Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The chimeric monoclonal antibody abciximab: a systematic review of its safety in contemporary practice

Background: Abciximab is a monoclonal antibody that prevents platelet aggregation by blocking platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor. Objective: To study the safety profile of this agent in contemporary clinical practice. Methods: We evaluated efficacy and safety end points (major and minor bleeding, thrombocytopenia) in patients treated with abciximab and compared them to those treated with placebo in main randomized clinical trials of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) or those undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Results/conclusion: Use of abciximab is associated with an improved outcome in high-risk patients undergoing PCI but with a worse outcome in ACS patients treated conservatively. Use of abciximab is associated with an acceptable safety profile even when used on a background of aspirin and high doses of thienopyridine but has a potential to increase thrombocytopenia and minor bleeding. Small molecule GP IIb/IIIa antagonists are increasingly preferred over abciximab in clinical practice, and recent observational data have demonstrated these agents to have a similar efficacy and safety profile. As an increasing number of agents are being evaluated for peri-PCI anti-thrombotic therapy, the role of abciximab is likely to be further restricted to the highest risk patients.
Communication from a Human Rights Perspective: Responding to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic in Eastern and Southern Africa A Working Paper for use in HIV and AIDS Programmes

In sub-Saharan Africa HIV/AIDS has proven to be the most challenging health and development issue of modern times. At the end of 2001 28.1 million people were infected with the virus almost exclusively through heterosexual sex (UNAIDS 2002). Many millions more have been left to cope with orphaned children sick or dying relatives worsened economic circumstances and severely reduced opportunities in life. There is no cure there is a long period between catching HIV and developing AIDS and the drug regimes required to manage it are costly and difficult to manage. Africas health systems designed with a bias towards primary care are finding it difficult to cope with the cost and complexity of treating AIDS especially in rural communities. And yet HIV/AIDS is more than a health problem. Its spread is related to poverty power relationships between men and women the availability and accessibility of basic services sexual customs and the evolution of traditional practices in modern society to name just a few of the factors that contribute to the pandemics magnitude in Africa. The socio-economic and political dimensions of HIV/AIDS determine how and where it is spread--and also how communities and individuals cope with it and adjust to its impact. However the response of governments and development agencies to the virus focuses on treatment from health-care facilities and prevention through the design and delivery of health education messages. (excerpt)
Retroviral matrix proteins: a structural perspective.

Retroviral assembly is a crucial process in the late stage of the virus life cycle, based on the ability of the Gag proteins to direct the formation of virion-like particles (for reviews see Wills and Craven, 1991; Hunter, 1994). The Gag polyprotein is the major structural component of retroviruses which, after inducing the release of nascent particles, is proteolytically cleaved into several smaller proteins by the viral protease (PR). While the size, the sequence, and the protein content of the Gag protein precursor vary dramatically, all retroviruses contain three principal mature Gag proteins, the matrix (MA), the capsid (CA), and the nucleocapsid (NC). Despite many differences, it is possible to identify only two types of Gag proteins, according to the pathway followed during the viral morphogenesis process (for reviews see Wills and Craven, 1991; Hunter, 1994). In most retroviruses (lentiviruses and mammalian and avian retroviruses), known as type C, the Gag polyproteins are efficiently targeted to the plasma membrane, where particle formation and budding occur simultaneously. The Gag protein precursors of the second morphogenic type assemble in the cytoplasm to form a core particle which is then transported to the plasma membrane and released. The best characterized viruses of the latter class are the Mason-Pfizer monkey virus (M-PMV) and the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV), which have been designated type D and type B retroviruses, respectively (for reviews see Wills and Craven, 1991; Hunter, 1994). Several investigations have been carried out in order to achieve a detailed and clear picture of the complex Gag-mediated assembly process, but still the exact role of the Gag proteins as well as the molecular basis of viral protein–cell protein interactions are not fully understood. In mature virions, the amino terminal matrix protein of the gag gene product has been found to be a component of the envelope-associated capsid, which lines the inner surface of the virus envelope and is associated with the viral membrane (Gelderblom et al., 1987). Mutagenesis and specific in-frame deletions within matrix proteins (MAs) of several retroviruses have provided information about their key role in Gag stability, capsid assembly, transport, and budding. Recently the three-dimensional structures of several matrix proteins have been determined, providing an interesting insight into retroviral morphology. In this review, the characteristics and properties of retroviral matrix proteins are examined and, where possible, analyzed at the atomic level.
Anti‐flagellin (CBir1) phenotypic and genetic Crohn's disease associations

