Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studies of the mechanism of the human platelet release reaction induced by immunologic stimuli. III. Relationship between the binding of soluble IgG aggregates to the Fc receptor and cell response in the presence and absence of plasma.

Aggregated IgG coupled covalently with bis-diazobenzidine (BDB-IgG) and labeled with 3H-diazobenzene (3H-BDB-IgG) has been used to study the binding of soluble IgG aggregates to human platelets in relationship to the release of the contents of intracellular granules (e.g., serotonin). In washed cell suspensions a minimum of 0.14 to 0.2 mug 3H-BDB-IgG per 5 X 10(8) platelets (40 to 70 aggregates per cell) was required for the triggering of the release reaction and cell aggregation. Binding was independent of divalent cations. The Arrhenius plot gave a straight line between 0 to 37 degrees C and a Q10 of 1.6. Neither inhibitors of the release reaction nor energy metabolism, nor formaldehyde fixation of the platelets affected binding. Bound 3H-BDB-IgG was not significantly eluted by IgG, bovine albumin (BSA), buffer, or plasma. Binding to washed platelets was more strongly inhibited by human IgG than by F(ab')2, bovine IgG, human albumin (HSA), or BSA. Plasma was an even more effective inhibitor of both binding and release. Plasma deficient in IgG or depleted of complement retained its inhibitory capacity. In the presence of plasma, at physiologic ratios of plasma and platelets, no release of serotonin was observed. Binding, although inhibited in rate, nevertheless occurred. It was enhanced by divalent cation chelation and had a Q10 of 2.5. The release reaction of washed platelets to which 3H-BDB-IgG had been bound in the presence of HSA or BSA was also inhibited by the subsequent addition of plasma or plasma proteins (human IgG being more effective than bovine IgG, F(ab')2, HSA, or BSA). 3H-BDB-IgG bound in the presence of either plasma or human IgG did not induce release when the platelets were subsequently suspended in media lacking these proteins. Thus, it appears that the platelet Fc receptor binds 3H-BDB-IgG by a process which is effectively inhibited by plasma, or by free IgG with an intact Fc, and to some extent by high concentrations of other proteins. The effects of bound IgG aggregates are dependent on the other proteins present both during binding and subsequently added. The mechanism of such receptor modulation and its implications in vivo are discussed.
Substrate replenishment extends protein synthesis with an in vitro translation system designed to mimic the cytoplasm

Cytoplasmic mimicry has recently led to the development of a novel method for cell‐free protein synthesis called the “Cytomim” system. In vitro translation with this new system produced more than a 5‐fold yield increase of chloramphenicol acetyl transferase (CAT) relative to a conventional method using pyruvate as an energy substrate. Factors responsible for activating enhanced protein yields, and causes leading to protein synthesis termination have been assessed in this new system. Enhanced yields were caused by the combination of three changes: growing the extract source cells on 2× YTPG media versus 2× YT, replacing polyethylene glycol with spermidine and putrescine, and reducing the magnesium concentration from conventional levels. Cessation of protein synthesis was primarily caused by depletion of cysteine, serine, CTP, and UTP. Substrate replenishment of consumed amino acids, CTP, and UTP extended the duration of protein synthesis to 24 h in fed‐batch operation and produced 1.2 mg/mL of CAT. By also adding more T7 RNA polymerase and plasmid DNA, yields were further improved to 1.4 mg/mL of CAT. These results underscore the critical role that nucleotides play in the combined transcription–translation reaction and highlight the importance of understanding metabolic processes influencing substrate depletion. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Reduced Retinoblastoma Protein Expression Is Associated with Decreased Patient Survival in Medullary Thyroid Cancer.

