Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cellular folate status modulates the expression of BCRP and MRP multidrug transporters in cancer cell lines from different origins

As cellular folate levels seem to have a different effect on cancer cells from different origins, we extended our initial study to a broader panel of cancer cells. BCRP and MRP1-5 expression was determined in KB, OVCAR-3, IGROV-1, ZR75-1/R/MTX, SCC-11B, SCC-22B, and WiDr either grown in standard RPMI 1640 containing 2.3 μmol/L supraphysiologic concentration of folic acid [high folate (HF)] or adapted to more physiologic concentrations [1-5 nmol/L folic acid or leucovorin; low folate (LF)]. Compared with the HF counterparts, KB LF cells displayed 16.1-fold increased MRP3 and OVCAR-3 LF cells showed 4.8-fold increased MRP4 mRNA levels along with increased MRP3 and MRP4 protein expression, respectively. A marked increase on BCRP protein and mRNA expression was observed in WiDr LF cells. These cells acquired ∼2-fold resistance to mitoxantrone compared with the HF cell line, a phenotype that could be reverted by the BCRP inhibitor Ko143. Of note, WiDr cells expressed BCRP in the intracellular compartment, similarly to what we have described for Caco-2 cells. Our results provide further evidence for an important role of cellular folate status in the modulation of the expression of multidrug resistance transporters in cancer cells. We show that up-regulation of intracellularly localized BCRP in response to adaptation to LF conditions may be a common feature within a panel of colon cancer cell lines. Under these circumstances, folate supplementation might improve the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs by decreasing BCRP expression. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(3):655–64]
A 0.380-THz frequency quadrupler based on Constructive Wave Oscillator in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS

The first Constructive Wave Oscillator (CWO) based frequency quadrupler has been demonstrated in 130-nm SiGe BiCMOS. Proposed architecture efficiently generates a 0.380 THz signal using a strong fundamental CWO operating at W-band. Eight-section CWO produces 95 GHz signals that are distributed along the ring with 45 degree phases. Frequency quadrupler combines the signals from the CWO, fo, and produces a signal at 4fo. The frequency quadrupler circuit dissipates 76 mW of DC power from 2V supply. The CWO based frequency quadrupler operating at 380 GHz has a −28 dBm output power into 50 ohms load with a phase noise of −85 dBc per Hz at 1 MHz offset.
Robust fully automated shimming of the human brain for high‐field 1H spectroscopic imaging

Although a variety of methods have been proposed to provide automated adjustment of shim homogeneity, these methods typically fail or require large numbers of iterations in vivo when applied to regions with poor homogeneity, such as the temporal lobe. These limitations are largely due to 1) the limited accuracy of single evolution time measurements when full B0 mapping studies are used, and 2) inaccuracies arising from projection‐based methods when the projections pass through regions where the inhomogeneity exceeds the order of the fitted parameters. To overcome these limitations we developed a novel B0 mapping method using multiple evolution times with a novel unwrapping scheme in combination with a user‐defined ROI selection tool. We used these methods at 4T on 10 control subjects to obtain high‐resolution spectroscopic images of glutamate from the bilateral hippocampi. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Anaesthetic management of infants with glycogen storage disease type II: a physiological approach

Pompe or Glycogen Storage Disease type II (GSD‐II) is a genetic disorder affecting both cardiac and skeletal muscle. Historically, patients with the infantile form usually die within the first year of life due to cardiac and respiratory failure. Recently a promising enzyme replacement therapy has resulted in improved clinical outcomes and a resurgence of elective anaesthesia for these patients. Understanding the unique cardiac physiology in patients with GSD‐II is essential to providing safe general anaesthesia.
The efficacy of diffusion-weighted imaging for the detection and evaluation of acute pancreatitis.

