Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tumor-selective radiopharmaceutical targeting via receptor-mediated endocytosis of gallium-67-deferoxamine-folate.

UNLABELLED The receptor-mediated endocytosis uptake pathway for the vitamin folate was investigated as a target for tumor-selective radiopharmaceutical delivery. The molecular target for this delivery mechanism is a membrane-associated folate binding protein (FBP) that is overexpressed by a variety of malignant cell lines. METHODS The ability of a 67Ga-labeled deferoxamine-folate conjugate (67Ga-DF-folate) to target tumor cells in vivo was examined using an athymic mouse tumor model. Subcutaneous inoculation of approximately 4 X 10(6) folate-receptor-positive KB (human nasopharyngeal carcinoma) cells into athymic mice yielded approximately 0.20 g tumors in 15 days, at which time either 67Ga-DF-folate, 67Ga-deferoxamine (67Ga-DF) or 67Ga-citrate was administered by intravenous injection. RESULTS The 67Ga-DF-folate conjugate showed marked tumor-specific deposition in vivo, with 1.0 +/- 0.3% of the injected dose (%ID) in tumor at 4 hr postinjection (equating to 5.2 +/- 1.5 %ID/g tumor; n = 3 mice). Corresponding tumor-to-background ratios at 4 hr postinjection were: tumor/blood = 409 +/- 195; tumor/muscle = 124 +/- 47; tumor/liver = 11 +/- 3; and tumor/kidney = 2.6+/-0.9. Tumor uptake of 67Ga-DF-folate conjugate was effectively blocked by co-injection of 2.4+/-1.0 mg free folate. In control experiments, 67Ga-citrate exhibited tumor uptake of 2.2 +/- 0.4% of the injected dose (10.9 +/- 0.2 %ID/g tumor), but very poor target-to-background contrast (tumor/blood = 0.84 +/- 0.19; tumor/muscle = 5.4 +/- 0.7; tumor/liver = 2.3 +/- 0.2; and tumor/kidney = 2.4 +/- 0.3). Unconjugated 67Ga-deferoxamine showed no tumor affinity. CONCLUSION Receptor-mediated endocytosis of radiolabeled folate-conjugates may offer a suitable mechanism for selectively delivering radiopharmaceuticals to tumors for diagnostic imaging and/or radiation therapy.
Interactions of growth hormone and parathyroid hormone in renal phosphate, calcium, and calcitriol metabolism and bone remodeling in postmenopausal women

The mechanisms underlying the effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) on vitamin D, mineral, and bone metabolism are not known. We examined whether these effects are mediated by parathyroid hormone (PTH) by measuring renal phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) handling, serum calcitriol, and markers of bone turnover for 24 h before and 72 h after an infusion of hPTH(1–34) in eight healthy postmenopausal women at baseline and following short‐term (1 week) and sustained (5 weeks) rhGH treatment. On short‐term rhGH, serum phosphorus and basal TmP/GFR were unaffected, but the fall in TmP/GFR after hPTH infusion was exaggerated (integrated response: −99.2 ± 22.3 versus −144.1 ± 15.0 minute‐mg/dl, P = 0.0021). Basal calcitriol levels rose from 115 ± 17 to 163 ± 16 pM (P = 0.0002), but the increase in calcitriol following hPTH infusion was unaffected by short‐term rhGH. The basal Ca excretion index (CEI) rose from 0.054 ± 0.005 to 0.073 ± 0.007 mM (P = 0.0095), but markers of bone turnover were unaffected. With sustained rhGH treatment, serum P (1.47 ± 0.05 mM), basal TmP/GFR (4.29 ± 0.24 mg/dl), and basal CEI (0.067 ± 0.005 mM) were elevated compared with control values, and the PTH‐induced lowering of TmP/GFR was again enhanced (‐ 158.7 ± 22.8 minute‐mg/dl, P = 0.0021). Basal calcitriol concentrations returned to control levels (108 ± 10 pM), but the calcitriol response to hPTH remained unchanged. Markers of bone remodeling were elevated with sustained rhGH treatment. Neither short‐term nor sustained rhGH affected plasma ionized Ca, serum PTH levels, or the magnitude of the acute hydroxyproline, calcitriol, or cAMP responses to hPTH. We conclude that GH has PTH‐independent effects on renal phosphate handling and 1α‐hydroxylase activity, exerting its effects at a postreceptor step beyond adenylate cyclase activation.
Symptoms and cholinesterase activity among rural residents living near cotton fields in Nicaragua.

