Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Age-related macular degeneration. Clinical features in a large family and linkage to chromosome 1q.

OBJECTIVES To identify the chromosomal location of a disease-causing gene and to describe the clinical characteristics of a large family with age-related macular degeneration (ARMD). METHODS An ARMD pedigree was identified, and the disease state of family members was documented by stereoscopic fundus photography and was classified using a modified version of the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System. A genome-wide screen at approximately 6-centimorgan spacing using a DNA-pooling strategy combined with shared-segment analysis was used to identify likely chromosomal regions. The entire family was then screened at each likely locus, and 1 positive locus was refined by screening with markers at an average density of 0.5 centimorgan and subjected to parametric linkage analysis. RESULTS In the 10 affected family members, ARMD was manifest by the presence of large, soft, confluent drusen accompanied by varying degrees of retinal pigment epithelial degeneration and/or geographic atrophy. Age-related macular degeneration segregated as an autosomal-dominant trait, with the disease locus mapping to chromosome 1q25-q31 between markers D1S466 and D1S413, with a multipoint lod score of 3.00. CONCLUSION Age-related macular degeneration localized to chromosome 1q25-q31 (gene symbol, ARMD1) as a dominant trait in a large family with a predominantly dry phenotype. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Identification of ARMD genes will facilitate early diagnosis and aid in understanding the molecular pathophysiological mechanisms of ARMD. This knowledge will contribute to the development of preventive and improved treatment strategies.
Divergent metabolic and vascular phenotypes in pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction: relevance of adiposity

Objective Pre-eclampsia (PE) and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) may both arise secondary to inadequate trophoblast invasion. Maternal vascular disease is evident only in PE. Little mechanistic evidence exists to explain this dichotomy. Methods We employed laser Doppler imaging (LDI) to examine microvascular function in 15 women with PE and 30 healthy pregnant women matched for body mass index (BMI). We also examined 16 women with IUGR. Other factors examined included indices of inflammation, lipoproteins, leptin and insulin concentrations. Results Women with PE had double the concentration of leptin and 30% higher triglyceride than controls. Vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1 and interleukin (IL)-6 were also higher in women with PE, with both factors correlating with leptin independently of BMI. No difference in microvascular reactivity was observed between controls and women with PE. Women with IUGR had a four-unit smaller BMI than women with PE. When compared with controls, they also had lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations and systemic inflammatory measures were not elevated. Conclusions The technique of LDI is not sensitive to the vascular dysfunction of PE. However, circulating endothelial-derived factors are elevated in association with markedly elevated leptin levels. Therefore, women with IUGR may demonstrate a protective role for their ‘leanness’ with regard to maternal systemic inflammatory effect.
A new calcium binding glycoprotein family constitutes a major diatom cell wall component.

Diatoms possess silica‐based cell walls with species‐specific structures and ornamentations. Silica deposition in diatoms offers a model to study the processes involved in biomineralization. A new wall is produced in a specialized vesicle (silica deposition vesicle, SDV) and secreted. Thus proteins involved in wall biogenesis may remain associated with the mature cell wall. Here it is demonstrated that EDTA treatment removes most of the proteins present in mature cell walls of the marine diatom Cylindrotheca fusiformis. A main fraction consists of four related glycoproteins with a molecular mass of approximately 75 kDa. These glycoproteins were purified to homogeneity. They consist of repeats of Ca2+ binding domains separated by polypeptide stretches containing hydroxyproline. The proteins in the EDTA extract aggregate and precipitate in the presence of Ca2+. Immunological studies detected related proteins in the cell wall of the freshwater diatom Navicula pelliculosa, indicating that these proteins represent a new family of proteins that are involved in the biogenesis of diatom cell walls.
What Are Incretins, and How Will They Influence the Management of Type 2 Diabetes?

OBJECTIVES: To review the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes (T2DM), the role ofincretins, the potential of incretin-based therapies to address unmet therapeuticneeds in T2DM, and the potential impact this will have on the contribution of managed care pharmacy to diabetes therapy. SUMMARY: Diabetes, the fifth leading cause of death by disease in the United States, costs approximately $132 billion per year in direct and indirect medical expenses. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a majority of diabetes patients do not achieve target A1C levels with their current treatment regimens. Advances in understanding the pathophysiologic abnormalities underlying the metabolic dysfunctions associated with T2DM are leading to the development of new treatment approaches and new therapeutic classes of drugs. Novel incretin-based therapies currently available, andin late-stage development, are among those showing the greatest promise for addressing the unmet needs of traditional therapies.
‘A Red-Green Lighthouse’ The city of Trondheim in Norwegian politics

