Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral Cavity and Esophageal Carcinogenesis Modeled in Carcinogen-Treated Mice

Purpose: Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity is one of the most common human neoplasms, and prevention of these carcinomas requires a better understanding of the carcinogenesis process and a model system in which cancer chemoprevention agents can be tested. We have developed a mouse model using the carcinogen 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide (4-NQO) in the drinking water to induce tumorigenesis in the mouse oral cavity. Experimental Design: 4-NQO was delivered by tongue painting or drinking water to two mouse strains, CBA and C57Bl/6. The incidences of oral cavity carcinogenesis were then compared. In addition, we examined the expression of some of the molecular markers associated with the process of human oral cavity and esophageal carcinogenesis, such as keratin (K) 1, K14, p16, and epidermal growth factor receptor, by immunohistochemistry. Results: After treatment with 4-NQO in the drinking water, massive tumors were observed on the tongues of both CBA and C57Bl/6 female mice. Pathological analyses indicated that flat squamous dysplasias, exophytic papillary squamous tumors (papillomas), and invasive squamous cell carcinomas were present. Immunohistochemistry analyses showed that 4-NQO changed the expression patterns of the intermediate filament proteins K14 and K1. K14 was expressed in the epithelial suprabasal layers, in addition to the basal layer, in tongues from carcinogen-treated animals. In contrast, control animals expressed K14 only in the basal layer. Moreover, we observed more bromodeoxyuridine staining in the tongue epithelia of 4-NQO-treated mice. Reduced expression of the cell cycle inhibitor, p16, was observed, whereas 4-NQO treatment caused an increase in epidermal growth factor receptor expression in the mouse tongues. Interestingly, similar features of carcinogenesis, including multiple, large (up to 0.5 cm) exophytic papillary squamous tumors and invasive squamous cell carcinomas, increased bromodeoxyuridine staining, and increased K14 expression, were also observed in the esophagi of 4-NQO-treated mice. However, no tumors were observed in the remainder of digestive tract (including the forestomach, intestine, and colon) or in the lungs or livers of 4-NQO-treated mice. These results indicate that this murine 4-NQO-induced oral and esophageal carcinogenesis model simulates many aspects of human oral cavity and esophageal carcinogenesis. Conclusions: The availability of this mouse model should permit analysis of oral cavity and esophageal cancer development in various mutant and transgenic mouse strains. This model will also allow testing of cancer chemopreventive drugs in various transgenic mouse strains.
Notice of RetractionProkaryotic Expression and Identification on the ag85a-mpb63 Fusion Gene of Mycobacterium bovis

To increase the antigenicity of the unity antigen, the DNA fragments of ag85a and mpb63 were fused by splicing by overlapping extension(SOE) polymerase chain reaction(PCR), and the fusion gene ag85a-mpb63 was cloned into pMD18-T vector,then we got the recombinant plasmid pMD-85a-63. pMD-85a-63 and pET28a(+) were digested by BamH 1 and EcoK 1 double enzymes. The purified ag85a-mpb63 fusion gene was subcloned into the expression vector pET28a(+), and the prokaryotic expression vector pET-85a-63 was constructed. Plasmid containing pET-85a-63 was transformed into competence Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The bacterium was induced by isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside(IPTG) and its lysates were loaded directly onto sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE), approximately 49 ku exogenous protein was observed on the SDS-PAGE. The protein was analyzed by using Western-blotting. The results indicated that the protein was of antigenic reactivity of Mycobacterium bovis. These results could serve as a basis for further studies on the usefulness of the fusion gene and its expression productin the development of subunit vaccine, DNA vaccine and diagnostic reagents against bovine tuberculosis.
Refined convergence for the Boolean model

In Michel and Paroux (2003) the authors proposed a new proof of a well-known convergence result for the scaled elementary connected vacant component in the high intensity Boolean model towards the Crofton cell of the Poisson hyperplane process (see, e.g. Hall (1985)). In this paper we investigate the second-order term in this convergence when the two-dimensional Boolean model and the Poisson line process are coupled on the same probability space. We consider the particular case where the grains are discs with random radii. A precise coupling between the Boolean model and the Poisson line process is first established. A result of directional convergence in distribution for the difference of the two sets involved is then derived. Eventually, we show the convergence of the process, measuring the difference between the two random sets, once rescaled, as a function of the direction.
Drop coating deposition Raman spectroscopy of blood plasma for the detection of colorectal cancer