OBJECTIVES: To explore whether symptoms resulted from pesticide spray drift on residentially exposed populations in rural Nicaragua. METHODS: 100 residents, each 10 years of age or older, were randomly selected from a Nicaraguan community surrounded by actively sprayed cotton fields (the exposed community) and from a socioeconomically similar community far from agricultural spraying (the control community). Subjects working with pesticides were excluded, and the study was conducted at the end of the 1990 cotton spraying season (August-December). Demographic information, exposure questions, and prevalence of 11 acute symptoms and 17 chronic symptoms were gathered from a structured interview. Finger stick erythrocyte cholinesterase (AChE) was measured with a portable colorimeter. Acute symptoms were grouped according to their previously known associations with cholinesterase (ChE) inhibitors into four ordinal categories (asymptomatic, non-specific, possible, probable). RESULTS: Residents from the exposed community were significantly more likely to report recently sighting a spray plane near their community, exposure to pesticide from drift, crossing recently sprayed fields, eating home grown food, and feeling ill after drift exposure. The mean AChE value was significantly lower for residents of the exposed community (4.9 v 5.3 IU/dl). The proportion of subjects complaining of one or more chronic or acute symptoms was significantly higher for the exposed community (87%) than for the controls (53%). Odds ratios for residents in the exposed community, by symptom categories, were non-specific 1.6 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0-8 to 3.2), possible 4.1 (95% CI 1.7 to 10.2), and probable 9.93 (95% CI 2-9 to 34.4). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate a strong association between exposure to aerial pesticides and symptoms. This study should be replicated with more quantitative exposure measures, for if confirmed, the results have relevance for millions in rural communities worldwide.
TRICKSTERS TROT TO AMERICA 1 AREAL DISTRIBUTION OF FOLKLORE MOTIFS

The folklore Trickster is usually considered a universally known com- bination of features intrinsic to human nature. However, there are strong anoma- lies in the areal distribution of such a figure. Sub-Saharan Africa, North America (except for the Arctic), Northeast Asia and South American Chaco not only are the preferred zones of tricksters' activity but also share some peculiar trickster motifs unknown in most of the other regions. The range of animals which play the role of tricksters is also restricted and not always easily explained, E.g. the Hare and Spider, known in both Africa and North America, are neither "media- tors" between life and death (suggested by C. Levi-Strauss for Coyote) nor "re- ally tricky" ("materialistic" hypothesis of M. Harris). The set of trickster motifs and the zoo- or anthropomorphic impersonations of the Trickster are independ- ent variables. The same episodes are easily linked to different tricksters while every trickster usually attracts episodes characteristic of a particular region. Though the original emergence of Trickster as a mental construct can indeed be rooted in human psychology (and where else? ), the distribution of tricksters in folklore is discretionary and depends of many uncertain, i.e. chance, factors. The wide spread or lack of tricksters in certain cultural areas hardly reflect any fundamental differences in the psychology of inhabitants of these regions. The study of trickster motifs, just as of any other folklore motifs, helps us recon- struct possible historic links between populations. The African - North Ameri- can links remain enigmatic (independent emergence is possible but slight his- torical links cannot be completely excluded) but the parallels between (Western and Northeast) Siberian - North American tricksters are almost certainly due to former cultural ties across Northern Asia. Another interesting case is the proliferation of tricksters with different zoomorphic and other identities (Mink, Blue Jay, Raccoon, Ice, South Wind, etc.) inside a small area of North America (Plateau and the adjacent part of the Northwest Coast) between two large zones of the Raven and of Coyote. Study of such cases helps us reconstruct cultural processes that little is known about, and some of them are very ancient.
Combination of Novel Green Fluorescent Protein Mutant TSapphire and DsRed Variant mOrange to Set Up a Versatile in Planta FRET-FLIM Assay1[W]

