Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Environmental factors of temperature, humidity, serum accumulation, and cell seeding increase colon cancer cell adhesion in vitro, with partial characterization of the serum component responsible for pressure-stimulated adhesion.

Physical characteristics of surgical wounds and viable tumor cells shed may differ between open and laparoscopic procedures. Because environmental factors may vary between the laparoscopic milieu and that of open surgical procedures, we sought to characterize the effect of these factors on tumor cell adhesion, an early step in the process of wound implantation. Human SW620 colon cancer cells were placed in matrix-precoated dishes for 30 min at concentrations of 90,000-540,000 cells/well, at 25-37 degrees C, in the native state of the matrix proteins and after drying for 60 min, and in 0-10% serum. As increased pressure has previously been reported to stimulate colon cancer cell adhesion synergistically with serum, we then further partially characterized the serum components responsible for this potentiating effect. The number of adherent cells varied linearly with cells seeded. Adhesion was temperature-dependent, and also was dependent on the matrix conformation. Less adhesion occurred to dry matrix proteins. Serum dose-dependently potentiated SW620 pressure-stimulated adhesion, with a maximal increase in adhesion compared with ambient pressure conditions at 5% serum concentration. Heat inactivating the serum at 60 degrees C for 30 min ablated the effect. Filtration to remove molecules over 10 kDa produced no change in adhesion relative to ambient conditions, but filtration to 100 kDa preserved the serum effect. When the serum was passed over a gelatin-Sepharose column, which binds numerous proteins including fibronectin, the serum effect was lost. Addition of fibronectin to serum-free media did not reconstitute the effect. The environmental factors of warm temperature, moisture, and serum accumulation may contribute to increased colon cancer cell adhesion. However, the most important determinant of malignant adhesion to surgical wounds, laparoscopic or open, is likely to be the size of the tumor cell inoculum. Pressure stimulation of colon cancer cell adhesion is potentiated by heat-labile serum components of molecular weight 10-100 kDa which bind gelatin-Sepharose, and is not fibronectin alone. Irrigating serum from surgical wounds may decrease tumor implantation.
Variations in the use of chemotherapy for elderly patients with advanced ovarian cancer: a population-based study.

PURPOSE Since 1986, the recommended therapy for patients with ovarian cancer has included surgery and chemotherapy with a platinum compound (cisplatin or carboplatin). The purpose of this study is to assess the use of chemotherapy in elderly patients with advanced ovarian cancer. METHODS The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database represents approximately 14% of the United States population and provides clinical and demographic information on cancer patients covered by Medicare, along with health care-utilization data from Medicare claims files. We analyzed the association of demographic and clinical factors with treatment among patients diagnosed from 1992 to 1996 with stage III or IV ovarian cancer, who survived > or = 120 days beyond diagnosis, and were > or = 65 years of age (N = 1,775). RESULTS Approximately 83% of elderly patients received some form of chemotherapy within 4 months of diagnosis. In a multiple logistic regression model with patients aged 65 to 69 years as the reference, the odds ratios of receiving chemotherapy were 0.96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.63 to 1.46) for ages 70 to 74, 0.65 (95% CI, 0.43 to 1.00) for 75 to 79, 0.24 (95% CI, 0.15 to 0.37) for 80 to 84, and 0.12 (95% CI, 0.07 to 0.19) for 85+. Hispanic patients were less likely to receive chemotherapy than non-Hispanic white patients. Since 1992, paclitaxel has gradually replaced cyclophosphamide as the drug most commonly used with platinum. CONCLUSION Despite its proven efficacy in treating ovarian cancer, chemotherapy seems to be used less among patients over age 65, especially those who are nonwhite and/or in the oldest age groups. Further research is needed to elucidate to what degree this represents appropriate clinical judgment and to what degree other factors, such as patient choice, play a role.
A common neutralizing epitope conserved between the hemagglutinins of influenza A virus H1 and H2 strains

