Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vascular permeability induced by VEGF family members in vivo: Role of endogenous PAF and NO synthesis

We previously reported that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) increases vascular permeability through the synthesis of endothelial platelet‐activating factor (PAF), while others reported the contribution of nitric oxide (NO). Herein, we addressed the contribution of VEGF receptors and the role played by PAF and NO in VEGF‐induced plasma protein extravasation. Using a modified Miles assay, intradermal injection in mice ears of VEGF‐A165, VEGF‐A121, and VEGF‐C (1 µM) which activate VEGFR‐2 (Flk‐1) receptor increased vascular permeability, whereas a treatment with VEGFR‐1 (Flt‐1) analogs; PlGF and VEGF‐B (1 µM) had no such effect. Pretreatment of mice with PAF receptor antagonist (LAU8080) or endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) inhibitor (L‐NAME) abrogated protein extravasation mediated by VEGF‐A165. As opposed to PAF (0.01‐1 µM), treatment with acetylcholine (ACh; up to 100 µM; inducer of NO synthesis) or sodium nitroprusside (SNP; up to 1 µM; NO donor) did not induce protein leakage. Simultaneous pretreatment of mice with eNOS and protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitors restored VEGF‐A165 vascular hyperpermeability suggesting that endogenous NO synthesis leads to PKA inhibition, which support maintenance of vascular integrity. Our data demonstrate that VEGF analogs increase vascular permeability through VEGFR‐2 activation, and that both endogenous PAF and NO synthesis contribute to VEGF‐A165‐mediated vascular permeability. However, PAF but not NO directly increases vascular permeability per se, thereby, suggesting that PAF is a direct inflammatory mediator, whereas NO serves as a cofactor in VEGF‐A165 proinflammatory activities. J. Cell. Biochem. 100: 727–737, 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Future Prospects of Natural Killer Cell-Based Targeted Immunotherapy of Cancer

Natural Killer (NK) cells are a fundamental component of the innate immune system, capable of recognizing and destroying tumor cells as well as cells that have been infected by viruses or bacteria [1]. NK cells play an important role in adaptive immunity by modulating dendritic cell function as well as controlling antigen-specific T cell responses. Recent finding have shown that NK cells have memory, even though they do not rearrange their antigen receptors. The NK cell functions are regulated by a delicate balance of activating and inhibitory signals received through distinct classes of receptors found on their cell surface [2]. The ability of NK cells to kill tumor cells has made NK cells very attractive in immunotherapy. More importantly, unlike conventional therapies, NK cell mediated therapy is more effective against metastasis. In early experiments, NK cells were activated by IL-2 ex vivo and adoptively transferred to the patients (LAK therapy) with advanced metastatic renal cancer and melanoma along with IL-2 infusions [3]. However, the dose of IL-2 was toxic for the patients and therefore, this adoptive transfer of NK cells (LAK therapy) did not produce the expected success. In future, enhancing the NK cell function by tyrosine receptor kinase (ckit) as well as fms-like tyrosine kinase (flt3) along with low doses of IL-2 and IL-15 is expected to produce better outcome for immunotherapy of cancer.
Gene dose effect of the DQB1*0201 allele contributes to severity of coeliac disease

