Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evidence of cosecretion of islet amyloid polypeptide and insulin by beta-cells.

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) has been identified as the major constituent of the pancreatic amyloid of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and is also present in normal beta-cell secretory granules. To determine whether IAPP is a pancreatic secretory product, we measured the quantity of IAPP-like immunoreactivity (IAPP-LI), insulin, and glucagon released into 5 ml of incubation medium during a 2-h incubation of monolayer cultures (n = 5) of neonatal (3- to 5-day-old) Sprague-Dawley rat pancreases under three conditions: 1.67 mM glucose, 16.7 mM glucose, and 16.7 mM glucose plus 10 mM arginine and 0.1 mM isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX). The quantity of IAPP-LI, insulin, and glucagon in the cell extract was also determined. Mean +/- SE IAPP-LI in the incubation medium increased from 0.041 +/- 0.003 pmol in 1.67 mM glucose to 0.168 +/- 0.029 pmol in 16.7 mM glucose (P less than 0.05) and 1.02 +/- 0.06 pmol in 16.7 mM glucose plus arginine and IBMX (P less than 0.05 vs. 1.67 or 16.7 mM glucose). Insulin secretion increased similarly from 4.34 +/- 0.27 to 20.2 +/- 0.6 pmol (P less than 0.05) and then to 135 +/- 5 pmol (P less than 0.05 vs. 1.67 or 16.7 mM glucose). Glucagon release tended to decrease with the increase in glucose concentration (0.39 +/- 0.01 vs. 0.33 +/- 0.02 pmol, P less than 0.1), whereas with the addition of arginine and IBMX to high glucose, glucagon release increased to 1.32 +/- 0.03 pmol (P less than 0.05 vs. 1.67 or 16.7 mM glucose). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Identity Verification using Resting State Brain Signals

In the last several decades, computers or automated technologies have been utilized to verify the identity of humans using biometrics (i.e., physical and behavioral characteristics) (Wayman, Jain, Maltoni, & Maio, 2004), as it often surpasses the conventional automatic identity verification measures like passwords and personal identification numbers (PINs) by offering positive human identification. For example, the use of a PIN actually denotes the automatic identification of the PIN, not necessarily identification of the person who has provided it. The same applies with cards and tokens, which could be presented by anyone who successfully steals the card or token. PINs and passwords also have the problem of being compromised by ‘shoulder surfing’ and people picking the obvious choices. Even the recently proposed graphical passwords share similar problems.
The presence of professional phagocytes dictates the number of host cells targeted for Yop translocation during infection

Type III secretion systems deliver effector proteins from Gram‐negative bacterial pathogens into host cells, where they disarm host defences, allowing the pathogens to establish infection. Although Yersinia pseudotuberculosis delivers its effector proteins, called Yops, into numerous cell types grown in culture, we show that during infection Y. pseudotuberculosis selectively targets Yops to professional phagocytes in Peyer's patches, mesenteric lymph nodes and spleen, although it colocalizes with B and T cells as well as professional phagocytes. Strikingly, in the absence of neutrophils, the number of cells with translocated Yops was significantly reduced although the bacterial loads were similar, indicating that Y. pseudotuberculosis did not arbitrarily deliver Yops to the available cells. Using isolated splenocytes, selective binding and selective targeting to professional phagocytes when bacteria were limiting was also observed, indicating that tissue architecture was not required for the tropism for professional phagocytes. In isolated splenocytes, YadA and Invasin increased the number of all cells types with translocated Yops, but professional phagocytes were still preferentially translocated with Yops in the absence of these adhesins. Together these results indicate that Y. pseudotuberculosis discriminates among cells it encounters during infection and selectively delivers Yops to phagocytes while refraining from translocation to other cell types.
Phototoxicity of the fluorescent membrane dyes PKH2 and PKH26 on the human hematopoietic KG1a progenitor cell line.

