Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epigenetic silencing of TMEM176A promotes esophageal squamous cell cancer development

The function of human transmembrane protein 176A (TMEM176A) in cancer remains unclear. To understand the function and mechanism of TMEM176A in human esophageal cancer development, 13 esophageal cancer cell lines and 267 cases of primary esophageal squamous cell cancer (ESCC) samples were analyzed by methylation specific PCR (MSP), flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and transfection assays. TMEM176A was highly expressed in BIC1 cells and loss of TMEM176A expression was found in TE1, TE3, TE13, KYSE140, KYSE180, KYSE410, KYSE450, KYSE520, Segl, KYSE150, YES2 and COLO680N cells. Complete methylation was detected in TE1, TE3, TE13, KYSE140, KYSE180, KYSE410, KYSE450, KYSE520, Segl, KYSE150, YES2 and COLO680N cells, while unmethylation was detected in BIC1 cells. Restoration of TMEM176A expression was induced by 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine treatment in methylated cell lines. TMEM176A was methylated in 66.7% (178/267) of primary esophageal cancer samples, and promoter region methylation was significantly associated with tumor differentiation (p<0.001) and loss off/reduced expression of TMEM176A (p<0.05). Methylation of TMEM176A was significantly associated with poor 5-year overall survival (p < 0.05). Cox proportional hazards model analysis suggest that TMEM176A methylation is an independent prognostic factor for poor 5-years OS. TMEM176A inhibited cell invasion and migration, and induced apoptosis in esophageal cancer cells. TMEM176A suppressed esophageal cancer cell growth both in vitro and in vivo. In conclusion, TMEM176A is frequently methylated in human ESCC and the expression of TMEM176A is regulated by promoter region methylation. TMEM176A methylation may serve as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in ESCC. TMEM176A is a potential tumor suppressor in human ESCC.
Normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass increases cerebral tissue oxygenation during combined valve surgery: a single-centre, randomized trial.

OBJECTIVES In cardiac surgery, the choice of temperature regimen during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) remains a subject of debate. Hypothermia reduces tissue metabolic demands, but may impair the autoregulation of cerebral blood flow and contribute to neurological morbidity. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two different temperature regimens during CPB on the systemic oxygen transport and the cerebral oxygenation during surgical correction of acquired heart diseases. METHODS In a prospective study, we randomized 40 adult patients with combined valvular disorders requiring surgical correction of two or more valves into two groups: (i) a normothermic (NMTH) group (n = 20), in which the body core temperature was maintained at 36.6°C during CPB and (ii) a hypothermic (HPTH) group (n = 20), in which the body was cooled to a core temperature of 32°C maintained throughout the period of CPB. The systemic oxygen transport and the cerebral oxygen saturation (SctO2) were assessed by means of a PiCCO2 haemodynamic monitor and a cerebral oximeter, respectively. All the patients received standard perioperative monitoring. We assessed haemodynamic and oxygen transport parameters, the duration of mechanical ventilation and the length of the ICU and the hospital stays. RESULTS During CPB, central venous oxygen saturation was significantly higher in the HPTH group but SctO2 was increased in the NMTH group (P < 0.05). Cardiac index, systemic oxygen delivery and consumption increased postoperatively in both groups. However, oxygen delivery and consumption were significantly higher in the NMTH group (P < 0.05). The duration of respiratory support and the length of ICU and hospital stays did not differ between the groups. CONCLUSIONS During combined valve surgery, normothermic CPB provides lower central venous oxygen saturation, but increases cerebral tissue oxygenation when compared with the hypothermic regimen.
Review of the pharmacological effects of Vitis vinifera (Grape) and its bioactive compounds

Vitis vinifera, known as the grapevine, is native to southern Europe and Western Asia. Grape seed and skin contain several active components including flavonoids, polyphenols, anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, procyanidines, and the stilbene derivative resveratrol. Grape seed extract in particular has been reported to possess a broad spectrum of pharmacological and therapeutic effects such as antioxidative, anti‐inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities, as well as having cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, and neuroprotective effects. Thus, the present review attempts to give a short overview on the pharmacological, toxicological, and clinical studies of grape and its active components. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Expression of beta2 adrenoreceptors on peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with primary and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: a longitudinal six month study.