“Trondheim1 is our inspiration”, the Labour leader Jens Stoltenberg declared the day after his party and ‘redgreen’ partners had won the general elections in 20052, “Trondheim has shown us that the Labour Party, the Centre Party and the Socialist Left Party can cooperate effectively to strengthen public schooling, care for the elderly and other collective solutions. ” A few weeks later, the three parties formed the first coalition government of this kind in Norway, based on the most radical government programme in the country since 1973 and arguably of any OECD member for a long time. Like the other main cities in Norway, Trondheim had been ruled by neo-liberal and conservative politicians for more than a decade. In the local elections in 2003, however, Trondheim saw a significant swing to the left. The first aim of this article will be to explain the social and counter-hegemonic forces that were successfully mobilised and why. The new majority in Trondheim’s City Hall started to vigorously implement a radical programme to reclaim the public sector, re-municipalize service provision and expand the level and quality of social services. At the same time, the city eliminated the budget deficit inherited from the previous regime. During the national elections of 2005, the city became one of the main focal points: “Look at how the Labour Party allows the trade unions, and not the people, to govern”3, cried conservative politicians. A second aim of this article is to look at the aspects of the new city policies that so much outraged national right-wing leaders. Author: Einar Braathen, title and affiliation Date and Status: 2009, unpublished
Effects of Antithrombin III on Spinal Cord-Evoked Potentials and Functional Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

Study Design. From the view of motor function, spinal cord-evoked potentials, and histology, we evaluated the effects of antithrombin III on a spinal cord injury resulting in incomplete paraplegia. Objectives. To investigate the effect of antithrombin III on the recovery process after acute incomplete rat spinal cord injury. Summary of Background Data. Antithrombin III is used for treating disseminated intravascular coagulation by its anticoagulant effect and is also reported to reduce organ damage by the release of prostaglandin I2 from endothelial cells, induced by antithrombin III. Therefore, antithrombin III has potential as a therapeutic agent for spinal cord damage. Methods. The spinal cord injury was induced by placing a 25 g weight on the dorsal surface of the spinal cord at the 10th thoracic spine level for 20 minutes. Antithrombin III (250 U/kg) was administered intravenously 5 minutes before the compression, whereas 2 mL of physiologic saline solution was administered to the control group. We recorded the spinal cord-evoked potentials at the T13 level after stimulation of the brain and C7 level. For 12 weeks after the injury, we observed the recovery course of waveform and motor function. The recovery of motor function was evaluated by using inclined table and modified Tarlov scores. We also examined the histology of the compressed site in the spinal cord. Results. There were statistically significant differences in the motor recovery process between the two groups. Evoked potentials of the antithrombin III group recovered earlier than those of the control group. Histologically, hemorrhage and tissue defects in the spinal cord were less in the antithrombin III group. Conclusion. Because antithrombin III facilitated the recovery of behavior and evoked potentials, these findings suggest that antithrombin III may have a positive effect on the recovery of incomplete spinal cord injury.
Transketolase-like 1 expression correlates with subtypes of ovarian cancer and the presence of distant metastases

Tumorbiology of ovarian cancer remains unclear. However, it is known that ovarian tumors, especially carcinomas, show elevated expression of glucose membrane transporters for facilitated glucose uptake. It can be assumed that increased glucose uptake leads to higher glucose metabolism. The energy resources of fully malignant transformed carcinomas are mainly supplied by aerobic glycolysis, for which several pathways are known. A key role in aerobic glycolysis is described for the transketolase enzymes. Recently, a novel transketolase-like enzyme called transketolase-like 1 (TKTL1) has been described that links aerobic glycolysis to the synthesis of fatty acids via production of acetyl-CoA. In order to investigate the role of TKTL1 for the progression of ovarian carcinomas, we examined paraffin sections of normal ovarian tissues, ovarian borderline tumors, and mucinous or serous papillary ovarian adenocarcinomas with respect to their expression of TKTL1. We identified a significantly elevated expression of TKTL1 in serous papillary ovarian adenocarcinomas, which correlates with poor prognostic parameters in the examined study group. Therefore, it can be assumed that TKTL1 plays a crucial role in ovarian cancer metabolism and that its expression predicts poor prognosis. Further investigations should be performed in order to evaluate whether this new enzyme is important for ovarian cancer tumorbiology and to analyze the potential role of TKTL1 as new target for specific antitumoral therapy
Improving Continuing Medical Education for Surgical Techniques: Applying the Lessons Learned in the First Decade of Minimal Access Surgery

