Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cathepsin K Deficiency Reduces Elastase Perfusion–Induced Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in Mice

Objective— Cathepsin K (CatK) is one of the most potent mammalian elastases. We have previously shown increased expression of CatK in human abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) lesions. Whether this protease participates directly in AAA formation, however, remains unknown. Methods and Results— Mouse experimental AAA was induced with aortic perfusion of a porcine pancreatic elastase. Using this experimental model, we demonstrated that absence of CatK prevented AAA formation in mice 14 days postperfusion. CatK deficiency significantly reduced lesion CD4+ T-cell content, total lesion and medial cell proliferation and apoptosis, medial smooth muscle cell (SMC) loss, elastinolytic CatL and CatS expression, and elastin fragmentation, but it did not affect AAA lesion Mac-3+ macrophage accumulation or CD31+ microvessel numbers. In vitro studies revealed that CatK contributed importantly to CD4+ T-cell proliferation, SMC apoptosis, and other cysteinyl cathepsin and matrix metalloproteinase expression and activities in SMCs and endothelial cells but played negligible roles in microvessel growth and monocyte migration. AAA lesions from CatK-deficient mice showed reduced elastinolytic cathepsin activities compared with those from wild-type control mice. Conclusion— This study demonstrates that CatK plays an essential role in AAA formation by promoting T-cell proliferation, vascular SMC apoptosis, and elastin degradation and by affecting vascular cell protease expression and activities.
Mixed viral infections causing acute gastroenteritis in children in a waterborne outbreak

SUMMARY We examined stool specimens for viral pathogens from 50 children referred to hospital due to acute gastroenteritis (AGE) resulting from consuming drinking water contaminated with sewage in a Finnish community using PCR methods. Rotavirus was detected in 33 (66%), human calicivirus in 31 (62%), and both in 40% of cases. Of the caliciviruses, 20/31 (65%) were noroviruses and 11 (35%) sapoviruses. Furthermore, Aichi virus was detected in 25 (50%), adenovirus in six (12%) and bocavirus in four (8%) cases. Campylobacter jejuni was present in 20 (61%) and Salmonella in four (12%) of the 33 stools cultured for bacteria. On a 20-point scale median severity score of AGE in the 28 hospitalized children was 17; the severity was similar regardless of viruses detected. Bloody diarrhoea occurred only when C. jejuni was present. To conclude, massive exposure to several AGE viruses caused mixed infections and severe AGE regardless of the aetiological agents.
Genetics: modes of reproduction and genetic analysis

SUMMARY Classical and reverse genetics remain invaluable tools for the scientific investigation of model organisms. Genetic analysis of endoparasites is generally difficult because the sexual adults required for crossing and other manipulations are usually hidden within their host. Strongyloides spp. and Parastrongyloides spp. are notable exceptions to this and their free-living adults offer unique opportunities to manipulate these parasites experimentally. Here I review the modes of inheritance in the two generations of Strongyloides/Parastrongyloides and I discuss the opportunities and the limitations of the currently available methodology for the genetic analysis of these two genera.
Epitaxial and layout optimization of SiC microwave power varactors

SiC Schottky diode varactors have been designed for use in tunable microwave power circuits. Epitaxial growth results show excellent material uniformity with low access layer sheet resistances. Two types of device layouts have been evaluated. Island type layouts reduce the parasitic series resistance by 50–60% compared to typical finger layouts. The Q-factors of downscaled island devices are approaching the intrinsic material performance, but are limited by an increasing parasitic parallel capacitance.
A three-state model of graphical input

A model to help characterize graphical input is presented. It is a refinement of a model first introduced by Buxton, Hill and Rowley (1985). The importance of the model is that it can characterize both many of the demands of interactive transactions, and many of the capabilities of input transducers. Hence, it provides a simple and usable means to aid finding a match between the two. After an introduction, an overview of approaches to categorizing input is presented. The model is then described and discussed in terms of a number of different input technologies and techniques.
Bases moleculares de la selectividad de ligandos por receptores de melatonina

