gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Characterization of spo0A homologues in diverse Bacillus and Clostridium species identifies a probable DNA‐binding domain (1994)

Spo0A is a phosphorylation-activated transcription factor of Bacillus subtilis. It is a member of the response regulator superfamily of bacterial signal transduction proteins and controls many of the changes in gene expression that occur during the transition into stationary phase and during the initiation of sporulation. To identify the domains of Spo0A most critical for determining its structural and functional features, presumptive homologues of the spo0A gene were characterized in a collection of eight Bacillus species and six Clostridium species representing phylogenetically diverse members of these genera. An alignment of the partial or complete DNA sequences of these homologues revealed three regions of especially high conservation in the effector domain. We speculate that the most highly conserved of these corresponds to the recognition helix of a putative helix-turn-helix motif, and, therefore, represents the actual DNA-containing surface of the protein. In the case of homologues identified in Bacillus anthracis and Clostridium acetobutylicum and retrieved by polymerase chain reaction amplification, we confirmed by gene-disruption analysis that the homologue actually is required for initiation of sporulation. Apparent homologues of the B. subtilis spoIVB gene were also discovered immediately upstream from the spo0A homologues in all Bacillus and Clostridium species examined. The discovery of homologues of B. subtilis sporulation genes in these diverse species implies that the gene products required for specifying pathways of sporulation-specific gene activation and for determining key morphogenetic changes may be highly conserved and suggests that an approach similar to that undertaken here might be used as a general strategy to retrieve and compare their gene sequences. Exhaustive efforts to detect a spo0A-like gene in non-endospore formers, including close relatives of Bacillus such as Listeria and Staphylococcus, were uniformly unsuccessful, suggesting that regulation of gene activity during the transition into stationary phase mediated by Spo0A-like proteins may be exclusive to the endospore-forming bacteria.
Biosynthesis, release and degradation of the novel endogenous cannabimimetic metabolite 2-arachidonoylglycerol in mouse neuroblastoma cells (1997)

The monoacylglycerol 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) has been recently suggested as a possible endogenous agonist at cannabinoid receptors both in brain and peripheral tissues. Here we report that a widely used model for neuronal cells, mouse N18TG2 neuroblastoma cells, which contain the CB1 cannabinoid receptor, also biosynthesize, release and degrade 2-AG. Stimulation with ionomycin (1-5 microM) of intact cells prelabelled with [3H]arachidonic acid ([3H]AA) led to the formation of high levels of a radioactive component with the same chromatographic behaviour as synthetic standards of 2-AG in TLC and HPLC analyses. The amounts of this metabolite were negligible in unstimulated cells, and greatly decreased in cells stimulated in the presence of the Ca2+-chelating agent EGTA. The purified component was further characterized as 2-AG by: (1) digestion with Rhizopus arrhizus lipase, which yielded radiolabelled AA; (2) gas chromatographic-MS analyses; and (3) TLC analyses on borate-impregnated plates. Approx. 20% of the 2-AG produced by stimulated cells was found to be released into the incubation medium when this contained 0.1% BSA. Subcellular fractions of N18TG2 cells were shown to contain enzymic activity or activities catalysing the hydrolysis of synthetic [3H]2-AG to [3H]AA. Cell homogenates were also found to convert synthetic [3H]sn-1-acyl-2-arachidonoylglycerols (AcAGs) into [3H]2-AG, suggesting that 2-AG might be derived from AcAG hydrolysis. When compared with ionomycin stimulation, treatment of cells with exogenous phospholipase C, but not with phospholipase D or A2, led to a much higher formation of 2-AG and AcAGs. However, treatment of cells with phospholipase A2 10 min before ionomycin stimulation caused a 2.5-3-fold potentiation of 2-AG and AcAG levels with respect to ionomycin alone, whereas preincubation with the phospholipase C inhibitor neomycin sulphate did not inhibit the effect of ionomycin on 2-AG and AcAG levels. These results suggest that the Ca2+-induced formation of 2-AG proceeds through the intermediacy of AcAGs but not necessarily through phospholipase C activation. By showing for the first time the existence of molecular mechanisms for the inactivation and the Ca2+-dependent biosynthesis and release of 2-AG in neuronal cells, the present paper supports the hypothesis that this cannabimimetic monoacylglycerol might be a physiological neuromodulator.
Perforation of the anterior annulus during lumbar discectomy (1973)

