Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Ribosomal Frameshifting Site Is an Invariant Sequence Determinant and an Important Target for Antiviral Therapy

ABSTRACT Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) utilizes a distinctive form of gene regulation as part of its life cycle, termed programmed −1 ribosomal frameshifting, to produce the required ratio of the Gag and Gag-Pol polyproteins. We carried out a sequence comparison of 1,000 HIV-1 sequences at the slippery site (UUUUUUA) and found that the site is invariant, which is somewhat surprising for a virus known for its variability. This prompted us to prepare a series of mutations to examine their effect upon frameshifting and viral infectivity. Among the series of mutations were changes of the HIV-1 slippery site to those effectively utilized by other viruses, because such mutations would be anticipated to have a relatively mild effect upon frameshifting. The results demonstrate that any change to the slippery site reduced frameshifting levels and also dramatically inhibited infectivity. Because ribosomal frameshifting is essential for HIV-1 replication and it is surprisingly resistant to mutation, modulation of HIV-1 frameshifting efficiency potentially represents an important target for the development of novel antiviral therapeutics.
Bovine endometrial legumain and TIMP‐2 regulation in response to presence of a conceptus

The precise mechanism of placentation in the bovine species where a restricted trophoblast invasion occurs to form the synepitheliochorial placenta is not fully understood. This study initially investigated the conceptus–maternal interactions in the peri‐attachment period by comparing the proteins present at Days 16 and 18 in uterine luminal fluid (ULF) of pregnant with nonpregnant cows using 2‐D gel electrophoresis. Nine protein spots were identified that were present in greater amounts in pregnant compared to nonpregnant ULF: carbonic anhydrase, ezrin, heat shock protein 70, isocitrate dehydrogenase, nucleoside diphosphate kinase, peroxiredoxin 1, purine nucleoside phosphorylase, thioredoxin and triosephosphate isomerase and four proteins that were less abundant in ULF from the gravid compared to the nongravid horns or nonpregnant uteri: cystatin E/M, legumain, retinol‐binding protein (RBP) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP‐2). Successful placentation requires the remodelling of the endometrial surface therefore uterine mRNA and protein expression of legumain, a protease activator, and TIMP‐2, a protease inhibitor, was examined in detail during the oestrous cycle and from Days 13 to 31 of pregnancy. Both mRNAs were up‐regulated in the endometrium during the luteal phase of the oestrous cycle and during early pregnancy. Although legumain and TIMP‐2 mRNA expression levels were similar between uterine horns at the same day of pregnancy, the amount of protein differed between gravid and nongravid horns possibly modulated by interferon‐tau or by other factors produced by the conceptus. These events at the conceptus–maternal interface may provide localised control of protease activity necessary for controlling trophoblast invasion of the endometrium. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 76: 65–74, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Regulation of the intracellular free calcium concentration in single rat dorsal root ganglion neurones in vitro.

1. Simultaneous whole‐cell patch‐clamp and Fura‐2 microfluorimetric recordings of calcium currents (ICa) and the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) were made from neurones grown in primary culture from the dorsal root ganglion of the rat. 2. Cells held at ‐80 mV and depolarized to 0 mV elicited a ICa that resulted in an [Ca2+]i transient which was not significantly buffered during the voltage step and lasted long after the cell had repolarized and the current ceased. The process by which the cell buffered [Ca2+]i back to basal levels could best be described with a single‐exponential equation. 3. The membrane potential versus ICa and [Ca2+]i relationship revealed that the peak of the [Ca2+]i transient evoked at a given test potential closely paralleled the magnitude of the ICa suggesting that neither voltage‐dependent nor Ca2(+)‐induced Ca2+ release from intracellular stores made a significant contribution to the [Ca2+]i transient. 4. When the cell was challenged with Ca2+ loads of different magnitude by varying the duration or potential of the test pulse, [Ca2+]i buffering was more effective for larger Ca2+ loads. The relationship between the integrated ICa and the peak of the [Ca2+]i transient reached an asymptote at large Ca2+ loads indicating that Ca2(+)‐dependent processes became more efficient or that low‐affinity processes had been recruited. 5. Inhibition of Ca2+ influx with neuropeptide Y demonstrated that inhibition of a large ICa produced minor alterations in the peak of the [Ca2+]i transient, while inhibition of smaller currents produced corresponding decreases in the [Ca2+]i transient. Thus, inhibition of the ICa was reflected by a change in the peak [Ca2+]i only when submaximal Ca2+ loads were applied to the cell, implying that modulation of [Ca2+]i is dependent on the activation state of the cells. 6. Intracellular dialysis with the mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake blocker Ruthenium Red in whole‐cell patch‐clamp experiments removed the buffering component which was responsible for the more efficient removal of [Ca2+]i observed when large Ca2+ loads were applied to the cell. 7. When cells were superfused with 50 mM‐K+, [Ca2+]i transients recorded from the cell soma returned to control levels very slowly. Pharmacological studies indicated that mitochondria were cycling Ca2+ during this sustained elevation in [Ca2+]i. In contrast, [Ca2+]i transients recorded from cell processes returned to basal levels relatively rapidly. 8. Extracellular Na(+)‐dependent Ca2+ efflux did not significantly contribute to buffering [Ca2+]i transients in dorsal root ganglion neurone cell bodies. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Estrogen as a Neuroprotectant in Stroke