La hormona melatonina (MT), o N-acetil-5-metoxitriptamina, secretada por la glandula pineal, es responsable de la regulacion del sueno y el ritmo circadiano a traves de la modulacion del nucleo supraquiasmatico, entre otras funciones. MT actua sobre 2 receptores diferentes, MT1 (o MT1A) y MT2 (o MT1B), que funcionan acoplados a proteinas G (GPCR). La propia melatonina y otros agonistas de los receptores MT pueden ser usadas para marcar los ritmos circadianos, facilitar el sueno o ejercer un efecto en los osciladores perifericos. Por otro lado, los antagonistas de estos receptores se pueden utilizar para mejorar nuestra comprension del papel de la MT en el organismo. Sin embargo, los trabajos de diseno molecular basados en la estructura se ven obstaculizados por la ausencia de un modelo tridimensional (3D) experimental de los receptores MT1 o MT2. Los modelos construidos por tecnicas de homologia ayudan pero tanto el modo real de union como el mecanismo de activacion del receptor siguen estando definidos de forma imprecisa. En este trabajo, hemos utilizado las estructuras 3D recientemente publicadas de los receptores humanos 5-HT1B and 5-HT2B de serotonina (5HT) para construir modelos 3D de los receptores MT1 y MT2 humanos que sirven para explicar una serie de resultados experimentales, incluyendo los provenientes de estudios de mutagenesis dirigida y de selectividad de union al receptor MT2 de una serie de ligandos sinteticos publicados en la literatura. Nuestros modelos tambien explican la conservacion evolutiva de ciertos aminoacidos clave en toda la familia de receptores MT y destacan las regiones del bolsillo de union que pueden ser explotadas para conseguir perfiles distintos de selectividad entre los receptores de MT y 5HT.
Coexpression of hypoxia-inducible factor-2α, TWIST2, and SIP1 may correlate with invasion and metastasis of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of salivary gland is characterized by advanced local invasion and distant metastasis. Intratumoral hypoxia was reported to be associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) regulators. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-2α, TWIST2, and SIP1 expression and the invasion and metastasis in ACC of salivary gland. METHOD In vitro we first detected the expression of HIF-2α, TWIST2, and SIP1 in two ACC cell lines by Western blot and real-time RT-PCR. Then, in vivo, a retrospective investigation of 121 patients with ACC from Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University between 1996 and 2005 was carried out using immunohistochemistry to analyze the association between the expression of these three factors and clinical-pathological factors of patients. RESULTS The protein and mRNA levels of HIF-2α, TWIST2, and SIP1 in the high-metastasis cell line (ACC-M) were much higher than those of the low-metastasis cell line (ACC-2). The positive expression of HIF-2α, TWIST2, and SIP1 (71.07%, 42.98%, and 38.02%, respectively) was associated with the perineural invasion, the local recurrence, and distant metastasis of patients with ACC (P < 0.05). The patients with the positive coexpression of the three factors had a lower survival rate than those with the negative expression (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION It is proposed that the elevated expression of HIF-2α, TWIST2, and SIP1 can contribute to invasion and metastasis of ACC, and there might be some correlation between the hypoxia microenvironment and EMT in ACC.
Determinación de la sensibilidad in vitro de diferentes cepas de Trypanosoma cruzi al benznidazol y al extracto de hoja de la planta Zanthoxylum chiloperone

Se evaluo la sensibilidad in vitro al benznidazol y al extracto de hojas de la planta Zanthoxylum chiloperone de diez cepas del Trypanosoma cruzi. Se utilizaron formas epimastigotas de las cepas, pertenecientes a diferentes linajes, diferente procedencia geografica, incluidas tres de Paraguay, y aisladas de hospederos distintos, abarcando humanos, triatominos y animales silvestres. El grado de sensibilidad a la droga y al extracto vegetal fue estimado por el porcentaje de lisis de los parasitos a las 24 y 48 horas de exposicion. Se observo un amplio rango de variacion en el porcentaje de lisis entre las cepas, de 22,2% a 90,8% a la concentracion del benznidazol de 200 μg/mL, con el hallazgo de una cepa con sensibilidad nula al mismo. Con respecto al extracto vegetal, tres concentraciones fueron testadas, de 500, 700 y 900 μg/mL, observandose variaciones en los porcentajes de lisis entre las cepas con las dos primeras concentraciones, entre un 2,1% y 100%, con lisis total en todas las cepas a la concentracion de 900 μg/mL. No se observo asociacion entre la diversidad de respuesta a los compuestos y la clasificacion de las cepas ni con su origen geografico y tipo de hospedero. Estas diferencias observadas resaltan la heterogeneidad de las poblaciones naturales del T. cruzi, aspecto importante a tener en cuenta en los estudios de sensibilidad a quimioterapeuticos y en los tamizajes primarios de nuevos antichagasicos. Asi mismo, se destaca la eficacia del extracto vegetal sobre diferentes cepas de este parasito.
Approximation Measures for Conditional Functional Dependencies Using Stripped Conditional Partitions

