Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolation of nerve growth factor (NGF) from human body fluids; saliva, serum and urine: comparison between cobra venom and cobra serum NGF.

: Several investigators have isolated nerve growth factor (NGF) from various tissues and organs of different animals. There is no published documentation about NGF from body fluids, such as blood serum, saliva, and urine. Contrary to the unsuccessful attempts to detect or isolate NGF in serum in the past, this investigation reports the isolation of NGF from human serum, saliva, and urine. It further reports the comparison of properties between NGFs derived from cobra venom and cobra serum. NGF from serum, saliva, and urine was isolated by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and was identified as described by Lipps (1998). The identified fractions of NGF were further purified to study the biological and immunological properties. The biological activities of NGFs from human body fluids and cobra serum on PC12 cells were miniscule in comparison to the cobra venom derived NGF. The molecular weights of NGFs from human serum, saliva, and urine were identical, 36.0 kDa. However, the molecular weights of cobra serum and cobra venom NGFs were different, 55.0 kDa and 13.5 kDa, respectively. NGF level is age dependent and varies under different conditions. Using anti-human NGF, diagnostic tests can be developed for neurological disorders. This investigation also emphasizes the replacement of invasive blood collection for serum by use of saliva and urine for clinical diagnostic use in general.
The cost effectiveness of voluntary prenatal and routine newborn HIV screening in the United States.

Objective: To evaluate the cost effectiveness of voluntary prenatal and routine postnatal HIV screening in the cohort of pregnant women and newborns in the United States. Design: Cost-effectiveness analysis. We developed a decision model to analyze the cost effectiveness of enhanced prenatal screening and routine newborn screening for HIV. We also analyzed the incremental cost effectiveness of routine newborn screening when improved voluntary prenatal screening is already in place. Participants: Analysis of the cohort of pregnant women and newborns in the United States. Interventions: Enhanced prenatal screening, or routine newborn screening for HIV. Main Outcome Measures: Infections averted, life expectancy, costs, and incremental cost effectiveness. Results: Improved participation in voluntary prenatal HIV screening would result in an additional 1.1 million women being screened annually, would identify an additional 527 HIV-infected mothers annually, would avert 150 infections in newborns, and would cost $8,900 U.S. per life-year gained. Routine newborn HIV screening would test 3.9 million infants annually, would identify 1061 HIV-infected mothers, would avert 266 infections in newborns, and would cost $7,000 U.S. per life-year gained. If improved voluntary prenatal screening is already in place, routine newborn screening would avert an additional 135 infections in newborns, at an incremental cost of $10,600 U.S. per life-year gained. The screening programs are likely to be cost effective over a wide range of assumptions regarding key factors in the analysis. Conclusions: Improved voluntary prenatal HIV screening of women and routine screening of newborns are cost effective. Routine newborn screening becomes less attractive as the rate of voluntary prenatal screening increases. Improved participation in voluntary prenatal screening has the added benefit that mothers maintain their right to determine whether they are tested for HIV.
Early stroke treatment associated with better outcome: the ninds rt-pa stroke study

Background The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) rt-PA Stroke Study showed a similar percentage of intracranial hemorrhage and good outcome in patients 3 months after stroke treatment given 0 to 90 minutes and 91 to 180 minutes after stroke onset. At 24 hours after stroke onset more patients treated 0 to 90 compared to 91 to 180 minutes after stroke onset had improved by four or more points on the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS). The authors performed further analyses to characterize the relationship of onset-to-treatment time (OTT) to outcome at 3 months, early improvement at 24 hours, and intracranial hemorrhage within 36 hours. Methods Univariate analyses identified potentially confounding variables associated with OTT that could mask an OTT–treatment interaction. Tests for OTT–treatment interactions adjusting for potential masking confounders were performed. An OTT–treatment interaction was considered significant if p ≤ 0.10, implying that treatment effectiveness was related to OTT. Results For 24-hour improvement, there were no masking confounders identified and there was an OTT–treatment interaction (p = 0.08). For 3-month favorable outcome, the NIHSS met criteria for a masking confounder. After adjusting for NIHSS as a covariate, an OTT–treatment interaction was detected (p = 0.09): the adjusted OR (95% CI) for a favorable 3-month outcome associated with recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (rt-PA) was 2.11 (1.33 to 3.35) in the 0 to 90 minute stratum and 1.69 (1.09 to 2.62) in the 91 to 180 minute stratum. In the group treated with rt-PA, after adjusting for baseline NIHSS, an effect of OTT on the occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage was not detected. Conclusions If the NINDS rt-PA Stroke Trial treatment protocol is followed, this analysis suggests that patients treated 0 to 90 minutes from stroke onset with rt-PA have an increased odds of improvement at 24 hours and favorable 3-month outcome compared to patients treated later than 90 minutes. No effect of OTT on intracranial hemorrhage was detected within the group treated with rt-PA, possibly due to low power.
HIV in Vietnam: the evolving epidemic and the prevention response, 1996 through 1999.