BACKGROUND/AIMS Diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) is a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique that evaluates the random motion of water molecules in biological tissues. The clinical utility of DWI has been established for acute stroke and brain tumors. Recent technical advancements in MRI have enabled DWI for the body and several studies have revealed the efficacy of DWI for detecting various diseases. This study documents the efficacy of DWI for the evaluation of acute pancreatitis. METHODOLOGY MRI was performed with sequences including T1-weighted, T2-weighted, diffusion-weighted imaging, MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) and computed tomography (CT) examinations on 11 patients with mild acute pancreatitis. MRI examinations were performed using 1.5-T imager (Toshiba, Otawara, Japan). Two experienced radiologists evaluated the presence or absence of acute pancreatitis, complications and the cause of acute pancreatitis on the MRI and CT images. RESULTS There were no differences between the DWI and the CT images regarding their abilities to detect acute pancreatitis. However, DWI could detect acute pancreatitis more clearly than CT without enhancing material. The DWI findings were consistent with the clinical findings, the results of chemical analyses and the CT findings. Furthermore, DWI could detect pancreatic cancer causing acute pancreatitis and MR cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) could detect choledocholithiasis and pancreas divisum causing acute pancreatitis. CONCLUSIONS DWI can be a powerful tool for the evaluation and follow-up of acute pancreatitis.
Aetiological relationship between language performance and autistic-like traits in childhood: a twin study.

BACKGROUND Impairments in language and communication are core features of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The basis for this association is poorly understood. How early language is related to each of the triad of impairments characteristic of ASDs is also in need of clarification. AIMS This is the first study that aims to determine the extent to which shared genetic and environmental factors underlie the association between early language performance and autistic-like traits (ALTs) in middle childhood. METHODS & PROCEDURES Data came from a population-based twin sample (n = 6087 pairs) assessed prospectively at 2, 3, 4 and 8 years. ALTs measured by the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test (CAST) at 8 years were investigated in relation to language assessed by the MacArthur Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) at 2, 3 and 4 years. Multivariate model fitting techniques were used to analyse the origins of this association. OUTCOMES & RESULTS Total CAST scores, as well as Social and Communication subscales, at 8 years were weakly but significantly negatively correlated with language ability at 2, 3 and 4 years. Correlations between language and restrictive and repetitive behaviours and interests (RRBI) were not significant. The phenotypic correlations between language and Social and Communication ALTs were almost entirely mediated by shared genetic influences. There were specific genetic influences on early language that were not shared with ALTs, and specific genetic influences on ALTs not shared with earlier language performance. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to demonstrate shared genetic influences in relation to language performance as an early antecedent of later ALTs. These results support the idea that the triad of core features in ALTs are aetiologically heterogeneous, with early language relating to social and communication impairments but not RRBIs.
Desulphurization of dibenzothiophene and diesel oils by bacteria

Aims: To study the desulphurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT), a recalcitrant thiophenic component of fossil fuels, by two bacteria namely Rhodococcus sp. and Arthrobacter sulfureus isolated from oil‐contaminated soil/sludge in order to use them for reducing the sulphur content of diesel oil in compliance with environmental regulations.
An Improved Grid-Voltage Feedforward Strategy for High-Power Three-Phase Grid-Connected Inverters Based on the Simplified Repetitive Predictor

When faced with distorted grid voltage, more harmonics will appear in the output currents of the grid-connected inverters. The grid-voltage feedforward strategy, as the most direct solution to compensate the harmonics, however, is seriously affected by the errors in the grid-voltage feedforward loop, such as delays. This issue is more significant for high-power inverters, where the switching frequency is relatively low (<; 5 kHz), and the grid-interface inductance is small (<; 0.5 mH). The errors mainly include the signal distortion caused by the conditioning circuits, the control delay of the digital controller, and the zero-order hold (ZOH) characteristic of pulse width modulation (PWM). In this paper, several improvements have been made to reduce the signal distortion and compensate the delays. A second-order Butterworth low-pass filter in the conditioning circuit is carefully designed with the maximum flat magnitude response and the almost linear phase response to avoid distorting the measured grid voltage. Furthermore, based on the conventional repetitive predictor, an open-loop simplified repetitive predictor is proposed to compensate the delays in the grid-voltage feedforward loop. Three predictive steps are achieved by the open-loop simplified repetitive predictor to compensate the delays: one step for the delay caused by the conditioning circuit, the second step for the control delay of the digital controller, and the third step for the ZOH characteristic of PWM. The effectiveness of the improved grid-voltage feedforward strategy are experimentally validated on a 250-kVA solar power generation system, where the current harmonics are effectively attenuated. In addition, the inverter starting current is suppressed.
Evidence for an internet addiction disorder: internet exposure reinforces color preference in withdrawn problem users.

