Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation between Circulating Soluble ICAM-1 and Prednisolone-induced Amelioration of Ulcerative Colitis

Background: A soluble form of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) shed from endothelial cells is present in the circulation. Whether the circulating molecules represent passive turnover of surface ICAM-1 or may have some active functions in the inflammatory process is unknown. Glucocorticoids (e.g. prednisolone) are cornerstones in the treatment of acute exacerbations of ulcerative colitis (UC), and influence of the leucocyte/endothelial interaction appears to be part of their mode of action. The aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the ICAM-1-shedding through measurements of sICAM-1 concentrations during prednisolone treatment of UC patients. Methods: Prednisolone (40 mg) was prescribed to 15 patients with severe disease activity. At inclusion, and after 2 weeks of treatment, plasma sICAM-1 levels were measured using the ELISA technique. Results: The concentrations of sICAM-1 were significantly decreased during treatment from median 256.2 (ng/ml) (interquartile range 239.7-321.0 ng/ml) to 220.4 ng/ml (196.0-276.3 ng/ml) (P < 0.01). This reduction correlated with a decrease in disease activity (rs = 0.8; P < 0.003). Conclusions: sICAM-1 seems to be a poor diagnostic tool, but since plasma sICAM-1 concentrations decreased during the treatment period, it might prove to be applicable as an activity marker in the individual patient.
Effects of lisinopril upon cardiac hypertrophy, central and peripheral hemodynamics and neurohumoral factors in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

OBJECTIVE Left ventricular function (LVF) after reversal of left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) with antihypertensive therapy is still controversial. The present study was undertaken in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) to determine whether LVF of the regressed heart with lisinopril is normally maintained. DESIGN We compared cardiac function of SHR after reversal of LVH induced by lisinopril with that observed in control SHR and also with effects after a 4-week washout period. METHODS Administration of lisinopril began at 15 weeks of age and continued for 20 weeks. Cardiac index, renal blood flow, leg muscle blood flow, plasma renin activity, atrial natriuretic peptide level, and norepinephrine concentration were determined. RESULTS Lisinopril decreased body weight, blood pressure and left ventricular weight and increased leg muscle blood flow; cardiac index and renal blood flow were unaltered. Although norepinephrine concentration was unchanged, plasma renin activity increased and atrial natriuretic peptide decreased in treated SHR. Peak left ventricular pumping ability during volume loading was comparable in the two groups. After a 4-week washout period, left ventricular mass and blood pressure increased but remained lower than controls; cardiac index at rest and during volume loading was similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that LVF of the regressed heart induced by lisinopril was well preserved at rest, during volume loading and also after spontaneous recurrence of hypertension in SHR.
Mathematical Modeling to Predict the Responses to Poorly Soluble Particles in Rat Lungs

Rat inhalation experiments with titanium dioxide (TiO2) and barium sulfate (BaSO4), at concentrations calculated to produce similar volumetric lung burden for both dusts, showed overload with TIO2 but not for BaSO4 “Overload,” occurring in rats exposed to “low-toxicity” dusts at high concentrations, is characterized by a rapid deterioration in clearance and onset of inflammation. Impairment of alveolar macrophage (AM) mediated clearance, dust translocation to the lymph nodes, and neutrophil (PMN) recruitment for both dusts were better predicted by the lung burden expressed as surface area rather than mass or volume. A mathematical model describing the translocation (in terms of particulate mass) of inhaled particles in various physiologically based pulmonary compartments was used to calculate pulmonary clearance when effective and also when impairment by overload leads to increased dust translocation to the lymph nodes. Our objectives were: (I) to modify this model to include the influence of particle surface area on clearance and interstitialization; (2) to extend the model to describe the PMN recruitment; and (3) to use the model to estimate the highest exposure level such that overload would be avoided in a chronic inhalation experiment with rats. In extrapolating down to no-overload concentrations, due account was taken of the observed interanimal variation (assuming this variation was mainly due to differences in inhaled dose). For TiO2 and BaSO4, with the given size distributions, the predicted concentrations at which 95% of the animals were expected to avoid overload were 3 mg m−3 and 7.5 mg m−3, respectively. The general quantitative relationships on the role of particle surface area and on the estimation of the no-overload level have important implications for setting standards for poorly soluble particles.
A Mutant Drosophila Insulin Receptor Homolog That Extends Life-Span and Impairs Neuroendocrine Function

