Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diesel Exhaust Particles Stimulate Adaptive Immunity by Acting on Pulmonary Dendritic Cells

Particulate matter, such as diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), modulate adaptive immune responses in the lung; however, their mechanism of action remains largely unclear. Pulmonary dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial mediators in regulating immune responses. We hypothesized that the immunomodulatory effects of DEPs are caused by alteration of DC function. To test this, we instilled mice with DEPs and examined the pulmonary DC recruitment and maturation, their migration to the mediastinal lymph node (MLN), and the subsequent T cell response. We demonstrated that exposure to DEPs increased DC numbers in the bronchoalveolar lavage and the lungs and that DEPs increased the maturation status of these DCs. DEP exposure also enhanced the DC migration to the MLN. Moreover, we showed that DEPs themselves were transported to the MLN in a CCR7- and DC-dependent manner. This resulted in an enhanced T cell recruitment and effector differentiation in the MLN. These data suggest that DEP inhalation modulates immune responses in the lung via stimulation of DC function.
The effects of inbreeding and heat stress on male sterility in Drosophila melanogaster

Understanding the consequences of inbreeding in combination with stress is important for the persistence of small endangered populations in a changing environment. Inbreeding and stress can influence the population at all stages of the life cycle, and in the last two decades a number of studies have demonstrated inbreeding depression for most life-cycle components, both in laboratory populations and in the wild. Although male fertility is known to be sensitive to temperature extremes, few studies have focused on this life-cycle component. We studied the effects of inbreeding on male sterility in benign and stressful environments using Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism. Male sterility was compared in 21 inbred lines and five non-inbred control lines at 25.0 and 29.0 degrees C. The effect of inbreeding on sterility was significant only at 29.0 C. This stress-induced increase in sterility indicates an interaction between the effects of inbreeding and high-temperature stress on male sterility. In addition, the stress-induced temporary and permanent sterility showed significant positive correlation, as did stress-induced sterility and the decrease in egg-to-adult viability. This suggests that the observed stress-induced decline in fitness could result from conditionally expressed, recessive deleterious alleles affecting both sterility and viability simultaneously. (C) 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 104, 432-442.
Mastoidectomy and Epitympanotomy

The procedure of mastoidectomy and epitympanotomy effected a two-year arrest of serous otitis media and correction of a refractory retraction pocket in 12 out of 20 patients with one patient lost to follow-up. Each mastoid and epitympanum was extensively involved with chronically inflamed tissue which surrounded the ossicles and chorda tympani nerve.
Three-dimensional supersonic homogeneous turbulence: A numerical study.

A turbulent homogeneous perfect gas with no forcing is computed using the piecewise-parabolic method on a uniform grid of 256{sup 3} zones. The initial rms Mach number is one. The main results are (i) persistence of a quasisupersonic phase with strong density contrasts over several shock formation times; (ii) late appearance of a post-supersonic self-similarly decaying regime in which the total velocity spectrum varies with wave number as {ital k}{sup {minus}1}; and (iii) both shock curvature and velocity gradients are important mechanisms of vorticity production in the first half of the supersonic phase.
Cloning of the Rat Tissue Factor cDNA and Promoter: Identification of a Serum-response Region

Summary Tissue factor (TF) initiates coagulation and its expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) likely plays a role in the propagation of arterial thrombosis. We report cloning the cDNA and proximal promoter region of the rat TF gene. While maintaining the general structure and organization of the TF molecule, there is a surprising divergence (≈ 18%) between the derived amino acid sequences of the rat and mouse TF. In contrast, there is striking similarity (90%) in the 5’ untranslated regions. High levels of basal promoter activity were seen in rat VSMC with constructs containing 106 bp of sequence downstream from the putative transcription start site and 426 to 103 bp of upstream sequence. Deletion of the sequence from −103 to −79, containing a single SP1 site, removed virtually all of the basal and serum-induced activity. Removal of the NFkB site or two additional upstream SP1 sites had little effect on serum responsiveness. Removal of the 5’ untranslated region abolished most of the basal activity of the TF promoter, suggesting that its high degree of conservation may be due to the presence of transcriptional elements critical for TF expression in rodent VSMC.
Development of a Risk Assessment Tool to Predict Fall-Related Severe Injuries Occurring in a Hospital