When mice were immunized with the A/Okuda/57 (H2N2) strain of influenza virus, a unique monoclonal antibody designated C179 was obtained. Although C179 was confirmed to recognize the hemagglutinin (HA) glycoprotein by immunoprecipitation assays, it did not show hemagglutination inhibition activity to any of the strains of the three subtypes of influenza A virus. However, it neutralized all of the H1 and H2 strains but not the H3 strains. Moreover, it inhibited polykaryon formation induced by the H1 and H2 strains but not by the H3 strains. Two antigenic variants against C179 were obtained, and nucleotide sequence analysis revealed that amino acid sequences, from 318 to 322 of HA1 and from 47 to 58 of HA2, conserved among H1 and H2 strains were responsible for the recognition of C179. Since the two sites were located close to each other at the middle of the stem region of the HA molecule, C179 seemed to recognize these sites conformationally. These data indicated that binding of C179 to the stem region of HA inhibits the fusion activity of HA and thus results in virus neutralization and inhibition of cell-cell fusion. This is the first report which describes the presence of conserved antigenic sites on HA not only in a specific subtype but also in two subtypes of influenza A virus.
Feeding aquaculture in an era of finite resources

Aquaculture's pressure on forage fisheries remains hotly contested. This article reviews trends in fishmeal and fish oil use in industrial aquafeeds, showing reduced inclusion rates but greater total use associated with increased aquaculture production and demand for fish high in long-chain omega-3 oils. The ratio of wild fisheries inputs to farmed fish output has fallen to 0.63 for the aquaculture sector as a whole but remains as high as 5.0 for Atlantic salmon. Various plant- and animal-based alternatives are now used or available for industrial aquafeeds, depending on relative prices and consumer acceptance, and the outlook for single-cell organisms to replace fish oil is promising. With appropriate economic and regulatory incentives, the transition toward alternative feedstuffs could accelerate, paving the way for a consensus that aquaculture is aiding the ocean, not depleting it.
Exposing rats to a predator impairs spatial working memory in the radial arm water maze

This series of studies investigated the effects of predator exposure on working memory in rats trained on the radial arm water maze (RAWM). The RAWM is a modified Morris water maze that contains four or six swim paths (arms) radiating out of an open central area, with a hidden platform located at the end of one of the arms. The hidden platform was located in the same arm on each trial within a day and was in a different arm across days. Each day rats learned the location of the hidden platform during acquisition trials, and then the rats were removed from the maze for a 30‐min delay period. During the delay period, the rats were placed either in their home cage (nonstress condition) or in close proximity to a cat (stress condition). At the end of the delay period, the rats were run on a retention trial, which tested their ability to remember which arm contained the platform that day. The first experiment confirmed that the RAWM is a hippocampal‐dependent task. Rats with hippocampal damage were impaired at learning the location of the hidden platform in the easiest RAWM under control (non‐stress) conditions. The next three experiments showed that stress had no effect on memory in the easiest RAWM, but stress did impair memory in more difficult versions of the RAWM. These findings indicate that the capacity for stress to impair memory is influenced not only by the brain memory system involved in solving the task (hippocampal versus nonhippocampal), but also by the difficulty of the task. This work should help to resolve some of the confusion in the literature regarding the heterogeneous effects of stress on hippocampal‐dependent learning and memory. Hippocampus 1999;9:542–552. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Reference range for the fetal intracranial translucency measurement between 11 and 14 + 2 weeks of gestation in a Brazilian population

Abstract Objective: To establish a reference range for the fetal intracranial translucency (IT) measurement between 11 and 14 + 2 weeks in a Brazilian population. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed with 199 low-risk singleton pregnancies during the first trimester ultrasound exam. The IT (fourth ventricle width) measurement was performed in a mid-sagittal view of fetal profile defined by two echogenic borders – the dorsal part of the brain stem anteriorly and the choroid plexus of the fourth ventricle posteriorly. Polynomial regression was used to obtain the best fit using fetal IT measurements and crown-rump length (CRL). Percentiles 5th, 50th and 95th were determined for each gestational age. Results: The mean of fetal IT ranged from 1.6 mm at CRL 45 to 2.0 mm at CRL 84 mm. A best fit curve was a first-degree polynomial regression: IT measurement = 1.001 + 0.0124 × CRL (R2=0.09). Conclusion: Reference range for the fetal IT measurement between 11 and 14 + 2 weeks of gestation in a Brazilian population was established.
The effects of hypoxia on the ventilatory response to sudden changes in CO2 in newborn piglets.