✓ A case of retroperitoneal vascular injury during removal of a lumbar intervertebral disc is presented. It is proposed that the rapid escape of irrigating saline through the disc space may serve as a reliable sign of surgical perforation of the anterior annulus and anterior longitudinal ligament prior to the appearance of other signs of vascular injury.
Search of ligands suitable for 212Pb/212Bi in vivo generators (2012)

The short half-life of <sup>212</sup>Bi and <sup>213</sup>Bi limits the application of these radionuclides in α radionuclide therapy. The labeling of biomolecules with <sup>212</sup>Pb (mother nuclide of <sup>212</sup>Bi) instead of <sup>212</sup>Bi or <sup>213</sup>Bi has the advantage of obtaining a conjugate with a half-life of 10.6 h, compared with of 60 min for <sup>212</sup>Bi or 46 min for <sup>213</sup>Bi. Previous attempts to prepare a potential in vivo generator with <sup>212</sup>Pb complexed by the DOTA chelator failed, because about 36 % of Bi was reported to escape as a result of the radioactive decay [Formula: see text]. Herein, we report studies on the stability of the <sup>212</sup>Pb complexes with eight selected polydentate ligands, which demonstrate high affinity for 3+ metal cations. From the ligand studied DOTP and BAPTA show a sufficient <sup>212</sup>Pb labeling yields but only <sup>212</sup>Pb-DOTP complex is stable in isotonic solution of sodium chloride making this way radioactivity level of released <sup>212</sup>Bi is below the limit of detection. It should be emphasized that the DOTP complex is stable only in the case when the concentration of free DOTP exceeds 10<sup>-4</sup> M.
Intratumoral injection of an adenovirus expressing interleukin 2 induces regression and immunity in a murine breast cancer model. (1995)

Rodent tumor cells engineered to secrete cytokines such as interleukin 2 (IL-2) or IL-4 are rejected by syngeneic recipients due to an enhanced antitumor host immune response. An adenovirus vector (AdCAIL-2) containing the human IL-2 gene has been constructed and shown to direct secretion of high levels of human IL-2 in infected tumor cells. AdCAIL-2 induces regression of tumors in a transgenic mouse model of mammary adenocarcinoma following intratumoral injection. Elimination of existing tumors in this way results in immunity against a second challenge with tumor cells. These findings suggest that adenovirus vectors expressing cytokines may form the basis for highly effective immunotherapies of human cancers.
ROLE OF CHEMICALLY MODIFIED TETRACYCLINES ON HEPATIC MATRIX METALOPROTEINASES IN SEPSIS. (2003)

Departments of Emergency Medicine and Surgery, and Oral Biology, School of Medicine and Dental Schools, SUNY, Stony Brook, NY, and Department of Biomedicum, University of Helsinki, Finland.
Crystal Structure of the Calcium Release–Activated Calcium Channel Orai (2012)

The plasma membrane protein Orai forms the pore of the calcium release-activated calcium (CRAC) channel and generates sustained cytosolic calcium signals when triggered by depletion of calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum. The crystal structure of Orai from Drosophila melanogaster, determined at 3.35 angstrom resolution, reveals that the calcium channel is composed of a hexameric assembly of Orai subunits arranged around a central ion pore. The pore traverses the membrane and extends into the cytosol. A ring of glutamate residues on its extracellular side forms the selectivity filter. A basic region near the intracellular side can bind anions that may stabilize the closed state. The architecture of the channel differs markedly from other ion channels and gives insight into the principles of selective calcium permeation and gating.
Assessing surrogates as trial endpoints using mixed models (2004)