Inpatient falls are the most common adverse events that occur in a hospital, and about 3 to 10% of falls result in serious injuries such as bone fractures and intracranial haemorrhages. We previously reported that bone fractures and intracranial haemorrhages were two major fall-related injuries and that risk assessment score for osteoporotic bone fracture was significantly associated not only with bone fractures after falls but also with intracranial haemorrhage after falls. Based on the results, we tried to establish a risk assessment tool for predicting fall-related severe injuries in a hospital. Possible risk factors related to fall-related serious injuries were extracted from data on inpatients that were admitted to a tertiary-care university hospital by using multivariate Cox’ s regression analysis and multiple logistic regression analysis. We found that fall risk score and fracture risk score were the two significant factors, and we constructed models to predict fall-related severe injuries incorporating these factors. When the prediction model was applied to another independent dataset, the constructed model could detect patients with fall-related severe injuries efficiently. The new assessment system could identify patients prone to severe injuries after falls in a reproducible fashion.
Contact of Shigella with host cells triggers release of Ipa invasins and is an essential function of invasiveness.

The invasion of colonic epithelial cells by Shigella, an early essential step for causing bacillary dysentery, is mediated by the IpaB, IpaC and IpaD proteins. Secretion of the Ipa proteins from Shigella requires functions encoded by the mxi and spa loci. In this study, we show that contact between the bacteria and epithelial cell triggers release of the Ipa proteins into the external medium, which results in a rapid decrease in levels of Ipa proteins presented on the cell surface. When the bacteria were used to infect polarized Caco‐2 cells, release of Ipa proteins occurred efficiently from bacteria interacting with the basolateral surface rather than with the apical surface. Moreover, the interaction of bacteria with components of the extracellular matrix, such as fibronectin, laminin or collagen type IV, also stimulates the release of Ipa proteins. The release of Ipa proteins from Shigella required the surface‐located Spa32 protein encoded by one of the spa genes on the large plasmid.
Visible Korean Human: Its techniques and applications

Three recent studies have offered an unprecedented view of the human body. The Visible Human Project, the Visible Korean Human (VKH), and the Chinese Visible Human have featured the serial sectioning of whole cadavers, producing cross‐sectional images that methodically catalogue gross human anatomy. By volumetric reconstruction, these cross‐sectional images can be transformed into three‐dimensional (3D) images of anatomic structures. Compiling these 3D images would create an invaluable library for medical education and research. The goal of this report is to promote the expansion of such a library of 3D anatomic images and to help users fully understand and utilize the serially sectioned images. To do this, we will discuss the fundamental techniques and equipment used in the VKH and its preliminary experiments. We will also address new applications of the VKH, including virtual brain surgery, virtual endoscopy, and virtual cardiopulmonary resuscitation via the development of virtual dissection software. Clin. Anat. 19:216–224, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bioinformatics as a first-line approach for understanding bacteriophage transcription

Current approach to understanding bacteriophage transcription strategies during infection includes a combination of experimental and bioinformatics approaches, which is often time and resource consuming. Given the exponentially growing number of sequenced bacteriophage genomes, it becomes sensible asking to what extent one can understand bacteriophage transcription by using bioinformatics methods alone. We here argue that a suitable choice of computational methods may provide a highly efficient first-line approach for underst-anding bacteriophage transcription.
Isolation and Characterization of a Cold-Tolerant Strain of Fusarium proliferatum, a Biocontrol Agent of Grape Downy Mildew.

