Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ComA, a phosphorylated response regulator protein of Bacillus subtilis, binds to the promoter region of srfA

ComA is a response regulator protein of Bacillus subtilis which is required for the transcription of several genes which are involved in late-growth expression and in responses to environmental stress. Among these genes are degQ, gsiA, and srfA. The last is an operon needed for the development of genetic competence, surfactin production, and normal sporulation. We show here that partially purified ComA protein, isolated from an overproducing Escherichia coli strain, is phosphorylated in vitro by incubation with acetyl phosphate and that ComA could bind specifically to a DNA fragment containing the promoter of srfA and associated sequences. The binding affinity is enhanced when ComA is phosphorylated. DNase I protection analysis identified two protected sites located upstream from the srfA promoter. The presence of DNase I-hypersensitive bonds induced by ComA binding which are located between the protected sequences is consistent with a model for ComA action involving the bending of DNA.
Brecha del producto y medidas de la tasa de interés neutral para Colombia

En este documento se proponen tres medidas nuevas de la brecha del producto y de la tasa de interes real. En vez de basarnos exclusivamente en los filtros estadisticos, las medidas propuestas usan modelos neokeynesianos semiestructurales, adaptados para una economia pequena y abierta. Las medidas de la brecha del producto presentadas estan en concordancia con trabajos anteriores para Colombia y registran todos los puntos de inflexion del ciclo economico de Colombia, siguiendo las mediciones de Alfonso et al., 2011. Tambien estan muy relacionadas con la inflacion y preceden su movimiento en toda la muestra. La tasa de interes neutral computada indica que la postura de politica monetaria ha sido en general anticiclica, pero no ha logrado anticipar los movimientos de la brecha del producto, o al menos no ha reaccionado con suficiente contundencia ante ellos.
Assessment of Altered Plasma Lipid Pattern in Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria Infected and Non Infected Individuals

This study aimed to assess blood lipid profile status in pre, post anti-malaria drug treatment in Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite infected patients and control individuals. Two hundred and two blood samples were collected pre-treatment and post anti-malaria drug treatment. Lipid profile was estimated using CHOD-PAP method; Thick blood film was made. Post treatment HDL was significantly lower compared to pre treatment and control. Pre treatment LDL was significantly higher compared to post treatment and control. Pre treatment triglyceride was significantly higher compared to post treatment and control, pre treatment total cholesterol was significantly lower compared to post treatment and control. Certain lipids are increased while some are decreased with malaria infection/treatment, the rapidly growing malaria parasite requires large amounts of lipids for increase in surface area and volume of its internal membranes, certain serum lipid fractions may favour the onset and/or severity of malaria infection.
Antimicrobial activity of Streblus asper leaf extract

Bactericidal activity was found in the 50% ethanol (v/v) extract of Streblus asper leaves. The extract possessed a selective bactericidal activity towards Streptococcus, especially to Streptococcus mutans which has been shown to be strongly associated with dental caries. The extract had no effect on cultures of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus coagulase positive, Staphylococcus coagulase negative, Serratia marcescens, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Burkholderia pseudomeallei and Candida albicans. The minimum growth inhibitory concentration and the minimum bactericidal concentration of S. asper extract against 108 CFU/mL of S. mutans was 2 mg/mL. The active compound is partially polar, partially heat labile, precipitated by 80% ammonium sulphate, and possesses a molecular weight larger than 10 000 Da. The potential for using S. asper extract as a natural product for controlling dental caries is discussed. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Eradication of chemotherapy‐resistant CD44+ human ovarian cancer stem cells in mice by intraperitoneal administration of clostridium perfringens enterotoxin

Emerging evidence has suggested that the capability to sustain tumor formation, growth, and chemotherapy resistance in ovarian as well as other human malignancies exclusively resides in a small proportion of tumor cells termed cancer stem cells. During the characterization of CD44+ ovarian cancer stem cells, we found a high expression of the genes encoding for claudin‐4. Because this tight junction protein is the natural high‐affinity receptor for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin (CPE), we have extensively investigated the sensitivity of ovarian cancer stem cells to CPE treatment in vitro and in vivo.
Empty nest or revolving door? A prospective study of women's quality of life in midlife during the phase of children leaving and re-entering the home