Having a surrogate for a definitive endpoint in a clinical trial can sometimes be useful when it is impractical, invasive or very time consuming to obtain the definitive endpoint. This paper discusses methods for assessing whether the surrogate-endpoint results of a trial can be used in place of definitive-endpoint results. It is important when examining this trial-level surrogacy to include the possibility of trial-level effects and to distinguish whether the treatment arms are naturally ordered, e.g. A vs A+B rather than A vs B. Methods using mixed models of trial-level summaries are discussed and compared to fixed-effects models and to the possibility of using models of individual-level data. We give estimators for definitive-endpoint results of a trial that are predicted from the surrogate-endpoint results of the trial and a set of results from previous trials in which both the definitive and surrogate trial results were available. Graphical displays are also suggested. Two sets of trial results previously analysed for trial-level surrogacy are used as examples.
Engraftment of sorted/expanded human central nervous system stem cells from fetal brain (2002)

Direct isolation of human central nervous system stem cells (CNS-SC) based on cell surface markers yields a highly purified stem cell population that can extensively expand in vitro and exhibit multilineage differentiation potential both in vitro and in vivo. The CNS-SC were isolated from fetal brain tissue using the cell surface markers CD133(+), CD34(-), CD45(-), and CD24(-/lo) (CD133(+) cells). Fluorescence-activated cell sorted (FACS) CD133(+) cells continue to expand exponentially as neurospheres while retaining multipotential differentiation capacity for >10 passages. CD133(-), CD34(-), and CD45(-) sorted cells (approximately 95% of total fetal brain tissue) fail to initiate neurospheres. Neurosphere cells transplanted into neonatal immunodeficient NOD-SCID mice proliferated, migrated, and differentiated in a site-specific manner. However, it has been difficult to evaluate human cell engraftment, because many of the available monoclonal antibodies against neural cells (beta-tubulin III and glial fibrillary acidic protein) are not species specific. To trace the progeny of human cells after transplantation, CD133(+)-derived neurosphere cells were transduced with lentiviral vectors containing enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expressed downstream of the phosphoglycerate kinase promoter. After transduction, GFP(+) cells were enriched by FACS, expanded, and transplanted into the lateral ventricular space of neonatal immunodeficient NOD-SCID brain. The progeny of transplanted cells were detected by either GFP fluorescence or antibody against GFP. GFP(+) cells were present in the subventricular zone-rostral migrating stream, olfactory bulb, and hippocampus as well as nonneurogenic sites, such as cerebellum, cerebral cortex, and striatum. Antibody against GFP revealed that some of the cells displayed differentiating dendrites and processes with neurons or glia cells. Thus, marking human CNS-SC with reporter genes introduced by lentiviral vectors is a useful tool with which to characterize migration and differentiation of human cells in this mouse transplantation model.
A comparison of NO and N2O production by the autotrophic nitrifier Nitrosomonas europaea and the heterotrophic nitrifier Alcaligenes faecalis (1993)

Soil microorganisms are important sources of the nitrogen trace gases NO and N2O for the atmosphere. Present evidence suggests that autotrophic nitrifiers such as Nitrosomonas europaea are the primary producers of NO and N2O in aerobic soils, whereas denitrifiers such as Pseudomonas spp. or Alcaligenes spp. are responsible for most of the NO and N2O emissions from anaerobic soils. It has been shown that Alcaligenes faecalis, a bacterium common in both soil and water, is capable of concomitant heterotrophic nitrification and denitrification. This study was undertaken to determine whether heterotrophic nitrification might be as important a source of NO and N2O as autotrophic nitrification. We compared the responses of N. europaea and A. faecalis to changes in partial O2 pressure (pO2) and to the presence of typical nitrification inhibitors. Maximal production of NO and N2O occurred at low pO2 values in cultures of both N. europaea (pO2, 0.3 kPa) and A. faecalis (pO2, 2 to 4 kPa). With N. europaea most of the NH4+ oxidized was converted to NO2-, with NO and N2O accounting for 2.6 and 1% of the end product, respectively. With A. faecalis maximal production of NO occurred at a pO2 of 2 kPa, and maximal production of N2O occurred at a pO2 of 4 kPa. At these low pO2 values there was net nitrite consumption. Aerobically, A. faecalis produced approximately the same amount of NO but 10-fold more N2O per cell than N. europaea did. Typical nitrification inhibitors were far less effective for reducing emissions of NO and N2O by A. faecalis than for reducing emissions of NO and N2O by N. europaea.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Red cell membrane: past, present, and future (2008)

