Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced expression of anti‐apoptotic proteins in human papillomavirus–immortalized and cigarette smoke condensate–transformed human endocervical cells: Correlation with resistance to apoptosis induced by DNA damage

Apoptosis plays an important role in various biological processes including embryogenesis, differentiation, homeostasis, and oncogenesis. We have developed a system composed of primary human endocervical cells (HEN), HEN immortalized by human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16, and their counterparts subsequently malignantly transformed by cigarette smoke condensate (CSC). To understand the role of apoptosis in the multistep oncogenesis of human cervical cells, we examined the expression of apoptosis‐associated proteins in our in vitro model system. The results showed no significant difference in the levels of apoptosis‐inducing proteins bak and bax among all the cell types examined. On the other hand, the levels of apoptosis‐inhibiting proteins bcl‐2, bcl‐xL and BAG‐1 increased progressively after immortalization and transformation. The p53 protein level decreased in the HPV16‐immortalized HEN and increased in one of two lines of the CSC‐transformed HEN. Further, the increased levels of apoptosis‐inhibiting proteins in the HPV16‐immortalized and the CSC‐transformed HEN correlated with progressively increased resistance of these cells to apoptosis induced by staurosporine or cisplatin. This study provided the first evidence that overexpression of apoptosis‐inhibiting proteins is important for both multistep oncogenesis and resistance of human endocervical cells to apoptosis induced by DNA‐damaging reagents. Mol. Carcinog. 22:95–101, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Is knowledge that powerful? Financial literacy and access to finance

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between financial literacy, access to finance and growth among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the Midlands region of the UK. It assesses whether financial literacy assists SMEs to overcome information asymmetry, mitigates the need for collateral, optimizes capital structure and improves access to finance. Design/methodology/approach To gain a deeper insight into the complex relationship between financial literacy, access to finance and growth, a qualitative research is carried out among SMEs that have operated for over five years or longer. Using the purposive sampling technique, 37 firms were selected based on size, location and characteristics, mainly from the city of Birmingham and the joining conurbations. Open-ended and a combination of dichotomous questions were used for the survey. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically analyzed. Findings Financial literacy is an interconnecting resource that mitigates information asymmetry and collateral deficit when evaluating loan applications, therefore financial literacy should be part of school curriculum. The analysis suggests enhanced financial literacy, reduces monitoring cost and serves to optimize firms’ capital structure that positively impacts on SMEs growth. Financial management knowledge is recognized as the core resource that aids an effective decision making by owners of SMEs. Research limitations/implications The limitation of this research is the small sample that limits its generalization. Its findings could be enhanced by a larger sample and by conducting comparative studies in other regions or economies. SMEs growth is seen as a strategic policy to stimulate enterprise but the finance gap tends to constrain that objective. The UK Government’s effort to improve access to finance and to mitigate excessive collateral demands by lenders has proved elusive. This empirical research provides evidence that financial literacy enhances access to finance and, in turn, promotes growth potentials. Practical implications The results of this study advocate the provision of financial literacy at schools and target support for SMEs to acquire financial management skills in order to mitigate information asymmetry between lenders and borrowers. Social implications Findings suggest that financial literacy mediates access to finance, enables enterprises to use optimal financial structure to mitigate business failure, creates employment and reduces public sector support for social benefits. Originality/value This study is novel in that it examines financial literacy and its implications for access to finance and firm growth in the UK. The study is an effort to highlight the role of financial information in mitigating barriers to finance for SMEs.
The Mouse p44 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase (Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase 1) Gene

