Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A polymorphism in the CYP17 gene is associated with prostate cancer risk

CYP17 encodes the enzyme cytochrome P‐450c17α, which mediates both 17α‐hydroxylase and 17,20‐lyase in the steroid biosynthesis pathway. A polymorphism in the 5` promoter region of the CYP17 gene has been described. Steroid hormones, especially androgens, are believed to play a key role in the etiology of prostate cancer. Therefore, polymorphisms in genes involved in the androgen metabolism may affect the risk of prostate cancer. We conducted a case‐control study of 63 patients with untreated histologically proven prostate cancer and 126 age‐matched control men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) to determine whether a polymorphism in the CYP17 gene is associated with prostate cancer risk. This polymorphism was investigated by PCR/RFLP using DNA from lymphocytes. The transition (T→C) in the risk allele (A2) creates a new recognition site for the restriction enzyme MspAI, which permits designation of the wildtype (A1) and the risk allele (A2). The prevalence of the A2/A2 genotype was significantly higher (P = 0.03) in the cancer group (23.8%) than in the BPH control group (9.5%). We found an increased risk in men carrying 2 A2 alleles (OR = 2.80, 95%CI = 1.02–77.76). For carrier with at least 1 A2 allele, the OR was 0.90 (95%CI = 0.43–1.89). After stratification by median age (66 years) at time of diagnosis, a marked increased risk was found in carriers of the A2/A2 genotype older than 66 years (OR = 8.93, 95%CI = 1.78–49.19, P = 0.01). Although the sample size is rather small and the controls are BPH patients, our results suggest that the CYP17A2/A2 genotype may be a biomarker for prostate cancer risk, especially for older men. Int. J. Cancer 87:434–437, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
DNA mismatch repair and p53 function are major determinants of the rate of development of cisplatin resistance

As opposed to factors that control sensitivity to the acute cytotoxic effect of cisplatin, little is known about the factors that determine the rate at which resistance develops. This study examined how loss of p53 or DNA mismatch repair (MMR) function affected the rate of development of resistance to cisplatin in human colon carcinoma cells during sequential cycles of cisplatin exposure that mimic the way the drug is used in the clinic. We used a panel of sublines molecularly engineered to express either the MMR- and p53-proficient phenotype or singly or doubly deficient phenotypes. Loss of either MMR or p53 alone increased the rate of development of resistance to cisplatin by 1.8- and 2.4-fold, respectively; however, loss of both MMR and p53 increased the rate by 4.8-fold. Inhibition of DNA polymerase ζ by suppression of the expression of its REV3 subunit eliminated the increased rate of development of resistance observed in the MMR-deficient cells. Loss of p53 or MMR increased the steady-state level of REV3 and of REV1 mRNA; loss of both functions increased these levels much further by a factor of 20.2-fold for REV3 and 10.3-fold for REV1. The basal level of homologous recombination measured using a reporter vector was 1.3- to 1.7-fold higher in cells that had lost either p53 or MMR function, and 2.6-fold higher in cells that had lost both. In the p53- and MMR-proficient cells, cisplatin induced a 17-fold increase in homologous recombination even when the recombining sequences that did not contain cisplatin adducts; the magnitude of induction was even greater in cells that had lost either one or both functions. We conclude that separate from effects on sensitivity to the acute cytotoxic effect of cisplatin, loss of MMR, especially when combined with loss of p53, results in rapid evolution of cisplatin resistance during sequential rounds of drug exposure that is likely mediated by enhanced mutagenic translesion synthesis. The DNA damage response activated by cisplatin is accompanied by a p53- and MMR-dependent increase in homologous recombination even between adduct-free sequences. [Mol Cancer Ther 2006;5(5):1239–47]
Fast algorithm for isolated words recognition based on Hidden Markov model stationary distribution