BACKGROUND The retinoblastoma (RB) transcriptional corepressor 1 protein functions to slow cell-cycle progression. Inactivation of RB by reduced expression and/or hyperphosphorylation allow for enhanced progression through the cell cycle. Murine models develop medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) after generalized loss of RB. However, RB expression in MTC has only been evaluated in a small number of tumors, with differing results. The objective of this study was to determine whether reduced expression of RB and/or overexpression of hyperphosphorylated RB predict MTC aggressive behavior. METHODS Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded primary thyroid tumors and lymph node metastases from MTC patients were evaluated for calcitonin, RB, and phosphorylated RB (pRB) expression by immunohistochemistry. Two expert pathologists evaluated the slides in a blinded manner, and the immunohistochemistry results were compared to disease-specific survival as a primary endpoint. RESULTS Seventy-four MTC samples from 56 patients were analyzed in this study, including 51 primary tumors and 23 lymph node metastases. The median follow-up time was 6.75 years after surgery (range 0.64-24.30 years), and the median primary tumor size was 30 mm (range 6-96 mm). Sixty-six percent of cases were classified as stage IV. RB nuclear expression was diffusely present in 88% of primary tumors and 78% of lymph node metastases. Nuclear pRB expression was present in 22% of primary tumors and 22% of lymph node metastases. On univariate analysis, reduced RB (<75% tumor cell staining) trended with lower MTC-specific survival for primary tumor and metastatic nodes (primary tumor hazard ratio = 3.54 [confidence interval 0.81-15.47], p = 0.08; and lymph node hazard ratio = 4.35 [confidence interval 0.87-21.83], p = 0.05). For primary tumors, multivariable analysis showed that low nuclear RB expression was independently associated with worse disease-specific (p = 0.01) and overall (p = 0.02) survival. pRB levels were not associated with survival for either primary tumor or lymph node metastases. CONCLUSIONS Reduced RB expression is associated with decreased patient survival in univariate and multivariable analyses, independent from patient age at surgery or advanced TNM stage. Future studies involving larger MTC patient populations are warranted to determine if lower RB expression levels may serve as a biomarker for aggressive disease in patients with MTC.
Thermal ablation in renal cell carcinoma management: a comprehensive review

Purpose of review This article provides an overview of recent developments in the field of thermal ablation for renal cell carcinoma and focuses on current standard techniques, new technologies, imaging for ablation guidance and evaluation, and future perspectives. Recent findings Emerging long-term data on cryoablation and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) show marginally lower oncologic outcomes compared to surgical treatment, balanced by better functional and perioperative outcomes. Reports on residual disease vary widely, influenced by different definitions and strategies in determining ablation failure. Stratifying disease-free survival after RFA according to tumor size suggests 3 cm to be a reasonable cut off for RFA tumor selection. Microwave ablation and high-intensity focal ultrasound are modalities with the potential of creating localized high temperatures. However, difficulties in renal implementation are impairing sufficient ablation results. Irreversible electroporation, although not strictly thermal, is a new technology showing promising results in animal and early human research. Summary Although high-level randomized controlled trials comparing thermal ablation techniques are lacking, evidence shows that thermal ablation for small renal masses is a safe procedure for both long-term oncologic and functional outcomes. Thermal ablation continues to be associated with a low risk of residual disease, for which candidates should be properly informed. RFA and cryoablation remain the standard techniques whereas alternative techniques require further studies.
Identification du bâti à partir d'images satellitaires à très hautes résolutions spatiales

