Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sperm incorporation and pronuclear development during fertilization in the freshwater bivalve Dreissena polymorpha

The invasive zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha (D. polymorpha), is proving to be a valuable model for understanding general mechanisms of fertilization, particularly regarding sperm incorporation. In the present study, we tracked the various components of the fertilizing sperm of D. polymorpha during sperm incorporation. During fertilization the sperm membrane remains associated with the egg surface as a distinct patch that disperses over time. This patch marked the site of sperm entry that occurs predominately on the CD blastomere. Taking advantage of the relatively unpigmented cytoplasm, real‐time observations were made of the incorporated sperm nucleus as it decondensed and reformed as a developing pronucleus. Pronuclear enlargement occurred progressively and at rates comparable with previously reported fixed‐time point observations. Sperm mitochondria were incorporated and separated from the sperm along the leading edge of the decondensing nucleus. Sperm mitochondria labeled with Mitotracker Green® remained predominately associated with the CD blastomere following first cleavage and could be tracked to the 16‐cell stage before the fluorescence was too faint to detect. Additionally, the demembranated sperm axoneme was incorporated, separated during nuclear decondensation, and remained visible in the egg cytoplasm up to 30 min postinsemination (PI). The present study provides one of the most complete descriptions of incorporation on multiple sperm components into the egg and coordinates fixed‐time point observations with real‐time observations of sperm within the remarkably transparent egg cytoplasm of zebra mussels. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 1140–1148, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Preference for Health Provider’s Gender amongst Women Attending Obstetrics/ Gynecology Clinic, ABUTH, Zaria, Northwestern Nigeria

Globally, women’s preference for male or female health providers within a general context of reduced number of female doctors and biases in educational opportunities against women is by no means a new issue. However, the reason for the preference differs across continents. In developed countries these preferences are mostly based on the providers attributes in terms of experience, communication style and technical expertise, but in developing countries it is more of cultural or socially related factors. This study assessed the preferred health provider genders and the correlates among women attending Obstetrics/Gyneacology clinic at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, northwestern Nigeria. A cross sectional descriptive study using a non probability sampling technique was carried out on 426 female Obstetrics/Gyneacology clinic attendees from 6th January, 2010 to 19th March, 2010 by means of interviewer administered questionnaire. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 17), with level of significance set at p< 0.05. Multiple logistic regression models were performed to investigate independent predictors that had significant chi-square by controlling for possible confounders. The findings showed that the average age of 419 women who consented for the study was 29.4 (+ 11.2) years. Overall, 59.2% (n=248), of the respondents prefer female gynecologist, whereas 22.2 % (n=93) didn’t have any sex preference and 18.7% (n =78) preferred a male. Amongst those who preferred female providers, the provider’s communication ability (79.0%), religion (73.4%), knowledge (63.3%), experience (62.9%), technical expertise (55.2%), and sympathy (52.4%) were considered important characteristics. The age, ethnicity, religion and marital status of the patients all have significant relationship with preferred provider’s gender but patient’s religion was the main predicting factor. In conclusion, majority of women did prefer a female obstetrician/gynecologist. However, the religion of the women was the most likely determinant factor. Therefore, it was concluded that the Muslim women should be encourage to specialize in Obstetrics/Gyneacology to meet the needs of female Muslim patients.
Low-molecular-weight heparin in the treatment of recurrent IVF–ET failure and thrombophilia: A prospective randomized placebo-controlled trial

