gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Polyethyleneimine-Modified MCM-48 Membranes:  Effect of Water Vapor and Feed Concentration on N2/CO2 Selectivity (2007)

Ordered mesoporous MCM-48 membranes with cubic pore structure were prepared by the solution growth method on symmetric α-alumina supports using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as a surfactant. The surfactant was removed by Soxhlet extraction using an ethanol/HCl mixture to synthesize defect-free MCM-48 membranes as confirmed by N2 unsteady-state permeation. MCM-48 membranes and powders were successfully modified with a polymer, polyethyleneimine (PEI) containing amino groups as confirmed by N2 adsorption−desorption data, X-ray diffraction, Thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA), and N2 unsteady-state permeation experiments. The PEI/MCM-48 membranes were permeable to N2 after pore modification, suggesting incomplete filling of MCM-48 pores by PEI, which was confirmed by the N2 adsorption−desorption experiments on the bulk PEI/MCM-48 powder. The PEI-modified MCM-48 membranes were highly selective to N2 permeation from N2/CO2 mixtures at room temperature in the presence of ∼2.6% water vapor. Binary-gas N2/CO2 permeation data for the PEI-modified MCM-48 membranes showed much-higher N2 permeance as compared to CO2 permeance in the presence of water vapor. The selectivities increased with CO2 concentration in the feed, and selectivities greater than 80 were observed. The N2/CO2 selectivities diminished significantly at 363 K for the PEI/MCM-48 membranes.
Narrative Review: A Rational Approach to Starting Insulin Therapy (2006)

The advent of recombinant DNA technology made it possible to overcome limitations in the time-action profiles of conventional insulins. Insulin therapy must be individualized. Nevertheless, certain subgroups of patients with diabetes can be differentiated from each other according to the pattern of blood glucose changes during the day. On the basis of the blood glucose profile, the authors suggest an initial insulin regimen that can be used to evaluate individual responsiveness and plan a long-term regimen.
Expression, purification, and characterization of an exo-beta-D-fructosidase of Streptococcus mutans (1987)

A genetic library of Streptococcus mutans GS-5, constructed in an Escherichia coli plasmid vector, was screened for cells which could utilize sucrose as the sole carbon and energy source. The recombinant plasmid pFRU1, containing a 4.2-kilobase pair insert of S. mutans DNA, was shown to confer this phenotype. Further characterization of the gene product encoded by pFRU1 revealed that the enzyme was a beta-D-fructosidase with the highest specificity for the beta (2----6)-linked fructan polymer levan. The enzyme could also hydrolyze inulin [beta (2----1)-linked fructan], sucrose, and raffinose with 34, 21, and 12%, respectively, of the activity observed for levan. The gene (designated fruA) appeared to be expressed under its own control in E. coli, as judged by the lack of influence on gene product activity of induction or repression of the beta-galactosidase promoter adjacent to the insertion site on the cloning vector. The protein was purified to homogeneity, as judged by silver staining of purified protein in denaturing and reducing conditions in polyacrylamide gels, from sonic lysate of E. coli, as well as from culture supernatants of S. mutans GS-5 grown in a chemostat at low dilution rate with fructose as the sole carbohydrate source. Both purified proteins had an apparent molecular mass of 140,000 daltons in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, were immunologically related and comigrated in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis as determined by Western blotting with antisera raised against the cloned gene product, and were identical in all physical and biochemical properties tested. The pH optimum of the enzyme acting on fructan polymers was 5.5, with a significant amount of activity remaining at pH 4.0. The optimum pH for sucrose degradation was broader and lower, with a peak at approximately 4.5. Enzyme activity was inhibited almost completely by Hg2+ and Ag2+, inhibited partially by Cu2+, not inhibited by fluoride ion or Tris, and slightly stimulated by Mn2+ and Co2+. Fructan polymers were attacked exohydrolytically by the enzyme, fructose being the only product released. With sufficient time, both levan and inulin were degraded to completion, with no evidence of product inhibition.
Role of P38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase in Lung Injury After Burn Trauma (2003)

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of SB203580, a specific p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase inhibitor, on burn-induced lung injury as well as the release of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-1β in rats to characterize the role of p38 MAP kinase in lung injury after burn trauma. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into three groups: 1) sham group, or rats who underwent sham burn; 2) control group, or rats given third-degree burns over 30% total body surface area (TBSA) and lactated Ringer solution for resuscitation; and 3) SB203580 group, or rats given burn injury and lactated Ringer's solution with SB203580 inside for resuscitation. Pulmonary injury was assessed at 24 h by pulmonary capillary permeability determined with fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled albumin and lung histologic analysis. TNF-α and IL-1β protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and p38 MAP kinase was activity determined in lung by Western blot analysis. These studies showed that significant activation of p38 MAP kinase at 24 h postburn compared with control. Burn trauma resulted in increased pulmonary capillary leakage permeability, elevated levels of TNF-α and IL-1β in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum, and worsened histologic condition. SB203580 inhibited the activation of p38 MAP kinase, reduced the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β, and prevented burn-mediated lung injury. These data suggest that p38 MAP kinase activation is one important aspect of the signaling event that may mediate the release of TNF-α and IL-1β and contributes to burn-induced lung injury.
Antiangiogenic property of pigment epithelium-derived factor in hepatocellular carcinoma (2004)

Pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is one of the most powerful endogenous antiangiogenic reagents discovered to date. Its antiangiogenic potential in neoplastic disease remains unclear. In this study, we investigated antiangiogenic property of PEDF in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a typical hypervascular tumor. In HCC cell lines, constitutive messenger RNA and protein expression of PEDF varied. Genomic DNA encoding the PEDF gene was the same in the cell lines examined by Southern blotting. In chemically induced hypoxic conditions, secreted PEDF protein was suppressed in contrast to elevation of vascular endothelial growth factor protein. When PEDF was overexpressed by gene transfer, proliferation and migration of endothelial cells were inhibited in conditioned media derived from all HCC cell lines. However, the serum concentration of PEDF, as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, was decreased in patients with cirrhosis or HCC complicated by cirrhosis compared to healthy volunteers and patients with chronic hepatitis. According to the endothelial cell proliferation assay, the serum PEDF of patients with HCC had antiangiogenic activity. Moreover, intratumoral injection of a PEDF-expressing plasmid in athymic mouse models caused significant inhibition of preestablished tumor growth. In conclusion, PEDF plays a role in the angiogenic properties of HCC. Reduction of serum PEDF concentration associated with the development of chronic liver diseases may contribute to the progression of HCC. In addition, gene therapy using PEDF may provide an efficient treatment for HCC.
A Survey of GPU-Based Volume Rendering of Unstructured Grids (2005)

Real-time rendering of large unstructured meshes is a major research goal in the scientific visualization community. While, for regular grids, texture-based techniques are well-suited for current Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), the steps necessary for rendering unstructured meshes are not so easily mapped to current hardware. This paper reviews volume rendering algorithm and techniques for unstructured grids aimed at exploiting high-performance GPUs. We discuss both the algorithms and their implementation details, including major shortcomings of existing approaches. Resumo: A visualização volumétrica de grandes malhas não estruturadas é uma das principais metas da comunidade de visualização científica. Enquanto que em grades regulares o uso de técnicas baseadas em textura são adequadas para as Unidades de Processamento Gráfico (GPUs) atuais, os passos necessários para exibir malhas não estruturas não são diretamente mapeadas para o hardware atual. Este artigo revisa algoritmos e técnicas de visualização volumétrica que exploram GPUs de alta performance. São discutidos tanto os algoritmos como seus detalhes de implementação, incluindo as principais dificuldades das abordagens atuais. 1
A spinal dermoid tumor that ruptured into the subarachnoidal space and syrinx cavity. (2006)

The widespread use of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has increased the preoperative diagnosis of dermoid tumors and detection of their complications. In particular, cases of ruptured dermoid tumors, which may manifest as emergent conditions with variable clinical pictures, have typical CT and MR imaging findings. In this report, we present a case of a spinal dermoid tumor, which ruptured into the syrinx cavity and subarachnoidal space.
The Use of In Vitro 3D Cell Models in Drug Development for Respiratory Diseases (2011)

In a certain way, drug developers are like the blind men in the well-known tale of “THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT”, who believe the elephant to be like a water spout, a fan a pillar and a throne since they can only feel a different part but only one part of the elephant’s body such as trunk, ear, leg, back. Impossible to test a drug lead on human beings, drug developers also are obliged to forge a whole picture of the “elephant” – how a drug candidate would behave in a whole human body, by using information from the “parts” models. The task of the drug developers are far more complex and challenging than the blind men, instead of touching only the surface, they have to go deep into the human bodies: organs, tissues, cells, genes, proteins, lipids, hormones ... Furthermore, a living human being is a dynamic and interacting system, in a certain sense, the situation of the drug developers are even worse than the blind men: the blind men touch and feel a real elephant, the information that they get is true; a drug developer, most of the time, works on models, animal models or in vitro cell models, which are far from representing a human beings as a whole. As consequences, the information that one gets sometimes could be misleading. For drug developers, the misleading information could have serious consequences in terms of costs and human lives. This blind men’s approach may explain why a drug candidate, even though successfully passed pre-clinical stages, eventually failed at clinical trials. The failure of Torcetrapib, a drug developed by Pfizer, gives an example of just how difficult to develop a drug. Torcetrapib, designed to prevent heart attacks and strokes, is a cholesteryl-ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor. Genetic studies of the Japanese populations revealed that people with a deficiency of CETP presented a favorable lipid profile compared with unaffected family members: namely more High Density Lipoproteins (HDL, good) and less Low Density Lipoproteins (LDL, bad) (Inazu et al., 1990; Koizumi et al., 1991). CETP naturally became a target of drug development. Preclinical studies of Torcetrapib on different animal models (mice, rabbits, etc) didn’t reveal any severe side effects (Tall et al., 2007). But, medication of Torcetrapib on human beings caused severe hypertension and an increased mortality; apparently there was no obvious beneficial effects on coronary heart disease. The development of Torcetrapib was halted at 2006. This example illustrates another difficulty in drug development: the genetic heterogeneity of the human populations. The knowledge obtained from one group of people may not be applicable to another group of people. Quite often, this truth has been neglected.
Overlapping distribution of two glycosyltransferases in the Golgi apparatus of HeLa cells. (1993)