The aim was to describe epidemiologic patterns and trends in HIV infection in Vietnam from 1996 through 1999 and to summarize the national response to the epidemic. The authors reviewed nationwide HIV case reports and analyzed annual seroprevalence among different sentinel populations in 21 provinces using the Chi-squared test for linear trend to assess trends in HIV prevalence. HIV prevention efforts were also reviewed. Through 1999 17046 HIV infections including 2947 AIDS cases and 1523 deaths had been reported in Vietnam. The cumulative incidence rate for the country was 22.5 per 100000 population. Injection drug users (IDUs) represented 89% of all those for whom risk was reported before 1997 and 88% in the period 1997-99. In 1999 HIV prevalence rates among IDUs ranged by province from 0% to 89.4%. Significantly increasing HIV trends among IDUs (p < 0.05) were found in 14 of the 21 sentinel provinces during 1996-99. HIV prevalence among commercial sex workers (CSWs) ranged from 0% to 13.2% increased significantly in 6 of 21 provinces. In 1999 prevalence among pregnant women blood donors and military recruits were 0.12% 0.20% and 0.61% respectively. Major prevention activities include mass information; peer education and outreach among groups at increased risk; availability of low-cost syringes and condoms through pharmacies; needle exchange pilot projects; widely available treatment for sexually transmitted diseases; antibody screening of blood for transfusion; and free medical treatment at government hospitals. The HIV epidemic continues to evolve rapidly intensifying among IDUs and increasing among CSWs. Serosurveillance indicators of HIV in the population at large continue to indicate the relatively slow extension beyond those at highest risk. Immediate intensive preventions in high-risk groups may decelerate expansion to the broader population. (authors)
Molecular classification and morphological traits of two species of Meretrix(Mollusca,Bivalvia)

Although many species of the genus Meretrix are commercially-important cultured bivalves,the taxonomy of Meretrix is still in argument over several discrepancies among scientists in the world.Compared with the groups of Meretrix meretrix(RD BH),two groups of Meretrix clam(CN BW),collected from Cangnan and Beihai,were phylogenetically analyzed and molecularly classified based on partial sequences of the mitochondrial COⅠ gene.The results indicated that the base sequence of CN group and M.lamarckii with similar composition was the highest in homology of 100.0% and 99.2%,respectively.Phylogenetic NJ and UPGMA tree of Meretrix based on genetic distance also showed that CN1 and CN2 were clustered together with M.lamarckii firstly.Therefore we classified CN group as M.lamarckii,which extended the geographic distribution of M.lamarckii from Taiwan to the southern coast of Zhejiang and corrected the existing document claims.But,the BW group shared low sequence homology(79.6%-85.3%)with other six species of Meretrix and formed much independently cluster beyond among groups.Number of polymorphic sites,indexes of haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity revealed that the level of genetic diversity from high to low was BHM.lamarckiiRDBW. The COⅠ gene sequences of BW group showed very low genetic diversity and no nucleotide variation among 10 individuals.The morphological characters of M.lamarckii,BW and M.meretrix were analyzed using statistical analysis of AMOVA and Tukey's multiple comparisons for seven morphological traits.Three morphological parameters,including SH/SL,SMW/TW and IW/TW,of M.lamarckii differed significantly with M.meretrix and BW(P0.05). BW with relatively expanded shell shape differed significantly with M.meretrix and M.lamarckii in parameters of SW/SL and SW/SH(P0.05). These results can be expected to provide basic data for the studies of species identification,germplasm conservation and phylogeny.
Infanticide by males and its implications: The behavioral ecology of infanticide by males

