Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An inhibitor of cyclin‐dependent kinase, stress‐induced p21Waf‐1/Cip‐1, mediates hepatocyte mito‐inhibition during the evolution of cirrhosis

During the evolution of cirrhosis, there is a relative decrease in volume percentage of hepatocytes and a relative increase in biliary epithelial cells and myofibroblasts. This is recognized histopathologically as a ductular reaction and leads to gradual distortion of the normal hepatic architecture. The final or decompensated stage of cirrhosis is characterized by a further decline in hepatocyte proliferation and loss of functional liver mass that manifests clinically as ascites, encephalopathy, and other signs of liver failure. In this report, we tested the hypothesis that p21‐mediated hepatocyte mito‐inhibition accelerates the evolution of cirrhosis using an established mouse model of decompensated biliary cirrhosis, p21‐deficient mice, and liver tissue from humans awaiting liver replacement. Despite the same insult of long‐term (12‐week) bile duct ligation, mice prone to decompensation showed significantly more oxidative stress and hepatocyte nuclear p21 expression, which resulted in less hepatocyte proliferation, an exaggerated ductular reaction, and more advanced disease compared with compensation‐prone controls. Mice deficient in p21 were better able than wild‐type controls to compensate for long‐term bile duct ligation because of significantly greater hepatocyte proliferation, which led to a larger liver mass and less architectural distortion. Mito‐inhibitory hepatocyte nuclear p21 expression in humans awaiting liver replacement directly correlated with pathological disease stage and model of end‐stage liver disease scoring. In conclusion, stress‐induced upregulation of hepatocyte p21 inhibits hepatocyte proliferation during the evolution of cirrhosis. These findings have implications for understanding the evolution of cirrhosis and associated carcinogenesis. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the HEPATOLOGY website (http://interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0270‐9139/suppmat/index.html). (HEPATOLOGY 2005.)
Homography-based visual servo tracking control of a wheeled mobile robot

A visual servo tracking controller is developed in this paper for a monocular camera system mounted on an underactuated wheeled robot (WMR) subject nonholonomic motion constraints (i.e., the camera-in-hand problem). A prerecorded image sequence (e.g., a video) of three target points is used to define a desired trajectory for the WMR. By comparing the target points from the prerecorded sequence with the corresponding target points in the live image, projective geometric relationships are exploited to construct a Euclidean homography. The information obtained by decomposing the Euclidean homography is used to develop a kinematic controller. A Lyapunov-based analysis is used to develop an adaptive update law to actively compensate for the lack of depth information required for the translation error system.
Gastrointestinal Colonization by Candida albicans Mutant Strains in Antibiotic-Treated Mice

ABSTRACT Antibiotic-treated mice orally inoculated with one of threeCandida albicans strains (including two mutant strains) or indigenous Candida pelliculosa showed levels of candidal gastrointestinal colonization that were strain specific. However, regardless of strain, the numbers of viable candida were intermediate to high in the stomach, were consistently lowest in the upper small intestine, and increased progressively down the intestinal tract.
Production of cutinase by Thermomonospora fusca ATCC 27730

Ten strains belonging to various Thermomonospora species were tested for their ability to hydrolyse the insoluble plant polyester cutin. One strain, the thermophile T. fusca ATCC 27730, was found to produce a highly inducible cutinase when grown in broth medium containing purified apple cv. Golden Delicious cutin. Apple pomace, tomato peel, potato suberin and commercial cork were also shown to induce cutinase production. Addition of glucose to the culture medium either at the beginning of fermentation or after 2 days of incubation in the presence of apple cutin led to repression of cutinase production. The cutinase was active against a wide range of cutins, including those isolated from other apple cultivars as well as tomato, cucumber, grapefruit, and green pepper. Cutinase activity in the induced culture supernatant fluids exhibited a half‐life of over 60 min at 70 °C and a pH optimum of 11·0. Some potential applications for cutinases are discussed.
CD44 Expression by Leucocytes in Rheumatoid Arthritis and Modulation by Specific Antibody: Implications for Lymphocyte Adhesion to Endothelial Cells and Synoviocytes In Vitro

