of MMP-12 mRNA, protein, and enzymatic activity. Analyses of MMP-12 promoter through transient transfections and electrophoretic mobility shift assays indicated that both its induction by cytokines and its inhibition by TGF-β1 depended on signaling through an AP-1 site at −81 base pairs. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of TGF-β1 on MMP-12 was dependent on Smad3. Taken together, MMP-12 is induced by several factors implicated in atherosclerosis. The inhibition of MMP-12 expression by TGF-β1 suggests that TGF-β1, acting via Smad3, may promote plaque stability.
Multilevel model of safety climate for furniture industries.

BACKGROUND Furniture companies can analyze their safety status using quantitative measures. However, the data needed are not always available and the number of accidents is under-reported. Safety climate scales may be an alternative. However, there are no validated Portuguese scales that account for the specific attributes of the furniture sector. OBJECTIVE The current study aims to develop and validate an instrument that uses a multilevel structure to measure the safety climate of the Portuguese furniture industry. METHODS The Safety Climate in Wood Industries (SCWI) model was developed and applied to the safety climate analysis using three different scales: organizational, group and individual. A multilevel exploratory factor analysis was performed to analyze the factorial structure. The studied companies' safety conditions were also analyzed. RESULTS Different factorial structures were found between and within levels. In general, the results show the presence of a group-level safety climate. The scores of safety climates are directly and positively related to companies' safety conditions; the organizational scale is the one that best reflects the actual safety conditions. CONCLUSIONS The SCWI instrument allows for the identification of different safety climates in groups that comprise the same furniture company and it seems to reflect those groups' safety conditions. The study also demonstrates the need for a multilevel analysis of the studied instrument.
Japan's Financial Crisis and Economic Stagnation

We survey the macroeconomic stagnation and financial problems in Japan. The financial sector assessment includes separate analyses of the commercial banks, the life insurance companies and the government's fiscal investment and loan program (FILP). We estimate that the Japanese taxpayer will have to pay at least another 100 trillion yen (20% of GDP) to cover financial system losses. We explain how the current dysfunctional Japanese banking system misallocates funds by keeping many insolvent firms in business. These inefficient firms crowd out potentially profitable ones and worsen macroeconomic stagnation. A sustained macroeconomic recovery requires serious restructuring aimed at stopping this cycle.
Proteomic profiling of Gram‐negative bacterial outer membrane vesicles: Current perspectives

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are extracellular vesicles derived from Gram‐negative bacteria. Recent progress in the studies of Gram‐negative bacterial extracellular vesicles implies that OMVs may function as intercellular communicasomes in bacteria–bacteria and bacteria–host interactions. Current MS‐based high‐throughput proteomic analyses of Gram‐negative bacterial OMVs have identified thousands of vesicular proteins and provided clues to reveal the biogenesis and pathophysiological functions of Gram‐negative bacterial OMVs. The future directions of proteomics of Gram‐negative bacterial OMVs may include the isolation strategy of Gram‐negative bacterial OMVs to thoroughly exclude nonvesicular contaminants and proteomics of Gram‐negative bacterial OMVs derived from diverse conditions as well as body fluids of bacterium‐infected hosts. We hope this review will shed light on future research in this emerging field of proteomics of extracellular vesicles derived from Gram‐negative bacteria and contribute to the development of OMV‐based diagnostic tools and effective vaccines.
Mechanical properties and porosity of dental glass-ceramics hot-pressed at different temperatures

The objective of this work was to evaluate biaxial-flexural-strength (σf), Vickers hardness (HV), fracture toughness (KIc), Young's modulus (E), Poisson's ratio (ν) and porosity (P) of two commercial glass-ceramics, Empress (E1) and Empress 2 (E2), as a function of the hot-pressing temperature. Ten disks were hot-pressed at 1065, 1070, 1075 and 1080 °C for E1; and at 910, 915, 920 and 925 °C for E2. The porosity was measured by an image analyzer software and sf was determined using the piston-on-three-balls method. KIc and HV were determined by an indentation method. Elastic constants were determined by the pulse-echo method. For E1 samples treated at different temperatures, there were no statistical differences among the values of all evaluated properties. For E2 samples treated at different temperatures, there were no statistical differences among the values of σf, E, and ν, however HV and KIc were significantly higher for 910 and 915 °C, respectively. Regarding P, the mean value obtained for E2 for 925 °C was significantly higher compared to other temperatures.
Is prolonged breastfeeding associated with malnutrition? Evidence from nineteen demographic and health surveys.

