Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selenomethionine regulation of p53 by a ref1-dependent redox mechanism

The cancer chemopreventive properties of selenium compounds are well documented, yet little is known of the mechanism(s) by which these agents inhibit carcinogenesis. We show that selenium in the form of selenomethionine (SeMet) can activate the p53 tumor suppressor protein by a redox mechanism that requires the redox factor Ref1. Assays to measure direct reduction/oxidation of p53 showed a SeMet-dependent response that was blocked by a dominant–negative Ref1. By using a peptide containing only p53 cysteine residues 275 and 277, we demonstrate the importance of these residues in the SeMet-induced response. SeMet induced sequence-specific DNA binding and transactivation by p53. Finally, cellular responses to SeMet were determined in mouse embryo fibroblasts wild-type or null for p53 genes. The evidence suggests that the DNA repair branch of the p53 pathway was activated. The central relevance of DNA repair to cancer prevention is discussed.
Altered Prefrontal Brain Activity in Persons at Risk for Alzheimer's Disease: An fMRI Study

Background: Early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is critical for adequate treatment and care. Recently it has been shown that functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) can be important in preclinical detection of AD. The purpose of this study was to examine possible differences in memory-related brain activation between persons with high versus low risk for AD. This was achieved by combining a validated neurocognitive screening battery (the 7-minutes test) with memory assessment and fMRI. Methods: One hundred two healthy community-living persons with subjective memory complaints were recruited through advertisement and tested with the 7-minutes test. Based on their test performance they were classified as having either high (n = 8) or low risk (n = 94) for AD. Six high-risk individuals and six age-, sex-, and education-matched low-risk individuals were investigated with fMRI while engaged in episodic memory tasks. Results: The high-risk individuals performed worse than low-risk individuals on tests of episodic memory. Patterns of brain activity during episodic encoding and retrieval showed significant gourp differences (p < .05 corrected). During both encoding and retrieval, the low-risk persons showed increased activity relative to a baseline condition in prefrontal brain regions that previously have been implicated in episodic memory. By contrast, the high-risk persons did not significantly activate any prefrontal regions, but instead showed increased activity in visual occipito-temporal regions. Conclusion: Patterns of prefrontal brain activity related to episodic memory differ between persons with high versus low risk for AD, and lowered prefrontal activity may predict subsequent disease.
14‐3‐3s regulate fructose‐2,6‐bisphosphate levels by binding to PKB‐phosphorylated cardiac fructose‐2,6‐bisphosphate kinase/phosphatase

The cardiac isoform of 6‐phosphofructo‐2‐kinase/ fructose‐2,6‐bisphosphatase (PFK‐2), regulator of the glycolysis‐stimulating fructose‐2,6‐bisphosphate, was among human HeLa cell proteins that were eluted from a 14‐3‐3 affinity column using the phosphopeptide ARAApSAPA. Tryptic mass fingerprinting and phospho‐specific antibodies showed that Ser466 and Ser483 of 14‐3‐3‐affinity‐purified PFK‐2 were phosphorylated. 14‐3‐3 binding was abolished by selectively dephosphorylating Ser483, and 14‐3‐3 binding was restored when both Ser466 and Ser483 were phosphorylated with PKB, but not when Ser466 alone was phosphorylated by AMPK. Furthermore, the phosphopeptide RNYpS483VGS blocked binding of PFK‐2 to 14‐3‐3s. These data indicate that 14‐3‐3s bind to phosphorylated Ser483. When HeLa cells expressing HA‐tagged PFK‐2 were co‐transfected with active PKB or stimulated with IGF‐1, HA‐PFK‐2 was phosphorylated and bound to 14‐3‐3s. The response to IGF‐1 was abolished by PI 3‐kinase inhibitors. In addition, IGF‐1 promoted the binding of endogenous PFK‐2 to 14‐3‐3s. When cells were transduced with penetratin‐linked AARAApSAPA, we found that this reagent bound specifically to 14‐3‐3s, blocked the IGF‐1‐induced binding of HA‐PFK‐2 to 14‐3‐3s, and completely inhibited the IGF‐1‐induced increase in cellular fructose‐2,6‐bisphosphate. These findings suggest that PKB‐dependent binding of 14‐3‐3s to phospho‐Ser483 of cardiac PFK‐2 mediates the stimulation of glycolysis by growth factor.
Anonymous and censorship resistant content sharing in unstructured overlays