BACKGROUND Beta(2) adrenoreceptor expression on peripheral blood mononuclear cells is increased in progressive multiple sclerosis. This increase has been correlated with disease activity in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. OBJECTIVE To determine the beta(2) adrenoreceptor expression in primary and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis in relation to findings on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical disease activity. METHODS 10 patients with multiple sclerosis were studied (five with primary progressive and five with secondary progressive forms of the disease) over a period of six months. Monthly clinical and MRI assessments of the brain and spinal cord were carried out. Beta(2) adrenoreceptor expression was assessed monthly using a ligand binding assay with [(125)I]iodocyanopindolol. Expression of beta(2) adrenoceptors on peripheral blood mononuclear cells was also assessed in five normal controls over a similar period. RESULTS The mean (SEM) value of beta(2) adrenoreceptor density for the five normal controls was 1346 (183) sites/cell, with affinity Kd of 120 (40) pM. MRI disease activity in primary progressive multiple sclerosis was reported on two occasions and on those occasions the expression of beta(2) adrenoreceptors was increased in excess of 1900 sites/cell; in the remaining 28 observations beta(2) adrenoreceptor expression was within the normal range (800 to 1900 sites/cell). In patients with secondary progressive disease, MRI disease activity was observed on 16 occasions. In these patients expression of beta(2) adrenoreceptors was increased in excess of 2000 sites/cell in all measurements except in one subject who did not show MRI activity throughout the six months period of study. The affinity of the receptors was within the normal range in all cases. CONCLUSIONS Increased expression of beta(2) adrenoreceptors was correlated with MRI disease activity in two patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. In secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, increased expression of beta(2) adrenoreceptors tended not to correlate with MRI disease activity. This may reflect a persistent Th1 immune reaction in the secondary progressive form of the disease.
Chimeric Nature of Two Plasmids of Hafnia alvei Encoding the Bacteriocins Alveicins A and B

ABSTRACT The complete nucleotide sequences of two bacteriocin-encoding plasmids isolated from Hafnia alvei (pAlvA and pAlvB) were determined. Both plasmids resemble ColE1-type replicons and carry mobilization genes, as well as colicin-like bacteriocin operons. These bacteriocins appear to be chimeras consisting of translocation domains from Tol-dependent colicins, unique binding domains, and killing and immunity domains similar to those of the pore-forming colicin Ia. Just as is found for colicin Ia, these H. alvei bacteriocins (alveicins) lack lysis genes. The alveicins are unusually small at 408 and 358 amino acids for alveicin A and B, respectively, which would make alveicin B the smallest pore-forming bacteriocin yet discovered. The pattern of nucleotide substitution in the alveicins suggests that the dominant forces in the evolution of their killing domains and immunity genes are neutral mutation and random genetic drift rather than diversifying selection, which has been implicated in the evolution of other colicins. Five of six bacteriocinogenic isolates of H. alvei were found to carry plasmids identical to pAlvA. Comparisons of the levels of nucleotide divergence in five housekeeping genes to the levels of divergence in their respective plasmids led us to conclude that pAlvA is transferring laterally through the H. alvei population relatively rapidly.
Auto Therapy: Using Automobiles as Vehicles for Reminiscence With Older Adults

Reminiscence can be beneficial for older adults and contribute to well-being and ego integrity. In this exploratory pilot study, researchers assessed the feasibility and tolerability of a novel reminiscence intervention using automobiles as the focal point. Nineteen older adults (N = 19) were asked to reminisce using photographs of automobiles from across their lifespan. The RE-AIM framework was used to assess the intervention in terms of reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. The intervention was well-received, quickly established rapport, and effectively fostered reminiscence. Social workers may find this intervention useful in helping older adults to explore their lives.
CD28 co-stimulatory regimes differ in their dependence on phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase: common co-signals induced by CD80 and CD86.

