Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Purple rice extract supplemented diet reduces DMH- induced aberrant crypt foci in the rat colon by inhibition of bacterial β-glucuronidase.

BACKGROUND Purple rice has become a natural product of interest which is widely used for health promotion. This study investigated the preventive effect of purple rice extract (PRE) mixed diet on DMH initiation of colon carcinogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Rats were fed with PRE mixed diet one week before injection of DMH (40 mg/kg of body weight once a week for 2 weeks). They were killed 12 hrs after a second DMH injection to measure the level of O6-methylguanine and xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme activities. RESULTS In rats that received PRE, guanine methylation was reduced in the colonic mucosa, but not in the liver, whereas PRE did not affect xenobiotic conjugation, with reference to glutathione-S-transferase or UDP-glucuronyl transferase. After 5 weeks, rats that received PRE with DMH injection had fewer ACF in the colon than those treated with DMH alone. Interestingly, a PRE mixed diet inhibited the activity of bacterial β-glucuronidase in rat feces, a critical enzyme for free methylazoxymethanol (MAM) release in the rat colon. These results indicated that purple rice extract inhibited β-glucuronidase activity in the colonic lumen, causing a reduction of MAM-induced colonic mucosa DNA methylation, leaded to decelerated formation of aberrant crypt foci in the rat colon. CONCLUSIONS The supplemented purple rice extract might thus prevent colon carcinogenesis by the alteration of the colonic environment, and thus could be further developed for neutraceutical products for colon cancer prevention.
A single amino acid substitution in a hydrophobic domain causes temperature-sensitive cell-surface transport of a mutant viral glycoprotein

DNA sequences were determined for three cDNA clones encoding vesicular stomatitis virus glycoproteins from the tsO45 mutant (which encodes a glycoprotein that exhibits temperature-sensitive cell-surface transport), the wild-type parent strain, and a spontaneous revertant of tsO45. The DNA sequence analysis showed that as many as three amino acid changes could be responsible for the transport defect. By recombining the cDNA clones in vitro and expressing the recombinants in COS cells, we were able to trace the critical lesion in tsO45 to a single substitution of a polar amino acid (serine) for a hydrophobic amino acid (phenylalanine) in a hydrophobic domain. We suggest that this nonconservative substitution may block protein transport by causing protein denaturation at the nonpermissive temperature. Comparison of the predicted glycoprotein sequences from two vesicular stomatitis virus strains suggests a possible basis for the differential carbohydrate requirement in transport of the two glycoproteins.
Explicit formulation for injection-locked coupled-oscillator systems

The use of an external injection-locking source prevents undesired frequency shifts in coupled-oscillator systems. Here an explicit formulation for the analysis of these systems is presented, based on a numerical model of the oscillator elements in free-running regime, obtained with harmonic balance. It demonstrates the opposed effects of oscillator coupling and injection locking in a realistic manner and brings to light the influence of the oscillator characteristics and coupling-network parameters. The explicit expressions provide the minimum injection-locking power required for a full variation of the interstage phase shift and allow fixing and/or maximizing the locking bandwidth through a suitable choice of the coupling networks.
Antiatherogenic property of triterpenoids‐enriched extract from the aerial parts of Salvia miltiorrhiza

This study investigated the antiatherogenic activity and the chemical constituents of a triterpenoids‐enriched extract from the aerial parts of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. The extract displayed a significant, dose‐responsive antiatherogenic effect on LDLR−/− mice after a 24‐week application in a daily dose 50, 100, 200, 1000 mg/kg, respectively. Pronounced systemic inflammation and cutaneous xanthomatosis inhibition effects of the extract, combined with hypocholesteremic and plaque stable properties, were shown in this study. At 200 mg/kg in the high dose treated group, the percent inhibitions of two inflammatory markers in serum, CRP and MCP‐1, were 47.6 ± 4.2% and 36.8 ± 5.0%, and significant reductions in aortic atherosclerotic lesion areas were 62.3 ± 3.9% (en face) and 77.8 ± 3.1% (cross section) compared with the model group. No abnormal behavior or lethality were observed with the extract up to 1000 mg/kg. Fifteen triterpenoids were separated and identified from the extract. This study provided new evidence of the antiatherogenic property of S. miltiorrhiza correlated with triterpenoids by an antiinflammatory mechanism. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Patients with Schizotypal Disorder in an Indian Setting : A Retrospective Review of Clinical Data