BACKGROUND The phototoxic effects of the well-known fluorescent membrane dyes PKH2 and PKH26 have been unknown, although their use in cell tracking experiments has increased dramatically. To eliminate the phototoxicity-induced alteration in cell function and morphology, it is essential to examine the suspicious phototoxicity of these dyes. METHODS Chemical and phototoxic effects of PKH dyes on the human hematopoietic KG1a cell line were examined. To minimize phototoxicity in long-term cell tracking experiments lasting up to 18 h with a fluorescence microscope system, time-lapse monitoring with different time intervals and exposure times was introduced. RESULTS There were no significant effects of the two PKH dyes on cell viability and growth when using dye concentrations up to 5 microM. However, when stained cells were exposed to excitation light, cell viability decreased dramatically, showing the phototoxicity of the PKH dyes. More than 60% of cells stained with 5 microM PKH26 died after 5 min of continuous light exposure. The phototoxic effect was more extensive in cells stained with higher concentrations of the dyes. CONCLUSIONS We present guidelines for the optimal use of these dyes by using a defined hardware configuration.
MAGNETIC PEANUT HULLS FOR METHYLENE BLUE DYE REMOVAL : ISOTHERM AND KINETIC STUDY

Biosorption is an emerging technique for water treatment utilizing abundantly available biomaterials.The potential feasibility of magnetic peanut hulls particle for removal of cationic dye (methylene blue) from aqueous solution was investigated. The effects of various experimental parameters were examined and optimal experimental conditions were decided. Characterization of biosorbent was carried out by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric analyzer. FT-IR analysis showedthe presence of hydroxyl, carbonyl and carboxyl groups which can involve in the biosorption process. The results in this study indicated that peanut hull was an attractive candidate for removing cationic dyes from dye wastewater. Different kinetic and equilibrium models were applied to the experimental data. Tempkin model was the most fitted isotherm as R= 0.963. While the resulting data for the different parameters studied was suitable to be pseudo second order.
Normal prism adaptation but reduced after‐effect in basal ganglia disorders using a throwing task

Prism adaptation is a form of visuomotor learning in which the visual and motor systems need to be adjusted because a visual perturbation is produced by horizontally displacing prisms. Despite being known for over two centuries, the neuronal substrates of this phenomenon are not yet completely understood. In this article the possible role of the basal ganglia in this kind of learning was analysed through a study of Huntington's and Parkinson's disease patients. A throwing technique requiring the use of open loop feedback was used. The variables analysed were visuomotor performance, adaptation rate and magnitude, and the after‐effect. The results clearly showed that both Huntington's and Parkinson's disease groups learned at the same rate as control subjects. In addition, despite having a disturbed visuomotor performance, both experimental groups showed the same adaptation magnitude as the control group. Finally, the after‐effect, which is measured after removing the prisms, is reduced in both patients groups. This reduction leads to a disruption in the normal adaptation–after‐effect correlation found in normal volunteers. These results suggest that basal ganglia are not involved in this type of open‐looped visuomotor learning. The large number of patients studied as well as the similarity of the findings between both populations support this hypothesis. By contrast, there is an impairment in the after‐effect on both basal ganglia patient populations. This impairment may be the result of the deterioration of the perceptual recalibration process involved in visuomotor learning.
In-situ cellular-scale injection for alive plants by micro-bubble injector

We have succeeded in local and in-situ injection of reagent into a single plant cell by using the cavitation phenomenon of micro-bubbles. Micro-bubbles were generated electrically by a novel device called “micro-bubble injector”. This novel technology provides minimally invasive processing and high accessibility compared to conventional injection techniques which enable to inject to the material which have been difficult to be injected for a long time. This technology contribute to the biological and medical researches developments.
Immunization of HIV-infected adult patients — French recommendations

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients remain at increased risk of infection including vaccine-preventable diseases. Vaccines are therefore critical components in the protection of HIV-infected patients from an increasing number of preventable diseases. However, missed opportunities for vaccination among HIV-infected patients persist and vaccine coverage in this population could be improved. This article presents the French recommendations regarding immunization of HIV-infected adults in the light of the evidence-based literature on the benefits and the potential risks of vaccines among this vulnerable population.
Evidence of Hot-Electron Effects During Hard Switching of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs

This paper reports on the impact of soft- and hard-switching conditions on the dynamic ON-resistance of AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors. For this study, we used a special double pulse setup, which controls the overlapping of the drain and gate waveforms (thus inducing soft and hard switching), while measuring the corresponding impact on the ON-resistance, drain current, and electroluminescence (EL). The results demonstrate that the analyzed devices do not suffer from dynamic <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{ {\mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> increase when they are submitted to soft switching up to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${V}_{{\text {DS}}}= 600$ </tex-math></inline-formula> V. On the contrary, hard-switching conditions lead to a measurable increase in the dynamic ON-resistance (dynamic-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}})$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. The increase in dynamic <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> induced by hard switching is ascribed to hot-electrons effects: during each switching event, the electrons in the channel are accelerated by the high electric field and subsequently trapped in the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure or at the surface. This hypothesis is supported by the following results: 1) the increase in <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is correlated with the EL signal measured under hard-switching conditions and 2) the impact of hard switching on dynamic <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}_{ \mathrm{\scriptscriptstyle ON}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> becomes weaker at high-temperature levels, as the average energy of hot electrons decreases due to the increase scattering with the lattice.
Mitochondrial trifunctional protein deficiency: a severe fatty acid oxidation disorder with cardiac and neurologic involvement.

OBJECTIVE To determine the spectrum of presentation, including both clinical and biochemical abnormalities, and the clinical course in a cohort of patients with complete mitochondrial trifunctional protein (MTP) deficiency, a rare inborn error of mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation. STUDY DESIGN A questionnaire was sent to the referring physicians from 25 unselected MTP-deficient patients. RESULTS Twenty-one patients could be included. Questionnaires about four patients were not returned. Nine (43%) patients presented with rapidly progressive clinical deterioration; six (67%) of them had hypoketotic hypoglycemia. The remaining 12 patients presented with a much more insidious disease with nonspecific chronic symptoms, including hypotonia (100%), cardiomyopathy (73%), failure to thrive, or peripheral neuropathy. Ten patients (48%) presented in the neonatal period. Mortality was high (76%), mostly attributable to cardiac involvement. Two patients who were diagnosed prenatally died despite treatment. CONCLUSION Complete MTP deficiency often presents with nonspecific symptomatology, which makes clinical recognition difficult. Hypotonia and cardiomyopathy are common presenting features, and the differential diagnosis of an infant with these signs should include MTP deficiency. In spite of early diagnosis and treatment, only a few patients with this condition have survived.
Early Spay-Neuter Considerations for the Canine Athlete ONE VETERINARIAN’S OPINION by Chris Zink DVM PhD DACVSMR

Those of us with responsibility for the health of canine athletes need to continually read and evaluate new scientific studies to ensure that we are taking the most appropriate care of our performance dogs. This article provides evidence through a number of recent studies to suggest that veterinarians and owners working with canine athletes should revisit the standard protocol in which all dogs that are not intended for breeding are spayed and neutered at or before 6 months of age.
UV PHOTOBIOLOGY OF THE NEMATODE Caenorhabditis elegans: ACTION SPECTRA, ABSENCE OF PHOTOREACTIVATION and EFFECTS OF CAFFEINE

Action spectra for UV inactivation of reproduction in Caenorhabditis elegans have been obtained for strains N2 (wild‐type) and rad‐3 (radiation‐sensitive). Use of a dye laser radiation source, providing high intensity in a narrow wavelength band, has permitted more detail (14 wavelengths between 260 and 320 nm) than available in the spectra for other multicellular organisms. Overall sensitivity of N2 is similar to that of wild‐type Escherichia coli; that of rad‐3 is 30‐fold higher between 265 and 310 nm; relative sensitivity decreases above 310 nm but also seems to increase for irradiation below 265 nm. Tests for photoreactivation and for modification of survival by post‐irradiation treatment with caffeine were negative.
Polyphase Orthogonal Code Design for MIMO Radar Systems