Background. This study documents changes in household composition and effects on women's quality of life of children leaving and returning home. Methods. A 9-year annual prospective study of a population-based sample of mid-aged Australian-born women who were premenopausal at baseline (N = 438) was conducted. Documentation was made of household composition and change, well-being, bothersome symptoms, daily hassles, feelings for partner and frequency of sexual activities. Results. There was an increase in the number of women living alone, and a reduction in number of households in which there were children or parents. Each year >25% of women reported a change in household composition. In the first year after the last child departed (N = 155), there was an improvement in women's positive mood and total well-being and a reduction in negative mood and the number of daily hassles. This improvement in mood was confined to those women who at baseline were not worried about children leaving home. In the first year after children return home there was a trend towards reduced frequency of sexual activities but no mood changes. Conclusions. For the majority of women, the departure of the last child from the household leads to positive changes in women's mood state and a reduced number of daily hassles. Return of offspring may have an adverse effect on sexual relating of the parents.
A randomized trial of methods to engage Mexican American parents into a school-based parenting intervention.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the efficacy of motivational strategies for increasing engagement into evidence-based, parenting interventions delivered through schools. METHOD Participants were 122 mothers of kindergarten and third grade students attending an urban school that predominantly served Mexican American families living in low-income conditions. At pretest, mothers reported sociocultural characteristics, and teachers rated children's behavior. Mothers randomly assigned to the experimental condition received a multicomponent engagement package; mothers assigned to the control condition received a brochure plus a nonengagement survey interview. All families were offered a free parenting program delivered at their child's school. Dependent variables included parenting program enrollment, initiation (i.e., attending at least 1 session), and attendance. RESULTS Parents in the experimental condition were more likely to initiate compared with those in the control condition if their children had high baseline concentration problems (OR = 8.98, p < .001, 95% CI [2.55, 31.57]). Parents in the experimental condition attended more sessions than did those in the control condition if their children had high baseline concentration problems (p < .01, d = .49, 95% CI [.35, 2.26]) or conduct problems (p < .01, d = .54, 95% CI [.51, 2.56]). Highly acculturated parents attended more sessions if assigned to the experimental condition than the control condition (p < .01, d = .66, 95% CI [.28, 2.57]). CONCLUSIONS The motivational engagement package increased parenting program initiation and attendance for parents of students at-risk for behavior problems. (PsycINFO Database Record
Drug sensitivity and resistance testing identifies PLK1 inhibitors and gemcitabine as potent drugs for malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

Patients with malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST), a rare soft tissue cancer associated with loss of the tumor suppressor neurofibromin (NF1), have poor prognosis and typically respond poorly to adjuvant therapy. We evaluated the effect of 299 clinical and investigational compounds on seven MPNST cell lines, two primary cultures of human Schwann cells, and five normal bone marrow aspirates, to identify potent drugs for MPNST treatment with few side effects. Top hits included Polo‐like kinase 1 (PLK1) inhibitors (volasertib and BI2536) and the fluoronucleoside gemcitabine, which were validated in orthogonal assays measuring viability, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis. DNA copy number, gene expression, and protein expression were determined for the cell lines to assess pharmacogenomic relationships. MPNST cells were more sensitive to BI2536 and gemcitabine compared to a reference set of 94 cancer cell lines. PLK1, RRM1, and RRM2 mRNA levels were increased in MPNST compared to benign neurofibroma tissue, and the protein level of PLK1 was increased in the MPNST cell lines compared to normal Schwann cells, indicating an increased dependence on these drug targets in malignant cells. Furthermore, we observed an association between increased mRNA expression of PLK1, RRM1, and RRM2 in patient samples and worse disease outcome, suggesting a selective benefit from inhibition of these genes in the most aggressive tumors.
Sinus node dysfunction due to psychotropic agents' combination

Background: Although sinus node dysfunction is primarily related to degenerative fibrosis of nodal tissue in the elderly, it may occur at any age secondary to other cardiac abnormalities or extrinsic causes. Pharmacologic agents including psychotropic drug therapy may also play a role. Method: We present the case of a 53-year-old woman with bipolar affective disorder in whom antipsychotic agents were suspected of inducing sinus node dysfunction. Result: The combination of psychotropic agents including lithium, quetiapine and carbamazepine (first occasion) or escitalopram (second occasion) has been implicated as a cause for sinus node dysfunction. Conclusion: Patients with severe mental illness usually require long-term psychotropic drug therapy, often in combination. This may enhance efficacy but also involves an increased risk of adverse effects including cardiotoxicity.
Secrecy Outage Performance of Transmit Antenna Selection for MIMO Underlay Cognitive Radio Systems Over Nakagami- $m$ Channels

This paper considers a multiple-input–multiple-output (MIMO) cognitive wiretap system over Nakagami- <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$</tex-math></inline-formula> channels with generalized selection combining (GSC), where confidential messages transmitted from a multiple-antenna transmitter to a multiple-antenna legitimate receiver are overheard by a multiple-antenna eavesdropper. Depending on whether the source node has the global channel state information (CSI) of both the main and wiretap channels, we investigate the secrecy outage performances of optimal antenna selection (OAS) and suboptimal antenna selection (SAS) schemes for MIMO underlay cognitive radio systems over Nakagami- <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$m$</tex-math></inline-formula> channels, and we compare them with the space-time transmission (STT) scheme. The closed-form expressions for the exact and asymptotic secrecy outage probability (SOP) for various schemes are derived. Simulations are conducted to validate the accuracy of our derived analytical results.
6-Mercaptopurine in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and previous digestive intolerance of azathioprine