L'urbanisation a comme consequence l'etalement des surfaces urbanisees ce qui des problemes socio-economiques et environnementaux. Pour reduire au maximum ces problemes les amenageurs ont besoin de donnees spatiales a integrer aux outils de gestion et de planification Dans ce contexte, les images satellites a Tres Haute Resolution Spatiale (THRS) suscitent de fortes attentes. Les methodes d'interpretation actuelles apparaissent cependant inadaptees a ces nouvelles images. L'objectif de notre recherche est identifie comme l'elaboration d'une methode d'extraction semi-automatique des bâtiments a partir d'images THRS. Le premier chapitre expose le contexte general et conduit a l'identification de l'objectif. Dans le second chapitre, nous verifions la faisabilite de notre objectif a travers l'analyse des caracteristiques techniques des images puis des perturbations subies par le signal. Les resultats confirment l'interet de l'utilisation des images THRS pour l'analyse des objets urbains. Nous abordons ensuite les phases preliminaires a l'elaboration de notre methode. Nous evaluons tout d'abord la qualite (geometrique et radiometrique) de l'image support d'etude. Une revue des methodes existantes fait ensuite ressortir une limite commune : la delimitation precise des bâtiments ce qui nous conduit a reorienter nos choix methodologiques. Le quatrieme chapitre presente le developpement d'une methode d'extraction du bâti qui s'appuie sur une definition texturale des bâtiments. Des informations additionnelles sont integrees dans le but de diminuer les erreurs de commission. Les resultats obtenus montrent la capacite de la methode a identifier les bâtiments malgre des limites d'applicabilite. Des pistes d'ameliorations sont proposees ainsi que des perspectives d'applications. Le principal apport tient dans l'originalite de l'approche theorique qui ouvre de nouvelles pistes de reflexion pour les travaux futurs.
Neonatal separation stress reduces glial fibrillary acidic protein‐ and S100β‐immunoreactive astrocytes in the rat medial precentral cortex

The interactions between the mother/parents and their offspring provides socioemotional input, which is essential for the establishment and maintenance of synaptic networks in prefrontal and limbic brain regions. Since glial cells are known to play an important role in developmental and experience‐driven synaptic plasticity, the effect of an early adverse emotional experience induced by maternal separation for 1 or 6 h on the expression of the glia specific proteins S100β and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was quantitatively analyzed in anterior cingulate cortex, hippocampus, and precentral medial cortex. Three animal groups were analyzed at postnatal day 14: (i) separated for 1 h; (ii) separated for 6 h; (iii) undisturbed (control). Twenty‐four hours after stress exposure, the stressed brains showed significantly reduced numbers of S100β‐immunoreactive (ir) cells in the anterior cingulate cortex (6‐h stress) and in the precentral medial cortex (1‐ and 6‐h stress). Significantly reduced numbers of GFAP‐ir cells were observed only in the medial precentral cortex (1‐ and 6‐h stress); no significant changes were observed in the anterior cingulate cortex. No significant changes of the two glial markers were observed in the hippocampus. Double‐labeling experiments with GFAP and pCREB revealed pCREB labeling only in the hippocampus, where the stressed brains (1 and 6 h) displayed significantly reduced numbers of GFAP/pCREB‐ir glial cells. The observed downregulation of glia‐specific marker proteins is in line with our hypothesis that emotional experience can alter glia cell activation in the juvenile limbic system. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2009
Exploring NICU Nurses' Affective Responses to End-of-Life Care.

BACKGROUND The survival rate for infants born with life-threatening problems has improved greatly over the last few decades. Nevertheless, infants still die in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) every day. Despite existing standards of care, some aspects of end-of-life care (EOLC) are still not delivered consistently. Little is known about how NICU nurses' individual experiences affect EOLC. PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to explore, through lived and told stories, the affective, interactional, and meaning-related responses that NICU nurses have while caring for dying infants and their families. Coping strategies and changes in practice were also explored. METHODS Thirty-six members of the National Association of Neonatal Nurses submitted written narratives about an EOLC experience during which the nurse experienced strong emotions. FINDINGS Narrative analysis revealed many affective responses, but 3 were the most frequent: responsibility, moral distress, and identification. Coping methods included healthy and less healthy strategies, such as colleague support, informal and formal debriefing, practicing intentional gratefulness, avoidance, and compartmentalization. Changes in practice identified were universally described as professional growth through the use of reflective practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE & RESEARCH Educators should discuss the range of emotions experienced by caregivers related to EOLC and healthy coping strategies and encourage the use of reflective practice as a facilitator of professional growth. Nurse leaders should promote supportive environments in NICUs and ensure debriefing opportunities for nurses who have recently cared for a dying infant. Future research should focus on formulating interventions to utilize debriefing with NICU nurses and perhaps the development of EOLC mentors.
Dietary tendencies as predictors of marathon time in novice marathoners.

