Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Reoxygenation on the Hypoxia-Induced Up-Regulation of Serine Protease Inhibitor PAI-1 in Head and Neck Cancer Cells

In squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN), hypoxia is considered a crucial physiological modulator for malignant progression, wherebythe plasminogen activation system is involved in overlapping functions such as moulding of the extracellular matrix, cell proliferation and signal transduction. Little is known about the effects of reoxygenation on the plasminogen activation system in SCCHN cells. Three human SCCHN cell lines (BHY, CAL27, FaDu) and a non-transformed human fibroblast cell line (VH7) were exposed to hypoxic (<0.5% O2) conditions for up to 72 h and subsequently reoxygenated at normoxic conditions for 24 h. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) protein concentration and former protein activity were determined by ELISA and complex ELISA, respectively. Reoxygenation induced significant changes in cell-associated and secreted PAI-1 protein compared to the normoxic control. Significant increase in cell-associated and secreted uPA protein after reoxygenation was only observed for some of the cell lines. Determination of uPA-PAI-1 complex formation revealed the release of active protein into the cell supernatant. The beneficial role of reoxygenation during radiation therapy is widely accepted. However, reoxygenation does not seem to counteract the effects induced by hypoxia on the plasminogen activation system. Fatally irradiated reoxygenat- ed tumour cells might still produce sufficient amounts of ‘harmful’ protein and thus initiate a path for invasion and metastasis for surviving tumour cells.
Trends and determinants of undernutrition among young Kenyan children: Kenya Demographic and Health Survey; 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008–2009

Abstract Objective To report on the trends and determinants of undernutrition among children <5 years old in Kenya. Design Data from four nationwide Kenya Demographic and Health Surveys, conducted in 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008–2009, were analysed. The Demographic and Health Survey utilizes a multistage stratified sampling technique. Setting Nationwide covering rural and urban areas in Kenya. Subjects The analysis included 4757, 4433, 4892 and 4958 Kenyan children aged <5 years in 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2009–2009, respectively. Results The prevalence of stunting decreased by 4·6 percentage points from 39·9 % in 1993 to 35·3 % in 2008–2009, while underweight decreased by 2·7 percentage points from 18·7 % in 1993 to 16·0 % in 2008–2009. The effects of household wealth, maternal education and current maternal nutritional status on child nutrition outcomes have changed dynamically in more recent years in Kenya. Inadequate hygiene facilities increased the likelihood of chronic undernutrition in at least three of the surveys. Small size of the child at birth, childhood diarrhoea and male gender increased the likelihood of undernutrition in at least three of the surveys. Childhood undernutrition occurred concurrently with maternal overnutrition in some households. Conclusions The analysis reveals a slow decline of undernutrition among young children in Kenya over the last three decades. However, stunting and underweight still remain of public health significance. There is evidence of an emerging trend of a malnutrition double burden demonstrated by stunted and underweight children whose mothers are overweight.
Coexisting vascular lesions in reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome

Background The pathophysiology of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is not known. Published cases have documented coexisting cervical artery dissection and unruptured aneurysms, raising the possibility that ultrastructural vessel wall abnormalities underlie the development of vascular lesions as well as RCVS. Methods In this retrospective study we compared the frequency of neurovascular abnormalities in 158 consecutive RCVS patients, 44 patients with primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS, positive controls), and 177 non-stroke patients with acute neurological symptoms (non-arteriopathy controls). Results Coexisting neurovascular abnormalities were significantly higher (p < 0.001) in RCVS (23%) as compared to the PACNS (5%) or non-arteriopathy groups (8%). Cervical artery dissections were noted only in the RCVS group (8%, p < 0.001). The RCVS group had more unruptured aneurysms than PACNS (13% vs. 5%, p = 0.099) or non-arteriopathy controls (13% vs. 7%, p = 0.05). Seven RCVS patients also had other vascular malformations (venous anomaly, cavernous malformations, fibromuscular dysplasia). There was no significant association between coexisting vascular abnormalities and brain lesions or discharge clinical outcome in the RCVS group. Conclusion The high prevalence and heterogeneous anatomy of coexisting vascular lesions suggest that subtle ultrastructural arterial wall abnormalities may contribute to their development and also predispose to RCVS.
Interleukin-13 damages intestinal mucosa via TWEAK and Fn14 in mice-a pathway associated with ulcerative colitis.