ObjectiveTo examine the first decade of experience with minimal access surgery, with particular attention to issues of training surgeons already in practice, and to provide a set of recommendations to improve technical training for surgeons in practice. Summary Background DataConcerns about the adequacy of training in new techniques for practicing surgeons began almost immediately after the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The concern was restated throughout the following decade with seemingly little progress in addressing it. MethodsA preliminary search of the medical literature revealed no systematic review of continuing medical education for technical skills. The search was broadened to include educational, medical, and psychological databases in four general areas: surgical training curricula, continuing medical education, learning curve, and general motor skills theory. ResultsThe introduction and the evolution of minimal access surgery have helped to focus attention on technical skills training. The experience in the first decade has provided evidence that surgical skills training shares many characteristics with general motor skills training, thus suggesting several ways of improving continuing medical education in technical skills. ConclusionsThe educational effectiveness of the short-course type of continuing medical education currently offered for training in new surgical techniques should be established, or this type of training should be abandoned. At present, short courses offer a means of introducing technical innovation, and so recommendations for improving the educational effectiveness of the short-course format are offered. These recommendations are followed by suggestions for research.
Toxmatch–a new software tool to aid in the development and evaluation of chemically similar groups

Chemical similarity is a widely used concept in toxicology, and is based on the hypothesis that similar compounds should have similar biological activities. This forms the underlying basis for performing read-across, forming chemical groups and developing (Quantitative) Structure-Activity Relationships ((Q)SARs). Chemical similarity is often perceived as structural similarity but in fact there are a number of other approaches that can be used to assess similarity. A systematic similarity analysis usually comprises two main steps. Firstly the chemical structures to be compared need to be characterised in terms of relevant descriptors which encode their physicochemical, topological, geometrical and/or surface properties. A second step involves a quantitative comparison of those descriptors using similarity (or dissimilarity) indices. This work outlines the use of chemical similarity principles in the formation of endpoint specific chemical groupings. Examples are provided to illustrate the development and evaluation of chemical groupings using a new software application called Toxmatch that was recently commissioned by the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB), of the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. Insights from using this software are highlighted with specific focus on the prospective application of chemical groupings under the new chemicals legislation, REACH.
Organizing, Organizations, and the Role of Social Media Conversations

This chapter traces the concept of organizational identity in organization theory and places it in the social media context. It proposes that organizational communication theories intellectually based in the “linguistic turn” (e.g., the Montreal School Approach to how communication constitutes organizations, communicative theory of the firm) are well positioned to illuminate the constitutive capabilities of identity-bound interaction on social media. It suggest that social media is more than another organizational tool for communication with stakeholders in that it affords interactants the opportunity to negotiate foundational organizational practices: organizational identity, boundaries, and membership, in public. In this negotiative process, the organizing role of the stakeholder is emphasized and legitimized by organizational participation and engagement on social media platforms. The Montreal School Approach's conversation–text dialectic and the communicative theory of the firm's conceptualization of organizations as social, are two useful concepts when making sense of organization–stakeholder interaction in the social media context.
Mouse β-Defensin 3 Is an Inducible Antimicrobial Peptide Expressed in the Epithelia of Multiple Organs

ABSTRACT One component of host defense at mucosal surfaces is epithelium-derived peptides with antimicrobial activity called defensins. We describe in this report the isolation and characterization of a murine homologue of human β-defensin 2 (hBD-2) called mouse β-defensin 3 (mBD-3). The predicted amino acid sequence shows the hallmark features of other known epithelial defensins, including the ordered array of six cysteine residues. Analysis of a genomic clone of mBD-3 revealed two exons separated by a 1.7-kb intron. The mBD-3 gene is localized at the proximal portion of chromosome 8, the site where genes for mouse α- and β-defensins are found. Under basal condition, mBD-3 transcripts were detected at low levels in epithelial cells of surface organs, such as the intestine and lung. After instillation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 into mouse airways, mBD-3-specific mRNA was upregulated significantly not only in large airways but also in the small bowel and liver. Recombinant mBD-3 peptide, produced from a baculovirus expression system, showed antimicrobial activity against P. aeruginosa PAO1 (MIC of 8 μg/ml) and Escherichia coli D31 (MIC of 16 μg/ml) in a salt-dependent manner. This study demonstrates that a murine homologue of hBD-2 is present in the respiratory system and other mucosal surfaces. These similarities between murine and human host defense apparatus provide further impetus to evaluate the mouse as a model for studying the human innate host defense system.
The Open Kimono

The article presents a framework for exploring the drivers, structure, and dynamics of open data initiatives in the city context. Drawing on a case study of the city of Barcelona complemented with other cases, it develops a stepwise framework that can serve as a practical guide for both urban and private leaders to implement open data strategies. Following this model can enable managers to minimize risk and effectively harness the power of open data.
The social network of the UK PPP secondary equity market – returns and competition in an emerging market