Anti‐CD44 MoAb IM7 induced the loss of CD44 from mouse leucocytes thereby inhibiting leucocyte migration and joint inflammation in murine arthritis. Thus, targeting CD44 with MoAb may have potential for the treatment of patients with inflammatory joint diseases. Expression of CD44 by peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) leucocytes from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients was compared and the ability of IM7 to modulate this expression determined. RASF lymphocytes showed increased CD44 expression compared with those in PB indicative of an activated phenotype. As inflammatory SF did not up‐regulate CD44 expression on PB lymphocytes, the increased CD44 expression by SF lymphocytes was a result of the selective homing of CD44high cells to the synovium rather than an effect of the synovial environment. RASF granulocytes showed reduced CD44 expression compared with those in PB, again indicative of an activated phenotype. However, this reduction could be induced on PB granulocytes following culture with inflammatory SF and was inhibited by anti‐TNF‐α MoAb, implying that soluble factors in inflammatory SF such as TNF‐α induced granulocyte activation and CD44 loss. IM7 induced the loss of CD44 from lymphocytes (both from PB and SF) and granulocytes in vitro, but was subsequently re‐expressed after 24 h culture in the absence of the MoAb. This loss of CD44 was blocked by serine‐ and metalloprotease inhibitors implying that IM7 induced the proteolytic cleavage of CD44 by a mechanism similar to that reported for the loss of CD44 from PMA‐activated granulocytes. Furthermore, IM7‐treated CD44low lymphocytes showed reduced adherence to both an endothelial cell line and RA synovial fibroblasts in vitro. The unique ability of IM7 to reduce CD44 expression by lymphocytes suggests that it could prevent lymphocyte extravasation and synovial infiltration in RA as previously reported in murine arthritis.
Exploring the impact of extended phenotype in stratified samples

We have performed initial nonparametric sib‐pair genome scans in the early (N = 52) and late (N = 53) onset subgroups of the COGA pedigrees, stratified near the median value of pedigree mean age of onset for ALDX1 diagnosis of alcoholism. Because the early group contained a higher proportion of smokers, traits of alcoholism, smoking, and addiction (defined as either alcoholism or smoking) were examined. Subgroups and phenotypic definitions influenced initial linkage results, corrected for the number of analyzed traits. Evidence for linkage to the ALDX1 alcoholism phenotype at the ADH3 functional candidate gene was increased in the late onset subgroup (Bonferroni corrected significance level < 0.002), as compared with the unstratified sample that replicated COGA linkage obtained in the same analysis; there was no evidence for linkage at this locus in the early onset subgroup. The theoretical implication of this result is that the loss of power due to contracting sample size through stratification may in some cases be more than offset by extraction of a more homogenous subgroup from the etiologically complex trait.
The tobacco industry’s use of Wall Street analysts in shaping policy

Objective: To document how the tobacco industry has used Wall Street analysts to further its public policy objectives. Methods: Searching tobacco documents available on the internet, newspaper articles, and transcripts of public hearings. Results: The tobacco industry used nominally independent Wall Street analysts as third parties to support the tobacco industry’s legislative agenda at both national and state levels in the USA. The tobacco industry has, for example, edited the testimony of at least one analyst before he testified to the US Senate Judiciary Committee, while representing himself as independent of the industry. Conclusion: The tobacco industry has used undisclosed collaboration with Wall Street analysts, as they have used undisclosed relationships with research scientists and academics, to advance the interests of the tobacco industry in public policy.
Gastrointestinal processing of Na+, Cl-, and K+ during digestion: implications for homeostatic balance in freshwater rainbow trout.