Abstract. We have recently applied the technique of drop coating deposition Raman (DCDR) spectroscopy for colorectal cancer (CRC) detection using blood plasma. The aim of this study was to develop a more convenient and stable method based on blood plasma for noninvasive CRC detection. Significant differences are observed in DCDR spectra between healthy (n=105) and cancer (n=75) plasma from 15 CRC patients and 21 volunteers, particularly in the spectra that are related to proteins, nucleic acids, and β-carotene. The multivariate analysis principal components analysis and the linear discriminate analysis, together with leave-one-out, cross validation were used on DCDR spectra and yielded a sensitivity of 100% (75/75) and specificity of 98.1% (103/105) for detection of CRC. This study demonstrates that DCDR spectroscopy of blood plasma associated with multivariate statistical algorithms has the potential for the noninvasive detection of CRC.
Risk Factors for Injuries in Football

Background The injury risk in football is high, but little is known about causes of injury. Purpose To identify risk factors for football injuries using a multivariate model. Study Design Prospective cohort study. Methods Participants were 306 male football players from the two highest divisions in Iceland. Before the 1999 football season started, the following factors were examined: height, weight, body composition, flexibility, leg extension power, jump height, peak O2 uptake, joint stability, and history of previous injury. Injuries and player exposure were recorded throughout the competitive season. Results Older players were at higher risk of injury in general (odds ratio [OR] = 1.1 per year, P = 0.05). For hamstring strains, the significant risk factors were age (OR = 1.4 [1 year], P < 0.001) and previous hamstring strains (OR = 11.6, P < 0.001). For groin strains, the predictor risk factors were previous groin strains (OR = 7.3, P = 0.001) and decreased range of motion in hip abduction (OR = 0.9 [1°], P = 0.05). Previous injury was also identified as a risk factor for knee (OR = 4.6) and ankle sprains (OR = 5.3). Conclusions Age and previous injury were identified as the main risk factors for injury among elite football players from Iceland.
BRECEM: A RAPID HARDENING CEMENT BASED ON HIGH ALUMINA CEMENT.

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has developed a blended cement based on high alumina cement (HAC) with ground granulated blastfurnace slag. This cement has been given the trademark 'BRECEM' and the properties of concrete made from the new cement are being studied at BRE in collaboration with the industry. In this paper, the chemical and thermal stability of BRECEM and HAC mortars and concretes is compared as a necessary preliminary to determining engineering properties in due course. Concrete durability studies are at an early stage and, as such, the uses for this cement are still under development. The addition of slag alters the course of hydration reactions in HAC. A chemical compound, gehlenite hydrate (stratlingite), not seen in plain HAC in significant amounts, forms readily and becomes the major hydrate constituent in due course, and is thought to provide a more stable phase assemblage. Studies to determine the chemical and physical properties of BRECEM in mortars and concrete over a range of temperatures and storage conditions have been set up at BRE. BRECEM mortars show excellent sulphate resistance. HAC and BRECEM concrete durability specimens have performed very well following storage for a year in aggressive sulphate, marine and soft water environments. Longer term tests will be carried out at two, five and 10 years. BRECEM concretes have shown a greater tolerance to high water-to-cement ratio mix designs in forming stable assemblages with reduced temperature rises and enhanced durability, and there are cost savings compared with HAC concretes. A number of potential, practical applications have been advocated.
Quantification of HIV-1 latency reversal in resting CD4+ T cells from patients on suppressive antiretroviral therapy

