Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Titer Antibody to Hepatitis B Surface Antigen Before Liver Transplantation Can Prevent De Novo Hepatitis B Infection

Objective: De novo hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is defined as infection occurring in HBV surface antigen (HBsAg)–negative patients who become HbsAg positive after organ transplantation. We assessed the incidence and risk factors of de novo HBV infection in pediatric liver transplant recipients. Patients and Methods: From 1996 to 2006, 71 Taiwanese children with non-HBV-related liver diseases underwent orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) at the National Taiwan University Hospital. All of the surviving recipients were tested regularly for liver function, serum levels of immunosuppressant, HBsAg, titers of antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs), antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc), and antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV). HBV vaccination histories and the anti-HBs titers before OLT were recorded. No regular prophylaxis was given. Results: Fifty-nine patients (33 girls and 26 boys) were followed up for a median of 4.4 years (range 1.0–10.0). Of those, 36 (61.0%) received allografts from anti-HBc-positive and HBsAg-negative donors. De novo HBV infection was found in 9 (15.3%) patients after OLT, 8 of whom received allografts from HBsAg-negative and anti-HBc-positive donors. Forty-eight (81.4%) patients received 3 or more doses of HBV vaccine before OLT. Pre-OLT anti-HBs titers were available for 49 recipients. Of the 9 de novo HBV-infected recipients, 8 had anti-HBs titers <200 mIU/mL. No graft loss or fulminant hepatitis was noted. Conclusions: In the absence of adequate prophylaxis, the incidence of de novo HBV infection in pediatric OLT recipients is 15.3%. An anti-HBs titer of >200 mIU/mL before OLT may be sufficient to prevent de novo HBV infection in HBsAg-negative recipients.
Amniotic Fluid Volume, Total Phospholipids Concentration, and L/S Ratio in Term Pregnancies

Amniotic fluid volume, Iecithin/sphingomyelin ratio, local phospholipid concentration and total phospholipid per sac were investigated in 53 term pregnancies. A definite influence of amniotic fluid volume on the phospholipid concentration was noted, while no influence on the L/S ratio was observed. Amniotic fluid volume showed a tendency to decrease after the 40th week of gestation. The total quantity of phospholipids per sac showed no significant variation between the 36th and 42nd week of gestation.
Contraceptives with novel benefits

Introduction: Progesterone receptor (PR) agonists (progestins) and antagonists are developed for female contraceptives. However, non-contraceptive applications of newer progestins and PR modulators are being given more attention. Areas covered: The newer PR agonists including drospirenone, nomegestrol, trimegestone, dienogest and nestorone are being evaluated as contraceptives with health benefits because of their unique pharmacological properties. The selective PR modulators (SPRM; PR antagonists with PR agonistic properties) are under development not only for emergency contraception but also for other health benefits such as the treatment of endometritis and leiomyoma. After searching the literature from PubMed, clinicaltrials.gov and patent database, this review focuses on the effects and mechanisms of these progestins, and SPRMs as contraceptives with other health benefits. Expert opinion: PR agonists and antagonists that have novel properties may generate better contraceptive effects with other health benefits.
Blurred Boundaries Role In The Emergence And Existence Of Lifestyle Journalism

With the emergence of lifestyle journalism in the news room, the boundaries between news topics are blurring. Lifestyle journalism shifts traditional news into a new realm of news coverage, and becomes evaluative of products or topics, rather than the traditional inform-the-public model. This is referred to as the shift from hard news to soft news. The journalist takes on a different role than ever before, because of this shift in news coverage. In addition, this shift is fueled by the emergence of multi-media. Through outlets like Twitter and comment sections, the journalists now have a direct conversation with the audience, and this affects their angles and news coverage. As time continues, the boundaries blur further into the grey area, and it is important to understand this blurring to prepare for the future of journalism. Through the thesis project, which included creating lifestyle content YouTube videos, relevant to Appalachian State University Students, I learned valuable lessons regarding the field of lifestyle journalism. The main lessons or takeaways from the project included how to effectively tag the content, in order to reach the specific audience I was targeting and gain return visitors or readers. In addition, listening to my audience, in order to hone in on a tight niche within lifestyle journalism was crucial. Keeping an open conversation with the audience is important when creating a niche news source.
BONE‐GRAFTING MATERIALS IN IMPLANT DENTISTRY

