Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Successful clearance of hepatitis B virus after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: beneficial combination of adoptive immunity transfer and lamivudine

We report a 38‐yr‐old male with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), whose serological tests for the hepatitis B virus (HBV) before transplantation showed a chronic carrier status, and a liver biopsy specimen revealed chronic liver injury because of HBV. The patient underwent allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) from his sibling who was hepatitis B surface antibody (HBsAb) positive. He had received lamivudine treatment for the prophylaxis of HBV reactivation during cytotoxic chemotherapy, and lamivudine administration continued after transplantation. Successful engraftment was documented 3 wk after PBSCT, and clearance of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) was observed 2 months after PBSCT. Liver function tests transiently showed a mild elevation of aminotransferases on day 25, although this returned to normal after the dose escalation of the immunosuppressive agent. We presume that the combination of adoptive immunity transfer by bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from an HBsAb‐positive donor and antiviral drugs such as lamivudine is beneficial in clearing HBV in chronic carriers.
Yeast Hsp70 RNA levels vary in response to the physiological status of the cell

Yeast Hsp70 genes constitute a multigene family in which at least five of the nine members are heat inducible. Hsp70 RNA levels also vary dramatically during stationary arrest and sporulation. During growth to stationary phase, SSB1-SSB2 and SSC1 RNAs decreased in abundance as cell density increased. In contrast, SSA1-SSA2 RNA levels increased before the diauxic shift and then decreased as cells approach stationary phase. SSA3 RNA was detected only after the diauxic shift and accumulated to high levels as cells entered stationary phase. This accumulation was reversed by addition of glucose. Studies with cyr1 mutants indicated that SSA3 RNA accumulation is stimulated by decreasing intracellular cyclic AMP concentrations. When cells were incubated in sporulation medium, most Hsp70 RNAs, with the exception of SSA1-SSA2 RNA, decreased in abundance. This finding contrasted with the SSA1-SSA2 pattern observed during growth to stationary phase. SSA3 RNA was not detected during growth in acetate-based medium but accumulated after several hours. SSA3 RNA accumulation was higher in sporulating cells than in nonsporulating cells and was reversed by addition of glucose.
The Role of the Melanocortin 3 Receptor in Mediating the Effects of Gamma‐MSH Peptides on the Adrenal

The pro‐opiomelanocortin (POMC)‐derived peptides, pro‐γ‐MSH (16K fragment), and Lys‐γ3‐MSH, have been shown to potentiate the steroidogenic action of corticotrophin (ACTH) on the adrenal cortex. Using a continuously perfused adrenal cell column system, we have tested the hypothesis that γ‐MSH peptides exert their effect through the Melanocortin 3 Receptor (MC3‐R), since this is the only known receptor to have high affinity for γ‐MSH peptides and has been suggested to be expressed in the rat adrenal. To investigate this hypothesis we tested whether the MC3‐R agonist MTII and antagonist SHU9119 could mimic or block the actions of pro‐γ‐MSH. We found that MTII could not mimic, and SHU9119 could not block pro‐γ‐MSH mediated potentiation of ACTH‐induced steroidogenesis. These results suggest that the MC3–R is not involved in mediating the potentiation effect, adding further evidence to the argument that another melanocortin receptor exists.
Population structure and reticulate evolution of Saccharomyces eubayanus and its lager‐brewing hybrids

Reticulate evolution can be a major driver of diversification into new niches, especially in disturbed habitats and at the edges of ranges. Industrial fermentation strains of yeast provide a window into these processes, but progress has been hampered by a limited understanding of the natural diversity and distribution of Saccharomyces species and populations. For example, lager beer is brewed with Saccharomyces pastorianus, an alloploid hybrid of S. cerevisiae and S. eubayanus, a species only recently discovered in Patagonia, Argentina. Here, we report that genetically diverse strains of S. eubayanus are readily isolated from Patagonia, demonstrating that the species is well established there. Analyses of multilocus sequence data strongly suggest that there are two diverse and highly differentiated Patagonian populations. The low nucleotide diversity found in the S. eubayanus moiety of hybrid European brewing strains suggests that their alleles were drawn from a small subpopulation that is closely related to one of the Patagonian populations. For the first time, we also report the rare isolation of S. eubayanus outside Patagonia, in Wisconsin, USA. In contrast to the clear population differentiation in Patagonia, the North American strains represent a recent and possibly transient admixture of the two Patagonian populations. These complex and varied reticulation events are not adequately captured by conventional phylogenetic methods and required analyses of Bayesian concordance factors and phylogenetic networks to accurately summarize and interpret. These findings show how genetically diverse eukaryotic microbes can produce rare but economically important hybrids with low genetic diversity when they migrate from their natural ecological context.
Treatment of adult neural progenitor cells prior to transplantation affects graft survival and integration in a neonatal and adult rat model of selective retinal ganglion cell depletion.