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) measurements based on fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) are increasingly being used to assess molecular conformations and associations in living systems. Reduction in the excited-state lifetime of the donor fluorophore in the presence of an appropriately positioned acceptor is taken as strong evidence of FRET. Traditionally, cyan fluorescent protein has been widely used as a donor fluorophore in FRET experiments. However, given its photolabile nature, low quantum yield, and multiexponential lifetime, cyan fluorescent protein is far from an ideal donor in FRET imaging. Here, we report the application and use of the TSapphire mutant of green fluorescent protein as an efficient donor to mOrange in FLIM-based FRET imaging in intact plant cells. Using time-correlated single photon counting-FLIM, we show that TSapphire expressed in living plant cells decays with lifetime of 2.93 ± 0.09 ns. Chimerically linked TSapphire and mOrange (with 16-amino acid linker in between) exhibit substantial energy transfer based on the reduction in the lifetime of TSapphire in the presence of the acceptor mOrange. Experiments performed with various genetically and/or biochemically known interacting plant proteins demonstrate the versatility of the FRET-FLIM system presented here in different subcellular compartments tested (cytosol, nucleus, and at plasma membrane). The better spectral overlap with red monomers, higher photostability, and monoexponential lifetime of TSapphire makes it an ideal FRET-FLIM donor to study protein-protein interactions in diverse eukaryotic systems overcoming, in particular, many technical challenges encountered (like autofluorescence of cell walls and fluorescence of pigments associated with photosynthetic apparatus) while studying plant protein dynamics and interactions.
Performance Evaluation and QoS Analysis of EEPB and PDCH Routing Protocols in Wireless Sensor Networks

EEPB (Energy-Efficient PEGASIS-Based protocol) is a chain-based protocol. It has certain deficiencies such as it ignores the nodes energy and distance between nodes to BS when selecting the leader. It causes overhead, maximize the overall network delay and consumes more energy because of more number of transmission and receives among all nodes. Aiming at these problems, PDCH (PEGASIS with Double Cluster Head) is proposed in this paper. PDCH uses a double cluster head instead of single cluster head to distribute energy load among all nodes to increase the network lifetime. Also PDCH uses a dynamic cluster formation to eliminate overhead and reduce the distance of transmission by choosing appropriate node based on residual energy and neighbor nodes. The simulation results show that PDCH has a better performance than EEPB on the efficiency of energy consumption, minimizing network overhead, increasing the network lifetime and balancing load of the network.
Women's reasons for complementary and alternative medicine use: racial/ethnic differences.

OBJECTIVES Although racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) utilization have been documented, differences in the reasons for using CAM have not been empirically assessed. In an increasingly diverse society, understanding differences in rates of and reasons for CAM use could elucidate cultural and social factors of health behaviors and inform health care improvements. The current study examines reasons for CAM use among women in four racial/ethnic groups. DESIGN A national telephone survey of 3172 women aged 18 years and older was conducted in four languages. Respondents were asked about their use of remedies or treatments not typically prescribed by a medical doctor. This study focuses on those women who used CAM in the previous year and their reasons for using CAM. RESULTS Non-Hispanic white women were most likely to cite personal beliefs for CAM use. Cost of conventional medicine was most prevalent among Mexican-American women CAM users. Physician referral, family and friends, and media sources were all equally likely to lead to CAM use in non-Hispanic white women. In contrast, informal networks of family and friends were the most important social influences of CAM use among African-, Mexican-, and Chinese-American women. CONCLUSIONS Racial/ethnic differences in reasons for CAM use highlight cultural and social factors that are important to consider in public evaluation of the risks and benefits of CAM remedies and treatments.
Endemic Nosocomial Filamentous Fungal Disease: A Proposed Structure for Conceptualizing and Studying the Environmental Hazard

Reducing the concentration of filamentous fungal spores in the air inhaled by immunosuppressed patients is an important goal. Although it is not clear that air is the exclusive vector of nosocomial filamentous fungal disease, it is quite likely that it is the most important vector. Uncertainties about this assertion are compounded by the great variety of fungal species involved. Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus, A. terreus, A. niger, Petriellidium boydii, Fusarium sp. , Mucoraceae, Phoma sp. , Alternaria, Penicillium, and others have caused invasive disease in immunosuppressed patients. But detailed studies of environmental correlates of nosocomial disease are largely restricted to A. flavus and A. fumigatus. Spores of all of these species may be recovered from unfiltered air. It is probably reasonable to extrapolate from Aspergillus to all of the species involved.
Normal Human Corneal Cell Populations Evaluated by In Vivo Scanning Slit Confocal Microscopy

