Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of tumor size and tumor cell DNA content on the survival of patients with stage I adenocarcinoma of the lung

Tumor size at resection and flow cytometric (FCM) DNA distribution of 93 pathologically confirmed AJC Stage I adenocarcinomas of lung were compared with survival. All lung cancers had been treated by lobectomy and mediastinal lymph node dissection at this Institution, and the pathology of all cases was reviewed. Median tumor size was 2.5 cm. FCM DNA assays were carried out on the formalin‐fixed, paraffin‐embedded tumor tissue. Seventy‐nine (85%) of the tumors were aneuploid and 14 were diploid. There was no significant difference in survival between patients with diploid and aneuploid tumors. The DNA index, proliferation fraction, and fraction of aneuploid cells also had no effect on survival. However, patients with tumors smaller than 3 cm in diameter had a significantly better prognosis than those with larger tumors. Thus, in Stage I adenocarcinoma of lung, tumor size but not cellular DNA content distinguishes subgroups with favorable versus unfavorable prognosis.
Calcium signaling in Schwann cells at synaptic and extra‐synaptic sites: Active glial modulation of neuronal activity

Glial cells are widely dispersed in the central nervous system (CNS) as well as in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). In the PNS, perisynaptic Schwann cells (PSCs) are the glial cells associated with the pre‐ and postsynaptic elements of the neuromuscular junction (NMJ). They, as other glial cells of the CNS, respond to high‐frequency motor nerve stimulation with an increase in intracellular Ca2+. In addition to detecting and responding to neurotransmission, PSCs are involved in short‐term plasticity events where they depress neurotransmission through G‐protein‐dependent mechanisms and potentiate synaptic activity via Ca2+‐dependent mechanisms. In this review, we will discuss evidence that outlines the role of PSCs in short‐ and long‐term modulation of synaptic activity. We will also emphasize present functional similarities and differences in PSC activation at different NMJs. The importance of glial‐neural interactions along myelinating axons will also be discussed. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Oxidative Stress Imaging in Live Animals with Techniques Based on Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

Oxidative stress has been the object of considerable biological and biochemical investigation. Quantification has been difficult although the quantitative level of products of biological oxidations in tissues and tissue products has emerged as a widely used technique. The relationship between these products and the amount of oxidative stress is less clear. Imaging oxidative stress with electron paramagnetic resonance related magnetic resonance imaging, while not addressing the specific issue of quantification of initiating events, focuses on the anatomic specific location of the oxidative stress. Moreover, the relative quantification of oxidative stress of one location against another is possible, sharpening our understanding of oxidative stress. This promises to improve our understanding of oxidative stress and its deleterious consequences and enhance our understanding of the effectiveness of interventions to modulate oxidative stress and its consequences.
Detecting the impact of temperature on transmission of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya using mechanistic models

Recent epidemics of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya have heightened the need to understand the seasonal and geographic range of transmission by Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes. We use mechanistic transmission models to derive predictions for how the probability and magnitude of transmission for Zika, chikungunya, and dengue change with mean temperature, and we show that these predictions are well matched by human case data. Across all three viruses, models and human case data both show that transmission occurs between 18–34°C with maximal transmission occurring in a range from 26–29°C. Controlling for population size and two socioeconomic factors, temperature-dependent transmission based on our mechanistic model is an important predictor of human transmission occurrence and incidence. Risk maps indicate that tropical and subtropical regions are suitable for extended seasonal or year-round transmission, but transmission in temperate areas is limited to at most three months per year even if vectors are present. Such brief transmission windows limit the likelihood of major epidemics following disease introduction in temperate zones.
Estudios energeticos de la produccion de cal en tiempos teotihuacanos y sus implicaciones

Resumen Aunque se tienen evidencias tempranas del uso de cal en el área Maya, fue a partir del uso de los recubrimientos de cal en Teotihuacan que se generaliza su empleo en el Altiplano central de México. Con el fin de determinar el impacto que la utilización de la cal tuvo en el medio ambiente y en la sociedad que la produjo, se realizaron estimaciones de la superficie total recubierta con aplanados en la ciudad prehispánica y de la cantidad de energía que requiere la roca caliza para transformarse en cal utilizable. Con estos datos se hizo una estimación de la cantidad de madera necesaria para producir esa energía. Los resultados sugieren que aunque fue grande la cantidad de madera requerida, no dejó señales de su explotación en los sedimentos del Valle de Teotihuacan, lo que sugiere que la cal fue procesada de lugares cercanos. Se concluye que durante su evolución, la ciudad de Teotihuacan manejó procesos tecnológicos cada vez más complejos que demandaron mayores cantidades de energía. Dada la cantidad de energía, el desarrollo tecnológico involucrado en su producción y la información que proporciona, la cal merece un sitio más destacado entre los materiales estudiados por la arqueología.
Estrogen Stimulates Degradation of β-Amyloid Peptide by Up-regulating Neprilysin*