Background: Schizotypal Disorder is a long standing disorder which has largely been neglected in research till recent years. This study aims to provide the clinical reality of using CBT with this population at a specialized CBT clinic in a tertiary psychiatric hospital in India. Method: The clinical records of CBT with 22 patients were reviewed and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data obtained. Results: The mean age of the sample was 29.81 years and 20 (91%) were males. Sixteen of them (73%) were treated as inpatients and 12 (54%) out of 22 of had dropped out of therapy. The most common co-morbidities were that of OCD and Social Phobia. The commonly used techniques across the patients were social skills training, behavioral activation, problem-solving training, cognitive restructuring and relaxation training. Family relationship problems continued to be a concern for 68% of them at the end of therapy. The major challenges were that of poor home-work compliance, reluctance to reveal information, and lack of ‘motivation’. Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of individualized treatments rather than following structured protocols and the need to develop shorter, yet intensive models of therapy integrating family intervention with CBT in a developing country like India (German J Psychiatry 2013; 16(2): 68-74).
Range Resolution Improvement in Passive Coherent Location Radar Systems Using Multiple FM Radio Channels

Passive coherent location (PCL) radar systems that use single FM radio channel signal as illuminator of opportunity have limited range resolution due to low modulation bandwidth and high dependence on the content that is being broadcasted from the FM station. An improvement in range resolution is obtained by using multiple adjacent FM channels, emitted from co-sited transmitters, which is often the case in large towns in countries, where the FM channel allocations are relatively weakly regulated. The proposed scheme computes the autocorrelation function of the signal directly received from the FM co-located transmitter, and compares it to the cross-ambiguity function, obtained from direct and target scattered signals. The geometry of the problem is like in the case of monostatic radar. The range information is obtained by the delay between the cross-ambiguity function and the autocorrelation function. It is shown that down to -37dB signal to noise ratio (SNR) the autocorrelation function of 7 FM channels with different contents can be successfully extracted from the cross-ambiguity function. The detection of the time delays is a linear estimation problem. The issue of time-delay estimation is a known topic of research. A powerful estimator can be found.
The Nucleus Accumbens: Mechanisms of Addiction across Drug Classes Reflect the Importance of Glutamate Homeostasis

The nucleus accumbens is a major input structure of the basal ganglia and integrates information from cortical and limbic structures to mediate goal-directed behaviors. Chronic exposure to several classes of drugs of abuse disrupts plasticity in this region, allowing drug-associated cues to engender a pathologic motivation for drug seeking. A number of alterations in glutamatergic transmission occur within the nucleus accumbens after withdrawal from chronic drug exposure. These drug-induced neuroadaptations serve as the molecular basis for relapse vulnerability. In this review, we focus on the role that glutamate signal transduction in the nucleus accumbens plays in addiction-related behaviors. First, we explore the nucleus accumbens, including the cell types and neuronal populations present as well as afferent and efferent connections. Next we discuss rodent models of addiction and assess the viability of these models for testing candidate pharmacotherapies for the prevention of relapse. Then we provide a review of the literature describing how synaptic plasticity in the accumbens is altered after exposure to drugs of abuse and withdrawal and also how pharmacological manipulation of glutamate systems in the accumbens can inhibit drug seeking in the laboratory setting. Finally, we examine results from clinical trials in which pharmacotherapies designed to manipulate glutamate systems have been effective in treating relapse in human patients. Further elucidation of how drugs of abuse alter glutamatergic plasticity within the accumbens will be necessary for the development of new therapeutics for the treatment of addiction across all classes of addictive substances.
Anti-Differentiation Effect of B, D-Seco limonoids of Swietenia mahogani

