Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of lipid-lowering drugs on reverse cholesterol transport gene expressions in peripheral blood mononuclear and HepG2 cells.

AIMS The ATP-binding cassette transporters, ABCA1 and ABCG1, are LXR-target genes that play an important role in reverse cholesterol transport. We examined the effects of inhibitors of the cholesterol absorption (ezetimibe) and synthesis (statins) on expression of these transporters in HepG2 cells and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of individuals with primary (and nonfamilial) hypercholesterolemia (HC). MATERIALS & METHODS A total of 48 HC individuals were treated with atorvastatin (10 mg/day/4 weeks) and 23 were treated with ezetimibe (10 mg/day/4 weeks), followed by simvastatin (10 mg/day/8 weeks) and simvastatin plus ezetimibe (10 mg of each/day/4 weeks). Gene expression was examined in statin- or ezetimibe-treated and control HepG2 cells as well as PBMCs using real-time PCR. RESULTS In PBMCs, statins and ezetimibe downregulated ABCA1 and ABCG1 mRNA expression but did not modulate NR1H2 (LXR-β) and NR1H3 (LXR-α) levels. Positive correlations of ABCA1 with ABCG1 and of NR1H2 with NR1H3 expressions were found in all phases of the treatments. In HepG2 cells, ABCA1 mRNA levels remained unaltered while ABCG1 expression was increased by statin (1.0-10.0 µM) or ezetimibe (5.0 µM) treatments. Atorvastatin upregulated NR1H2 and NR1H3 only at 10.0 µM, meanwhile ezetimibe (1.0-5.0 µM) downregulated NR1H2 but did not change NR1H3 expression. CONCLUSION Our findings reveal that lipid-lowering drugs downregulate ABCA1 and ABCG1 mRNA expression in PBMCs of HC individuals and exhibit differential effects on HepG2 cells. Moreover, they indicate that the ABCA1 and ABCG1 transcript levels were not correlated directly to LXR mRNA expression in both cell models treated with lipid-lowering drugs.
Prosopis: a global assessment of the biogeography, benefits, impacts and management of one of the world's worst woody invasive plant taxa

Taxa from the genus Prosopis are widespread invasive aliens across the globe. Numerous species have contentious issues surrounding them as they provide both benefits and harm. Prosopis taxa are currently naturalised or invasive in 103 countries and are bioclimatically suitable for many more. There are numerous management practices available to control Prosopis invasions, each with their benefits and costs, however, in most areas management has had only limited success. There is need for more research to improve understanding and management success and for countries to develop strategic plants to guide managed in the future.
Natural Genetic Variation in Lycopene Epsilon Cyclase Tapped for Maize Biofortification

Dietary vitamin A deficiency causes eye disease in 40 million children each year and places 140 to 250 million at risk for health disorders. Many children in sub-Saharan Africa subsist on maize-based diets. Maize displays considerable natural variation for carotenoid composition, including vitamin A precursors α-carotene, β-carotene, and β-cryptoxanthin. Through association analysis, linkage mapping, expression analysis, and mutagenesis, we show that variation at the lycopene epsilon cyclase (lcyE) locus alters flux down α-carotene versus β-carotene branches of the carotenoid pathway. Four natural lcyE polymorphisms explained 58% of the variation in these two branches and a threefold difference in provitamin A compounds. Selection of favorable lcyE alleles with inexpensive molecular markers will now enable developing-country breeders to more effectively produce maize grain with higher provitamin A levels.
Multitrophic effects of nutrient addition in upland grassland