Semantic overlay networks are an instance of unstructured overlays, where peers that are semantically, thematically, or socially close are organized into groups to exploit similarities at query time. In this work we present Clouds, a novel P2P search infrastructure for providing anonymous and censorship resistant search functionality in such networks. Although we utilize semantic overlays to exploit their retrieval capabilities, our framework is general and can be applied to any unstructured overlay.
The critical success factors model for e-Government implementation in Indonesia

Information Technology Utilization (ITU) considered as one of success factor for public sector services in the government organization. As one of the countries that conduct bureaucratic reforms, Indonesia has sought to implement IT as an embodiment of Presidential Instruction (Inpres) in 2013, which contains the implementation of e-Government services. Through e-Government services, public service processes in Indonesia targeted to be more effective, efficient, accountable and transparent. In order to reduce the failure of e-Government implementation process, determining success factors would be an adding value thus also leads to the successful of service implementation. Several type of research have been conducted in regards to successful of e-Government implementation, especially on Critical Success Factor (CSF). Through Meta-Ethnography approach, this study revealed four critical success factors of e-Government Implementation in Indonesia, namely: organization, processes, people and technology. Further, the proposed model of this CSF will be tested in government organization across Indonesia.
The Effect of Education on Cognitive Performances and Its Implication for the Constitution of the Cognitive Reserve

Some studies have suggested that people with a high educational level have a lower risk of developing dementia compared to people with a low educational level. This protective effect of education has been explained by the constitution of a cognitive reserve which might delay the cognitive and functional expression of neurodegenerative illnesses. The aim of this study is, on the one hand, to evaluate the impact of education on cognitive functioning, which is thought to support the cognitive reserve capacity, and on the other, to determine the extent to which cognitive functioning is affected by other explanatory variables. The analysis was conducted on 1,022 individuals without physical or neurological disorders in the Personnes Agées Quid study. These participants were aged 66 and over and had completed a neuropsychological battery. The effect of some demographic and socioeconomic variables on cognitive performance was also analyzed. Multivariate analysis showed a significant effect of education on most neuropsychological performances, independently of the other variables, and more particularly, in the high-attention-demanding tests. A principal component analysis demonstrated that education specifically increases 2 cognitive components: controlled processes and conceptualization ability. Moreover, mental stimulation occurring after the education years, such as high-complex activity occupations, seems to increase the controlled component. All these results suggest that the effect of education on cognitive reserve may be explained by an increase in controlled processes and conceptualization abilities. These 2 cognitive components might delay the clinical expression of neurodegenerative illnesses by maintaining global cognitive efficiency. Of these 2 components, controlled processes were also influenced by high attention-demanding occupations.
Annexin V–CLIO: A Nanoparticle for Detecting Apoptosis by MRI

Annexin V, which recognizes the phosphatidylserine of apoptotic cells, was conjugated to crosslinked iron oxide (CLIO) nanoparticles, a functionalized superparamagnetic preparation developed for target-specific magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The resulting nanoparticle had an average of 2.7 annexin V proteins linked per CLIO nanoparticle through disulfide bonds. Using camptothecin to induce apoptosis, a mixture of Jurkat T cells (69% healthy and 31% apoptotic) was incubated with annexin V–CLIO and was applied to magnetic columns. The result was an almost complete removal of the apoptotic cells (>99%). In a phantom MRI experiment, untreated control cells (12% apoptotic cells, 88% healthy cells) and camptothecin-treated cells (65% apoptotic cells, 35% healthy cells) were incubated with either annexin V–CLIO (1.0, 0.5, and 0.1 μg Fe/mL) or with unlabeled CLIO. A significant signal decrease of camptothecin-treated cells relative to untreated cells was observed even at the lowest concentration tested. Unmodified CLIO failed to cause a significant signal change of apoptotic cells. Hence, annexin V–CLIO allowed the identification of cell suspensions containing apoptotic cells by MRI even at very low concentrations of magnetic substrate. Conjugation of annexin V to CLIO affords a strategy for the development of a MRI imaging probe for detecting apoptosis.
Ca2+–calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase expression and signalling in skeletal muscle during exercise

