Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Innate Immune Response Combination with IL-12: Implications for the Activation with IL-18 or IL-15 in Expression by Human NK Cells Following Differential Cytokine and Chemokine Gene

NK cells constitutively express monocyte-derived cytokine (monokine) receptors and secrete cytokines and chemokines following monokine stimulation, and are therefore a critical component of the innate immune response to infection. Here we compared the effects of three monokines (IL-18, IL-15, and IL-12) on human NK cell cytokine and chemokine production. IL-18, IL-15, or IL-12 alone did not stimulate signiﬁcant cytokine or chemokine production in resting NK cells. The combination of IL-18 and IL-12 induced extremely high amounts of IFN- g protein (225 6 52 ng/ml) and a 1393 6 643-fold increase in IFN- g gene expression over those in resting NK cells. IL-15 and IL-12 induced less IFN- g protein (24 6 10 ng/ml; p < 0.007) and only a 45 6 19-fold increase in IFN- g gene expression over those in resting NK cells. The CD56 bright NK cell subset produced signiﬁcantly more IFN- g following IL-18 and IL-12 compared with CD56 dim NK cells ( p < 0.008). However, the combination of IL-15 and IL-12 was signiﬁcantly more potent than that of IL-18 and IL-12 for NK cell production of IL-10, macrophage inﬂammatory protein-1 a , macrophage inﬂammatory protein-1 b , and TNF- a at the protein and transcript levels. Granulocyte-macrophage CSF was optimally induced by IL-15 and IL-18. Resting CD56 1 NK cells expressed IL-18R transcript that was up-regulated by IL-12 or IL-15. Our results show that distinct cytokine and chemokine patterns are induced in NK cells in response to different costimulatory signals from these three monokines. This suggests that NK cell cytokine production may be governed in part by the monokine milieu induced during the early proinﬂammatory response to infection and by the subset of NK cells present at the site of inﬂammation. The Journal of Immunology, 1999, 162: 4511–4520. these different monokine combinations. Our results show that different combinations of IL-18, IL-15, and IL-12 optimally induced distinct cytokine and chemokine patterns, and these patterns vary between NK cell subsets.
Research Online Research Online An exploratory study of internationalization strategies of Malaysian and An exploratory study of internationalization strategies of Malaysian and Taiwanese firms Taiwanese firms

Abstract There is as yet limited empirical research on the internationalization processes, strategies and operations of Asian MNEs from countries at different levels of development. Drawing on primary data from matched case studies of emergin Taiwanese and Malaysian MNEs in the textiile and electronics industries, this paper examines and analyses their internationalization characteristics and strategies within the IDP perspective. The findings indicate that the emerging Taiwanese and Malaysian MNEs, while exhibiting characteristics such as that described in extant theories also suggest some differences. The empirical findings, limitations and areas fro further research are discussed. There is as et limited em irical research on the internationalization processes, strategies and operations of Asian 'Es from countries at different levels of development. Drawing on primary data from matched case studies of emerging Taiwanese and Malaysian MNEs in the textile and electronics industries, this paper examines and analyses their internationalization characteristics and strategies within the IDP perspective. The findings indicate that the emerging -Taiwanese and Malaysian MNEs, while exhibiting characteristics such as that described in extant theories also suggest some differences. The empirical findings, limitations and areas tor fUrther research are discussed.
Sphingosine-1-phosphate is increased in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and mediates epithelial to mesenchymal transition

Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterised by the aberrant epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and myofibroblast accumulation. Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) have been implicated in lung myofibroblast transition, but their role in EMT and their expression in patients with IPF is unknown. Methods and results S1P levels were measured in serum (n=27) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL; n=15) from patients with IPF and controls (n=30 for serum and n=15 for BAL studies). SPHK1 expression was measured in lung tissue from patients with IPF (n=12) and controls (n=15). Alveolar type II transformation into mesenchymal cells was studied in response to S1P (10−9–10−5 M). The median (IQR) of S1P serum levels was increased in patients with IPF (1.4 (0.4) μM) versus controls (1 (0.26) μM; p<0.0001). BAL S1P levels were increased in patients with IPF (1.12 (0.53) μM) versus controls (0.2 (0.5); p<0.0001) and correlated with diffusion capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide, forced expiratory volume in 1 s and forced vital capacity (Spearman's r=−0.87, −0.72 and −0.68, respectively) in patients with IPF. SPHK1 was upregulated in lung tissue from patients with IPF and correlated with α-smooth muscle actin, vimentin and collagen type I (Spearman's r=0.82, 0.85 and 0.72, respectively). S1P induced EMT in alveolar type II cells by interacting with S1P2 and S1P3, as well as by the activation of p-Smad3, RhoA-GTP, oxidative stress and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) release. Furthermore, TGF-β1-induced EMT was partially conducted by the S1P/SPHK1 activation, suggesting crosstalk between TGF-β1 and the S1P/SPHK1 axis. Conclusions S1P is elevated in patients with IPF, correlates with the lung function and mediates EMT.
Rndall, L.V and Green, M.J. and Chagunda, M.G.G. and Mason, C. and Archer, S.C. and Green, L.E. and Huxley, J.N. (2015) Low body condition predisposes cattle to lameness: An 8-year study

Lameness in dairy cows is a multifactorial and progressive disease with complex interactions between risk factors contributing to its occurrence. Detailed records were obtained from one United Kingdom dairy herd over an 8-yr period. Weekly locomotion scores were used to classify cows as not lame (score 1 to 2), mildly lame (score 3) and severely lame (score 4 to 5). These outcomes were used to investigate the hypothesis that low body condition score (BCS) is associated with an increased risk of lameness in dairy cows. Mixed effect multinomial logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between prior BCS and repeat lameness events during the longitudinal period of the study. Discrete time survival models were used to explore the relationship between prior BCS and first lifetime lameness events. In total, 79,565 cow weeks at risk were obtained for 724 cows. The number of lameness events was 17,114, of which 8,799 were categorized as mildly lame and 8,315 as severely lame. The median BCS was 2.25 (range, 0.75 to 4.25) and the mean body weight (BW) and age at first calving were 619.5 kg (range, 355.6 to 956.4 kg) and 25.8 mo (range, 20.5 to 37.8 mo), respectively. Subsets of the data were used in the discrete time survival models: 333 mild and 211 severe first lifetime lameness events in heifers (first lactation cows), and 81 mild and 49 severe first lifetime lameness events in cows second lactation or greater. Low BCS 3 wk before a repeated lameness event was associated with a significantly increased risk of lameness. Cows with BCS <2 were at greatest risk of mild or severe lameness, and an increased BCS above 2 was associated with a reduced risk of mild or severe lameness. Low BCS 16 or 8 wk before a first mild or severe lifetime lameness event, respectively, also had a positive association with risk of lameness in cows second lactation or greater. This provides evidence to support targeting management toward maintaining BCS to minimize the risk of lameness. Low BW (independent of BCS) and increased age at first calving above 24 mo were also associated with increased long-term risk of repeated lameness events. Overall, the model explained 62 and 60% of the variability for mild and severe lameness, respectively, highlighting the importance of these variables as risk factors and hence where management could be targeted to significantly affect reducing the risk of lameness.
DHPS_A_325150 9..18

Background: Self-medication with antibiotics is being practiced worldwide with high prevalence, mostly in developing countries. Several factors induce the practice of self-medication, such as irrational and uncontrolled dispensing of medicinal substances, difficulty accessing health-care systems, and cost of diagnosis. Thus, this study assessed the prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics, and its associated factors among the community of Bule-Hora town, South West Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was used. All households residing in Bule Hora town were used as source population and households in the selected kebeles were included by using a systematic random sampling method. Eight hundred twenty-six study participants were selected for the study. Pre-tested structured questionnaires had been used to collect the required data. Then the collected data were checked for completeness and analyzed by using SPSS version 20. Odds ratios with 95% C.I. were used to measure the association between independent variables and outcome and variables with p-value <0.05 had been considered statistically significant. Results: Prevalence of self-medication with antibiotics in the past 12 months prior to the data collection was found to be 38.9% [95% CI (1.56, 1.64)]. Being male (AOR = 1.53; 95% CI: 0.489, 0.869) with p value of 0.004, no health insurance scheme (AOR = 2.16; 95% CI: 0.274, 0.779) and availability of some drugs in shop (AOR = 12.98; 95% CI: 0.017, 0.353) with p value of 0.001 were found to be significantly associated with self-medication of antibiotics. Conclusion: The study revealed that more than one-third of the respondents practiced self-medication. Availability and irrational dispensing of some drugs in the shops were significantly associated with self-medication practice. Therefore, it is important to educate society on the appropriate use of drugs and discourage the use of prescription drugs without medication order.
Comparison of green tea and probiotic as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoter in broiler ration