Purpose To analyze cellular populations in healthy human corneas. Methods The study group consisted of 58 eyes of 45 patients with normal corneas. The age distribution was 45 ± 17 years (mean ± SD; range, 20–84). Scanning slit confocal microscopy of the central corneas was performed. The images were analyzed visually for cell morphology, and the densities and areas of cells were measured. Results No statistically significant differences were measured in cell densities or cell areas of any corneal layer between female and male patients (p = 0.22–0.50) nor between right and left eyes (p = 0.16–0.45). The area of superficial epithelial cells was 913 ± 326 μm2 (mean ± SD; range, 518–2,112), and the superficial epithelial cell density was 1,213 ± 370 cells/mm2 (mean ± SD; range, 473–1,929). The area of basal epithelial cells was 177 ± 19 μm2 (mean ± SD; range, 138–242), and the basal epithelial cell density was 5,699 ± 604 cells/mm2 (mean ± SD; range, 4,135–7,267). The average apparent keratocyte density was 1,058 ± 217 cells/mm2 (mean ± SD; range, 604–1,599) in the anterior stroma, and 771 ± 135 cells/mm2 (mean ± SD; range, 493–1,145) in the posterior stroma. The difference in apparent keratocyte densities between the anterior and posterior stroma was statistically significant (p < 0.001). The average endothelial cell area was 334 ± 51 μm2 (range, 273–553), and the cell density was 3,055 ± 386 cells/mm2 (mean ± SD; range, 1,809–3,668). The endothelial cell density had a negative, statistically significant correlation with age (r = −0.68, p < 0.001). The densities of the other corneal cell layers did not have a statistically significant correlation with age. Conclusion In vivo scanning slit confocal microscopy is a useful tool for studying corneal cell populations. Central corneal cell densities were found to decrease significantly with age only in the endothelium. For the first time in human corneas using in vivo confocal microscopy, this study statistically confirms a higher apparent number of keratocytes in the anterior stroma than in the posterior stroma.
Evidence of nearby supernovae affecting life on Earth

Observations of open star clusters in the solar neighborhood are used to calculate local supernova (SN) rates for the past 510 million years (Myr). Peaks in the SN rates match passages of the Sun through periods of locally increased cluster formation which could be caused by spiral arms of the Galaxy. A statistical analysis indicates that the Solar System has experienced many large short-term increases in the flux of Galactic cosmic rays (GCR) from nearby supernovae. The hypothesis that a high GCR flux should coincide with cold conditions on the Earth is borne out by comparing the general geological record of climate over the past 510 million years with the fluctuating local SN rates. Surprisingly a simple combination of tectonics (long-term changes in sea level) and astrophysical activity (SN rates) largely accounts for the observed variations in marine biodiversity over the past 510 Myr. An inverse correspondence between SN rates and carbon dioxide (CO2) levels is discussed in terms of a possible drawdown of CO2 by enhanced bioproductivity in oceans that are better fertilized in cold conditions - a hypothesis that is not contradicted by data on the relative abundance of the heavy isotope of carbon, 13 C.
Accurate Indoor Localization with UWB Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of a collection of spatially distributed radio transceivers with attached sensors that can measure and gather information from the environment. In this paper, we focus on the application of WSNs to indoor localization and, for this purpose, we propose the use of a Ultra Wide Band (UWB) WSN. The use of UWB signals guarantees robust performance in dense multipath environments, making them an attractive choice for indoor localization. In this paper, we discuss on different localization strategies: first classic geometric approaches are considered, then the mathematical framework is re-interpreted as an optimization problem. In the latter context, we propose the use of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) in particular, which can overcome limitations of classic (geometric) approaches.
OCCURRENCE OF 224Ra, 226Ra, 228Ra, GROSS ALPHA, AND URANIUM IN CALIFORNIA GROUNDWATER