Background Introduction: Recently, thrombophilia (acquired and inherited) has been implicated in recurrent IVF–ET failure. The objective of this study was to determine the effect and safety of thromboprophylaxis using low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in women with recurrent in vitro fertilization (IVF)–embryo transfer (ET) failure and thrombophilia. Methods: Eighty-three women with history of three or more previous IVF failures and who had at least one thrombophilic defect were eligible for this study. Patients were randomly allocated into two groups: Group A (n = 42) received enoxaparin 40 mg/day, and group B (n = 41) received placebo (NaCl 0.9%). Both treatments started on the day of ET and continued until delivery or foetal demise was diagnosed. The primary outcomes were the implantation, pregnancy and live birth rates. Results: Patients who received LMWH for thromboprophylaxis had a significant increase in the implantation and pregnancy rates compared with the placebo group (20.9% vs. 6.1% and 31% vs. 9.6%, respectively; p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively). A significant increase in the live birth rate was observed in the heparin-treated group compared with placebo (23.8% vs. 2.8%, respectively; p < 0.05). The abortion rate was significantly higher in the placebo-treated group compared to the heparin-treated group (p < 0.05). The frequency of treatment complications did not differ between the two study groups. Conclusions: LMWH is a safe and effective thromboprophylactic treatment for women with thrombophilia and recurrent IVF–ET failures. The implantation rate, pregnancy and live birth rates are significantly increased with such treatment.
Role of BK Potassium Channels Shaping Action Potentials and the Associated [Ca2+]i Oscillations in GH3 Rat Anterior Pituitary Cells

Measurements of electrical activity and intracellular Ca2+ levels were performed in perforated-patch clamped GH3 cells to determine the contribution of large-conductance calcium-activated K+ (BK) channels to action potential repolarization and size of the associated Ca2+ oscillations. By examining the dependence of action potential (AP) duration on extracellular Ca2+ levels in the presence and the absence of the specific BK channel blocker paxilline, it is observed that plateau-like action potentials are associated to low densities of paxilline-sensitive currents. Extracellular Ca2+ increases or paxilline additions are not able to largely modify action potential duration in cells showing a reduced expression of BK currents. Furthermore, specific blockade of these currents with paxilline systematically elongates AP duration, but only under conditions in which short APs and/or prominent BK currents recorded under voltage-clamp mode are present in the same cells. Our data indicate that in GH3 cells, BK channels act primarily ending the action potential and suggest that by contributing to fine-tuning cellular electrical properties and hence intracellular Ca2+ variations, BK channels may play an important role on time- and cell-dependent modulation of physiological outputs in adenohypophyseal cells.
Disordered eating and insulin restriction in type 1 diabetes: A systematic review and testable model

ABSTRACT Aim: To provide an overview of the existing literature pertaining to insulin restriction as a disordered eating behaviour in individuals with type 1 diabetes and present a novel maintenance model: The Transdiagnostic Model of Disordered Eating in Type 1 Diabetes.Method: A systematic review was conducted of the current literature relevant to insulin restriction and/or omission in the context of disordered eating in type 1 diabetes. A new maintenance model was then developed by incorporating diabetes-specific factors into existing eating disorder models.Results: Type 1 diabetes may complicate the development and maintenance of disordered eating behaviour. Diabetes-specific circumstances, including disease diagnosis, insulin management, insulin restriction, and diabetes-related complications, contribute to the maintenance of disordered eating cognitions and behaviours.Discussion: The proposed model offers a comprehensive representation of insulin restriction as a disordered eating behaviour in type 1 diabetes. Future research should test the model to further understand the mechanisms underlying disordered eating in type 1 diabetes and inform treatments for this at-risk population.
Postfire Succession in Big Sagebrush Steppe With Livestock Grazing