OBJECTIVE This study examined whether exposure to the Internet could create a preference for colors associated with visited Web sites and explored the possible relationship with self-reported problematic Internet use and Internet deprivation. METHOD 100 adult participants were divided into 2 groups; one was deprived access to the Internet for 4 hours, and the other was not. After this period, they were asked to choose a color and complete a series of psychometric questionnaires concerning mood (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule), anxiety (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), and depression (Beck Depression Inventory). They were then given a 15-minute exposure to the Internet, and the Web sites they visited were recorded. They were then asked to again choose a color, complete the same psychometric questionnaires, and complete the Internet Addiction Test. The study was conducted between November 2013 and April 2014. RESULTS For Internet-deprived, but not nondeprived, subjects, a reduction of mood and increased anxiety was noted in the higher problematic Internet users following Web cessation. There was also a shift toward choosing the color most prominent on the visited Web sites in these participants. No shift in mood, or toward choosing the dominant Web site color, was seen in the lower problem users. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the Internet can serve as a negative reinforcer for behavior in higher problem users and that the reinforcement obtained from the alleviation of withdrawal symptoms becomes conditioned, with the color and appearance of the visited Web sites giving them a more positive value.
Limiting factor for a piezoelectric tube scanner

In most nanotechnology applications, speed and precision are important requirements for obtaining good topographical maps of material surfaces using atomic force microscopes (AFMs), many of which use piezoelectric tube scanners (PTSs) for scanning and positioning at nanometric resolutions. However, PTS suffers from various intrinsic problems that degrade its positioning performance, such as: (i) lightly damped low-frequency resonant modes due to its mechanical structure; (ii) nonlinear behavior due to hysteresis and creep; and (iii) the cross-coupling effect between its axes (in 3D positioning systems such as AFMs). This paper presents a survey of the literature on the PTS, an overview of a few emerging innovative solutions for its nanopositioning and future research directions.
Time-frequency analysis of the ECG in the diagnosis of vasovagal syndrome in older people

The smoothed pseudo Wigner-Ville distribution (SPWVD) is used for the time-frequency analysis of variations in RR interval. A novel technique to determine the smoothing window lengths is implemented, and a new heart rate variability (HRV) metric is developed, instantaneous center frequency variability (ICFV), which uses the time-frequency map generated by the SPWVD. The technique is then applied to 50 patients with unexplained falls and age > 60, undergoing head-upright tilt table testing (HUT). Eighteen of the patients were diagnosed with vasovagal syndrome. Attempts at syncope prediction using the new metric is an improvement on traditional techniques: an ICFV less than 0.07 Hz from 90 s to 180 s after tilt is predictive of a negative test (negative predictive value: 0.77). The comorbidity and autonomic degeneration present in elderly patients are thought to be responsible for lowering the negative predictive value.
Validation of the screening instrument for neuropsychological impairment in stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Full neuropsychological assessment is time-consuming and exhausting for the patient in the early phase of stroke. The screening instrument for neuropsychological impairment in stroke (SINS) is a brief, bedside-applicable instrument designed to screen perceptual and cognitive dysfunction related to functional activities in stroke. It has been developed by physiotherapists to be incorporated in the general assessment of the patient. This study evaluates the validity of the method against a more extensive reference method assessing cognitive function. METHODS AND RESULTS An unselected group of hospitalized stroke patients (N = 87) was assessed 10 days and 12 months after stroke. Factor analyses (52% explained variance), identified three factors: 'aphasia', 'apraxia' and 'visuocognitive dysfunction'. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves demonstrated that for all factors, high specificity was maintained at the high sensitivity needed for a screening method. Kendall rank correlation coefficients between the scorings on the new instrument and the reference method were high. Effect size analysis showed that the ability of the new instrument to detect change in cognitive functioning during the first year was of the same magnitude as the reference method. CONCLUSIONS SINS has a high sensitivity regarding cognitive dysfunction, as diagnosed by the more comprehensive and time-consuming reference method. The instrument would be useful as an initial step in the assessment of neuropsychological impairment in stroke patients.
Evidence for allosteric coupling between the ribosome and repressor binding sites of a translationally regulated mRNA.

