Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Procalcitonin in sepsis and systemic inflammation: a harmful biomarker and a therapeutic target

The worldwide yearly mortality from sepsis is substantial, greater than that of cancer of the lung and breast combined. Moreover, its incidence is increasing, and its response to therapy has not appreciably improved. In this condition, the secretion of procalcitonin (ProCT), the prohormone of calcitonin, is augmented greatly, attaining levels up to thousands of fold of normal. This hypersecretion emanates from multiple tissues throughout the body that are not traditionally viewed as being endocrine. The serum values of ProCT correlate with the severity of sepsis; they recede with its improvement and worsen with exacerbation. Accordingly, as highlighted in this review, serum ProCT has become useful as a biomarker to assist in the diagnosis of sepsis, as well as related infectious or inflammatory conditions. It is also a useful monitor of the clinical course and prognosis, and sensitive and specific assays have been developed for its measurement. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the administration of ProCT to septic animals greatly increases mortality, and several toxic effects of ProCT have been elucidated by in vitro experimental studies. Antibodies have been developed that neutralize the harmful effects of ProCT, and their use markedly decreases the symptomatology and mortality of animals that harbour a highly virulent sepsis analogous to that occurring in humans. This therapy is facilitated by the long duration of serum ProCT elevation, which allows for a broad window of therapeutic opportunity. An experimental groundwork has been established that suggests a potential applicability of such therapy in septic humans.
A discontinuous‐Galerkin‐based immersed boundary method

A numerical method to approximate partial differential equations on meshes that do not conform to the domain boundaries is introduced. The proposed method is conceptually simple and free of user‐defined parameters. Starting with a conforming finite element mesh, the key ingredient is to switch those elements intersected by the Dirichlet boundary to a discontinuous‐Galerkin approximation and impose the Dirichlet boundary conditions strongly. By virtue of relaxing the continuity constraint at those elements, boundary locking is avoided and optimal‐order convergence is achieved. This is shown through numerical experiments in reaction–diffusion problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Influence of FasL gene expression on hepatic metastasis of colorectal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND FasL expression was reported to be associated with hepatic metastasis of colorectal cancer. The aim of this study was to study FasL gene expression in colorectal carcinoma and its influences on biological behavior and hepatic metastasis of colorectal carcinoma. METHODS FasL gene expressions were examined with reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the primary focus of colorectal carcinoma, adjacent cancerous mucosae, and metastasized liver focus from colorectal cancer. HR-8348 cells of human rectal cancer cell line were transfected with FasL cDNA. Cell growth suppression rate and response to 5-FU and carboplatin were observed and analyzed with the MTT method. RESULTS FasL gene expression was detected in the primary focus of colorectal cancer (n=58), adjacent cancerous mucosae (n=58), and metastasized hepatic tumor tissues (n=28). The positive rate of FasL expression was 24% (14/58), 8% (5/58), and 100% (58/58) in the primary focus, adjacent cancerous mucosae and metastasized hepatic tumor tissues respectively. FasL expression rate in the metastasized hepatic tumor tissues was higher than that in the primary focus (X(2)=43.49, P<0.01) and adjacent cancerous mucosae (X(2)=57.66, P<0.01). In a group of patients with hepatic metastasis, the FasL expression rate in primary focus was higher than that in patients without hepatic metastasis (X(2)=3.96, P<0.05). In vitro study positive expression of FasL was shown in transfected HR-8348 cells. When 5-FU or carboplatin was added, there was a significant difference in growth suppression rate between FasL positive and controlled cancer cells (t=9.02, t=11.93, P<0.01). Under the same concentration of chemotherapeutic agents, the survival rate of FasL positive HR-8348 cells was higher than that of controlled cells. CONCLUSIONS FasL positive cancer cells are powerfully resistant to chemotherapeutic agents. The expression of the FasL gene in colorectal cancer cells is related to immune evasion to escape from being killed by immune cells, showing stronger drug-resistance, and it facilitates hepatic metastasis.
Hexose shunt dehydrogenase activity in leukocytes isolated from bovine milk.