One hundred and twelve groundwater wells sampled from all the major aquifers in California were analyzed for 224Ra, 226Ra, 228Ra, gross alpha, and uranium. The results showed that radium is found in relatively low concentration, 1.56 × 10−2–1.23 Bq L−1 (0.42–33 pCi L−1) for 224Ra, 2.2 × 10−3–0.81 Bq L−1 (0.06–22 pCi L−1) for 226Ra, and 8.5 × 10−3–1.31 Bq L−1 (0.23–35 pCi L−1) for 228Ra in California groundwater. Uranium was found at the highest concentration on both mass and activity basis and was correlated with the gross alpha measurement. Short-lived radioisotopes showed no significant contribution to gross alpha measurements. There was a strong correlation between 224Ra and 228Ra activities, suggesting the latter to be an indicator for the occurrence of the former. Comparison of 226Ra to 238U, 224Ra to 226Ra, and 226Ra to 228Ra showed scattered data indicating no correlation between each of these isotope pairs. Approximately 4% of the wells were found to exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established maximum contaminant level for total radium of 0.185 Bq L−1 (5 pCi L−1). Analysis of 228Ra by gamma-ray spectroscopy was in good agreement with the U.S. EPA-approved procedure.
Long-term dietary vitamin D intake and risk of fracture and osteoporosis: a longitudinal cohort study of Swedish middle-aged and elderly women.

CONTEXT The importance of dietary vitamin D for osteoporotic fracture prevention is uncertain. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to investigate associations between dietary vitamin D intake with risk of fracture and osteoporosis. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS In the population-based Swedish Mammography Cohort (including 61 433 women followed for 19 years), diet was assessed by repeated food frequency questionnaires. SETTING The study was conducted in 2 municipalities in central Sweden. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Incident fractures were identified from registry data. In a subcohort (n = 5022), bone mineral density was determined by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was measured using HPLC-tandem mass spectrometry. RESULTS A total of 14 738 women experienced any type of first fracture during follow-up, and 3871 had a hip fracture. Multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for any first fracture was 0.96 (95% confidence interval, 0.92-1.01) for the lowest (mean, 3.1 μg/d) and 1.02 (0.96-1.07) for the highest (mean, 6.9 μg/d) quintile compared with the third quintile of vitamin D intake. The corresponding HR for a first hip fracture was 1.02 (0.96-1.08) for the lowest and 1.14 (1.03-1.26) for the highest quintile. Intakes >10 μg/d, compared with <5 μg/d, conferred an HR of 1.02 (0.92-1.13) for any fracture and an HR of 1.27 (1.03-1.57) for hip fracture. The intake of vitamin D did not affect the odds for osteoporosis, although higher levels were associated with higher bone mineral density (0.3%-2%, P < .0001). A positive association was observed between vitamin D intake and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D. CONCLUSIONS Dietary intakes of vitamin D seem of minor importance for the occurrence of fractures and osteoporosis in community-dwelling Swedish women.
Optical Characteristics of the Phototroph Thiocapsa roseopersicina and Implications for Real-Time Monitoring of the Bacteriochlorophyll Concentration

ABSTRACT Optical characteristics of a Thiocapsa roseopersicinaculture and environmental samples containing T. roseopersicina were investigated in the spectral range of 400 to 1,100 nm (absorption coefficient, diffuse attenuation coefficient, and reflectance). Specific absorption coefficients of T. roseopersicina at wavelengths of 480, 520, 550, 580, 805, 860, and 880 nm were determined. It is suggested that the optical properties of T. roseopersicina in the near-infrared range of 800 to 930 nm, confirmed in this study, may be used for development of remote sensing techniques for real-time monitoring of T. roseopersicina and other bacteriochlorophylla-containing microbes.
A comparison of the early pharmacokinetics of midazolam in pregnant and nonpregnant women

The early pharmacokinetics of midazolam were compared in pregnant (active labour, awaiting and during elective Caesarean section) and matched gynaecological patients scheduled to undergo elective hysterectomy, half of whom were given an oxytocin infusion. A standard dose of 5 mg was given intravenously. For the first 15 minutes patients in labour had significantly higher plasma midazolam levels compared to all other groups. This was associated with the largest area under the curve (2 hours), the smallest volume of distribution and lowest clearance. Midazolam when given immediately before Caesarean section, can result in depression of the infant.