Feed supplements were used up to 35 days in 240 Cobb-500 broilers divided randomly into four groups. The treatments were: control (basal diet; no additives), antibiotic (basal diet + antibiotic), probiotic (basal diet + protexin) and green tea (basal diet + 0.25% green tea powder). Body weight and body weight gain increased significantly (P<0.05) in the antibiotic, probiotic and green tea groups compared to the control. Lower (P<0.05) feed intake and better (P<0.05) feed conversion ratio occurred in the supplemented groups than the control group. Supplementation of antibiotic and green tea increased (P<0.05) crude protein content of the meat, while probiotic and green tea decreased (P<0.05) fat content compared to the control. Gizzard weight increased (P<0.05) in antibiotic group, whereas wing and caeca weight increased in green tea group. Supplemented groups had decreased (P<0.05) caecal microbial number compared to the control group. It is suggested that addition of probiotic and green tea improves growth parameters, composition of broiler meat and reduced microbial population. The Bangladesh Veterinarian (2018) 35(1&2): 13-24
The braid group action on the set of exceptional sequences of a hereditary artin algebra

Let A be a hereditary artin algebra with s = s(A) simple modules. The indecomposable A-modules without self-extensions are of great importance, they may be called complete exceptional sequences. Certain sequences (X1,., X3) consisting of exceptional modules will be called complete exceptional sequences. Crawley-Boevey has pointed out that the braid group on s-1 generators acts naturally on the set of complete exceptional sequences. In case A is finite-dimensional over an algebraically closed field, he has shown that this action is transitive, using a recnet result by Schofield. We are going to present a direct proof which is valid for arbitrary hereditary artin algebras. It follows that the endomorphism rings of exceptional modules are just those rings which occur as endomorphism rings of the simple modules. Also, we will exhibit the relationship between complete exceptional sequences and tilting modules.
Cloning and Characterization of nanB , a Second Streptococcus pneumoniae Neuraminidase Gene, and Puriﬁcation of the NanB Enzyme from Recombinant Escherichia coli

Streptococcus pneumoniae is believed to produce more than one form of neuraminidase, but there has been uncertainty as to whether this is due to posttranslational modiﬁcation of a single gene product or the existence of more than one neuraminidase-encoding gene. Only one stable pneumococcal neuraminidase gene (desig- nated nanA ) has been described. In the present study, we isolated and characterized a second neuraminidase gene (designated nanB ), which is located close to nanA on the pneumococcal chromosome (approximately 4.5 kb downstream). nanB was located on an operon separate from that of nanA , which includes at least ﬁve other open reading frames. NanB has a predicted size of 74.5 kDa after cleavage of a 29-amino-acid signal peptide. There was negligible amino acid homology between NanA and NanB, but NanB did exhibit limited homology with the sialidase of Clostridium septicum . NanB was puriﬁed from recombinant Escherichia coli and found to have a pH optimum of 4.5, compared with 6.5 to 7.0 for NanA. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis suggested that NanB has a molecular size of approximately 65 kDa. The discrepancy between this estimate and the size predicted from the nucleotide sequence is most likely a consequence of C-terminal processing or anomalous electrophoretic behavior.
MYELOID NEOPLASIA AZD1208, a potent and selective pan-Pim kinase inhibitor, demonstrates ef ﬁ cacy in preclinical models of acute myeloid leukemia

expression and STAT5 activation. AZD1208 causes cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in MOLM-16 cells, accompanied by a dose-dependent reduction in phosphorylation of Bcl-2antagonistofcelldeath,4EBP1,p70S6K,andS6,aswellasincreasesincleavedcaspase3 and p27. Inhibition of p4EBP1 and p-p70S6K and suppression of translation are the most representative effects of Pim inhibition in sensitive AML cell lines. AZD1208 inhibits the growth of MOLM-16 and KG-1a xenograft tumors in vivo with a clear pharmacodynamic-pharmacokinetic relationship. AZD1208 also potently inhibits colony growth and Pim signaling substrates in primary AML cells from bone marrow that are Flt3 wild-type or Flt3 internal tandem duplication mutant. These results underscore the therapeutic potential of Pim kinase inhibition for the treatment of AML. ( Blood . 2014;123(6):905-913)
A Preliminary Investigation into the Association of Chloride Concentration on Morbidity and Mortality in Hospitalized Canine Patients