The Drosophila melanogaster gene insulin-like receptor (InR) is homologous to mammalian insulin receptors as well as to Caenorhabditis elegans daf-2, a signal transducer regulating worm dauer formation and adult longevity. We describe a heteroallelic, hypomorphic genotype of mutantInR, which yields dwarf females with up to an 85% extension of adult longevity and dwarf males with reduced late age-specific mortality. Treatment of the long-lived InR dwarfs with a juvenile hormone analog restores life expectancy toward that of wild-type controls. We conclude that juvenile hormone deficiency, which results from InR signal pathway mutation, is sufficient to extend life-span, and that in flies, insulin-like ligands nonautonomously mediate aging through retardation of growth or activation of specific endocrine tissue.
EFFECT OF TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITORS ON TYROSINE PHOSPHORYLATION AND MOTILITY PARAMETERS IN HUMAN SPERM

Tyrosine phosphorylation has recently been associated with capacitation and suggested as a regulator of sperm movement, especially characterizing hyperactivation. The objective of this study was to verify if tyrosine phosphorylation of human sperm proteins was essentially required for the maintenance of motility as well as the development of hyperactivation. Washed sperm were incubated for 6 h in Ham's F10 + 0.35% HSA at 37°C in 5% CO 2, with and without the tyrosine kinase inhibitors genistein, tyrphostin, erbstatin, or herbimycin A and the wide-spectrum kinase inhibitor staurosporin. The concentrations of the inhibitors used in the experiments did not induce sperm toxicity, as measured by membrane integrity and mitochondrial function assays. Samples incubated without the inhibitors (control), increased their tyrosine kinase activity (ELISA), the number and intensity of tyrosine-phosphorylated (PY) protein bands (Western blot), the incidence of PY-immunoreactive sperm (immunofluorescence), and some of the sperm motion characteristics (CASA), such as velocity (VEL), amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH), and hyperactivation. Among the selective protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors, genistein was the most active and consistent, inhibiting sperm tyrosine kinase activity, PY proteins, incidence of PY sperm, and sperm motility and motion parameters, such as VEL, ALH, and hyperactivation. The rest of the kinase inhibitors decreased motion characteristics to a varied extent and had different effects on phosphorylation parameters. In general, they decreased PY phosphorylation of 2 proteins (83 and 54 kDa) present in whole sperm extracts, and two sets of proteins of low (39-49 kDa) and medium (55-87 kDa) molecular weight present in the Triton X-100-solubilized sperm protein fraction. Thisinhibition was evident regardless of the total tyrosine kinase activity of the samples or the incidence of PY-immunoreactive sperm. The described findings further support the association between motility and protein tyrosine phosphorylation in human sperm and point to certain proteins as the main linkers.
椎旁阻滞对肺癌根治术患者术后镇痛效果及外周血肿瘤标志物水平的影响