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) or extracellular signal-regulated kinase are ubiquitous kinases conserved from fungi to mammals. Their activity is regulated by phosphorylation on both threonine and tyrosine, and they play a crucial role in the regulation of proliferation and differentiation. We report here the cloning of the murine p44 MAP kinase (extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1) gene, the determination of its intron/exon boundaries, and the characterization of its promoter. The gene spans approximately eight kilobases (kb) and can be divided into nine exons and eight introns, each coding region exon containing from one to three of the highly conserved protein kinase domains. Primer extension analysis reveals the existence of two major start sites of transcription located at −183 and −186 base pairs (bp) as well as four discrete start sites for transcription located at −178, −192, −273, and −292 bp of the initiation of translation. However, the start site region lacks TATA-like sequences but does contain initiator-like sequences proximal to the major start sites obtained by primer extension. 1 kb of the promoter region has been sequenced. It contains three putative TATA boxes far upstream of the main start sites region, one AP-1 box, one AP-2 box, one Malt box, one GAGA box, one half serum-responsive element, and putative binding sites for Sp1 (five), GC-rich binding factor (five), CTF-NF1 (one), Myb (one), p53 (two), Ets-1 (one), NF-IL6 (two), MyoD (two), Zeste (one), and hepatocyte nuclear factor-5 (one). To determine the sites critical for the function of the p44 MAPK promoter, we constructed a series of chimeric genes containing variable regions of the 5′-flanking sequence of p44 MAPK gene and the coding region for luciferase. Activity of the promoter, measured by its capacity to direct expression of a luciferase reporter gene, is strong, being comparable with the activity of the Rous sarcoma virus promoter. Progressive deletions of the 1 kb (−1200/−78) promoter region allowed us to define a minimal region of 186 bp (−284/−78) that has maximal promoter activity. Within this context, deletion of the AP-2 binding site reduces by 30-40% the activity of the promoter. Further deletion of this minimal promoter that removes the major start sites (−167/−78) surprisingly preserves promoter activity. This result implicates a major role of this region that contains the Sp1 sites. Finally, removal of the major start sites of transcription as well as the Sp1 sites reveals additional promoter activity at the upstream transcription minor start sites (−240/−167), an activity that is enhanced by the upstream cis-acting elements. In summary, our findings reveal a complex pattern of transcriptional regulation of the mouse p44 MAPK promoter.
Quantification of bowling workload and changes in cognitive function in elite fast bowlers in training compared with Twenty20 Cricket.

BACKGROUND Bowling overs are the primary recorded measure for workloads in cricket for youth through to professionals. However, the validity of this measure has never been tested. Additionally, despite the cognitive component of cricket being suggested to be very high, changes in psychomotor processing speed has again not been explored. METHODS Eight professional English county cricket bowlers participated in the study. Participants wore global positioning systems with a tri-axial accelerometer during a Twenty20 match and training. Bowling overs were expressed relative to external forces. Additionally, cognitive function (as measured by psychomotor speed) was assessed pre and post Twenty20 game and training. RESULTS When expressed relative to high intensity running distance or external forces from the tri-axial accelerometer, the cost of each over (6 deliveries) was over 100% higher in a Twenty20 game compared to training. Psychomotor speed was unchanged although error within the cognitive task increased post Twenty20 (391±82±547±104 ms) and training (414±110±561±238 ms). This data suggests that reaction time is unchanged from cricket but the chance of making the incorrect decision is increased. CONCLUSIONS Movements in fielding should be quantified or bowling workloads adjusted to account for the high intensity fielding associated with Twenty20 cricket. Cognitive function was impaired following bowling, suggesting practitioners may also monitor psychomotor changes when assessing fatigue and allow appropriate time to mentally recover.
Modeling of the Distribution of Heavy Metals and Trace Elements in Argan Forest Soil and Parts of Argan Tree

The transfer of heavy metals and trace elements from argan forest soil into the wood, leaves, almonds, and argan oil was studied. Analyzed metals were: chromium, cadmium, copper, zinc, lead, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. Correlations linking different behaviors of the studied heavy metals and trace elements observed by multidimensional analysis were attributed to partial-spatial variations. Whereas the RV-coefficient of wood, leaf, almond and oil groups was high, the soil group correlated poorly with the other groups.
Telephone survey: post-stratification adjustments to compensate non-coverage bias in city of Rio Branco, Northern Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of using post-stratification weight to correct the bias due to low coverage of households with telephones. METHODS A Comparison was made of results collected by the Household Survey with those of the VIGITEL (Telephone Survey to Monitor Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases) in Rio Branco, Northern Brazil, in 2007 whose coverage was 40% of landline phones. The potential bias in the VIGITEL survey was expressed by the difference between the rates of prevalence of the VIGITEL and Household Survey, calculated as the square root mean square error (MSE) as a measure of the accuracy of the estimate. RESULTS The weighting procedure of VIGITEL corrected potential bias in the prevalence of consumption of fruit and vegetables, meat with visible fat, smoking, bad self-assessment of health status and morbidity of cholesterol or triglycerides. In the prevalence of physical activity in leisure time and morbidity of asthma, bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema, the procedure adopted by VIGITEL did not reduce the potential bias. CONCLUSIONS in order to construct post-stratification weights which minimize the potential bias in estimates of the variables due to low coverage of households with landlines, it becomes necessary to use alternative methods of weighting and strategies of selecting external variables.
Diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori infection in gastric mucosa by endoscopic features: A multicenter prospective study