Recent evidence suggests that reproductive steroids are important players in shaping stroke outcome and cerebrovascular pathophysiologic features. Although women are at lower risk for stroke than men, this native protection is lost in the postmenopausal years. Therefore, aging women sustain a large burden for stroke, contrary to a popular misconception that cancer is the main killer of women. Further, the value of hormone replacement therapy in stroke prevention or in improving outcome remains controversial. Estrogen has been the best studied of the sex steroids in both laboratory and clinical settings and is considered increasingly to be an endogenous neuroprotective agent. A growing number of studies demonstrate that exogenous estradiol reduces tissue damage resulting from experimental ischemic stroke in both sexes. This new concept suggests that dissecting interactions between estrogen and cerebral ischemia will yield novel insights into generalized cellular mechanisms of injury. Less is known about estrogen's undesirable effects in brain, for example, the potential for increasing seizure susceptibility and migraine. This review summarizes gender-specific aspects of clinical and experimental stroke and results of estrogen treatment on outcome in animal models of cerebral ischemia, and briefly discusses potential vascular and parenchymal mechanisms by which estrogen salvages brain.
Nondystrophic myoblast transplantation into dystrophic muscle.

NONDYSTROPHIC MYOBLAST TRANSPLANTATION INTO DYSTROPHIC MUSCLE Law iuid colleiigues7 reported that injection of suspensions of nondystrophic cultured riiyohlasts into muscles of dystrophic inice (strain C57BI./6J) m a y alleviate some of the deleterious consequences of the dystrophic gene expression in the host rriuscles. A similar approach with similar results was reported by Champaneria et al." and Karpati'i in dystrophic hamsters to which Law arid coworker-s' did not rel'er. 'l'he added advaiitage in their approach". " was the capability of direct microscopic identification of the mosaic fibers tha t arose as a result of the fusion o f the nondystrophic donor tnyot~lasts into the dystrophic host fibers (Fig. 1) . The use of MDX mice in myoblast implantation expel-iinents appears to be highly preferred,". " since the deficient gene product in that strain has now been identified as dystruphin, ' which can he demonstrat,rtl tiy rriicroscopic iminunocytochemistry in cryastat sections. ' Thus, in muscle fibers that contain bo~li dystrophic arid normal nuclei after nor-niogerioiriic myoblast transplantation (i.e., the inosaic fibers), the presencr of dystr ophin arid its distribution can be directly determined by 1nicrosc:opic inimunocytochcmisti-y using the n p p q ~ i a t e antibodies. I.aw and colleagues,' i r i raising the possibility of myoblast implantation as a treatment of certain recessively iriherited human ~ieurotiiuscuIar diseases, such as Duchenne dy~ti.opIiy. express concern about immunological reaction against the donor cells by the host. Although cultured myohlasts express tnicroscopically demonstrable iminurior.eacLi\. e class I major histocompatability cornpIex protciri products (M HCP)", i n niiiItinucleated mature musclr fibers, MHCP expression is
A novel design of supply voltage selector

This paper presents a design of supply voltage selector. A hysteretic comparator senses a voltage difference between the two supply voltages, and the voltage selector selects a right supply voltage for the multisupply chip system. The hysteretic comparator is slightly subject to the variation of the supply voltage and temperature. This circuit is designed on the base of BICMOS process, and its performance has been verified by Hspice. Finally, the simulation results are given
Characterization of a myc-containing retrovirus generated by propagation of an MH2 viral subgenomic RNA

We have previously isolated, from wild-type MH2 virus that contains the two oncogenes mil and myc, mutants defective in one or the other oncogene product. We report here the molecular cloning and extensive characterization of MH2 CL25 provirus lacking the v-mil oncogene. Our results indicate that this virus corresponds to the propagation of the 2.8-kilobase subgenomic RNA of MH21.
Test structures for understanding the impact of ultra-high vacuum metal deposition on top-gate MoS2 field-effect-transistors

Greek crosses and TLM test structures were fabricated and characterized along with top-gate field effect transistors. We also show the usefulness and adaptation of a single TLM structure into multiple bottom-gate FETs that allow for extraction of contact resistance and typical device parameters for direct correlation on the same TMD flake enabling very little variability that can occur “flake to flake”. Sheet resistance and contact resistance were successfully extracted and improvement in device performance was demonstrated with C-V and I–V measurements.
Biphasic hypothermia in mice infected with a parasitic nematode, Trichinella spiralis.