背景与目的 围术期疼痛质量管理与肿瘤患者的预后相关，优化围术期镇痛方法，进而减轻围术期应激反应，减少阿片类药物用量从而减轻甚至避免由此引起的全身性不良反应和肿瘤标志物水平升高。 肺癌患者血清中肿瘤标志物水平与肿瘤发展密切相关，国内外文献未见报道区域阻滞对肺癌肿瘤标志物的影响。 本研究评价胸椎旁神经阻滞对胸腔镜肺癌根治术患者术后镇痛效果及外周血肿瘤标志物水平的影响。 方法 采用随机数字表法将患者分为两组（各20例）：单纯全麻组（G组）和胸椎旁神经阻滞（paravertebral block, PVB）复合全麻组（GP）组。 G组采用静脉诱导，静吸复合麻醉维持; GP组诱导前患者清醒时行PVB，PVB效果通过测定阻滞范围来判断，PVB起效后静脉诱导，静吸复合麻醉维持。 两组均于术毕缝皮时启动静脉镇痛泵行患者自控静脉镇痛（patient controlled intravenous analgesia, PCIA）。 分别于术后2 h、24 h和48 h行视觉模拟评分（visual analogue scale, VAS），记录按压次数以及镇痛药用量。 分别于术前及术后24 h取两组患者的静脉血样本，检测肿瘤标志物癌胚抗原、糖链抗原199、糖链抗原125、神经元特异性烯醇化酶、细胞角质蛋白19片段的浓度。 结果 择期行胸腔镜肺癌根治术患者40例，性别不限，年龄20岁-70岁，体重指数（body mass index, BMI）18 kg/m2-25 kg/m2，美国麻醉医师协会（American Society of Anesthesiologists, ASA）分级Ⅰ级或Ⅱ级。 术后2 h，GP组患者的VAS评分明显低于G组（P=0.013）; 术后24 h，GP组患者的VAS评分也明显低于G组（P=0.025）; GP组术后24 h、48 h启动自控按钮次数明显少于G组（P值分别为0. 021、0.026）; GP组24 h、48 h PCIA泵的输注总量明显低于G组（P值分别为0. 006、0.011）。 术后24 h，两组患者肿瘤标志物水平与术前比较变化不大（P > 0.05）; 比较两组患者肿瘤标志物水平，手术前后的差值差异无统计学意义（P > 0.05）。 结论 胸椎旁神经阻滞可明显减轻胸腔镜肺癌根治术患者术后疼痛并减少静脉镇痛泵内阿片类药物用量; 胸椎旁神经阻滞对胸腔镜肺癌根治术患者肿瘤标志物水平无明显影响。
Altered Recognition of Hypoglycaemic Symptoms in Type I Diabetes during Intensified Control with Continuous Subcutaneous Insulin Infusion

The effect of intensified metabolic control obtained with continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) on the frequency and symptoms of hypoglycaemia was studied in type I diabetic patients. The reproducibility of the questionnaire used to evaluate the hypoglycaemic symptoms was verified in a control group receiving unchanged conventional insulin therapy for 2 months. Metabolic control was significantly improved during CSII (HbA1c 6.8 ± 0.4% versus 8.7 ± 0.7%, normal range up to 5.4%) in all patients while no change was seen in the control group. The results of frequent self glucose monitoring showed that the incidence of low glucose levels (below 3.5 mmol/l) increased about threefold in the CSII group. Awareness of hypoglycaemia was clearly changed during CSII with less pronounced adrenergic symptoms while no alterations were found in the group with unchanged metabolic control. These results emphasize the importance of regular self glucose monitoring during CSII and of informing the patients that their hypoglycaemic symptoms may change during intensified control.
Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Protease Inhibitors

TO THE EDITOR: Protease inhibitors are a crucial component of highly active antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection. However, the use of these drugs is associated with hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and lipodystrophy [1-3]. The underlying mechanisms leading to these metabolic alterations are unknown. We evaluated peripheral insulin sensitivity in 24 HIV-positive patients treated with protease inhibitors, 8 therapy-naive HIV-positive patients, and 18 HIV-negative controls (Figure 1) using an intravenous insulin tolerance test [4]. Figure 1. Insulin sensitivity of 18 HIV-negative controls (squares), 8 HIV-positive therapy-naive patients (diamonds), and 24 HIV-positive patients treated with protease inhibitors (11 with normal glucose tolerance [black triangles] and 13 with abnormal tolerance [white triangles]). Patients treated with protease inhibitors had a significantly lower median insulin sensitivity (67 mol/L per minute) than did untreated patients (156 mol/L per minute; P < 0.001) and controls (177 mol/L per minute; P < 0.001). Untreated patients did not differ significantly from controls (P > 0.2). With stratification according to oral glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity was significantly higher in the treated patients with normal glucose tolerance (121 mol/L per minute; n = 11) than in those with impaired or diabetic glucose tolerance (55 mol/L per minute; n = 13). We used the mean insulin sensitivity of the HIV-negative controls 2 SDs (92 mol/L per minute) to distinguish between normal and abnormal insulin sensitivity. All controls and untreated patients had normal insulin sensitivity. All treated patients with impaired (n = 4) or diabetic (n = 9) oral glucose tolerance had abnormal insulin sensitivity. Of note, in the treated patients with normal oral glucose tolerance, both normal (n = 5) and abnormal (n = 6) insulin sensitivity was seen. These data suggest that treatment with protease inhibitors can lead to abnormal insulin sensitivity. In some patients, this can result in impaired or even diabetic oral glucose tolerance. A possible explanations for the reported peripheral insulin resistance is interference with insulin receptors or glucose transporters. Other factors, such as perturbance of insulin secretion or alterations of anti-insulinergic factors, may also be involved. Abnormal insulin sensitivity was seen in patients treated with all currently available protease inhibitors (indinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, and saquinavir).
Unique Tumor Antigens: Evidence for Immune Control of Genome Integrity and Immunogenic Targets for T Cell–Mediated Patient-Specific Immunotherapy

