Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Src Tyrosine Kinase-Induced Loss of Luteinizing Hormone Responsiveness Is via a Ras-Dependent, Phosphatidylinositol-3-Kinase Independent Pathway1

Abstract Gonadotropins stimulate gonadal cell steroid secretion primarily through activation of a cAMP-protein kinase A signal transduction pathway. Various growth factors have been shown to inhibit gonadotropin-stimulated steroidogenesis, however, the intracellular signaling cascades involved in growth factor inhibition have not been characterized. The present study investigated whether Src tyrosine kinase, a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase activated in response to growth factor stimulation and previously shown to inhibit LH-stimulated progesterone secretion, acts via activation of Ras stimulated pathways, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3-kinase) stimulated pathways, or both in MA10 Leydig cells. Direct activation of Src in MA10 cells that express a temperature sensitive Src was associated with an increase in GTP-bound Ras, indicating increased Ras activity in response to Src activation. Direct activation of Ras by way of expression of a constitutively active Ras (Ras+) was associated with a decrease in LH responsiveness. Coexpression of a dominant negative Src, which by itself increases LH responsiveness in MA10 cells, had no effect on Ras+ inhibition on LH responsiveness, further demonstrating that Src is upstream of Ras. In addition, MA10Ras+ cells were relatively unresponsive to cholera toxin or 8-bromo cAMP, indicating the effects of Ras are independent of cAMP generation. Wortmannin, a PI3-kinase inhibitor, did not restore LH responsiveness to cells expressing activated Src or constitutively active Ras. These results demonstrate that Src activates a Ras pathway in MA10 Leydig cells, and that activation of Ras is associated with a loss of LH responsiveness that is independent of PI3-kinase.
Fatty Liver: A Novel Component of the Metabolic Syndrome

Although the epidemic of obesity has been accompanied by an increase in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, not all obese develop the syndrome and even lean individuals can be insulin resistant. Both lean and obese insulin resistant individuals have an excess of fat in the liver which is not attributable to alcohol or other known causes of liver disease, a condition defined as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by gastroenterologists. The fatty liver is insulin resistant. Liver fat is highly significantly and linearly correlated with all components of the metabolic syndrome independent of obesity. Overproduction of glucose, VLDL, CRP, and coagulation factors by the fatty liver could contribute to the excess risk of cardiovascular disease associated with the metabolic syndrome and NAFLD. Both of the latter conditions also increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and advanced liver disease. The reason why some deposit fat in the liver whereas others do not is poorly understood. Individuals with a fatty liver are more likely to have excess intraabdominal fat and inflammatory changes in adipose tissue. Intervention studies have shown that liver fat can be decreased by weight loss, PPAR&ggr; agonists, and insulin therapy.
Alcohol’s Effects on Lung Health and Immunity

It has long been known that people with alcohol use disorder (AUD) not only may develop physical dependence but also may experience devastating long-term health problems. The most common and identifiable alcohol-associated health problems include liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, cardiomyopathies, neuropathies, and dementia. However, the lung also is adversely affected by alcohol abuse, a fact often overlooked by clinicians and the public. Individuals with AUD are more likely to develop pneumonia, tuberculosis (TB), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Increased susceptibility to these and other pulmonary infections is caused by impaired immune responses in people with AUD. The key immune cells involved in combating pulmonary conditions such as pneumonia, TB, RSV infection, and ARDS are neutrophils, lymphocytes, alveolar macrophages, and the cells responsible for innate immune responses. Researchers are only now beginning to understand how alcohol affects these cells and how these effects contribute to the pathophysiology of pulmonary diseases in people with AUD.
Current understanding of the cellular biology and molecular structure of the antidiuretic hormone-stimulated water transport pathway.

Introduction The ability of the kidney to conserve or excrete free water independent of changes in solute excretion was a prerequisite for the successful adaptation of vertebrates to prolonged periods on land (1, 2). Renal conservation of water in amphibia, reptiles, birds, and mammals is controlled by antidiuretic hormone (ADH). "2 In these animals, body fluid osmolality is maintained within very narrow limits. Whenbody fluid osmolality decreases, ADHlevels fall, causing the excretion of free water via a hypotonic urine. In contrast, when body fluid osmolality rises, ADHis released, stimulating free water retention and excretion of a hypertonic urine. ADHcontrols renal water retention by inserting water channels into the normally watertight apical membranes of the collecting duct. This in turn allows water flow from the tubule lumen along osmotic gradients between the tubular fluid and the surrounding interstitium (2). In addition, ADHenhances sodium reabsorption by the collecting duct (2) and, in some animals, increases transepithelial solute transport in the medullary thick ascending limb, thereby increasing osmotic gradients for water reabsorption. In certain amphibia, dilute urine is stored in a large bladder where it can be reabsorbed in response to ADHsecreted when the body fluid osmolality rises (1). Since ADH-responsive properties of toad urinary bladder granular epithelial cells resemble closely those of principal cells of the mammalian collecting duct, the toad bladder is a useful model of ADH-responsive renal epithelia. In this review, we will discuss our current understanding of the cellular biology and molecular structure of the ADHwater
Wikipedia en la universidad: una guía de buenas prácticas