A spectrophotometric method for measuring small changes in light absorption at specific wavelengths from highly turbid suspensions of biological material (dual-beam spectrophotometry) has been used to measure glucose-6-phosphate oxidation and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (oxidized) reduction catalyzed by lysates of milk leukocytes. This reduction was correlated . 84 with cellular protein concentration and, therefore, with cell concentration.
Activities of the Serratia marcescens Heme Receptor HasR and Isolated Plug and β-Barrel Domains: the β-Barrel Forms a Heme-Specific Channel

ABSTRACT The Serratia marcescens hemophore-specific outer membrane receptor HasR is a member of the TonB-dependent family of autoregulated receptors. It can transport either heme itself or heme bound to the hemophore HasA. On the basis of sequence and functional similarities with other TonB-dependent outer membrane receptors whose three-dimensional structures have been determined, a HasR structure model was proposed. The mature HasR protein comprises a 99-residue amino-terminal extension necessary for hasR transcription, followed by a plug domain of 139 amino acids and a β-barrel domain inserted in the outer membrane, the lumen of which is closed by the plug. This model was used to generate hasR deletions encoding HasR proteins with the native signal peptides but lacking either the N-terminal regulatory extension or encoding the plug or the β-barrel alone. The protein lacking the N-terminal extension, HasR Δ11-91, was incorporated in the outer membrane and was fully functional for active uptake of free and hemophore-bound heme. The HasR β-barrel, Δ11-192, was also incorporated in the outer membrane and bound the hemophore but expressed no active heme transport properties. The HasR plug remained in the periplasm. Coexpression of the plug and the β-barrel allowed partial plug insertion in the outer membrane, demonstrating that these two HasR domains interact in vivo. The β-barrel and the plug also interact in vitro. Nevertheless, the two domains did not complement each other to reconstitute an active TonB-dependent receptor for free or hemophore-bound heme uptake. Production of the β-barrel alone selectively increased passive diffusion of heme but not of other exogenous compounds. A mutation at histidine 603, which is required for heme uptake through the wild-type receptor, abolished heme diffusion, showing that HasR Δ11-192 forms a specific heme channel.
Induction of Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression by Peroxisome Proliferators and Non-tetradecanoylphorbol 12,13-Myristate-type Tumor Promoters in Immortalized Mouse Liver Cells*

Increased expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), the rate-limiting enzyme in prostaglandin synthesis, has been associated with growth regulation and carcinogenesis in several systems. COX-2 is known to be induced by cytokines and the skin tumor promoter 12-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-myristate (TPA). In the present study, we investigated the effects of several non-TPA-type tumor promoters on COX-2 expression in immortalized mouse liver cells. Specifically, we tested peroxisome proliferators (PPs), which are rodent liver tumor promoters that cause gross alterations in cellular lipid metabolism, the rodent liver tumor promoter phenobarbital, and the skin tumor promoters okadaic acid and thapsigargin. The PPs Wy-14643, mono-ethylhexyl phthalate, clofibrate, ciprofibrate ethyl ester, and eicosatetraynoic acid each caused large increases in COX-2 mRNA and protein, with maximal expression seen approximately 10 h after treatment of quiescent cells. COX-2 expression was also induced by thapsigargin, okadaic acid, and calcium ionophore A23187, but not by phenobarbital or the steroid PP dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate. Induction of COX-2 expression generally resulted in increased synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). However, the PPs caused little or no increase in PGE2 levels, and they inhibited serum-induced PGE2 synthesis. Unlike non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, the PPs do not directly inhibit cyclooxygenase enzyme activity in vitro Thus, PPs regulate prostaglandin metabolism via both positive (COX-2 induction) and inhibitory mechanisms. In summary, the strong induction of COX-2 expression by PPs, thapsigargin, and okadaic acid suggests a possible role for COX-2 in the growth regulatory activity of these non-TPA-type tumor promoters.
A Textile Antenna for Off-Body Communication Integrated Into Protective Clothing for Firefighters

