Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Laboratory tests as predictors of disease exacerbations in systemic lupus erythematosus. Why some tests fail.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether changes in laboratory test values are either simultaneous with or precede disease exacerbations in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). METHODS At 9, 6, and 3 months preceding a flare in disease activity (defined as a rise of > or = 6 points in the modified SLE Disease Activity Index), laboratory tests were performed to measure patients' hematocrit levels, white blood cell, lymphocyte, and platelet counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C1q binding, DNA binding, and levels of C3 and C4. Flares were classified as either present or absent, and were divided into renal, vasculitic, central nervous system, skin, serosal, and musculoskeletal subgroups. The predictive patterns were 1) the simultaneous change in the test value from the mean of 9, 6, and 3 months preceding a flare to the time of the flare; 2) the gradual change, following a linear time trend, in test results for the same time points; and 3) the change from the mean of 9 and 6 months to 3 months preceding a flare, as a measure of predictive ability. These analyses used repeated-measures analysis of variance models. Multiple linear regression was used to study the cross-sectional association of average-over-time differences in test results with patients' flare subgroup. RESULTS Among 202 patients with SLE (median followup 86.5 months), 83 flares occurred in 53 patients. Of 189 statistical contrasts performed, only 14 were significant (versus 10 expected), and the differences were of minor importance. Nonetheless, evaluation of all test results over each patient's observed disease course revealed significant differences between selected test values in association with specific types of flare. CONCLUSION Fluctuations in laboratory test values are poor predictors of disease exacerbations in SLE. Cross-sectional evaluation of some test results revealed differences at the time of flare for those patients who were destined to have different types of flares, because these values differed over the entire study period. This pattern explains the frequent cross-sectional association of disease activity with laboratory test results, and the inconsistent association of flares with recent changes in test values.
Regulation of nicotine-induced apoptosis of pulmonary artery endothelial cells by treatment of N-acetylcysteine and vitamin E

This study investigated the frequency of apoptosis in rat pulmonary artery endothelial cells after intraperitoneal nicotine injection, examining the roles of the inflammatory markers myeloperoxidase (MPO), tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α ), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in nicotine-induced vascular damage and the protective effects of two known antioxidant agents, N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and vitamin E. Female Wistar rats were divided into four groups, each composed of nine rats: negative control group, positive control group, NACtreated group (500 mg/kg), and vitamin E-treated group (500 mg/kg). Nicotine was intraperitoneally injected at a dosage of 0.6 mg/kg for 21 days. Following nicotine injection, the antioxidants were administered orally; treatment was continued until the rats were killed. Lung tissue samples were stained with hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) for histopathological assessments. Apoptosis level in endothelial cells was determined by using TUNEL (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick endlabelling) method. Staining of cytoplasmic TNF-α and VEGF in endothelial cells, and perivascular MPO activity were evaluated by immunohistochemistry. The treatments with NAC and vitamin E significantly reduced the rate of nicotine-induced endothelial cell apoptosis. NAC and vitamin E significantly reduced the increases in the local production of TNF-α and VEGF, and perivascular MPO activity. This findings suggest that NAC can be as effective as vitamin E in protecting against nicotine-induced endothelial cell apoptosis. Human & Experimental Toxicology (2007) 26: 595—602.
BP-Dock: A Flexible Docking Scheme for Exploring Protein-Ligand Interactions Based on Unbound Structures