BACKGROUND & AIMS TWEAK, a member of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) superfamily, promotes intestinal epithelial cell injury and signals through the receptor Fn14 following irradiation-induced tissue damage and during development of colitis in mice. Interleukin (IL)-13, an effector of tissue damage in similar models, has been associated with the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis (UC). We investigated interactions between TWEAK and IL-13 following mucosal damage in mice. METHODS We compared patterns of gene expression in intestinal tissues from wild-type and TWEAK knockout mice following γ-irradiation. Intestinal explants from these mice were used to detect cell damage induced by IL-13 and TNF-α. Levels of messenger RNA for IL-13, TWEAK, and Fn14 were measured in mucosal samples from patients with UC. RESULTS Based on gene expression analysis, TWEAK mediates γ-irradiation-induced epithelial cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. However, TWEAK alone did not induce damage or apoptosis of primary intestinal epithelial cells. On the other hand, exogenous IL-13 activated caspase-3 in naïve intestinal explants; this process required TWEAK, Fn14, and secretion of endogenous TNF-α which was mediated by ADAM17. Conversely, activation of caspase by exogenous TNF-α required IL-13, TWEAK, and Fn14. In mucosa from patients with UC, messenger RNA levels of IL-13, TWEAK, and Fn14 increased with level of disease severity. CONCLUSIONS IL-13-induced damage of intestinal epithelial cells requires TWEAK, its receptor (Fn14), and TNF-α. IL-13, TNF-α, TWEAK, and Fn14 could perpetuate and aggravate intestinal inflammation in patients with UC.
Primary HIV‐1 Subtype C Infection in Ethiopia

Summary: Between 1997 and 2001, 1624 Ethiopian factory workers were enrolled in prospective HIV‐1 cohorts in Ethiopia, at Akaki and Wonji towns. HIV‐1 seroprevalence at intake was 11.8% (Akaki) and 7.1% (Wonji). HIV‐1 incidence was . 75 per 100 person‐years (Akaki) and . 35 per 100 person‐years (Wonji). During follow up, CD4 T‐cell counts remained significantly lower and CD8 T‐cell counts significantly higher in Ethiopian seroconverters compared with Dutch seroconverters. Viral loads were lower in Ethiopian seroconverters versus Dutch seroconverters in the first months after seroconversion, subsequently increasing to similar levels. All 20 Ethiopian seroconverters were infected with HIV‐1 subtype C (15 with sub‐cluster C′ and 5 with sub‐cluster C). Viral loads were higher in sub‐cluster C'‐infected Ethiopian seroconverters. One subject demonstrated a window period of at least 204 days, combined with a high preseroconversion viral load and no decline of CD4 T cells over a follow‐up period of at least 3 years.
Ras Signaling Gets Fine-Tuned: Regulation of Multiple Pathogenic Traits of Candida albicans

ABSTRACT Candida albicans is an opportunistic fungal pathogen that can cause disseminated infection in patients with indwelling catheters or other implanted medical devices. A common resident of the human microbiome, C. albicans responds to environmental signals, such as cell contact with catheter materials and exposure to serum or CO2, by triggering the expression of a variety of traits, some of which are known to contribute to its pathogenic lifestyle. Such traits include adhesion, biofilm formation, filamentation, white-to-opaque (W-O) switching, and two recently described phenotypes, finger and tentacle formation. Under distinct sets of environmental conditions and in specific cell types (mating type-like a [MTLa]/alpha cells, MTL homozygotes, or daughter cells), C. albicans utilizes (or reutilizes) a single signal transduction pathway—the Ras pathway—to affect these phenotypes. Ras1, Cyr1, Tpk2, and Pde2, the proteins of the Ras signaling pathway, are the only nontranscriptional regulatory proteins that are known to be essential for regulating all of these processes. How does C. albicans utilize this one pathway to regulate all of these phenotypes? The regulation of distinct and yet related processes by a single, evolutionarily conserved pathway is accomplished through the use of downstream transcription factors that are active under specific environmental conditions and in different cell types. In this minireview, we discuss the role of Ras signaling pathway components and Ras pathway-regulated transcription factors as well as the transcriptional regulatory networks that fine-tune gene expression in diverse biological contexts to generate specific phenotypes that impact the virulence of C. albicans.
Tactile guidance of prey capture in Etruscan shrews