There are three classes of bone-grafting materials based upon the mode of action. Autogenous bone is an organic material and forms bone by osteogenesis, osteoinduction, and osteoconduction. Allografts such as demineralized freeze-dried bone are osteoinductive and osteoconductive and may be cortical and/or trabecular in nature. Alloplasts such as hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate may be synthetic or natural, vary in size, and are only osteoconductive. They can be divided into three types based upon the porosity of the product and include dense, macroporous, and microporous materials. In addition, alloplastic materials may be crystalline or amorphous. These materials have different properties and therefore indications. The use of the three classes of materials in diverse combinations depends upon the size and topography of the bony defect. Small defects or defects with four walls of host bone can be repaired with alloplasts alone or allografts in combination with alloplasts. The loss of three or more bony walls mandates the addition of autogenous bone to the graft or the use of a small pore membrane. The larger the defect, the more autogenous bone is required. The different indications of bone substitutes are discussed as to their specific applications in implant dentistry. (Implant Dent 1993;2:158–167)
Failure of an Automated Blood Culture System To Detect Nonfermentative Gram-Negative Bacteria

ABSTRACT During a 1-year study we observed that both aerobic and anaerobic blood culture bottles from patients were negative by the BacT/Alert system during a 7-day incubation period. However, upon subcultivation of negative bottles, growth of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was detectable. In an attempt to explain this observation, aerobic BacT/Alert Fan bottles were seeded with a defined inoculum (0.5 McFarland standard; 1 ml) of Escherichia coli,Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia marcescens,P. aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, orAcinetobacter baumannii. Half of the inoculated bottles were loaded into the BacT/Alert system immediately, and the remainder were preincubated for 4, 8, 16, and 24 h at 36°C. With preincubation all bottles seeded with theEnterobacteriaceae signaled positive during the next 1.5 h. Organisms in bottles seeded with the nonfermentative species P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii remained undetected by the BacT/Alert system for 7 days. S. maltophilia was detected if the preincubation time was equal or less than 8 h. Without preincubation all bottles seeded with theEnterobacteriaceae or nonfermentative species signaled positive. Since nonfermentative species seem to enter a state of bacteriostasis within the preincubation period, we reasoned that an unknown factor is consumed. Accordingly, a smaller inoculum should allow the detection of nonfermentative species, even after preincubation, and serial dilutions of P. aeruginosa were detected in preincubated bottles. In this case preincubated bottles signaled positive faster than bottles without preincubation. We conclude that all bottles from clinical settings should be subcultured prior to loading to avoid false negatives. An alternative may be preincubation at room temperature.
Repression of enhancer II activity by a negative regulatory element in the hepatitis B virus genome

Enhancer II of human hepatitis B virus has dual functions in vivo. Located at nucleotides (nt) 1646 to 1741, it can stimulate the surface and X promoters from a downstream position. Moreover, the same sequence can also function as upstream regulatory element that activates the core promoter in a position- and orientation-dependent manner. In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a negative regulatory element (NRE) upstream of enhancer II (nt 1613 to 1636) which can repress both the enhancer and upstream stimulatory function of the enhancer II sequence in differentiated liver cells. This NRE has marginal inhibitory effect by itself but a strong repressive function in the presence of a functional enhancer II. Mutational analysis reveals that sequence from nt 1616 to 1621 is required for repression of enhancer activity by the NRE. Gel shift analysis reveals that this negative regulatory region can be recognized by a specific protein factor(s) present at the 0.4 M NaCl fraction of HepG2 nuclear extracts. The discovery of the NRE indicates that HBV gene transcription is controlled by combined effects of both positive and negative regulation. It also provides a unique system with which to study the mechanism of negative regulation of gene expression.
A novel mutation in the EIF2AK3 gene with variable expressivity in two patients with Wolcott–Rallison syndrome