Molecular docking serves as an important tool in modeling protein-ligand interactions. However, it is still challenging to incorporate overall receptor flexibility, especially backbone flexibility, in docking due to the large conformational space that needs to be sampled. To overcome this problem, we developed a novel flexible docking approach, BP-Dock (Backbone Perturbation-Dock) that can integrate both backbone and side chain conformational changes induced by ligand binding through a multi-scale approach. In the BP-Dock method, we mimic the nature of binding-induced events as a first-order approximation by perturbing the residues along the protein chain with a small Brownian kick one at a time. The response fluctuation profile of the chain upon these perturbations is computed using the perturbation response scanning method. These response fluctuation profiles are then used to generate binding-induced multiple receptor conformations for ensemble docking. To evaluate the performance of BP-Dock, we applied our approach on a large and diverse data set using unbound structures as receptors. We also compared the BP-Dock results with bound and unbound docking, where overall receptor flexibility was not taken into account. Our results highlight the importance of modeling backbone flexibility in docking for recapitulating the experimental binding affinities, especially when an unbound structure is used. With BP-Dock, we can generate a wide range of binding site conformations realized in nature even in the absence of a ligand that can help us to improve the accuracy of unbound docking. We expect that our fast and efficient flexible docking approach may further aid in our understanding of protein-ligand interactions as well as virtual screening of novel targets for rational drug design.
The effects of whole‐body vibration training and vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength, muscle mass, and bone density in institutionalized elderly women: A 6‐month randomized, controlled trial

Sarcopenia and osteoporosis represent a growing public health problem. We studied the potential benefit of whole‐body vibration (WBV) training given a conventional or a high dose of daily vitamin D supplementation in improving strength, muscle mass, and bone density in postmenopausal women. In a 2 × 2 factorial‐design trial, 113 institutionalized elderly females aged over 70 years (mean age 79.6 years) were randomly assigned either to a WBV or a no‐training group, receiving either a conventional dose (880 IU/day) or a high dose (1600 IU/day) of vitamin D3. The primary aim was to determine the effects of 6 months of WBV and/or vitamin D supplementation on isometric and dynamic strength, leg muscle mass, and hip bone mineral density (BMD). Additionally, the increase in 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels between conventional and high‐dose supplementation was compared. After 6 months of treatment, dynamic muscle strength, hip BMD, and vitamin D serum levels improved significantly in all groups, whereas isometric strength and muscle mass did not change. When compared with no training, the WBV program did not result in additional improvements. When compared with 880 IU, a high dose of 1600 IU of vitamin D did result in higher serum vitamin D levels but did not result in additional improvements. In institutionalized women older than 70 years, the WBV training protocol tested is not more efficient in enhancing muscle mass, strength, and hip BMD compared with vitamin D supplementation. A higher dose of 1600 IU of vitamin D does not provide additional musculoskeletal benefit in this population compared with conventional doses. © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Crystal structure of 2-cyclohexyl-1,3-thiazolo[4,5-b]pyridine

In the title compound, C12H14N2S, the cyclohexane ring adopts a chair conformation with the exocyclic C—C bond in an equatorial orientation. The mean plane through the cyclohexane ring (all atoms) is twisted from the thiazolopyridine ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.013 Å) by 39.57 (6)°. In the crystal, molecules form (100) sheets, although there are no specific directional interactions between them. The crystal stucture was refined as a two-component perfect twin.
Aluminium per se and in the anti‐acid drug sucralfate promotes sensitization via the oral route

Background: Aluminium (ALUM) is used as experimental and clinical adjuvant for parenteral vaccine formulation. It is also contained in anti‐acid drugs like sucralfate (SUC). These anti‐acids have been shown to cause sensitization to food proteins via elevation of the gastric pH. The aim of this study was to assess the oral adjuvant properties of ALUM, alone or contained in SUC, in a BALB/c mouse model.
Modulation of pPS10 Host Range by Plasmid-Encoded RepA Initiator Protein

ABSTRACT We report here the isolation and analysis of novel repA host range mutants of pPS10, a plasmid originally found in Pseudomonas savastanoi. Upon hydroxylamine treatment, five plasmid mutants were selected for their establishment in Escherichia coli at 37°C, a temperature at which the wild-type form cannot be established. The mutations were located in different functional regions of the plasmid RepA initiation protein, and the mutants differ in their stable maintenance, copy number, and ability to interact with sequences of the basic replicon. Four of them have broadened their host range, and one of them, unable to replicate in Pseudomonas, has therefore changed its host range. Moreover, the mutants also have increased their replication efficiency in strains other than E. coli such as Pseudomonas putida and Alcaligenes faecalis. None of these mutations drastically changed the structure or thermal stability of the wild-type RepA protein, but in all cases an enhanced interaction with host-encoded DnaA protein was detected by gel filtration chromatography. The effects of the mutations on the functionality of RepA protein are discussed in the framework of a three-dimensional model of the protein. We propose possible explanations for the host range effect of the different repA mutants, including the enhancement of limiting interactions of RepA with specific host replication factors such as DnaA.
O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase activity in adult gliomas: relation to patient and tumor characteristics.