Abstract In recent years, the UK’s private finance initiative secondary equity market has increased in size and maturity as primary investors, principally contractors, liquidate their stakes. As an emerging unlisted market, research challenges include the availability of timely and comprehensive information about equity transactions, as well as established methods for their interpretation and comparison. Data on transactions between 1998 and 2012, collected in the European Services Strategy Unit PPP equity database, are used to map this market and analysed using network theory. Active sellers and buyers are identified providing insight on the levels of competition. Following Granovetter’s conceptualization of SNA, actors operating in the secondary equity market (buyers and sellers of SPV equity – contractors, equity funds, banks, institutional investors amongst others) are characterized in terms of out-degree centrality, increasing with the number of actors within a seller’s ego network. The ties created through equity sales are applied in the formation of the market network. The notion that out-degree centrality of sellers can improve overall financial returns is examined with data on initial equity investment and sale values. Isolating returns on equity based on capital appreciation for a sample of transactions reveals that annualized return on equity is seemingly not improved by higher out-degree centrality, when compared to average returns. A more general contribution is provided through the visualization of the network of equity transactions in this emerging market.
Hydrolysis of storage proteins in barley endosperms : analysis of soluble products.

Soluble products, released by the hydrolysis of hordeins into the media of barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. Perth) half-seeds were analyzed. Large polypeptide fragments (methanol-insoluble) were identified using the Western immunoblot technique with the antibodies prepared against B and C polypeptides of hordein. A number of hordein IgG-reacting bands were noted in the samples from dry kernels. In samples incubated in the absence of gibberellic acid, polypeptide fragments in the size range of 25 to 30 kilodaltons appeared within 24 hours, and those in the size range of 40 kilodaltons became more prominent. In samples incubated in the presence of gibberellic acid, polypeptide fragments in the size range of 45 to 67 kilodaltons were less apparent and those in the size range of less than 15 kilodaltons were more pronounced. The hordein-related polypeptide fragments were present in low amounts after 72 hours in the presence of gibberellic acid. Methanol-soluble peptides were fractionated, on the basis of size, into two broad peaks. In the absence of gibberellic acid, there was no significant change in their profile over a 72 hour incubation period. In the presence of this growth substance, however, there was a decrease in the proportion of large size peptides (50-70 amino acid residues in length), and an increase in the levels of small peptides (15-35 amino acid residues in length) and amino acids. Our interpretation of the results is that the release of the initial large polypeptide fragments from hordein proteins is mediated by a protease(s) whose appearance is not dependent on the exogenously added gibberellic acid. Further hydrolysis is, however, mediated by proteases induced in the presence of this growth substance.
Clinical and epidemiological aspects of cases of tuberculosis associated with diabetes in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

INTRODUCTION: This study compares the clinical and epidemiological features of patients with TB, with and without DM. METHODS New cases of active pulmonary TB that occurred in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil between 2008 and 2010 were included. DM was diagnosed by based on diagnostic criteria established by the American Diabetes Association. RESULT S: Of the 323 cases of TB, 44 (13.6%) were diabetic . Patients with TB and DM were older (44.7%), with a high level of education (34.%); had slow wound healing (23.4%) and fatigue (61.7%). CONCLUSIONS Clinical symptoms differed between patients with TB, with and without DM.
Cold Atmospheric Plasma: Charged Species and Their Interactions With Cells and Tissues

Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) treatment of living tissues becomes a popular topic in modern plasma physics and in medical sciences. The plasma is capable of bacterial inactivation and noninflammatory tissue modification, which makes it an attractive tool for wound healing and the treatment of skin diseases and dental caries. There are still many open issues with regard to the mechanisms of action of the plasma on bacteria and mammalian cells and tissues, both from the biological and the physical perspective. For example, the chemistry of CAP and the exact roles of various plasma constituents in tissue treatment are not yet fully resolved. In this paper, we shall concentrate on the charged species (electrons and ions) in the plasma. The selected physical properties of typical atmospheric plasma sources will be discussed; experiments will be confronted with theoretical considerations, and several biomedical aspects of CAP treatment will be surveyed.
Red cell ion transport abnormalities in experimental hypertension

Summary— The original attractive hypothesis on the important role of elevated cell Na+ concentration in the pathogenesis of hypertension stimulated a search for generalized membrane defects and ion transport abnormalities in various easily accessible cells including erythrocytes. An attempt is made here to compare this hypothesis with the data on red cell ion transport alterations that were observed in experimental hypertension over the last 15 years. Several methodological (presence of extracellular Na+ in incubation media, kinetic approach to the evaluation of transport systems) and physiological problems (potassium depletion, age‐dependent changes) are discussed in more detail because they can substantially modify the results obtained. Available data suggest a possible contribution of augmented Na+ leak to the development of both genetic and salt‐dependent experimental hypertension. The role of alterations in the activity of the Na+‐K+ pump or the Na+‐K+ cotransport system still remains unclear.