Purpose: To evaluate whole blood chloride concentration and hospital-acquired AKI in hospitalized canine patients. Secondary outcome measures included the volume-adjusted chloride load, in-hospital mortality and length of ICU stay. Patients and Methods: This is a prospective, observational study. Sixty dogs admitted to the ICU and receiving IV ﬂ uid therapy for >24 hours from February 2018 to July 2019. Corrected chloride and creatinine concentrations were obtained twice daily. Total volume of IV ﬂ uid and total chloride load were recorded. Volume-adjusted chloride load (VACL) was calculated by dividing the chloride administered by the volume of ﬂ uid administered. Hospital-acquired AKI was de ﬁ ned as an increase in creatinine of ≥ 26.5 μ mol/L (0.3 mg/dL) or 150% from baseline to maximum. Survival to hospital discharge or non-survival and ICU length of stay were also recorded. Results: Fifteen out of 60 patients developed hospital-acquired AKI. Maximum corrected chloride was signi ﬁ cantly different in AKI group (median 122.3 mmol/L) vs non-AKI group (median 118.1 mmol/L; p=0.0002). Six out of 60 patients developed hyperchloremia. Hyperchloremic patients were signi ﬁ cantly more likely to develop in-hospital AKI (p=0.03). Patients hospitalized ≥ 2 days had a signi ﬁ cantly higher [Cl − ] max compared to those with shorter ICU stay (121.8 ± 5.9 mmol/L vs 117.5 ± 4.3 mmol/L; p=0.002). Eight out of 60 patients were non-survivors. Maximum corrected chloride and creatinine concentrations were not signi ﬁ cantly different between survivors and non-survivors. VACL was not signi ﬁ cantly different between AKI or mortality groups. Conclusion: Maximum corrected chloride concentration was signi ﬁ cantly higher in dogs with hospital-acquired AKI, even amongst dogs without hyperchloremia. Additionally, maximum corrected chloride concentrations were signi ﬁ cantly higher in dogs hospitalized in the ICU longer compared to those hospitalized for fewer than two days. There was no signi ﬁ cant difference in VACL in any of the outcome groups. Results from this study suggest alterations in chloride may be observed alongside the development of acute kidney injuries. Future studies in critically ill dogs are warranted.
of Lymphangiogenesis through Vascular Endothelial Factor-C/Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 3 Axis and its Correlation with Lymph Node Metastasis in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Objectives: The contribution of the lymphatic system to tumor metastasis is being increasingly appreciated through studies of human cancers. As the biological behavior of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) depends on its nodal status, patients with advanced nodal status show a higher tendency toward a poor outcome. Here, we examined the role of lymphangiogenesis on lymphatic spread of NPC. We also evaluated the involvement of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-C/VEGF receptor 3 (VEGFR3) signaling pathway on lymphangiogenesis in NPC. Furthermore, we tested whether Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-latent membrane protein (LMP) 1 induces VEGF-C. Materials and Methods: Forty-one patients with NPC were evaluated for expressions of VEGF-C and its receptor, VEGFR3, and LMP1 proteins and lymphatic vessel counts (LVC) highlighted by anti-podoplanin employing immunohistochemistry. The VEGF-C induction by LMP1 was then tested with Western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in vitro. Results: The LVC and VEGF-C expression were significantly higher in cases with advanced regional lymph node metastasis (N2,3) than those with no or limited lymph node involvement (N0,1) (p = 0.0380 and p = 0.0109, respectively). In VEGF-C/VEGFR3-positive cases, the LVC were significantly increased compared with VEGF-C/VEGFR3-negative cases (p = 0.0007). However, LMP1 expression did not show significant associations with LVC and VEGF-C-expression scores (p = 0.1210 and p = 0.1324, respectively). Induction of VEGF-C protein by LMP1 was not detected in vitro. Conclusions: These results suggest the involvement of the VEGF-C/VEGFR3 axis in the induction of lymphangiogenesis which results in lymphatic spread of NPC. However, EBV-LMP1 was not associated with the mechanism. rank test. progression of N factor the expressions relation the lymphatic the LMP1-expression in relation to VEGF-C-expression were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test. Associations among progression of N factor and the expressions of LMP1, VEGF-C or VEGFR3 proteins analyzed with Fisher’s exact t-test. P values <0.05 were considered significant. LMP1, or as in and different
Tumor-Promoting Macrophages into Tumor Sites Plasminogen Receptor S100A10 Is Essential for the Migration of

