Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insulin inhibits the glucocorticoid‐mediated increase in hepatocyte EGF binding

Hydrocortisone and dexamethasone produced a time‐dependent increase [125I]epidermal growth factor ([125I]EGF) binding in primary cultures of isolated rat hepatocytes. Maximally effective doses of glucocorticoids resulted in a 70–100% increase in binding. The effect was similar when hepatocytes were maintained on collagen‐coated plates or directly on culture dishes. The glucocorticoid‐mediated increase in [125I]EGF binding could be detected after 4 h exposure to glucocorticoid and was substantial by 8 h. The major effect of glucocorticoid appeared to be to increase the number of EGF receptors. While insulin (100 nM) had no effect on basal [125I]EGF binding, it significantly inhibited the increase produced by the glucocorticoid. Since the inhibitory effect of insulin was only observed when insulin was added with the inducing glucocorticoid, insulin appears to inhibit an early hydrocortisone‐mediated event.
Elevated serum interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) is derived from neoplastic lymphoid cells in patients with B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma: correlation with extent of IL‐6 expression and serum concentration

We investigated the expression of interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) mRNA in tumours from 21 patients with B‐cell non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Total RNA, extracted from diagnostic tissue specimens, was subjected to semi‐quantitative analysis for IL‐6 mRNA by the reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR). The amount of IL‐6 mRNA was semi‐quantified against that in pokeweed mitogen (PWM) stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The expression of IL‐6 in neoplastic B cells was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. We then looked for correlations between the amount of IL‐6 mRNA produced by neoplastic B cells and serum IL‐6 concentrations. The amount of IL‐6 mRNA correlated with the circulating IL‐6 concentration, suggesting that the malignant cells were the source of IL‐6 in these patients with B‐cell NHL. Our results suggest that the circulating IL‐6 in patients with B‐cell NHL is derived from the neoplastic lymphoid cells, and that neoplastic cells may act as modulators of the general status of patients with B‐cell NHL.
Antigen unmasking on formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tissue sections

Enzymatic and non‐enzymatic treatments for antigen unmasking on formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded, dewaxed sections were optimized and compared by the use of a panel of antibodies of diagnostic relevance (anti‐cytokeratins, vimentin. S‐100. T‐ and B‐cell receptors, Ki‐67/MIB 1, muscle actin). Non‐enzymatic unmasking was obtained by boiling the slides in a microwave oven in 0.01 M salt solution (pH 6) or in 6 M urea. Trypsin or pronase digestion was used for comparison and found to be necessary for some of the reagents. The investigation was then extended to 256 antibodies; the epitopic amino acid sequence was known for 48 of them. We found that enzymatic and non‐enzymatic antigen unmasking are not dependent on the epitope sequence, but some antigens benefit selectively from one treatment but not from the other. Denaturation of proteins is the likely mechanism which leads to immunodetection on microwave oven‐boiled slides; this suggestion is supported by the use of denaturating solutions and by the observation that endogenous enzymes were inactivated and a few antigens were no longer immunodetectable after boiling. Non‐enzymatic methods for antigen unmasking are a powerful new tool for broadening the use of antibodies for immunostaining formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded sections and should be used in parallel with the traditional enzymatic methods.
[Relapse of differentiated thyroid carcinoma in low-risk patients].

INTRODUCTION The low incidence of relapse in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), primarily treated by total thyroidectomy and (131)I ablation, stimulates the search for optimal follow-up algorithms which do not include too many tests but are not connected with a risk of missing early recurrence. The aim of the study was to analyze the impact of the routine follow up examinations for early detection of DTC recurrence in low risk DTC patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS The group consisted of 617 DTC patients diagnosed in 1995-1996. In 513 (83%) total thyroidectomy was performed. 449 (73%) received ablative (131)I therapy. After primary approach complete remission (CR) was stated in 453 (73%), persistent disease in 116 (19%), asymptomatic hyperthyroglobulinaemia in 14 (2%). Patients with CR constituted the low risk group analyzed in this study. The median follow up was 4.16 yrs. RESULTS Recurrent disease appeared in 28 (6%) patients (23 locoregional, 9 distant metastases, both in 4). Serum Tg (thyroglobulin) level at the moment of relapse diagnosis was detectable in 44% while neck sonography was the first examination to detect recurrence in 56% of cases. CONCLUSION In the selected group of DTC patients treated by radical primary approach and showing a low risk of recurrence only half of all relapse cases are diagnosed by the rise of serum Tg level. Regular sonography contributes to the second half of diagnoses. Thus, a special weight should be put on neck sonography as the important element of regular follow up in low risk DTC patients.
Antibody Reactivity to α-Enolase in Mothers of Children with Congenital Heart Block