Foreword Sarah Blaffer Hrdy Preface Carel P. van Schaik and Charles Janson Part I. Introduction: 1. The holy wars against infanticide: which side are you on and why? Volker Sommer 2. Infanticide by male primates: the sexual selection hypothesis revisited Carel P. van Schaik 3. Vulnerability to infanticide by males: patterns among mammals Carel P. van Schaik Part II. Infanticide by Males: Case Studies: 4. Infanticide in Red Howlers: female group size, male composition and a possible link to folivory Carolyn M. Crockett and Charles H. Janson 5. Infanticide in Hanuman Langurs: social organization, male migration and weaning age Carola Borries and Andreas Koenig 6. Male infanticide and defense of infants in Chacma baboons Ryne A. Palombit, Dorothy L. Cheney, Julia Fischer, Sara Johnson, Drew Rendall, Robert M. Seyfarth and Joan B. Silk 7. Infanticide by males and female choice in wild Thomas's Langurs Romy Steenbeek 8. The evolution of infanticide in rodents: a comparative analysis Daniel T. Blumstein 9. Infanticide by male birds Jose P. Viega Part III. Behavioural Consequences of Infanticide by Males: 10. Prevention of infanticide: the perspective of infant primates Adrian Treves 11. Infanticide and the evolution of male-female bonds in animals Ryne A. Palombit 12. The other side of the coin: infanticide and the evolution of affiliative male-infant interactions in Old World primates Andreas Paul, Signe Preuschoft and Carel P. van Schaik 13. Female dispersal and infanticide avoidance in primates Elisabeth H. M. Sterck and Amanda H. Korstjens 14. Reproductive patterns in eutherian mammals: adaptations against infanticide Maria A. van Noordwijk and Carel P. van Schaik 15. Paternity confusion and the ovarian cycles of female primates Carel P. van Schaik, J. Keith Hodges and Charles L. Nunn 16. Social evolution in primates: the relative roles of ecology and intersexual conflict Charles L. Nunn and Carel P. van Schaik Part IV. Infanticide by Females: 17. Infanticide by female mammals: implications for the evolution of social systems Leslie Digby 18. 'The hate that love generated' - sexually selected neglect of one's own offspring in humans Eckart Voland and Peter Stephan Part V. Conclusion: 19. The behavioral ecology of infanticide Charles H. Janson and Carel P. van Schaik References, Index.
COMPOSIÇÃO E CONCENTRAÇÕES DO MEIO DE CULTIVO SOBRE O SUPERBROTAMENTO IN VITRO DA MAMONEIRA NA CULTIVAR BRS PARAGUAÇU

The multiple shoots occurs from an only explant cultivated in the ideal conditions, being able to generate some genetically identical plants, within a limited space and time period. The aim of this work was test the best medium to induce multiple shoots in castor bean BRS Paraguacu. It was test 3 concentrations of MS (50% MS, MS e 150%MS), 3 concentrations of glucose (20%, 30% e 45%) and 4 regulator concentrations (0,2mg.L -1 TDZ + 0 GA3, 0 TDZ + 0,02mg.L -1 GA3, 0,2mg.L -1 TDZ + 0,02mgL -1 GA3 e 0 TDZ+ 0 GA3), with 30 replications, at a randomized entirely design. The first plants were obtained by embryo axis cultivated in MS medium supplemented with vitamins of the B5 medium. The apical egg yolk left of the first plant, which was inoculated in flasks contending different concentrations of the MS medium, glucose and growth regulators. It was observed that to induce multiple shoots in castor bean cultivar BRS Paraguacu, the basic MS medium supplemented with the regulator TDZ, with 30% glucose is considered the most efficient, with an average of 5.87 shoots per explant.
Allonautilus: a new genus of living nautiloid cephalopod and its bearing on phylogeny of the Nautilida

