Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sodium/calcium exchanger expression in the mouse and rat olfactory systems

Sodium/calcium (Na+/Ca2+) exchangers are membrane transport systems that regulate Ca2+‐homeostasis in many eukaryotic cells. In olfactory and vomeronasal sensory neurons ligand‐induced olfactory signal transduction is associated with influx and elevation of intracellular Ca2+, [Ca2+]i. While much effort has been devoted to the characterization of Ca2+‐related excitation and adaptation events of olfactory chemosensory neurons (OSNs), much less is known about mechanisms that return [Ca2+]i to the resting state. To identify proteins participating in the poststimulus Ca2+‐clearance of mouse OSNs, we analyzed the expression of three potassium (K+)‐independent (NCX1, 2, 3) and three K+‐dependent (NCKX1, 2, 3) Na+/Ca2+ exchangers. In situ hybridization showed that mRNAs of all six Na+/Ca2+ exchangers coexist in neurons of the olfactory and vomeronasal systems, and that some are already detectable in the embryo. Of these, NCX1 and NCKX1 represent the most and least abundant mRNAs, respectively. Moreover, immunohistochemistry revealed that the NCX1, 2, and 3 proteins are expressed in nearly all neurons of the olfactory epithelium, the vomeronasal organ, the septal organ of Masera, and the Grueneberg ganglion. These three exchanger proteins display different expression profiles in dendrites, knobs, and plasma membranes of OSNs and in sustentacular cells. Furthermore, we show that NCX1 mRNA in rat olfactory mucosa is expressed as 8 alternative splice variants. This is the first comprehensive analysis of Na+/Ca2+ exchanger expression in the mammalian olfactory system. Our results suggest that Ca2+‐extrusion by OSNs utilizes multiple different Na+/Ca2+ exchangers and that different subtypes are targeted to different subcellular compartments. J. Comp. Neurol. 501:944–958, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fibroblast growth factor 8 induced downregulation of thrombospondin 1 is mediated by the MEK/ERK and PI3K pathways in breast cancer cells

Expression of fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF-8) is increased in several forms of hormonal cancer. It was previously shown to regulate expression of thrombospondin 1 (TSP-1), an inhibitor of angiogenesis, in S115 breast cancer cells. Here, we studied the FGF-8-activated signalling pathways mediating TSP-1 repression in S115 cells and in non-tumorigenic MCF10A cells. Inhibition of FGF receptors or of MEK1/2 and PI3K with specific inhibitors (PD173074, U0126 or LY294002, respectively) restored TSP-1 mRNA expression in the presence of FGF-8 in S115 cells. Furthermore, U0126 and LY294002 increased TSP-1 mRNA expression in S115 cells over-expressing FGF-8. In MCF10A cells, FGF-8 treatment also decreased TSP-1 expression and the effect was dependent on active MEK1/2. In conclusion, FGF-8 suppresses TSP-1 expression through two independent pathways, MEK1/2 and PI3K. Repression of TSP-1 may be an important mechanism involved in induction of an angiogenic phenotype and growth of FGF-8-expressing breast cancer.
Herpes Simplex Virus 1 E 3 Ubiquitin Ligase ICP 0 Protein Inhibits Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-Induced NF-B Activation by Interacting with p 65 / RelA and p 50 / NF-B 1