The molecular identification and characterization of antigenic epitopes recognized by T cells on human cancers has rapidly evolved since the cloning in 1991 of MAGEA1, the first gene reported to encode a CTL-defined human tumor antigen. In the expanding field of human tumor immunology, unique tumor antigens constitute a growing class of T cell–defined epitopes that exhibit strong immunogenicity. Some of these antigens, which often derive from mutation of genes that have relevant biological functions, are less susceptible to immunoselection and may be retained even in advanced tumors. Immunogenicity and constitutive expression of the unique tumor antigens provide a strong rationale for the design of novel, patient-tailored therapies that target such determinants. Here we discuss the immunologic relevance of unique tumor antigens in the light of the prospects for exploiting such epitopes as targets for patient-specific immune intervention strategies.
Integrating and visualizing learner and social data to elicit higher-order indicators in SCALA dashboard

The assessment of competencies is a difficult task; on one hand due to its subjective nature, and, on the other one, because of the difficulties to make it scalable and simple. Since ICT are becoming increasingly important learning mediating tools, data stored in learning tools could yield a wealth of information that could serve as an indicator to measure students' progress and the development of competencies. However, the lack of data interoperability among different educational applications imposes a challenge to data mining and analytics that rely on diverse and distributed data. Besides, these educational technologies do neither usually provide a statistics module in which the teacher can obtain specific reports about students' performance, nor visualization tools to summarize student usage data. In response to this weakness, and based on the limitations encountered in existing tools, we have developed an integrated and extensible web tool called SCALA (Scalable Competency Assessment through a Learning Analytics approach) that not only shows but also mines using analytics techniques for the discovery of student patterns and metric relations in web-based educational systems.
Bioinformatic tools for microRNA dissection

Recently, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as important elements of gene regulatory networks. MiRNAs are endogenous single-stranded non-coding RNAs (∼22-nt long) that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Through pairing with mRNA, miRNAs can down-regulate gene expression by inhibiting translation or stimulating mRNA degradation. In some cases they can also up-regulate the expression of a target gene. MiRNAs influence a variety of cellular pathways that range from development to carcinogenesis. The involvement of miRNAs in several human diseases, particularly cancer, makes them potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. Recent technological advances, especially high-throughput sequencing, have led to an exponential growth in the generation of miRNA-related data. A number of bioinformatic tools and databases have been devised to manage this growing body of data. We analyze 129 miRNA tools that are being used in diverse areas of miRNA research, to assist investigators in choosing the most appropriate tools for their needs.
Customer Characterization Options for Improving the Tariff Offer

This paper deals with the classification of electricity customers on the basis of their electrical behavior. Starting from an extensive field-measurementbased database of customer daily load diagrams, we searched for the most appropriate indices or sets of indices to be used for customer classification. We propose two original measures to quantify the degree of adequacy of each index. Using the indices as distinguishing features, we adopt an automatic clustering algorithm to form customer classes. Each customer class is then represented by its load profile. We use the load profiles to study the margins left to a distribution company for fixing dedicated tariffs to each customer class. We take into account new degrees of freedom available in the competitive electricity markets, which increase flexibility in the tariff definition under imposed revenue caps. Results of a case study performed on a set of customers of a large distribution company are presented.
RflM Functions as a Transcriptional Repressor in the Autogenous Control of the Salmonella Flagellar Master Operon flhDC