Objective. To evaluate the frequency of anti-α-enolase antibodies in the sera of mothers whose children have congenital heart block (CHB), given provocative results in which α-enolase, a membrane protein, was recognized by monoclonal antibodies reactive with the peptide p200 of 52 kDa Ro/SSA in a neonatal rat heart library. Methods. An ELISA using a recombinant α-enolase protein was developed. Sera from 100 anti-Ro52+ CHB mothers in the Research Registry for Neonatal Lupus, 50 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE; 7 anti-Ro52+), and 48 healthy controls were tested for anti-α-enolase reactivity. Results. There were no significant differences in the median values obtained from CHB mothers, patients with SLE, or controls at each of the dilutions tested. Only 7 (7%) at 1:100 dilution and 2 (2%) at 1:1000 dilution of 100 CHB sera were 3 standard deviations above the mean value obtained for controls. Preincubation with recombinant Ro52 did not inhibit anti-α-enolase reactivity. Conclusion. The low frequency of anti-α-enolase antibodies in the sera of CHB mothers and the absence of apparent cross-reactivity with Ro52 suggest that antibodies to Ro52 are not likely to mediate CHB via binding to α-enolase.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy

Sports-related concussion has gained increased prominence, in part due to media coverage of several well-known athletes who have died from consequences of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). CTE was first described by Martland in 1928 as a syndrome seen in boxers who had experienced significant head trauma from repeated blows. The classic symptoms of impaired cognition, mood, behavior, and motor skills also have been reported in professional football players, and in 2005, the histopathological findings of CTE were first reported in a former National Football League (NFL) player. These finding were similar to Alzheimer’s disease in some ways but differed in critical areas such as a predominance of tau protein deposition over amyloid. The pathophysiology is still unknown but involves a history of repeated concussive and subconcussive blows and then a lag period before CTE symptoms become evident. The involvement of excitotoxic amino acids and abnormal microglial activation remain speculative. Early identification and prevention of this disease by reducing repeated blows to the head has become a critical focus of current research.
Matching Communication Modalities: The Effects of Modality Congruence and Processing Style on Brand Evaluation and Brand Choice

Previous research has shown that prior brand exposure (e.g., through advertising) can positively influence brand consideration, brand attitudes, and brand choice. In the present studies, the authors argue that the effects of prior brand exposure depend on the communication modality (visual vs. aural) in which exposure (i.e., advertising) takes place and the modality in which evaluations and choices are made. It was hypothesized and found that congruence in communication modalities has a positive effect on brand evaluation and brand choice, compared to incongruence in modalities. Perceptual fluency is proposed to be the underlying mechanism explaining these effects. Moreover, the results demonstrated that the effects of modality congruence are moderated by individuals’ processing style in such a way that the impact is stronger under conditions of data-driven as opposed to conceptually driven, processing.These results indicate that consumer responses depend on the interaction between the modality in which consumers are exposed to the brand in advertising and the modality in which consumers encounter the brand in a purchase situation.
Screening for copy‐number alterations and loss of heterozygosity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia—A comparative study of four differently designed, high resolution microarray platforms