The role of the gastrointestinal tract in maintaining ionic homeostasis during digestion, as well as the relative contribution of the diet for providing electrolytes, has been generally overlooked in many aquatic species. An experimental diet that contained an inert reference marker (lead-glass beads) was used to quantify the net transport of Na(+), K(+), and Cl(-) during the digestion and absorption of a single meal (3% ration) by freshwater rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Secretion of Cl(-) into the stomach peaked at 8 and 12 h following feeding at a rate of 1.1 mmol.kg(-1). h(-1), corresponding to a theoretical pH of 0.6 in the secreted fluid (i.e., 240 mmol/l HCl). The majority ( approximately 90%) of dietary Na(+) and K(+) was absorbed in the stomach, whereas subsequent large fluxes of Na(+) and Cl(-) into the anterior intestine corresponded to a large flux of water previously observed. The estimated concentration of Na(+) in fluids secreted into the anterior intestine was approximately 155 mmol/l, equivalent to reported hepatic bile values, whereas the estimated concentration of Cl(-) ( approximately 285 mmol/l) suggested seepage of HCl acid from the stomach in advance of the chyme front. Net absorption of K(+) in the stomach occurred following the cessation of Cl(-) secretion, providing indirect evidence of K(+) involvement with HCl acid production. Overall, 80-90% of the K(+) and Cl(-) contents of the meal were absorbed on a net basis, whereas net Na(+) absorption was negligible. Chyme-to-plasma ion concentration gradients were often opposed to the direction of ion transport, especially for Na(+) and Cl(-).
Eosinophil degranulation in the allergic lung of mice primarily occurs in the airway lumen

Eosinophil degranulation is thought to play a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of allergic disorders. Although mouse models of allergic disorders have been used extensively to identify the contribution of eosinophils to disease, ultrastructural evidence of active granule disassembly has not been reported. In this investigation, we characterized the degree of eosinophil activation in the bone marrow, blood, lung tissue, and airways lumen [bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF)] of ovalbumin‐sensitized and aero‐challenged wild‐type and interleukin‐5 transgenic mice. Degranulation was most prominent in and primarily compartmentalized to the airways lumen. Eosinophils released granule proteins by the process of piecemeal degranulation (PMD). Accordingly, recruitment and activation of eosinophils in the lung correlated with the detection of cell‐free eosinophil peroxidase in BALF and with the induction of airways hyper‐reactivity. As in previous studies with human eosinophils, degranulation of isolated mouse cells did not occur until after adherence to extracellular matrix. However, higher concentrations of exogenous stimuli appear to be required to trigger adherence and degranulation (piecemeal) of mouse eosinophils when compared with values reported for studies of human eosinophils. Thus, mouse eosinophils undergo PMD during allergic inflammation, and in turn, this process may contribute to pathogenesis. However, the degranulation process in the allergic lung of mice is primarily compartmentalized to the airway lumen. Understanding the mechanism of eosinophil degranulation in the airway lumen may provide important insights into how this process occurs in human respiratory diseases.
Blurring Boundaries in Qualitative Health Research on Sensitive Topics

Qualitative health researchers immerse themselves in the settings that they are studying. This immersion involves personal interaction with their participants, with the result that the boundaries between the researcher and the group of people under study can easily become blurred. Although health researchers have been undertaking qualitative research for many years, recognition of boundary issues inherent in this type of research have received little attention. To investigate such issues, the authors conducted interviews with 30 qualitative health researchers. A grounded theory analysis of the interview transcripts revealed that researchers can identify a number of boundaries in their research, including the boundaries between researcher and friend, researcher and counselor or therapist, and professional boundaries. The authors discuss the findings and offer recommendations for qualitative health researchers involved in researching sensitive topics, including the need for researchers to consider the impacts that undertaking research might have on them.
A progressive parkinsonian syndrome developing after chemotherapy and radiotherapy for non‐hodgkin's lymphoma

thalamo-cortical loops have shown a similar neuropsychological profile. Verbal memory deficits have been found in both right hemi-Parkinson’s disease patients (6) and in a patient with striatonigral degeneration affecting primarily the left putamen (13). Slowed word-list generation is also a recognized phenomenon in Parkinson’s disease (14) and language deficits have been found in patients with infarcts primarily affecting the putamen (15). The putamen may thus be a critical structure for the production not only of motor-based programs such as writing, but also of cognitive functions such as word retrieval and verbal learning.
Possible mediators of functional hyperaemia in skeletal muscle.