Endoscopic features corresponding to pathological findings in the Sydney System have not been identified, and endoscopic diagnosis of chronic gastritis has not yet been established. To establish the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in gastric mucosa by endoscopic features, a prospective multicenter study was carried out.
Sprouts of RNA epigenetics

More than 100 structurally distinct RNA modifications have been identified in all kingdoms of life.1 These post-transcriptional modifications are widely present in various RNAs, including ribosomal RNA (rRNA), transfer RNA (tRNA), messenger RNA (mRNA), long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), etc. We have shown that the methylation of N6-methyladenine (m6A) can be reversed through the discovery of the first RNA demethylase, the human fat mass and obesity-associated protein, FTO, in 2011.2 Most recently, we have identified a new mammalian RNA demethylase, ALKBH5, which is also able to remove the methyl group of m6A from RNA both in vitro and in vivo (Fig. 1A). The ALKBH5 protein colocalizes with nuclear speckles where pre-mRNA processing occurs. This protein is actively involved in mRNA export regulation, in which its demethylation activity seems to play an important role, as well as in RNA synthesis. A knockout of the Alkbh5 gene in mice resulted in impaired male fertility due to compromised spermatogenesis. Importantly, increased m6A levels were observed in mRNA isolated from the Alkbh5-knockout mouse organs compared to those from wild-type littermates. RNA-Seq results indicate aberrant gene expression in spermatogenic cells of the seminoferous tubulus of testes from Alkbh5-deficient mice, thereby showing that the loss of the m6A demethylase influences gene expression, which, in turn, leads to defects in spermatogenesis and increased apoptosis of meiotic cells. Thus, the discovery of FTO and this new RNA demethylase strongly suggests that the methylation of RNA, like DNA and histone modifications, is dynamically regulated and likely to play broad roles in mammalian cells.
Lamivudine treatment can overcome cytotoxic T‐cell hyporesponsiveness in chronic hepatitis B: New perspectives for immune therapy

The hepatitis B virus (HBV) cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response in patients with chronic HBV infection is generally weak or totally undetectable. This inability to mount protective CTL responses is believed to be a crucial determinant of viral persistence, and its correction represents an important objective of immune therapies for chronic hepatitis B. However, amplification of CTL responses in vivo may be ineffective if HBV‐specific CD8 cells are either absent or nonresponsive to exogenous stimulation. In this study, we asked whether antiviral treatments able to inhibit viral replication and to reduce viral and antigen load can successfully reconstitute CTL responses creating the appropriate conditions for their therapeutic stimulation. For this purpose, the HBV‐specific CTL response before and during lamivudine therapy was studied longitudinally in 6 HLA‐A2–positive patients with HBeAg+ chronic hepatitis B. Both HBV‐specific cytotoxic T cell activity measured by chromium release assay on peptide stimulation in vitro and CD8+ T cell frequency measured ex vivo by HLA‐A2/peptide tetramer staining were significantly augmented by lamivudine therapy. This enhancement followed the reconstitution of CD4 reactivity and the decline of viral load induced by therapy. Our study shows that lamivudine treatment in chronic hepatitis B can restore CTL reactivity, making CTL susceptible to exogenous stimulation. This effect may enhance the probability that T cell‐based immune therapies delivered after lamivudine treatment can successfully reconstitute a protective CTL response able to cure chronic HBV infection. (HEPATOLOGY 2001;33:963‐971.)
Does social desirability influence psychological well-being: perceived physical health and religiosity of Italian elders? A developmental approach

Objective: This study was mainly aimed at exploring the relationship between psychological well-being and lifestyle, religion, perceived physical health and social desirability of Italian elders. Methods: Four hundred and six cognitively healthy 65–99 years old participants were recruited from the Italian isle of Sardinia, where a high prevalence of centenarians is registered. Participants were presented with several tools assessing psychological well-being, lifestyle, social desirability, religiosity and subjective physical health. Results: A hierarchical regression analysis revealed that the social desirability measure is the best predictor of general subjective well-being, whereas further predictors are age, perceived physical health and gardening. A significant but moderate relationship was also found between psychological well-being, subjective physical health and religiosity, while controlling for social desirability. Conclusions: Social desirability seems to contaminate the self-rating of psychological well-being in late adulthood. Moreover, from a developmental perspective, age-related factors, life style and perceived physical health are strictly related to and therefore influence the perception of life quality in the third and fourth age.
Storage of platelets in additive solutions: a multicentre study of the in vitro effects of potassium and magnesium

