Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hepatocyte cytoskeleton during ischemia and reperfusion--influence of ANP-mediated p38 MAPK activation.

AIM To determine functional consequences of this activation, whereby we focused on a potential regulation of the hepatocyte cytoskeleton during ischemia and reperfusion. METHODS For in vivo experiments, animals received ANP (5 microg/kg) intravenously. In a different experimental setting, isolated rat livers were perfused with KH-buffer+/-ANP (200 nmol/L) +/-SB203580 (2 micromol/L). Livers were then kept under ischemic conditions for 24 h, and either transplanted or reperfused. Actin, Hsp27, and phosphorylated Hsp27 were determined by Western blotting, p38 MAPK activity by in vitro phosphorylation assay. F-actin distribution was determined by confocal microscopy. RESULTS We first confirmed that ANP preconditioning leads to an activation of p38 MAPK and observed alterations of the cytoskeleton in hepatocytes of ANP-preconditioned organs. ANP induced an increase of hepatic F-actin after ischemia, which could be prevented by the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580 but had no effect on bile flow. After ischemia untreated livers showed a translocation of Hsp27 towards the cytoskeleton and an increase in total Hsp27, whereas ANP preconditioning prohibited translocation but caused an augmentation of Hsp27 phosphorylation. This effect is also mediated via p38 MAPK, since it was abrogated by the p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580. CONCLUSION This study reveals that ANP-mediated p38 MAPK activation leads to changes in hepatocyte cytoskeleton involving an elevation of phosphorylated Hsp27 and thereby for the first time shows functional consequences of ANP-induced hepatic p38 MAPK activation.
Teleassessment Compared with Live Assessment of Pressure Ulcers in a Wound Clinic: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVETo compare teleassessment of pressure ulcers in individuals with spinal cord injury in a simulated remote setting with in-person assessments in a wound clinic. DESIGNPressure ulcers were assessed using a 3-megapixel digital camera; images of each ulcer were forwarded to a laptop in a separate room. Nurses completed a medical history and wound database form. A plastic surgeon reviewed the images and database and completed a questionnaire concerning the “remote” teleassessment or teleconsultation. When needed, the plastic surgeon obtained additional information using live audio-video interaction with the participant or nurse. After the teleassessment was completed, the plastic surgeon then assessed the individual and wound live and completed the same questionnaire used for the teleassessment. SETTINGWound clinic of a rehabilitation hospital PARTICIPANTSIndividuals with a spinal cord injury and 1 or more pressure ulcers who were seen for initial or follow-up evaluations MAIN OUTCOME MEASURESPercentage of agreement for teleassessment versus live responses to 4 yes/no questions regarding the need to change wound management, satisfaction with teleassessment, need for referral, and need for additional information. MAIN RESULTSSeventeen individuals with 20 wounds were evaluated. The total percentage of agreement for teleassessment versus live decisions was 89% (80% to 95%). The highest percentages of agreement were for the need to change wound management and the need for referral (both 95%); the lowest percentages of agreement were for satisfaction with teleassessment for making treatment decisions (85%) and the need to obtain additional information (80%). CONCLUSIONSTeleassessment of pressure ulcers in individuals with a spinal cord injury using digital images and a standard database compared well with in-person assessment, which is similar to results reported for other pathologic conditions.
Baicalein protects against doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity by attenuation of mitochondrial oxidant injury and JNK activation

The cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin limits its clinical use in the treatment of a variety of malignancies. Previous studies suggest that doxorubicin‐associated cardiotoxicity is mediated by reactive oxygen species (ROS)‐induced apoptosis. We therefore investigated if baicalein, a natural antioxidant component of Scutellaria baicalensis, could attenuate ROS generation and cell death induced by doxorubicin. Using an established chick cardiomyocyte model, doxorubicin (10 µM) increased cell death in a concentration‐ and time‐dependent manner. ROS generation was increased in a dose–response fashion and associated with loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Doxorubicin also augmented DNA fragmentation and increased the phosphorylation of ROS‐sensitive pro‐apoptotic kinase c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK). Adjunct treatment of baicalein (25 µM) and doxorubicin for 24 h significantly reduced both ROS generation (587 ± 89 a.u. vs. 932 a.u. ± 121 a.u., P < 0.01) and cell death (30.6 ± 5.1% vs. 46.8 ± 8.3%, P < 0.01). The dissipated mitochondrial potential and increased DNA fragmentation were also ameliorated. Along with the reduction of ROS and apoptosis, baicalein attenuated phosphorylation of JNK induced by doxorubicin (1.7 ± 0.3 vs. 3.0 ± 0.4‐fold, P < 0.05). Co‐treatment of cardiomyocytes with doxorubicin and JNK inhibitor SP600125 (10 µM; 24 h) reduced JNK phosphorylation and enhanced cell survival, suggesting that the baicalein protection against doxorubicin cardiotoxicity was mediated by JNK activation. Importantly, concurrent baicalein treatment did not interfere with the anti‐proliferative effects of doxorubicin in human breast cancer MCF‐7 cells. In conclusion, baicalein adjunct treatment confers anti‐apoptotic protection against doxorubicin‐induced cardiotoxicity without compromising its anti‐cancer efficacy. J. Cell. Biochem. 112: 2873–2881, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Prospective study on maternal, intrauterine, and perinatal infections with cytomegalovirus in Japan during 1976–1990

Since 1976, sera obtained serially from 10,218 pregnant women during the first, second, and third trimesters of gestation and cord sera were tested for CMV complement‐fixing (CF) and im‐munofluorescent (IF) antibodies. CMV IgG‐IF antibody was positive in 9,735/10,218 (95%) in the first trimester, and a significant rise of CF antibodies during pregnancy was found in 70/9,206 (0.76%) of the seropositive group and in 5/438 (1.14%) of the seronegative group. IgM antibody was found in 6/9,206 (0.06%) of seropositive women during the first trimester and in 7/70 (10.0%) of seropositive mothers with CF antibody rise and in 4/5 of seroconverted mothers of the seronegative group, suggesting that the incidence of primary infection with CMV during pregnancy was approximately 1% of susceptible women. All the mothers with immune response had infants with neither viruria nor IgM antibody in the cord blood, whereas seropositive mothers without an immune response had infants with viruria (7/1,826; 0.4%) or with IgM antibody in the cord blood (6/9,136; 0.06%). None of these 13 babies, shedding CMV or with IgM IF antibody, had physical or mental retardation. CMV IgG‐IF antibody was present in almost 80% of infants between 7 and 12 months of age in 1988, suggesting that perinatal or postnatal CMV infection may occur in infants born to seropositive mothers in 70‐80% of pregnancies. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
When the Time Comes To Talk About HIV: Factors Associated With Diagnostic Disclosure and Emotional Distress in HIV‐Infected Children

Objective: To determine factors related to the timing and probability of nondisclosure of HIV status to perinatally HIV‐infected children, and to explore factors associated with emotional distress in HIV‐infected children. Methods: This is a cross‐sectional study of 51 HIV‐infected children based on medical records, parent interviews, and child assessments. Results: 1) Probability of earlier age of disclosure is associated with higher child IQ (p = .04) and more family expressiveness (p = .01); 2) controlling for child age, disclosure status at time of study is associated with major life events, but not with medical status; and 3) factors associated with increased parent‐rated anxiety in HIVinfected children in univariate analyses are: HIV disclosure (p = .04), other major life events (p = .001), higher medication dose frequency (p = .01), and child age (p = .01). Increased depression is associated only with more medication doses (p = .02). Conclusion: These data indicate that higher child IQ and greater family expressiveness increase the probability of earlier diagnostic disclosure to HIV‐infected children. Factors associated with emotional distress highlight important areas of clinical attention. These data suggest that diagnostic disclosure may not necessarily minimize emotional distress, indicating the need for further evaluation of the appropriate timing and type of disclosure for pediatric HIV.
Hepatic Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Attenuates Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 Expression*

The Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor involved in many physiological processes. Several studies indicate that AHR is also involved in energy homeostasis. Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is an important regulator of the fasting and feeding responses. When administered to various genetic and diet-induced mouse models of obesity, FGF21 can attenuate obesity-associated morbidities. Here, we explore the role of AHR in hepatic Fgf21 expression through the use of a conditional, hepatocyte-targeted AHR knock-out mouse model (CreAlbAhrFx/Fx). Compared with the congenic parental strain (AhrFx/Fx), non-fasted CreAlbAhrFx/Fx mice exhibit a 4-fold increase in hepatic Fgf21 expression, as well as elevated expression of the FGF21-target gene Igfbp1. Furthermore, in vivo agonist activation of AHR reduces hepatic Fgf21 expression during a fast. The Fgf21 promoter contains several putative dioxin response elements (DREs). Using EMSA, we demonstrate that the AHR-ARNT heterodimer binds to a specific DRE that overlaps binding sequences for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α (PPARα), carbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP), and cAMP response element-binding protein, hepatocyte specific (CREBH). In addition, we reveal that agonist-activated AHR impairs PPARα-, ChREBP-, and CREBH-mediated promoter activity in Hepa-1 cells. Accordingly, agonist treatment in Hepa-1 cells ablates potent ER stress-driven Fgf21 expression, and pre-treatment with AHR antagonist blocks this effect. Finally, we show that pre-treatment of primary human hepatocytes with AHR agonist diminishes PPARα-, glucose-, and ER stress-driven induction of FGF21 expression, indicating the effect is not mouse-specific. Together, our data show that AHR contributes to hepatic energy homeostasis, partly through the regulation of FGF21 expression and signaling.
Diagnosis and treatment of neonatal diabetes: an United States experience †

Background/objective: Mutations in KCNJ11, ABCC8, or INS are the cause of permanent neonatal diabetes mellitus in about 50% of patients diagnosed with diabetes before 6 months of age and in a small fraction of those diagnosed between 6 and 12 months. The aim of this study was to identify the genetic cause of diabetes in 77 consecutive patients referred to the University of Chicago with diabetes diagnosed before 1 yr of age.
Motility in cyanobacteria: polysaccharide tracks and Type IV pilus motors

Motility in cyanobacteria is useful for purposes that range from seeking out favourable light environments to establishing symbioses with plants and fungi. No known cyanobacterium is equipped with flagella, but a diverse range of species is able to ‘glide’ or ‘twitch’ across surfaces. Cyanobacteria with this capacity range from unicellular species to complex filamentous forms, including species such as Nostoc punctiforme, which can generate specialised motile filaments called hormogonia. Recent work on the model unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 has shown that its means of propulsion has much in common with the twitching motility of heterotrophs such as Pseudomonas and Myxococcus. Movement depends on Type IV pili, which are extended, adhere to the substrate and then retract to pull the cell across the surface. Previous work on filamentous cyanobacteria suggested a very different mechanism, with movement powered by the directional extrusion of polysaccharide from pores close to the cell junctions. Now a new report by Khayatan and colleagues in this issue of Molecular Microbiology suggests that the motility of Nostoc hormogonia has much more in common with Synechocystis than was previously thought. In both cases, polysaccharide secretion is important for preparing the surface, but the directional motive force comes from Type IV pili.
Medicaid prenatal care: a comparison of use and outcomes in fee-for-service and managed care.

BACKGROUND To control rising costs, state Medicaid agencies are enrolling recipients in managed care health plans (MCPs). We performed this study to assess this policy's impact on accessibility and outcomes of Medicaid-funded prenatal care. METHODS We performed a retrospective, controlled study with three cohorts: a study group of 1106 Medicaid recipients enrolled in three MCPs, a matched comparison group of 4830 recipients receiving care in the fee-for-service (FFS) system, and a second matched comparison group of 4434 non-Medicaid enrollees of the same MCPs. Data on prenatal care use and birth outcomes were obtained through linkage of claims and discharge files with birth certificate files. RESULTS Medicaid recipients enrolled in MCPs used prenatal care similarly to those in the FFS system and showed equal or modestly improved birth-weight distributions. However, Medicaid MCP enrollees showed poorer use of prenatal care and birth outcomes compared with non-Medicaid enrollees of the same plans. CONCLUSIONS Enrollment in MCPs has a neutral or small beneficial effect on the prenatal care received by the Medicaid population. However, providing financial access and modifying the system of care for this population did not result in parity with the general population.
Economic Convergence and Economic Policies