Aunque Wikipedia es una fuente inicial de informacion ampliamente utilizada por estudiantes de cualquier nivel academico, es dificil encontrar cursos de educacion superior en los que Wikipedia tenga un papel activo en el proceso de aprendizaje. A partir de los principales resultados del proyecto Wiki4HE, en este articulo se hace una breve descripcion de los factores mas importantes que influyen en la decision de los profesores a la hora de usar Wikipedia en las aulas en su accion docente. Ademas de los factores estrictamente tecnologicos, relacionados con la usabilidad y la utilidad de la plataforma de trabajo que proporciona la enciclopedia, se exponen los factores academicos y profesionales que tienen una mayor implicacion: la percepcion de la calidad de Wikipedia, su imagen social, el perfil 2.0 del profesorado y su actitud colaborativa, asi como el reconocimiento institucional del uso de estas herramientas. Este articulo tiene dos objetivos principales. El primer objetivo es destacar la importancia de la opinion que tienen los companeros academicos sobre Wikipedia a la hora de que un profesor tome la decision de usar esta enciclopedia de manera activa en la docencia. El segundo objetivo es mostrar el papel que puede tener en esta decision el disponer de una guia de buenas practicas, que recoja de forma sistematica las experiencias de otros profesores y que permita mejorar la imagen social de Wikipedia.
Human Rhinovirus 87 Identified as Human Enterovirus 68 by VP4-Based Molecular Diagnosis

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are the major cause of respiratory infections. We developed a diagnostic method for HRVs based on the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and VP4-based phylogenetic analysis. A set of primers used in the RT-PCR of human enteroviruses (EVs) appeared to be capable of amplifying all prototype strains of HRVs, each of which generated a 530-bp fragment. The single exception was HRV-87, which generated a 650-bp fragment, as observed in human EVs. The VP4 nucleotide sequence of HRV-87 showed more than 97% nucleotide identity with human EV-68, and formed a monophyletic cluster along with the prototype strain of EV-68 in the human EV-D cluster. HRV-87 showed the second highest homology (76.8%) with EV-70, another member of the human EV-D, in a sample of 66 human EVs and 12 HRVs. Therefore, HRV-87 should be reclassified into the cluster containing human EV-68.
Local and systemic factors in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis.

Publisher Summary This chapter summarizes current evidence that supports a role for local factors acting both directly and as mediators of systemic hormones. Differences in the production of, or response to, local factors are important in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. Since these local factors often act in concert and are often coordinately regulated, it seems likely that the relevant differences will involve multiple local factors in most patients. This hypothesis is particularly attractive because there is so little difference in the levels of systemic hormones in osteoporotic patients compared to that seen in age-matched controls. A plausible hypothesis would be that the production or activity of local factors changes to varying degrees with age and estrogen deficiency and that the individuals with severe osteoporosis are those who have large increases in bone resorbing factors; loss of inhibitors of resorption; large increases in inhibitors of formation; and loss of stimulators of bone formation. Another critical factor in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis is peak bone mass. It is quite possible that the genetic determinants of peak bone mass involve effects on local factors, particularly growth factors. Moreover, the effect of weight-bearing activity on peak bone mass is likely to be mediated by local factors. Regulation involves contributions from marrow cells of both the hematopoietic and the mesenchymal lineages as well as bone cells themselves. There is some evidence for a decrease in the number of osteogenic stem cells in the marrow with age, and this could account in part for age-related decreases in bone formation. It is likely that the pathogenesis of severe osteoporosis will be heterogeneous; that is, there will be patients with different patterns of abnormalities involving different systemic hormones and local factors.
Currents' Physical Components (CPC) in the time-domain: Single-phase systems

This paper presents a time-domain derivation of the Currents' Physical Components (CPC) power theory using standard results from mathematical systems theory. Consequently, piece-wise continuous currents and voltages, such as square waves and sawtooth signals, can naturally be taken into account without approximating them by a finite number of harmonics. The results are illustrated using two electrical circuits that have been used in the literature to reveal the need for a proper power decomposition.
Nonparametric statistical approach to evaluating the effectiveness of energy-saving devices

The article is devoted to the use of nonparametric methods for evaluating the effectiveness of energy-saving devices. Approach takes into account the influence of external factors on the consumption of electrical energy. This method is used for energy-saving system that is installed on the electrical signalbox on the West-Siberian Railway. The first results of the experiment in the Russian Railways are presented in this article.
Protein Katabolism and Oxygen Consumption during Starvation in Infants, Young Adults and Old Men