CD80 (B7-1) and CD86 (B7-2) ligation of CD28 provide co-stimulatory signals required for optimal lymphokine production in response to TCR zeta-CD3 ligation. CD28 binds to several intracellular proteins including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (Pl3-kinase), the tyrosine kinase ITK and the growth factor receptor-bound protein/Son of Sevenless (GRB-2/SOS) complex. Previously, we showed that TCR zeta-CD3 and CD28 co-stimulation required Pl3-kinase binding to the pYMNM motif of the cytoplasmic domain of the co-receptor. In this study, we have investigated whether CD28-associated Pl3-kinase is required for CD80 and CD86 co-stimulation, as well as in co-signaling that involves different primary signals (i.e. TCR zeta-CD3 versus phorbol ester/lonomycin). In the presence of anti-CD3, ligation of CD28 by both CD80 and CD86 was found to induce Pl3-kinase recruitment and IL-2 production. Furthermore, mutations at Y-191 and M-194 within the pYMNM motif blocked the ability of both ligands to induce IL-2. CD80 and CD86 therefore share a common signaling pathway leading to IL-2 production. By contrast, CD28 mediated co-stimulation involving receptor ligation plus phorbol ester/lonomycin induced IL-2 independent of Pl3-kinase binding to CD28. These data indicate that TCR zeta-CD3-dependent CD80 and CD86 co-signaling requires Pl3-kinase binding to the CD28pYMNM motif, while phorbol ester and lonomycin can bypass this requirement in CD28 co-stimulation.
Effect of Increased Inner Ear Pressure on Middle Ear Mechanics

Velocity of malleus, umbo, and stapes footplate in response to stepwise increases up to +400 mm H2O in hydrostatic pressure of the inner ear was investigated in 10 fresh human temporal bones by using a laser Doppler interferometer. The sound-pressure input was 114 dB SPL, and the frequency range was 0.4 to 5.0 kHz. Static displacement of these sites was also measured by a video measuring system. When the inner ear pressure was increased, the malleus and stapes moved outward. Amplitude of umbo velocity decreased below 1.0 kHz with a slight increase around 2.0 kHz, whereas stapes velocity decreased at all frequencies with the major effect below 1.0 kHz. The phase angle of malleus umbo velocity advanced markedly in response to the increased inner ear pressure between 1.0 and 1.4 kHz. Change in the vibration of the umbo was thought to be primarily caused by an increased stiffness of the middle ear conduction system, and that of the stapes was caused by distention of the annular ligament and increased cochlear impedance produced by the increased inner ear pressure. These changes in TM vibration and its phase angle may help detect indirectly an elevation of inner ear pressure. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 1998;118:703–8.)
Robust fingertip extraction with improved skin color segmentation for finger gesture recognition in Human-robot interaction

This paper presents an efficient approach to solve the problem of real-time robust hand segmentation and fingertip extraction for finger gesture recognition in Human-robot interaction (HRI). Firstly, we propose an improved cascade filtering based hand region candidate estimation by the combination of YCbCr skin color probability image based segmentation with genetic algorithm and post-processing with morphological operation and blob analysis in blurred, low-resolution images. Using the segmented hand candidate regions, we estimate the hand region center and fingertip position from distance transform and geometrical feature of hand. From the hand orientation and hand/palm center, we find the optimal each fingertip position and its orientation. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm not only rapidly detects the hand regions under various illumination conditions, but also it efficiently extracts the finger information with size and rotation invariance.
Cytology of pericardial effusions in aids patients