ABSTRACT A cold-tolerant strain of the mycoparasite Fusarium proliferatum was isolated following UV mutagenesis of the G6 strain, which is a biocontrol agent of grape downy mildew. The isolated strain (designated 1505) exhibited radial growth two to threefold that of the parent strain when grown at 13 degrees C, which is generally suboptimal for growth of Fusarium spp. , but desirable for its host, Plasmopara viticola. This rapid growth was correlated with improved biological control of P. viticola, determined by a detached-leaf assay. Even though radial growth of strain 1505 at higher temperatures was slower than that of G6 and the strain failed to conidiate, there was no reduction in biocontrol efficacy. Significantly higher levels of extracellular beta-glucosidase and endo-1,4-beta-glucanase activity were measured in the culture filtrate of strain 1505 relative to that of strain G6. A DNA-mediated transformation procedure that included the introduction of antibiotic resistance and a GUS reporter gene system was adapted for F. proliferatum. Using the GUS-engineered strains, we demonstrated that both G6 and 1505 exhibit the characteristic coiling and penetration of host structures.
Formation of Filamentous Forms of Newcastle Disease Virus in Hypertonic Concentration of Sodium Chloride.∗

Summary In 4 separate experiments it has been shown that the virus of Newcastle disease of chickens probably has a spherical shape when in water or . 8% saline. If the concentration of saline is increased to two per cent or more the virus becomes filamentous. It may be fixed with osmic acid at this concentration and will then retain, its shape when placed in water. It reverts to the spherical form when replaced in water without previous fixation. No loss of infectivity was detected during these changes in concentration of saline.
Data about Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) and Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Vlora Bay, Albania

This study was conducted in the area of Vlora Bay, Albania. Data about Sea Turtles Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas, belonging to two periods of time (1984 – 1991; 2008 – 2014) are given. All data gathered were analyzed using recent methodologies. For all turtles captured (as by catch), the Curve Carapace Length (CCL) and Curved Carapace Width (CCW) were measured. These data were statistically analyzed, where the mean was 67.11 cm for CCL and 57.57 cm for CCW of all individuals studied (n=13). All untagged individuals of marine turtles were tagged using metallic tags (Stockbrand’s titanium tag) with an Albanian address. Sex was determined and resulted that 45.4% of individuals were females, 27.3% males and 27.3% juveniles. All turtles were studied for the presence of the epibionts. The area of Vlora Bay is used from marine turtles (Caretta caretta) as a migratory corridor to pass from Mediterranean to the northern part of the Adriatic Sea. Keywords—Caretta caretta, Chelonia mydas, CCL, CCW, tagging, Vlora Bay.
The lived experience of breast cancer patients and couple distress

Purpose: A major trend in research has focused on identification of couple characteristics and dynamics against the backdrop of life‐threatening or chronic illness. Awareness of these factors may lead to identification of couples at high risk for severe relationship distress. The researchers obtained an emic perspective of the impact of a breast cancer diagnosis on womens' couple relationships and the response by healthcare providers to such psychosocial issues. Data Sources: This was a phenomenological study of the lived experience of breast cancer patients using a purposive sample of seven women in individual psychotherapy with a history of breast cancer and a focus group of five women from a breast cancer support group. Data analysis was conducted following Colaizzi's framework with five emergent themes identified. Interrater reliability was achieved with data analysis by two other researchers. Conclusions: Results confirmed that breast cancer may have a profound impact on the couple relationship from diagnosis through survivorship. Relationships with healthcare providers disclosed significant disparities in identification and response to couple distress. Implications for practice: Healthcare providers need to be sensitive to the “silent suffering” that exists for some breast cancer patients and incorporate consistent methods to identify and respond to couple distress.
Safety and efficacy of YM155 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