PURPOSE We tested whether microenvironmental changes surrounding apoptotic neural degeneration, cellular pre-treatment and timing of transplant can influence the survival and differentiation of transplanted cells. This was done by transplanting adult hippocampal precursor cells (AHPCs) into normal and retinal ganglion cell (RGC) depleted rat retinae. METHODS Apoptotic RGC death was induced in neonates by removal of the contralateral superior colliculus (SC) and in adults by unilateral optic nerve transection, with or without a peripheral nerve (PN) graft. AHPCs were transplanted 24 h after SC ablation, or 5, 7 or 14 days following optic nerve (ON) transection. Hosts received untreated grafts, or grafts treated by co-culture with embryonic retinal explants or the neuropeptide somatostatin. RESULTS AHPCs integrated within all neonatal and 65% of adult retinae. Greater numbers of AHPCs were observed within the ganglion cell layer (GCL) in SC lesioned hosts. Explant co-culture induced proliferation of grafted AHPCs within host retinae. Somatostatin-treatment resulted in reduced overall engraftment but increased integration within the GCL. In lesioned adults, greatest GCL engraftment was observed following 7 or 14 day grafts. Some AHPCs in the inner retina expressed neuronal antigens and extended processes into the ON. CONCLUSIONS These data indicate that various factors can influence the behaviour of grafted cells and work towards encouraging the functional restoration of retinal circuitry.
Individual variability in the stress response of C57BL/6J male mice correlates with trait anxiety

Stress strongly alters the physiology and behavior of some individuals, while others are little or not affected. The causes of this individual variability have remained unknown. Here, we hypothesize that epigenetically induced levels of trait anxiety predict the stress response of individual mice in a genetically homogeneous population. Inbred C57BL/6 male mice were selected for their latency to freely enter from their home cage into an unfamiliar arena and classified as having high or low levels of trait anxiety. Mice were then exposed to acute stress (1‐h olfactory contact with a rat) or control conditions. After 24 h, acute stress enhanced state anxiety measured in the elevated‐plus maze test only in mice previously classified as having high levels of trait anxiety. This anxiogenic effect of acute stress was paralleled by enhanced novelty‐induced plasma corticosterone secretion and increased messenger RNA (mRNA) expression for glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus. No effects of acute stress were observed in mice classified as having low levels of trait anxiety. Under unstressed control conditions, mice only differed in basal levels of hippocampal mRNA for the glucocorticoid receptor, which were higher in mice with high trait anxiety than in mice with low trait anxiety. In summary, inbred C57BL/6 mice display a remarkably high interindividual variability in their trait anxiety that predicts the behavioral and neuroendocrine response to an acute stressor, indicating that expression of extremely different coping strategies can develop also between genetically identical individuals.
Does index tumor predominant location influence prognostic factors in radical prostatectomies?