Significance A pool of latently infected resting CD4+ T cells in patients on antiretroviral therapy is a major barrier to a cure for HIV-1. Clinical trials are underway to assess whether small molecules can “kick” HIV-1 out of latency, but the potency of such latency reversing agents has not been evaluated at the level of single proviruses. Using a unique quantitative system, we found that the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid), which is being investigated clinically, did not induce unspliced cellular viral RNA or lead to virion production from the large majority of proviruses in resting CD4+ T cells. Our results demonstrate that more potent interventions will likely be necessary to reduce the size of the latent reservoir. Reversal of proviral latency is being pursued as a curative strategy for HIV-1 infection. Recent clinical studies of in vivo administration of the histone deacetylase inhibitor suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA; vorinostat) show increases in unspliced cellular HIV-1 RNA levels in resting CD4+ T cells. A critical unknown, however, is the proportion of latent proviruses that can be transcriptionally reactivated by SAHA or T-cell activation. In this study, we quantified the fraction of HIV-1 proviruses in resting CD4+ T cells from patients on suppressive antiretroviral therapy that were reactivated ex vivo with SAHA or antibodies to CD3/CD28. At concentrations of SAHA achieved clinically, only 0.079% of proviruses in resting CD4+ T cells were reactivated to produce virions, compared with 1.5% of proviruses in cells treated with anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies after correcting for spontaneous virion production in the medium control. A significant positive correlation (ρ = 0.67, P < 0.001) was found between levels of virions in the supernatant and unspliced cellular HIV-1 RNA following anti-CD3/CD28 treatment, but not following SAHA treatment (ρ = 0.21, P = 0.99). These results reveal that the majority of HIV-1 proviruses are not reactivated by current therapeutic approaches and that more effective means of reversing proviral latency will likely be required to deplete HIV-1 reservoirs.
Integrity of foveal cones in multiple evanescent white dot syndrome assessed with OCT and foveal reflection analyser

In this report, foveal photoreceptor involvement in a case of multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) is described by using two optical techniques: optical coherence tomography (OCT) and foveal reflection analysis (FRA). OCT showed a transient disruption of the foveal photoreceptor outer segments. FRA, a recently developed quantitative technique, showed disarray of the foveal cones. A 20 year old myopic Sudanese female presented at our hospital with a central visual field defect of her right eye, associated with photopsia. Visual acuity was 0.3; intraocular pressure was 16 mm Hg. Funduscopic examination of the affected eye showed some pigment epithelial alterations in the macular area, with an irregular macular reflex. Upon visual field examination, the affected eye showed a 12 dB decrease in central sensitivity, and a small blind spot enlargement was seen. No such changes were found in the left eye. OCT showed degeneration or disarray of foveal photoreceptor outer segments in the …
“Silymarin”, a Promising Pharmacological Agent for Treatment of Diseases

Widespread use of herbal drugs because of their protective effects on different organs toxicity has been shown in many studies. These protective effects have been illustrated in the fields of nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, viral hepatitis, cancer, in vitro fertilization, neurotoxicity, depression, lung diseases, prostate diseases etc. Silymarin has cytoprotection activities due to its antioxidant activity and radical scavenging. The possible known mechanisms of action of silymarin protection are blockade and adjustment of cell transporters, p-glycoprotein, estrogenic and nuclear receptors. Moreover, silymarin anti-inflammatory effects through reduction of TNF-α, protective effects on erythrocyte lysis and cisplatin-induced acute nephrotoxicity have been indicated in some studies. Silymarin has also inhibited apoptosis and follicular development in patients undergoing IVF. Basis on such data, silymarin can be served as a novel medication in complementary medicine.
Corporate Charitable Acts and Communication: An Analysis of Communication Levels

The rapid development of global integration has fastened Corporations’ market expansion and social penetration, and charitable acts have become an important strategy for corporations to expand social space and improve corporate image, which has become the core of corporate competitive advantages. In this paper, corporate charitable acts can be divided into three stages based on the analysis of charitable acts of TNCs. The author argues that in different stages of cooperation, communication levels are different which will bring different social and economic benefits.
Circadian regulation of retinomotor movements. I. Interaction of melatonin and dopamine in the control of cone length