Abstract Although the effects of nutrient enhancement on aquatic systems are well documented, the consequences of nutritional supplements on soil food webs are poorly understood, and results of past research examining bottom-up effects are often conflicting. In addition, many studies have failed to separate the effects of nutrient enrichment and the physical effects of adding organic matter. In this field study, we hypothesised that the addition of nitrogen to soil would result in a trophic cascade, through detritivores (Collembola) to predators (spiders), increasing invertebrate numbers and diversity. Nitrogen and lime were added to plots in an upland grassland in a randomised block design. Populations of Collembola and spiders were sampled by means of pitfall traps and identified to species. Seventeen species of Collembola were identified from the nitrogen plus lime (N+L) and control plots. Species assemblage, diversity, richness, evenness and total number were not affected by nutrient additions. However, there was an increase in the number of Isotomidae juveniles and Parisotoma anglicana trapped in the N+L plots. Of the 44 spider species identified, over 80% were Linyphiidae. An effect on species assemblage from the addition of N+L to the plots was observed on two of the four sampling dates (July 2002 and June 2003). The linyphiid, Oedothorax retusus, was the only species significantly affected by the treatments and was more likely to be trapped in the control plots. The increased number of juvenile Collembola, and change in community composition of spiders, were consequences of the bottom-up effect caused by nutrient inputs. However, despite efforts to eliminate the indirect effects of nutrient inputs, a reduction in soil moisture in the N+L plots cannot be eliminated as a cause of the invertebrate population changes observed. Even so, this experiment was not confounded by the physical effects of habitat structure reported in most previous studies. It provides evidence of moderate bottom-up influences of epigeic soil invertebrate food webs and distinguishes between nutrient addition and plant physical structure effects. It also emphasises the importance of understanding the effects of soil management practices on soil biodiversity, which is under increasing pressure from land development and food production.
Identifying Relevant Resources and Relevant Capabilities of Informal Processes

Achieving goals of organizations requires executing certain business processes. Moreover, the effectiveness and the efficiency of organizations are affected by how their business processes are enacted. Thus, increasing the performance of business processes is in the interest of every organization. Interestingly, resources and their capabilities impacting past enactments of business processes positively or negatively can similarly have a positive or a negative impact in their future executions. Therefore, in our former work, we demonstrated a systematic method for identifying such resources and capabilities of business processes using interactions between resources of business processes without detailing the concepts required for this identification. In this work, we fill this gap by presenting a conceptual framework including concepts required for identifying resources possibly impacting business processes and capabilities of these resources based on their interactions. Furthermore, we present means of quantifying the significance of resources and their capabilities for business processes. To evaluate the identified resources and capabilities with their significance, we compare the results of the case study on the Apache jclouds project from our former work with the data collected through a survey. The results show that our system can estimate the actual values with 18% of a mean absolute percentage error. Last but not least, we describe how the presented conceptual framework is implemented and used in organizations.
Free Synthetic and Natural Estrogen Hormones in Influent and Effluent of Three Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plants

Three municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in southeastern Pennsylvania were sampled to determine the presence and concentrations of 12 natural and synthetic estrogen hormones in the wastewater influent and effluent. The target estrogens were 17α‐estradiol, estrone, estriol, equilin, 17α‐dihydroequilin, 17β‐estradiol, 17α‐ethinyl estradiol, gestodene, norgestrel, levonorgestrel, medrogestone, and trimegestone. One WWTP uses a biofilm reactor (packed‐bed trickling filter), and the other two use suspended‐growth media (continuously stirred activated sludge reactor and sequential batch reactor). Estrone was detected in all the three plants; estriol and estradiol were detected at two WWTPs; and 17 α‐dihydroequilin and 17 α‐ethinyl estradiol were detected at one WWTP. The concentration of estrogens in the influent and effluent of the three treatment plants ranged from 1.2 to 259 ng/L and 0.5 to 49 ng/L, respectively. The percentage removal of estrogens from the aqueous phase ranged from 41 to 99%, except in the case of 17α‐dihydroequilin; the removal of 17α‐dihydroequilin was negligible. The suspended‐growth media systems showed higher removal efficiencies for estrogens than the biofilm system. The analytical method uses a Varian C‐18 solid‐phase extraction (Varian Inc., Palo Alto, California), followed by a derivatization with bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide. The detection limits for the estrogen compounds ranged from 0.1 to 10 ng/L using a sample size of 1 L. The method recoveries ranged from 71 to 120%, and the relative standard deviation ranged from 6 to 14% for all the hormones.
Influence of postexercise cooling techniques on heart rate variability in men