The DNA repair protein O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) confers resistance to therapeutic methylating and chloroethylating agents in human brain tumor-derived cell lines. In this work, we assayed MGMT activity in 152 adult gliomas to establish correlates with patient and tumor characteristics. We also assayed MGMT in histologically normal brain adjacent to 87 tumors to characterize changes in activity accompanying neurocarcinogenesis. MGMT activity was detectable in 76% (115 of 152) of tumors, ranging approximately 300-fold from 0.30 to 89 fmol/10(6) cells (180-57,000 molecules/cell). Mean activity was 6.6 +/- 13 fmol/10(6) cells and varied 4-fold among diagnostic groups. The mean for oligodendrogliomas was 2-fold lower (P < 0.03), and for mixed oligodendroglioma-astrocytomas, the mean was 4-fold lower (P < 0.006) than for astroglial tumors. Twenty-five % of gliomas had no detectable MGMT activity (Mer- phenotype; < 0.25 fmol/10(6) cells or 150 molecules/cell). Glioma MGMT was inversely correlated with age (P < 0.01), consistent with the observed age dependence in the progenitor tissue of brain tumors (J. R. Silber et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 93: 6941-6946, 1996). Neither MGMT activity nor proportion of Mer- tumors differed by sex. Glioma MGMT was correlated with degree of aneuploidy (P < 0.006) but not with fraction of S-phase cells. Mean activity in tumors was 5-fold higher than in adjacent histologically normal brain (5.0 +/- 7.6 versus 1.1 +/- 1.9 fmol/10(6) cells; P < 0.001). Notably, elevation of tumor activity was observed in 62% of tissue pairs, ranging from 2-fold to > 105-fold. Moreover, 64% of Mer- normal tissue was accompanied by Mer+ tumor. These observations indicate that expression of MGMT activity is frequently activated and/or increased during human neurocarcinogenesis, and that the enhancement is not related to proliferation per se. Significantly, enhanced MGMT activity may heighten the resistance of brain tumors to therapeutic alkylating agents.
The Association between Competition and Managers' Business Segment Reporting Decisions