The introduction of intelligent textile systems to increase the wearer's level of protection has exposed the necessity of wearable communication tools and has led to research in textile antennas. However, most textile fabrics are quite thin (0.5 mm), making it challenging for antenna designers to provide an antenna which operates adequately and resiliently in the 2.4-2.4835-GHz industrial-scientific-medical bandwidth. Flexible pad foam is commonly available in protective clothing and overcomes these constraints by providing a uniform, stable, and sufficient thickness. Moreover, its cellular structure and properties, such as flame retardance and water repellence, make it an excellent substrate material for the integration of antennas into protective garments. In this paper, we describe the design, manufacture, and performance of the first textile planar antenna to be implemented on flexible protective foam, suitable for firefighter garments. We employed shock absorbing foam with a thickness of 3.94 mm and achieved a nearly circularly polarized antenna with a bandwidth of more than 180 MHz even when the antenna was compressed or bent. These outstanding substrate and antenna characteristics result in an antenna that is highly appropriate for garment integration.
FERMENTATION OF GLUCOSE BY SUSPENSIONS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI

In 1926 Rona and Nicolai (1926) reported that manometric measurements of the fermentation of glucose by Escherichia coli showed this decomposition to be a typical lactic acid fermentation with the formation of two moles of lactic acid per mole of glucose. This conclusion is in contrast with the one reached by Harden (1901), who, by direct chemical analyses, found that the fermentation can be represented approximately by the equation:
Sensing requirements for robotic assembly from an analysis of critical contact transitions

This paper presents a method for determining sensing requirements for robotic assembly from an analysis of critical contact-state transitions produced among mating parts during the execution of nominal assembly plans. The goal is to support the reduction of real-life uncertainty through the recognition of assembly tasks that require force and visual feedback operations. The assembly tasks are decomposed into assembly skill primitives based on transitions described on a taxonomy of contact relations. Force feedback operations are described as a set of force compliance skills which are systematically associated to the assembly skill primitives. To determine the visual feedback operations and the type of visual information needed, a backward propagation process of geometrical constraints is used. This process defines new visual feedback requirements for the tasks from the discovery of direct, and indirect, insertion and contact dependencies among the mating parts.
Infiltrative Lipoma in a Blue-Crowned Conure (Aratinga acuticaudata)

ABSTRACT A 14-year-old blue-crowned conure (Aratinga acuticaudata) of unknown sex was brought to the hospital with a 3-week history of straining and vocalizing during defecation. Physical examination revealed blood and urate staining on feathers around the cloaca. A 2.5-cm subcutaneous swelling was palpated along the midline of the caudoventral abdomen. During surgical exploratory, a subcutaneous soft-tissue mass was found, which extended through the body wall musculature and into the coelomic cavity. The abnormal tissue was adhered to the cloacal serosa, causing deviation of the cloaca caudally and ventrally. The mass was excised and submitted for histopathology, and the histopathologic diagnosis was infiltrative lipoma. The surgical incision healed uneventfully, and no evidence of tumor regrowth was apparent 7 months after surgery. This is the first documented case of infiltrative lipoma in a bird.
Valsartan Abolishes Most of the Memory-Improving Effects of Intracerebroventricular Angiotensin II in Rats

This study explores behavioral effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) and a potent AT1 receptor inhibitor valsartan ((S)-N-valeryl-N-{[2′-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)biphenyl-4-yl]-methyl}-valine). Male Wistar rats (160–180 g) were administered valsartan (10 mg/kg) orally followed, 2 hr later, by Ang II (1 nmol) given intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v., right lateral ventricle). Then 15 min later rats underwent behavioral testing: acquisition of conditioned avoidance responses (CARs), recall of a passive avoidance behavior, open field, elevated “plus” maze, and “chimney” test. Object recognition was tested 60 min after the i.c. v. injections. In addition, effect of valsartan on Ang II stimulated drinking of water was tested. We found that valsartan did not modify the Ang II facilitation of CARs acquisition but abolished the Ang II improvement of memory retrieval and consolidation. The lack of effect of our treatments on the rats' motor activity in the open field makes unspecific contribution of the drug-induced performance changes to the cognitive tests improbable. The anxiogenic action of Ang II, decreased by valsartan, makes an unspecific influence of anxiety possible. The prevention of Ang II increase of drinking by orally given valsartan confirmed effective blockade of the brain AT1 receptors by the drug. In conclusion: valsartan appears to affect cognitive effects of i.c. v. Ang II in rats in a similar way to losartan; anxiolytic activity of valsartan appears to be slightly weaker than that of losartan.
Diversification de l'entreprise, risque et aversion au risque des dirigeants : L'hypothèse d'Amihud et Lev (1981) revisitée