8502 Background: Survivin is a member of the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) family which is responsible for preservation of cell viability and regulation of mitosis in tumor cells. YM155, a survivin suppressant, has exhibited anti-tumor activity in solid tumors and non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL), including DLBCL patients enrolled in Phase I and Phase II monotherapy studies. METHODS Two studies enrolled 43 DLBCL patients; a Phase I study enrolled patients with solid tumors and NHL (n=1 relapsing DLBCL and n=1 refractory DLBCL), and a Phase II study enrolled refractory DLBCL patients (n=41). YM155 was administered at 4.8 mg/m2/day (Phase I) and at 5 mg/m2/day (Phase II) as a 168-hour continuous infusion in a 21 day cycle. Patients could continue to receive YM155 until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. RESULTS Data are presented for the first 27 patients (Phase I and Phase II) who have completed therapy. Median age was 61 (23-80) years and 63% were male. Three patients (11%) had partial responses (PR) confirmed by independent review using Cheson criteria (N=2; 1999 criteria and N=1; 2007 updated criteria). All responders received 2 prior regimens. Two responders were refractory to their last regimen and one had relapsed approximately 2 years after stem cell transplant (SCT). One patient responded after 2 cycles, completed 5 total cycles and proceeded to SCT (disease-free > 3.7 years post SCT). A second patient responded after 3 cycles, completed 7 total cycles and proceeded to SCT in OCT08. The third patient responded after 12 cycles and received 26 total cycles (1.5 years) before disease progression. The most common (>4%), treatment-related grade 3/4 adverse events included anemia (16.0%) and neutropenia, fatigue, hemoglobin decrease and deep vein thrombosis (8.0% each). CONCLUSIONS YM155 is well tolerated and has modest single-agent, anti-tumor activity in relapsed/refractory DLBCL patients. Because of single-agent activity and preliminary data showing synergism when YM155 is combined with other agents additional clinical studies are being planned. [Table: see text].
Understanding of the endurance failure in scaled HfO2-based 1T1R RRAM through vacancy mobility degradation

Bipolar switching transition metal-oxide (TMO) RRAM devices are intensively studied as possible non-volatile memory for 1x nm node. HfO2 based stacks with excellent operation, good endurance and retention have been proposed [1, 2, 3], with demonstrated scalability down to <;10nm [3]. However, characterization of the reliability failure modes and understanding of the degradation mechanism is urgently needed, especially in the low operation current range relevant for practical application of RRAM devices. Although retention and endurance models in different TMO have been proposed [4, 5, 6], an in-depth understanding of endurance is still lacking for scaled HfO2 RRAM in low current operation.
The Effects of Categorically Based Expectations on Minority Influence: The Importance of Congruence

The role of congruence and incongruence in diverse decision-making groups is examined by manipulating opinion agreement within and between members of different social categories. Congruence occurs when ingroup members agree with one another and outgroup members disagree, whereas incongruence occurs when an ingroup member disagrees with a majority composed of ingroup and outgroup members. The results of two studies, one using a scenario methodology and the second using simulated work teams with two ingroup members and one outgroup member, show that regardless of the task-relevance of salient differences, individuals respond most favorably when categorical and opinion differences are congruent. Study 1 examined individuals’ emotional reactions and group efficacy. Study 2 examined group performance, the minority influence process, and efforts to maintain congruence. The findings suggest that outgroup minority opinion holders may be more influential in diverse group decision-making settings than ingroup minority opinion holders.
1H‐nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for identifying and quantifying common uropathogens: a metabolic approach to the urinary tract infection

To address the shortcomings of urine culture for the diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI), we used 1H‐nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy for identifying and quantifying Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia and Proteus mirabilis.
Tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues modulates the mouse hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis via paraventricular glutamatergic neurons