NFB plays central roles in regulation of diverse biological processes, including innate and adaptive immunity and inflammation. HSV-1 is the archetypal member of the alphaherpesviruses, with a large genome encoding over 80 viral proteins, many of which are involved in virus-host interactions and show immune modulatory capabilities. In this study, we demonstrated that the HSV-1 ICP0 protein, a viral E3 ubiquitin ligase, was shown to significantly suppress tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF)-mediated NFB activation. ICP0 was demonstrated to bind to the NFB subunits p65 and p50 by coimmunoprecipitation analysis. ICP0 bound to the Rel homology domain (RHD) of p65. Fluorescence microscopy demonstrated that ICP0 abolished nuclear translocation of p65 upon TNFstimulation. Also, ICP0 degraded p50 via its E3 ubiquitin ligase activity. The RING finger (RF) domain mutant ICP0 (ICP0-RF) lost its ability to inhibit TNF-mediated NFB activation and p65 nuclear translocation and degrade p50. Notably, the RF domain of ICP0 was sufficient to interact with p50 and abolish NFB reporter gene activity. Here, it is for the first time shown that HSV-1 ICP0 interacts with p65 and p50, degrades p50 through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, and prevents NFB-dependent gene expression, which may contribute to immune evasion and pathogenesis of HSV-1.
Transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi by heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND Trypanosoma cruzi infection (i.e., Chagas disease) is an unusual complication that can occur after solid-organ transplantation and that can result in severe illness or death. In 2006, there were 2 heart transplant recipients in Los Angeles, California, reported to have acute trypanosomiasis during the same month. We conducted an investigation to determine the source of these infections. METHODS We reviewed the medical, organ procurement, and donor transfusion and transplantation records of these 2 heart transplant recipients. The 2 heart transplant recipients were interviewed regarding any kind of natural exposure and were screened for parasites by obtaining blood and other tissue samples for buffy coat, culture, and polymerase chain reaction. Serum samples from the heart transplant recipients, organ donors, and blood donors were tested for T. cruzi antibodies by use of immunofluorescence assay and radioimmunoprecipitation assay. Tissue samples from the organ donors were examined by use of polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical staining. Other recipients of organs from the same donors were monitored for T. cruzi infection by use of polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS Both heart transplant recipients had no apparent risk factors for preexisting T. cruzi infection. Both were seronegative but tested positive for the parasite, indicating recent infection. Both recipients died despite medical treatment. The organ donors tested positive for T. cruzi antibodies by use of radioimmunoprecipitation assay; the blood donors were seronegative. Six other patients had received a liver or kidney from these organ donors. None showed evidence of T. cruzi infection. CONCLUSIONS To our knowledge, this is the first report of T. cruzi transmission associated with heart transplantation. Clinicians and public health authorities should be aware that manifestations of Chagas disease can occur after transplantation, requiring rapid evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment.
Probability distributions consistent with a mixed state

A density matrix ρ may be represented in many different ways as a mixture of pure states, ρ=∑ipi|ψi〉〈ψi|. This paper characterizes the class of probability distributions (pi) that may appear in such a decomposition, for a fixed density matrix ρ. Several illustrative applications of this result to quantum mechanics and quantum information theory are given.
Cystic fibrosis in adults: a changing scene.

BACKGROUND Cystic fibrosis is no longer a terminal illness of childhood and mean survival is now over 30 years. Adult patients with atypical CF are increasingly being diagnosed. In Israel, all patients are still followed in pediatric centers. OBJECTIVES To describe our experience with adult CF, stressing the importance of adult-related health and psychosocial issues. METHODS Twenty-five CF patients aged 20-50 years, constituting 44% of the 57 patients followed at our center, were analyzed for pulmonary and extrapulmonary features and management. RESULTS Nineteen were diagnosed as children and 6 as adults. Nineteen were pancreatic-insufficient and 6 were pancreatic-sufficient, including 5 diagnosed as adults. Pulmonary status was usually stable, with forced expiratory volume in 1 second 66.3 +/- 21% (mean +/- SD) and no difference between pancreatic-sufficient and insufficient patients. The latter had more hemoptysis, Pseudomonas infection, intestinal obstruction, liver disease and diabetes. Two patients died of malignancy and two of advanced lung disease. A majority received continuous inhaled and oral antibiotics, bronchodilators, Dnase, physiotherapy and periodic home intravenous antibiotics. Psychosocial functioning was excellent: 60% were employed, 36% were married and 40% had children (none with CF). Patients diagnosed as adults had mild multisystem disease or isolated severe lung disease. CONCLUSIONS CF adults generally have a good quality of life. Advances in understanding the CF defect and a plethora of new treatment modalities bode well for the future. Patients must be maintained in optimal condition to reap the benefits, and there is an urgent necessity for adult physicians to develop expertise in CF.
ocalization removal for improved automatic segmentation of dual-axis wallowing accelerometry signals