Ca2+ signalling is proposed to play an important role in skeletal muscle function during exercise. Here, we examined the expression of multifunctional Ca2+–calmodulin‐dependent protein kinases (CaMK) in human skeletal muscle and show that CaMKII and CaMKK, but not CaMKI or CaMKIV, are expressed. Furthermore, the effect of exercise duration and intensity on skeletal muscle CaMKII activity and phosphorylation of downstream targets was examined. Eight healthy men exercised at ∼67% of peak pulmonary O2 uptake with muscle samples taken at rest and after 1, 10, 30, 60 and 90 min of exercise. Ten other men exercised for three consecutive 10 min bouts at 35%, 60% and 85% with muscle samples taken at rest, at the end of each interval and 30 min post‐exercise. There was a rapid and transient increase in autonomous CaMKII activity and CaMKII phosphorylation at Thr287 in skeletal muscle during exercise. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLN) at Thr17, which was identified as a CaMKII substrate in skeletal muscle, was rapidly (< 1 min) increased by exercise, and remained phosphorylated 5‐fold above basal level during 90 min of exercise. The phosphorylation of serum response factor at Ser103, a putative CaMKII substrate, was higher after 30 min of exercise. PLN phosphorylation at Thr17 was higher with increasing exercise intensities. These data indicate that CaMKII is the major multifunctional CaMK in skeletal muscle and its activation occurs rapidly and is sustained during continuous exercise, with the activation being greater during intense exercise.
Associations between childhood asthma and ADHD: issues of psychiatric comorbidity and familiality.

OBJECTIVE In this paper we evaluate the association between asthma and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), addressing issues of comorbidity and familiality by formulating and testing competing hypotheses. METHOD Subjects were 6- to 17-year-old boys with DSM-III-R ADHD (N = 140) and normal controls (N = 120) and their first-degree relatives. Information on asthma was obtained from the mothers in a standardized manner blind to the proband's clinical status. RESULTS The risk for asthma did not meaningfully differ between ADHD and control children. Relatives of ADHD probands with and without asthma were at significantly greater risk for ADHD than relatives of normal controls. In contrast, the risk for asthma was significantly elevated only among relatives of children with ADHD plus asthma. CONCLUSIONS These findings argue against a substantial etiological or pathophysiological relationship between the two conditions but suggest that ADHD and asthma are independently transmitted in families. Thus, the observation of ADHD symptoms in an asthmatic child should not be dismissed out of hand as being a consequence of asthma since many asthmatic ADHD children may actually have ADHD.
Genetic Diversity and Structure in the Sado Captive Population of the Japanese Crested Ibis

The Japanese crested ibis Nipponia nippon is a critically threatened bird. We assessed genetic diversity and structure in the Sado captive population of the Japanese crested ibis based on 24 and 50 microsatellite markers developed respectively for the same and related species. Of a total of 74 loci, 19 showed polymorphisms in the five founder birds of the population, and therefore were useful for the analysis of genetic diversity and structure. Genetic diversity measures, A, ne, He, Hoand PIC, obtained by genotyping of the 138 descendants were similar to those of other species with population bottlenecks, and thus considerably low. The low level of genetic diversity resulting from such bottlenecks was consistent with the results of lower genetic diversity measures for the Sado captive relative to the Chinese population that is the source population for the Sado group as determined using previously reported data and heterozygosity excess by Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium tests. Further, individual clustering based on the allele-sharing distance and Bayesian model-based clustering revealed that the founder genomes were equally at population in total, and with various admixture patterns at individual levels inherited by the descendants. The clustering results, together with the result of inheritance of all alleles of the microsatellites from the founders to descendants, suggest that planned mating in captive-breeding programs for the population has succeeded in maintaining genetic diversity and minimizing kinship. In addition, the Bayesian model-based clustering assumed two different components of genomes in the Sado captive Japanese crested ibis, supporting a considerably low level of genetic diversity.
The rumen: a unique source of enzymes for enhancing livestock production.