Pericardial effusions in patients with the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) can be due to a variety of causes and are often large enough to be sampled for cytologic examination. Over a period of 46 months, 15 cytologic specimens from 14 patients with AIDS were examined. Thirteen patients were male, one was female; the age range was 26 to 43 years. All male patients were homosexual or intravenous drug abusers, and the female patient was the spouse of an intravenous drug abuser. In general, the cytology specimens were moderately cellular with inflammatory cells seen in all cases. Atypical or reactive mesothelial cells were found in 12 cases (80%), and the atypia in one of these 12 was so marked that carcinoma was suspected; cells suspicious for malignant lymphoma were found in 2 cases (13%); degenerated mesothelial cells were present in one case. No infections were identified in this series. Ten patients (66%) had subsequent pericardial biopsies. Marked cellularity and nuclear pleomorphism in lymphoid cells with an altered nuclear cytoplasmic ratio were the dominant findings in the two suspected lymphoma cases. Both patients had known lymphoma elsewhere; in one, involvement by lymphoma was also found on pericardial biopsy. Mesothelial proliferations showing papillary formations with psammoma bodies were seen in three cases; in one of these, histoplasmosis was later diagnosed by pericardial biopsy. To our knowledge this is the first series to describe cytologically the marked mesothelial atypia seen in pericardial fluid in AIDS patients. We contrast this atypia with that seen in malignant effusions and caution against overinterpretation of pericardial fluids from AIDS patients.
The Sick Child: Family Complications

Pediatric care for chronic illness necessarily involves the sick child's family. Effective medical care includes knowledge of the family as a social system and an understanding of the challenges that chronic illness in childhood brings to both the ill child and his family. Several potential difficulties may arise for the family, including overprotection of the ill child, the development of a split in the marriage as one parent cares exclusively for the ill child, and disruption of the remainder of family life. Specific characteristics of family interaction have been associated with varieties of medical difficulties and psychosocial maladaptation for the child. Pediatric care should include family interventions which enhance the family's ability to manage the chronic illness as well as improve their child's psychosocial status. Structural family therapy has been demonstrated to be effective in treating severe family maladaptation to chronic illness arid in significantly improving the child's condition. The tenets of family therapy for maladaptation to chronic illness are also reviewed.
Real-time patch sweeping for high-quality depth estimation in 3D video conferencing applications

In future 3D videoconferencing systems, depth estimation is required to support autostereoscopic displays and even more important, to provide eye contact. Real-time 3D video processing is currently possible, but within some limits. Since traditional CPU centred sub-pixel disparity estimation is computationally expensive, the depth resolution of fast stereo approaches is directly linked to pixel quantization and the selected stereo baseline. In this work we present a novel, highly parallelizable algorithm that is capable of dealing with arbitrary depth resolutions while avoiding texture interpolation related runtime penalties by application of GPU centred design. The cornerstone of our patch sweeping approach is the fusion of space sweeping and patch based 3D estimation techniques. Especially for narrow baseline multi-camera configurations, as commonly used for 3D videoconferencing systems (e.g. [1]), it preserves the strengths of both techniques and avoid their shortcomings at the same time. Moreover, we provide a sophisticated parameterization and quantization scheme that establishes a very good scalability of our algorithm in terms of computation time and depth estimation quality. Furthermore, we present an optimized CUDA implementation for a multi GPU setup in a cluster environment. For each GPU, it performs three pair wise high quality depth estimations for a trifocal narrow baseline camera configuration on a 256x256 image block within real-time.
Content-Based Image Retrieval of Axial Brain Slices Using a Novel LBP with a Ternary Encoding

Retrieval of similar anatomical structures of brain MR images across patients would help the expert in diagnosis of diseases. In this paper, modified local binary pattern with ternary encoding called modified local ternary pattern (MOD-LTP) is introduced, which is more discriminant and less sensitive to noise in near-uniform regions, to locate slices belonging to the same level from the brain MR image database. The ternary encoding depends on a threshold, which is a user-specified one or calculated locally, based on the variance of the pixel intensities in each window. The variancebased local threshold makes the MOD-LTP more robust to noise and global illumination changes. The retrieval performance is shown to improve by taking region-based moment features of MODLTP and iteratively reweighting the moment features of MOD-LTP based on the user’s feedback. The average rank obtained using iterated and weighted moment features of MOD-LTP with a local variance-based threshold, is one to two times better than rotational invariant LBP (Unay, D., Ekin, A. and Jasinschi, R.S. (2010) Local structure-based region-of-interest retrieval in brain MR images. IEEE Trans. Inf. Technol. Biomed. , 14, 897‐903. ) in retrieving the first 10 relevant images.
Investigating memory constraints on recall of options in interactive voice response system messages