Background Antibody reactivity to microbial antigens correlates with distinct Crohn's disease (CD) phenotypes such as fistulizing or fibrostenosing disease. We examined the association between anti‐CBir1 and clinical phenotypes and NOD2 variants in a large cohort of adult CD patients. Methods Sera and genomic DNA were collected from 731 patients with CD and tested for immune responses to I2, CBir1, oligomannan, and outer membrane porin C (OmpC) and the 3 most common CD‐associated NOD2 variants. Results Anti‐CBir1 reactivity was significantly associated with fibrostenosis (FS), internal penetrating (IP) disease phenotypes, small bowel (SB) involvement, and SB surgery but negatively associated with ulcerative colitis (UC)‐like CD. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that anti‐CBir1 was independently associated with FS and UC‐like CD irrespective of the antibody reactivity to I2, oligomannan, or OmpC, but not with SB involvement or SB surgery. The magnitude of anti‐CBir1 reactivity, when added to the quantitative response toward the other 3 CD‐associated antigens, enhances the discrimination of FS, IP, UC‐like CD, and SB involvement, but not SB surgery. Finally, although the frequency of anti‐CBir1 was similar in patients with none versus at least 1 NOD2 variant, the quantitative response to CBir1 flagellin was significantly higher in patients with CD carrying at least 1 NOD2 variant versus those carrying no variants (median anti‐CBir1 titer 33.39 versus 28.36, respectively; P = 0.01). Conclusions Anti‐CBir1 serum reactivity in CD patients is independently associated with FS and complicated SB CD. Quantitative, but not qualitative, response to CBir1 is also significantly associated with the CD‐associated NOD2 variants. (Inflamm Bowel Dis 2007)
Macronuclear structure of the G surface antigen gene of Paramecium primaurelia and direct expression of its repeated epitopes in Escherichia coli

The gene encoding the G surface antigen of Paramecium primaurelia was cloned from a macronuclear DNA library by a screening procedure involving differential hybridization with cDNA probes synthesized from polyadenylated RNAs of cells expressing one of two alternate antigens. S1 mapping experiments and sequencing of the cloned DNA and the mRNA showed that the cloned gene corresponded to the high-molecular-weight mRNA that had been indirectly identified as that of the G surface antigen. Because the genetic code of Paramecium spp. is different from the "universal" code, this mRNA cannot be correctly translated in vitro; direct proof that it encoded the antigenic determinants of this protein was therefore obtained through expression of fragments of the coding sequence in Escherichia coli by using the expression vector lambda gt11. Studies on the structure of this gene revealed that the central part of the coding sequence contained at least five tandem repeats of 222 base pairs, encoding immunogenic domains of the protein. We also showed that, like other surface antigen genes of trypanosomes and paramecia, this gene lay next to a chromosome end and that no rearrangement of its immediate genomic environment was associated with its expression.
Toward a Better Understanding of Race and Cancer

A better understanding of breast cancer subtypes is allowing their use as prognostic markers. For some time, it has been documented that black women with breast cancer have a poorer prognosis than white women of the same stage. Advances in immunohistochemistry and the appreciation of breast cancer subtypes are enabling investigators to study the distribution of these subtypes among populations. Clin Cancer Res; 16(24); 5920–2. ©2010 AACR.
Inhibition of lung cancer cell growth and induction of apoptosis after reexpression of 3p21.3 candidate tumor suppressor gene SEMA3B