Over the last few decades Hidden Markov models (HMM) became core technology in automatic speech recognition (ASR). Contemporary HMM approach is based on usage of Gaussian mixture models (GMM) as acoustic models that are capable of statistical inference of speech variability. Deep neural networks (DNN) applied to ASR as acoustic models outperformed GMM in large vocabulary speech recognition. However, conventional approaches to ASR are very computationally expensive, what makes it impossible to apply them in voice control systems on low power devices. This paper focuses on the approach to isolated words recognition with reduced computational costs, what makes it feasible for in-place recognition on low computational resources devices. All components of the isolated words recognizer are described. Quantized Mel-frequency cepstral coefficients are used as speech features. The fast algorithm of isolated words recognition is described. It is based on a stationary distribution of Hidden Markov model and has linear computational complexity. Another important feature of the proposed approach is that it requires significantly less memory to store model parameters comparing to HMM-GMM and DNN models. Algorithm performance is evaluated on TIMIT isolated words dataset. The proposed method performance is compared with the results, that showed conventional forward algorithm, HMM-GMM approach and Self-Adjustable Neural Network. Only HMM-GMM outperformed proposed stationary distribution approach.
PRONLONGED HYPOTHERMIC MACHINE PERFUSION PRESERVES HEPATOCELLULAR FUNCTION BUT POTENTIATES ENDOTHELIAL CELL DYSFUNCTION IN RAT LIVERS

Background. Although hypothermic machine perfusion (HMP) preservation has been shown to improve organ function and to expand the organ donor pool, problems still exist with the current HMP technology for liver preservation. The present study was conducted to investigate endothelial and hepatocellular functions following extended HMP (≥24 hr) in rat liver model. Methods. Following 24-hour hypothermic HMP with University of Wisconsin (UW) solution or 24-hour simple cold storage (SCS), livers were reperfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution at 37°C for 30 minutes. Hepatocyte damage and function were assessed by measuring lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, bile production, and indocyanine green (ICG) extraction. Sinusoidal endothelial cell (SEC) function and permeability were determined by hyaluronic acid (HA) uptake and multiple indicator dilution (MID) method, respectively. Results. After 24-hour hypothermic preservation, HMP livers showed lower released LDH levels, higher bile flow rate, and greater hepatic ICG uptake compared with SCS livers. However, LDH levels became significantly higher in HMP than in SCS after 30 minutes of warm perfusion. The increased enzyme levels were accompanied by a significant increase in endothelial permeability to albumin and a decrease in hyaluronic acid uptake in HMP compared to SCS. Liver wet/dry weight ratio confirmed a greater edema in HMP livers than SCS livers. Conclusion. These results suggest that 24-hour hypothermic HMP may help preservation of hepatocyte function, but endothelial cell dysfunction during the cold preservation may play a key role in hepatocyte dysfunction and parenchymal cell death upon reperfusion.
Mucins and Contact Lens Wear

Purpose: This study was designed to determine whether long-term tolerant contact lens (CL) wear causes changes in the expression of mucin mRNA by the conjunctival epithelium and mucin protein content in tears and to determine whether specific mucins adhere to contact lenses. Methods: Twenty long-term (≥5 years ) and tolerant CL wearers (2 with hard and 18 with soft contact lenses) were compared with 23 non-CL wearers. One hour after CL removal, tear fluid was collected after instillation of 60 μL of sterile water onto the ocular surface, and protein concentration was determined. Impression cytology was performed on the bulbar temporal region of conjunctiva to collect cells for RNA isolation. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed using TaqMan primer and probes for MUC1, 4, 5AC, and 16. ELISA was performed on the collected tears to detect MUC5AC and the mucin carbohydrate epitope H185. For the analysis of adherent mucins on CL, discarded daily-wear contact lenses were collected, rinsed, and incubated overnight at 4°C in mucin isolation buffer. Immunoblot analysis of adherent mucins was performed to detect MUC1, 4, 5AC, 16, and H185. Results: No significant changes in the levels of mucin mRNA from impression cytology samples were detected when comparing CL and non-CL wearers. The amount of total protein in tears collected from CL wearers (39.9 ± 27.2 μg) was significantly less than that from non-CL wearers (95.1 ± 73.8 μg, P = 0.001). The level of MUC5AC mucin and the H185 epitope in tears per unit protein in CL wearers was not significantly different from non-CL wearers. Low levels of membrane-associated mucins, the secreted mucin MUC5AC, and the carbohydrate epitope, H185, were detected in protein extracts from discarded CLs. Compared with MUC1, 4, and 5AC, there was less MUC16 adherent to the CLs. Conclusion: Neither mucin mRNA expression by conjunctival epithelia nor mucin content per unit protein in tears was altered by long-term tolerant CL wear; however, the amount of protein in the tears was significantly less. Shed membrane-associated mucins and the goblet cell mucins adhere to CLs.
Self-Condensing Vinyl Polymerization: An Approach to Dendritic Materials