The reduction of core body temperature (TC) is vitally important in the treatment of hyperthermia; however, little is known regarding the impact of cooling treatments on the autonomic control of heart rate (HR). The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of three field‐based hyperthermia treatments on the neural control of HR via heart rate variability (HRV). Following exercise‐induced hyperthermia (TC∼40.0°C) in a warm environment (34.2 ± 0.5°C), nine healthy, active men were treated during recovery, in a randomized order, with intravenous cold saline infusion (IV) or ice packs (ICE) or fan cooling with intermittent water spray (FAN) for 40 min. During each treatment, HR dynamics via power spectral (VLF, LF, HF), Poincare plot (SD1, SD2), approximate entropy (ApEn) and short‐ (α1) and long‐term (α2) fractal scaling analyses were determined every 10 min. At recovery onset, HR and TC were similar between treatments and were significantly reduced over the 40 min recovery period. During recovery, HR and α2 were significantly reduced from initial levels but were significantly greater for IV compared with ICE and FAN. In contrast, VLF, LF, HF, SD1, SD2 and ApEn increased during recovery, with all being significantly lower for IV compared with ICE and/or FAN. The present results demonstrated that IV, compared with ICE and FAN, resulted in significantly greater HR, reduced spectral and geometrical HRV, lower HR complexity and reduced long‐term HR control, indicative of reduced vagal and/or increased sympathetic modulation. Specific treatments for exercise‐induced hyperthermia may result in an altered sympathovagal balance that requires further examination.
Clinical Associations and Causes of Convexity Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Background and Purpose— It has been previously found noted that ≈15% to 20% of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is nonaneurysmal. Nontraumatic convexity SAH (cSAH) is increasingly recognized. Data concerning incidence and associations are scant. Methods— We identified all SAH-coded cases from South Australian public hospitals between January 2005 and July 2011. Electronic discharge summaries were reviewed, and cases of cSAH were ascertained. Clinical and radiological features were recorded, and pathogenesis was assigned. Results— Of 742 cases with SAH, 41 (6%) cases were cSAH, giving a minimum population annual incidence of 5.1 per million (95% confidence interval, 3.7–7.0). Median age was 70 years (interquartile range, 48–79). Commonest causes were cerebral amyloid angiopathy (39%), reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (17%), cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (10%), large-vessel stenotic atherosclerosis (10%), and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (5%). No cause was identified in 20% (mostly elderly patients with incomplete evaluation). Most (63%) presented with transient neurological symptoms. Many (49%) were misdiagnosed as transient ischemic attacks and treated inappropriately with antithrombotics. Conclusions— cSAH comprises a significant proportion of SAH. Commonest causes are cerebral amyloid angiopathy in the elderly and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome in the young, but differential diagnosis is broad. Misdiagnosis is common and leads to potentially harmful treatments.
Eutrophication Status Report of the North Sea, Skagerrak, Kattegat and the Baltic Sea : A model study Years 2001-2005

Foljande statusrapport for Nordsjon, Skagerrak, Kattegatt och Ostersjon har genomforts av SMHI Sverige, IMR Norge, NERI Danmark, SPBIO Ryssland, och SYKE Finland som del av projektet “A Baltic and .
Regulation by Ca2+ in the Yersinia low‐Ca2+ response

The Yersinia low‐Ca2+ response (LCR) is a regulatory response in which a set of plasmid‐borne operons is transcriptionally regulated at 37°C in response to the presence or absence of mM concentrations of Ca2+. LCR‐regulated operons encode secreted proteins with regulatory and virulence roles as well as non‐secreted regulatory proteins and components of the secretion machinery. Downregulation by Ca2+ is imposed by a signalling cascade that includes secreted proteins and possibly also components of the secretion system and is hypothesized to act on membrane‐bound inductive components. An important rote in LCR induction is played by LcrD, an inner‐membrane protein with homologues in several virulence‐associated and flagella assembly‐related systems in diverse bacterial species. The mechanism of signal transduction in response to Ca2+ is not known, and the proteins that bind DNA to downregulate transcription have not been identified.
A tuned fuzzy based power system stabilizer for damping of Low Frequency Oscillations