ABSTRACT Purpose To find any influence on prognostic factors of index tumor according to predominant location. Materials and Methods Prostate surgical specimens from 499 patients submitted to radical retropubic prostatectomy were step-sectioned. Each transverse section was subdivided into 2 anterolateral and 2 posterolateral quadrants. Tumor extent was evaluated by a semi-quantitative point-count method. The index tumor (dominant nodule) was recorded as the maximal number of positive points of the most extensive tumor area from the quadrants and the predominant location was considered anterior (anterolateral quadrants), posterior (posterolateral quadrants), basal (quadrants in upper half of the prostate), apical (quadrants in lower half of the prostate), left (left quadrants) or right (right quadrants). Time to biochemical recurrence was analyzed by Kaplan-Meier product-limit analysis and prediction of shorter time to biochemical recurrence using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards model. Results Index tumors with predominant posterior location were significantly associated with higher total tumor extent, needle and radical prostatectomy Gleason score, positive lymph nodes and preoperative prostate-specific antigen. Index tumors with predominant basal location were significantly associated with higher preoperative prostate-specific antigen, pathological stage higher than pT2, extra-prostatic extension, and seminal vesicle invasion. Index tumors with predominant basal location were significantly associated with time to biochemical recurrence in Kaplan-Meier estimates and significantly predicted shorter time to biochemical recurrence on univariate analysis but not on multivariate analysis. Conclusions The study suggests that index tumor predominant location is associated with prognosis in radical prostatectomies, however, in multivariate analysis do not offer advantage over other well-established prognostic factors.
A long-term study to maximise migraine relief with zolmitriptan.

Part 1 of this international study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of 2.5 mg and 5 mg zolmitriptan (Zomig) in the treatment of persistent migraine headache, two hours after an initial dose of 2.5 mg zolmitriptan. Part 2 was a non-comparative evaluation of long-term, unrestricted zolmitriptan use for treatment of initial, persistent and recurrent migraine headaches. In Part 1, following the treatment of moderate or severe persistent headache, two-hour headache response rates with 5 mg zolmitriptan (51.6%, n = 322), 2.5 mg zolmitriptan (49.7%, n = 324) and placebo (51.6%, n = 343) were not significantly different. However, the pain-free response rate following the treatment of persistent migraine headache of any intensity was significantly higher with 5 mg zolmitriptan than with placebo (36.0% vs. 25.5%; p < 0.001). This was predominantly due to effects in the subgroup of patients with mild headache. Thus, migraine relief in patients whose initial headache shows a partial response to 2.5 mg zolmitriptan may be maximised by a second 5 mg dose. In Part 2 (involving 2499 evaluable patients), 65.8% of attacks were treated with a single dose of zolmitriptan (2.5 mg or 5 mg). Of those migraine attacks initially treated with 2.5 mg zolmitriptan, 70.3% required no further dose, similarly 62.7% of migraine attacks treated initially with 5 mg zolmitriptan only required a single dose. Over the whole attack (i.e. initial and any persistent headache), headache response rates to one or two zolmitriptan doses were greater than 88.8%. 'Level of pain' was the primary factor influencing the choice of dose. Zolmitriptan provided consistent migraine headache relief in the majority of patients and was well tolerated.
Glomerular ultrafiltration dynamics: euvolemic and plasma volume-expanded rats.

With the use of micropuncture techniques, glomerular dynamics were characterized in euvolemic Munich-Wistar (Chapel Hil) rats. Single nephron glomerular filtration rate (SNGFR) and plasma flow (SNGPF) averaged 31 nl/min and 100 nl/min, respectively. Efferent effective ultrafiltration pressure (PUF) was greater than zero in each animal (7 mmHg, P less than 0.001), indicating filtration pressure disequilibrium. Mean PUF (PUF) was 15 mmHg and specific glomerular filtration coefficient (Kf) values averaged 0.033 nl/(s x mmHg). Similar experiments were performed on Munich-Wistar rats from B.M. Brenner's colony. Filtration pressure equilibrium was reached in rats with SNGPF < 112 nl/min; disequilibrium existed when SNGPF was > 168 nl/min. Overall, PUF (15 mmHg) was similar to that in Chapel Hill rats, SNGFR (49 nl/min) was greater, as was specific Kf (0.066 nl/(s.mmHg)). These observations document important Kf differences in the two colonies. In other experiments on Chapel Hill rats, plasma volume expansion produced increases in SNGPF and renal plasma flow (RPF). However, SNGFR (33 nl/min) and GFR (1.2 ml/(min x g kidney wt)) were unchanged, as were SNGFR/GFR and SNGPF/RPF ratios. SNGFR was relatively insensitive to increased plasma flow because of the relatively low Kf and filtration pressure disequilibrium during euvolemia. In additional experiments, GFR was also only weakly dependent on RPF in conscious rats.
A hierarchical routing scheme with location information on autonomous clustering for mobile ad hoc networks