Whereas visuomotor behaviors and visual object recognition have been studied in detail, we know relatively little about tactile object representations. We investigate a new model system for the tactile guidance of behavior, namely prey (cricket) capture by one of the smallest mammals, the Etruscan shrew, Suncus etruscus. Because of their high metabolic rate and nocturnal lifestyle, Etruscan shrews are forced to detect, overwhelm, and kill prey in large numbers in darkness. Crickets are exquisitely mechanosensitive, fast-moving prey, almost as big as the shrew itself. Shrews succeed in hunting by lateralized, precise, and fast attacks. Removal experiments demonstrate that both macrovibrissae and microvibrissae are required for prey capture, with the macrovibrissae being involved in attack targeting. Experiments with artificial prey replica show that tactile shape cues are both necessary and sufficient for evoking attacks. Prey representations are motion- and size-invariant. Shrews distinguish and memorize prey features. Corrective maneuvers and cricket shape manipulation experiments indicate that shrew behavior is guided by Gestalt-like prey descriptions. Thus, tactile object recognition in Etruscan shrews shares characteristics of human visual object recognition, but it proceeds faster and occurs in a 20,000-times-smaller brain.
A 3D Stacked Memory Integrated on a Logic Device Using SMAFTI Technology

A general-purpose 3D-LSI platform technology for a high-capacity stacked memory integrated on a logic device was developed for high-performance, power-efficient, and scalable computing. SMAFTI technology, featuring an ultra-thin organic interposer with high-density feedthrough conductive vias, was introduced for interconnecting the 3D stacked memory and the logic device. A DRAM-compatible manufacturing process was realized through the use of a "via-first" process and highly doped poly-Si through-silicon-vias (TSVs) for vertical traces inside memory dice. A multilayer ultra-thin die stacking process using micro-bump interconnection technology was developed, and Sn-Ag/Cu pillar bumps and Au/Ni backside bumps for memory dice were used for this technology. The vertical integration of stacked DRAM with TSVs and a logic device in a BGA package has been successfully achieved, and actual device operation has been demonstrated for the first time as a 3D-LSI with the DRAM introducing TSVs on the logic device.
Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus (MERS CoV): case reports from a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome caused by novel coronavirus (MERS CoV) has been a major public health challenge since it was first described in 2012 in Saudi Arabia. So far, there is no effective treatment for this serious illness, which features a high mortality rate. We report an initial experience of the use of ribavirin and interferon (IFN)-α2b in the management of MERS CoV at a tertiary care hospital. DESIGN AND SETTINGS A case series of 6 patients admitted with a confirmed diagnosis of MERS CoV were treated with ribavirin and IFN-α2b in addition to supportive management. The patients’ demographics, clinical parameters, and outcomes were recorded. Fifty-four close contacts of these patients were screened for MERS CoV. METHODS Six patients with MERS CoV infection were included in this study. Four cases featured symptomatic disease, including pneumonia and respiratory failure, while 2 were asymptomatic close contacts of the MERS CoV patients. The MERS CoV infection was confirmed by reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction detection of the consensus viral RNA targets upstream of the E gene (UPE) and open reading frame (ORF1b) on a sputum sample. The patients’ demographics, comorbid conditions, time to diagnosis and initiation of treatment, and clinical outcomes were recorded. RESULTS Three out of 6 patients who had comorbid conditions died during the study period, while 3 had successful outcomes. The diagnosis and treatment was delayed by an average of 15 days in those patients who died. Only 2 close contacts out of the 54 screened (3.7%) were positive for MERS CoV. CONCLUSION Treatment with ribavirin and IFN-α2b may be effective in patients infected with MERS CoV. There appears to be a low infectivity rate among close contacts of MERS CoV patients.
Intramitochondrial functions regulate nonmitochondrial citrate synthase (CIT2) expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

