Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preferential expression of long form prolactin receptor mRNA in the rat brain during the oestrous cycle, pregnancy and lactation: hormones involved in its gene expression.

The mRNA species for prolactin receptor (PRL-R) isoforms, long and short form PRL-Rs, were estimated by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction method in the rat brain (cerebrum) during the oestrous cycle, pregnancy and lactation. The levels of long form PRL-R mRNA increased at pro-oestrus and oestrus, at the same time as serum prolactin levels increased, whereas the mRNA level of short form PRL-R was relatively unchanged. Long form PRL-R mRNA expression was also markedly increased in the brain at mid- and late gestation, and this elevated mRNA level was maintained during the period of lactation. In contrast, basal levels of short form PRL-R mRNA were also maintained throughout these periods of gestation and lactation. Ovariectomy moderately reduced brain mRNA levels of both long and short form PRL-R from the levels of those in control dioestrous rats, and hypophysectomy further suppressed them to the lowest levels. Administration of oestradiol valerate (E2V) or 17 alpha-hydroxyprogesterone caproate (17OHPC) to ovariectomized rats resulted in dramatic increases in long form PRL-R mRNA levels in the brain, whereas no significant increase in short form PRL-R mRNA was observed. In rats which were ovariectomized and hypophysectomized, the administration of 17OHPC, rat prolactin or rat GH partially restored the brain level of long form PRL-R mRNA but not short form PRL-R mRNA. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Dialyzer Reuse and Mortality Risk in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease: A Systematic Review

Background and Aim: Robust evidence about dialyzer reuse effects on mortality is not available. Our aim was to summarize the evidence for the effectiveness of dialyzer reuse compared to single use in patients with end-stage renal disease. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, SciELO, LILACS, USRDS ADR, universities’ theses databases and annals of congress from major nephrology societies. Reviewers performed the study selection and data extraction independently. We used the GRADE approach to assess the quality of the evidence. Mortality was the primary outcome. Results: A total of 1,190 studies were retrieved, and 14 were included in the review (n = 956,807 patients). The disinfectants used on dialyzer reprocessing were hypochlorite, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, and peracetic acid. The evidence available from the studies was of very low quality. Most studies found no differences between groups. In studies with statistically significant differences, these differences were not observed in all groups and they varied by the type of disinfectant, time of observation and treatment unit. Conclusions: No significant differences were identified for the superiority or inferiority of dialyzer reuse versus single use when assessing the mortality of patients with end-stage renal disease. Studies of higher quality, including randomized clinical trials, are required to provide conclusive evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety of dialyzer reuse.
An antagonist of integrin αvβ3 prevents maturation of blood vessels during embryonic neovascularization

Experimental data in this study demonstrate that integrin αvβ3 is fundamentally involved in the maturation of blood vessels during embryonic neovascularization (vasculogenesis). Integrin αvβ3 was specifically expressed on the surface of angioblasts during vessel development in quail embryos and vitronectin, a ligand for αvβ3, localized to the basal surface of these cells. More importantly, microinjection of the anti-αvβ3 monoclonal antibody, LM609, disrupted the normal pattern of vascular development. After exposure to LM609 the angioblasts in experimental embryos appeared as clusters of rounded cells lacking normal cellular protrusions. This led to disruption of lumen formation and abnormal vessel patterning. These findings demonstrate that during vasculogenesis ligation of integrin αvβ3 on the surface of primordial endothelial cells is critical for the differentiation and maturation of blood vessels. Similar studies on chicken chorioallantoic membrane showed that LM609 blocks angiogenesis. Together the two studies suggest that integrin αvβ3 plays a role in neovascularization of tissues.
Occupation, exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and laryngeal cancer risk