In BALB/c mice infected with Trichinella spiralis, changes in body temperature (Tb) were observed over 35 days after the infection. T. spiralis infection induced hypothermia two times at 7 and 28 days after infection. The initial decrease persisted for about one week with a peak (37.1 +/- 0.62 degrees C) around 10 days after the infection, while the later phase persisted for at least one week. Both 10 and 35 days after the infection, there were remarkable decreases in Tb. The serum glucose level of infected mice at 10 days was significantly (p < 0.01) decreased compared with that of control mice at the same number of days, while the level in infected mice at 35 days was not decreased. Moreover, the later phase of hypothermia was prevented by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (10 mg/kg i.p.), while the initial phase was not. We conclude that hypothermia was caused by two different mechanisms, involving the effects of hypoglycemia and prostaglandins.
Gotu Kola ( Centella asiatica L . ) : An Under-utilized Herb

The short growing season and harsh climate found in many parts of Canada necessitates development of both field and greenhouse-based plant production. Gotu kola (Centella asiatica L. Urban) is a member of the Apiaceae family, which is characterized by its constantly growing roots, and long copper-coloured stolons (runners) with long internodes and roots at the base of each node. Also known as Indian pennywort, it is a perennial creeping plant native to India, China, Japan, North Africa and Sri Lanka. Gotu kola has been used as a therapeutic herb in India, China and Indonesia for thousands of years. Its ability to heal wounds, to improve mental complications and to treat skin lesions are the main reasons for its wide spread use in those countries. In the western world, the crop is becoming popular due its ability to boost mental acuity and improve circulation. Growth of gotu kola on the Canadian Prairies has met with limited success and potential for field production of the crop is slim due to unfavourable growing conditions. It appears that annual in vitro production of the plant through tissue culture and clonal propagation in the greenhouse is necessary prior to transfer of the plant to the field. Alternatively, continuous propagation of gotu kola as an herb grown under greenhouse conditions appears to show considerable promise. The plant can successfully be grown in combined culture with fish in a closed recirculation aquaponic system that appears competitive with most highly productive commercial greenhouse ventures. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Codeblock-Based Concealment Scheme for JPEG2000 Images in Lossy Packet Networks

JPEG2000 compression standard considers a block of wavelet coefficients, called codeblock, as the smallest coding unit that being independently entropy-coded. In this paper, we propose a codeblock-based concealment technique for JPEG2000 images to mitigate missing codeblock due to packet loss in network transmission. The proposed method creates a single codestream from an image that composed of several subsampled versions of the original image. The technique then substitutes the lost codeblock in a subsampled image with a copy of the corresponding codeblock available in other subsampled images. Thus, it does not require an iterative processing, which is time consuming, to construct an estimated version of the lost data. The proposed method is applicable for a large codeblock size and can be implemented either in wavelet or codestream domain. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method
Improving the Delivery of Coordinated and Individualized Care

Pharmatech comprises systems for the automated use and coordination of clinical information, medical devices, care paths, and pharmacologic agents into specific prescription and care‐delivery processes tailored to meet individual patient needs. In ESRD, future suites of applications to run on hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis machines, external computers and devices both in‐center and in the home setting offer the potential to further automate billing and inventory, improve documentation, reduce medical errors, and decrease costs. On a clinical basis, these systems will aid nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and physicians in performing and overseeing a wide range of clinical activities that constitute 21st‐century medicine. Future innovations may allow Pharmatech systems to learn by achieving defined outcomes. These developments offer the potential to provide customized ESRD care by integrating standard practices with individual patient characteristics and patient‐specific needs. The development of Pharmatech represents one of the next advances in healthcare technology and will become an important component in the delivery of 21st‐century medicine. Adoption of information technology (IT) has been prioritized by the federal government, and is a key component of US healthcare policy. The United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is currently funding the development and implementation of a wide array of health IT applications. This extensive funding combined with rapid technologic advances will continue to drive Pharmatech development and the widespread implementation of medical IT in the coming decade.
Grammatical SLI: a distinct subtype of developmental language impairment?

Grammatical specific language impairment (G-SLI) has been proposed as a distinct subtype of language impairment. We assessed a large sample of twins between the ages of 7 and 13 years on language comprehension tests sensitive to G-SLI. The sample included 37 same-sex twin pairs selected for the presence of language impairment (LI) in one or both twins and 104 twin pairs from the general population. The number and patterns of errors in those with LI replicated findings from previous studies of G-SLI. Qualitative markers of G-SLI were derived from the tests. Out of 144 children for whom complete data were available, 2 scored positive on all five markers and 9 scored positive on four of the five markers. Most children who made grammatical errors characteristic of G-SLI had co-occurring deficits in other areas. These results raise questions for theories that treat this disorder as an all-or-none modular deficit.
Ovarian ultrasound.