Recently in ad hoc networks, routing schemes using location information which is provided by GPS (Global Position System) have been proposed. This paper proposes a new hierarchical routing protocol based on the autonomous clustering scheme using the location information of nodes and shows the effectiveness of the proposed hierarchical routing in comparison with GPSR, Hi-AODV and AODV through simulation experiments with respect to the amount of control packets and the data delivery ratio.
Telomere dysfunction triggers extensive DNA fragmentation and evolution of complex chromosome abnormalities in human malignant tumors

Although mechanisms for chromosomal instability in tumors have been described in animal and in vitro models, little is known about these processes in man. To explore cytogenetic evolution in human tumors, chromosomal breakpoint profiles were constructed for 102 pancreatic carcinomas and 140 osteosarcomas, two tumor types characterized by extensive genomic instability. Cases with few chromosomal alterations showed a preferential clustering of breakpoints to the terminal bands, whereas tumors with many changes showed primarily interstitial and centromeric breakpoints. The terminal breakpoint frequency was negatively correlated to telomeric TTAGGG repeat length, and fluorescence in situ hybridization with telomeric TTAGGG probes consistently indicated shortened telomeres and >10% of chromosome ends lacking telomeric signals. Because telomeric dysfunction may lead to formation of unstable ring and dicentric chromosomes, mitotic figures were also evaluated. Anaphase bridges were found in all cases, and fluorescence in situ hybridization demonstrated extensive structural rearrangements of chromosomes, with terminal transferase detection showing fragmented DNA in 5–20% of interphase cells. Less than 2% of cells showed evidence of necrosis or apoptosis, and telomerase was expressed in the majority of cases. Telomeric dysfunction may thus trigger chromosomal fragmentation through persistent bridge-breakage events in pancreatic carcinomas and osteosarcomas, leading to a continuous reorganization of the tumor genome. Telomerase expression is not sufficient for completely stabilizing the chromosome complement but may be crucial for preventing complete genomic deterioration and maintaining cellular survival.
Interspecific RNA in situ hybridization reveals perinuclear mastermind transcripts in drosophila virilis.

Interspecific and intraspecific comparisons of protein coding and noncoding nucleotide sequences have improved our understanding of the function and molecular evolution of numerous genes. In addition to sequence comparisons, for complex developmental genes an interspecific comparison of RNA expression patterns can be informative (Lukowitz et al. 1994). Preliminary data for such comparisons can be obtained from interspecific RNA in situ hybridization experiments. Using probes from Drosophila melanogaster, we examined the embryonic transcription pattern of the neurogenic gene mastermind (mam) in D. virilis. The analysis indicated that mam transcription is highly conserved in the two species and also revealed an unexpected feature of mam RNA local’ization during very early development. mam was identified through its role in the formation of the nervous system in the D. melanogaster embryo (Lehmann et al. 1983). Subsequent genetic analyses have demonstrated that mam has numerous roles in embryonic and postembryonic development (Ruohola et al. 199 1, Hartenstein et al. 1992). Molecular analyses reveal that mam encodes a nuclear protein and that the protein is highly repetitive, displaying numerous amino acid homopolymers. Nonrepetitive regions of mam show very limited similarity to sequences of known function, but prominent clusters of charged amino acids are evident. Studies of mam expression identified transcripts which accumulate in a spatially and temporally dynamic pattern (Smoller et al. 1990; Bettler, Schmid, and Yedvobnick 199 1; unpublished data). Interspecific nucleotide sequence comparison of the protein coding region of mam from D. melanogaster and D. virilis revealed an equilibrium between natural selection and molecular drive; extensive length variation in repetitive regions appears to be balanced by selection to maintain the overall amino acid length between two conserved clusters of
Silicon Single-Electron Memory Having in-Plane Dot with Double Gates