BACKGROUND A growing body of literature suggests that prolonged breastfeeding (typically defined as beyond the first year of life) may be a risk factor for malnutrition. METHODS To examine the extent to which continued breastfeeding is a risk factor for malnutrition, we used multiple regression techniques to relate current breastfeeding status to weight and stature in children < 36 months old whose mothers participated in one of 19 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted between 1987 and 1989. RESULTS The data from 9 of 11 countries outside sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) indicated that among older children, those still breastfed are shorter and lighter than those no longer breastfed. These differences, which reached statistical significance in five countries, become apparent at 12-18 months of age. In contrast, in five of eight SSA countries, younger still breastfed children are significantly shorter and lighter than those no longer breastfed, but, the differences are largely diminished among older children. These basic patterns were not altered by adjustment for family sociodemographic characteristics, health care utilization, and recent child illness. CONCLUSIONS Important differences in nutritional status associated with continued breastfeeding are observed throughout the developing world, and are not likely due to confounding by family sociodemographic characteristics, health care utilization or recent child illness. A unifying interpretation of the observed relationships is that child size is somehow related to the decision to wean, and that whereas in SSA, the biggest children are weaned first, in non-SSA countries, the smallest children are weaned last.
Shear bond strength of different adhesives to Er:YAG laser-prepared dentin.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to examine the influence of Er:YAG laser on the shear bond strength of three different adhesives to lased dentin. MATERIALS AND METHODS Seventy specimens obtained from 35 extracted human molars were embedded in polyester resin and ground with silicon carbide papers. The samples were divided into seven groups. 1. Er:YAG laser (Key Laser 3, KaVo) + Clearfil Protect Bond (Kuraray); 2. Er:YAG laser + Clearfil tri-S Bond (Kuraray); 3. Er:YAG laser + 37% H3PO4 + Single Bond 2 (3M-ESPE); 4. Er:YAG laser + Single Bond 2; 5. conventional method + Clearfil Protect Bond; 6. conventional method + Clearfil tri-S Bond; 7. conventional method + 37% H3PO4 + Single Bond 2. The samples were subjected to shear bond testing 24 h after bonding. Statistical analyses were carried out by two-way ANOVA, t-test, one-way ANOVA, post-hoc Tukey's and Dunnett C test (p = 0.05). RESULTS Only the Er:YAG laser + Clearfil tri-S Bond group demonstrated significantly higher bond strengths vs conventionally prepared specimens (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the shear bond strengths of Single Bond 2 adhesive applied to laser- vs bur-treated specimens (p > 0.05). In laser prepared samples, Clearfil Protect Bond showed the highest scores (p < 0.05), whereas in conventionally prepared groups, no statistical differences were observed between Clearfil Protect Bond and Clearfil tri-S Bond (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Er:YAG laser irradiation did not adversely affect the shear bond strength of Single Bond 2 and Clearfil Protect Bond to dentin, whereas it increased the shear bond strength values of Clearfil tri-S Bond.
KCNA1 and TRPC6 ion channels and NHE1 exchanger operate the biological outcome of HGF/scatter factor in renal tubular cells

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a glycoprotein that induces in vitro epithelial tubular cell growth, motility, scattering and branching morphogenesis. The cell machineries that account for HGF biological effects are still unclear. In previous study, we found that HGF upregulated in epithelial tubular cell line (HK2) 3 genes: potassium channel KCNA1, calcium channel (transient receptor potential channel, subfamily C, member 6, TRPC6) and Na+/H+ exchanger-1 (NHE1). In this study, we validated these results with reverse transcription PCR and WB analysis. To investigate whether KCNA1, TRPC6, NHE1 mediate the changes induced by HGF in HK2, we studied the effects of their inhibitors: 4-aminopyridine, charybdotoxin, dendrotoxin K inhibitors of KCNA1, lanthanum, N-(p-amylcinnamoyl) anthranilic acid inhibitors of TRPC6, 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride, cariporide inhibitors of NHE1. The inhibitors prevented HGF-induced growth, migration, cytoskeletal reorganization and tubulogenesis in HK2. These results indicate that KCNA1, TRPC6 and NHE1 are cell machineries that are exploited by HGF to effect its biological outcome in renal tubular cells.
Identification of Trichomonadid Protozoa from the Bovine Preputial Cavity by Polymerase Chain Reaction and Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Typing