ABSTRACT Motility of bacteria like Salmonella enterica is a highly regulated process that responds to a variety of internal and external stimuli. A hierarchy of three promoter classes characterizes the Salmonella flagellar system, and the onset of flagellar gene expression depends on the oligomeric regulatory complex and class 1 gene product FlhD4C2. The flhDC promoter is a target for a broad range of transcriptional regulators that bind within the flhDC promoter region and either negatively or positively regulate flhDC operon transcription. In this work, we demonstrate that the RflM protein is a key component of flhDC regulation. Transposon mutagenesis was performed to investigate a previously described autoinhibitory effect of the flagellar master regulatory complex FlhD4C2. RflM is a LuxR homolog that functions as a flagellar class 1 transcriptional repressor. RflM was found to be the negative regulator of flhDC expression that is responsible for the formerly described autoinhibitory effect of the FlhD4C2 complex on flhDC operon transcription (K. Kutsukake, Mol. Gen. Genet. 254:440–448, 1997). We conclude that upon commencement of flagellar gene expression, the FlhD4C2 complex initiates a regulatory feedback loop by activating rflM gene expression. rflM encodes a transcriptional repressor, RflM, which fine-tunes flhDC expression levels.
Thermographic and visible spectrum camera calibration for marine robotic target detection

In the context of detection, location and tracking of human targets with combination of thermographic and visible cameras, this paper addresses the problem of geometric calibration of thermographic and visible spectrum cameras necessary for the stereo perception of targets in the robot frame. A method for precise geometric calibration of thermographic and visible cameras in the autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) ROAZ II is presented. The method combine the utilization of special patterns for intrinsic calibration of thermographic cameras, with the usage of a high-resolution 3D laser scanner for the extrinsic calibration, relating the cameras frames with the robot frame. Calibration process results are presented and analyzed.
Flow distortion and signal loss in spiral imaging

The effect of in‐plane motion on the point spread function (velocity PSF) in spiral imaging is studied experimentally and derived mathematically and is shown to consist of a smoothed, trailing edge and fringes around the leading edge. The velocity PSF remains largely in phase with the static PSF, consistent with the absence of signal loss by motion‐related phase shifts in central k space. However, single‐shot spiral imaging gives no clear improvement in complex and turbulent flow signal uniformity compared with echo‐planar imaging with early, central k‐space acquisition, which requires explanation given the spiral's earlier coverage of central k space. Alternate leading‐edge fringes of the spiral's velocity PSF are in antiphase to the source, and cancellation may occur when these overlap other in‐phase signals. Phase variations toward peripheral k space in turbulent flow also cause distortion. It is concluded that spiral imaging may lose complex and turbulent flow signals because of complex PSF distortion. Magn Reson Med 41:1023–1031, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Evolution of Lobular Neoplasia

Lobular neoplasia of the breast, encompassing both atypical lobular hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ, remains a poorly understood entity. Often misconceived of as simply a risk factor for subsequent carcinoma, lobular neoplasia likely constitutes both a generalized risk factor and a direct precursor to invasive disease. Recent molecular studies, particularly those examining alterations in the E-cadherin gene, provide compelling evidence to support a role for lobular neoplasia as a direct precursor to invasive lobular carcinoma. These molecular studies also provide early insights into the biologic relationship of atypical lobular hyperplasia and lobular carcinoma in situ. The ability to stratify lobular neoplasia into high-risk and low-risk categories based on molecular attributes is on the horizon. With this ability will come an evolution in our thinking, diagnosis, and management of this enigmatic disease.
Intelligent job selection for distributed scheduling

A key issue in distributed scheduling is selecting appropriate jobs to transfer. A job selection policy that considers the diversity of job behaviors is proposed. A mechanism used in artificial neural networks, called weight climbing, is employed. Using this mechanism, a distributed scheduler can learn the behavior of a job from its past executions and make a correct prediction about whether transferring the job is worthwhile. A scheduler using the proposed job selection policy has been implemented and experimental results show that it is able to learn job behaviors fast, make decisions accurately and adjust itself promptly when system configuration or program behaviors are changed. In addition, the selection policy introduces only negligible time and space overhead. <<ETX>>