Objective. Coeliac disease (CD) susceptibility has been shown to be associated with the HLA alleles DQA1*0501 and DQB1*0201. This HLA-associated risk has been estimated to account for 29–40% of the genetic component of CD. Conflicting data have been published on the gene dose effect of these HLA alleles on the risk and severity of CD. In this study the aim was to investigate the association between the number of HLA risk alleles and the severity of CD. Material and methods. Fifty-four Finnish CD families, including 144 CD patients mainly diagnosed in adulthood (94.4%), were enrolled in the study. The association between the number of DQA1*0501 and DQB1*0201 alleles and villous atrophy, symptoms and laboratory parameters at the time of diagnosis, and the association with villous atrophy after one year of treatment on a gluten-free diet were studied. Results. The homozygosity for the DQB1*0201 allele was associated with a more severe form of CD assessed by more severe villous atrophy (p=0.011), younger age (p=0.036), more severe diarrhoea (p=0.048) and a lower level of blood haemoglobin at the time of diagnosis (p=0.010). Furthermore, the homozygosity for the DQB1*0201 allele was associated with a slower recovery of villous atrophy after a gluten-free diet (p=0.041). In contrast, the DQA1*0501 allele did not have a significant association with the severity of CD. Conclusions. Our results demonstrate a gene dose effect of the DQB1*0201 allele on the clinical heterogeneity of CD and on the rate of recovery from villous atrophy in patients on a gluten-free diet.
Analysis of current-to-data dependency in asynchronous cryptographic circuits

This paper presents analysis of current-to-data dependency for a circuit implementing the DES algorithm. The circuit is realized in CMOS 0.18 mum technology as an asynchronous design with optimized XOR gates and enable encryption signal randomly delayed from cycle-to-cycle. Initial results using Spice simulation waveforms show that the DPA attack is unsuccessful.
Clinico-Histopathological Pattern Of Oral Cavity Lesions In A Tertiary Care Hospital

Aim: The present study was carried out to assess the pattern of oral cavity lesions and to identify high risk subpopulation and help in preventive and curative services. Introduction: Oral cancer is the eleventh most common cancer worldwide. In India, 4 out of 10 of all cancers are oral cancer. These lesions may be useful adjuncts to these clinical diagnoses and occasionally can be the presenting sign or symptom of a specific systemic disease, such as an infection by the HIV virus. Material And Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted in a tertiary care hospital in South India from March 2010 to April 2013. All the oral cavity specimens received in the Department of Pathology during the study period were included in the study. Data was collected year-wise in the context of age, sex, site involved, and final diagnosis given based on histo-pathological features. A total of 156 were analyzed during the study period. Results: A total of 156 were analyzed during the study period. Maximum number of cases were non-neoplastic and in the age group 51-60 years. In non-neoplastic lesions (n=63), 33 were males and 30 females. Among benign lesions (n=52), 40 were males and 12 females. Among malignant lesions (n=41), 32 were males and 9 females. Most common site of lesion was tongue followed by buccal mucosa and tonsil. Granuloma pyogenicum was the most common benign lesion and Squamous cell carcinoma was the most common malignant lesion. Different sites in oral cavity show predilection for different types of lesion. Conclusion: Early diagnosis and treatment is necessary in oral cancer as studies have shown that a cure rate of over 90% can be achieved in early stages. Use of screening and detection aids and the development of molecular markers may improve the early diagnosis
Germ plasm in Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila and Xenopus

Special cytoplasm, called germ plasm, that is essential for the differentiation of germ cells is localized in a particular region of Caenorhabditis elegans, Drosophila and Xenopus eggs. The mode of founder cell formation of germline, the origin and behavior of the germline granules, and the molecules localized in germline cells are compared in these organisms. The common characteristics of the organisms are mainly as follows. First, the founder cells of germline are established before the intiation of gastrulation. Second, the germline granules or their derivatives are always present in germline cells or germ cells throughout the life cycle in embryos, larvae, and adults. Lastly, among the proteins localized in the germ plasm, only Vasa protein or its homolog is detected in the germline cells or germ cells throughout the life cycle. As the protein of vasa homolog has been reported to be also localized in the germline‐specific structure or nuage in some of the organisms without the germ plasm, the possibility that the mechanism for differentiation of primordial germ cells is basically common in all organisms with or without the germ plasm is discussed.
Vitamin D status in primary hyperparathyroidism in India

OBJECTIVES Primary hyperparathyroidism is a syndrome with variable clinical expression, presenting as asymptomatic hypercalcaemia in Western countries and with predominant bone disease in developing countries. Vitamin D deficiency has been implicated as the cause of bone disease. There is a paucity of information on the vitamin D (25‐OHD3) status of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism presenting with bone disease. The present study aims to evaluate the vitamin D status in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and to correlate it with the bone disease.
Small Curvature Sensor Based on Butterfly-Shaped Mach–Zehnder Interferometer