In lower vertebrates, cone retinomotor movements occur in response to changes in lighting conditions and to an endogenous circadian clock. In the light, cone myoids contract, while in the dark, they elongate. In order to test the hypothesis that melatonin and dopamine may be involved in the regulation of cone movement, we have used an in vitro eyecup preparation from Xenopus laevis that sustains light- and dark- adaptive cone retinomotor movement. Melatonin mimics darkness by causing cone elongation. Dark- and melatonin-induced cone elongation are blocked by dopamine. Dopamine also stimulates cone contraction in dark-adapted eyecups. The effect of dopamine appears to be mediated specifically by a dopamine receptor, possibly of the D2 type. The dopamine agonist apomorphine and the putative D2 agonist LY171555 induced cone contraction. In contrast, the putative D1 agonist SKF38393- A and specific alpha 1-, alpha 2-, and beta-adrenergic receptor agonists were without effect. Furthermore, the dopamine antagonist spiroperidol not only blocked light-induced cone contraction, but also stimulated cone elongation in the light. These results suggest that dopamine is part of the light signal for cone contraction, and that its suppression is part of the dark signal for cone elongation. Melatonin may affect cone movement indirectly through its influence on the dopaminergic system.
Hearing Loss in Children with Craniofacial Microsomia

Objective To evaluate the association between craniofacial phenotype and hearing loss in children with craniofacial microsomia. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Tertiary care children's hospital. Patients Individuals with craniofacial microsomia. Main Outcome Measures Ear-specific audiograms and standardized phenotypic classification of facial characteristics. Results A total of 79 participants were included in the study. The mean age was 9 years (range, 1 to 23 years) and approximately 60% were boys. Facial anomalies were bilateral in 39 participants and unilateral in 40 participants (24 right, 16 left). Microtia (hypoplasia of the ear) was the most common feature (94%), followed by mandibular hypoplasia (76%), soft tissue deficiency (60%), orbital hypoplasia or displacement (53%), and facial nerve palsy (32%). Sixty-five individuals had hearing loss (12 bilateral and 53 unilateral). Hearing loss was conductive in 73% of affected ears, mixed in 10%, sensorineural in 1%, and indeterminate in 16%. Hypoplasia of the ear or mandible was frequently associated with ipsilateral hearing loss, although contralateral hearing loss occurred in 8% of hemifaces. Conclusions Hearing loss is strongly associated with malformations of the ipsilateral ear in craniofacial microsomia and is most commonly conductive. Hearing loss can occur contralaterally to the side with malformations in children with apparent hemifacial involvement. Children with craniofacial microsomia should receive early diagnostic hearing assessments.
Investigation of variations in the acrylamide and N(ε) -(carboxymethyl) lysine contents in cookies during baking.

UNLABELLED Baking processing is indispensable to determine special sensory prosperities of cookies and induces the formation of some beneficial components such as antioxidants. However, the formation of some Maillard reaction-derived chemical hazards, such as acrylamide (AA) and N(ε) -(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML) in cookies is also a significant consequence of baking processing from a food safety standpoint. This study investigated the effects of baking conditions on the formation of AA and CML, as well as the antioxidant activity (AOA) of cookies. Cookies were baked at various baking temperatures (155 to 230 °C) and times (1.5 to 31 min). AA and CML contents were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, respectively. The highest level of AA was obtained in the cookies baked at 155 °C/21 min and 205 °C/11 min (328.93 ± 3.10 μg/kg and 329.29 ± 5.29 μg/kg), while the highest level of CML was obtained in the cookies baked at 230 °C/1.5 min (118.05 ± 0.21 mg/kg). AA was prone to form at relatively low temperature range (155 to 205 °C), however, CML at relatively high temperature range (205 to 230 °C). The CML content was much higher than the AA content in the same set of cookies, by about 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. The AOA of cookies increased at more severe baking conditions. According to the AA and CML content, AOA and sensory properties of cookies, the temperature-time regime of 180 °C/16 min might be a compromised selection. However, only optimizing the baking condition was not enough for manufacture of high-quality cookies. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Cookies, a kind of widely consumed bakery products in the world, contain some potentially harmful compounds, like acrylamide (AA) and N(ε) -(carboxymethyl) lysine (CML). AA in cookies has led to public health concern and several research efforts. But CML, another Maillard reaction-derived chemical hazard, has been neglected so far, even though its content is much higher than that of AA in cookies. The results contribute to further insight into the Maillard reaction and are useful for the selection of baking conditions to produce high-quality cookies with lower AA and CML contents, higher AOA, and better sensory properties.
Regulation of galanin by dexamethasone in the rat anterior pituitary and the uterus.