Background: Obesity is a pathological state caused by abnormal or excessive accumulation of fat. Swietenia mahogani JACQ. , known as West Indian mahogany, is a medium-sized semi-evergreen tree belonging to Meliaceae. Their seeds are used in Indonesian folk medicine as a treatment for hypertension, diabetes, malaria, and it also has anti-feedant activities. The major components of S. mahogani are B, D-seco limonoids, a type of irregular triterpenes are well known. Objective: We tried to find the bioactive components, which have the inhibitory activity on adipocyte differentiation from the seeds of S. mahogani. Material and Methods: 3T3-L1 cells, derived from mouse preadipocyte, are widely used in studying adipogenesis process. In this study, we used 3T3-L1 cells to find natural products with the inhibitory activity on adipocyte differentiation. S. mahogani seeds were dried and extracted with 100% MeOH. Results: The methanolic extract was fractionated by bioassay-guided method to give nine B, D-seco limonoids (1-9) with slight structural modifications. Among nine compounds, compounds 4, 6 and 8 exhibited significant inhibitory effects of cell differentiation on 3T3-L1 cells. Those compounds have tigloyl residue at C-3 in common. Besides, compounds with no tigloyl residue at C-3 showed insignificant effect. Nevertheless, not all compounds with tigloyl residue at C-3 exerted significant inhibitory effect. Conclusion: These results suggested that tigloyl residue at C-3 may play a role in the anti-proliferative activity on a dipogenesis and the refined extract of S. mahogani may have a potential to be developed as a therapeutic agent to treat obesity.
Multiple Quantum Well laser diode parameter extraction using the IM response

In this work we present a technique for the dynamic parameters extraction of the MQW laser diode. In this technique, the laser diode intensity modulation response is measured under different bias conditions, below and above threshold, and the obtained results are used to extract the best fitting laser physical parameters including the different carrier lifetime components. The package response is also estimated. The technique is applied on a commercial MQW laser diode and the obtained results show a good consistency and agreement with theoretical expectations.
Effect of hypophysectomy on endocrine cell types in rat gastrointestinal mucosa

The effect of hypophysectomy on the gastrointestinal tract was studied in the rat 8 wk after operation, particularly regarding the frequency and distribution of serotonin, somatostatin and gastrin‐immunoreactive cells. Body weight, the length of the intestine and the thickness of the mucosa of the antrum and small intestine were all reduced in the hypophysectomised rats compared with sham‐operated and untreated controls. In the hypophysectomised animals the serotonin‐immunoreactive cells were fewer in the antrum and caecum, whereas they were more numerous in the proximal large intestine. There were fewer gastrin‐immunoreactive cells in the antrum, while the somatostatin‐immunoreactive cells were more numerous in the antrum and caecum. The significant influence of hypophysectomy on the gastrointestinal tract could be direct, but could also be associated with the marked effect of pituitary deficiency on endocrine cells, known to exert both trophic and antitrophic actions. However, it could also be an indirect effect on metabolism, resulting in lower food intake, other endocrine cell systems, and growth factors.
Mental representations of attachment in Eating Disorders: a pilot study using the Adult Attachment Interview

Mental representations of attachment in a sample of adults with Eating Disorders (ED) were assessed using the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Sixty subjects participated in the study: 30 non-clinical and 30 clinical. The results obtained showed a specific distribution of attachment patterns in the clinical sample: 10% Free/Autonomous (F), 47% Insecure-Dismissing (Ds), 17% Insecure-Entangled/Preoccupied (E) and about 26% disorganized (CC/U). The two samples differed in their attachment pattern distribution and were significantly different on some coding system scales. Further information was obtained by analyzing differences between the three ED subtypes considered (i.e. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder) and by investigating the differential role of the two parental figures in the definition of attachment representations. Results showed potential benefits in using the AAI coding system scales in addition to the main classifications in order to understand better the developmental issues involved in these disorders. Implications for developmental research and clinical nosology are discussed.
LedPred: an R/bioconductor package to predict regulatory sequences using support vector machines