Primary risk factors for laryngeal cancer are smoking and alcohol. The relevance of occupational exposures in the etiology of laryngeal cancer is not yet clarified. Some studies have suggested various occupational agents as additional causal risk factors. A population‐based case–control study 1:3 frequency matched by age and gender on laryngeal cancer was carried out in southwest Germany with 257 cases (236 males and 21 females between the ages of 37–80, histologically confirmed and diagnosed between January 5, 1998 and December 31, 2000) and 769 population controls (702 males, 67 females). Occupational exposures and other risk factors were obtained with face‐to‐face interviews using a detailed standardized questionnaire. The complete individual work history was assessed. A detailed assessment of work conditions was obtained by job‐specific questionnaires for selected jobs known to be associated with exposure to potential carcinogens. A specific substance list was used as second method for exposure assessment. Blood samples were taken from all individuals for genotype analysis. A strong effect of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons exposure on laryngeal cancer risk after adjustment for smoking and alcohol (odds ratio [OR] = 5.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.6–17.1) was observed for concordant exposure classified with both methods, and a clear dose‐response (p < 0.01 for linear trend) for exposure duration. Our findings are supported by risks associated with occupational groups in which this exposure is a priori considered likely. A differential effect by glutathione‐S‐transferases‐M1 genotype was found, however, small numbers do not allow firm conclusions on effect modification. Our study contributes to classifying polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons as a risk factor for laryngeal cancer. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Depolarizing agents induce oscillations in canine bronchial smooth muscle membrane potential: possible mechanisms.

Tetraethylammonium (TEA) 925 mM), 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) (5 mM) and carbachol (3 X 10(-7) M) elicited membrane depolarization (approximately 20 mV) and oscillation (0.5-1.0 Hz; up to 25 mV in amplitude) in canine bronchi (3rd to 5th order). BaCl2 (1 mM) also elicited large depolarizations but not oscillations. The oscillations were antagonized by nitrendipine (NT) (10(-8) M) or atropine (10(-6) M) and were unaffected by phentolamine, propranolol or apamin (all 10(-7) M). TEA- or 4-AP-induced membrane depolarizations were partially reversed by atropine. After replacement of extracellular Ca++ with Sr++, oscillations elicited by carbachol or TEA were considerably slower (although amplitudes were similar to those seen in Ca++). Excitatory junction potentials were not altered by NT, were inhibited by 4-AP or replacement of extracellular Ca++ with Sr++, were potentiated by Ba++ and were variably affected by TEA. Contractile responses to acetylcholine were supported by Ca++ or Sr++ (with reduced efficacy), and only the latter were sensitive to NT. Our data suggest that, in canine bronchi (3rd to 5th order), 1) there are K+ channels and Ca++ channels (not L-type) on the cholinergic nerve endings, which modulate neurotransmitter release, 2) there are voltage-dependent K+ channels on the smooth muscle, which regulate membrane potential and suppress excitatory activity, and 3) membrane depolarization leads to alternating opening and closing of voltage-dependent (L-type) Ca++ channels on the smooth muscle, producing oscillations in membrane potential. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
DNA 5-hydroxymethylation in human adipose tissue differs between subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue depots.

BACKGROUND A stable intermediate during DNA demethylation, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC), raises questions about its function and distribution. Therefore, we tested whether 5-hmC exists in human adipose tissue depots and correlates with clinical variables. MATERIALS & METHODS We measured the % 5-hmC content in both subcutaneous adipose tissue and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) from 81 individuals by using ELISA technology. To test for associations with several clinical variables we used paired students t-tests and linear regression analyses. RESULTS We observed an average % 5-hmC content of 0.47% ± 0.093 in subcutaneous adipose tissue, while VAT (0.51% ± 0.122) is higher hydroxymethylated (p = 0.005). In the total cohort we observed a positive association of % 5-hmC in VAT with age (p = 0.034) and a negative relationship with low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (p = 0.008). CONCLUSION Our data suggest adipose tissue depot specific 5-hmC levels with higher levels in VAT.
Repression of the Integrated Papillomavirus E6/E7 Promoter Is Required for Growth Suppression of Cervical Cancer Cells