Thin, frozen sections of a HeLa cell line were double labeled with specific antibodies to localize the trans-Golgi enzyme, beta 1,4 galactosyltransferase (GalT) and the medial enzyme, N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase I (NAGT I). The latter was detected by generating a HeLa cell line stably expressing a myc-tagged version of the endogenous protein. GalT was found in the trans-cisterna and trans-Golgi network but, contrary to expectation, NAGT I was found both in the medial- and trans-cisternae, overlapping the distribution of GalT. About one third of the NAGT I and half of the GalT were found in the shared, trans-cisterna. These data show that the differences between cisternae are determined not by different sets of enzymes but by different mixtures.
Practical Considerations, Challenges, and Limitations of Bioconjugation via Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition (2017)

Interrogating biological systems is often limited by access to biological probes. The emergence of "click chemistry" has revolutionized bioconjugate chemistry by providing facile reaction conditions amenable to both biologic molecules and small molecule probes such as fluorophores, toxins, or therapeutics. One particularly popular version is the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (AAC) reaction, which has spawned new alternatives such as the strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction, among others. This focused review highlights practical approaches to AAC reactions for the synthesis of peptide or protein bioconjugates and contrasts current challenges and limitations in light of recent advances in the field. The conical success of antibody drug conjugates has expanded the toolbox of linkers and payloads to facilitate practical applications of bioconjugation to create novel therapeutics and biologic probes. The AAC reaction in particular is poised to enable a large set of functionalized molecules as a combinatorial approach to high-throughput bioconjugate generation, screening, and honing of lead compounds.
Direct and Indirect Scaling of Sensory Differences in Simple Taste and Odor Mixtures (1984)

Differences between simple taste-odor mixtures were assessed by direct ratings of individual sensory attributes and by a forced-choice discrimination task. Two levels of citral and two levels of sucrose were combined factorially to produce four mixtures. The direct scaling of perceived sweetness and perceived intensity of lemon odor revealed no interactions of the components. However, Thurstonian scaled distances based on triangle test performance showed complex interactions. The difference in results observed with the two methods suggests that sensory data may have dramatically different implications, depending upon what a given task demands of the observer.
Central Venous Catheters Coated with Minocycline and Rifampin for the Prevention of Catheter-Related Colonization and Bloodstream Infections (1997)

Central venous catheters coated with minocycline and rifampin can significantly reduce the risk for catheter-related colonization and bloodstream infections. The use of these catheters may save costs.
Characterization of Natural and Artificial Alligator Holes (2004)

American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis Daudin) are ecological engineers who alter the Everglades landscape through creation and maintenance of small ponds, called alligator holes, that play a key ecological role by providing both drier and wetter habitats for other organisms. The objective of this study was to compare morphology, vegetation, and activity of alligators in twenty natural and nine man-made alligator holes in ridge and slough wetlands of the central Everglades. All alligator holes were circular in shape and excavated to flat limestone substrate. Nine natural alligator holes were associated with tree islands and 11 were surrounded by sawgrass marsh. Man-made alligator holes were adjacent to islands constructed as high water refugia for deer. Marsh alligator holes were smaller and shallower than alligator holes associated with tree islands. Alligator hole size was correlated with water depth. Alligator holes surrounded by marsh had less diversified surroundings and lower species richness than alligator holes associated with tree islands. Alligator holes contained species of vegetation not found in the surrounding marsh. Seventy-nine percent of the alligator holes had signs of recent activity by alligators. Larger alligator holes associated with tree islands had adult and hatchling alligators and smaller marsh alligator holes contained juvenile alligators. Understanding the ecological role of alligator holes will be critical to planning and evaluating restoration of the Everglades ecosystem.
Expression Analysis of CCL27 and CCL28 mRNA in Lesional and Non-Lesional Skin of Dogs with Atopic Dermatitis (2008)