Screening for gene copy‐number alterations (CNAs) has improved by applying genome‐wide microarrays, where SNP arrays also allow analysis of loss of heterozygozity (LOH). We here analyzed 10 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) samples using four different high‐resolution platforms: BAC arrays (32K), oligonucleotide arrays (185K, Agilent), and two SNP arrays (250K, Affymetrix and 317K, Illumina). Cross‐platform comparison revealed 29 concordantly detected CNAs, including known recurrent alterations, which confirmed that all platforms are powerful tools when screening for large aberrations. However, detection of 32 additional regions present in 2–3 platforms illustrated a discrepancy in detection of small CNAs, which often involved reported copy‐number variations. LOH analysis using dChip revealed concordance of mainly large regions, but showed numerous, small nonoverlapping regions and LOH escaping detection. Evaluation of baseline variation and copy‐number ratio response showed the best performance for the Agilent platform and confirmed the robustness of BAC arrays. Accordingly, these platforms demonstrated a higher degree of platform‐specific CNAs. The SNP arrays displayed higher technical variation, although this was compensated by high density of elements. Affymetrix detected a higher degree of CNAs compared to Illumina, while the latter showed a lower noise level and higher detection rate in the LOH analysis. Large‐scale studies of genomic aberrations are now feasible, but new tools for LOH analysis are requested. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Agility and Proximity Considerations in Supply Chain Design

Strategic supply chain design decisions are critical to the long-term success of a business. Traditional facility location models for supply chain design focus on the trade-offs between the costs and benefits of proximity, i.e., the distance between facilities and customers. These strategic-focused models do not consider the supply chain's agility, i.e., its ability to quickly respond to unexpected fluctuations in customer needs. In this paper, we study the problem of designing a supply chain distribution network under demand uncertainty and analyze how the optimal design characteristics of proximity and agility depend on various input parameters. We are able to draw managerial insights on how agility considerations may invalidate well-established and widely-accepted qualitative results derived from traditional models. In particular, we show that it is optimal to increase the density of DCs when the shortage penalty cost increases, and to decrease the density of DCs when a certain unit transportation cost parameter increases. Through these findings, our work conveys the message that traditional, proximity-based facility location models can be inadequate for designing modern responsive supply chains, and calls for the need to develop a new class of models for the task.
Flavivirus Infection Impairs Peroxisome Biogenesis and Early Antiviral Signaling

ABSTRACT Flaviviruses are significant human pathogens that have an enormous impact on the global health burden. Currently, there are very few vaccines against or therapeutic treatments for flaviviruses, and our understanding of how these viruses cause disease is limited. Evidence suggests that the capsid proteins of flaviviruses play critical nonstructural roles during infection, and therefore, elucidating how these viral proteins affect cellular signaling pathways could lead to novel targets for antiviral therapy. We used affinity purification to identify host cell proteins that interact with the capsid proteins of West Nile and dengue viruses. One of the cellular proteins that formed a stable complex with flavivirus capsid proteins is the peroxisome biogenesis factor Pex19. Intriguingly, flavivirus infection resulted in a significant loss of peroxisomes, an effect that may be due in part to capsid expression. We posited that capsid protein-mediated sequestration and/or degradation of Pex19 results in loss of peroxisomes, a situation that could result in reduced early antiviral signaling. In support of this hypothesis, we observed that induction of the lambda interferon mRNA in response to a viral RNA mimic was reduced by more than 80%. Together, our findings indicate that inhibition of peroxisome biogenesis may be a novel mechanism by which flaviviruses evade the innate immune system during early stages of infection. IMPORTANCE RNA viruses infect hundreds of millions of people each year, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Chief among these pathogens are the flaviviruses, which include dengue virus and West Nile virus. Despite their medical importance, there are very few prophylactic or therapeutic treatments for these viruses. Moreover, the manner in which they subvert the innate immune response in order to establish infection in mammalian cells is not well understood. Recently, peroxisomes were reported to function in early antiviral signaling, but very little is known regarding if or how pathogenic viruses affect these organelles. We report for the first time that flavivirus infection results in significant loss of peroxisomes in mammalian cells, which may indicate that targeting of peroxisomes is a key strategy used by viruses to subvert early antiviral defenses.
Construção social de mercados: a produção orgânica nos assentamentos do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil

O objetivo e analisar a insercao no mercado pelas familias assentadas na regiao metropolitana de Porto Alegre no Rio Grande do Sul, usando como objeto a experiencia do arroz orgânico. A producao do arroz orgânico trouxe a oportunidade do retorno do campones ao mercado com estrategias diferenciadas, apoiando-se na agregacao de valor por um produto constituido de caracteristicas organolepticas e funcionais relevantes, aliado a preocupacoes ambientais e sociais.
Interjudge Agreement, Self-Enhancement, and Liking: Cross-Cultural Divergences

The authors investigated whether the lower self-enhancement found among Japanese is due to them being more accurate in their self-perceptions than Americans. Japanese and American participants were recruited from school clubs, where groups of five people rated each other and themselves. The Japanese sample was overall self-critical, whereas the American sample was overall self-enhancing. Moreover, as the desirability of the traits increased, Americans showed more self-enhancement, whereas Japanese showed more self-criticism. An accuracy account is unable to account for the cultural differences in self-enhancement because Americans showed more accuracy in their self-perceptions (as evidenced by self-peer agreement) than Japanese. Intracultural analyses further revealed that individual self-enhancement can be “unpackaged” by trait measures of independence and interdependence. Exploratory analyses of liking were also con ducted, revealing that American liking hinged on perceived similarity, self-verification, familiarity, and reflected-self-enhancement, whereas Japanese liking was based on familiarity, reflected self-enhancement, lower independence, and interdependence.
Microsporidiosis and Transplantation: A Retrospective Study of 23 Cases

Before highly active antiretroviral therapy, microsporidia were a common cause of chronic diarrhea and malabsorption in HIV-infected patients, due in most cases to the species Enterocytozoon bieneusi. Microsporidiosis has seldom been reported in HIV-seronegative patients, even in immunocompromised ones. To date, only 10 cases of microsporidiosis have been described in solid organ transplant recipients, including three cases diagnosed in the hospitals of Lyon (Hospices Civils de Lyon, France) [2,3]. We present here what we believe is the most extensive study in a single institution of microsporidia infections in solid organ transplant recipients.
Impact of high-dose busulfan plus melphalan as consolidation in metastatic Ewing tumors: a study by the Société Française des Cancers de l'Enfant.

PURPOSE To improve the prognosis for patients with metastatic Ewing sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumors (ES/PNET) using conventional chemotherapy and consolidation high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) containing busulfan and melphalan. PATIENTS AND METHODS Ninety-seven unselected patients with newly diagnosed metastatic ES/PNET received induction chemotherapy that included five cycles of cyclophosphamide 150 mg/m2/d for 7 days, doxorubicin 35 mg/m2/d once, followed by two cycles of ifosfamide 1.8 g/m2/d for 5 days, and etoposide 100 mg/m2/d for 5 days. Patients in complete or very good partial remission received HDCT with busulfan total dose 600 mg/m2 and melphalan 140 mg/m2 followed by autologous blood stem cells. Local therapy (surgery and/or radiation therapy) was performed before or after HDCT. RESULTS Ninety-seven patients were enrolled from 1991 to 1999 (median age, 12.3 years; range, 0.2 to 25 years). Among them, 75 received HDCT. The 5-year event-free survival (EFS) rate for all 97 patients was 37% and the overall survival (OS) rate was 38%. The EFS after HDCT was 47%. The EFS for the 44 patients with lung-only metastases was 52%, whereas it was 36% for patients with bone metastases without bone marrow involvement. Among the 23 patients with bone marrow metastases, only one survived. The multivariate analysis for both EFS and for OS identified three independent prognostic factors: age, fever at diagnosis, and bone marrow involvement. CONCLUSION Compared with conventional chemotherapy, HDCT may yield benefits for patients with lung-only metastases or bone metastases. These results warrant confirmation in a randomized trial and provide part of the background data for the ongoing Euro-Ewing study.
Evaluation of antifertility activity of Trigonella foenum graecum seeds