Objective Azathioprine and 6-mercaptopurine are useful therapies in inflammatory bowel diseases. Despite their efficacy, their use is limited owing to treatment intolerance or toxicity in 10–15% of patients. It has been suggested that both drugs could be interchangeable. Material and methods All patients treated with 6-mercaptopurine because of previous digestive intolerance of azathioprine in four Spanish hospitals were reviewed. Tolerance of 6-mercaptopurine therapy was assessed. Results Fifteen patients (11 Crohn's disease, 4 ulcerative colitis) were included. Immunosuppressant therapy was prescribed for steroid-dependent disease in 13 cases, and for perianal disease in 2. Main symptoms of digestive intolerance were epigastric pain, nausea and vomiting, which developed within the first weeks of treatment. Acute pancreatitis was ruled out in all the cases. Five patients commenced 6-mercaptopurine immediately after azathioprine discontinuation and 7 patients within the first month. Eleven patients (73.3%) tolerated 6-mercaptopurine and reached the therapeutic goals; only two patients had to discontinue 6-mercaptopurine because of adverse effects. Conclusions Treatment with 6-mercaptopurine is a safe alternative in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases and previous digestive intolerance of azathioprine.
The rejuvenating effect of pregnancy on muscle regeneration

Aging is characterized by reduced tissue regenerative capacity attributed to a diminished responsiveness of tissue‐specific stem cells. With increasing age, resident precursor cells in muscle tissues show a markedly impaired propensity to proliferate in response to damage. However, exposure to factors present in the serum of young mice restores the regenerative capacity of aged precursor cells. As pregnancy represents a unique biological model of a partially shared blood system between young and old organisms, we hypothesized that pregnancy in aged mice would have a rejuvenating effect on the mother. To test this hypothesis, we assessed muscle regeneration in response to injury in young and aged pregnant and nonpregnant mice. Muscle regeneration in the aged pregnant mice was improved relative to that in age‐matched nonpregnant mice. The beneficial effect of pregnancy was transient, lasting up to 2 months after delivery, and appeared to be attributable to activation of satellite cells via the Notch signaling pathway, thus supporting the possibility that pregnancy induces activation of aged dormant muscle progenitor cells.
Molecular genetic analysis of chromosome 9 candidate tumor‐suppressor loci in bladder cancer cell lines

Underrepresentation of chromosome 9 is a common finding in bladder cancer. Frequent loss of the whole chromosome suggests the presence of at least one relevant tumor suppressor gene on each arm. Candidate regions identified by loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis include a region at 9p21 containing CDKN2A, which encodes p16 and p14ARF, a large region at 9q12–31 including PTCH and many other genes, a small region at 9q32–33, which includes the DBCCR1 gene, and a region at 9q34 including the TSC1 gene. Experimental replacement of genes or chromosomes into tumor cells with appropriate deletions or mutations represents an important approach to test the functional significance of candidate tumor suppressor genes. Loss of an entire copy of chromosome 9 in many bladder tumor cell lines provides no indication of which gene or genes are affected, and selection of appropriate recipient cells for gene replacement is difficult. We have investigated three candidate tumor suppressor genes on chromosome 9 (CDKN2A, DBCCR1, and TSC1), at the DNA level and by expression analysis in a panel of bladder tumor cell lines, many of which have probable LOH along the length of the chromosome, as indicated by homozygosity for multiple polymorphic markers. Cytogenetically, we found no reduction in the numbers of chromosomes 9 relative to total chromosome count. Homozygous deletion of the CDKN2A locus was frequent but homozygous deletion of TSC1 was not found. A new cell line, DSH1, derived from a pT1G2 transitional cell carcinoma with known homozygous deletion of DBCCR1, is described. This study identifies suitable cell lines for future functional analysis of both CDKN2A and DBCCR1. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
What actions promote a positive ethical climate? A critical incident study of nurses’ perceptions

Few qualitative studies explore the phenomenon of positive ethical climate and what actions are perceived as promoting it. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore and describe actions that acute care ward nurses perceive as promoting a positive ethical climate. The critical incident technique was used. Interviews were conducted with 20 nurses at wards where the ethical climate was considered positive, according to a previous study. Meeting the needs of patients and next of kin in a considerate way, as well as receiving and giving support and information within the work group, promoted a positive ethical climate. Likewise, working as a team with a standard for behaviour within the work group promoted a positive ethical climate. Future research should investigate other conditions that might also promote a positive ethical climate.
Time-dependent reduction in the anticonvulsant effectiveness of diazepam against soman-induced seizures in guinea pigs