ABSTRACT The human papillomavirus (HPV) E2 protein is an important regulator of viral E6 and E7 gene expression. E2 can repress the viral promoter for E6 and E7 expression as well as block progression of the cell cycle in cancer cells harboring the DNA of “high-risk” HPV types. Although the phenomenon of E2-mediated growth arrest of HeLa cells and other HPV-positive cancer cells has been well documented, the specific mechanism by which E2 affects cellular proliferation has not yet been elucidated. Here, we show that bovine papillomavirus (BPV) E2-induced growth arrest of HeLa cells requires the repression of the E6 and E7 promoter. This repression is specific for E2TA and not E2TR, a BPV E2 variant that lacks the N-terminal transactivation domain. We demonstrate that expression of HPV16 E6 and E7 from a heterologous promoter that is not regulated by E2 rescues HeLa cells from E2-mediated growth arrest. Our data indicate that the pathway of E2-mediated growth arrest of HeLa cells requires repression of E6 and E7 expression through an activity specified by the transactivation domain of E2TA.
Effects of propranolol, phentolamine and methyl atropine on cardiovascular function in the squirrel monkey during behavioral experiments.

Systemic mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate were measured in squirrel monkeys trained under a fixed-ratio schedule to press a key that turned off a light associated with the delivery of electric shocks. The mean blood pressures were above values previously recorded in untrained squirrel monkeys. Episodic increases in blood pressure and heart rate commonly were associated with schedule-controlled key-pressing behavior. Phentolamine decreased blood pressure and increased heart rate. The episodic increases in blood pressure persisted even when phentolamine markedly lowered blood pressure. There was little change in blood pressure after propranolol, which markedly decreased heart rate, or after methyl atropine, which increased heart rate. After either drug, the episodic increases in blood pressure persisted. None of these drugs consistently affected key-pressing behavior over the range of doses that markedly affected blood pressure or heart rate. Atropine, which had cardiovascular effects similar to methyl atropine, decreased rates of key pressing. Combinations of propranolol and methyl atropine had effects similar to propranolol alone; these findings suggest that in the squirrel monkey a relatively high degree of sympathetic nervous system tone persists during behavioral experiments.
Dual Targeting of Spinach Protoporphyrinogen Oxidase II to Mitochondria and Chloroplasts by Alternative Use of Two In-frame Initiation Codons*

Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (Protox) is the final enzyme in the common pathway of chlorophyll and heme biosynthesis. Two Protox isoenzymes have been described in tobacco, a plastidic and a mitochondrial form. We isolated and sequenced spinach Protox cDNA, which encodes a homolog of tobacco mitochondrial Protox (Protox II). Alignment of the deduced amino acid sequence between Protox II and other tobacco mitochondrial Protox homologs revealed a 26-amino acid N-terminal extension unique to the spinach enzyme. Immunoblot analysis of spinach leaf extract detected two proteins with apparent molecular masses of 57 and 55 kDa in chloroplasts and mitochondria, respectively. In vitrotranslation experiments indicated that two translation products (59 and 55 kDa) are produced from Protox II mRNA, using two in-frame initiation codons. Transport experiments using green fluorescent protein-fused Protox II suggested that the larger and smaller translation products (Protox IIL and IIS) target exclusively to chloroplasts and mitochondria, respectively.
Development of small compact electric motor tricycle for shopping

We are developing a small compact electric motor tricycle with a low powered battery (7.2 V, approximately 2Ah in total) as the electric power source for shopping purposes. The reduction ratio should be adjusted per the driving situation because of the use of a low powered battery. We designed an actuator system with speed change mechanism for the compact electric motor tricycle. A consumer bicycle is used as the base vehicle, and we focused on the development of an actuator system. A multistep transmission mechanism was designed and fabricated using gears, chains, and sprockets. A 150 W maxon DC motor was used, and the motor speed was controlled using a PWM using MOS-FETs and a PIC microcomputer. Running experiments were conducted to observe the performance of the fabricated vehicle. We confirmed that the fabricated vehicle was able to operate over 30 minutes at a speed of over 3 km/h. Longer running duration must be addressed in future research.
Comparative studies of vegetated and non-vegetated submerged-flow wetlands treating primary lagoon effluent