Increasing competition in the livestock industry has forced producers to cut costs by adopting new technologies aimed at increasing production efficiency. One particularly promising technology is feeding enzymes as supplements for animal diets. Supplementation of diets for non-ruminants (e.g., swine and poultry) with fibrolytic enzymes, such as cellulases, xylanases and beta-glucanases, increases the feed conversion efficiency and growth rate of the animals. Enzymatic hydrolysis of plant cell wall polymers (e.g., cellulose, xylan, beta-glucans) releases glucose and xylose and eliminates the antinutritional effects of beta-glucans and arabinoxylans. Enzyme supplementation of diets for ruminants has also been shown to improve growth performance, even though the rumen itself represents the most potent fibrolytic fermentation system known. Implementation of this technology in the livestock industry has been limited largely because of the cost of development and production of enzymes. Over the last decade, however, developments in recombinant DNA technology have increased the efficiency of existing microbial production systems and facilitated exploitation of alternative sources of industrial enzymes. The ruminal ecosystem is among the novel enzyme sources currently being explored. Understanding the role of enzymes in feed digestion through characterization of the enzymology and genetics involved in digestion of feedstuffs by ruminants will provide insight required to improve the products currently available to producers. Characterization of genes encoding a variety of hydrolytic enzymes, such as cellulases, xylanases, beta-glucanases, amylases, pectinases, proteases, phytases and tannases, will foster the development of more efficacious enzyme supplements and enzyme expression systems for enhancing nutrient utilization by domestic animals. Characteristics of the original source organism need no longer restrict the production of a useful enzyme. Recent reports of transgenic plants expressing fibrolytic or phytase activity and of transgenic mice able to produce endoglucanase in the pancreas speak to the feasibility of improving feed digestion through genetic modification of the feedstuffs and the animals.
Production of Interferon-Inducible Protein-10 and Its Role as an Autocrine Invasion Factor in Nasal Natural Killer/T-Cell Lymphoma Cells

Purpose: Nasal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma is associated with Epstein-Barr virus and has poor prognosis because of local invasion and/or multiple dissemination. Recently, the role of chemokines/chemokine receptors in tumor proliferation and invasion has been shown. In this study, we examined whether the specific chemokines were related to the tumor behaviors in nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma. Experimental Design: A chemokine protein array was used to examine specific chemokines produced by SNK-6 and SNT-8 (Epstein-Barr viruspositive nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma lines). The expression of interferon inducible protein 10 (IP-10) and the IP-10 receptor CXCR3 was investigated by ELISA and flow cytometry. Cell growth and invasion were assessed by the MTT and Matrigel invasion assays, respectively. Immunohistologic staining and ELISA were used to examine IP-10 expression in biopsies and sera from patients, respectively. Results: IP-10 was specifically produced by SNK-6 and SNT-8. Moreover, CXCR3 was expressed on the NK cell lines. Functionally, IP-10 did not affect cell proliferation but enhanced cell invasion. In biopsy samples, IP-10 and CXCR3 expressions were detected in the lymphoma cells. Serum IP-10 levels in the patients were much higher than those of healthy controls and the levels were decreased during the complete remission phase after treatments. Conclusions: These results suggest that IP-10 may play an important role in cell invasion in nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma through an autocrine mechanism. (Clin Cancer Res 2009;15(22):67719)
Effect of Fordyce's Happiness Program on Stress, Anxiety, and Depression among the Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

Background: Patients with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis are affected by psychological stressors, which contribute to poor quality of life and negative clinical outcomes. Stress, anxiety, and depression are highly prevalent in this population. Fordyce's happiness program has been believed to be one of the complementary therapies that could promote psychological wellbeing. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of Fordyce's happiness program on the stress, anxiety, and depression in patients with hemodialysis. Materials and Methods: This is a clinical trial. A total of 50 patients undergoing hemodialysis were randomly recruited into the study group (n = 25) and the control group (n = 25). Intervention of Fordyce's happiness program was administrated for 20 minutes during hemodialysis sessions once a week for 6 sessions. For the control group, 3 sessions were held by the researcher's colleague through communication, dialogue, and listening to the patients' problems individually. The data was collected by the Stress, Anxiety and Depression (DASS-21) questionnaire. Results: There was a significant difference in the mean scores of stress, anxiety, and depression in the intervention group before immediately after and one month after intervention (P < 0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in the mean scores of stress, anxiety, and depression before, immediately after, and 1 month after intervention in control group. Conclusions: The obtained results showed that Fordyce Happiness Training Program can reduce the stress, anxiety, and depression in patients treated with hemodialysis.
Relationships of Follicle Versus Oocyte Maturity to Ultrasound Morphology, Blood Flow, and Hormone Concentrations of the Preovulatory Follicle in Mares1