Semaphorins SEMA3B and its homologue SEMA3F are 3p21.3 candidate tumor suppressor genes (TSGs), the expression of which is frequently lost in lung cancers. To test the TSG candidacy of SEMA3B and SEMA3F, we transfected them into lung cancer NCI-H1299 cells, which do not express either gene. Colony formation of H1299 cells was reduced 90% after transfection with wild-type SEMA3B compared with the control vector. By contrast, only 30–40% reduction in colony formation was seen after the transfection of SEMA3F or SEMA3B variants carrying lung cancer-associated single amino acid missense mutations. H1299 cells transfected with wild-type but not mutant SEMA3B underwent apoptosis. We found that lung cancers (n = 34) always express the neuropilin-1 receptor for secreted semaphorins, whereas 82% expressed the neuropilin-2 receptor. Because SEMA3B and SEMA3F are secreted proteins, we tested conditioned medium from COS-7 cells transfected with SEMA3B and SEMA3F and found that medium from wild-type SEMA3B transfectants reduced the growth of several lung cancer lines 30–90%, whereas SEMA3B mutants or SEMA3F had little effect in the same assay. Sequencing of sodium bisulfite-treated DNA showed dense methylation of CpG sites in the SEMA3B 5′ region of lung cancers not expressing SEMA3B but no methylation in SEMA3B-expressing tumors. These results are consistent with SEMA3B functioning as a TSG, the expression of which is inactivated frequently in lung cancers by allele loss and promoter region methylation.
Expressed sequence tag analysis of Sarcoptes scabiei

Sarcoptes scabiei is an important parasitic mite in both man and animals. Little is known about the molecular interactions between this pathogen and its host. This is in part explained by the paucity of mite-derived material, including antigens. To extend the knowledge of the molecular repertoire in S. scabiei, we have performed a gene survey by an expressed sequence tag (EST) analysis. A total of 1020 ESTs were generated from an S. scabiei cDNA library. The average sequence read was 510 bp after editing and the overall sequencing success was 89%. Clustering of the sequences resulted in 76 clusters, comprising 36% of the ESTs. Sequence similarity searches showed that almost half of the S. scabiei ESTs could be assigned a putative identity. Many of these transcripts shared similarity with genes involved in basic metabolism and cellular organization. In the data set we also identified several proteases and other types of potential allergens implicated in various disease mechanisms. A relatively large fraction of the ESTs coded for different proteins carrying protease inhibitor-like domains. The clones with no similarity to previously identified genes constituted 11% of our transcripts. The EST data generated in this study will be a valuable resource in further studies of the biology of S. scabiei and in the identification of genes that can serve as potential targets in the control of the parasite.
Support Vector Tracking

Support Vector Tracking (SVT) integrates the Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier into an optic-flow based tracker. Instead of minimizing an intensity difference function between successive frames, SVT maximizes the SVM classification score. To account for large motions between successive frames, we build pyramids from the support vectors and use a coarse-to-fine approach in the classification stage. We show results of using a homogeneous quadratic polynomial kernel-SVT for vehicle tracking in image sequences.
Rapid DNA preparation for 2D gel analysis of replication intermediates.