Living ectocochliate cephalopods have long been thought to be restricted to a single genus, Nautilus Linnaeus, 1758, comprising five or six extant species. The shells of two species, N. scrobiculatus Lightfoot, 1786, and N. perforatus Conrad, 1847, are quite distinct, but no soft-parts were known until 1984, when N. scrobiculatus was seen alive for the first time. Dissections show that significant anatomical differences exist between N. scrobiculatus and other Nautilus species, including differences in gill morphology and details of the male reproductive system. These differences, along with phylogenetic analysis of extant and selected fossil nautiloid species, indicate that N. scrobiculatus, and N. perforatus should be distinguished from Nautilus as a newly defined genus, Allonautilus. This analysis contradicts previous phylogenies proposed for the Nautilida, which placed Nautilus as the last-evolved member of the order. We surmise that Allonautilus is a descendent of Nautilus, that the latter is paraphyletic, and first evolved in the Mesozoic, rather than in the late Cenozoic, as has been previously suggested.
Stability and Free Radical Scavenging Activities of Black Sesame Melanin

[Objective] The aim of this paper was to evaluate the stability of black sesame melanin(BSM) affected by various physicochemical factors involved in food processing,and the scavenging activities of BSM to various free radicals. [Method] Color retention of BSM solutions was obtained based on absorbance under various food processing conditions.Free radical scavenging ratio was obtained based on absorbance of DPPH·,·OH,and O2-· free radical systems as affected by addition of BSM solutions. [Result] BSM showed good stability to heat and light;it also demonstrated good stability towards several metal ions except for slightly low stability to Fe3+,Cu2+,and Zn2+;it was basically stable to oxidative,reductive,sugar,salt,vitamin C,and preservatives.BSM exhibited scavenging activities in a positively dose dependent fashion to various free radicals in the order of DPPH··OHO2-·. [Conclusion] BSM had good safety and better stability as compared with anthocyanin type melanins,in addition to its free radical scavenging activities,and therefore was a natural melanin and antioxidant resource with good prospect for development in the foodstuff,pharmaceutical,and health care arena.
Design, implementation, and evaluation at entry of a prospective cohort study of homosexual and bisexual HIV-1-negative men in Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Project Horizonte.

Project Horizonte an open cohort of homosexual and bisexual HIV-1-negative men is a component of the Minas Gerais AIDS Vaccine Program of the Federal University of Minas Gerais Belo Horizonte Brazil. Its objectives included the evaluation of seroincidence of HIV to ascertain the role of counseling on behavior modification and to assess their willingness to participate in future HIV vaccine trials. Various means of recruitment were used including pamphlets notices in community newspapers radio and television at anonymous testing centers and by word of mouth. From October 1994 to May 1999 470 volunteers were enrolled. Their mean age was 26 years and over 70% of them had high school or college education. During the follow-up they were seen every 6 months when they received counseling and condoms and when HIV testing was done. 18 seroconversions were observed and the incidence rate estimates were 1.75/100 and 1.99/100 person-years for 36 and 48 months of follow-up respectively. During the entire period 139 volunteers were lost to follow-up. Among them 59 (42.4%) never returned after the initial visit and 51 (36.7) came only once after their initial visit. No losses were observed for those observed during follow-up for more than 3 years. At enrollment 50% of participants said they would participate in a vaccine trial and 30% said they might participate. The results obtained up to this moment confirm the feasibility of following this type of cohort for an extended period estimating HIV incidence rate and evaluating counseling for safe sexual practices in preparation for clinical trials with candidate HIV vaccines in Brazil. (authors)
Improved growth and viability of lactobacilli in the presence of Bacillus subtilis (natto), catalase, or subtilisin

In an effort to demonstrate the potential usefulness of Bacillus subtilis (natto) as a probiotic, we examined the effect of this organism on the growth of three strains of lactobacilli co-cultured aerobically in vitro. Addition of B. subtilis (natto) to the culture medium resulted in an increase in the number of viable cells of all lactobacilli tested. Since B. subtilis (natto) can produce catalase, which has been reported to exhibit a similar growth-promoting effect on lactobacilli, we also examined the effect of bovine catalase on the growth of Lactobacillus reuteri JCM 1112 and L. acidophilus JCM 1132. Both catalase and B. subtilis (natto) enhanced the growth of L. reuteri JCM 1112, whereas B. subtilis (natto) but not catalase enhanced the growth of L. acidophilus JCM 1132. In a medium containing 0.1 mM hydrogen peroxide, its toxic effect on L. reuteri JCM 1112 was abolished by catalase or B. subtilis (natto). In addition, a serine protease from B. licheniformis, subtilisin, improved the growth and via.
Thiamine Intestinal Transport and Related Issues: Recent Aspects