Automatic segmentation of dual-axis swallowing accelerometry signals can be severely affected by strong vocalizations. In this paper, a method based on periodicity detection is proposed to detect and remove such vocalizations. Periodic signal components are detected using conventional speech processccepted 7 April 2010 eywords: peech removal ough removal ysphagia ing techniques and information from both axes are combined to improve vocalization detection accuracy. Experiments with 408 healthy subjects performing dry, wet, and wet chin tuck swallows show that the proposed method attains an average 95.3% sensitivity and 96.3% specificity. When applied in conjunction with an automatic segmentation algorithm, it is observed that segmentation accuracy improves by approximately 55%. These results encourage further development of medical devices for the detection of ual-axis swallowing accelerometry signals ignal processing swallowing difficulties.
Assessment of Bio-activity of the fruits using intensity based methods

In the present work, biospeckle laser technique has been used to monitor the bio-activity of the fruits. Bio-activity of two fruits namely apple and pear during their shelf lives have been evaluated using Generalized Difference and Alternative Fujii method. Comparative study has been done for both the methods. It has been found that bio-activity of the fruits decreases with increasing shelf-life storage.
Correction: Next Generation Sequencing-Based Analysis of Repetitive DNA in the Model Dioceous Plant Silene latifolia

The word dioecious was misspelled in the title, abstract, citation, and text. (1) The correct title is, "Next Generation Sequencing-Based Analysis of Repetitive DNA in the Model Dioecious Plant Silene latifolia" (2) The word dioecious was misspelled in the abstract. (3) The word Dioecious was misspelled in the citation. The correct citation is "Macas J, Kejnovský E, Neumann P, Novak P, Kobližkova A, et al. (2011) Next Generation Sequencing-Based Analysis of Repetitive DNA in the Model Dioecious Plant Silene latifolia. PLoS ONE 6(11): e27335. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0027335" (4) The word dioecious was misspelled in the text.
Human Fas-Associated Factor 1, Interacting with Ubiquitinated Proteins and Valosin-Containing Protein, Is Involved in the Ubiquitin-Proteasome Pathway

ABSTRACT Human Fas-associated factor 1 (hFAF1) is a novel protein having multiubiquitin-related domains. We investigated the cellular functions of hFAF1 and found that valosin-containing protein (VCP), the multiubiquitin chain-targeting factor in the degradation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway, is a binding partner of hFAF1. hFAF1 is associated with the ubiquitinated proteins via the newly identified N-terminal UBA domain and with VCP via the C-terminal UBX domain. The overexpression of hFAF1 and a truncated UBA domain inhibited the degradation of ubiquitinated proteins and increased cell death. These results suggest that hFAF1 binding to ubiquitinated protein and VCP is involved in the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. We hypothesize that hFAF1 may serve as a scaffolding protein that regulates protein degradation in the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.
The putative invasion protein chaperone SicA acts together with InvF to activate the expression of Salmonella typhimurium virulence genes

SigD and SigE (Salmonellainvasion gene) are proteins needed for optimal invasion of Salmonella typhimurium into eukaryotic cells in vitro. SigD is a secreted protein and SigE is a putative chaperone required for SigD stability and/or secretion. SigD is secreted by a type III secretion apparatus encoded within a pathogenicity island on the Salmonella chromosome known as Salmonella pathogenicity island 1 (SPI1). The expression of sigDE, which is not linked to SPI1, is co‐ordinately regulated with the SPI1 genes and is dependent on the transcriptional regulators SirA, HilA and InvF. These three proteins alone are unable to activate transcription from the sigD promoter in Escherichia coli, therefore it is likely that other factors are needed for expression. A screen for genes required for the expression of a sigD–lacZYA reporter fusion found a mutant with a transposon insertion in spaS, an SPI1 gene which encodes a putative inner‐membrane component of the type III secretion system. The expression of a SPI1 operon encoding a putative chaperone (SicA) and several secreted proteins (Sips B, C, D and A) was also reduced in this mutant. The regulation defect of the spaS mutant was complemented by sicA and not by spaS. Because sicA is encoded immediately downstream of spaS, the mutation in spaS was likely to be polar on the expression of sicA. In addition, a sicA disruption mutant was as defective as an invF deletion mutant for the expression of sigD, sicA and sipC reporter fusions. The introduction of plasmids encoding invF and sicA into a non‐pathogenic E. coli K‐12 strain stimulated the transcription of both a sicA– and a sigD–lacZYA promoter fusion. This result suggests that InvF and SicA are sufficient for the expression of these genes. This is the first demonstration of a positive regulatory role for a putative type III secretion system chaperone in the expression of virulence genes.
Development and Bench Validation of Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Protocols for Rapid Detection of the Subtypes H6, H9, and H11 of Avian Influenza Viruses in Experimental Samples

Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RRT-PCR) is commonly used for the rapid detection, as well as to determine the subtype, of avian influenza viruses (AIVs). There are 16 known serologically distinct hemagglutinin (HA) subtypes of AIV described. Currently, determination of the subtypes of AIVs by RRT-PCR tests has been limited to the H5 and H7 subtypes. In this study, RRT-PCR assays were developed in simplex formats for rapid detection of AIV subtypes H6, H9, and H11. The primers and probes for RRT-PCR were designed from nucleotide sequences of the HA genes, which were either downloaded from GenBank (for H6 and H9) or sequenced for this study. The specificity and sensitivity of the RRT-PCR assays were determined based on the detection of the virus from a proficiency panel consisting of 15 different HA subtypes of AIVs and from serial dilutions of target viral RNA. The subtype-specific RRT-PCR assays were used to detect the virus in cloacal and oropharyngeal swabs of experimental chickens inoculated with H6, H9, and H11 AIVs, and the test results were compared with validated RRT-PCR assays based on the amplification of AI matrix (MA) gene. A high correlation of the matrix test and the specific H6, H9, and H11 by the RRT-PCR assays was observed; kappa coefficients for the agreement of test results in cloacal and oropharyngeal swabs combined were 0.927, 0.962, and 0.981, respectively.
Significance of the Transmural Diminution in Regional Hydrogen Ion Production After Repeated Coronary Artery Occlusions

Previous studies have revealed that the regional accumulation of ischemic metabolites including hydrogen ion (H+) and PcO2 diminish after repeated occlusions. We postulated that tins diminution reflects a blunted metabolic response that is related to the severity of ischemic injury and, hence, may be most pronounced in subendocardial (ENDO) regions. To investigate tins hypothesis, the left anterior descending coronary artery was serially occluded three times in 51 dogs for a period of either 3 minutes (n=15), 5 minutes (n=18), or 15 minutes (n=18). Each occlusion was separated by 45 minutes of reperfusion. Myocardial [H+] was measured in the endomyocardium and in the epimyocardium of the ischemic anterior wall by use of miniature pH glass electrodes. Accumulation of H+ during occlusion (A[H+]) in the ENDO region was significantly less during the second occlusion when compared with the first occlusion (3-minute occlusions: 28.2±3.7 nM/l vs. 39.4±5.4 nM/l, p<0.002; 5-minute occlusions: 49.8±5.0 nM/l vs. 72.1±6.5 nM/l, p<0.0002; 15-minute occlusions: 132.3±14.6 nM/1 vs. 225.6±27.7 nM/1, p<0.0003). A similar trend was noted for A[H+] in the subepicardial (EPI) regions. During occlusion, the rise in [H+] occurred sooner, and A[H+] was consistently greater in the ENDO when compared with the EPI regions (p<0.05). Regional myocardial blood flow did not change during the three occlusions, indicating that the diminution in H+ accumulation stemmed from a decrease in H+ production and not from an increase in collateral flow. The decrement in H+accumulation between the first and second occlusions (±[H+]|-±A[H+]2)1 was greater in the ENDO than in the EPI regions (p<0.05); 2) correlated with the duration of occlusion (ENDO: r=0.66, p<0.001; EPI: r=0.82, p<0.0001); and 3) was related to the impairment of anterior wall systolic shortening after the first reperfusion period. These findings suggest that the diminution in H+ production that follows serial coronary occlusions reflects a blunted metabolic response that is related to both the duration of ischemia and the degree of systolic dysfunction. Moreover±, though attenuation of ischemic metabolite production occurs transmurally, it is most pronounced in the deep ENDO regions.
Gain enhancement for low-cost terahertz fresnel zone plate lens antennas