Mutations in the EIF2AK3 gene have been identified in patients with Wolcott–Rallison syndrome – a rare autosomal recessive disorder associated with permanent neonatal insulin‐dependent diabetes. Despite the fact that different mutations have been observed in every single unrelated case reported so far, most patients presented with similar characteristics, such as osteopenia, epiphyseal dysplasia as well as hepatic and/or renal dysfunction. The EIF2AK3 gene was analyzed using a PCR‐based sequencing approach in two Wolcott–Rallison patients and their parents. We report two cases from different families carrying the same and novel truncating nonsense mutation in the EIF2AK3 gene that encodes the pancreatic eukaryotic initiation factor 2α kinase 3. This mutation clearly displays different clinical characteristics in the two patients we examined. Remarkably, the onset of diabetes was different for the two patients, and there was also heterogeneity in other clinical manifestations. These cases illustrate the important role of alternative pathways that could, to some extent, take over or supplement a defective metabolic pathway. This supports the idea that there is no simple relationship among clinical manifestations and EIF2AK3 mutations.
Tagalog regional accent classification in the Philippines

Accent classification has been a focus on recent computational researches since it directly influence the performance of automatic speech recognition technologies. In this paper, we aimed to automatically classify Tagalog accented speech of speakers from Region IV-A, Philippines. Speech and voice data were collected from 150 local residents with strong accent from the 15 towns of five (5) provinces of the region, namely: Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon and Rizal. The data gathered was cleaned and denoised using Audacity sound editor software. We then extracted some voice features from the cleaned data using PRAAT application software. These include: harmony, pitch, intensity, power, LFCC and MFCC. We tried several data mining tools to address our objectives. Results showed that MultiLayerPerceptron (MLP) classifier gave the most significant result. Among the towns that have distinct variety of accent are: Talisay, Batangas; Maragondon, Cavite; Paete, Laguna; Lucban, Quezon; and Taytay, Rizal. The significant features that classifies tagalog accent among these towns are: standardDeviationPitch, maximumHarmony, minimumIntensity, standardDeviationIntensity, minimumLPC, meanLPC, LFCC and standardDeviationMelFilter.
Rescue of defective MC4R cell-surface expression and signaling by a novel pharmacoperone Ipsen 17.

Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) is a key factor in regulating energy homeostasis, and null mutations occurring in the gene encoding MC4R cause severe early-onset morbid obesity in humans. Many obesity-causing mutations affecting MC4R clinically identified so far lead to failure of mutant receptors to shuttle to the plasma membrane. In this study, we show that a novel human MC4R antagonist, Ipsen 17, acted as an pharmacological chaperone of human MCR4. As tested with 12 obesity-causing human MC4R variants including S58C, E61K, N62S, I69T, P78L, C84R, G98R, T162I, R165W, W174C, C271Y, and P299H, Ipsen 17 was found to be the most universal pharmacological chaperone of MC4R reported so far because it can completely rescue nearly all mutant receptors (except P299H) with the highest potency (an EC50 value of approximately 10(-8) M) and efficiency when compared with results for other tested pharmacological chaperones of MC4R including ML00253764, PBA, MTHP, PPPone, MPCI, DCPMP, and NBP described in the literature. Once restored to the plasma membrane, defective human MC4R variants responded to α-MSH stimulation with an EC50 value of approximately 10(-8) M and displayed dramatically enhanced signaling ability (except for G98R) in a mutant-specific efficacy and potency profile. Taken together, these results indicate that Ipsen 17 represents a candidate for the development of a targeted treatment of severe early-onset morbid obesity caused by a large subset of inherited mutations in the human MC4R gene.
Influence of Calibration Methodology on Ground Water Flow Predictions