Many of the crucial debates in development economics are encapsulated in the question of economic convergence. Is there a tendency for the poorer countries to grow more rapidly than the richer countries, and thereby to converge in living standards? Some recent research on endogenous growth has emphasized increasing returns as a possible reason not to expect convergence. Other research has suggested that convergence may be achieved only after poor countries attain a threshold level of income or human capital. This paper presents evidence that a sufficient condition for higher-than-average growth of poorer countries, and therefore convergence, is that poorer countries follow reasonably efficient economic policies, mainly open trade and protection of private property rights.
Ensemble Manifold Structured Low Rank Approximation for Data Representation

Graph regularized techniques have been extensively exploited in unsupervised learning. However, there exist no principled ways to select reasonable graphs and their associated hyper parameters, particularly in multiple heterogeneous data sources. Often, the graph selection process requires rather time-consuming cross-validation and discrete grid search that are not scalable to a large number of candidate graph sources. To address this issue, we propose a new formulation by integrating Ensemble Manifold structure into Low Rank approximation (EMLR). The central idea is to maximally approximate the intrinsic geometric structure by searching the optimal linear combination space of multiple different graphs. Specifically, efficient projection onto the probabilistic simplex is utilized to optimize the graph weights, resulting in the sparsity pattern of coefficients. This attractive property of sparsity can be properly interpreted as a criterion for selection of graphs, i.e., identifying most discriminative graphs and removing noisy or irrelevant graphs under the low rank decomposition model. Therefore, the compact output representation and linear combination coefficients of multiple different graphs can be simultaneously achieved by a unified objective. Exhaustive experimental results corroborate the effectiveness of our new model.
Maltreatment in Infancy

Burgeoning research has documented high rates of maltreatment during the first 3 years of life. Early exposure to maltreatment is related to a host of negative physical, developmental, and mental health outcomes in childhood and adulthood. Scientists have documented the “biological embedding” of maltreatment, including alterations in the structures and processes of the young brain. Maltreatment is a complex phenomenon, which manifests in contexts of family poverty, inadequate parental knowledge and skill regarding child development and caregiving, social isolation of parents, disruptions in parent–child relationships, compromised parental psychological functioning, and concrete issues that affect parenting. Capitalizing on research on young child maltreatment, interventions have been designed to ameliorate infant/toddler maltreatment, buffer young children against the effects of maltreatment, and promote the well-being of maltreated young children. There is a growing empirical base on interventions to address early maltreatment within the context of a public health prevention framework. Primary prevention programs aim to reduce the incidence of maltreatment and related outcomes for infants, toddlers, and their families through the implementation of population-based programs, such as home visiting and early care and education programs. Secondary prevention models target families with specific risk factors associated with maltreatment, such as maternal depression. Tertiary programs generally entail involuntary services, designed to prevent maltreatment recurrence and to improve parenting skills through therapeutic approaches targeting the parent–child dyad. Empirical knowledge about maltreated young children and their families and interventions to support them can inform the design and delivery of child welfare services.
Tear menisci after laser in situ keratomileusis with mechanical microkeratome and femtosecond laser.