Self-condensing vinyl polymerization was used to produce dendritic polymers with both highly branched structures and numerous reactive groups. A vinyl monomer will undergo self-polymerization if it contains a pendant group that can be transformed into an initiating moiety by the action of an external stimulus. The self-polymerization combines features of a classical vinyl polymerization process with those of a polycondensation because growth is accomplished by the coupling of reactive oligomers. Highly branched, irregular dendritic structures with a multiplicity of reactive functionalities are obtained by polymerization of 3-(1-chloroethyl)-ethenylbenzene.
The Efficiency Wage Hypothesis and the Role of Corporate Governance in Firm Performance (Presentation Slides)

Implications of the digital economy and its impact on the Economics of Employment in the 21st Century are reflected through lower wages which have been fueled through the rise of Information Technology, with the consequential advents of phenomena such as the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the rise of emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, block chain systems, Vertical Integration, Hyper-focused specialty lending, Lender-fintech partnerships, New engagement models, Product Innovation, to name but a few. As well as a consideration of the two-fold contribution to the literature, as highlighted in their paper, “Financial Disruptions and the Cyclical Upgrading of Labor” (2017:6), and elaborated on by Epstein et al (2017:6-8), the reconciliation of two quantitative limitations of current general equilibrium theories constituting part of such contribution, is also re iterated. The inability to account for variables which are independent of exogenously or endogenously determined factors and which are outside their model, also necessitates the incorporation of other theories and factors to be taken into account in arriving at more accurate conclusions which determine firm performance.
Production of drinking water from raw water containing cyanobacteria—pilot plant studies for assessing the risk of microcystin breakthrough

Toxins in cyanobacteria are a recognized risk in the treatment of drinking‐water treatment. Cyanotoxins can occur in two modifications: cell bound and dissolved in water. The process of toxin release may occur naturally, but it also may be induced through the processes of drinking‐water treatment. Both causes of release are relevant to the safety of drinking water. This study investigated cyanotoxin release and elimination through different treatment trains in systematic pilot‐scale studies with water from the Weida Reservoir, in Thuringia, Germany. The Weida Reservoir is a dimictic mesoeutrophic reservoir typical for a number of mountainous areas in Europe, with Planktothrix rubescens as the dominant phytoplankton species, and shows a characteristic seasonal pattern of population development and microcystin occurrence. To assess the risk of microcystin breakthrough, the pilot‐scale results as well as results of laboratory‐scale experiments were used for developing a kinetic model of toxin release in relation to elimination. By calculating removal efficiency of total microcystins (cell bound and dissolved) for different treatment trains, raw water quality was related to the quality targets for finished water, and breakthrough risks could be calculated for given treatment trains and varying cyanobacterial population densities in the reservoir. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 17: 375–385, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/tox.10067
The relationship between the BOLD‐induced T2 and T  2* : A theoretical approach for the vasculature of myocardium

Recently the blood oxygenation level–dependent (BOLD)‐related T2* of myocardium was derived as an analytical function of intracapillary blood volume, blood oxygenation, and nuclear spin diffusion. The basis of this approach was to approximate the diffusion‐induced field fluctuations a nuclear spin is subjected to by strong collision dynamics, i.e., the field fluctuations are uncorrelated. The same analysis is now performed for spin echo experiments that gives myocardial T2 as a function of the parameters above and the echotime. An analytical relationship between T2 and T2* relaxation is derived. The dependence of T2 on diffusion, echo time, and blood oxygenation is congruent with simulation and experimental data. Magn Reson Med 42:1004–1010, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Phase II trial of autologous tumor vaccination, anti-CD3-activated vaccine-primed lymphocytes, and interleukin-2 in stage IV renal cell cancer.