Chemokines are important regulators of the selective recruitment of inflammatory cells into sites of allergic inflammation. Since canine atopic dermatitis (AD) shares many clinical features of human AD, patterns of chemokine production in dogs may also be similar with those in humans. The aim of this study was to examine mRNA expression of CCL27 and CCL28 in lesional skin of dogs with AD to demonstrate similarity of chemokine production with human counterparts. RNA was extracted from skin biopsy specimens of 12 dogs with AD. The mRNA expression of CC chemokines (CCL4, CCL19, CCL20, CCL21, CCL24, CCL27 and CCL28) was analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR and was compared between lesional and non-lesional skin. Seven types of chemokines examined were constitutively expressed in both lesional and non-lesional skin. It was found that mRNA expression levels of CCL27 and CCL28 among the chemokines were significantly different between lesional and non-lesional skin (P<0.05). Expression level of CCL27 mRNA in lesional skin was significantly lower than that in non-lesional skin. On the other hand, CCL28 mRNA expression in lesional skin was found to be higher than that in non-lesional skin. These results suggest that CCL28 but not CCL27 may play important roles in immunopathogenesis of canine AD, indicating that experimental canine study may provide additional information that can be extrapolated to human AD.
The formation of spherulites by amyloid fibrils of bovine insulin (2004)

Bovine insulin has long been known to self-assemble in vitro into amyloid fibrils. We have observed a further higher-order self-association of the protein into spherical structures, with diameters typically around 50 microm but ranging from 10 to 150 microm. In a polarizing light microscope, these structures exhibit a "Maltese-cross" extinction pattern typical of spherulites. Spherical structures of a similar size distribution can be observed in the environmental scanning electron microscope, which also reveals the presence of significant amounts of water in the structures. The spherulites contain a large quantity of well defined amyloid fibrils, suggesting that they are formed at least in part as a consequence of the self-assembly of preformed fibrils. Similar structures also have been observed in the tissues of patients suffering from amyloid disorders. The ability of amyloid fibrils to form such higher-order assemblies supports the hypothesis that they represent a generic form of polypeptide structure with properties that are analogous to those of classical synthetic polymers.
Structure of the Stapled p53 Peptide Bound to Mdm2 (2011)

Mdm2 is a major negative regulator of the tumor suppressor p53 protein, a protein that plays a crucial role in maintaining genome integrity. Inactivation of p53 is the most prevalent defect in human cancers. Inhibitors of the Mdm2-p53 interaction that restore the functional p53 constitute potential nongenotoxic anticancer agents with a novel mode of action. We present here a 2.0 Å resolution structure of the Mdm2 protein with a bound stapled p53 peptide. Such peptides, which are conformationally and proteolytically stabilized with all-hydrocarbon staples, are an emerging class of biologics that are capable of disrupting protein-protein interactions and thus have broad therapeutic potential. The structure represents the first crystal structure of an i, i + 7 stapled peptide bound to its target and reveals that rather than acting solely as a passive conformational brace, a staple can intimately interact with the surface of a protein and augment the binding interface.
Comparison of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, hemagglutination inhibition, and passive latex agglutination for determination of rubella immune status (1985)

Hemagglutination inhibition, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and passive latex agglutination were used to test 495 human serum samples for determination of rubella immunity. Overall agreements for immune status were as follows: hemagglutination inhibition versus ELISA, 94.7% (469 of 495); hemagglutination inhibition versus passive latex agglutination (1:10 dilution), 99.2% (491 of 495); and passive latex agglutination (1:10 dilution) versus ELISA, 94.7% (469 of 495). Both ELISA and passive latex agglutination are satisfactory for rubella immunity screening, with the reservation that the ELISA method examined yielded a large number of false-negative results.
J‐Aggregates: From Serendipitous Discovery to Supramolecular Engineering of Functional Dye Materials (2011)

J-aggregates are of significant interest for organic materials conceived by supramolecular approaches. Their discovery in the 1930s represents one of the most important milestones in dye chemistry as well as the germination of supramolecular chemistry. The intriguing optical properties of J-aggregates (in particular, very narrow red-shifted absorption bands with respect to those of the monomer and their ability to delocalize and migrate excitons) as well as their prospect for applications have motivated scientists to become involved in this field, and numerous contributions have been published. This Review provides an overview on the J-aggregates of a broad variety of dyes (including cyanines, porphyrins, phthalocyanines, and perylene bisimides) created by using supramolecular construction principles, and discusses their optical and photophysical properties as well as their potential applications. Thus, this Review is intended to be of interest to the supramolecular, photochemistry, and materials science communities.
ChemInform Abstract: Chiral Stationary Phases Derived from (‐)‐anti Head‐to‐Head Coumarin Dimer: Preparation, Characterization, and Chiral Recognition Ability. (1993)

Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.