PURPOSE To investigate the effect on tear menisci after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) with flap creation by either microkeratome or femtosecond laser. METHODS Sixty eyes of 30 myopes were analyzed. Fifteen patients underwent LASIK with Moria II microkeratome, and the other 15 patients with 60-KHz IntraLase femtosecond laser. Upper and lower tear meniscus parameters of height (UTMH, LTMH) and area (UTMA, LTMA) were measured by SD-OCT preoperatively and 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperatively. RESULTS Compared with the baseline values, all tear meniscus parameters decreased significantly at each postoperative time point (all P < 0.01) in both groups. LTMH increased significantly between 1 week and 1 month and between 1 and 3 months after surgery in the microkeratome (both P < 0.01) and femtosecond laser groups (P < 0.01, P = 0.012, respectively). There were significant increases in LTMA between 1 week and 1 month after surgery in the microkeratome group (P < 0.01) and in the femtosecond laser group (P = 0.028). There were no significant differences in UTMH, UTMA, LTMH, or LTMA between two groups. The depth of ablation was negatively correlated with the LTMA at 1 week after surgery (R = -0.256, P = 0.049) for all patients. CONCLUSIONS There were no significant differences in the tear meniscus parameters between the microkeratome and femtosecond laser groups. The depth of ablation was significantly correlated with the LTMA only at 1 week after surgery.
The Influence of Rural/Urban Residence on Health in the Oldest-Old

Differences between rural (n = 18) and urban (n = 66) centenarians are examined across the following variables: physical health, activities of daily living, mental health, and life satisfaction. Results demonstrate higher levels of morale in rural residents and higher levels of functional health as exhibited by urban elders. Qualitative data support trends of increased degrees of independence among the rural participants. The absence of robust differences in rural and urban centenarians is discussed in terms of a leveling-off effect.
Roles of the Middle Domain–Specific WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX Genes in Early Development of Leaves in Arabidopsis[W][OA]

This work proposes that the middle domain, which is distinct from the adaxial (upper) and abaxial (lower) domains, plays a key role in coordinating two important processes in early leaf development, blade outgrowth, and adaxial/abaxial patterning, through the actions of the middle domain–specific WOX genes, PRS and WOX1, in concert with the adaxial- and abaxial-specific genes. During leaf development in flowering plants, adaxial (upper) and abaxial (lower) side–specific genes are responsible for blade outgrowth, which takes places predominantly in the lateral direction, and for margin development as well as differentiation of adaxial and abaxial tissues. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that two WUSCHEL-RELATED HOMEOBOX (WOX) genes, PRESSED FLOWER (PRS)/WOX3 and WOX1, encoding homeobox transcription factors, act in blade outgrowth and margin development downstream of adaxial/abaxial polarity establishment. The expression of PRS and WOX1 defines a hitherto undescribed middle domain, including two middle mesophyll layers and the margin, as a center that organizes the outgrowth of leaf blades. The expression of PRS and WOX1 is repressed in the abaxial leaf domain by the abaxial-specific transcription factor KANADI. Furthermore, PRS and WOX1 coordinate adaxial/abaxial patterning together with adaxial- and abaxial-specific genes. Our data suggest a model of blade outgrowth and adaxial/abaxial patterning via the middle domain–specific WOX genes in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves.
Purification and characterization of surface fibrils from taxonomically typical Actinomyces viscosus WVU627

Fibrils of Actinomyces viscosus WVU627 (numerical taxonomy cluster 1) were obtained by homogenization and purified by ultrafiltration, ammonium sulfate precipitations, gel filtration, and ion-exchange chromatography. Electron microscopy and resolution of a single band by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis attested to the purity of the preparation. Purified fibrils were composed mainly of protein; small quantities of carbohydrate and phosphorus were detected. Immunoelectrophoresis revealed only a single precipitable antigen, which migrated slightly toward the anode, in reactions between purified fibrils and antiserum raised against either whole bacterial cells or the purified fibrils themselves. Immunoelectron microscopy with ferritin-conjugated antifibril antibody hemagglutination inhibition, and bacterial agglutination tests demonstrated that fibrils of Actinomyces viscosus cluster 1 strains shared some common antigens with clusters 2, 3, 4 and 6, but did not cross-react with typical Actinomyces naeslundii of cluster 5. Stability tests revealed that after heat or alkali treatment, the fibrils lost their antigenicity and disappeared from electron micrographs. They were affected less by sodium dodecyl sulfate, sonic, or acid treatments.