Conditional functional dependencies (CFDs) have been used to improve the quality of data, including detecting and repairing data inconsistencies. Approximation measures have significant importance for data dependencies in data mining. To adapt to exceptions in real data, the measures are used to relax the strictness of CFDs for more generalized dependencies, called approximate conditional functional dependencies (ACFDs). This paper analyzes the weaknesses of dependency degree, confidence and conviction measures for general CFDs (constant and variable CFDs). A new measure for general CFDs based on incomplete knowledge granularity is proposed to measure the approximation of these dependencies as well as the distribution of data tuples into the conditional equivalence classes. Finally, the effectiveness of stripped conditional partitions and this new measure are evaluated on synthetic and real data sets. These results are important to the study of theory of approximation dependencies and improvement of discovery algorithms of CFDs and ACFDs.
A proposed framework for economic evaluation of telemedicine.

Economic evaluation of telemedicine compares the costs and other consequences of delivering specific services through telemedicine vs. alternative means. Cost-effectiveness analysis, the most common method used for health issues, helps to assess whether the expected health benefits are worth the investment. Telemedicine raises particular challenges for evaluators: a telemedicine system may have multiple uses and joint costs that are difficult to apportion to one service, the existence of a system may lead to expanded indications for use, and technological change may rapidly make an evaluation outdated. Public and private regulation and payment may affect the diffusion of telemedicine. Uncertainty surrounds the policy of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is still formulating its position. Changes are underway in policies on licensure and credentialing of clinicians, which have traditionally been done by state and by site, to reflect the fact that telemedicine services may cross these regional boundaries. Lack of insurance coverage for telemedicine services has been considered an impediment to adoption with fee-for-service payment. Under capitation payment and fixed budgets, however, providers have financial incentives to use the most efficient method to deliver services, and these arrangements would favor telemedicine if it is the less costly alternative. If telemedicine were most costly and the health benefits worth the cost, monitoring might be needed to ensure the quality of care.
Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine in atopic dermatitis: Serum thymus and activation-regulated chemokine level is closely related with disease activity.

BACKGROUND Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic and relapsing inflammatory skin disease characterized by the predominant infiltration of TH2-type cells in lesional skin. Thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC/CCL17) is a chemokine that attracts CC chemokine receptor 4-positive (CCR4+) or CCR8+ cells. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate the participation of TARC in AD. METHODS We measured serum TARC levels in 40 patients with AD, 20 healthy control subjects, and 20 patients with psoriasis. We also examined disease activity by using SCORAD score; serum soluble E-selectin, soluble IL-2 receptor, IgE, and GM-CSF levels; and eosinophil numbers in peripheral blood, as well as correlations between TARC levels and these factors. The positivity of CCR4 of CD4+CD45RO+ cells in PBMCs was examined by using FACS analysis. Immunohistochemical staining of TARC and GM-CSF was performed in the lesional skin of patients with AD. RESULTS The serum TARC levels of patients with AD were significantly higher than those of healthy control subjects and patients with psoriasis. The serum TARC levels significantly correlated with eosinophil number (r = 0.61), SCORAD score (r = 0.60), and serum soluble E-selectin levels (r = 0.58) and weakly correlated with serum soluble IL-2 receptor levels (r = 0.34) in patients with AD. The TARC levels of patients with AD decreased after the treatment in accordance with the improvement of clinical symptoms. The CCR4 positivity of CD4+CD45RO+ cells in PBMCs of patients with AD was also higher than that of healthy control subjects. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that TARC was positive in keratinocytes in the epidermis and in vascular endothelial cells, T cells, and dendritic cells in the dermis. CONCLUSION Serum TARC levels are associated with disease activity of AD, and TARC may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD.
Phytophthora ramorum infection of coast live oak leaves in Californian forests and its capacity to sporulate in vitro

Coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia) is a known host for Phytophthora ramorum, the casual agent of sudden oak death in California, with symptoms expressed as necrotic stem cankers. In the forest, leaves on two saplings in California were found to be infected with P. ramorum and these were associated with infected bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) trees. Coast live oak leaves supported sporulation and produced chlamydospores in vitro. This is the first report to identify foliage of coast live oak as a source of infection of P. ramorum in the forest and its confirmation in in vitro inoculations.
Pain management of the cancer patient

Introduction: Cancer pain is one of the most important symptoms of malignant disease, which has a major impact on the quality of life of cancer patients. Therefore, it needs to be treated appropriately after a careful assessment of the types and causes of pain. Areas covered: The mainstay of cancer pain management is systemic pharmacotherapy. This is, in principle, still based on the WHO guidelines initially published in 1986. Although these have been validated, they are not evidence-based. The principles are a stepladder approach using non-opioids, weak and then strong opioids. In addition, adjuvants can be added at any step to address specific situations such as bone or neuropathic pain. Patients, even if they are on long-acting opioids, need to be provided with immediate-release opioids for breakthrough pain. In case of inefficacy or severe adverse effects of one opioid, rotation to another opioid is recommended. Expert opinion: There is a major need for more and better randomized controlled trials in the setting of cancer pain as the lack of evidence is hampering the improvement of current treatment guidelines.
Automatic Anonymisation of a new Portuguese-English Parallel Corpus in the Legal-Financial Domain

Este artigo apresenta o processo de anonimizacao automatica de entidades mencionadas num novo corpo paralelo pesquisavel do dominio juridico-financeiro para o par de linguas portugues-ingles. O corpo resulta de memorias de traducao utilizadas em traducao profissional. Contem cerca de 40.000 pares de frases alinhadas, ou seja, frases que sao traducoes umas das outras. A anotacao das entidades mencionadas foi feita com regras especiais da Gramatica de Restricoes otimizadas para o dominio juridico-financeiro, que permitiram alcancar uma abrangencia balanceada em termos de precisao de quase 90% para as entidades mencionadas candidatas (pessoa, organizacao, endereco e identificadores pessoais) e uma abrangencia consideravelmente superior com modificacoes heuristicas e otimizadas para a producao. O corpo destina-se a estudos de traducao e a linguistica computacional (traducao automatica estatistica) e sera publicamente pesquisavel, permitindo ao seu utilizador procurar uma palavra ou expressao e devolvendo os resultados da pesquisa em contexto na lingua da busca e na sua traducao.
eHSP70/iHSP70 and divergent functions on the challenge: effect of exercise and tissue specificity in response to stress

Heat‐shock proteins including HSP70 are stress‐related proteins that have been reported in cell protection and survival. In contrast to this, the increase in circulating levels of HSP70 (eHSP70) is associated with cellular damage and inflammatory factors. Physical stress, like exercise, is effective to induce both iHSP70 and eHSP70 in several tissues and cell types, which have different behaviours in response to stress. The different functions of HSP70 before the challenge are dependent of intracellular localization and subsequent molecular chaperone action, but when present in the extracellular space, it activates pro‐inflammatory pathways. The different forms in which tissues and cells respond to stress like physical exercise, as well as the optimal intensity of the stress, are determinants for the beneficial effects or as an indicator of dangerous conditions, summoning immune cells as a warning sign to the body.
Diversity of Mosaic pbp2x Families in Penicillin-Resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae from Iran and Romania