A novel and small curvature sensor based on the butterfly-shaped Mach–Zehnder interferometer is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The sensing element is a tapered hollow-core fiber sandwiched between two single-mode fibers. The fusion-collapsed region around the first fusion interface excites the high-order modes, and the butterfly-shaped structure couples the high-order modes back into the core and interferes with the fundamental mode in the second fusion-collapsed interface. Simulation of the butterfly-shaped structure is carried out by the beam propagation method to determine an optimized size of sensing element. The experimental results show that the light intensity variation of the interference spectrum is almost linearly proportional to the change of curvature, and the curvature sensitivity and resolution of the proposed sensor can be up to −10.9041 dB/m−1 and 0.000917 m−1, respectively, in the range from 0.387 to 1.285 m−1. The proposed curvature sensor is compact in size, high sensitive, and inexpensive. The excellent electromagnetic interference resistance and fabrication simplicity make the device an attractive candidate for curvature measurement in harsh environments.
Diseñando y analizando historias interactivas en el marco de los videojuegos educativos

Un elemento importante a la hora de diseñar un videojuego es la his-toria sobre la que se van a incorporar el resto de los elementos del juego (retos, 1 Introducción Uno de los elementos que se utilizan actualmente para incrementar la calidad y la jugabilidad de los videojuegos es la incorporación de buenas y complejas historias. Éstas funcionan como nexo y contextualización de los diferentes elementos del juego, los retos planteados y el aprendizaje de las mecánicas de juego deben estar ligados a los objetivos de la historia y los escenarios y personajes diseñados tienen que tener sentido en ésta. En
A New Slit-Type Vacuum-Channel Transistor

A new vacuum-channel transistor with a carbon nanotube cathode and nanometer-scale channel length-called a slit-type vacuum-channel transistor is proposed and investigated. The suggested device structure features distinguishable cutoff, linear, and saturation regions with a negligible gate leakage current. Its channel length is almost the same as the mean free path of carriers in air, which suggests that the device can operate not only in vacuum but also in air, without any performance degradation. Because of its geometrical characteristics, it is possible for this device to be operated when the anode bias is almost the same as the gate bias with negligible oxide leakage. Therefore, the device can be used as an elemental device component in digital integrated circuits.
Crystal Structure of the Aequorea victoria Green Fluorescent Protein

The green fluorescent protein (GFP) from the Pacific Northwest jellyfish Aequorea victoria has generated intense interest as a marker for gene expression and localization of gene products. The chromophore, resulting from the spontaneous cyclization and oxidation of the sequence -Ser65 (or Thr65)-Tyr66-Gly67-, requires the native protein fold for both formation and fluorescence emission. The structure of Thr65 GFP has been determined at 1.9 angstrom resolution. The protein fold consists of an 11-stranded β barrel with a coaxial helix, with the chromophore forming from the central helix. Directed mutagenesis of one residue adjacent to the chromophore, Thr203, to Tyr or His results in significantly red-shifted excitation and emission maxima.
Síntesis y caracterización RMN 1D y 2D de derivados oxigenados de la 1- fenil-3- metil-2-pirazolín-5-ona y su potencial capacidad ligante

En este trabajo se presenta el resultado de la sintesis del 4-ditiocarboxilato de hexil-1-fenil-3-metil-2-pirazolin-5-ona (PirC6) y del 4-ditiocarboxilato de dodecil-1-fenil-3-metil-2-pirazolin-5-ona (PirC12). Se caracterizan los productos obtenidos usando el microanalisis, laespectroscopia infrarroja, la espectroscopia RMN de H1 y C13 y la RMN en dos dimensiones(HSQC y HMBC) para determinar sus estructuras. Se estudia su potencial capacidad liganteen la formacion de compuestos de coordinacion con el UO22+.
The Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein: forging the link between actin and cell activation

The Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) has emerged as a central player in the regulation of actin remodeling in T cells. The unique domain structure of WASp and other WASp family members enables these proteins to associate with a myriad of signaling effectors and to thereby regulate the coupling of T cell antigen receptor (TCR) engagement to both cytoskeletal rearrangement and transcriptional activation. This review focuses on these biochemical properties of WASp and also on the mechanisms whereby WASp interactions with its cognate ligands influence T cell activation. Because of its capacity to shift intracellular location and thereby dictate both the timing and the spatial distribution of actin polymerization following cell stimulation, WASp is well positioned to play major regulatory roles in directing a wide range of cellular processes and signaling pathways. Further dissection of the functional and biochemical properties of WASp therefore represents a promising avenue towards defining the molecular mechanisms that convey TCR stimulatory signals to the actin cytoskeleton and integrate cytoskeletal and other signaling systems so as to evoke a biological response.
Evaluating contemporary pollen dispersal in two common grassland species Ranunculus bulbosus L. (Ranunculaceae) and Trifolium montanum L. (Fabaceae) using an experimental approach.

Pollen flow is a key biological process that connects plant populations, preventing genetic impoverishment and inbreeding. Pollen-mediated long-distance dispersal (LDD) events are especially important for plant species in increasingly fragmented landscapes. Patterns of pollen dispersal were directly estimated and dispersal kernels modelled in an experimental population of Ranunculus bulbosus and Trifolium montanum to determine the potential for LDD. Eight and 11 microsatellite markers were used for R. bulbosus and T. montanum, respectively, to run a likelihood-based paternity analysis on randomly chosen offspring (Ntotal = 180 per species) from five maternal plants. High rates of selfing were found in R. bulbosus (average 45.7%), while no selfing was observed in T. montanum. The majority (60%) of mating events occurred at very short distances: the median of the observed dispersal distances was 0.8 m in both species, and the average distances were 15.9 and 10.3 m in R. bulbosus and T. montanum, respectively. Modelling the pollen dispersal kernel with four different distribution functions (exponential-power, geometric, 2Dt and Weibull) indicated that the best fit for both species was given by a Weibull function. Yet, the tail of the T. montanum pollen dispersal kernel was thinner than in R. bulbosus, suggesting that the probability for LDD is higher in the latter species. Even though the majority of pollen dispersal occurred across short distances, the detection of several mating events up to 362 m (R. bulbosus) and 324 m (T. montanum) suggests that pollen flow may be sufficient to ensure population connectivity in these herb species across fragmented grasslands in Swiss agricultural landscapes.
Expression of the androgen metabolizing enzyme UGT2B15 in adipose tissue and relative expression measurement using a competitive RT–PCR method

We have demonstrated previously that obesity in men was significantly associated with low plasma testosterone levels and higher concentrations of the androgen metabolite androstane‐3α,17β‐diol glucuronide, suggesting that androgen metabolism and elimination is increased in this condition. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether adipose tissue was a site of expression of the androgen metabolizing enzymes UDP‐glucuronosyltransferases (UGT) 2B15 and 2B17.
Occurrence of T-2 toxin in processed cereals and pulses in Turkey determined by HPLC and TLC

The purpose of this study was to investigate the T-2 toxin level of contaminated cereal and pulse products in Turkey. T-2 toxin was detected using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection at 208 nm and thin layer chromatography (TLC) was used for confirmation of the T-2 toxin-contaminated samples (> or = 1 ppm). The recovery was 93 +/- 3.3% (SD 3.29, n = 5) for chickpea spiked with a known amount of T-2 toxin (1 ppm). The detection limits for T-2 toxin for HPLC and TLC were 25 ng per injection and 50 ng per spot, respectively. A total of 50 commercially available cereal and pulse product samples, collected from markets and street bazaars, were analysed. Incidences of T-2 toxin detected in cereal and pulse products were 23.5% and 31.2%, respectively and the maximum detected amount was 1.9 ppm in a sample of dried beans. The incidence of toxin-contaminated specimens is not so low relative to the volume of specimens produced.
Strengthening capacity for the prevention of family violence in low-income and middle-income countries