UNLABELLED Supervised classification based on support vector machines (SVMs) has successfully been used for the prediction of cis-regulatory modules (CRMs). However, no integrated tool using such heterogeneous data as position-specific scoring matrices, ChIP-seq data or conservation scores is currently available. Here, we present LedPred, a flexible SVM workflow that predicts new regulatory sequences based on the annotation of known CRMs, which are associated to a large variety of feature types. LedPred is provided as an R/Bioconductor package connected to an online server to avoid installation of non-R software. Due to the heterogeneous CRM feature integration, LedPred excels at the prediction of regulatory sequences in Drosophila and mouse datasets compared with similar SVM-based software. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION LedPred is available on GitHub: https://github.com/aitgon/LedPred and Bioconductor: http://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/LedPred.html under the MIT license. CONTACT aitor.gonzalez@univ-amu.fr SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
TelA Contributes to the Innate Resistance of Listeria monocytogenes to Nisin and Other Cell Wall-Acting Antibiotics

ABSTRACT Nisin is a class I bacteriocin (lantibiotic), which is employed by the food and veterinary industries and exhibits potent activity against numerous pathogens. However, this activity could be further improved through the targeting and inhibition of factors that contribute to innate nisin resistance. Here we describe a novel locus, lmo1967, which is required for optimal nisin resistance in Listeria monocytogenes. The importance of this locus, which is a homologue of the tellurite resistance gene telA, was revealed after the screening of a mariner random mutant bank of L. monocytogenes for nisin-susceptible mutants. The involvement of telA in nisin resistance was confirmed through an analysis of a nonpolar deletion mutant. In addition to being 4-fold-more susceptible to nisin, the ΔtelA strain was also 8-fold-more susceptible to gallidermin and 2-fold-more susceptible to cefuroxime, cefotaxime, bacitracin, and tellurite. This is the first occasion upon which telA has been investigated in a Gram-positive organism and also represents the first example of a link being established between a telA gene and resistance to cell envelope-acting antimicrobials.
Trends in Outcome and Hospitalization Cost among Adult Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke in the United States.

INTRODUCTION New treatments for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) have been introduced and are expected to improve patients' overall outcomes. We assessed the impact of new therapeutic strategies on outcome and cost of hospitalization among adult patients with AIS in the United States. METHODS Patients with AIS admitted in the United States in 1993-1994 and 2006-2007 were listed using the Nationwide Inpatient Survey database. We determined the rates of occurrence, hospitalization outcomes, and mean hospital charges for all patients. We further analyzed these variables in the ventilated and nonventilated patients. RESULTS We identified 386,043 patients with AIS admitted in the United States in 1993-1994 and 749,766 patients in 2006-2007. The length of hospitalization was significantly higher in 1993-1994 compared with 2006-2007: 6.9 ± 4.2 days versus 4.66 ± 3 days, respectively. In-hospital mortality rate was 8.9% in 1993-1994 and 5.6% in 2006-2007 (P < 0.0001). There was a significant increase in mean hospital charges in 2006-2007 compared with 1993-1994 ($21,916 ± $14,117 versus $9,646 ± $5,727). The length of hospitalization was significantly shorter in 2006-2007 in nonventilated patients. There was a significant increase in mean hospital charges in 2006-2007 compared with 1993-1994 in both ventilated ($81,528 ± $64,526 versus $25,143 ± $17,172, P<0.0001) and nonventilated patients ($21,085 ± $13,042 versus $10,000 ± $6,300, P<0.0001). The mortality rate was significantly lower in 2006-2007 in both subgroups: 46.5% versus 59.8% in ventilated patients and 4.2% versus 8.2% in nonventilated patients (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Our study suggests that new therapeutic strategies have improved outcomes and increased cost of hospitalization among adult patients with AIS in the United States over a period of 13 years. The hospitalization cost was significantly higher in the ventilated and nonventilated patients in 2006-2007, which may reflect the impact of new therapeutic strategies, the availability of more intensive care units and stroke centers, and the lower mortality rate in this time period.
The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale: Validation for an Australian Sample