1. (a) In experiments on gastrocnemius muscles of the cat performing external work, the work was graded, either by altering the intensity of motor nerve stimulation or by changing the load. Only under the former conditions was the steady‐state increase in blood flow conductance at all consistently related to the work performed. (b) In such experiments, efflux of inorganic phosphate and of potassium were closely correlated with the increase in vascular conductance, in the form of a typical dose‐response curve. There was no significant relationship between changes in plasma osmolarity and conductance. 2. (a) Whereas most soleus muscles in the cat exhibit virtually no functional vasodilation, those with a relatively low resting flow tend to do so. (b) There was a relationship between the vasodilation, if any, and release of phosphate in fifteen out of seventeen experiments on soleus muscles. No relationship was found between any release of potassium or change of plasma osmolarity, and absence or extent of functional vasodilation. 3. (a) Terminal arterioles and collecting venules in the rat's spinotrapezius muscle were observed in vivo under low power magnification while the muscle was bathed in various test solutions, so that the vasodilator properties of hyperosmolar solutions, potassium and phosphate could be studied. (b) The dilator effect of hyperosmolar solutions was much the weakest: solutions of 340 m‐osmole/kg elicited the largest responses, but these seldom exceeded 50% mM‐K+ and 3.2‐‐6.4 mM‐Pi (as NaH2PO4) elicited 25‐‐50% of maximum dilation, while 9‐‐10 mM‐K+ and 16‐‐20 mM‐Pi dilated arterial vessels fully. The latency to onset of dilation was shortest (5 sec) with Pi and longest (15 sec) with K+. 4. These findings, together with those already in the literature, lead to the conclusions that (a) hypersomolarity is unlikely to be in an important factor initiating or maintaining functional hyperaemia in skeletal muscle, (b) while K+ release may contribute in fast muscle it can hardly be the factor initiating the response, and (c) inorganic phosphate is the only substance tested so far whose efflux is consistently related to the vascular response in all muscles under a variety of experimental conditions, and whose efficacy as a vasodilator seems adequate.
HIV-1 resistance genotyping on dried serum spots

Objective:to assess the feasibility of HIV-1 group M resistance genotyping on dried serum spots, by testing samples from previously untreated patients, patients on treatment, and patients having stopped treatment, representing a wide genetic diversity panel. Methods:serum samples from 62 HIV-1-infected Caucasian and African patients, with viral load values from 715 copies/ml to more than 750 000 copies/ml, were deposited on filter paper. After elution and RNA extraction, nested RT-PCR was used to amplify the protease and RT regions of the pol gene. Resistance sequencing was performed on all the protease and RT amplicons. The sequences obtained for resistance genotyping were used for subtyping by phylogenetic analysis. Results:amplification was successful in the protease region in 53/62 cases (85.5%) and in the RT region in 51/62 cases (82.3%). All samples with viral loads of at least 5 Log (17 of 62) were successfully amplified in both the RT and protease regions. Of the 29 samples with viral loads between 4 Log and 5 Log, 28 (97%) were amplified in the RT region and 25 (86%) in the protease region. The detected mutations were in keeping with the treatment status. Marked natural polymorphism was observed in the protease region, but no major consequences were deduced in terms of resistance. The results showed a broad diversity of the panel, including subtype B (n = 36) and non B or recombinant forms (n = 20). Conclusion:Our results show the feasibility of this dried serum spot method for monitoring resistance to antiretroviral drugs and the molecular epidemiology of HIV diversity. The simplicity of sample preparation, storage and transport potentially makes this an importance tool for individual and epidemiological monitoring throughout the world.
The appearance of procaine in the spinal fluid during peridural block in man.