Postmenopausal estrogen depletion is a characterized risk factor for Alzheimer disease (AD), a human disorder linked to high levels of β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) in brain tissue. Previous studies suggest that estrogen negatively regulates the level of Aβ in the brain, but the molecular mechanism is unknown. Here, we provide evidence that estrogen promotes Aβ degradation mainly through a principal Aβ degrading enzyme, neprilysin, in neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. We also demonstrate that up-regulation of neprilysin by estrogen is dependent on both estrogen receptor α and β (ERα and ERβ), and ligand-activated ER regulates expression of neprilysin through physical interactions between ER and estrogen response elements (EREs) identified in the neprilysin gene. These results were confirmed by in vitro gel shift and in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses, which demonstrate specific binding of ERα and ERβ to two putative EREs in the neprilysin gene. The EREs also enhance ERα- and ERβ-dependent reporter gene expression in a yeast model system. Therefore, the study described here provides a putative mechanism by which estrogen positively regulates expression of neprilysin to promote degradation of Aβ, reducing risk for AD. These results may lead to novel approaches to prevent or treat AD.
Dynamic Modeling and Nonlinear Position Control of a Quadruped Robot with Theo Jansen Linkage Mechanisms and a Single Actuator

The Theo Jansen mechanism is gaining widespread popularity among the legged robotics community due to its scalable design, energy efficiency, low payload-to-machine-load ratio, bioinspired locomotion, and deterministic foot trajectory. In this paper, we perform for the first time the dynamic modeling and analysis on a four-legged robot driven by a single actuator and composed of Theo Jansen mechanisms. The projection method is applied to derive the equations of motion of this complex mechanical system and a position control strategy based on energy is proposed. Numerical simulations validate the efficacy of the designed controller, thus setting a theoretical basis for further investigations on Theo Jansen based quadruped robots.
Effect of Sound Familiarity on the Event-Related Potentials Elicited by Novel Environmental Sounds

The effect of sound familiarity was examined within the context of an event-related potential (ERP) novelty oddball paradigm. Brain electrical activity was recorded while subjects (16 young adults) listened to frequent tones, infrequent target tones, and infrequent novel environmental sounds. Subjects were instructed to press a button in response to the target tones only. There were 48 different novel sounds, 32 of which were repeated, and about two-thirds of which represented familiar sound concepts. The novel sounds elicited two ERP components, the novelty P3 and the P32. The novelty P3 was modulated by both repetition and familiarity, such that repeated familiar sounds elicited decreased novelty P3 amplitude at frontal sites, while repeated unfamiliar sounds elicited increased novelty P3 amplitude at posterior sites. This differential effect may reflect the operation of a neural network that distinguishes among different degrees of novelty.
GIGANTEA Acts in Blue Light Signaling and Has Biochemically Separable Roles in Circadian Clock and Flowering Time Regulation1[C][W][OA]

Circadian clocks are widespread in nature. In higher plants, they confer a selective advantage, providing information regarding not only time of day but also time of year. Forward genetic screens in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) have led to the identification of many clock components, but the functions of most of these genes remain obscure. To identify both new constituents of the circadian clock and new alleles of known clock-associated genes, we performed a mutant screen. Using a clock-regulated luciferase reporter, we isolated new alleles of ZEITLUPE, LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL, and GIGANTEA (GI). GI has previously been reported to function in red light signaling, central clock function, and flowering time regulation. Characterization of this and other GI alleles has helped us to further define GI function in the circadian system. We found that GI acts in photomorphogenic and circadian blue light signaling pathways and is differentially required for clock function in constant red versus blue light. Gene expression and epistasis analyses show that TIMING OF CHLOROPHYLL A/B BINDING PROTEIN1 (TOC1) expression is not solely dependent upon GI and that GI expression is only indirectly affected by TOC1, suggesting that GI acts both in series with and in parallel to TOC1 within the central circadian oscillator. Finally, we found that the GI-dependent promotion of CONSTANS expression and flowering is intact in a gi mutant with altered circadian regulation. Thus GI function in the regulation of a clock output can be biochemically separated from its role within the circadian clock.
Role of Peptide Growth Factors in Development of Macrovascular Complications of Diabetes