1. The ventilatory response to square‐wave challenges in end‐tidal partial pressure of CO2 (PCO2) was investigated at three levels of arterial PO2 (Pa,O2) in nineteen anaesthetized 2‐ to 11‐day‐old piglets. 2. The ventilatory responses, measured on a breath‐to‐breath basis, were separated into a peripheral and a central component using a two‐compartment model. Both components were described by a CO2 sensitivity, a time constant, a time delay and a single offset. 3. Fifty‐six responses were analysed against a background of normoxaemia (Pa,O2 = 12.70 +/‐ 0.72 kPa, mean +/‐ S.D.), fifty‐three against a background of moderate hypoxaemia (Pa,O2 = 8.63 +/‐ 0.34 kPa) and fifty‐one against a background of severe hypoxaemia (Pa,O2 = 4.98 +/‐ 0.30 kPa). 4. The sensitivity of the peripheral chemoreceptors in mediating the response to CO2 increased from 38.3 +/‐ 17.0 ml min‐1 kPa‐1 kg‐1 during normoxaemia to 48.8 +/‐ 15.3 ml min‐1 kPa‐1 kg‐1 during moderate hypoxaemia and to 72.9 +/‐ 24.0 ml min‐1 kPa‐1 kg‐1 at severe hypoxaemia. 5. As compared with the central CO2 sensitivity during moderate hypoxaemia and normoxaemia (104.0 +/‐ 39.0 and 100.8 +/‐ 41.6 ml min‐1 kPa‐1 kg‐1, respectively) it decreased to 85.9 +/‐ 54.1 ml min‐1 kPa‐1 kg‐1 at severe hypoxaemia. 6. We conclude that in newborn piglets there is a positive interaction between hypoxia and hypercapnia at the level of the peripheral chemoreceptors while severe hypoxaemia reduced the CO2 sensitivity centrally.
Anticoagulant potential of synthetic and recombinant inhibitors of factor Xa and thrombin in vitro

The anticoagulant effects of thrombin inhibitors in vitro and ex vivo are well characterized. Inhibitors of factor Xa might also be effective as anticoagulants. We studied several synthetic, low-molecular-weight inhibitors with varying affinity to thrombin and factor Xa using three in vitro clot-based assays representative of the effects of thrombin added or generated via the intrinsic or extrinsic coagulation pathways. The recombinant selective thrombin and factor Xa inhibitors, hirudin and antistasin, were studied for comparison. The thrombin time assay is a measure of the antithrombin potential of a given inhibitor, while the activated partial thromboplastin time is influenced by inhibition of thrombin and/or of factor Xa in a similar manner. The prothrombin time assay was more sensitive to inhibition of factor Xa, as evidenced by the potent and selective inhibitor antistasin as well as for less potent and less selective synthetic inhibitors of factor Xa. Direct synthetic or recombinant inhibitors of factor Xa with Ki values in the submicromolar range were potent anticoagulants, approaching or exceeding the potency of hirudin in prolonging the prothrombin time and the activated partial thromboplastin time in vitro.
PURINE NUCLEOTIDE METABOLISM IN HUMAN NEUROBLASTOMA CELL LINES: 99

Purine nucleotide biosynthesis de novo, purine salvage pathways, interconversions and catabolism were studied in two human neuroblastoma cell lines generated from patients with localized (NUB-6) and metastatic (EW2) disease. Radioactive adenine and hypoxanthine were effectively incorporated into nucleotides. Adenine salvage exceeded markedly that of hypoxanthine salvage. AMP formed from adenine was mainly phosphorylated to ATP and only slightly dephosphorylated to AMP and GMP but also intensively dephosphorylated to inosine. Interconversion of IMP to AMP exceeded twice that of IMP to GMP. Adenosine and guanosine were also efficiently incorporated. Adenosine was mainly deaminated but some adenosine was also phosphorylated. Guanosine was markedly phosphorylized to guanine which was subsequently salvaged to GMP. GMP formed was then phosphorylated or deaminated with the same intensity. Nucleotide biosynthesis de novo from formate or glycine was very low compared to the salvage pathways. Hypoxanthine was the major catabolic product of ATP, and only minor amounts of inosine, adenosine and uric acid were found. The Addition of deoxycoformycin increased only slightly adenosine accumulation. Addition of tubercidin markedly induced ATP catabolism but only slightly affected adenosine salvage. Although overall fate of nucleoside metabolism is similar in both cell lines, activity of most purine pathways is 2-3 times higher in the metastatic line.
An Improved Solution of Multiuser Detection Based on Quantum Square-Root Measurement