L'hypothese initialement avancee par Amihud et Lev (1981), selon laquelle le dirigeant serait tente de diversifier son entreprise afin de limiter son risque d'emploi, a connu un large echo et a ete largement reprise depuis (Amihud et al., 1986 ; Lewellen et al., 1989 ; Norton, 1993 ; Lane et al., 1998). Neanmoins, les resultats obtenus par ces differentes recherches ne corroborent pas tous l'hypothese originelle. Nous nous proposons dans cette etude de reconsiderer certains aspects de l'hypothese d'Amihud et Lev (1981) et de tester sur, le marche francais, les hypotheses qui en decoulent quant a l'impact de l'aversion au risque du dirigeant sur la diversification de l'entreprise . Les resultats exposes eclairent la diversification et les eventuels motifs manageriaux qui la guide. Ils nous conduisent a etre circonspect vis-a-vis de l'hypothese initiale. L'hypothese initiale n'est pas corroboree. Son cote tres simple et general, si seduisant qu'il soit, nuit a son caractere explicatif. Notre conclusion invite a affiner l'hypothese d'Amihud et Lev (1981), et a etudier l'aversion au risque des dirigeants dans un cadre plus complet incluant les enseignements de la finance comportementale et l'ensemble du systeme de gouvernement des entreprises.
Oxidative Stress Involves in Astrocytic Alterations Induced by Manganese

It is hypothesized that manganese neurotoxicity could be secondary to a diminution of cellular protective and scavenger mechanisms. Since manganese is known to be sequestered in glial cells, we investigated possible neurotoxic mechanisms involving astrocytes in vitro. Astrocytes differentiated into process-bearing stellate cells in response to manganese treatment. Manganese concentration dependently decreased cellular DNA synthesis, glial fibrillary acidic protein expression, energy production, antioxidant capacity, and glutamate transporter activity. In contrast, manganese increased glutamine synthetase protein expression and cytokine-stimulated interleukin 6 mRNA expression. Under the concentration of 0.1 mM, manganese chloride caused no significant astrocyte death even up to 48 h after treatment. That is, these astrocytic alterations proceeded before the onset of cell demise. As a possible mediator of manganese-derived alterations, we determined intracellular redox state in astrocytes. Manganese time-dependently changed intracellular redox potential into oxidized state. The influx of manganese and its resultant oxidative stress was essential to most of the alterations, except for the action on stellation. Astrocytes are central component of the brain's antioxidant defense. Therefore, the observations suggest that dysfunction of astrocytes possibly involved in neurotoxic action of manganese.
Short‐latency somatosensory evoked potentials in infantile autism: evidence of hyperactivity in the right primary somatosensory area

Children with infantile autism sometimes show hyperesthesia or hypoesthesia to touch, pain, and/or temperature. To clarify the pathophysiology, we examined short‐latency somatosensory evoked potentials (S‐SEPs), elicited by median nerve stimulation, in 24 children with infantile autism (17 males, seven females; age range 2y 2mo–9y; mean age 4y 2mo [SD 1y 7mo]). We also evaluated relationships between S‐SEP findings and clinical manifestations. Of the 24 children, 10 showed abnormal S‐SEPs as follows: prolonged peak latency of N20 (n=2), extended interpeak latency of P13/14–N20 (n=7), appearance of a giant SEP (n=1), and a more than twofold right hemispheric peak‐to‐peak amplitude predominance of N20–P25 (n=5). In addition, a peak‐to‐peak amplitude of N20–P25 elicited by left median nerve stimuli was significantly higher than that obtained with right median nerve stimuli, which indicated right hemispheric hyperactivity relative to the left (p=0.008). Infantile autism is frequently associated with somatosensory abnormalities and right hemispheric hyperactivity relative to the left, especially in the primary somatosensory area. This is believed to contribute to the pathophysiology of infantile autism, especially the idiopathic form.
Reproductive synchrony and extra-pair mating strategy in a socially monogamous bird,
 Dendroica petechia
 