We have examined the effects of perturbation of mitochondrial function on expression of two nuclear genes encoding the mitochondrial and peroxisomal forms of citrate synthase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, CIT1 and CIT2. CIT2 expression was as much as 30-fold higher in [rho0] petites, than in isochromosomal [rho+] cells, whereas CIT1 expression was slightly down regulated in [rho0] cells. CIT2 expression was also increased in [rho+] cells by inhibition of respiration with antimycin A or in [rho+] cells containing a disruption of the CIT1 gene. These effects were additive, and together they approached the level of CIT2 expression seen in [rho0] cells. Experiments using heterologous gene fusions showed that all of the effects leading to increased expression of CIT2 were transcriptionally controlled through 5'-flanking CIT2 DNA sequences. Analysis of [rho+] and [rho0] cells containing disruptions of CIT1 and CIT2, singly and in combination, showed that the peroxisomal citrate synthase could partially spare the mitochondrial isoform for growth yield in [rho+] but not in [rho0] cells. These studies suggest a physiological role for increased expression of CIT2 in cells with altered mitochondrial function. They also provide additional evidence for a retrograde path of communication from mitochondria to the nucleus in yeast cells.
Bipolar Disorder in Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults: Is Age of Onset Important?

The literature is mixed about whether age of onset is a useful variable in explaining the heterogeneity of late-life bipolar disorder. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of age of onset with clinical, family history, and neuropsychological functioning in middle-aged and older patients with bipolar disorder. A total of 87 outpatients with bipolar disorder with a mean age of 59 (range, 42–89) were included in this study. Age of onset was analyzed as a continuous variable and was split at age 40 years into early-onset and late-onset groups. Participants were administered measures of psychopathology, cognitive functioning, and medication usage. Few meaningful differences emerged between early-onset and late-onset groups, except that overall psychopathology was significantly lower in the late-onset group. Age of onset did not relate to differences in family history, depressive symptoms, cognitive functioning, or medication use whether used as a categorical or continuous variable. Thus, the validity of late-onset bipolar disorder as a distinct syndrome was not corroborated by this study. Interpretation of these findings is limited by the sample size, cross-sectional design, and a lack of brain imaging data. Further research on the clinical features and neurobiological aspects of late-life bipolar disorder is needed.
Heat and DNA damage induction of the LexA‐like regulator HdiR from Lactococcus lactis is mediated by RecA and ClpP

The SOS response is a paradigm for bacterial cells response to DNA damage. Yet some bacteria lack a homologue of the SOS regulator, LexA, including the Gram‐positive, Lactococcus lactis. In this organism we have identified a negative transcriptional regulator, HdiR that induces target gene expression both upon DNA damage and heat shock. Gel mobility shift assays revealed that the binding site for HdiR is located within an inverted repeat structure. HdiR is able to carry out a self‐cleavage reaction in vitro at high pHs, while in vivo it undergoes RecA‐dependent self‐cleavage in the presence of a DNA‐damaging agent. Intriguingly, the N‐terminal cleavage product of HdiR retains DNA binding activity, and only when degraded by the Clp protease, is gene expression induced. Thus, the activity of HdiR in response to DNA damage is controlled by sequential proteolysis, involving self‐cleavage and Clp‐dependent degradation of HdiR. During heat‐stress, limited self‐cleavage occurs; however, recA and clpP are still required for full induction of target gene expression. Thus, our data show that common elements are involved in both the DNA damage and the heat‐mediated induction of the HdiR regulon.
Implementation of K-Anonymity Using Android SDK

Privacy preserving of personal data is done by many techniques like k-anonymity, l-diversity, t-closeness etc., but the techniques proposed are implemented only when there is the availability of a laptop or a computer. Now-a-days people are interested to carry a mobile instead of a lab-top, because some of the works done by a lap-top can also be done by a mobile, like files sharing, images and videos sharing, and many more, but the sharing may lose the privacy of the data. With a specific end goal to give the protection to the information the strategy k-anonymity is utilized, which chooses the k-esteem where at any rate k-1 people whose data additionally shows up in the discharge. This technique is implemented using Android SDK. Whenever the user requests the information, instead of sending original information, the data is sent in an anonymized way. This paper presents the implementation of this technique and results are shown.
The intra-absorber junction (IAJ) model for the device physics of copper indium selenide-based photovoltaics