Power System Stabilizers (PSS) are used to generate supplementary damping control signals for the excitation system in order to damp the Low Frequency Oscillations (LFO) of the electric power system. This paper presents a tuned fuzzy logic based power system stabilizer (TFPSS) capable of providing appropriate stabilization signals over a broad range of operating conditions and disturbance. The proposed TFPSS is evaluated against the conventional power system stabilizer (CPSS) at a single machine infinite bus power system. The simulation results clearly indicate the effectiveness and validity of the proposed method.
Technical challenges facing integration e-government systems: an empirical study

The integration stage of e-government can be considered as the most important stage of the implementation of an e-government system. Due to the importance of the integration stage of an e-government system and its highest positive impact, all local/national governments ultimately seek to reach this stage. However, in order to reach the integration stage of e-government, local/national governments face various challenges; these challenges could be political, technical, economic, social, or organisational. In fact, there is a lack of studies focusing on the identification of the importance, categorisation, and presentation of strategies for overcoming technical challenges. Therefore, this paper will try to fill the information gap based on empirical case studies of two local governments. This paper will identify the importance, categorisation, and presentation of strategies for overcoming technical challenges facing the integration of an e-government system.
Prospects for the development of fungal vaccines

In an era that emphasizes the term "cost-effective," vaccines are the ideal solution to preventing disease at a relatively low cost to society. Much of the previous emphasis has been on childhood scourges such as measles, mumps, rubella, poliomyelitis, and Haemophilus influenzae type b. The concept of vaccines for fungal diseases has had less impact because of the perceived limited problem. However, fungal diseases have become increasingly appreciated as serious medical problems that require recognition and aggressive management. The escalation in the incidence and prevalence of infection has prompted a renewed interest in vaccine development. Herein, I discuss the most recent developments in the search for vaccines to combat fungal infections. Investigators have discovered several inert substances from various fungi that can mediate protection in animal models. The next challenge will be to find the suitable mode of delivery for these immunogens.
Regulation of microtubule composition and stability during nerve growth factor-promoted neurite outgrowth

We have used the nerve growth factor (NGF)-responsive line of PC12 pheochromocytoma cells as a model system to study microtubule specializations associated with neurite outgrowth. PC12 cells treated with NGF cease proliferating and extend neurites. Long-term NGF treatment results in a two- to threefold increase in the proportion of total cellular tubulin that is polymerized in PC12 cells. The increase in this parameter first becomes apparent at 2-4 d with NGF and increases steadily thereafter. Several changes in microtubule- associated proteins (MAPs) of PC12 cells also occur after exposure to NGF. In immunoprecipitation assays, we observed the levels of MAP-2 to increase by at least several-fold after treatment with NGF. We also found that the compositions of three MAP classes with apparent Mr of 64K, 67K, and 80K are altered by NGF treatment. These MAPs, recently designated "chartins," are biochemically and immunologically distinct from the similarly-sized tau MAPs (Peng et al., 1985 Brain Res. 361: 200; Magendantz and Solomon, 1985 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 82: 6581). In two-dimensional isoelectric focusing x SDS polyacrylamide gels, each chartin MAP class resolves into a set of proteins of similar apparent Mr but distinct pI. Peptide mapping analyses confirm that the isoelectric variants comprising each chartin MAP class are closely related in primary structure. Several striking differences in the composition of the chartin MAPs of PC12 cells grown with or without NGF were consistently observed. In particular, following longterm NGF treatment, the abundances of the more acidic variants of each chartin MAP class were markedly enhanced relative to the more basic members. This occurs without substantial changes in the abundance of each MAP class as a whole relative to total cell protein. The combined results of in vivo phosphorylation and peptide mapping experiments indicate that the NGF-inducible chartin MAP species are not primary translation products, but are generated posttranslationally, apparently by differential phosphorylation of other chartin MAPs. These observations suggest that NGF treatment of PC12 cells leads to changes in the posttranslational processing of the chartin MAPs. The time course of these changes closely resembles that for the increase in the proportion of cellular tubulin that is polymerized and for neurite outgrowth. One of the important events in the growth and stabilization of neurites appears to be the formation of microtubule bundles that extend from the cell body to the tips of the neurites. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Cofilin and Vangl2 cooperate in the initiation of planar cell polarity in the mouse embryo