Ovarian ultrasound is applicable to all ages, from the fetus through childhood and adolescence to the premenopausal and finally postmenopausal women. Indications include the chance finding of an ovarian lesion in the fetus, the diagnosis of ovarian pathology resulting in symptoms and the uses of follicle monitoring in infertility and screening for ovarian cancer in high-risk groups.
Bacteria in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease

Purpose of reviewInflammatory bowel disease is thought to result from an abnormal response to the gut microbiota. This review discusses advances in knowledge of the changes in gut microbiota and host response in inflammatory bowel disease. Recent findingsApproximately 15% of Crohn's disease cases in western populations result from mutations in NOD2/CARD15. This disease leads to defective intestinal defensin production and defective monocyte interleukin-8 response to bacterial peptidoglycan. A similar defective interleukin-8 response and consequent delayed neutrophil recruitment have also been shown in patients with Crohn's disease who do not have the NOD2 mutation. A consequence seems to be the accumulation in tissue of macrophages containing various bacteria, perhaps particularly Escherichia coli. In keeping with this patients with Crohn's disease have circulating antibodies against bacterial flagellar proteins of enterobacteria and clostridia. In ulcerative colitis, there is less evidence for invasion by or immune response to bacteria but changes in gut microbiota include a relative deficiency of bifidobacteria. There is considerable interest in probiotic or prebiotic therapies although so far little evidence for their efficacy. SummaryMolecular techniques are giving us better insight into the gut microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease that should translate into improved therapies.
Neuropeptide-induced chemotaxis of eosinophils in pulmonary diseases

Eosinophilic lung diseases include various disease entities, and the incidence of pulmonary infiltration with eosinophilia is on the rise. Because eosinophils, well known as inflammatory cells, respond to peripheral neuropeptides in vitro and in vim, and these peptides are also present in human airway nerves, their interactions are thought to play a major role in the initiation and perpetuation of inflammatory lung diseases. This article reviews the current literature on eosinophil biology and interactions of these cells with the neuroendocrine system. Also, implications of tachykinins and other neuropeptides in eosinophilic pulmonary diseases is discussed based on recently investigated mechanisms. Eosinophils and sensory nerves most likely influence each other in a two-directional way in the pathogenesis of pulmonary diseases. Although release of sensory neuropeptides is involved in most conditions of airway hyper-responsiveness, increased bronchial resistance, and lung eosinophilia, the role of these nervous system-derived mediators in pulmonary diseases may be underestimated.
Caracterización de Herramientas de Ingeniería Inversa

An instrument for the characterization of reverse engineering tools is proposed. A new characterization structure based on two criteria, the structural aspect and the common properties between them, is proposed. For the first one the structure corresponds to an element, a function, an aspect and a characteristic, while the second one has a factor and a property. The instrument is validated in three situations that prove his usefulness for classifying and evaluating such tools. It is concluded that the proposed instrument is a complement to the work presented by other authors, maintaining its essence and facilitating their interpretation through the new defined structure. The proposal allows the independent and joint evaluation of each of the components that form reverse engineering tools.
Outcome of patients with profound cardiogenic shock after cardiopulmonary resuscitation and prompt extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support. A single-center observational study.

BACKGROUND The in-hospital outcome of patients with profound cardiogenic shock (CS) undergoing extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and prognostic predictors were analyzed. METHODS AND RESULTS Between 2003 and 2010, 134 patients with profound CS undergoing 10-15 min of cardiopulmonary cerebral resuscitation (CPCR) and ECMO were prospectively recruited, including 27.6% (37) with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), 11.9% (16) with non-STEMI, 22.4% (30) with post-surgery pump failure, 10.5% (14) with refractory congestive heart failure, 19.4% (26) with fulminant acute myocarditis, 2.2% (3) with pediatric congenital diaphragmatic hernia, and 6.0% (8) with percutaneous coronary intervention-related complications. The mean systolic pressure was 49.8 mmHg and 91.8% of patients required ventilatory support prior to ECMO. The Post-ECMO Mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II score and peak creatine kinase level were 26.2 and 5,311 IU/L, respectively. In-hospital mortality was 57.5%. Sixty-eight patients (50.7%) were successfully weaned from ECMO and 57 (42.5%) were discharged alive. Univariate analysis identified the APACHE II score as the strongest predictor of in-hospital mortality (P<0.0001) with respiratory failure, smoking, and male gender also related (all P<0.03). Multivariate analysis identified an APACHE II score ≥22 and successful ECMO weaning as the only independent predictor for in-hospital mortality and a determinant of survival, respectively (P=0.0003). CONCLUSIONS Profound CS was associated with high mortality. Both successful weaning from ECMO and an APACHE II score might serve as outcome predictors for risk stratification.