In their work on the partition of nitrogen in the urine of newborn breast-fed infants Barlow & McCance (1948) found that the total nitrogen excreted during the first 48 h of life was of the order of 30 mg/kg body-weight/zq h. During this time the breast-fed infant obtains very little food and fluid and is in a state of physiological hydropenia and of almost complete starvation. Barlow & McCance pointed out that Cathcart’s (1907) and Benedict’s (1915) work had shown that the starving adult, with an unrestricted water intake, excreted about 140 mg N/kg body-weightjzq h. Although this was a large difference they did not claim that it represented a difference in the nitrogen katabolized because it was known from previous work (McCance & Widdowson, 1947) that there was usually some retention of nitrogen over the first 2 days of life, and this had not been measured. A re-examination of this evidence in 1949 suggested that the nitrogen katabolized by infants per kg body-weight in the first 48 h of life really was smaller than that katabolized by fasting adults. This was felt to be curious since Benedict & Talbot (1915) had found that the calorie output of resting infants was 48 Cal. /kg/zq h, whereas that of adults was only 23 Cal. /kg/zq h. Little help in the resolution of this difficulty could be obtained from the literature. Schlossmann & Murschhauser (1914) appeared to have been two of the few, if not the only, investigators to have measured the nitrogen katabolism and the calorie expenditure of the same starving baby. In
BMP-9 induces rabbit adipose-derived stem cells to differentiation into osteoblasts via BMP signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE To explore the role of BMP-9 in osteoblast differentiation from adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs). STUDY DESIGN Rabbit ADSCs were isolated from subcutaneous tissues of the abdomen and inguinal fat pads and then purified and expanded in vitro. AdBMP9, SB203580 (P38 MAPK inhibitors), and PD98059 (ERK1/2 inhibitor) were used for osteoblastic differentiation. RESULTS The results show that bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) could affect the differential direction of ADSCs. Polymerase chain reaction assays reveal the important role of BMP signaling pathway in osteoblastic differentiation of ADSCs, and the members included Smad 1, Smad 4, Smad 5, Smad 8, P38, ERK1/2, Runx 2, collagen type I and osteopontin. CONCLUSION This study provides some theoretical basis and experimental evidence for the application of ADSCs into treatment of bone injury.
The zone of vegetation influence on baseflow revealed by diel patterns of streamflow and vegetation water use in a headwater basin

Water use by vegetation can be closely linked to streamflow patterns on a variety of time scales. However, many of the details of these linkages are poorly understood. We compared diel (24 h) patterns of transpirational water use with streamflow patterns in a small headwater basin that displays a marked diel variation during summer months. The study site was in western Oregon. Our objectives were to: (1) determine the phase shift, i.e. the time lag between maximum transpiration and minimum streamflow, and the strength of the correlation at that time lag; (2) determine the amount of streamflow that is ‘missing’ during each diel cycle (i.e. the difference between base flow, defined by the daily maxima, and actual flow) and use it to estimate the zone, or area, of vegetation that influences daily streamflow patterns; (3) test and refine a conceptual model of how the coupling between vegetation water use and streamflow changes over the period of summer drought in this basin. We found that vegetation water use in the summer is coupled to streamflow over time scales of 4 to 8 h, and water‐use‐related fluctuations accounted for 1 to 6% of summer base flow. Direct evaporation from the channel was an order of magnitude less than the diel streamflow decrease. Transpiration within only 0·1 to 0·3% of the basin area accounted for the diel variation in streamflow. As the basin drained further through the summer, the coupling between vegetation and streamflow was diminished and occurred at longer time scales, and the zone of vegetation influence became smaller. This pattern is in accordance with our conceptual model, which attributes the summer decline in the strength of the vegetation–streamflow coupling to the increasing depth of plant‐available water in the soil profile. Although this study is preliminary, we believe it is an important first step in describing better the coupling of vegetation water use to streamflow. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Changes in the skin in relation to the hair growth cycle

Changes in the follicle during the hair growth cycle have been described for the mouse, rat, and the rabbit in some detail (Dry, '26 ; Butcher, '34, '51 ; David, '34 ; Schwanitz, '38 ; Lubnow, '39; Kaliss, '42; Taylor, '49; Wolbach, '51; and Chase et al., '51). Except for a brief account by Butcher ('34) in the rat, little attempt has been made to correlate the phenomena occurring in the hair follicle with those occurring in the skin as a whole. That important relationships do exist has been implied by the observations that sebaceous glands, after chemical extirpation, redifferentiate in association with the active phase of the hair growth cycle (Montagna and Chase, '50) and that the degree of damage suffered by the epidermis is associated with hair follicle activity (Chase and Montagna, '51). The functional importance of the external sheath, which is the morphological continuity between the bulb and the epidermis, is implied by these observations (Chase and Montagna, '51). On the premise that the skin is an integrated system and that the pilosebaceous units are important components of this system, a morphological, and eventually a physiological, description of the skin in relation to the cycles
The Catabolism of Amino Acids to Long Chain and Complex Alcohols in Saccharomyces cerevisiae *