Peptide growth factors provide an important means of coordinating the growth of cells within tissues and organs. Although their role in controlling cell growth is not well understood, they have been implicated in derangements of cellular proliferation that occur in diabetes, e.g., mesangial cell hyperplasia and atherosclerosis. Because several growth factors have been structurally characterized and the cell types on which they act identified, research is focusing on developing model systems to determine whether they are involved in the pathogenesis of specific disease states. New techniques, i.e., in situ hybridization, gene transfection, and detailed structural analysis of proteins, have made it possible to define both changes in the relative abundance of specific growth factors and potential changes in their actions in specific disease states. These techniques are being applied in diabetes research and will make it possible to determine the alterations that have occurred in growth factor synthesis and growth factor-matrix protein interaction and cell-type-specific alterations in cell growth that occur after loss of normal glucose homeostasis. The findings from these types of analyses should lead to a better understanding of how the complications of diabetes develop and rational strategies to control their effects.
Pelvic and Para‐Aortic Lymphadenectomy for Surgical Staging of Endometrial Cancer: Morbidity and Mortality

This analysis compared retrospectively the morbidity and mortality of patients with endometrial cancer who had total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (TAH/BSO) alone or with pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy performed by the same surgeon at one private institution. Between August 1987 and March 1991, 77 women with endometrial cancer were staged surgically by a standard protocol without preoperative radiotherapy. Thirty-five patients (45%) had TAH/BSO alone and 42 (55%) had TAH/BSO with pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy. The median number of lymph nodes removed was 18. Patients having lymphadenectomy had an increased mean (± standard deviation) operative time (129 ± 29 versus 87 ± 26 minutes; P < .0001), increased mean estimated blood loss (391 ± 192 versus 272 ± 219 mL; P = .013), and a longer postoperative hospital stay (P = .017) compared with patients having TAH/BSO alone. However, there was no difference in transfusion rate, febrile morbidity, postoperative complications, or mortality. We conclude that pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy can be added to TAH/BSO in patients with endometrial cancer without a clinically significant increase in morbidity or mortality.
The developing story of antioxidants and asthma.

Antioxidant genotype may predict response to antioxidant supplements for asthma The extent to which diet may have an impact on either the aetiology or the severity of asthma is a question that has generated much interest over the past decade.1,2 A number of observational studies have suggested that various dietary components—including higher levels of antioxidants,3,4 magnesium,5 and fish,6—have a protective influence on the risk of asthma. The implication of these findings is that, by changing our diet, we may be able to alter our risk of developing asthma or modify the severity of the disease, and these hypotheses have now been tested in a number of randomised controlled trials. Most intervention studies have included subjects with a diagnosis of asthma and hypothesised that nutrient manipulation may improve disease activity. To date there have been only a limited number of long term randomised controlled trials of dietary interventions in patients with asthma, with those using antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E tending to suggest a benefit,7–9 while others using fish oil supplements have been disappointing.10 The study of dietary intervention for the prevention and treatment of asthma is still in its infancy and further clinical trials are required to …
Composite graft replacement of the ascending aorta: leakage detection with gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging.

PURPOSE To assess the value of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the detection of postoperative complications after composite valve graft replacement. MATERIALS AND METHODS Spin-echo and gradient-echo MR imaging was performed in 52 patients 1/2 to 200 months after composite graft replacement of the ascending aorta (22 for dissection, 30 for aneurysm). The prosthetic aortic segment, distal and proximal anastomoses, general morphologic characteristics, and diameter of the reimplanted coronary arteries were evaluated. In patients with abnormal perigraft thickening, additional spin-echo imaging was performed after injection of gadopentetate dimeglumine. RESULTS Normal postoperative perigraft thickening (< or = 10 mm) was observed in 42 patients. Ten patients had abnormal periprosthetic thickening of 15-52 mm. Gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging demonstrated leakage in five of those 10 patients. The lack of enhancement excluded the presence of bleeding in the remaining five patients (three with chronic hematomas, one with infection, and one with granulation tissue). These findings were confirmed at surgery or with subsequent follow-up MR examinations. CONCLUSION MR imaging was an optimal imaging modality for evaluating the morphologic characteristics of composite grafts and reimplanted coronary arteries. Gadolinium-enhanced MR imaging is a simple, accurate, and noninvasive method for detecting a leak, which necessitates urgent repeat surgery.
Adenovirus-Based Vaccine against Listeria monocytogenes: Extending the Concept of Invariant Chain Linkage