Abstract The effects of ultrasound morphology, vascularity, and follicular-fluid hormones of the preovulatory follicle on oocyte recovery rate and on follicle and oocyte maturity rates were studied for 60 spontaneous and solitary preovulatory follicles in mares. An ovulation-inducing dose of hCG was given when the follicle was ≥32 mm (Hour 0), and a procedure for oocyte recovery was done 30 h later (Hour 30). Between Hours 0 and 30, diameter of the follicle increased less and circulating estradiol (E2) concentrations decreased more in groups with successful versus nonsuccessful oocyte recovery and in groups with mature versus immature recovered oocytes, as indicated by significant interactions of group and hour. Significant differences in blood-flow end points between groups were not detected. At Hour 30, the frequency of granulosa serration, an indicator of impending ovulation, was higher (P < 0.001), and the number and expansion of granulosa cells in the lavaging fluid, indicators of follicle maturity, were greater in the oocyte-recovery group and in the oocyte-mature group. Follicular-fluid concentrations of E2, progesterone, and free insulin-like growth factor (IGF) 1 were not different between the oocyte-recovery and -nonrecovery groups. Concentration of progesterone was significantly greater, and E2 and free IGF1 were less in the oocyte-mature than in the immature groups. Results indicated that the post-hCG oocyte-recovery and oocyte-maturity rates were positively affected by follicle maturity. Greater follicular-fluid progesterone and lower E2 and free IGF concentrations were associated temporally with maturation of the oocyte but not with maturation of the follicle.
Nifekalant Hydrochloride and Amiodarone Hydrochloride Result in Similar Improvements for 24-Hour Survival in Cardiopulmonary Arrest Patients: The SOS-KANTO 2012 Study

Background: Amiodarone (AMD), nifekalant (NIF), and lidocaine (LID) hydrochlorides are widely used for ventricular tachycardia/fibrillation (VT/VF). This study retrospectively investigated the NIF potency and the differential effects of 2 initial AMD doses (⩽150 mg or 300 mg) in the Japanese SOS-KANTO 2012 study population. Methods and Results: From 16,164 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases, 500 adult patients using a single antiarrhythmic drug for shock-resistant VT/VF were enrolled and categorized into 4 groups (73 LID, 47 NIF, 173 AMD-⩽150, and 207 AMD-300). Multivariate analyses evaluated the outcomes of NIF, AMD-⩽150, or AMD-300 groups versus LID group. Odds ratios (ORs) for survival to admission were 3.21 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.38–7.44, P < 0.01] in NIF and 3.09 (95% CI: 1.55–6.16, P < 0.01) in AMD-⩽150 groups and significantly higher than those of the LID group. However, the OR was 1.78 (95% CI: 0.90–3.51, P = 0.10) in AMD-300 group and was not significant than LID group. ORs for 24-hour survival were 6.68 in NIF, 4.86 in AMD-⩽150, and 2.97 in AMD-300, being significantly higher in these groups. Conclusions: NIF and AMD result in similar improvements for 24-hour survival in cardiopulmonary arrest patients, and this suggest the necessity of a randomized control study.
A cDNA Encoding Ribosomal Protein RPL15 from the Desiccation-tolerant Bryophyte Tortula ruralis: mRNA Transcripts are Stably Maintained in Desiccated and Rehydrated Gametophytes

A Tortula ruralis cDNA, Rpl15, encoding a predicted polypeptide with significant similarity to the large-subunit ribosomal protein L15 (RPL15) was isolated from a desiccated gametophyte cDNA library, and is the first L15 homologue identified from a bryophyte. The deduced 203 amino acid polypeptide is approximately 24.1 kDa, with a predicted pI of 11.1, and shares extensive identity with rat RPL15 deduced polypeptide (>57%). RNA blot hybridization using total RNA demonstrated that Rpl15 is constitutively expressed in moss gametophytes during a desiccation-rehydration cycle and that Rpl15 mRNA transcripts are maintained in desiccated gametophytes as conserved mRNAs.