PURPOSE Previous preclinical and clinical studies have demonstrated that autologous tumor vaccines can induce relatively specific tumor-reactive T cells in draining lymph nodes. The adoptive transfer of these cells can result in tumor regression. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with stage IV renal cell cancer (RCC) were vaccinated with irradiated autologous tumor cells admixed with Calmette-Guérin bacillus. Approximately 7 days later, vaccine-primed lymph nodes (VPLNs) were harvested and the lymphoid cells secondarily activated with anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody and expanded in interleukin 2 (IL-2). The activated cells were subsequently infused intravenously along with the concomitant administration of bolus IL-2 (360,000 U/kg intravenously x 15 doses). RESULTS Thirty-nine patients were entered onto the study, of whom 34 completed an initial course of cell therapy consisting of a mean (SEM) number of 4.3 (2.2) x 10(10) VPLN cells. Among subjects who received cell therapy, there were nine responses (four complete responses [CRs] and five partial responses [PRs]), for an overall response rate of 27%. The durations of the CRs were > 48, 45, > 35, and 12 months, and the durations of the PRs were > 63, 48, 15, 12, and 4 months. Cultured tumor cells were available to assess in vitro cytokine release of VPLN cells in 24 subjects. The median cytokine release ratio of interferon gamma (IFNgamma) to IL-10 for responders and nonresponders was 992 and 5, respectively, which was significantly different (P =.047). CONCLUSION The treatment protocol resulted in durable tumor responses in patients with advanced RCC. The ratio of IFNgamma and IL-10 cytokines released in response to tumor by the VPLN cells was a significant correlate with tumor response.
Visual gene diagnosis of HBV and HCV based on nanoparticle probe amplification and silver staining enhancement

A visual gene‐detecting technique using nanoparticle‐supported gene probes is described. With the aid of gold nanoparticle‐supported 3′‐end–mercapto‐derivatized oligonucleotide serving as detection probe, and 5′‐end –amino‐derivatized oligonucleotide immobilized on glass surface acting as capturing probe, target DNA was detected visually by sandwich hybridization based on highly sensitive “nano‐amplification” and silver staining. Different genotypes of Hepatitis B and C viruses in the serum samples from infected patients were detected using home‐made HBV, HCV, and HBV/HCV gene chips by the gold/silver nanoparticle staining amplification method. The present visual gene‐detecting technique may avoid limitations with the reported methods, for its high sensitivity, good specificity, simplicity, speed, and cheapness. This technique has potential applications in many fields, especially in multi‐gene detection gene chips coupled with the detection will find applications in clinic. Additionally, resonance Rayleigh light scattering (RLS) spectroscopy is used, for the first time, to judge and monitor the immobilization of gene probes on gold nanoparticle surfaces. J. Med. Virol. 70: 205–211, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
JAK2V617F-Positive Essential Thrombocythemia and Multiple Myeloma with IGH/CCND1 Gene Translocation Coexist, but Originate from Separate Clones

Overlapping of essential thrombocythemia (ET) and multiple myeloma (MM) has been extremely rare. Our report concerns a case with concomitant ET and MM, where JAK2V617F was present in non-myeloma peripheral blood leukocytes and bone marrow (BM) hematopoietic cells, but not in BM-derived CD138-positive myeloma cells. In contrast, double-color fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis showed that BM-derived CD138-positive myeloma cells possessed the gene translocation between the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene and the cyclin D1 gene, which was not involved in non-myeloma hematopoietic cells. This is the first case with concomitant ET and MM in which the 2 hematologic neoplasms were shown to have originated from separate malignant clones at hierarchically different differentiation levels resulting from independent acquisition of different molecular aberrations. Among the 10 reported cases, including ours, ET preceded MM in 8 cases, but MM never preceded ET. We suggest that MM clones may have greater proliferative potency compared with ET clones, and that the treatment modification from ET to MM did not seem to exacerbate ET in most reported cases, perhaps because of the suppression of the ET clone by both the cytotoxic effect of anti-myeloma therapy and the clonal repression by MM progression.
Effectiveness of public health measures in mitigating pandemic influenza spread: a prospective sero-epidemiological cohort study.