In the intestinal lumen thiamine is in free form and very low concentrations. Absorption takes place primarily in the proximal part of the small intestine by means of a dual mechanism, which is saturable at low (physiological) concentrations and diffusive at higher. Thiamine undergoes intracellular phosphorylation mainly to thiamine pyrophosphate, while at the serosal side only free thiamine is present. Thiamine uptake is enhanced by thiamine deficiency, and reduced by thyroid hormone and diabetes. The entry of thiamine into the enterocyte, as evaluated in brush border membrane vesicles of rat small intestine in the absence of H+ gradient, is Na+- and biotransformation-independent, completely inhibited by thiamine analogs and reduced by ethanol administration and aging. The transport involves a saturable mechanism at low concentrations of vitamin and simple diffusion at higher. Outwardly oriented H+ gradients enhance thiamine transport, whose saturable component is a Na+-independent electroneutral uphill .
Exploring protein -RNA interactions with site-directed mutagenesis and phage display

The importance of RNA as a mediator of genetic information is widely appreciated. RNA molecules also participate in the regulation of various post-transcriptional activities, such as mRNA splicing, editing, RNA stability and transport. Their regulatory roles for these activities are highly dependent on finely tuned associations with cognate proteins. The RNA recognition motif (RRM) is an ancient RNA binding module that participates in hundreds of essential activities where specific RNA recognition is required. We have applied phage display and site-directed mutagenesis to dissect principles of RRM-controlled RNA recognition. The model systems we are investigating are U1A and CUG-BP1. In this dissertation, the molecular basis of the binding affinity of U1A-RNA beyond individual contacts was investigated. We have identified and evaluated the contributions of the local cooperativity formed by three neighboring residues (Asn15, Asn16 and Glu19) to the stability of the U1A-RNA complex. The localized cooperative network was mapped by double-mutant cycles and explored using phage display. We also showed that a cluster of these residues forms a " hot spot " on the surface of U1A; a single substitution at position 19 with Gln or His can alter the binding properties of U1A to recognize a non-cognate G4U RNA. Finally, we applied a deletion analysis of CUG-BP1 to define the contributions of individual RRMs and RRM combinations to the stability of the complex formed between CUG-BP1 and the GRE sequence. The preliminary results showed RRM3 of CUG-BP1 is a key domain for RNA binding. It possibly binds to the GRE sequence cooperatively with RRM2 of CUG-BP1. RRM1 of CUG-BP1 is not required iii for GRE recognition, but may be important for maintaining the stability of the full-length CUG-BP1. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Molecular Determinants of Tumor Cell Modulation of Immune Selection

Over the past century, the identification of molecules that tumor cells utilize to manipulate the activation or survival of immune cells has proven difficult. Expression analyses have helped to discover the downregulation of PD-L1, TGFβ, and FasL in the tumor microenvironment. Mutation analyses have helped identify novel tumor-specific or –associated antigens presented to the cell surface through major histocompatibility (MHC) complexes. Unfortunately, these techniques often fail to recognize the complex cross-talk occurring between cells in the tumor microenvironment to influence the anticancer immune response. By employing an RNAi screen in vivo, we have parsed how gene knockdown in tumor cells affects the ability of the immune system to identify and eliminate malignant cells. To identify tumor cell derived immune modulators, the EO771 breast adenocarcinoma cell line derived from a C57Bl/6 mice was transduced via lentiviral vectors with a barcoded genome-wide murine shRNA library and engrafted in immune-competent and immune-deficient mice. By analyzing the relative shRNA representation in tumors grown in the presence of a functional adaptive immune system compared to those grown in immune-deficient mice, we discovered a subset of tumorbased genes whose knock-down affects immune recognition. Pathway analysis identified enrichment of shRNAs targeting previously identified immune regulators, including the
Dialogue acts in GUIs

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