Multiple input multiple output (MIMO) radar can effectively improve radar performance by transmitting specially designed orthogonal signals. A novel hybrid algorithm is presented to numerically optimize such orthogonal code sets. The proposed algorithm integrates a statistical genetic algorithm (GA) with the traditional iterative code selection method. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm is effective for the design of polyphase signals used in MIMO radar
Multiple signalling systems controlling expression of luminescence in Vibrio harveyi: sequence and function of genes encoding a second sensory pathway

Density‐dependent expression of luminescence in Vibrio harveyl is regulated by the concentration of extracellular signal molecules (autoinducers) in the culture medium. One signal‐response system is encoded by the luxL,M,N locus. The luxL and luxM genes are required for the production of an autoinducer (probably β‐hydroxybutryl homoserine lactone), and the luxN gene is required for the response to that autoinducer. Analysis of the phenotypes of LuxL,M and N mutants indicated that an additional signal‐response system also controls density sensing. We report here the identification, cloning and analysis of luxP and luxQ, which encode functions required for a second density‐sensing system. Mutants with defects in luxP and luxQ are defective in response to a second autoinducer substance. LuxQ, like LuxN, is similar to members of the family of two‐component, signal transduction proteins and contains both a histidine protein kinase and a response regulator domain. Analysis of signalling mutant phenotypes indicates that there are at least two separate signal‐response pathways which converge to regulate expression of luminescence in V. harveyl.
Absence of anti‐envelope antibodies and clearance of hepatitis C virus in a cohort of Irish women infected in 1977

Summary. The presence or absence of antibodies to the second envelope protein (anti‐E2) of hepatitis C virus (HCV) was determined in stored sera taken from a cohort of 87 Irish women with antibodies to HCV (anti‐HCV) who were all infected by HCV genotype 1b from contaminated anti‐D immunoglobulin given in 1977. Anti‐E2 was found in 16 patients (100%) who were HCV RNA positive but only in 31 of 50 patients (62%) who were HCV antibody positive by recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) but HCV RNA negative. In the remaining 21 sera taken from women who had indeterminate recombinant immunoblot assays and who were repeatedly negative on testing for HCV RNA, anti‐E2 was found in only three cases (14%). This suggests that loss or absence of anti‐E2 may be useful in confirming clearance of HCV.
An initial report on the efficacy of a millesimal potency Arsenicum Album LM 0/3 in ameliorating arsenic toxicity in humans living in a high-risk arsenic village.

BACKGROUND Millions of people are at risk of groundwater arsenic contamination, and there is no known remedy that can effectively remove the symptoms of prolonged arsenic poisoning. A potentized homeopathic drug, Arsenicum Album LM 0/3 (Ars Alb LM 0/3), is claimed in homeopathic literature to have the ability to treat symptoms similar to that of arsenic poisoning. OBJECTIVE This study examines whether Ars Alb LM 0/3 could provide some degree of amelioration for the victims living in an arsenic-affected village where no arsenic-free drinking water is available. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTIONS This study was carried out on volunteers living in an arsenic-affected village where no arsenic-free drinking water is available. Twenty-eight volunteers from the village of Dasdiya, in Haringhata block under Nadia District, West Bengal, India, an arsenic-contaminated village where wells contain 55 to 95 μg/L arsenic, were selected to undertake a double-blind and placebo-controlled trial. The subjects provided samples of blood and urine before and after 2 months of taking either "verum" or "placebo". Another 18 subjects living in an arsenic-free village, served as the negative controls. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Samples of blood and urine from the subjects were assayed for arsenic content, according to various toxicity biomarkers and pathophysiological parameters. RESULTS Out of the original 28 subjects, only 14 subjects provided samples while the other 14 dropped out. There were elevated levels of arsenic in the blood and urine, alkaline and acid phosphatases, lipid peroxidation, and glutathione activities and increased blood glucose, triacylglycerol, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol contents, whereas there were decreased levels of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases, gamma glutamyl transferase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase contents, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and packed cell volume in the subjects. After 2 months of homeopathic remedy administration, the verum-fed subjects showed positive modulations within these parameters with slight lowering of matrix metalloproteinase activity as compared with the placebo group. CONCLUSION Ars Alb LM 0/3 shows potential for use in high-risk arsenic villages as an interim treatment for amelioration of arsenic toxicity until more extensive medical treatment and facilities can be provided to the numerous victims of arsenic poisoning.
Tenascin‐W, a new marker of cancer stroma, is elevated in sera of colon and breast cancer patients