BACKGROUND The effects of dietary factors such as carbohydrate (CHO) on endurance-running performance have been extensively studied under laboratory-based and simulated field conditions. Evidence from "real-life" events, however, is poorly characterized. The purpose of this observational study was to examine the associations between prerace and in-race nutrition tendencies and performance in a sample of novice marathoners. METHODS Forty-six college students (36 women and 10 men) age 21.3 ± 3.3 yr recorded diet for 3 d before, the morning of, and during a 26.2-mile marathon. Anthropometric, physiological, and performance measurements were assessed before the marathon so the associations between diet and marathon time could be included as part of a stepwise-regression model. RESULTS Mean marathon time was 266 ± 42 min. A pre-marathon 2-mile time trial explained 73% of the variability in marathon time (adjusted R2 = .73, p < .001). Day-before + morning-of CHO (DBMC) was the only other significant predictor of marathon time, explaining an additional 4% of the variability in marathon time (adjusted R2 = .77, p = .006). Other factors such as age, body-mass index, gender, day-before + morning-of energy, and in-race CHO were not significant independent predictors of marathon time. CONCLUSIONS In this sample of primarily novice marathoners, DBMC intake was associated with faster marathon time, independent of other known predictors. These results suggest that novice and recreational marathoners should consider consuming a moderate to high amount of CHO in the 24-36 hr before a marathon.
WORKING MEMORY: A FOUNDATION FOR EXECUTIVE ABILITIES AND HIGHER-ORDER COGNITIVE SKILLS

This paper presents a discussion of working memory and the relationship between working memory and executive abilities. An overview of three prominent models of working memory is provided with experimental support for each. The importance of assessing working memory in individuals with brain damage and related language disorders is discussed, as well as limitations of the currently available assessment tools. Lastly, future directions for the development of both theory and assessment tools are offered.
The photorespiratory glycolate metabolism is essential for cyanobacteria and might have been conveyed endosymbiontically to plants

Photorespiratory 2-phosphoglycolate (2PG) metabolism is essential for photosynthesis in higher plants but thought to be superfluous in cyanobacteria because of their ability to concentrate CO2 internally and thereby inhibit photorespiration. Here, we show that 3 routes for 2PG metabolism are present in the model cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803. In addition to the photorespiratory C2 cycle characterized in plants, this cyanobacterium also possesses the bacterial glycerate pathway and is able to completely decarboxylate glyoxylate via oxalate. A triple mutant with defects in all 3 routes of 2PG metabolism exhibited a high-CO2-requiring (HCR) phenotype. All these catabolic routes start with glyoxylate, which can be synthesized by 2 different forms of glycolate dehydrogenase (GlcD). Mutants defective in one or both GlcD proteins accumulated glycolate under high CO2 level and the double mutant ΔglcD1/ΔglcD2 was unable to grow under low CO2. The HCR phenotype of both the double and the triple mutant could not be attributed to a significantly reduced affinity to CO2, such as in other cyanobacterial HCR mutants defective in the CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM). These unexpected findings of an HCR phenotype in the presence of an active CCM indicate that 2PG metabolism is essential for the viability of all organisms that perform oxygenic photosynthesis, including cyanobacteria and C3 plants, at ambient CO2 conditions. These data and phylogenetic analyses suggest cyanobacteria as the evolutionary origin not only of oxygenic photosynthesis but also of an ancient photorespiratory 2PG metabolism.
Enhanced sampling of molecular dynamics simulation of peptides and proteins by double coupling to thermal bath

Low sampling efficiency in conformational space is the well-known problem for conventional molecular dynamics. It greatly increases the difficulty for molecules to find the transition path to native state, and costs amount of CPU time. To accelerate the sampling, in this paper, we re-couple the critical degrees of freedom in the molecule to environment temperature, like dihedrals in generalized coordinates or nonhydrogen atoms in Cartesian coordinate. After applying to ALA dipeptide model, we find that this modified molecular dynamics greatly enhances the sampling behavior in the conformational space and provides more information about the state-to-state transition, while conventional molecular dynamics fails to do so. Moreover, from the results of 16 independent 100 ns simulations by the new method, it shows that trpzip2 has one-half chances to reach the naive state in all the trajectories, which is greatly higher than conventional molecular dynamics. Such an improvement would provide a potential way for searching the conformational space or predicting the most stable states of peptides and proteins.
Comparison of high‐pressure freezing/freeze substitution and chemical fixation of catfish barbel taste buds