Multi-user detection is becoming one of the key techniques of future wired and wireless communication system. Quantum multi-user detection techniques promise an efficient solution to the NP (non-polynomial) hard problem in the conventional optimal solution of multi-user detection. In this paper, we propose an improved solution of quantum multiuser detection in multi-access quantum channel based on the quantum square-root measurement, by which the minimum square-root probability of error can be gathered. We evaluate the probability of symbol error under various correlation coefficients with PSK modulation, and compare them to that of square-root solution with OOK modulation. The simulation results illustrate that the performance of our method can be improved greatly, but with high computation complexity. Then, we design the threshold algorithm and develop a new quantum square-root measurement formula to reduce the computation complexity. It is shown that these methods can lower the complexity greatly in the numerical computation
Uptake of proteoglycans and sulfated glycosaminoglycans by cultured skin fibroblasts.

Pinocytosis and degradation of [35S]proteoglycans [35S]glycosaminoglycan chains were studied in cultured skin fibroblasts. Proteoglycans were obtained from fibroblast secretions, glycosaminoglycan chains either by β-elimination of proteoglycans or from secretions of fibroblasts grown in the presence of d-xylose or P-nitrophenyl-β-d-xyloside, respectively. The following results were obtained. 1 The uptake of proteoglycans as well as of glycosaminoglycan chains is dose-dependent and follows saturation kinetics. The maximal rate of pinocytosis og glycosaminoglycan chains induced by xylose and P-nitrophenyl-β-d-xyloside is only about 25% of that of proteoglycans as determined on the basis of the sulfate content. On a molar basis the maximal uptake rate for proteoglycans is 10-fold lower than for free glycosaminoglycan chains, but proteoglycans have a higher affinity than chains for the proposed receptors. 2 Uptake is followed by degradation. Its relative proportion is inversely related to the amount of endocytosed material. 3 Unlabeled proteoglycans compete for the uptake of [35S]proteoglycans, but protein-free proteoglycan chains are inefficient competitors at the doses used. 4 In case of [35S]glycosaminoglycans induced by xylose and P-nitrophenyl-β-d-xyloside, competition for uptake occurs by the addition of unlabeled glycosaminoglycan chains and of hybrid chondroitin-sulfate-dermatan-sulfate decasaccharides, but not by the addition of smaller saccharide fragments.
Opening of the Outer Membrane Protein Channel in Tripartite Efflux Pumps Is Induced by Interaction with the Membrane Fusion Partner

The multiple transferable resistance (MTR) pump, from Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is typical of the specialized machinery used to translocate drugs across the inner and outer membranes of Gram-negative bacteria. It consists of a tripartite complex composed of an inner-membrane transporter, MtrD, a periplasmic membrane fusion protein, MtrC, and an outer-membrane channel, MtrE. We have expressed the components of the pump in Escherichia coli and used the antibiotic vancomycin, which is too large to cross the outer-membrane by passive diffusion, to test for opening of the MtrE channel. Cells expressing MtrCDE are not susceptible to vancomycin, indicating that the channel is closed; but become susceptible to vancomycin in the presence of transported substrates, consistent with drug-induced opening of the MtrE channel. A mutational analysis identified residues Asn-198, Glu-434, and Gln-441, lining an intraprotomer groove on the surface of MtrE, to be important for pump function; mutation of these residues yielded cells that were sensitive to vancomycin. Pull-down assays and micro-calorimetry measurements indicated that this functional impairment is not due to the inability of MtrC to interact with the MtrE mutants; nor was it due to the MtrE mutants adopting an open conformation, because cells expressing these MtrE mutants alone are relatively insensitive to vancomycin. However, cells expressing the MtrE mutants with MtrC are sensitive to vancomycin, indicating that residues lining the intra-protomer groove control opening of the MtrE channel in response to binding of MtrC.
The dimensionality of ecological networks.