We constructed a numerical model of transient ground water flow and solute transport for a portion of the Biscayne Aquifer in Florida, and calibrated the model with three different combinations of data from a 193‐day period: head (h) data alone, data on h and ground water discharge to a canal (q), and data on h, q, and ground water chloride concentration (C). We used each of the three calibrated models to predict h and q during a 182‐day test period separate from the calibration period. All three calibrated models predicted h equally well during the test period (r= 0.95, where r= 1 indicates perfect agreement between measured and simulated values), though the model calibrated on h alone had significantly different parameter values than the other two models. Predictions of q during the test period depended on calibration methodology; models calibrated with multiple targets simulated q more accurately than the model calibrated on h alone (r = 0.79 compared to r = 0.49). Based on the results of these simulations, we conclude: (1) Post‐calibration prediction is important in assessing the value of different data types in automated calibration; (2) inverse‐solution uniqueness is not a requirement for accurate h predictions; (3) relatively simple models can predict with reasonable accuracy transient ground water flow in a complex aquifer, and parameters governing this prediction can be estimated by nonlinear regression methods that incorporate both h and q data; (4) addition of C data to the calibration did not improve model predictive capacity because the information in the C data was similar to that in the q data, from the perspective of model calibration (the subsurface chemical signal in question was controlled mainly by seepage of high‐chloride canal water into the low‐chloride ground water system).
Chemical and physical properties of the extracellular matrix are required for the actin ring formation in osteoclasts

To examine the effect of extracellular matrix on osteoclast polarization, we focused on the actin organization in osteoclasts, using murine osteoclast‐like multinucleated cells (OCLs) formed in cocultures of osteoblastic cells and bone marrow cells. When OCLs were cultured on either a plastic plate, calcified dentine, or calcium phosphate thin films in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS), they similarly formed ringed structures of F‐actin dots (actin rings). However, OCLs placed on demineralized dentine or type I collagen gel matrix (collagen gel) failed to form actin rings. In the absence of FBS, actin ring formation in OCLs was induced on plastic plates coated with vitronectin, fibronectin, or type I collagen, but not on those coated with laminin, poly‐L‐lysine, or bovine serum albumin. Actin ring formation appeared to depend on integrins, since the GRGDS, but not the GRGES, peptide inhibited it in a dose‐dependent manner. Moreover, immunoelectron microscopic examination revealed that vacuolar proton ATPase (V‐ATPase) was localized along the apical membrane in much higher densities than the basolateral membrane in OCLs placed on plastic coverslips. In OCLs placed on collagen gel, however, V‐ATPase was found to be distributed throughout the cytoplasm without polarity. These results suggest that actin ring formation in osteoclasts was dependent on matrix substrates, matrix proteins and integrins, and was closely related to osteoclast function.
Associations among IRS1, IRS2, IGF1, and IGFBP3 genetic polymorphisms and colorectal cancer.

INTRODUCTION Insulin, insulin-like growth factor (IGF), and IGF binding protein (IGFBP) are involved in cell growth and proliferation and are thought to be important in the etiology of colorectal cancer. We hypothesize that genetic polymorphisms of insulin receptor substrates (IRS-1 and IRS-2), IGF-I, and IGFBP-3 alter colorectal cancer risk because of their roles in the insulin-related signaling pathway. METHODS Data from a population-based incident case-control study of 1,346 colon cancer cases and 1,544 population-based controls and 952 rectal cancer cases and 1,205 controls were used to evaluate associations. Genetic polymorphisms of four genes were investigated: an IGF1 CA repeat, the IGFBP3 -202 A > C, the IRS1 G972R, and the IRS2 G1057D. RESULTS Having at least one R allele (GR or RR) for IRS1 G972R was associated with an increased risk of colon cancer [odds ratio 1.4, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.1-1.9]. The IRS2 G972R heterozygote GD genotype significantly reduced risk of colon cancer (odds ratio 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-0.9). Neither the IGF1 nor the IGFBP3 variants was associated independently with colon cancer, but there was an association when examined with IRS1. Individuals with an IRS1 R allele and IGF1 non-192 allele were at a 2-fold increased risk of colon cancer (95% CI 1.2-4.4). There was a 70% (95% CI 1.02-2.8) increased risk of colon cancer with an IRS1 R allele and the IGFBP3 AC or CC genotype. The IRS2 GD genotype reduced risk of colon cancer, except among those with an IRS1 R allele. No significant associations were seen in analyses of main effects or interactions of these variants and rectal cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS Both IRS1 and IRS2 variants were associated with colon cancer risk independently. Associations were slightly stronger when polymorphisms in multiple genes were evaluated in conjunction with other genes rather than individually. These data suggest that the insulin-related pathway may be important in the etiology of colon cancer but not rectal cancer.
The Kerala election: a shift to the left – and a move to the right