Two-dimensional agarose gel electrophoresis (2D gel) analysis (1,2) is used extensively as a method to detect origins of replication. Standard DNA isolation procedures are time consuming and are often inadequate for the preservation of replication intermediates necessary for this analysis. The DNA isolation procedure that has been found most suitable for Saccharomyces cerevisiae (2,3) involves CsCl density gradient centrifugation, and can require three or more days of preparation time. Furthermore, we found it difficult to visualize CsCl-bandedDNA when starting with small cell numbers (<4 x 109 haploid cells). In this communication, we present a simplified method for the isolation of yeast genomic DNA for 2D gel analysis from smaller numbers of yeast cells. Using this method, 20-25 ,ug purified DNA, suitable for 2D gel analysis, can routinely be prepared from 50 ml cell culture in -6 h. Modifications of this method should be suitable for 2D gel analysis in other organisms as well. In this method, disruption of the cell wall is carried out using glass beads as described by Huberman et al. (2). We found that digestion of the cell wall with zymolyase often resulted in loss of detectable replication intermediates. DNA is then isolated using a Qiagen column. These two steps alone were sufficient to produce a typical bubble arc at the single copy chromosomal ARS1 locus when 7 jg DNA, from exponentially growing yeast cells, was subjected to neutral/neutral 2D gel analysis (Fig. IA). The image was indistinguishable from a similar image produced using DNA prepared by the CsCl isolation method (Fig. IB). Exponentially growing haploid yeast cells (50 ml; 2 x 107 cells/ml) were harvested by centrifugation in a 50 ml polypropylene centrifuge tube, washed once with 20-30 ml of ice-cold distilled water, and the pellet was resuspended in 0.8 ml ice-cold nuclear isolation buffer (NIB: 17% glycerol, 50 mM MOPS buffer, 150 mM potassium acetate, 2 mM magnesium chloride, 500 jiM spermidine and 150jM spermine; pH is adjusted to 7.2). An equal volume of acid-washed glass beads (Sigma, 425-60 jm diameter) was added, and the cell suspension was vigorously shaken with a VORTEX-GENIE (Scientific Industries model # K-550-G; our other vortex mixers did not provide sufficient power for efficient cell lysis) at maximum speed for 30 s, and quickly placed in ice water for another 30 s. This routine was repeated 12-20 times, until >90% of cells were broken (lysis monitored by phase contrast microscopy). Broken cells were removed with a Pasteur pipette to a 12 x 75 mm polypropylene culture tube, and the glass beads were rinsed twice with 0.8 ml A. B. 5
Hemodynamic Changes During Induction of Anesthesia with Eltanolone and Propofol in Dogs

The purpose of this study was to examine global and regional hemodynamic changes during induction of anesthesia with eltanolone, a new short-acting steroid hypnotic, as compared to propofol, in chronically instrumented dogs. The effects on cardiac performance were assessed in six animals. Renal and hepatic blood flows were examined in a separate study including five animals. Two doses of each drug were investigated: eltanolone 2.5 and 5 mg/kg and propofol 7.5 and 15 mg/kg. Left atrial filling pressures and cardiac output were not affected by either drug. Maximum rate of increase of left ventricular pressure decreased both with eltanolone (-28% and -40% from awake control for the 2.5 and 5 mg/kg doses, respectively) and with propofol (-19% and -30% from awake controls with 7.5 and 15 mg/kg, respectively). In contrast to propofol, eltanolone preserved arterial blood pressure. Propofol lowered systemic vascular resistance (-21% and -39% with the low and high dose, respectively), and only slightly decreased left ventricular wall thickening fraction (-16% and -21%). Eltanolone did not affect systemic vascular resistance but reduced the wall-thickening fraction dose-dependently (-28% and -61%). Propofol, but not eltanolone, induced moderate coronary vasodilation. Hepatic arterial blood flow velocity decreased dose-dependently (-21% and -64%) during eltanolone anesthesia whereas, in contrast, it increased after propofol (+59% and +64%). Renal and portal venous blood flows remained essentially unaltered from awake conditions. Our data demonstrate that both propofol and eltanolone have cardiodepressant properties but differ with regard to their effects on peripheral vascular tone. Systemic arterial vasodilation, as caused by propofol, may prove more favorable to overall cardiac performance. Liver blood flow was also better preserved with propofol when compared to eltanolone. (Anesth Analg 1995;81:125-31)
Genetic variation in flowering phenology and avoidance of seed predation in native populations of Ulex europaeus