The submerged–flow (SF) wetland concept offers high organics and solids removal at relatively low cost for construction, operation, and maintenance. In this comparative study, vegetated and non–vegetated SF wetlands were investigated for their ability to treat primary lagoon effluent. The experimental design was comprised of three vegetated and three non–vegetated SF wetland beds (3 m U 1 m U 0.5 m) operated in a semi–continuous–flow mode, which were fed every 12 hours with a design 5–day residence time. The wetlands were packed with 19–mm diameter trap rock and planted with bulrush (Scirpus validus). The BOD5 and TSS removals throughout the two–year monitoring period were high (up to 98%) for both vegetated and non–vegetated wetlands and tended to follow seasonal variations. Vegetation slightly enhanced the reduction of biodegradable organic matter and suspended solids within the SF environment, although this enhancement was statistically insignificant (P > 0.05). The annual average mass removal for ammonia nitrogen in vegetated wetland beds was 3.3 kg ha–1 d–1 (up to 95%). The nitrification process in vegetated wetland beds was significantly more pronounced (P < 0.05) than non–vegetated beds. The lack of measurable dissolved oxygen in the non–vegetated wetlands likely restricted the nitrification process. The dissolved phosphorus reduction varied from month to month depending on seasonal variations of plant growth, ranging from 27% to 100% in vegetated wetland beds and from no removal to 66% in non–vegetated beds. The removal of dissolved phosphorus in vegetated beds was significantly higher than in non–vegetated wetland beds (P < 0.05). Based on the results of this study, vegetation significantly contributed to the reduction of nutrients, specifically ammonia nitrogen and dissolved phosphorus, from SF wetlands, but not for BOD5 and TSS.
A functional perspective on argumentation schemes

This work is based on research done at University of Liverpool on the FP7-ICT-2009-4 Programme, IMPACT Project, Grant Agreement Number 247228. The Principal Investigator at Liverpool was Katie Atkinson. I particularly thank Professor Trevor Bench-Capon for many discussions and contributions on this topic. The paper is a substantive revision of a paper presented at the Ninth International Workshop on Argumentation in Multi-Agent Systems (ArgMAS 2012).
High‐yield isolation of murine microglia by mild trypsinization

Microglia can be isolated with high purity but low yield by shaking off loosely adherent cells from mixed glial cultures. Here we describe a new technique for isolating microglia with an average yield close to 2,000,000 microglial cells/mouse pup, more than five times higher than that of the shaking method. Confluent mixed glial cultures are subjected to mild trypsinization (0.05–0.12%) in the presence of 0.2–0.5 mM EDTA and 0.5–0.8 mM Ca2+. This results in the detachment of an intact layer of cells containing virtually all the astrocytes, leaving undisturbed a population of firmly attached cells identified as > 98% microglia. These almost pure microglial preparations can be kept in culture for weeks and show proliferation and phagocytosis. Treatment with macrophage colony‐stimulating factor and lipopolysaccharide, alone or in the presence of interferon γ, induces typical microglial responses in terms of proliferation, morphological changes, nuclear factor‐κB translocation, NO, and tumor necrosis α release and phagocytosis. This method allows for the preparation of highly enriched mouse or rat microglial cultures with ease and reproducibility. Because of its high yield, it can be especially convenient when high amounts of microglial protein/mRNA are required or in cases in which the starting material is limited, such as microglial cultures from transgenic animals. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Differential expression of cysteinyl leukotriene receptors 1 and 2 in tonsils of children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome or recurrent infection.