The catabolism of phenylalanine to 2-phenylethanol and of tryptophan to tryptophol were studied by13C NMR spectroscopy and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Phenylalanine and tryptophan are first deaminated (to 3-phenylpyruvate and 3-indolepyruvate, respectively) and then decarboxylated. This decarboxylation can be effected by any of Pdc1p, Pdc5p, Pdc6p, or Ydr380wp; Ydl080cp has no role in the catabolism of either amino acid. We also report that in leucine catabolism Ydr380wp is the minor decarboxylase. Hence, all amino acid catabolic pathways studied to date use a subtly different spectrum of decarboxylases from the five-membered family that comprises Pdc1p, Pdc5p, Pdc6p, Ydl080cp, and Ydr380wp. Using strains containing all possible combinations of mutations affecting the seven AAD genes (putativearyl alcohol dehydrogenases), fiveADH genes, and SFA1, showed that the final step of amino acid catabolism (conversion of an aldehyde to a long chain or complex alcohol) can be accomplished by any one of the ethanol dehydrogenases (Adh1p, Adh2p, Adh3p, Adh4p, Adh5p) or by Sfa1p (formaldehyde dehydrogenase.)
Analysis of Intimal Proteoglycans in Atherosclerosis-prone and Atherosclerosis-resistant Human Arteries by Mass Spectrometry*S

The propensity to develop atherosclerosis varies markedly among different sites in the human vasculature. To determine a possible cause for such differences in atherosclerosis susceptibility, a proteomics-based approach was used to assess the extracellular proteoglycan core protein composition of intimal hyperplasia from both the atherosclerosis-prone internal carotid artery and the atherosclerosis-resistant internal thoracic artery. The intimal proteoglycan composition in these preatherosclerotic lesions was found to be more complex than previously appreciated with up to eight distinct core proteins present, including the large extracellular proteoglycans versican and aggrecan, the basement membrane proteoglycan perlecan, the class I small leucine-rich proteoglycans biglycan and decorin, and the class II small leucine-rich proteoglycans lumican, fibromodulin, and prolargin/PRELP (proline arginine-rich end leucine-rich repeat protein). Although most of these proteoglycans seem to be present in similar amounts at the two locations, there was a selective enhanced deposition of lumican in the intima of the atherosclerosis-prone internal carotid artery compared with the intima of the atherosclerosis-resistant internal thoracic artery. The enhanced deposition of lumican in the intima of an atherosclerosis prone artery has important implications for the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis.
PDX-1 and the Pancreas

Many transcription factors are critical for ensuring proper embryonic development of the endocrine pancreas and normal islet function. The transcription factor pancreatic duodenal homeobox 1 (PDX-1) is uniformly expressed in early pancreatic buds of embryos as well as the &bgr; and &dgr; cells of the islets of Langerhans. PDX-1 has also been found in dispersed endocrine cells of the duodenum in adults and plays a key role in pancreas formation. It has been reported that null mutation of PDX-1 in mice results in a failure of the pancreatic bud to expand; thus, the mice die 2–3 days after birth from hyperglycemia and dehydration. Heterozygous PDX-1+/− mice developed a pancreas but were diabetic. It has been shown that PDX-1 is required for maintaining the pancreatic islet functions by activating gene transcriptions including insulin, somatostatin (SST), islet amyloid polypeptide, glucose transporter type 2, and glucokinase. PDX-1 serves a dual role in pancreatic development. It initially contributes to pancreatic formation during embryogenesis and subsequently regulates the pancreatic islet cell physiology in mature islet cells. Understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of pancreas formation, especially the function of PDX-1, may contribute to the enhanced treatment and prevention of debilitating diseases such as diabetes, insulinomas, and pancreatic carcinomas.
Amblyopia prevalence and cigarette smoking by women

The relationship between cigarette smoking by young women and amblyopia in children was investigated in 13 population groups. Two searches were conducted on Medline using the following keywords for the first search: amblyopia, prevalence or incidence, and the names of specific countries. The keywords for the second search were smoking, cigarettes, women and the names of the same specific countries. Relevant articles were reviewed. A positive relationship between the rate of smoking among women and the prevalence of amblyopia in school‐aged children and military recruits was found. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.73. The occurrence of decreased visual acuity attributed to amblyopia in disparate population groups is directly related to rates of cigarette smoking by young women.