The genetic variation in flowering phenology may be an important component of a species’ capacity to colonize new environments. In native populations of the invasive species Ulex europaeus, flowering phenology has been shown to be bimodal and related to seed predation. The aim of the present study was to determine if this bimodality has a genetic basis, and to investigate whether the polymorphism in flowering phenology is genetically linked to seed predation, pod production and growth patterns. We set up an experiment raising maternal families in a common garden. Based on mixed analyses of variance and correlations among maternal family means, we found genetic differences between the two main flowering types and confirmed that they reduced seed predation in two different ways: escape in time or predator satiation. We suggest that this polymorphism in strategy may facilitate maintain high genetic diversity for flowering phenology and related life‐history traits in native populations of this species, hence providing high evolutionary potential for these traits in invaded areas.
Application of Partial Least-squares Regression to oil atomic emitting spectrum data of a type diesel engine

Aiming at relation between the concentrations of wearing elements of diesel engine and it's loads(X<inf>1</inf>), cylinders' clearances(X<inf>2</inf>, X<inf>3</inf> and X<inf>4</inf>) and runtime after renewing oil(X<inf>5</inf>), the Partial Least-squares Regression(PLSR) has been used to analyze the oil atomic emitting spectrum data of a 6-cylinder diesel engine. The results show that Cu concentrations variance explained by the five components is largest. These components are derived from X<inf>1</inf>, X<inf>2</inf>, X<inf>3</inf>, X<inf>4</inf> and X<inf>5</inf>. The PLSR-function concerning Cu can forecast Cu concentrations well. It has proved perfect in forecasting all the Cu concentrations of the 69 samples in the seven kinds of operating conditions. The effect of X<inf>1</inf>, X<inf>2</inf>, X<inf>3</inf>, X<inf>4</inf> and X<inf>5</inf> upon Cu concentrations has been effectively evaluated by the Variable Important in Projection (VIP). As compared with the obvious effect of cylinder's clearances(X<inf>2</inf>, X<inf>3</inf> and X<inf>4</inf>) and that of runtime(X<inf>5</inf>), the effect of the loads is small(X<inf>1</inf>).
Duration of untreated psychosis and pathways to care in first-episode psychosis. Investigation of help-seeking behaviour in primary care.

BACKGROUND Studies have consistently found that many individuals with first-episode psychosis experience significant delays before receiving treatment. Current research investigating treatment delays has focused on the relationship between demographic factors and duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). However, treatment-seeking behaviours in this group have not been investigated. AIMS To examine psychological processes that influence the decision-making process to contact primary care, in individuals with emerging psychosis. METHOD The influence of coping style, health locus of control and past health help-seeking behaviour on DUP was investigated in clients with a first episode of psychosis. This involved scrutiny of general practitioner (GP) records in an average of 6 years before the first treatment. RESULTS Shorter DUP was associated with more frequent GP attendance in the 6 years before the onset of psychosis and lower health threat avoidant coping scores. CONCLUSIONS Patients with short DUP have history of higher contact with their GP and, as a group, tend not to avoid health threats. The study underlines the importance of engaging young people and their families with primary care as one of a series of strategies to reduce DUP.
The Identification of Novel Small Molecule Inhibitors of West Nile Virus Infection 1 2

The Identification of Novel Small Molecule Inhibitors of West Nile Virus Infection 1 2 Amine O. Noueiry, Paul D. Olivo, Urszula Slomczynska, Yi Zhou, Ben Buscher, Brian 3 Geiss, Michael Engle, Robert M. Roth, Kyung Min Chung, Melanie Samuel, and Michael 4 S. Diamond 5 6 Apath, LLC, St Louis, MO 63141 Departments of Medicine, Molecular Microbiology, 7 Pathology & Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. 8
Estimation of hardened flip-flop neutron soft error rates using SRAM multiple-cell upset data in bulk CMOS

Experimental neutron single-event error rates of 28-and 40-nm bulk CMOS hardened flip-flops are compared to various hardened flip-flop designs in literature. Using published 45-nm SRAM multiple-cell upset data, it is shown that the error rate of hardened flip-flop designs can be estimated by using the minimum sensitive node spacing from the flip-flop layout. Experimental data show that regardless of circuit topology of a hardened flip-flop, the redundant storage node spacing dominates neutron soft-error rates.