Accurate identification of the bovine pathogen Tritrichomonas foetus is sometimes complicated by the presence of other trichomonadid protozoa in clinical samples. A highly specific and reproducible approach for differentiating 3 common types of bovine trichomonadid protozoa found in the bovine preputial cavity, T. foetus, Pentatrichomonas hominis, and a Tetratrichomonas species, was developed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Universal trichomonadid protozoa primers, TFR1 and TFR2, were used to amplify the 5.8S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer regions (ITSRs), and the products were digested with the restriction enzyme HpyCH4IV. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was performed on 55 trichomonad isolates from bovine preputial washing and scraping samples. The RFLP results correlated 100% with 5.8S rRNA gene and ITSR sequence results and PCR results with primers specific for T. foetus. The results of this study demonstrate that PCR and RFLP analysis can be used in lieu of DNA sequencing to identify the specific trichomonadid protozoa isolated from the bovine preputial cavity.
Effects of ventral striatal lesions on first‐ and second‐order appetitive conditioning

Rats with bilateral lesions of the ventral striatal nucleus accumbens failed to acquire Pavlovian second‐order conditioning to auditory stimuli paired with visual stimuli that had previously received first‐order pairings with food. This deficit in second‐order conditioning was specific to learning driven by incentive properties of the first‐order cues, and was observed whether the first‐order training had occurred prior to or after lesion surgery. Lesions also produced deficits in the display of conditioned responses to the first‐order conditioned stimulus, but only when they were made after first‐order training. These results suggest a specific role for the ventral striatum in acquiring and expressing incentive properties of conditioned stimuli through second‐order conditioning, as well as a more general role in expressing previously acquired Pavlovian conditioned responses.
A Simple Test for Spurious Regressions

The literature on spurious regressions has found that the t-statistic for testing the null of no relationship between two independent variables diverges asymptotically under a wide variety of nonstationary data generating processes for the dependent and explanatory variables. This paper introduces a simple method which guarantees convergence of this t-statistic to a pivotal limit distribution, when there are drifts in the integrated processes generating the data, thus allowing asymptotic inference. We show that this method can be used to distinguish a genuine relationship from a spurious one among integrated (I(1) and I(2)) processes. Simulation experiments show that the test has good size and power properties in small samples. We apply the proposed procedure to several pairs of apparently independent integrated variables (including the marriages and mortality data of Yule, 1926), and find that our procedure, in contrast to standard ordinary least squares regression, does not find (spurious) significant relationships between the variables.
Attitudes towards contraceptive use among schooling adolescents in Malawi

A study was conducted to explore attitudes towards contraceptive use among sexually active tertiary schooling adolescents in Blantyre District of the Southern Region of Malawi. The study design was exploratory and employed qualitative data collection and analysis method. A purposive sample size of 23 (13 female and 10 male) sexually active adolescents was used in the study. Data was collected through in-depth interviews that were conducted using an open ended interview guide. Qualitative data was manually analysed using content analysis. Two themes that emerged from the adolescents’ narrations were positive and negative attitudes towards contraceptive use. Positive attitudes were developed from acknowledging benefits of contraceptives; and having beliefs and values that recognised responsibility; readiness; and motivation for contraceptive. The motivation factors included the desire for good life, health, stable future family, higher education and independence. Negative attitudes on the other hand arose from challenges, disadvantages, misconceptions as well as beliefs and values that disapprove the use of contraceptives among adolescents. To increase contraceptive use among sexually active adolescents, there is a need for adequate information about contraceptives in terms of advantages, disadvantages and side effects. This would help mitigate negative attitudes on contraceptives from misinformation and misconceptions.
Risk factors of first peritonitis episode in Thai CAPD patients.

BACKGROUND Peritonitis is a major complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. Information on the specific risk of peritonitis is important in reducing this common complication. MATERIAL AND METHOD A single center retrospective cohort study was done to assess time to first peritonitis event and risk factors in Thai CAPD population. RESULTS Between January 1995 and December 2005, 322 incident CAPD patients were recruited for the present study. During the study period of 4,281 patient-months, 198 episodes of first peritonitis were recorded. The median peritonitis-free time was 13.7 months. A Cox regression model showed that an increase in level of baseline albumin and hematocrit by 1 g/dL and 1% would decrease risk of peritonitis by 27% and 3%, respectively (hazard ratio (95%CI): 0.73 (0.59-0.91) and 0.97 (0.94-1.00)). A neutral effect of self and caregiver performer was observed in the present study. CONCLUSION The present study confirmed the susceptibility of hypoalbuminemia and anemia to peritonitis. Awareness of particular risk groups should be achieved to prevent peritonitis.
Multiplication operators on weighted spaces in the non-locally convex framework

Let X be a completely regular Hausdorff space, E a topological vector space, V a Nachbin family of weights on X, and CVo(X, E) the weighted space of continuous E-valued functions on X. Let 0 X C be a mapping, f E CVo(X, E) and define Me(f) Of (pointwise). In caseE is a topological algebra, p X E is a mapping then define M,(f) pf (pointwise). The main purpose
Seasonal dynamics in photosynthesis of woody plants at the northern limit of Asian tropics: potential role of fog in maintaining tropical rainforests and agriculture in Southwest China.