The barbel taste buds of catfish are widely used as a model system for investigating the structure and function of vertebrate taste buds. We have examined the ultrastructure of the taste buds of the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, as part of a comparative study of the morphology of taste buds in various mammalian and non‐mammalian vertebrates. Since conventional chemical fixation methods have limited usefulness for certain kinds of ultrastructural studies (i.e., localization of diffusible substances or labeling techniques requiring retention of biological activity), we have developed methods for fixing catfish barbel taste buds by high‐pressure freezing followed by freeze‐substitution (HPF/FS) and have compared the ultrastructure of taste buds fixed by this technique and by chemical fixation procedures. The morphological details of the cells within taste buds are significantly affected by the method of fixation employed. In general, membrane contours are smoother and intracellular organelles more regular in shape in HPF/FS samples as compared with the chemically fixed specimens. Absolute and relative electron‐densities of various tissue components are also affected by the fixation method employed. Certain ultrastructural features are more clearly visualized by one or the other of the fixation procedures. Fixation of barbel taste buds by HPF/FS not only provides an alternative view of the ultrastructure of taste bud cells but also offers a method of tissue preparation that may prove to be preferable to chemical methods for ultrastructural investigations involving procedures such as immunohistochemical labeling. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Quantitative Assessment of Patellar Cartilage Volume and Thickness at 3.0 Tesla Comparing a 3D-Fast Low Angle Shot Versus a 3D-True Fast Imaging With Steady-State Precession Sequence for Reproducibility

Objectives:We sought to compare patellar cartilage volume and thickness measurement between 3D-FLASH and 3D-True fast imaging with steady-state precession (FISP) image data at 3.0 T. Materials and Methods:One knee each of 6 healthy adults was examined by axial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed with a 3D-fast flow angle shot (FLASH) water-excitation sequence and a 3D-TrueFISP water-excitation sequence (spatial resolution 0.31 × 0.31 × 1.5 mm3). Patellar cartilage volume and mean/maximum thickness were calculated. Intraindividual/average reproducibility and interindividual variability were determined from 3 consecutive data sets acquired for each volunteer and sequence. Results:Patellar cartilage volume and thickness as well as reproducibility was slightly but not significantly lower for the 3D-TrueFISP data than for the 3D-FLASH data (volume: 3.4–6.3 mL (3D-FLASH)/3.1–6.0 mL (3D-TrueFISP), average reproducibility 1.8% (3D-FLASH)/4.4% (3D-TrueFISP); mean thickness: 2.1–2.8 mm (3D-FLASH)/1.9–2.6 mm (3D-TrueFISP), average reproducibility 2.8% (3D-FLASH)/3.8% (3D-TrueFISP); maximum thickness: 4.7–6.6 mm (3D-FLASH)/4.5–6.2 mm (3D-TrueFISP), average reproducibility 2.6% (3D-FLASH)/4.1% (3D-TrueFISP)). Interindividual variability was comparable for both sequence techniques. Conclusion:At 3.0 T, the 3D-FLASH sequence showed tendency to be slightly superior to the 3D-TrueFISP sequence considering robust and valid assessment of quantitative cartilage parameters in young healthy adults, although there was found no significant statistical difference between both imaging techniques. However, in patients suffering from osteoarthritis (OA), the 3D-TrueFISP sequence might prove advantageous for monitoring of disease progression and evaluation of therapy success, particularly because the substantially higher signal to noise ratio/contrast to noise ratio values might allow for higher spatial resolution and hence for improvement of the accuracy of segmentation process especially at the articular surface.