Background and Objectives In a preliminary study, the presence of potassium and magnesium in a modified synthetic medium (PAS‐III) was found to have a significant influence on platelet metabolism (using apheresis‐derived, as well as buffy‐coat‐derived platelets) when compared with standard PAS‐III. The differences included reduced glycolysis, as evidenced by lower consumption of glucose and lower production of lactate, but also better preservation of pH and hypotonic shock response reactivity. The results suggested that storage in modified PAS‐III containing 20% plasma was comparable to storage in standard PAS‐III containing 30% plasma. To confirm the preliminary results and to evaluate the effects of different preparation protocols, an international multicentre study, which included 11 different sites, was conducted.
A model study of the neural interaction via mutual coupling factor identification

In this paper, an extension of the Hodgkin-Huxley model has been presented to describe the interaction between the nerve fibres. Based on the equivalent electrical circuit, the conductance per unit area between two coupled axons has been introduced as the pairwise coupling factors. Based on the measurement of the membrane potential, these coupling factors can be estimated by linearised identification methods. Therefore, the axon-to-axon interaction can be characterized, which improves the accuracy of the models. Comparing with the simulation studies of the mechanistic model, the presented model is more convenient to be analyzed while the computational complexity has been reduced. Using the presented description, the simulation results indicate that the presented model and the analysis strategy are effective.
Induction of pathogenic-like responses in the legume Macroptilium atropurpureum by a transposon-induced mutant of the fast-growing, broad-host-range Rhizobium strain NGR234

Mutant strain ANU2861, a transposon Tn5 mutant of the fast-growing, broad-host-range Rhizobium strain ANU280 (NGR234 Smr Rfr) overproduces polysaccharide, is an ade auxotroph, and induces poorly developed nodules on Leucaena leucocephala and Lablab purpureus (H.C. Chen, M. Batley, J.W. Redmond, and B.G. Rolfe, J. Plant Physiol. 120:331-349, 1985). Strain ANU2861 cannot form nodules on Macroptilium atropurpureum Urb. (siratro) or on Desmodium intortum and D. uncinatum and the nonlegume Parasponia. The parent strain, ANU280, effectively nodulates all these legume species except Parasponia, on which it forms ineffective nodules. Ultrastructural examination of infection sites on the legume siratro showed that mutant strain ANU2861 caused root hair curling (Hac+ phenotype), some cortical cell division (Noi+), but no infection threads (Inf-). Localized cellular responses, known to occur in phytopathological interactions, were observed in electron micrographs of the epidermal tissue at or near the infection zone after inoculation with strain ANU2861 but not the wild-type parental strain. These include (i) the rapid (within 20 h) accumulation of osmiophilic droplets attached to membranes at potential sites of strain ANU2861 penetration and (after 48 h) in the epidermal cells in the immediate region of the curled root hairs, and (ii) localized cell death of the epidermal cells. In addition, strain ANU2861 can initiate a systemic response in split-root siratro plants which prevents the successful nodulation of strain ANU280. A 6.3-kilobase fragment of wild-type genomic DNA, which includes the site of Tn5 insertion in strain ANU2861, was cloned and introduced to strain ANU2861. All the phenotypic defects of the mutant strain were corrected by the introduction of this DNA fragment. This indicates that the original Tn5 insertion is responsible for the phenotype.
Targeting the hepcidin–ferroportin axis to develop new treatment strategies for anemia of chronic disease and anemia of inflammation

Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) or anemia of inflammation is prevalent in patients with chronic infection, autoimmune disease, cancer, and chronic kidney disease. ACD is associated with poor prognosis and lower quality of life. Management of ACD using intravenous iron and erythropoiesis stimulating agents are ineffective for some patients and are not without adverse effects, driving the need for new alternative therapies. Recent advances in our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of iron regulation reveal that increased hepcidin, the iron regulatory hormone, is a key factor in the development of ACD. In this review, we will summarize the role of hepcidin in iron homeostasis, its contribution to the pathophysiology of ACD, and novel strategies that modulate hepcidin and its target ferroportin for the treatment of ACD. Am. J. Hematol. 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
One HRM Fits All? A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of HRM Practices in the Public, Semipublic, and Private Sector

For a long time, public and semipublic organizations have borrowed Human Resource Management (HRM) practices from the private sector to enhance employee performance. Numerous scholars argue, however, that business-like practices are less effective outside the private sector context because of sector-specific conditions. Based on the ability–motivation–opportunity model, we performed a three-level meta-analysis to investigate differences in effects of HRM practices on individual performance across sectors. Our study shows that significant differences exist between sectors, but the expectation that the effects of HRM practices are largest in the private sector and smallest in the public sector is not supported. More specifically, the differences between the public, semipublic, and private sector are not straightforward. In this respect, we encourage future scholars to further examine these differences.