This study examined the effects of the number of options in a message and different message endings on the memorisation of multiple-option messages. Twenty-seven participants were told to pay attention to the quality of interactions between users and an interactive voice response system and were asked to recall system messages. The multiple-option messages contained three, five or seven options and ended either in a pseudoword suffix, in a natural-language prompt or in a beep. Results showed that option recall was impaired when messages were longer and contained a suffix. The interaction between the number of options and the presence of a suffix was not significant. Results also showed that, in messages with five or more options, the recency effect was greater than the primacy effect. These results bolster our knowledge about the design of spoken menus.
Coronary aneurysms after drug-eluting stents implantation.

A 60-year-old man who underwent bypass surgery using saphenous vein conduits 18 years ago was admitted with a non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome. The patient was referred to the cath-lab and the angiography showed severe stenosis in the proximal left anterior descending (LAD) and in the …
Progenitor tumours from Emu‐bcl‐2‐myc transgenic mice have lymphomyeloid differentiation potential and reveal developmental differences in cell survival.

Mice expressing both a bcl‐2 and a myc transgene within the B lymphoid cell compartment invariably develop novel immature haemopoietic tumours. The likely cell of origin of these tumours was identified by a common pattern of cell surface marker expression on a subset of cells comprising approximately 1% of normal mouse bone marrow. The bcl‐2‐myc tumour cells could be induced to differentiate into either B lymphocytes or macrophages in culture with certain cytokines and feeder cells. Analysis of their progression into the B lymphoid lineage revealed that Igk locus transcription can precede Igh as well as Igk rearrangement. Surprisingly, the undifferentiated tumour cells died rapidly in culture, even in the presence of multiple cytokines, but they proliferated on monolayers of stromal cells derived from haemopoietic tissues. Thus, even with Bcl‐2 levels that protect more differentiated cells, these immature bi‐potential progenitor cells require a stromal‐induced signal for survival. These results provide insight into the process of lineage commitment and suggest new levels of control of cell survival during early steps in haemopoietic development.
Increasing Handwashing in an Intensive Care Unit

Abstract The present study provides the first systematic evaluation of strategies for increasing handwashing of hospital staff. Nursing staff on two intensive care units (ICUs) were observed over a 3-month period. After baseline observations, two interventions were implemented on the experimental unit: 1) changing to an emollient handwashing agent, and 2) providing feedback to staff about the frequency of handwashing. Feedback focused on the previous day's handwashing following completed patient contacts, interrupted patient contacts, and critical procedures. No increase in handwashing was observed following introduction of the emollient soap. However, when feedback was provided on the experimental ICU, handwashing following completed patient contacts (the major dependent measure) increased to 92%, and was significantly higher than handwashing on the control unit. Follow-up observations suggested that compliance on the experimental unit appeared to return to baseline levels.
Manure- and Biosolids-Resident Murine Norovirus 1 Attachment to and Internalization by Romaine Lettuce

ABSTRACT The attachment of murine norovirus 1 (MNV) in biosolids, swine manure, and dairy manure to Romaine lettuce and internalization of this virus were evaluated. The MNV in animal manures had behavior similar to that of pure MNV; however, MNV in biosolids had significantly higher levels of attachment and internalization than pure MNV or MNV in manures. The incubation time did not affect the attachment of MNV in biosolids or manure. Confocal microscopy was used to observe MNV on lettuce after SYBR gold-labeled MNV was added directly to lettuce or after lettuce was submersed in labeled virus. MNV was observed on the lettuce surface, inside open cuts, and occasionally within stomata. In general, lettuce pieces with a long cut on the edge and short cuts on the stem was more likely to contain internalized MNV than intact lettuce pieces, as observed by confocal microscopy; however, while the difference was visible, it was not statistically significant. This study showed that the presence of MNV in biosolids may increase the risk of fresh produce contamination and that the MNV in open cuts and stomata is likely to be protected from sanitization.