Macrophages are critical drivers of tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. Movement of macrophages into tumors requires the activity of cell surface proteases such as plasmin. In this study, we offer genetic evidence that plasminogen receptor S100A10 is essential for recruitment of macrophages to the tumor site. Growth of murine Lewis lung carcinomas or T241 ﬁ brosarcomas was dramatically reduced in S100A10-de ﬁ cient mice compared with wild-type mice. The tumor growth de ﬁ cit corresponded with a decrease in macrophage density that could be rescued by intraperitoneal injection of wild-type but not S100A10-de ﬁ cient macrophages. Notably, macrophages of either genotype could rescue tumor growth if they were injected into the tumor itself, establishing that S100A10 was required speci ﬁ cally for the migratory capability needed for tumor homing. Conversely, selective depletion of macrophages from wild-type mice phenocopied the tumor growth de ﬁ cit seen in S100A10-de ﬁ cient mice. Together, our ﬁ ndings show that S100A10 is essential and suf ﬁ cient for macrophage migration to tumor sites, and they de ﬁ ne a novel rate-limiting step in tumor progression. Cancer Res; 71(21); 6676 – 83. (cid:1) 2011 AACR.
Integrated Real-Time PCR for Detection and Monitoring of Legionella pneumophila in Water Systems (cid:1)

We evaluated a ready-to-use real-time quantitative Legionella pneumophila PCR assay system by testing 136 hot-water-system samples collected from 55 sites as well as 49 cooling tower samples collected from 20 different sites, in parallel with the standard culture method. The PCR assay was reproducible and suitable for routine quantiﬁcation of L. pneumophila . An acceptable correlation between PCR and culture results was obtained for sanitary hot-water samples but not for cooling tower samples. We also monitored the same L. pneumophila contaminated cooling tower for 13 months by analyzing 104 serial samples. The culture and PCR results were extremely variable over time, but the curves were similar. The differences between the PCR and culture results did not change over time and were not affected by regular biocide treatment. This ready-to-use PCR assay for L. pneumophila quantiﬁcation could permit more timely disinfection of cooling towers.
International Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Research

Aquaponics is an innovative and integrated fish-cum-vegetables production system that can produce safer food while reducing environmental hazards. Present experiment was carried out to evaluate the efficiency of coconut coir (T1) and water hyacinth roots (T2) as media in a recirculatory (RAS) vertiponics system to grow tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) and mint (Mentha arvensis). The initial length and weight was 15.26(±1.41) cm and 60.06(±17.69) g respectively, and fed commercial pellet feed twice daily, initially at the rate of 5%, which gradually decreased to 3% and finally 2% body weight. Sampling of water, fish and plants were carried out fortnightly. Results showed that the water quality parameters were within the suitable range of fish culture and the amount of nutrients in effluent was lower than in influent as plants extracted the nutrients for their growth and survival. The mean height, number of branches and leaves and weight of plants were significantly higher in T2 than in T1. The mint production was also significantly higher in T2 (12.47 tons/ha/90 days) than in T1 (8.02 tons/ha/90 days). The fish survival rate was 98.33%, FCR 1.50 and fish production 135.2 tons/ha/90 days. It is concluded that fish production in the experiment was much higher than in conventional semi intensive systems practiced in the country. The system can be used for fish and vegetable production in urban and peri-urban areas, thus enhancing nutrition and food security while minimizing environmental pollution.