The use of replication-deficient adenoviruses as vehicles for transfer of foreign genes offers many advantages in a vaccine setting, eliciting strong cellular immune responses involving both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells. Further improving the immunogenicity, tethering of the inserted target Ag to MHC class II–associated invariant chain (Ii) greatly enhances both the presentation of most target Ags, as well as overall protection against viral infection, such as lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). The present study extends this vaccination concept to include protection against intracellular bacteria, using Listeria monocytogenes as a model organism. Protection in C57BL/6 mice against recombinant L. monocytogenes expressing an immunodominant epitope of the LCMV glycoprotein (GP33) was greatly accelerated, augmented, and prolonged following vaccination with an adenoviral vaccine encoding GP linked to Ii compared with vaccination with the unlinked vaccine. Studies using knockout mice demonstrated that CD8+ T cells were largely responsible for this protection, which is mediated through perforin-dependent lysis of infected cells and IFN-γ production. Taking the concept a step further, vaccination of C57BL/6 (L. monocytogenes–resistant) and BALB/c (L. monocytogenes–susceptible) mice with adenoviral vectors encoding natural L. monocytogenes-derived soluble Ags (listeriolysin O and p60) revealed that tethering of these Ags to Ii markedly improved the vaccine-induced CD8+ T cell response to two of three epitopes studied. More importantly, Ii linkage accelerated and augmented vaccine-induced protection in both mouse strains and prolonged protection, in particular that induced by the weak Ag, p60, in L. monocytogenes–susceptible BALB/c mice.
Design of a concurrent dual-band receiver front-end in 0.18 /spl mu/m CMOS for WLANs IEEE 802.11a/b/g applications

A fully monolithic dual-band concurrent receiver chip for IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g applications is presented in a 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS 1P6M technology. A low IF architecture was chosen in order to achieve a low-cost and low-power solution with a high level of integration compared to direct conversion architecture. This mixer can operate as a sub-harmonic mixer and even as a traditional Gilbert mixer if LO ports connecting to each other to find two RF inputs and two LO inputs. For a 1.8 V power supply, the overall power consumptions are 84.3 mW, with 3.5 dB and 6.3 dB overall receive-chain noise figure for 2.45 GHz and 5.25 GHz, respectively.
A Suggested Terminology and Classification for Burial Description

Abstract A review of previous systems for describing the disposal of the dead reveals basic inconsistencies in terminology and logic. A new classification is proposed that not only utilizes concepts and terminology wherever possible but also attempts to eliminate non-mutually exclusive categories and ambiguous terminology. The system is summarized in outline form to facilitate the use of the scheme as a field checklist during the excavation of burials.
Extensive DNA sequence conservation throughout the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex

The Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex includes the four species M. tuberculosis, M. bovis, M. africanum, and M. microti. We sequenced 13 M. tuberculosis complex strains in the 16S-to-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS). The ITS has a high rate of nucleotide substitution. Previous reports found three nucleotide substitutions in the ITS between two M. tuberculosis complex strains. In contrast, we found the same ITS sequence in all 13 M. tuberculosis complex strains (including all four species and M. bovis BCG). This finding confirms the conservation of 16S rDNA sequence and the high DNA-DNA relatedness found in previous studies. By the usual criteria, the four species of the M. tuberculosis complex would be considered a single species. In a phylogenetic analysis based on the ITS sequence, the four species of the M. tuberculosis complex were distinct from nontuberculous mycobacteria. The ITS contains at least seven potential sites for oligonucleotide probes with specificity for the M. tuberculosis complex.
Lipopolysaccharide-activated alveolar macrophages having cytotoxicity toward lung tumor cells through cell-to-cell binding-dependent mechanism.

BACKGROUND In lung tumor biotherapy, local macrophages such as alveolar macrophages and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) which normally exist in contact with tumor cells are thought to be hopeful target. It is advantageous to clarify the potential for and mechanism by which lung tumor cells are killed by the neighboring macrophages in order to establish new lung cancer therapy using a drug delivery system to lung tissue. MATERIALS AND METHODS A549, a human lung adenocarcinoma cell line, and Lewis lung carcinoma LLC1, a mouse lung cancer cell line, were co-cultured with NR8383, a rat alveolar macrophage cell line, and AMJ2-C11, a mouse alveolar macrophage cell line, at a ratio of 1:10 and 1:5, respectively. Macrophages were activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and cytotoxicity toward tumor cells was evaluated by a dye-uptake method and (3)H-thymidine release assay, respectively. Nitric oxide (NO) production was estimated by Griess assay, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1β were measured by ELISA. RESULTS Significant macrophage cell aggregation and cytotoxicity against A549 cells and LLC1 cells was observed with NR8383 cells and AMJ2-C11 cells in the presence of LPS. A high concentration of NO and TNF-α were detected in the supernatant of co-culture medium with LPS. Inhibition of cell-to-cell contact restored A549 cell growth. CONCLUSION The LPS-activated alveolar macrophages demonstrated an increased cell-to-cell contact with lung tumor cells and inducing cytotoxicity with production of NO and cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β. These results suggest that moderate activation of local macrophages in lung (alveolar macrophages and TAMs) is thought to be a hopeful means of establishing new immunotherapy for lung cancer.