As a result of natural selection driven by severe forms of malaria, 1 in 6 humans in the world, more than 1 billion people, are affected by red cell abnormalities, making them the most common of the inherited disorders. The non-nucleated red cell is unique among human cell type in that the plasma membrane, its only structural component, accounts for all of its diverse antigenic, transport, and mechanical characteristics. Our current concept of the red cell membrane envisions it as a composite structure in which a membrane envelope composed of cholesterol and phospholipids is secured to an elastic network of skeletal proteins via transmembrane proteins. Structural and functional characterization of the many constituents of the red cell membrane, in conjunction with biophysical and physiologic studies, has led to detailed description of the way in which the remarkable mechanical properties and other important characteristics of the red cells arise, and of the manner in which they fail in disease states. Current studies in this very active and exciting field are continuing to produce new and unexpected revelations on the function of the red cell membrane and thus of the cell in health and disease, and shed new light on membrane function in other diverse cell types.
Increase in Angiotensin II Type 1 Receptor Expression Immediately After Ischemia-Reperfusion in Isolated Rat Hearts (1997)

These observations indicate that myocardial AT1 expression increases immediately after ischemia-reperfusion and contributes to cardiac dysfunction.
Multi-band OFDM Transmission with Sub-band Optical Switching (2013)

International audience
SV40 T antigen alone drives karyotype instability that precedes neoplastic transformation of human diploid fibroblasts (1990)

To define the role of SV40 large T antigen in the transformation and immortalization of human cells, we have constructed a plasmid lacking most of the unique coding sequences of small t antigen as well as the SV40 origin of replication. The promoter for T antigen, which lies within the origin of replication, was deleted and replaced by the Rous sarcoma virus promoter. This minimal construct was co-electroporated into normal human fibroblasts of neonatal origin along with a plasmid containing the neomycin resistance gene (neo). Three G418-resistant, T antigen-positive clones were expanded and compared to three T antigen-positive clones that received the pSV3neo plasmid (capable of expressing large and small T proteins and having two origins of replication). Autonomous replication of plasmid DNA was observed in all three clones that received pSV3neo but not in any of the three origin minus clones. Immediately after clonal expansion, several parameters of neoplastic transformation were assayed. Low percentages of cells in T antigen-positive populations were anchorage independent or capable of forming colonies in 1% fetal bovine serum. The T antigen-positive clones generally exhibited an extended lifespan in culture but rarely became immortalized. Large numbers of dead cells were continually generated in all T antigen-positive, pre-crisis populations. Ninety-nine percent of all T antigen-positive cells had numerical or structural chromosome aberrations. Control cells that received the neo gene did not have an extended life span, did not have noticeable numbers of dead cells, and did not exhibit karyotype instability. We suggest that the role of T antigen protein in the transformation process is to generate genetic hypervariability, leading to various consequences including neoplastic transformation and cell death.
Nε-(Carboxymethyl)Lysine-Induced Choroidal Angiogenic Potential Facilitates Retinal Neovascularization in Advanced-Diabetic Rat In Vitro (2008)

N ε -(Carboxymethyl)lysine (CML) over-stimulates choroidal neovascularization in vitro in streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rat. In this study, we investigated the effects of CML-induced choroidal angiogenic potential on retinal neovascularization during the course of STZ-induced diabetes in rats. Retinal and choroidal explants were isolated from the same eyeball of early-diabetic, advanced-diabetic and age-matched normal rats. When retinal explant was co-cultured with early-diabetic choroidal explant, the number of retinal microvessels was significantly decreased. When retinal explant was co-cultured with advanced-diabetic choroidal explant, the number of retinal microvessels was significantly increased. Anti-CML antibody blocked the retinal changes caused by co-culture with both early-diabetic and advanceddiabetic choroidal explant. Antibodies against TNF α and VEGF reduced the number of retinal microvessels in the coculture with advanced-diabetic choroidal explant. These results indicate that the CML-induced choroidal activity is associated with the angiogenic actions of TNF α and VEGF on retinal capillaries in advanced diabetes. During the course of diabetic retinopathy, different actions on retinal neovascularization may operate.
Observability-based Rules for Designing Consistent EKF SLAM Estimators (2009)