One hundred and three post-partum women completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and were interviewed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. A cut-off score of 12.5 on the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale identified all nine women who reached criteria for major depression. At this threshold the sensitivity (the percentage of true “cases’ identified) of the EPDS was 100%, its specificity (the percentage of true “non-cases’ identified as such) 95.7% and its positive predictive value (the percentage of all those tested as positive who were correctly identified as such) 69.2%. Although this study supported the validity of the EPDS, a replication of this study on a larger sample is suggested.
Novel RNA-binding Protein P311 Binds Eukaryotic Translation Initiation Factor 3 Subunit b (eIF3b) to Promote Translation of Transforming Growth Factor β1-3 (TGF-β1-3)*

Background: P311 is a stimulator of TGF-β1-3 translation, but its mechanism of action is unknown. Results: P311 binds eIF3b and the 5′UTRs of TGF-β1-3 mRNAs. Thereby, P311 recruits TGF-β1-3 mRNAs to the translation machinery. Conclusion: P311 is an RNA-binding protein that binds to eIF3b to stimulate TGF-β1-3 translation. Significance: Our studies add a new level of complexity to TGF-β signaling regulation. P311, a conserved 8-kDa intracellular protein expressed in brain, smooth muscle, regenerating tissues, and malignant glioblastomas, represents the first documented stimulator of TGF-β1-3 translation in vitro and in vivo. Here we initiated efforts to define the mechanism underlying P311 function. PONDR® (Predictor Of Naturally Disordered Regions) analysis suggested and CD confirmed that P311 is an intrinsically disordered protein, therefore requiring an interacting partner to acquire tertiary structure and function. Immunoprecipitation coupled with mass spectroscopy identified eIF3 subunit b (eIF3b) as a novel P311 binding partner. Immunohistochemical colocalization, GST pulldown, and surface plasmon resonance studies revealed that P311-eIF3b interaction is direct and has a Kd of 1.26 μm. Binding sites were mapped to the non-canonical RNA recognition motif of eIF3b and a central 11-amino acid-long region of P311, here referred to as eIF3b binding motif. Disruption of P311-eIF3b binding inhibited translation of TGF-β1, 2, and 3, as indicated by luciferase reporter assays, polysome fractionation studies, and Western blot analysis. RNA precipitation assays after UV cross-linking and RNA-protein EMSA demonstrated that P311 binds directly to TGF-β 5′UTRs mRNAs through a previously unidentified RNA recognition motif-like motif. Our results demonstrate that P311 is a novel RNA-binding protein that, by interacting with TGF-βs 5′UTRs and eIF3b, stimulates the translation of TGF-β1, 2, and 3.
Burn incidence and medical care use in the United States: estimates, trends, and data sources.

Recent estimates related to annual burn incidence and medical care use in the United States include 5500 deaths from fire and burns (1991), 51,000 acute hospital admissions for burn injury (1991 to 1993 average), and 1.25 million total burn injuries (1992). Time trends from 1971 to 1991 reveal significant declines in each estimate. Taking into account the 25% increase in the U.S. population during this period, the rates of decline in deaths attributed to fire and burns and acute hospitalization for burn injury are both about 50%. The rates of decline are similar in sample statistics for all burns receiving medical care and for all burns above a reportable level of severity. In addition to providing current and time-series estimates, this article discusses burn injury coding issues and describes the data sources from which national and state estimates can be derived. The principal objective is to establish and describe a set of burn injury data baselines in a manner that will facilitate future tracking of burn incidence and medical care use at the national and state level by practitioners and researchers.
Measuring the distance and orientation of a planar surface using nonstructured lighting - 3D measurement system for indoor mobile robots

The position of the peak of a luminance distribution on each surface gives a geometrical constraint between the plane, the viewer and the light source. If two light sources are arranged at appropriate positions with respect to a camera, the peak positions in the two images directly give the surface orientation and the perpendicular distance to the plane. Our approach is based on measuring the two peak positions. Since the equipment setup is very simple, the proposed technique would be useful, for example, for real-world robotic application such as navigation of indoor mobile robots. The experimental results on the error of measurement show that the method is sufficient for such purposes.