The planar cell polarity (PCP; non-canonical Wnt) pathway is required to orient the cells within the plane of an epithelium. Here, we show that cofilin 1 (Cfl1), an actin-severing protein, and Vangl2, a core PCP protein, cooperate to control PCP in the early mouse embryo. Two aspects of planar polarity can be analyzed quantitatively at cellular resolution in the mouse embryo: convergent extension of the axial midline; and posterior positioning of cilia on cells of the node. Analysis of the spatial distribution of brachyury+ midline cells shows that the Cfl1 mutant midline is normal, whereas Vangl2 mutants have a slightly wider midline. By contrast, midline convergent extension fails completely in Vangl2 Cfl1 double mutants. Planar polarity is required for the posterior positioning of cilia on cells in the mouse node, which is essential for the initiation of left-right asymmetry. Node cilia are correctly positioned in Cfl1 and Vangl2 single mutants, but cilia remain in the center of the cell in Vangl2 Cfl1 double mutants, leading to randomization of left-right asymmetry. In both the midline and node, the defect in planar polarity in the double mutants arises because PCP protein complexes fail to traffic to the apical cell membrane, although other aspects of apical-basal polarity are unaffected. Genetic and pharmacological experiments demonstrate that F-actin remodeling is essential for the initiation, but not maintenance, of PCP. We propose that Vangl2 and cofilin cooperate to target Rab11+ vesicles containing PCP proteins to the apical membrane during the initiation of planar cell polarity.
belladonna/(lhx2) is required for neural patterning and midline axon guidance in the zebrafish forebrain

Some of the earliest axon pathways to form in the vertebrate forebrain are established as commissural and retinal axons cross the midline of the diencephalon and telencephalon. To better understand axon guidance in the forebrain, we characterized the zebrafish belladonna (bel) mutation, which disrupts commissural and retinal axon guidance in the forebrain. Using a positional cloning strategy, we determined that the bel locus encodes zebrafish Lhx2, a lim-homeodomain transcription factor expressed in the brain, eye and fin buds. We show that bel(lhx2) function is required for patterning in the ventral forebrain and eye, and that loss of bel function leads to alterations in regulatory gene expression, perturbations in axon guidance factors, and the absence of an optic chiasm and forebrain commissures. Our analysis reveals new roles for lhx2 in midline axon guidance, forebrain patterning and eye morphogenesis.
Novel Systemic Therapy Options for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma, a common malignancy globally, has been increasing in incidence in the United States, mostly due to the rising incidence of Hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection. The prognosis of patients with this cancer has been poor and even tumor resection has rarely been curative. However, orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) has been associated with long-term survival benefit and cures, provided rigorous patient-selection criteria were adhered to.Liver cirrhosis is the most common precursor for HCC, and attempts have been made to prevent the progression from liver cirrhosis to HCC. Post resection adjuvant therapies have included interferon, polyprenoic acid, and adoptive immunotherapy.Finding effective systemic treatments for non-resectable HCC has been challenging and quite frustrating. The presence of liver cirrhosis and the associated volume expansion, electrolyte imbalances, decreased liver synthetic and metabolic reserve, and portal hypertension has made the design of systemic therapy for HCC a major challenge. Additionally staging of HCC using the Tumor Node Metastases (TNM) system, but ignoring the underlying liver disease made it extremely difficult to compare results of different trials. However by and large it would seem, that the more aggressive chemotherapy agents and combinations were associated with median survival times of 3–5 months.Considering the vascular nature of HCC it may be reasonable to combine tolerable chemotherapy with newly released agents with angiogenesis inhibiting properties.Thus, systemic therapy of HCC is a work in progress that calls for additional trials of tolerable newer agents and combinations.