Segmental peridural anesthesia was produced in man by depositing 20 ml. of 2 per cent procaine at approximately the twelfth thoracic vertebral level. The concentration of procaine in the spinal fluid during the anesthesia was about 0.2 mgm. per ml. , which is the threshold concentration for spinal block. At least part of the anesthesia during the peridural technique in man is the result of dural penetration of procaine and the subsequent production of spinal anesthesia.
Nigella sativa Linn.– A comprehensive review

Nigella sativa Linn. (Family-Ranunculaceae) is a widely used medicinal plant throughout India and popular in various Indigenous System of Medicine like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Tibb. The seeds are used as astringent, bitter, stimulant, diuretic, emmenagogue and anthelmintic. They are also useful in jaundice, intermittent fever, dyspepsia, paralysis, piles and skin diseases. The present review is therefore, an effort to give a detailed survey of the literature on pharmacognosy, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of the plant.
Chloride flux in phagocytes

Phagocytes, such as neutrophils and macrophages, engulf microbes into phagosomes and launch chemical attacks to kill and degrade them. Such a critical innate immune function necessitates ion participation. Chloride, the most abundant anion in the human body, is an indispensable constituent of the myeloperoxidase (MPO)–H2O2–halide system that produces the potent microbicide hypochlorous acid (HOCl). It also serves as a balancing ion to set membrane potentials, optimize cytosolic and phagosomal pH, and regulate phagosomal enzymatic activities. Deficient supply of this anion to or defective attainment of this anion by phagocytes is linked to innate immune defects. However, how phagocytes acquire chloride from their residing environment especially when they are deployed to epithelium‐lined lumens, and how chloride is intracellularly transported to phagosomes remain largely unknown. This review article will provide an overview of chloride protein carriers, potential mechanisms for phagocytic chloride preservation and acquisition, intracellular chloride supply to phagosomes for oxidant production, and methods to measure chloride levels in phagocytes and their phagosomes.
Types of knowledge transferred in family business succession

This qualitative multiple case study aims to explore the key knowledge that is transferred by predecessors (parents) to successors (children) in a family company. This knowledge becomes a resource to create the family company's competitive advantage. The research sample was composed of 23 participants from 13 family companies. The data were obtained through in-depth, semistructured interviews. The data were analysed using content analysis and then processed using a visual map and temporal bracketing. This study used source triangulation and member checking to ensure validity and reliability. The results show that the majority of knowledge transferred by predecessors to successors is tacit knowledge. Knowledge transferred by predecessors to successors includes knowledge of the product, knowledge of company management, technical knowledge, and philosophical knowledge.
Quantitative EEG Diagnostic Confirmation of Expressive Aprosodia

Quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG) was used to confirm predictions emanating from the neuropsychological examination of an adolescent with expressive aprosodia. Previous research has indicated that expressive deficits in prosody can be caused by cerebral damage to the right hemisphere region homologous to Broca's area. The neuropsychological evaluation of this individual indicates probable right anterior cerebral dysfunction. Taken together, a priori hypotheses included a relative deficit in cerebral arousal of right-relative to left-frontotemporal regions. EEG results confirm the hypothesis and provide case study evidence for both: (a) right anterior mediation of prosodic expression as well as (b) support for the inclusion of QEEG as part of a clinical neuropsychological evaluation.
The Impact of Education Groups for People with Schizophrenia on Social Functioning and Quality of Life

Background Education groups for people with schizophrenia have tended to concentrate on compliance with medication. This study examines impact on social behaviour and quality of life. Method A catchment-wide service was set up for community-based patients. Patients who indicated an interest in education groups were randomly allocated to either an education group or a waiting list control group. Those who attended groups were compared with the control group. Results About one-quarter of community-based patients showed interest in attending education groups. Those who attended showed no change in mental state or compliance with medication (already high) but significant gains in quality of life, social functioning and social networks. Conclusions For patients who choose to attend education groups significant gains in social functioning and quality of life are possible without specific skills training.