How many dimensions (trait-axes) are required to predict whether two species interact? This unanswered question originated with the idea of ecological niches, and yet bears relevance today for understanding what determines network structure. Here, we analyse a set of 200 ecological networks, including food webs, antagonistic and mutualistic networks, and find that the number of dimensions needed to completely explain all interactions is small ( < 10), with model selection favouring less than five. Using 18 high-quality webs including several species traits, we identify which traits contribute the most to explaining network structure. We show that accounting for a few traits dramatically improves our understanding of the structure of ecological networks. Matching traits for resources and consumers, for example, fruit size and bill gape, are the most successful combinations. These results link ecologically important species attributes to large-scale community structure.
Review of the current knowledge on the epidemiology, pathogenesis, and prevention of human papillomavirus infection

Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is a central and necessary, although not sufficient, cause of cervical cancer. Besides HPV, the additional multiple risk factors related with the onset of cervical cancer are early-age sexual activities; high number of sexual partners, which is the most salient risk factor; suppression and alteration of the immune status; long-term use of oral contraceptives; and other hormonal influences. The tumor-suppressor proteins p53 and pRb are degraded and destabilized through ubiquitination by viral oncoproteins E6 and E7. Over 95% of cervical cancer cases worldwide test positive for oncogenic HPV DNA. Although cervical screening procedures have been successful in reducing the disease burden associated with HPV infection because of lack of resources or inadequate infrastructure many countries have failed to reduce cervical cancer mortality. Therefore, prevention may be a valuable strategy for reducing the economic and disease burden of HPV infection. At present, two successful prophylactic HPV vaccines are available, quadrivalent (HPV16/18/6/11) ‘Gardasil’ and bivalent (HPV16/18) ‘Cervarix’ for vaccinating young adolescent girls at or before the onset of puberty. Recent data indicate that vaccination prevents the development of cervical lesions in women who have not already acquired the vaccine-specific HPV types. Moreover, several therapeutic vaccines that are protein/peptide-based, DNA-based, or cell-based are in clinical trials but are yet to establish their efficacy; these vaccines are likely to provide important future health benefits. The therapeutic vaccination mode of prevention is a promising area of research, as revealed in preclinical trials; however, clinical trials based on large populations are warranted before reaching a valid conclusion. This review summarizes the studies on the epidemiology of HPV infection, the pathogenesis of viral oncoproteins in the oncogenesis of cervical cancer, the economic and health burden of HPV-related diseases, and, finally, focuses on the results of recent clinical vaccination trials.
Wideband decoupling and tunable matching networks for multi-port antennas

Cognitive radio is a very promising technology but it poses many challenges for the antenna system design. Apart from bandwidth limitations of small antennas, additional requirements emerge from the goal to replace conventional frequency duplexers by tunable filters and high dynamic range RF front ends. In this paper, we present a systematic design procedure for matching and decoupling multi-port antennas with a focus of achieving the highest possible isolation between antenna ports. An important aspect of the approach is the introduction of pre-matching circuitry between the antenna and the decoupling network. The novelty resides in the wide frequency range over which the decoupling network is applicable in connection with low complexity electrical tuning circuitry.
Adaptive beampattern synthesis based on null broadening

An adaptive method based on null broadening is proposed for synthesizing an array beampattern with low sidelobe levels. A number of interfering signals are assumed to be incident on the array from the sidelobe region to reduce the sidelobe levels. The weights of the beampattern are calculated based on the MVDR (minimum variance distortionless response) criterion. Null broadening techniques are used to reduce the number of interfering signals required and improve the iteration speed. Computer simulation results for a 64-element linear array are presented to show the effectiveness of this new method.