ABSTRACT Penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae strains are found at high rates in Romania and Iran. The mosaic structure of PBP2x was investigated in 9 strains from Iran and in 15 strains from Romania to understand their evolutionary history. Mutations potentially important for β-lactam resistance were identified by comparison of the PBP2x sequences with the sequence of the related PBP2x of reference penicillin-sensitive S. mitis strains. Two main PBP2x mosaic gene families were recognized. Eight Iranian strains expressed PBP2x variants in group 1, which had a mosaic block highly related to PBP2x of the Spain23F-1 clone, which is widespread among international penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae clones. A second unique PBP2x group was observed in Romanian strains; furthermore, three PBP2x single mosaic variants were found. Sequence blocks of penicillin-sensitive strain S. mitis 658 were common among PBP2x variants from strains from both countries. Each PBP2x group contained specific signature mutations within the transpeptidase domain, documenting the existence of distinct mutational pathways for the development of penicillin resistance.
A SA-Based Wireless Seismic Stress Monitoring System for Concrete Structures

A PZT-based smart aggregate (SA) is capable of full process stress monitoring during earthquakes. A wired seismic monitoring system is prone to failure during earthquakes. Therefore, it is extremely necessary to use the wireless monitoring technique in the SA-based monitoring system. In this paper, the SA is integrated with the ZigBee wireless network which consists of a charge-to-voltage converter, a microprocessing unit, a wireless transmission unit, a base station, and a host computer. The dynamic loading scheme is applied on the SA and the output signal is measured by the wireless system and the wired system in parallel. The performance of the proposed wireless monitoring system is validated by comparing the wired and wireless signals. It is anticipated that this research will demonstrate the potential of using wireless monitoring systems for full damage process monitoring of concrete structures.
The Canadian Lung Association/Canadian Thoracic Society and tuberculosis prevention and control.

The jubilee of the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) provides us with an opportunity to reflect on the organization’s roots and the meaning of those roots to contemporary tuberculosis prevention and control, as well as global respiratory health. It is worth our while to recall that the Canadian Lung Association (CLA) and its medical arm, the CTS, have a direct lineage to parent organizations in the fight against tuberculosis in Canada. The beginnings of an organized effort to deal with [tuberculosis in Canada] were made in Ontario in 1896, when Sir William Gage founded the National Sanitarium Association for the purpose of building sanatoria for the treatment of tuberculosis. Its first sanatorium, the Muskoka Cottage Hospital, which opened the following year, was a step in the right direction for sufferers from the disease, who previously had to seek sanatorium treatment outside the country. Two other organizations were formed in the next few years – The Toronto Association for the Prevention of Consumption and Other Forms of Tuberculosis in 1898, and the Ontario Association for the Prevention of Consumption and Other Forms of Tuberculosis in 1900 – but it soon became apparent to concerned individuals that in order to achieve success the attack would have to be made on a national level. Dr Peter Bryce, Dr EJ Barrick, and the Reverend ES Eby, along with others who were interested, then took steps to organize the Canadian Association for the Prevention of Consumption and Other Forms of Tuberculosis (1). From the beginning, this was a hybrid organization of committed laypersons and medical professionals who advocated tirelessly on behalf of tuberculosis patients for a sustainable infrastructure, government responsibility, education and research. It intuitively grasped the significance of Sir William Osler’s prophetic words – “Tuberculosis is a social disease with a medical aspect” – and laboured to generate a community-based response to the disease. In 1923, the Canadian Association for the Prevention of Consumption and Other Forms of Tuberculosis was renamed the Canadian Tuberculosis Association. In 1946, at the annual meeting of the Canadian Tuberculosis Association, a program committee was struck to develop a medical section in which items of pure medical interest could be discussed. In due course, the Canadian Tuberculosis Association became the CLA and its medical section became the CTS. The 1940s and early 1950s also saw the discovery of the revolutionary new drugs that would change the course of history. Accordingly, the mid-20th century became a turning point in the life of the CLA/CTS, as well as in tuberculosis prevention and control. In the present essay, a thesis is advanced, respecting the broader implications of tuberculosis control; sequential events central to that thesis are identified as having occurred in either the first or the second half of the 20th century.