Low-cost terahertz Fresnel zone plate lens (FZPL) antennas have been previously constructed using generic PTFE substrate with simple plated-through-hole and printed-circuit technologies. Equal and symmetric E- and H-plane radiation patterns are then obtained through the use of a complementary source technique applied to an open-ended rectangular waveguide. In this paper, we present our recent efforts in enhancing the antenna gains. By the combination of increasing the number of zones and removing the substrate in the zone regions, the antenna gain can be increased by 3.18 dB. Other gain enhancement can also be achieved by adding re-radiating elements on the rings or modifying the reflecting ground plate with a grating.
Within the Circle of Care: Patient Experiences of Receiving Palliative Care

This paper presents an overview of a qualitative study of six recently discharged hospice patients, who had experienced at least two episodes of inpatient palliative care and who were interviewed about their experience of care. The resulting data formed a representation — the Circle of Care — with a central theme being the recognition of patient identity. Other emerging themes were: humour, being watched, caring manner, being safe, chosen isolation, relinquishment and relaxation, keeping control, awareness of mortality, recognition of the palliative care philosophy, and the effect of the aesthetic and spiritual environment.
A CELL-CENTERED FINITE VOLUME METHOD FOR THE SIMULATION OF TWO-PHASE FLOWS IN HETEROGENEOUS AND ANISOTROPIC OIL RESERVOIRS

Abstract. The simulation of the incompressible displacement of oil by water in anisotropic and heterogeneous petroleum reservoirs represents a major challenge from a numerical point view. The mathematical model that describes the fluid flow in the oil reservoir includes an elliptic equation for the pressure field and a quasi-linear hyperbolic equation for the saturation field, which are solved via an Implicit Pressure Explicit Saturation (IMPES) procedure. In this method, given an initial saturation field, the pressure equation is solved implicitly, then the velocity field is computed and used in the saturation equation which is solved explicitly. In the present work, the pressure equation is discretized by a Multipoint Flux Approximation Method with a Diamond type stencil (MPFA-D) that is very robust and capable of reproducing piecewise linear solutions exactly by means of a linear preserving interpolation with explicit weights that avoid the solution of locally defined systems of equations which is a common feature of other MPFA methods. For the solution of the saturation equation, we use a traditional First Order Upwind Method (FOUM). In order to validate our formulation, we solve some problems involving heterogeneous and anisotropic reservoirs. Our results compare very well with others found in literature.
Comprehensive parameter design for transversally laminated synchronous reluctance machines

Influence of design parameters of a synchronous reluctance machine, such as the pole-pair number, stator and rotor structures and winding configuration, is investigated in this paper. A comprehensive optimization of these parameters is then made to enhance the machine performance. Related design rules are thus concluded. A prototype is designed following the rules, and calculated results by finite element method (FEM) show high accordance with the theoretical analysis.
A comparison of cardiac computerized tomography and exercise stress electrocardiogram test for the investigation of stable chest pain: the clinical results of the CAPP randomized prospective trial.

AIMS To determine the symptomatic and prognostic differences resulting from a novel diagnostic pathway based on cardiac computerized tomography (CT) compared with the traditional exercise stress electrocardiography test (EST) in stable chest pain patients. METHODS AND RESULTS A prospective randomized controlled trial compared selected patient outcomes in EST and cardiac CT coronary angiography groups. Five hundred patients with troponin-negative stable chest pain and without known coronary artery disease were recruited. Patients completed the Seattle Angina Questionnaires (SAQ) at baseline, 3, and 12 months to assess angina symptoms. Patients were also followed for management strategies and clinical events. Over the year 12 patients withdrew, resulting in 245 in the EST cohort and 243 in the CT cohort. There was no significant difference in baseline demographics. The CT arm had a statistical difference in angina stability and quality-of-life domains of the SAQ at 3 and12 months, suggesting less angina compared with the EST arm. In the CT arm, there was more significant disease identified and more revascularizations. Significantly, more inconclusive results were seen in the EST arm with a higher number of additional investigations ordered. There was also a longer mean time to management. There were no differences in major adverse cardiac events between the cohorts. At 1 year in the EST arm, there were more Accident and Emergency (A&E) attendances and cardiac admission. CONCLUSION Cardiac CT as an index investigation for stable chest pain improved angina symptoms and resulted in fewer investigations and re-hospitalizations compared with EST. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN52480460.