In this work, we study the inconsistency problem of extended Kalman filter (EKF)-based simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) from the perspective of observability. We analytically prove that when the Jacobians of the process and measurement models are evaluated at the latest state estimates during every time step, the linearized error-state system employed in the EKF has an observable subspace of dimension higher than that of the actual, non-linear, SLAM system. As a result, the covariance estimates of the EKF undergo reduction in directions of the state space where no information is available, which is a primary cause of the inconsistency. Based on these theoretical results, we propose a general framework for improving the consistency of EKF-based SLAM. In this framework, the EKF linearization points are selected in a way that ensures that the resulting linearized system model has an observable subspace of appropriate dimension. We describe two algorithms that are instances of this paradigm. In the first, termed observability constrained (OC)-EKF, the linearization points are selected so as to minimize their expected errors (i.e. the difference between the linearization point and the true state) under the observability constraints. In the second, the filter Jacobians are calculated using the first-ever available estimates for all state variables. This latter approach is termed first-estimates Jacobian (FEJ)-EKF. The proposed algorithms have been tested both in simulation and experimentally, and are shown to significantly outperform the standard EKF both in terms of accuracy and consistency.
Vaccinia virus encodes two proteins that are structurally related to members of the plasma serine protease inhibitor superfamily (1989)

Nucleotide sequencing adjacent to the right inverted terminal repetition of the vaccinia virus genome revealed two genes encoding polypeptides that are structurally related to members of the plasma serine protease inhibitor superfamily (SPI). Inclusion in the superfamily is based on extensive amino acid sequence similarities as well as a consensus sequence adjacent to the active-site region near the carboxyl ends of the proteins. The genes designated SPI-1 and SPI-2 are located 10,000 and 17,000 base pairs from the right end of the genome, respectively. The predicted SPI-1 polypeptide is 11 amino acids longer than that of SPI-2, and the deduced masses are 40,471 and 38,125 daltons, respectively. Similarities between SPI-1 and SPI-2 are indicated by the percentage of identical amino acids (44%) and corresponding hydrophobicity plots. The maximum amino acid sequence diversity occurs precisely in the putative active-site region, suggesting that SPI-1 and SPI-2 may inhibit different proteases. SPI-2 is homologous to a previously described cowpox virus gene (D. J. Pickup, B. S. Ink, W. Hu, C. A. Ray, and W. K. Joklik, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83:7698-7702, 1986). Evidence for a cowpox virus homolog of SPI-1 was obtained by DNA hybridization. Thus, the presence of two genes that belong to the plasma serine protease inhibitor superfamily may be characteristic of orthopoxviruses.
Molecular design of hole transport materials for obtaining high durability in organic electroluminescent diodes (1995)

The molecular design of hole transport materials (HTMs) for producing high durability in organic layered electroluminescent (EL) diodes was elucidated. The durability tests were examined using fourteen hole transport materials in the cell structure of an anode/hole transport layer (HTL)/emitter layer (EML)/cathode. The ionization potential (Ip) of HTLs was found to be the dominant factor for obtaining high durability in organic EL devices. The formation of the small energy barrier at the interface of a HTL/anode was required for high durability. Moreover, no straightforward relations between melting point, glass transition temperature of the HTMs, and durability of the EL devices were observed. The EL device using the HTM having a low Ip (5.08 eV) showed an especially remarkable stability. In this case, the half-life period of the initial luminance was beyond 500 h.
1993 Journal of Urology Consultants (1994)

No AccessJournal of Urology1 Jun 19941993 Journal of Urology Consultants John T. GrayhackM.D. John T. GrayhackJohn T. Grayhack More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5347(17)35354-5AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail © 1994 by The American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 151Issue 6June 1994Page: 1728-1730 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 1994 by The American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information John T. Grayhack More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF DownloadLoading ...