This paper investigates the relation between levels of industry competition and managers' choices of which operations to report as business segments. One reason managers have objected to segment disclosures is that these disclosures allegedly provide commercially valuable information to competitors that is not available elsewhere. This objection might seem to imply that managers are most reluctant to provide segment disclosures for operations in highly competitive industries; however, if abnormally high earnings tend to occur in less competitive industries, managers' segment reporting discretion may be exercised to avoid reporting these operations as business segments. Using a sample of 929 firms reporting business segments in their annual reports during 1987 to 1991, I estimate a logit model of management's decision to report operations in a given industry as a segment as a function of two measures of industry competition: the four-firm concentration ratio and a measure of the speed of profit adjustment. The
Internal vs. external connections for abutments/reconstructions: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES The objectives of the review were (1) to evaluate the accuracy of implant-level impressions in cases with internal and external connection abutments/reconstructions, and (2) to evaluate the incidence of technical complications of internal and external connection metal- or zirconia-based abutments and single-implant reconstructions. MATERIALS AND METHODS A MEDLINE electronic search was conducted to identify English language publications in dental journals related to each of the two topics by inserting the appropriate keywords. These electronic searches were complemented by a hand search of the January 2009 to January 2012 issues of the following journals: Clinical Oral Implants Research, The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, The International Journal of Prosthodontics, The International Journal of Periodontics and Restorative Dentistry, The International Journal of Oral Maxillofacial Implants, Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research. RESULTS Seven in vitro studies were included in the review to evaluate the accuracy of implant-level accuracy. No clinical study was found. There was no study that directly compared the influence of internal and external implant connections for abutments/reconstructions on the accuracy of implant-level impressions. All in vitro studies reported separately on the two connection designs and they did not use same protocol and, therefore, the data could not be compared. Fourteen clinical studies on metal-based abutments/reconstructions and five clinical studies on zirconia-based abutments/reconstructions satisfied the inclusion criteria and, therefore, were included in the review to evaluate the incidence of technical complications. The most frequent mechanical complication found in both implant connection design when employing metal abutments/reconstructions was screw loosening. CONCLUSIONS Implant-level impression accuracy may be influenced by a number of variables (implant connection type, connection design, disparallelism between multiple implants, impression material and technique employed). Implant divergence appears to affect negatively impression accuracy when using internal connection implants. Based on the sparse literature evaluating the incidence of technical complications of metal or zirconia abutments/reconstructions, it was concluded that: The incidence of fracture of metal-based and zirconia-based abutments and that of abutment screws does not seem to be influenced by the type of connection. Loosening of abutment screws was the most frequently occurring technical complication. The type of connection seems to have an influence on the incidence of the screw loosening: more loose screws were reported for externally connected implant systems for both types of materials. However, proper preload may decrease the incidence of such a complication.
Production of Cloned Cattle from In Vitro Systems

Abstract The pregnancy initiation and maintenance rates of nuclear transfer embryos produced from several bovine cell types were measured to determine which cell types produced healthy calves and had growth characteristics that would allow for genetic manipulation. Considerable variability between cell types from one animal and the same cell type from different animals was observed. In general, cultured fetal cells performed better with respect to pregnancy initiation and calving than adult cells with the exception of cumulous cells, which produced the highest overall pregnancy and calving rates. The cell type that combined relatively high pregnancy initiation and calving rates with growth characteristics that allowed for extended proliferation in culture were fetal genital ridge (GR) cells. Cultured GR cells used in nuclear transfer and embryo transfer initiated pregnancies in 40% of recipient heifers (197), and of all recipients that received nuclear transfer embryos, 9% produced live calves. Cultured GR cells doubled as many as 85 times overall and up to 75 times after dilution to single-cell culture. A comparison between transfected and nontransfected cells showed that transfected cells had lower pregnancy initiation (22% versus 32%) and calving (3.4% versus 8.9%) rates.
A four-channel IBM PC/AT compatible biphasic pulse generator for nerve stimulation

An IBM PC/AT compatible four-channel biphasic pulse generator developed to assist in functional electrical stimulation (FES) related research is discussed. Each channel uses a bipolar 12-bit digital-to-analog converter to generate biphasic voltage pulses between +/-5 VDC and three 16-bit timers to control first, second, and interphase durations. Two vectored interrupt generators are available for precise pulse timing control. Potential uses of this device include FES research, the characterization of the recruitment properties of percutaneous electrodes in multichannel stimulation systems, and use as a subassembly in commercial medical devices requiring electrical simulation in an IBM PC/AT platform. <<ETX>>
Predisposition to the fragile X syndrome in Jews of Tunisian descent is due to the absence of AGG interruptions on a rare Mediterranean haplotype.

We have studied the ethnic distribution of the fragile X syndrome in Israel and have found that 36/136 (26.5%) of apparently unrelated pedigrees were of Tunisian Jewish descent. The Tunisian Jews, however, constitute only 2%-3% of the general Israeli population, identifying the first ethnic group significantly (P < .001) predisposed to the development of this disease. Associated with this increase in disease prevalence, we have found an unusually high incidence of FMR1 CGG repeats devoid of AGG interruptions among the normal Tunisian Jewish population (30/150, or 20.0%). Furthermore, the proportion of these alleles beyond the FMR1 CGG repeat instability threshold (>35 repeats) (8/150, or 5.3%) was significantly greater (P < .04) than that proportion found among non-Tunisian Jewish controls in Israel (1/136). Haplotype analysis has indicated that these large uninterrupted CGG repeat alleles are present on a previously unreported (DXS548-FRAXAC1-FRAXAC2) haplotype that accounts for all observed cases of disease among Tunisian Jewish X chromosomes. The high prevalence of disease among Tunisian Jews, we suggest, is due to a founder effect of this rare haplotype, which is completely devoid of AGG interruptions in the Jewish population of Tunisia.
Effect of filter selection on classification of extrasystole heart sounds via mobile devices