Escherichia coli ribosomal protein S4 is a translational repressor regulating the expression of four ribosomal genes in the alpha operon. In vitro studies have shown that the protein specifically recognizes an unusual mRNA pseudoknot secondary structure which links sequences upstream and downstream of the ribosome binding site for rpsM (S13) [Tang, C. K. , & Draper, D. E. (1989) Cell 57, 531]. We have prepared fusions of the rpsM translational initiation site and lacZ that allows us to detect repression in cells in which overproduction of S4 repressor can be induced. Twenty-five mRNA sequence variants have been introduced into the S13-lacZ fusions and the levels of translational repression measured. Sets of compensating base changes confirm the importance of the pseudoknot secondary structure for translational repression. An A residue in a looped, single-stranded sequence is also required for S4 recognition and may contact S4 directly. Comparison of translational repression levels and S4 binding constants for the set of mRNA mutations show that nine mutants are repressed much more weakly than predicted from their affinity for S4; in extreme cases no repression can be detected for variants with unchanged S4 binding. We suggest that the mRNA contains functionally distinct ribosome and repressor binding sites that are allosterically coupled. Mutations can relieve translational repression by disrupting the linkage between the two sites without altering S4 binding. This proposal assigns to the mRNA a more active role in mediating translational repression than found in other translational repression systems.
Regulation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression in Cultured Keratinocytes.

Recent in situ hybridization studies had demonstrated a strong increase in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA expression in the hyperproliferative epithelium during wound healing. To determine potential mediators of VEGF induction during this process, we analyzed the regulation of VEGF expression in cultured human keratinocytes. We found a large induction of VEGF expression upon treatment of quiescent cells with serum, epidermal growth factor, transforming growth factor-β1, keratinocyte growth factor, or the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α, respectively. Since all these factors are present at the wound site during the early phase of wound healing, they might also be responsible for VEGF induction after cutaneous injury. To determine the importance of increased VEGF production for wound repair, we compared the time course of VEGF mRNA expression during wound healing of healthy control mice with the kinetics of VEGF expression during skin repair of genetically diabetic db/db mice which are characterized by impaired wound healing. In normal mice we found elevated VEGF mRNA levels during the period when granulation tissue formation occurs. In contrast, VEGF mRNA levels even declined during this period in db/db mice, suggesting that a defect in VEGF regulation might be associated with wound healing disorders.
Light‐induced c‐Fos expression in suprachiasmatic nuclei neurons targeting the paraventricular nucleus of the hamster hypothalamus: Phase dependence and immunochemical identification

The suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) contain a master clock driving the majority of circadian rhythms in mammals. It is believed that the SCN confers circadian rhythmicity as well as light responsiveness to pineal melatonin secretion via a direct projection to the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN). Neurons in the SCN respond to light during subjective night with an expression of the immediate early gene c‐fos. The number and distribution of c‐Fos protein‐containing neurons depend on the zeitgeber time (ZT) at which the light stimulus is presented. To investigate whether this phase‐dependent activity is present in the SCN output neurons targeting the PVN, we combined retrograde cholera toxin subunit B (ChB) tracing from the PVN with c‐Fos immunohistochemistry. Male golden hamsters were injected iontophoretically with ChB into the PVN area and 7 days later given a 1.5‐hr light stimulus at either ZT 14 or ZT 19 followed by vascular fixation. Light stimulation at ZT 19 gave rise to more c‐Fos containing neurons in the SCN than light presented at ZT 14. Double immunostaining for ChB and c‐Fos revealed that light stimulation at ZT 14 induced c‐Fos expression in 26.6% ± 2.8% of the retrogradely filled perikarya, whereas light‐stimulation at ZT 19 increased this fraction to 40.7% ± 1.9%. This demonstrates the presence of a phase‐dependent c‐Fos induction in the suprachiasmatic‐paraventricular projection system. Triple immunohistochemistry showed that light‐activated output neurons contained both gastrin‐releasing peptide and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and to a lesser extent vasopressin. The present findings provide functional evidence of light activation of central pathways involved in the regulation of circadian output rhythms. J. Comp. Neurol. 442:48–62, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Optical imaging of temporal integration in human auditory cortex

Behavioral and physiological studies have indicated the existence of a temporal window of auditory integration (TWI), within which similar sounds are perceptually grouped. The current study exploits the combined temporal and spatial resolution of fast optical imaging (the event‐related optical signal, EROS) to show that brain activity elicited by sounds within and outside the TWI differs in location and latency. In a previous event‐related brain potential (ERP) study [Sable, Gratton, and Fabiani (2003) European Journal of Neuroscience, 17, 2492–2496], we found that the mismatch negativity (MMN; a brain response to acoustic irregularities) elicited by deviations in stimulus onset asynchronies (SOAs) had a unique shape when the deviant SOA was within the TWI. In the present study, we extended these ERP results using EROS. Participants heard trains of five tones. The first four tones had SOAs of 96, 192, 288 or 384 ms. The SOA of the fourth and fifth tones was either the same (standard) or one of the other three (deviant) SOAs. With a deviant SOA of 96 ms, the cortical response was approximately 2 cm anterior to responses to longer SOA deviants, and was followed by a later response that was absent in the other conditions. Similarly to the electrical MMN, the optical mismatch response amplitudes were proportional to the magnitude of interval deviance. These results, in combination with our previous findings, indicate that the temporal integration of sounds is reflected in cortical mismatch responses that differ from the typical response to interval deviance.
Characterization of Some Bacterial Strains Isolated from Animal Clinical Materials and Identified as Corynebacterium xerosis by Molecular Biological Techniques

ABSTRACT Eighteen Corynebacterium xerosis strains isolated from different animal clinical specimens were subjected to phenotypic and molecular genetic studies. On the basis of the results of the biochemical characterization, the strains were tentatively identified as C. xerosis. Phylogenetic analysis based on comparative analysis of the sequences of 16S rRNA and rpoB genes revealed that the 18 strains were highly related to C. xerosis, C. amycolatum, C. freneyi, and C. hansenii. There was a good concordance between 16S rRNA and partial rpoB gene sequencing results, although partial rpoB gene sequencing allowed better differentiation of C. xerosis. Alternatively, C. xerosis was also differentiated from C. freneyi and C. amycolatum by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the 16S-23S rRNA gene intergenic spacer region. Phenotypic characterization indicated that besides acid production from d-turanose and 5-ketogluconate, 90% of the strains were able to reduce nitrate. The absence of the fatty acids C14:0, C15:0, C16:1ϖ7c, and C17:1ϖ8c can also facilitate the differentiation of C. xerosis from closely related species. The results of the present investigation demonstrated that for reliable identification of C. xerosis strains from clinical samples, a combination of phenotypic and molecular-biology-based identification techniques is necessary.