Neurons in the subparafascicular area at the caudal border of the thalamus that contain the neuropeptide tuberoinfundibular peptide of 39 residues (TIP39) densely innervate several hypothalamic areas, including the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). These areas contain a matching distribution of TIP39's receptor, the parathyroid hormone receptor 2 (PTH2R). Frequent PTH2R coexpression with a vesicular glutamate transporter (VGlut2) suggests that TIP39 could presynaptically regulate glutamate release. By using immunohistochemistry we found CRH‐ir neurons surrounded by PTH2R‐ir fibers and TIP39‐ir axonal projections in the PVN area of the mouse brain. Labeling hypothalamic neuroendocrine neurons by peripheral injection of fluorogold in PTH2R‐lacZ knock‐in mice showed that most PTH2Rs are on PVN and peri‐PVN interneurons and not on neuroendocrine cells. Double fluorescent in situ hybridization revealed a high level of coexpression between PTH2R and VGlut2 mRNA by cells located in the PVN and nearby brain areas. Local TIP39 infusion (100 pmol) robustly increased pCREB‐ir in the PVN and adjacent perinuclear zone. It also increased plasma corticosterone and decreased plasma prolactin. These effects of TIP39 on pCREB‐ir, corticosterone, and prolactin were abolished by coinfusion of the ionotropic glutamate receptor antagonists 6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐dione (CNQX) and DL‐2‐amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoic acid (AP‐5; 30 pmol each) and were absent in PTH2R knockout mice. Basal plasma corticosterone was slightly decreased in TIP39 knockout mice just before onset of their active phase. The present data indicate that the TIP39 ligand/PTH2 receptor system provides facilitatory regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis via hypothalamic glutamatergic neurons and that it may regulate other neuroendocrine systems by a similar mechanism. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:4375–4394, 2010. Published 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A low-latency scalable locking algorithm for shared memory multiprocessors

In this paper we deal exclusively with spin locks for small- to medium-scale shared memory multiprocessors. The performance of a lock depends on the contention for the critical section being protected by the lock. The selection of the most appropriate lock for a critical section is difficult because the level of contention can vary dynamically. We verify that no current lock has the best performance for all critical sections. We present a new lock, called the shared array lock, which alleviates this problem. The shared array lock belongs to the class of locks based on queuing of processors waiting for the lock. Unlike existing queue-based locks which suffer from high latency in low contention situations, experimental results show that the shared array lock has low latency and good scalability. <<ETX>>
Endothelial Nox2 Overexpression Potentiates Vascular Oxidative Stress and Hemodynamic Response to Angiotensin II: Studies in Endothelial-Targeted Nox2 Transgenic Mice

Vascular disease states are associated with endothelial dysfunction and increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) derived from vascular NADPH oxidases in both vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells. Recent evidence suggests an important role for VSMC NADPH oxidases in vascular ROS production. However, it is unclear whether increased NADPH oxidase activity in endothelial cells alone is sufficient to alter overall vascular ROS production and hemodynamics. We sought to address these questions using transgenic mice with endothelial-targeted overexpression of the catalytic subunit of NADPH oxidase, Nox2. Aortas of Nox2 transgenic (Nox2-Tg) mice had increased total Nox2 mRNA and protein levels compared with wild-type littermates. Both p22phox mRNA and protein levels were also significantly elevated in Nox2-Tg aortas. Aortic superoxide production was significantly increased in Nox2-Tg mice compared with wild-type, but this difference was abolished by endothelial removal. Superoxide dismutase inhibition increased superoxide release and levels of Mn superoxide dismutase protein were significantly elevated in aortas from Nox2-Tg mice compared with wild type. Increased ROS production from endothelial Nox2 overexpression led to increased endothelial nitric oxide synthase protein and extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation in transgenic aortas. Basal blood pressure was similar, however the pressor responses to both acute and chronic angiotensin II administration were significantly increased in Nox2-Tg mice compared with wild type. These results demonstrate that endothelial-targeted Nox2 overexpression is sufficient to increase vascular NADPH oxidase activity, activate downstream signaling pathways, and potentiate the hemodynamic response to angiotensin II, despite compensatory increases in vascular antioxidant enzymes. Endothelial cell Nox2-containing NADPH oxidase plays an important functional role in vascular redox signaling.