Sound of the heart is the basic biomedical information utilized for diagnosis by medical doctors in heart diseases. These sounds show differences according to different pathological characteristics. Extra systole sounds, which mean extra heartbeat, can be perceived as throbbing by people. Occurrence of these sounds in certain age groups may be the indication of tachycardia. In this study, effect of Butterworth, Chebyshev and Elliptic filters on classification results for noise removal in extra systole specific sounds in heart sound database is analyzed. The filters chosen and other methods are paid attention to be faster because the application developed for this aim will be used on mobile devices. Db5 type wavelet transformation method has been used to gain less as feature set. Support vector machine has been used to classify. According to the results gained, the fastest filter for noise removal in extra systole specific heart sounds is Butterworth and the filter that gives the best classification results is Elliptic filter.
Nano-engineering of p–n CuFeO2-ZnO heterojunction photoanode with improved light absorption and charge collection for photoelectrochemical water oxidation

The effective utilization of abundant visible solar light for photoelectrochemical water splitting is a green approach for energy harvesting, to reduce the enormous rise of carbon content in the atmosphere. Here, a novel efficient design strategy for p–n type nano-heterojunction photoanodes is demonstrated, with the goal of improving water splitting efficiency by growing low band gap p-CuFeO2 nanolayers on n-ZnO nanorods by an easy and scalable electrochemical route. The photoconversion efficiency of p–n CuFeO2/ZnO photoanodes is found to be ∼450% higher than that of pristine ZnO nanorod electrodes under visible solar light illumination (λ > 420 nm, intensity 10 mW cm−2). The p–n CuFeO2/ZnO nano-engineering not only boosts the visible light absorption but also resolves limitations regarding effective charge carrier separation and transportation due to interfacial band alignment. This photoanode also shows remarkably enhanced stability, where the formation of p–n nano-heterojunction enhances the easy migration of holes to the electrode/electrolyte interface, and of electrons to the counter electrode (Pt) for hydrogen generation. Therefore, this work demonstrates that p–n nano-engineering is a potential strategy to design light-harvesting electrodes for water splitting and clean energy generation.
EFG1 Null Mutants of Candida albicansSwitch but Cannot Express the Complete Phenotype of White-Phase Budding Cells

ABSTRACT The Candida albicans gene EFG1 encodes a putative trans-acting factor. In strain WO-1, which undergoes the white-opaque transition, EFG1 is transcribed as a 3.2-kb mRNA in white-phase cells and a less-abundant 2.2-kb mRNA in opaque-phase cells. cDNA sequencing and 5′ rapid amplification of cDNA ends analysis demonstrate that the major difference in molecular mass of the two transcripts is due to different transcription start sites. EFG1 null mutants form opaque-phase colonies and express the opaque-phase cell phenotype at 25°C. When shifted from 25 to 42°C, mutant opaque-phase cells undergo phenotypic commitment to the white phase, which includes deactivation of the opaque-phase-specific gene OP4 and activation of the white-phase-specific gene WH11, as do wild-type opaque-phase cells. After the commitment event, EFG1 null mutant cells form daughter cells which have the smooth (pimpleless) surface of white-phase cells but the elongate morphology of opaque-phase cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate thatEFG1 expression is not essential for the switch event per se, but is essential for a subset of phenotypic characteristics necessary for the full expression of the phenotype of white-phase cells. These results demonstrate that EFG1 is not the site of the switch event, but is, rather, downstream of the switch event.