BACKGROUND Recurrent tonsillitis and sleep apnea are the major indications for tonsillectomy in children. We hypothesized that the recurrent vibration in the upper airway of snoring children would promote inflammatory changes in the tonsillar tissue and would lead to the up-regulation of cysteinyl leukotriene (LT) receptors (Rs). OBJECTIVE To assess the expression patterns of the human LT-Rs in children undergoing tonsillectomy, and compare those patterns in children having recurrent throat infections (RIs) and children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (SA). METHODS Tonsillar tissue from 17 children with SA and 13 with RIs was subjected to quantitative polymerase chain reaction using specific primers for LT1-R and LT2-R, and to immunohistochemistry and Western blotting for protein expression of LT1-R and LT2-R. RESULTS Messenger RNA encoding for the expression of LT1-R and LT2-R was detected in the tonsils of all children. Immunoblots revealed significantly higher expressions of LT1-R and LT2-R in the tonsils of children with SA. The topographic pattern of both receptors differed among the tonsils of children with SA and RI. CONCLUSION LT1-R and LT2-R are expressed in pediatric tonsillar tissue, are more abundant in SA patients, and demonstrate a specific topographic pattern of expression. These findings suggest that an inflammatory process involving LT expression and regulation occurs in children with SA.
Antibiotic prophylaxis in cerebrospinal fluid shunting: a prospective randomized trial in 152 hydrocephalic patients.

The authors report a prospective, randomized 18-month study on the effect of prophylactic antibiotic treatment in 152 hydrocephalic patients in whom clean shunt operations or revisions were done. The treated group received methicillin (totally 200 mg/kg) divided into six i.v. doses during 24 hours starting at the induction of anesthesia. Patients allergic to penicillin received erythromycin instead. Seventy-nine patients received antibiotics, and 73 (the control group) received none. All patients were followed at least 6 months after operation or to their death. Eleven patients developed signs of infection, giving an overall infection rate of 7.2%; however, the infection occurred less than 1 month after the operation in only half of these. Six of the patients had septicemia, 4 had peritonitis, and 1 had meningitis. In the treated group, the infection rate was 8.9%; in the control group, the rate was 5.5%. There was no statistically significant difference. The prophylactic antibiotic regimen in this investigation did not reduce the infection rate connected with cerebrospinal fluid shunting procedures.
HIRD-P ERSON I MITATION L EARNING

Reinforcement learning (RL) makes it possible to train agents capable of achieving sophisticated goals in complex and uncertain environments. A key difficulty in reinforcement learning is specifying a reward function for the agent to optimize. Traditionally, imitation learning in RL has been used to overcome this problem. Unfortunately, hitherto imitation learning methods tend to require that demonstrations are supplied in the first-person: the agent is provided with a sequence of states and a specification of the actions that it should have taken. While powerful, this kind of imitation learning is limited by the relatively hard problem of collecting first-person demonstrations. Humans address this problem by learning from third-person demonstrations: they observe other humans perform tasks, infer the task, and accomplish the same task themselves. In this paper, we present a method for unsupervised third-person imitation learning. Here third-person refers to training an agent to correctly achieve a simple goal in a simple environment when it is provided a demonstration of a teacher achieving the same goal but from a different viewpoint; and unsupervised refers to the fact that the agent receives only these third-person demonstrations, and is not provided a correspondence between teacher states and student states. Our methods primary insight is that recent advances from domain confusion can be utilized to yield domain agnostic features which are crucial during the training process. To validate our approach, we report successful experiments on learning from third-person demonstrations in a pointmass domain, a reacher domain, and inverted pendulum.
How Do People Experience Early Intervention Services for Psychosis? A Meta-Synthesis

We conducted a study to explore how people diagnosed with first-episode psychosis experienced their contact with early intervention services for psychosis and the way these experiences relate to their recovery processes. Our aim was to integrate and describe the service users’ experiences in a rigorous and comprehensive way. A broad literature search was performed in June and July 2016. After screening, 17 qualitative studies were included. We analyzed the findings in two main steps: (a) translating studies into one another and (b) synthesizing the findings from the studies. Through these interpretative processes, we found five new and overarching themes: (a) something is wrong, (b) do for myself, (c) it’s about people, (d) a price to pay, and (e) ongoing vulnerability. We describe these themes as a process that service users’ maneuver through in their contact with the services. Our findings are discussed in light of relevant research.