The WHO, in collaboration with the Education Development Center, has developed two training packages covering child maltreatment and intimate partner and sexual violence to accompany its normative guidance on the prevention of family violence.1 2 The packages will help policymakers and programme planners improve their understanding of an evidence-based public health approach to preventing family violence and develop multisectoral policies and prevention programmes. They are also relevant to agencies that fund family violence prevention programmes. The target audience includes individuals working in sectors such as child protection, criminal justice, education, gender, health, social development and social welfare. The training packages have been field tested in over 10 countries in Asia, Africa, and Central and Latin America over the past year, and will be periodically revised to accommodate new research findings. Intimate partner and sexual violence …
Study on motion compensation of helicopter-borne snapshot imaging radar based on antenna array

The Snapshot imaging radar based on antenna array can achieve high-resolution imaging both in spatial domain and time domain. In this paper, the snapshot imaging radar located on helicopter platform is studied. The paper mainly focused on the influence on the echo caused by the vibration characteristics and non-ideal trajectory of helicopter platform. Firstly, adopting frequency modulated continuous wave signal, the paper analyzes the echo model with motion errors. Then, the error is decomposed into linear and quadratic terms, and the frequency scaling algorithm with motion error compensation is deduced. Finally, the model and methods described in the paper are verified via a snapshot imaging experiment based on antenna array.
Some properties of isolated cerebral cortex in the unanaesthetized cat

In an earlier paper an account was given of the preparation and some of the properties of a neurologically isolated slab of cerebral cortex, isolated in such a way that its blood supply was the only remaining connexion with the rest of the animal (Burns, 1949, 1950). In these experiments isolation produced a disappearance of the 'spontaneous' activity found in the lightly anaesthetized brain, although the cells within the isolated area had not apparently been injured by the surgical operation, for they would still respond to electrical stimulation applied through electrodes on the brain's surface. All these earlier experiments, however, were made with preparations in cats under light chloralose anaesthesia, and it seemed possible to ascribe the inactivity of the isolated cortex to the anaesthetic used. It was therefore necessary to extend these experiments to the unanaesthetized animal. Fortunately, it proved possible to decerebrate cats in such a way that a part of one cerebral hemisphere remained in the cranial cavity, with all its nervous connexions cut but with undisturbed blood supply. The experiments reported have all been carried out with such preparations. METHOD
Clinical manifestations and erythrocyte adhesion to endothelium in sickle cell syndrome

Painful vasocclusive episodes are one of the most prominent pathological features of sickle cell disease. In addition to abnormal shape and poor deformability, increased adhesion of red cells to endothelium has been reported. On several occasions, we have studied the adhesion of erythrocytes from 30 patients with mixed sickle cell syndromes to evaluate the influence of clinical conditions. The percentage of erythrocytes adhering was significantly higher when erythrocytes from sickle patients were compared with controls (p < 0.01). Furthermore, adhesion was significantly higher when the patients were in crises (p < 0.01), and the highest values of all were observed in patients with inflammatory conditions. To investigate the possibility that a limited population of red cells could be responsible for the increase in red cell adhesion, we have measured the HbS concentration in the different washes and found that the HbS concentration was higher in the last washes compared to the first washes. Sickle red cells capable of protein synthesis (young red cells) were labelled with [3H] leucine. The adhesion to endothelial cells of [3H] leucine‐labelled red cells was higher than that of the 51Cr‐labelled red cells from the same patient. On the other hand, the most dense sickle red cells separated by density gradient adhered to a greater extent than the light red cells. This apparent discrepancy could be partly explained by the presence of [3H] leucine‐labelled red cells in the dense fractions of sickle red cells separated by stractan gradient.