Abstract Prescribed fire in rangeland ecosystems is applied for a variety of management objectives, including enhancing productivity of forage species for domestic livestock. In the big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) steppe of the western United States, fire has been a natural and prescribed disturbance, temporarily shifting vegetation from shrub–grass codominance to grass dominance. There is limited information on the impacts of grazing to community dynamics following fire in big sagebrush steppe. This study evaluated cattle grazing impacts over four growing seasons after prescribed fire on Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata subsp. Wyomingensis [Beetle & Young] Welsh) steppe in eastern Oregon. Treatments included no grazing on burned and unburned sagebrush steppe, two summer-grazing applications after fire, and two spring-grazing applications after fire. Treatment plots were burned in fall 2002. Grazing trials were applied from 2003 to 2005. Vegetation dynamics in the treatments were evaluated by quantifying herbaceous canopy cover, density, annual yield, and perennial grass seed yield. Seed production was greater in the ungrazed burn treatments than in all burn–grazed treatments; however, these differences did not affect community recovery after fire. Other herbaceous response variables (cover, density, composition, and annual yield), bare ground, and soil surface litter did not differ among grazed and ungrazed burn treatments. All burn treatments (grazed and ungrazed) had greater herbaceous cover, herbaceous standing crop, herbaceous annual yield, and grass seed production than the unburned treatment by the second or third year after fire. The results demonstrated that properly applied livestock grazing after low-severity, prescribed fire will not hinder the recovery of herbaceous plant communities in Wyoming big sagebrush steppe.
Synergistic tolerance induced by LF15-0195 and anti-CD45RB monoclonal antibody through suppressive dendritic cells1

Background. LF 15-0195 (LF), a novel analogue of 15-deoxyspergualin (DSG), inhibits maturation of dendritic cells (DC). Anti-CD45RB is a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that blocks activation of T-helper (Th) 1 cells and generates T-regulatory cells. This study addressed whether these two reagents act synergistically to inducing tolerance, and investigated associated cellular mechanisms. Methods. BALB/c recipients were treated by a short course of mAb alone, LF alone, or the combination of both agents. Mice that accepted a C57BL/6 cardiac allograft for more than 100 days were considered tolerant. Splenic DC were purified using positive selection for CD11c. Bone marrow DC were generated by culture with interleukin-4 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Surface marker expression was determined by fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis. DC function was assessed by the ability to stimulate or inhibit T cells in vitro. Results. Although monotherapy with LF or mAb failed to induce tolerance, combination therapy resulted in long-lasting acceptance of allogeneic hearts (>200 days) and secondary donor skin grafts (>100 days). DC from tolerant recipients possessed lower major histocompatibility complex class II and CD40 expression, and were poorer co-stimulators for T-cell proliferation than control DC. Furthermore, DC from tolerant mice induced Th2 differentiation, suppressed overall T-cell proliferation, and were poor presenters of T cells specific for antigen to pigeon cytochrome c 81–104. Conclusions. The combination of LF and anti-CD45RB mAb induced stable tolerance. The synergy of these two approaches appears to be mediated through formation of tolerogenic DC and T-regulatory cells.
How much do means-tested benefits reduce the demand for annuities?*

Abstract Means-tested retirement benefits create incentives to cash out pension wealth. Individuals trade off the advantages from annuitization, receiving longevity risk insurance, to the disadvantages, giving up ‘free’ wealth in the form of means-tested supplemental income. We quantify the impact of means-tested benefits with a calibrated life-cycle model, demonstrating that they substantially reduce the desire to annuitize especially for low and intermediate levels of pension wealth. Using an administrative dataset on pension choices, we show that the model's predicted fraction of retirees choosing the annuity is able to match the annuitization pattern of occupational pension wealth observed in Switzerland. On the base of our model, we also assess alternative policies such as mandatory annutization and tougher asset tests.
The Costs and Benefits of Short Sale Disclosure

In this study, we examine the impact of a market-wide mandatory disclosure policy on short selling on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. We find that average short selling slightly declined while investors’ shorting strategies changed significantly in response to the disclosure. Previously highly shorted stocks were shorted less and shorting activity shifted toward smaller and riskier stocks, suggesting that retail investors became the more likely short sellers. Short sales became more trend-chasing, prices became less informative, and short-term price volatility increased. Overall, the pricing efficiency benefits of short selling declined after the mandatory disclosure policy.
Assessment of long-term exposures to toxic substances in air.