Depending on the circumstances under which extra-pair mating occurs, theory makes opposing predictions about how reproductive synchrony should influence extra-pair paternity. This study investigated which sex initiated extra-pair mating in the yellow warbler, whether extra-pair behaviour and extra-pair paternity were related to reproductive synchrony, and whether synchrony affected the mating success of all males equally. Observations and captures of individuals making territorial intrusions indicated that males initiated extra-pair mating. Spatial patterns of male territorial intrusions and of extra-pair paternity were similar. Males' extra-pair activity was reduced when their social partner was fertile. More offspring were sired by the extra-pair male when the female nested asynchronously with that sire's social mate. Neither population-wide synchrony, nor synchrony with neighbours, however, seemed to predict the incidence of extra-pair parentage or the identity of the sire, indicating factors other than synchrony were also important. Males with more breast streaking (a plumage ornament) were more successful as extra-pair sires, and were least affected by the constraint of synchrony. Larger males were less often cuckolded, and achieved extra-pair success mainly when their partner was not fertile. Thus, male yellow warblers apparently use different mating tactics depending on their plumage and size. More generally, the results suggest how mating strategies are affected by which sex initiates extra-pair mating and by the relative contributions of within-pair and extra-pair paternity to total reproductive success.Copyright 1997 The Association for the Study of Animal BehaviourCopyright 1997The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Incidence and predictors of coronary heart disease among older African Americans--the Cardiovascular Health Study.

Although coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death and morbidity in older African Americans, relatively little is known about the incidence and predictors of CHD in this population. This study was undertaken to determine the incidence and predictors of CHD in African-American men and women aged 65 years and older. The participants in this study included a total of 924 African-American men and women aged 65 years of age and older who participated in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). The overall CHD incidence was 26.6 per 1,000 person-years of risk. Rates were higher in men than women (35.3 vs. 21.6) and in those 75 years or older than in those less than 75 years (31.3 vs. 24.5). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with higher risk of incident disease were male gender [relative risk (RR) = 1.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.1, 2.7], diabetes mellitus (RR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.2, 2.9), total cholesterol (RR for 40 mg/dL increment = 1.3, 95% CI = 1.0, 1.5), and low (i.e., <0.9) ankle-arm index (RR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.3, 3.4) after adjusting for age. Within this cohort of older African Americans, male gender, diabetes mellitus, total cholesterol, and low ankle-arm index and were independently predictive of incident events. These results suggest that the ankle-arm index, a measure of advanced atherosclerosis, should be further evaluated for its efficacy in identifying older African Americans at risk for incident clinical events.
Risco da síndrome da apneia obstrutiva do sono em amostra populacional da cidade de Botucatu - SP

O disturbio do sono mais comum e a sindrome da apneia obstrutiva do sono (SAOS) que e caracterizada por pausas repetidas na respiracao durante o sono, resultantes da obstrucao total ou parcial das vias aereas superiores. Esta associada a hipertensao arterial sistemica e obesidade. Objetivo: avaliar a frequencia de SAOS na populacao adulta de Botucatu pelo questionario de Berlin. Metodo: Realizou-se estudo transveral em que o tamanho amostral foi calculado em 385 individuos. O questionario de Berlin foi aplicado em adultos aleatoriamente nas ruas, supermercados e comercio local. Os dados foram analisados considerando idade, genero, “alto risco para SAOS”, hipertensao, obesidade e as correlacoes para SAOS. Resultados: Foram entrevistadas 468 pessoas com idade entre 18 e 95 anos, media de 59 anos. 166 (35,25%) individuos foram identificados como "alto risco para SAOS", sendo mais frequente na populacao acima dos 40 anos. Obesidade foi observada em 23,3% da populacao, mais comum em mulheres (60,2%). 83,5% dos sujeitos obesos tambem apresentavam "alto risco para SAOS". Hipertensao arterial sistemica foi observada em 27,3%, destes 71,9% apresentavam "alto risco para SAOS". Conclusao: O estudo mostrou elevada frequencia de “alto risco para SAOS” na populacao adulta. Apesar da divulgacao pela midia sobre Apneia do Sono, os pacientes nao sao investigados, mesmo os em acompanhamento medico por hipertensao. Descritores: Apneia do Sono Tipo Obstrutiva; Obesidade; Hipertensao; Adulto.