The lowland tropical rainforests in Xishuangbanna, Southwest (SW) China, mark the northern limit of Asian tropics. Fog has been hypothesized to play a role in maintaining rainforests and tropical crop production in this region, but the physiological mechanism has not been studied. The goals of this study were to characterize the seasonal dynamics in photosynthesis and to assess the potential for fog to mitigate chilling-induced photodamage for tropical trees and crops in Xishuangbanna. We measured seasonal dynamics in light-saturated net photosynthetic rate (Aa), stomatal conductance (gs), intercellular CO2 concentration, quantum yield of Photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and maximum P700 changes (Pm; indicates the amount of active PSI complex), as well as chilling resistance and fog (light/shading) effects on low temperature-induced decline in Fv/Fm and Pm for native tree and introduced lower latitude tree or woody shrub species grown in a tropical botanical garden. Despite significant decreases in Aa, gs, Pm and Fv/Fm, most species maintained considerably high Aa during the cool season (2.51-14.6 μmol m(-2) s(-1)). Shaded leaves exposed to seasonal low temperatures had higher Fv/Fm than sun-exposed leaves in the cool season. All species could tolerate 1.4 °C in the dark, whereas a combined treatment of low temperature and high light caused a distinctly faster decline in Pm and Fv/Fm compared with low temperature treatment alone. Because fog persistence avoids or shortens the duration of high light condition in the morning when the temperatures are still low, our results provide support for the hypothesis that fog reduces chilling damage to tropical plants in this region and thus plays a role in maintaining tropical rainforests and agriculture in SW China.
Growing old in Canada: physical and psychological well-being among elderly Chinese immigrants

Objective. Immigrants are a vital component of the current and future ethnic aging population in Canada. This study was undertaken to explore the health status of elderly Chinese immigrants in a western Canadian city and to identify the major determinants of their physical and psychological well-being. Method. Using a 50% random sample of elderly Chinese residing in three residential complexes occupied exclusively by individuals of ethnic Chinese origin located in downtown Calgary, a total of 147 Chinese seniors were interviewed in their homes by trained, bilingual interviewers using a structured questionnaire that covered a wide range of topics including health status, social network, living arrangements, use of health-related services, and socio-demographic information. Data analysis. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. A principal component factor analysis using varimax rotation was performed to explore the underlying factorial structure of the seven items measuring well-being. The internal consistency of all scales used was assessed by Cronbach's alpha reliability test. Two multiple ordinary least-squares (OLS) regression models were constructed to identify the major determinants of respondents' physical and psychological well-being. Results. The findings revealed that a majority of the participants described their physical health as good or very good. Results of multiple OLS regression analysis demonstrated that education, country of origin, use of medications, physical mobility, and perceived financial needs were significantly associated with physical well-being, whereas sex, marital status, length of residence, education, and physical mobility were significantly related to psychological well-being. Conclusion. Healthcare professionals, service providers, and policy-makers need to understand the significant impact of the various socio-demographic and background variables that contribute to the well-being of community-dwelling Chinese elderly immigrants. The provision of culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate healthcare, social, and medical services is needed for the growing older Chinese population. Future studies should compare the health status of foreign-born Chinese seniors with those who were native-born, as well those co-residing with adult children.
Spindle‐cell variant of squamous carcinoma. A light and electron microscopic study of 13 cases

Thirteen spindle‐cell tumors of the upper respiratory tract, oral cavity, and skin of face have been studied with light and electron microscopy. Five were primary neoplasms, and 8 had recurred following radiation therapy. The primary lesions were superficially located, and, in light microscopic sections, sites of apparent continuity between tumor and overlying epithelium were observed. The electron micrographs demonstrated the presence in many tumor cells of aggregates of keratohyaline and slender bundles of tonofilaments, and occasional premelanosomes were seen. Desmosomes were present, but were few in number and poorly developed. No evidence could be found to support the concept of malignant connective tissue component. Findings justify designation of this group of tumors as spindle‐cell variants of squamous carcinomas.