Petroleum ether, ethanol and water extracts of Trigonella foenum graecum seeds were investigated separately to determine their antiimplantation (antifertility) and estrogenic/antiestrogenic activity in female albino rats and Swiss mice. Among these, ethanol extract was found to be the most effective as antiimplantation and estrogenic agent. In preliminary phytochemical screening, ethanol extract showed positive test for alkaloids, saponins and flavonoids.
DISTURBANCES of MICTURITION IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

During the years 1970–1974, a total of 44 patients referred by neurologists to the Urological Laboratory were classified in the following groups: paralysis agitans (27), postencephalitic parkinsonism (5), cerebral arteriosclerosis and parkinsonism (7) and cerebral arteriosclerosis and parkinsonism, suspected (5). Bladder function was assessed on the basis of cystometry and urodynamic investigation. A high frequency of supranuclear bladder paresis (SNP) was found, although unequally distributed in the different diagnostic groups. Stereotactie operations on the thalamic nuclei seemed to be correlated with SNP. the question was raised whether SNP was part of the parkinsonian syndrome or merely signs and symptoms related to ageing.
Relationship between angiogenic squamous dysplasia and bronchogenic carcinoma in patients undergoing white light bronchoscopy.

OBJECTIVE To better understand the characteristic morphology of angiogenic squamous dysplasia (ASD) and its association with different types of common bronchogenic carcinomas using routine white light bronchoscopy. METHODS Using a case-control design, 186 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks of bronchial tissue (136 cases, 50 controls) obtained from patients who underwent routine nonfluorescence bronchoscopy between 2004 and 2005 were studied. RESULTS ASD occurred at a higher frequency in patients with neoplastic lesions compared with those without neoplastic lesions (28 of 136 versus one of 50). ASD was also more prevalent in patients with squamous cell carcinoma compared with other neoplasms. Seventy six per cent of the ASD patients (22 of 29) smoked cigarettes. The morphology of ASD on hematoxylin and eosin- and CD31-stained sections was characterized by prominent microvasculature and capillary projections closely juxtaposed to variable degrees of dysplasia in all of the bronchogenic carcinoma specimens, and to metaplasia in one case in the control group. CONCLUSION ASD is a unique morphological entity that should be considered by pathologists even on bronchoscopic biopsies from patients who undergo white light bronchoscopy. The presence of ASD may represent a risk biomarker of bronchogenic carcinoma in screening programs and in chemoprevention of lung cancer.
Transfer of Plasmid-Borne Beta-Lactamase in Neisseria gonorrhoeae

Neisseria gonorrhoeae strain GC82 contains a plasmid specifying a β-lactamase (β-Lam+). Mixed incubation of strain GC82 with a penicillin-susceptible (β-Lam−), streptomycin-resistant mutant of strain GC9 results in the expression of β-lactamase activity and streptomycin resistance in the transcipients. The frequency of transfer of the plasmid-specified resistance to penicillin seems to be proportional to the initial input ratio of the mating mixture of donor to recipient and to correlate positively with bacterial density. Cell-to-cell transmission of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) appears to be by a conjugal mechanism or, alternatively, by an as yet undescribed transducing phage. Additionally, whole-cell DNA from a β-lactamase-producing strain could be used to transform streptomycin-resistant recipients, resulting in the expression of both β-lactamase activity and streptomycin resistance in the transformants, and purified gonococcal plasmid DNA transformed Escherichia coli but not the gonococcus. Circular DNA extracted from donor GC82 comprised three molecular species (approximately 2.7, 4.8, and 25 megadaltons [Mdal]), whereas the recipients GC9-S (Strr) contained only the 2.7-Mdal cryptic DNA species. DNA from the GC9-S82 (Strr, β-Lam+) transcipient contained a 4.8-Mdal species in addition to the cryptic molecular species (2.7 Mdal). The finding that the transcipient will not retransfer β-lactamase is consistent with the hypothesis that the 25-Mdal plasmid promotes mobilization of the smaller 4.8-Mdal R plasmid.