We fabricated a Si single-electron memory having an in-plane dot with two gates (back and side gates), where the in-plane dot acts as a floating dot. In this structure, a large transconductance can be obtained while keeping the gate leakage current between the floating dot and gates small. Single-electron transfer into the floating dot from the channel was confirmed at 4.2 K using both the back and side gates. Transconductances for the back and side gate voltages of 2.0×10-8 and 1.2×10-9 S respectively were obtained. Therefore, a 17-fold larger transconductance for the back gate voltage than for the side gate voltage was realized. This leads to an extremely low power consumption with a reliable memory operation.
Repetitive learning control and its application to a class of nonlinear systems

A new repetitive learning control method based on steady-state response is proposed for the tracking or rejection of unknown periodic reference or disturbance with a known period. It is essentially a feedforward approach and has the merits of high accuracy, easy implementation and insensitive to non-repetitive disturbances, compared with the conventional repetitive control method. Then the proposed method is applied to a class of nonlinear systems, where the disturbances have nonlinear dependency on the output with only continuous Lipschitz condition imposed, which can address most cases in practice. The effectiveness of the proposed method is confirmed by simulation results
Declining Search Frictions, Unemployment, and Growth

For a search-theoretic model of the labor market, we seek conditions for the existence of a balanced growth path (BGP), where unemployment, vacancy, and worker’s transitions rates remain constant in the face of improvements in the production and search technologies. A BGP exists iff firm-worker matches are inspection goods and the quality of a match is drawn from a Pareto distribution. Declining search frictions contribute to growth with an intensity determined by the tail coefficient of the Pareto distribution. We develop a strategy to measure the rate of decline of search frictions and their contribution to growth.
Patterns of postpartum depot medroxyprogesterone administration among low-income mothers.

BACKGROUND Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is often administered immediately postpartum to reduce the risk of short-interval repeat or unintended pregnancies, but little is known about the actual patterns of postpartum DMPA use. This article examines the patterns of DMPA administered among low-income new mothers in an upstate New York State community. METHODS Mothers attending urban pediatric practices (births 2009-2011) completed a mailed survey approximately 5 months after delivery. Among 83 survey items were questions about breastfeeding and timing of DMPA receipt. RESULTS Unintended pregnancy was reported by 48.8% of the subjects. Their deliveries occurred across four local hospitals. Among the 31.3% of subjects who received postpartum DMPA, 62.6% received it prior to hospital discharge. Those receiving in-hospital DMPA (n=127) were significantly more likely than other mothers to be black, older, urban dwelling, non-high school graduates, multiparous, and planning to formula feed. Administration patterns differed by hospital. CONCLUSIONS This study of postpartum DMPA administration among a convenience sample of low-income mothers demonstrated rates of 26% overall, but there was between-hospital variability. Additional study may identify approaches to ensure timely administration to appropriate candidates.
Predictors of prostate cancer evaluated by receiver operating characteristics partial area index: a prospective institutional study.

PURPOSE To our knowledge we introduce the ROC partial area under the curve (AUC) index as a method of evaluating the discriminative power of different prostate cancer predictors. Peripheral zone volume and peripheral zone prostate specific antigen (PSA) density are introduced as potential predictors and compared with other known predictors of prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS During 1999, 220 consecutive patients with suspected early prostate cancer were examined using total PSA, free PSA, total prostate volume, transition zone volume and transrectal ultrasonography guided sextant biopsy of the prostate. The free-to-total PSA ratio, PSA density, transition zone PSA density, peripheral zone volume and peripheral zone PSA density were calculated. Usually total AUC is used to evaluate the discriminative power of different parameters. In this study parameters were evaluated by the ROC partial area index, which includes only the AUC in highly sensitivity parts of the ROC curve. Explorative analysis using logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the ability of combinations of parameters to predict cancer. RESULTS Of the 220 patients 75 were diagnosed with cancer. In the subgroup of 160 patients with PSA less than 10 microg/l 44 had cancer. Transition zone PSA density and PSA density had significant discriminative power in the total group, while none of the parameters were discriminative in the subgroup of patients. CONCLUSIONS When high sensitivity is demanded, the ROC partial area index seems to be meaningful for evaluating the discriminative power of potential predictors. In our study none of the evaluated parameters had discriminative power in patients with PSA less than 10 microg/l, while transition zone PSA density and PSA density showed discriminative power in the total group of patients.