The results of free-energy computational materials modeling (CMM) of the CIS ternary material system are applied to analysis of the processes of charge separation fundamental to the operation of all PV devices. It is known that all high-efficiency devices with CIS absorbers possess indium-rich compositions, which lie in the two-phase /spl alpha/+/spl beta/ domain of the equilibrium CIS phase diagram. The intra-absorber junction (IAJ) model presented here explores the implications of presuming that CIS absorbers are in fact two-phase mixtures and concludes that this heterogeneity is fundamental to charge separation in devices made from them. The model posits that photo-generated carrier pairs are first separated within the absorber, the holes into the /spl alpha/ and electrons into the /spl beta/-phase, respectively. These two phases segregate on a nanometer length scale to form an interpenetrating multiply-connected network which permits percolation transport of both excess carrier populations in physically distinct paths. Thus recombination of the hole and electron photocurrents within the absorber is reduced by their real-space separation.
Estimation Deviation between the Theory and Experimental Result of Optical Transmission in Photonic Crystal Fiber

For the features of the optical transmission in photonic crystal fiber the minimum roots of mean square search method was proposed. The minimum root-mean -square search method was used to estimate the deviation between the theory of the Localized Basis Functions Method and experimental result of optical transmission in photonic crystal fiber. The experimental result was the light intensity distribution in the end of the photonic crystal fiber. The process of estimation deviation had five steps. The first one was to found the corresponding equivalency light intensity curves for the experimental result and the theory of the Localized Basis Functions Method. The second one was to normalize the corresponding equivalency light intensity curves with equivalency distances. The distance was the mean distance between the all points in the curve and the centre. The third one was to found the minimum distance between the point in the experimental curve and the all points in corresponding theoretical curve. The fourth one was that the root of mean square for the minimum distances of the feature points in experimental curve was calculated. The fifth one was that the roots of mean square for the all experimental curves were obtained. The deviations of the equivalency light intensity curves compared to the theoretical results were 4%, 3%, 3%, 3%, and 8%, respectively. The second curve was omitted from outer to inner in experimental curves. The results were shown that the minimum root-mean-square search method was a good method for estimating the deviation between the theory of the Localized Basis Functions Method and experimental result of optical transmission in photonic crystal fiber.
Hypnosis in Breast Cancer Care

Introduction. Many breast cancer patients and survivors experience pain and emotional stress related to their disease, its diagnostic procedures, or treatment. Hypnosis has long been used for the treatment of such symptoms. The aim of this review was to systematically assess the effectiveness of hypnosis in women with breast cancer, breast cancer survivors, and in women undergoing diagnostic breast biopsy. Methods. PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and CAMBASE were screened through February 2014 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of hypnosis in women with breast cancer or undergoing diagnostic breast biopsy. RCTs on postmenopausal women without a history of breast cancer were also eligible. Primary outcomes were pain, distress, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, and hot flashes. Safety was defined as secondary outcome measure. Risk of bias was assessed by 2 reviewers independently using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Results. Thirteen RCTs with 1357 patients were included. In women undergoing diagnostic breast biopsy (3 RCTs), hypnosis positively influenced pain and distress; 1 RCT on breast cancer surgery found effects of hypnosis on pain, distress, fatigue, and nausea. For women undergoing radiotherapy (3 RCTs), hypnosis combined with cognitive–behavioral therapy improved distress and fatigue. In 3 RCTs on women with and without a history of breast cancer experiencing hot flashes, hypnosis improved hot flashes and distress. Three RCTs on women with metastatic breast cancer found effects on pain and distress. Conclusions. This systematic review found sparse but promising evidence for the effectiveness of hypnosis in breast cancer care. While more research is needed to underpin these results, hypnosis can be considered as an ancillary intervention in the management of breast cancer–related symptoms.