Near-lethal exposure to nerve agents produces prolonged epileptiform seizures requiring the administration of benzodiazepine anticonvulsant drugs, such as diazepam. Clinically, benzodiazepines are reported to lose anticonvulsant effectiveness the greater the delay between seizure onset and benzodiazepine treatment. This time-dependent diminished effectiveness of diazepam was tested in the present study. Seizures elicited by the nerve agent, soman, were produced in guinea pigs instrumented to record brain electrocorticographic (ECoG) activity. Different groups of animals were administered 10 mg/kg, intramuscularly, of diazepam at 5, 40, 60, 80, or 160 minutes after the onset of seizure activity. There was a progressive loss in the anticonvulsant efficacy of diazepam as the treatment was delayed after seizure onset, but no differences in the time for diazepam to stop seizures. The results show a diminished ability of diazepam to stop nerve-agent–induced seizures the longer treatment is delayed.
Effect of high temperature on grain filling period, yield, amylose content and activity of starch biosynthesis enzymes in endosperm of basmati rice.

BACKGROUND High temperature during grain filling affects yield, starch amylose content and activity of starch biosynthesis enzymes in basmati rice. To investigate the physiological mechanisms underpinning the effects of high temperature on rice grain, basmati rice was grown under two temperature conditions - 32 and 22 °C - during grain filling. RESULTS High temperature decreased the grain filling period from 32 to 26 days, reducing yield by 6%, and caused a reduction in total starch (3.1%) and amylose content (22%). Measurable activities of key enzymes involved in sucrose to starch conversion, sucrose synthase, ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, starch phosphorylase and soluble starch synthase in endosperms developed at 32 °C were lower than those at 22 °C compared with similar ripening stage on an endosperm basis. In particular, granule-bound starch synthase (GBSS) activity was significantly lower than corresponding activity in endosperms developing at 22 °C during all developmental stages analyzed. CONCLUSION Results suggest changes in amylose/amylopectin ratio observed in plants grown at 32 °C was attributable to a reduction in activity of GBSS, the sole enzyme responsible for amylose biosynthesis.
Evidence for the 'Suicide by Firearm' Proxy for Gun Ownership from Austria

When attempting to measure gun ownership in the United States, the problem of missing administrative data arises, making it necessary to find a valid proxy. Several such proxies are employed in economic studies, one of which is the fraction of “suicides by firearm” of “all suicides” (FSS). My work validates this proxy from out-of-sample data, namely, Austrian administrative data on firearm licenses. I also reevaluate, with appropriate statistical methods, a result on firearms and suicide from the medical that is often used for public policy advocacy. This result is, unfortunately, heavily biased due to ignoring a well-known fallacy and thus can be only partially confirmed.
Apoptosis Induced by Depsipeptide FK228 Coincides with Inhibition of Survival Signaling in Lung Cancer Cells

Background:Whereas histone deacetylase inhibitors are known to modulate chromatin structure, the precise mechanisms by which these novel agents induce apoptosis in cancer cells remain unknown. Previously we reported that depsipeptide FK228 depletes epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), erbB2, and Raf-1 kinases in non-small cell lung cancer cells. In the present study we sought to further define the mechanisms by which FK228 modulates oncoprotein signaling and to ascertain whether altered signal transduction contributes to FK228-mediated apoptosis in lung cancer cells. Methods:Cultured non-small cell lung cancer cells were treated with FK228 alone or FK228 with a variety of kinase inhibitors. Proliferation and apoptosis mediated by drug exposure were assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium, and Apo-BrdU techniques. Western blot and kinase assays were used to evaluate EGFR-related signal transduction pathways. Lung cancer cells were transduced with adenoviral vectors expressing activated AKT or mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) 1 or &bgr;-galactosidase to determine whether constitutive activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling could abrogate FK228-mediated apoptosis. Results:FK228 treatment induced time-dependent apoptosis in lung cancer cells expressing wild-type or mutant EGFR. FK228 inhibited a variety of EGFR-related pathways including Src, RAF-MEK-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 and phosphatidyl inositol-3 kinase (PI3K)/AKT, resulting in down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL and up-regulation of Bax. The kinase inhibitors AG1478, AG825, PD98059, and LY294002 markedly enhanced FK228-induced apoptosis in lung cancer cells. Coincident with inhibition of ERK1/2 and PI3K/AKT survival pathways, FK228 enhanced p38 and stress-activated protein kinase/c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase stress signaling. Constitutive expression of MEK1 but not AKT markedly reduced FK228-mediated apoptosis in lung cancer cells. Conclusions:FK228 inhibits EGFR expression and modulates a variety of downstream mediators regulating proliferation and stress responses in lung cancer cells. These data highlight the significance of MEK signaling with respect to FK228-mediated apoptosis and support evaluation of histone deacetylase inhibitors in conjunction with agents specifically targeting mitogen-activated protein kinases in patients with lung cancer.