Because airborne exposure varies greatly over time and between individual workers, occupational hygienists should adopt sampling strategies which recognize the inherent statistical nature of assessing exposure. This analysis indicates that the traditional practice of testing 'compliance' with occupational exposure limits (OELs) should be discarded. Rather, it is argued that acceptable exposure should be defined with reference to the exposure distribution. Regarding the many statistical issues which come into play, it is concluded that hygienists should continue to apply the log-normal model for summarizing and testing data. However, sampling designs should move away from methods which are biased (e.g. sampling only the worst case) and which rely upon job title and observation as the primary means of assigning workers into groups. Since exposure data often lack independence (e.g. owing to the autocorrelation of serial measurements) and there exist large differences in exposure between workers in the same job group, random sampling designs should be adopted. It is also shown that the relationship between the mean of a log-normal distribution and exposures in the right tail allows one to evaluate simultaneously the mean exposure and the maximum frequency with which exposures exceed the OEL. Investigation of the biological concepts relies heavily upon a conceptual model which depicts the exposure-response continuum as a sequence of time series related to exposure, burden, damage and risk. Analysis of the linkages between these processes identifies two kinetic conditions which are necessary if variability of exposure is to affect appreciably the individual's risk of chronic disease. First, the variation of exposure from interval to interval must be efficiently translated into burden and damage (no damping), and second, during periods of intense exposure the relationship between burden and damage must be non-linear (curving upwards). On the basis of current knowledge it appears that relatively few chronic toxicants satisfy both these conditions. Even for those substances which cause damage only when a threshold is exceeded, a statistical argument suggests that the maximum risk can still be related to the mean exposure received over time. It is concluded that the risk of chronic disease generally depends upon the mean exposure received by the individual worker over time. Thus, the sampling strategy must allow the distribution of individual mean exposures to be characterized across the population at risk. It follows from this paradigm for assessing exposures that relatively little effort should be devoted to the evaluation of short-term 'peak' exposures since such transients are unlikely to exert undue influence on long-term effects. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Furano-1,2-Naphthoquinone Inhibits Src and PI3K/Akt Signaling Pathways in Ca9-22 Human Oral Squamous Carcinoma Cells

Furano-1,2-naphthoquinone (FNQ), a biologically active component of Avicennia marina, has been demonstrated to display anticancer activity. FNQ exerted cytotoxicity with the G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in Ca9-22 cells. FNQ-induced G2/M arrest was correlated with a marked decrease in the expression levels of cyclin A and cyclin B, and their activating partner cyclin-dependent kinases (CDK) 1 and 2 with concomitant induction of p27. FNQ-induced apoptosis was accompanied by Bax and Bad upregulation, and the downregulation of Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, Mcl-1, and X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (XIAP), resulting in cytochrome C release and sequential activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. Mechanistic studies showed that FNQ suppressed Src phosphorylation, PI3K, and Akt activation in Ca9-22 cells. Moreover, the Src inhibitor PP2 reduced the phosphorylation of Src and activation of PI3K/Akt, which was comparable with FNQ treatment. The combined treatment of FNQ with PP2 enhanced the cell cycle arrest and apoptosis and also led to the downregulation of Bcl-XL, Mcl-1, XIAP, cyclin A, cyclin B, CDK1, and CDK2 and upregulation of p27, Bax, and Bad. These findings suggest that FNQ-mediated cytotoxicity of Ca9-22 cells is related with the G2/M cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via inactivation of Src and PI3K/Akt–mediated signaling pathways.
Molecular Pathogenesis of Genetic and Inherited Diseases Iowa Variant of Familial Alzheimer’s Disease Accumulation of Posttranslationally Modified A D23N in Parenchymal and Cerebrovascular Amyloid Deposits

Yasushi Tomidokoro,* Agueda Rostagno,* Thomas A. Neubert, Yun Lu, G. William Rebeck, Blas Frangione,* Steven M. Greenberg, and Jorge Ghiso* From the Departments of Pathology,* Pharmacology, and Psychiatry, the Kimmel Center for Biology and Medicine at the Skirball Institute, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York; the Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC; and the Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
Human mismatch repair gene (hMSH2) product expression in relation to recurrence of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder

Several convincing studies have shown that the hMSH2 gene plays major roles in mismatch repair by recognizing mismatched bases and preventing mutations during DNA replication. Loss of this function may result in the accumulation of DNA replication errors or even the mutator phenotype (which may be responsible for the multiple mutations required for multistep carcinogenesis), and it has been found to affect the prognosis of patients. Thus, the authors felt that it would be of interest to study the expression patterns of hMSH2 protein in malignant tumors and to assess the correlation of hMSH2 protein to various clinical and pathologic features in these patients.
Contact with the mentally ill and perceptions of how dangerous they are.

Jones et al. (1984) proposes that contact between a "marked" and an "unmarked" person will modifr the preconceptions each has about the stigmatized condition and about its impact on subsequent social interaction. To test this notion, wee used two general population samples-one drawn from Macomb, Illinois (N= 153) and the other from Cincinnati, Ohio (N= 152)-and found a statisticallv significant inverse association between contact with mental patients' perceptions of how dangerous they are. We find that increased contact is associated with reduced fear among the old and the young, the educated and the less educated, and males and females. Two explanations are possible: (1) contact reduces fear; or (2) perceptions of danger influence the extent to which individuals interact with the mentallY ill. We showt that when contact is generated by external circumstances so that pre-existing attitudes are unlikely to have brought it on, contact is associated wi'ith reduced fear. We interpret this as consistent wi'ith the conceptual scheme offered by Jones et al. The implications are optimistic in that former patients maY be able to influence attitudes of those theY interact with. We note, however, changing others' attitudes maY prove problematic in a number of wa'ays for former patients. Finally we indicate some possible policy implications that our results suggest.
[Effect of hyperhomocysteinemia on cardiac remodeling in rats].

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of hyperhomocysteinemia on cardiac remodeling and systolic function. METHODS Twenty-four Wistar rats were divided randomly into experiment and control group. 12 rats of experiment group were bred with 1 g/(kg.d) L-methionine. After 4 weeks, 6 of them were killed (HHcy), others were continuously bred with normal diet for 4 weeks (Quit hcy, QHcy). Twelve rats of control group with normal diet for 4 and 8 weeks. The plasma Hcy concentrations were measured by immuno-fluorescence technique. Left ventricular structure and systolic function were assessed by echocardiography. The cardiac morphology and collagen were studied by optical microscopy and image analysis system after hematoxylin eosin-staining and picrosirius red-staining. Immuno-histochemistry for actin-smooth muscle and factor VIII-related antigen was performed to identify changes in cardiac smaller arteriolar and microvascular numbers. RESULTS The plasma Hcy concentration was (106.19+/-19.75) micromol/L in HHcy, (6.52+/-0.94) micromol/L in QHcy and (4.90+/-0.10) micromol/L in the control. Left ventricular systolic function was decreased 10.7% in HHcy. Left ventricular wall strain and cardiac smaller arteriolar wall thickness were increased by 62.1% and 2.9 fold in HHcy, 27.1% and 2.4 fold in QHcy as compared with the control. Cardiomyocyte diameter was not changed in HHcy and increased by 15.4% in QHcy as compared with the control. Microvascular number was decreased by 45.9% in HHcy as compared with the control, but smaller arteriolar number did not differ among the groups. Left ventricular systolic function and microvascular number resumed in QHcy. Interstitial and perivascular collagen deposition was significantly increased in HHcy and QHcy. CONCLUSION Hyperhomocysteinemia may increase cardiomyocyte diameter, cardiac smaller arteriolar wall thickness and left ventricular wall strain; decrease microvascular number; induce interstitial and perivascular collagen deposition, directly and indirectly affect on cardiac remodeling and systolic function. The cardiac remodeling couldn't resume completely with plasma Hcy concentration being decreased.