Galanin is a 29 amino acid neuropeptide widely distributed throughout the mammalian nervous and endocrine system. We have previously reported that estrogen dramatically increases galanin gene expression and protein synthesis in the anterior pituitary (AP), while the expression in the uterus (UT) of the same animals is transient and similar to the induction of protooncogenes (c-fos, c-jun, c-myc). In order to examine if this pattern of induction is specific to estrogen administration, we investigated the effect of glucocorticoids, another steroid, on the gene expression of galanin in the AP and in the UT of ovariectomized female rats and in the AP of male rats. Using Northern blot analysis, the AP and the UT showed almost undetectable levels of galanin mRNA, but in vivo treatment of female rats with 1 mg/kg body weight of dexamethasone (DEX) led to a significant increase of galanin mRNA levels in both AP and UT. Similarly, DEX (0.1-5 mg/kg i.p.) significantly stimulated galanin mRNA levels in the AP of the male rats. In both males and females the peak of induction was at 9 h after injection that is different from the 3-hour peak after estrogen administration. Daily injection of DEX for up to 7 days sustained the levels of galanin mRNA in both the AP and the UT, in contrast to the transient induction of galanin in the UT after estrogen administration. No change was noted in the galanin protein content of AP (control = 30 +/- 3.5 ng/mg protein; DEX treated = 38 +/- 4.2 ng/mg protein). Interestingly, in the UT of ovariectomized rats the combination of DEX and DES (diethylstilbestrol) treatment for 2 days resulted in a synergistic stimulation of galanin mRNA. In summary, these data demonstrate a tissue- and steroid-specific regulation of the galanin gene in AP and UT and suggest that DEX regulates the galanin gene possibly through a pathway different from estrogen.
Crossing the Species Barrier: The Threat of an Avian Influenza Pandemic

Avian influenza (H5N1) has recently been recognized as a new emerging infectious disease that may pose a threat to international public health. Most recent developments lead to the belief that H5N1 could become the cause of the next influenza pandemic. This review discusses the characteristics of H5N1 avian influenza virus as an emerging infectious disease with the potential for pandemic development. In addition, the current pandemic influenza alert status and guidelines for pandemic preparedness, treatment, and prevention are discussed.
ORDEN: outlier region detection and exploration in sensor networks

Sensor networks play a central role in applications that monitor variables in geographic areas such as the traffic volume on roads or the temperature in the environment. A key feature users are often interested in when employing such systems is the detection of unusual phenomena, that is, anomalous values measured by the sensors. In this demonstration, we present a system, called ORDEN, that allows for the detection and (visual) exploration of outliers and anomalous events in sensor networks in real-time. In particular, the system constructs outlier regions from anomalous sensor measurements to provide for a comprehensive description of the spatial extent of phenomena of interest. With our system, users can interactively explore displayed outlier regions and investigate the heterogeneity within individual regions using different parameter and threshold settings. Using real-world sensor data streams from different application domains, we demonstrate the effectiveness and utility of our system.
Performance Evaluation of Multicasting in Energy-Constrained DTN with Selfish Nodes

Due to the uncertainty of transmission opportunities between mobile nodes, Delay Tolerant Networks (DTNs) exploits the opportunistic forwarding mechanism. This mechanism requires nodes to forward messages in a cooperative and selfish way. However, in the real word, most of the nodes exhibit selfish behaviors such as individual and social selfishness. At the same time, the energy is usually limited in such networks. In this paper, we investigate how the selfish behaviors affect the performance of two-hop relaying multicast in energy-constrained DTN. We model the message delivery process under selfish behaviors and system energy constraint by a three- dimensional continuous time Markov chain. In terms of multicast performance, we investigate the average message transmission delay and transmission cost. Numerical results show that different selfish behaviors may have opposite impacts on different performance metrics in the energy-constrained DTN.