BACKGROUND Few studies have validated the effectiveness of public health interventions in reducing influenza spread in real‐life settings. We aim to validate these measures used during the 2009 pandemic. METHODS From 22 June to 9 October 2009, we performed a prospective observational cohort study using paired serum samples and symptom review among 3 groups of Singapore military personnel. "Normal" units were subjected to prevailing pandemic response policies. "Essential" units and health care workers had additional public health interventions (eg, enhanced surveillance with isolation, segregation, personal protective equipment). Samples were tested by hemagglutination inhibition; the principal outcome was seroconversion to 2009 influenza A(H1N1). RESULTS In total, 1015 individuals in 14 units completed the study, with 29% overall seroconversion. Seroconversion among essential units (17%) and health care workers (11%) was significantly lower than that in normal units (44%) (P = .001). Symptomatic illness attributable to influenza was also lower in essential units (5%) and health care workers (2%) than in normal units (12%) (P = .06). Adjusted for confounders, unit type was the only significant variable influencing overall seroconversion ( P < .05). From multivariate analysis within each unit, age (P < .001) and baseline antibody titer (P = .012 ) were inversely related to seroconversion risk. CONCLUSIONS Public health measures are effective in limiting influenza transmission in closed environments.
Text categorization based on frequent patterns with term frequency

The association categorization technology based on frequent patterns is recently presented, which build the classification rules by frequent patterns in various categories and classify the new text employing these rules. However, in the current association classification methods, shortage exists in two aspects when it is applied to classify text data: one is the method ignored the information about word's frequency in a text; the other is, the method needs pruning rules when the mass rules are generated, but that leads the veracity of classifying to drop. Therefore, this paper presents a text categorization algorithm based on frequent pattern with term frequency, and obtains higher performance than other association categorization methods and some current text classification methods. Our study provides evidence that association rule mining can be used for the construction of fast and effective classifiers for automatic text categorization.
Electron and proton transport by NADPH oxidases

The NADPH oxidase is the main weapon of phagocytic white blood cells that are the first line of defence of our body against invading pathogens, and patients lacking a functional oxidase suffer from severe and recurrent infections. The oxidase is a multisubunit enzyme complex that transports electrons from cytoplasmic NADPH to molecular oxygen in order to generate superoxide free radicals. Electron transport across the plasma membrane is electrogenic and is associated with the flux of protons through voltage-activated proton channels. Both proton and electron currents can be recorded with the patch-clamp technique, but whether the oxidase is a proton channel or a proton channel modulator remains controversial. Recently, we have used the inside–out configuration of the patch-clamp technique to record proton and electron currents in excised patches. This approach allows us to measure the oxidase activity under very controlled conditions, and has provided new information about the enzymatic activity of the oxidase and its coupling to proton channels. In this chapter I will discuss how the unique characteristics of the electron and proton currents associated with the redox activity of the NADPH oxidase have extended our knowledge about the thermodynamics and the physiological regulation of this remarkable enzyme.
Agility literature review: Classifications, training and testing

Abstract At present, no agreement on a precise definition of agility within the sports science community exists. The term is applied to a broad range of sport contexts, but with such great inconsistency, it further complicates our understanding of what trainable components may enhance agility. A new definition of agility is proposed: “a rapid whole-body movement with change of velocity or direction in response to a stimulus”. Agility has relationships with trainable physical qualities such as strength, power and technique, as well as cognitive components such as visual-scanning techniques, visual-scanning speed and anticipation. Agility testing is generally confined to tests of physical components such as change of direction speed, or cognitive components such as anticipation and pattern recognition. New tests of agility that combine physical and cognitive measures are encouraged.