Last week Kerala’s electoral pendulum swung to once again favour the Left Democratic Front over the Congress-led United Democratic Front. But James Chiriyankandath writes that this year’s contest was unusual in that the BJP emerged as a more credible third force, suggesting the cycle that has developed in the last 60 years is no longer as stable as it looks. This article forms part of a series on the 2016 Legislative Assembly Elections. Click here to read more.
Biochemical characterization of the Yersinia YopT protease: Cleavage site and recognition elements in Rho GTPases

The Gram-negative bacterial pathogen Yersinia delivers six effector proteins into the host cells to thwart the host innate immune response. One of the effectors, YopT, causes the disruption of the actin cytoskeleton and contributes to the inhibition of phagocytosis of the pathogen. YopT functions as a cysteine protease to cleave Rho family GTPases. We have analyzed the YopT cleavage products of Rho GTPases by TLC and determined their chemical structure by MS. Amino acid labeling experiments were performed to locate the exact site in RhoA where the YopT cleavage occurs. Our data unambiguously demonstrate that YopT cleaves N-terminal to the prenylated cysteine in RhoA, Rac, and Cdc42 and that the cleavage product of the GTPases is geranylgeranyl cysteine methyl ester. YopT cleaves GTP- and GDP-bound forms of RhoA equally, suggesting that the cleavage does not depend upon the conformation status of the GTPases. YopT also cleaves both farnesylated and geranylgeranylated forms of RhoA. The polybasic sequence in the C terminus of RhoA is essential for YopT substrate recognition and cleavage.
Insulin analogues in pregnancy and specific congenital anomalies: a literature review

Insulin analogues are commonly used in pregnant women with diabetes. It is not known if the use of insulin analogues in pregnancy is associated with any higher risk of congenital anomalies in the offspring compared with use of human insulin. We performed a literature search for studies of pregnant women with pregestational diabetes using insulin analogues in the first trimester and information on congenital anomalies. The studies were analysed to compare the congenital anomaly rate among foetuses of mothers using insulin analogues with foetuses of mothers using human insulin. Of 29 studies, we included 1286 foetuses of mothers using short‐acting insulin analogues with 1089 references of mothers using human insulin and 768 foetuses of mothers using long‐acting insulin analogues with 685 references of mothers using long‐acting human insulin (Neutral Protamine Hagedorn). The congenital anomaly rate was 4.84% and 4.29% among the foetuses of mothers using lispro and aspart. For glargine and detemir, the congenital anomaly rate was 2.86% and 3.47%, respectively. No studies on the use of insulin glulisine and degludec in pregnancy were found. There was no statistically significant difference in the congenital anomaly rate among foetuses exposed to insulin analogues (lispro, aspart, glargine or detemir) compared with those exposed to human insulin or Neutral Protamine Hagedorn insulin. The total prevalence of congenital anomalies was not increased for foetuses exposed to insulin analogues. The small samples in the included studies provided insufficient statistical power to identify a moderate increased risk of specific congenital anomalies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The 52-Week High Reference Price Effect on Indian Mergers and Acquisitions: Does the Regulatory Environment Matter?

The paper establishes the salience of the target’s 52-week high price as a reference price, while determining the offer premium in Indian merger & acquisition (tender offer) deals, after controlling for the regulatory requirements in India. The SEBI Regulation, Substantial Acquisition of Shares and Takeovers (SAST), 2002 and 2011, mandates a minimum offer price taking into account various relevant parameters that includes the target’s historical market prices, i.e. the 26-week and 60-day high prices. The results show that the reference effect is positive and significant after controlling for regulation induced anchoring to the 26-week and 60-day high prices, which subsequently is a subset of the 52-week reference price under study. Specifically, the reference effect is positive and significant for deals when the offer price exceeds the 52-week high price. Incremental changes in the regulation in 2011 do not reduce the effect of the 52-week high price as a psychological anchor. Among firm characteristics, the offer premium significantly reduces for firms with higher Price to Earnings valuation. Further, the offer premium is significantly higher when the objective of acquisition is change of control.