Tenascins are extracellular matrix proteins present during the development of organisms as well as in pathological conditions. Tenascin‐W, the fourth and last member of the tenascin family remains the least well‐characterized one. Our study aimed to evaluate the potential significance of tenascin‐W as cancer biomarker by monitoring its presence in the serum of colorectal and breast cancer patients and its expression in colorectal tumor tissues. To measure serum tenascin‐W levels, a sensitive sandwich‐ELISA was established. Mean tenascin‐W concentration in sera of patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer at time of diagnosis was highly increased compared to that of healthy volunteers. A similar tendency was observed for tenascin‐C in the same patient cohort. However, the increase was much more striking for tenascin‐W. We also detected elevated tenascin‐W levels in sera of breast cancer patients. Furthermore, we could show a prominent expression of tenascin‐W in extracts from colorectal tumor tissues by immunoblot analysis, whereas tenascin‐W was not detectable in the corresponding normal colon mucosa. To confirm the western blot results, we performed immunohistochemistry of frozen sections of the same patients as well as of an additional, independently chosen collection of colorectal cancer tissues. In all cases, similarly to tenascin‐C, tenascin‐W was detected in the tumor stroma. Our results reveal a clear association between elevated levels of tenascin‐W and the presence of cancer. These results warrant further studies to evaluate the potential value of serum and tissue tenascin‐W levels as diagnostic, prognostic or monitoring biomarker in colorectal, breast and possibly other solid cancers. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The plate debate: cultivable communities have no utility in contemporary environmental microbial ecology.

Contention: ‘Community-scale characterizations based on cultivable microbes are so unrepresentative that they have no utility in contemporary environmental microbial ecology’ . Microbes are, by definition, very small. Individual microbial cells and isolated fungal hyphae are invisible to the unaided human eye, and remained intangible until the invention of microscopes in the 17th Century. Aggregations of microbial cells to form larger-scale and visible entities occur naturally and can be spectacularly manifest, for example as bacterial slimes, myxomycete plasmodia, and fungal basidiocarps. In the history of microbiology, there was an imperative not just simply to visualize microbial cells, but to enumerate them and understand their form, physiology, function and relationships with their environment. This required the isolation, purification and multiplication of cells to provide sufficient biomass to enable analyses. This was conveniently achieved using dispersal and dilution techniques, most commonly in an aqueous medium, followed by modest enrichment on semisolid media, such that ostensibly separated cells proliferated and formed visible colonies; enumeration was then based on these so-called CFUs, in recognition of the fact that it was not necessarily a single cell that was the originator. Such techniques were pioneered by Koch in the 1880s, who first used cut surfaces of boiled potatoes as an enrichment surface, and then adopted hydrated gelatine films, which were better suited to visualization of colonies. Methods then evolved which adopted other gelling agents, most notably agar, and a huge variety of nutritional supplements to such media as it became apparent that different organisms grew more or less effectively on a variety of substrates. Media were devised that were apparently selective to restricted groups or even species of microbe. These techniques revolutionized both medical and environmental microbiology. In a medical context, the ability to isolate disease-causing microorganisms in a selective manner enabled Koch to formulate and apply …