gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Potent Protection against Aflatoxin-Induced Tumorigenesis through Induction of Nrf2-Regulated Pathways by the Triterpenoid 1-[2-Cyano-3-,12-Dioxooleana-1,9(11)-Dien-28-Oyl]Imidazole (2006)

Synthetic triterpenoid analogues of oleanolic acid are potent inducers of the phase 2 response as well as inhibitors of inflammation. We show that the triterpenoid, 1-[2-cyano-3-,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oyl]imidazole (CDDO-Im), is a highly potent chemopreventive agent that inhibits aflatoxin-induced tumorigenesis in rat liver. The chemopreventive potency of CDDO-Im was evaluated by measuring inhibition of formation of putative preneoplastic lesions (glutathione S-transferase P positive foci) in the liver of rats exposed to aflatoxin B1. CDDO-Im produces an 85% reduction in the hepatic focal burden of preneoplastic lesions at 1 micromol/kg body weight and a >99% reduction at 100 micromol/kg body weight. CDDO-Im treatment reduces levels of aflatoxin-DNA adducts by approximately 40% to 90% over the range of 1 to 100 micromol/kg body weight. Additionally, changes in mRNA levels of genes involved in aflatoxin metabolism were measured in rat liver following a single dose of CDDO-Im. GSTA2, GSTA5, AFAR, and EPHX1 transcripts are elevated 6 hours following a 1 micromol/kg body weight dose of CDDO-Im. Microarray analysis using wild-type and Nrf2 knockout mice confirms that many phase 2 and antioxidant genes are induced in an Nrf2-dependent manner in mouse liver following treatment with CDDO-Im. Thus, low-micromole doses of CDDO-Im induce cytoprotective genes, inhibit DNA adduct formation, and dramatically block hepatic tumorigenesis. As a point of reference, oltipraz, an established modulator of aflatoxin metabolism in humans, is 100-fold weaker than CDDO-Im in this rat antitumorigenesis model. The unparalleled potency of CDDO-Im in vivo highlights the chemopreventive promise of targeting Nrf2 pathways with triterpenoids.
Sensitization of malignant glioma to chemotherapy through dendritic cell vaccination (2006)

Drug resistance represents a major cause of chemotherapy failure in patients with cancer. The characterization of the molecular pathways involved in drug resistance has provided new targets to circumvent or reverse chemotherapy resistance. Many of these target proteins are often overexpressed in human glioma and have been identified as tumor antigens, which implicate the development of immunotherapy as a therapeutic strategy. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen-presenting cells of the immune system and have been demonstrated to stimulate antibody and cell-mediated immune responses against tumor-associated antigens. Ex vivo-generated and tumor antigen-loaded DCs have been successfully introduced to clinical vaccination protocols, which have proven to be feasible and effective in some glioma patients. Most importantly, immunotherapy followed by chemotherapy could significantly increase 2-year survival in malignant glioma patients, which obviously demonstrates that DC vaccination could increase the sensitivity of tumor cells to chemotherapy. This review focuses on recent advances in the identification of tumor-associated antigen in glioma, as well as novel insights into their biological function related to drug resistance. These insights may provide the rationale for a novel strategy of a DC cancer vaccine that sensitizes tumor cells to chemotherapy. In addition, the current research status and the future direction of a DC-based vaccine to treat glioma in animal models and clinical trials will also be discussed.
Enhancement of Polylysine-Mediated Transferrinfection by Nuclear Localization Sequences: Polylysine Does Not Function as a Nuclear Localization Sequence (1999)

Polylysine (pLy) has been used successfully as a DNA carrier in receptor-mediated gene transfer, enhancement of transfection having been proposed to be in part through efficient nuclear targeting stemming from the resemblance of pLy to the nuclear localization sequence (NLS) from simian virus SV40 large tumor antigen (T-ag). In this study we test whether pLy carrying covalently attached peptides comprising the T-ag NLS (the pLyP101 derivative) can enhance transferrin-pLy-mediated transfection ("transferrinfection"). Unlike pLy itself or a pLy derivative (pLyP101T) carrying cross-linked T-ag NLS mutant peptides, pLyP101 significantly enhanced transferrinfection of a beta-galactosidase-expressing reporter plasmid. The basis of this was shown to be the ability of the pLyP101-plasmid DNA complex to be recognized with high affinity by the NLS-binding importin subunits, in contrast to pLyP101T- and pLy-plasmid complexes. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to determine the nuclear import kinetics of fluorescently labeled pLyP101 and pLyP101T in the presence of complexed plasmid, indicating that pLyP101 and not pLyP101T complexes accumulated rapidly in the nucleus. We conclude that pLy itself does not function as an NLS and that the addition of exogenous NLSs conferring interaction with the cellular nuclear import machinery can increase transferrinfection by enhancing the nuclear targeting of pLy-DNA complexes.
Resistance to pathogens and host developmental stage: a multifaceted relationship within the plant kingdom (2007)

The induction of resistance to disease during plant development is widespread in the plant kingdom. Resistance appears at different stages of host development, varies with plant age or tissue maturity, may be specific or broad-spectrum and is driven by diverse mechanisms, depending on plantpathogen interactions. Studies of these forms of resistance may help us to evaluate more exhaustively the plethora of levels of regulation during development, the variability of the defense potential of developing hosts and may have practical applications, making it possible to reduce pesticide applications. Here, we review the various types of developmental resistance in plants and current knowledge of the molecular and cellular processes involved in their expression. We discuss the implications of these studies, which provide new knowledge from the molecular to the agrosystem level.
Association of Blepharitis withDemodex: A Meta-analysis (2012)

The association between Demodex infestation and blepharitis was statistically significant. The conclusion implies that when conventional treatments for blepharitis fail, examination of Demodex mites and acaricidal therapy should be considered.
Characterizing T-cell phenotypes in nasal polyposis in Chinese patients. (2009)

Our findings demonstrate that excessive infiltration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in nasal polyps may be associated with expression of Foxp3+ by Tregs but not with SAEs in Chinese patients.
Droplet microfluidics driven by gradients of confinement (2013)

The miniaturization of droplet manipulation methods has led to drops being proposed as microreactors in many applications of biology and chemistry. In parallel, microfluidic methods have been applied to generate monodisperse emulsions for applications in the pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and food industries. To date, microfluidic droplet production has been dominated by a few designs that use hydrodynamic forces, resulting from the flowing fluids, to break drops at a junction. Here we present a platform for droplet generation and manipulation that does not depend on the fluid flows. Instead, we use devices that incorporate height variations to subject the immiscible interfaces to gradients of confinement. The resulting curvature imbalance along the interface causes the detachment of monodisperse droplets, without the need for a flow of the external phase. Once detached, the drops are self-propelled due to the gradient of surface energy. We show that the size of the drops is determined by the device geometry; it is insensitive to the physical fluid properties and depends very weakly on the flow rate of the dispersed phase. This allows us to propose a geometric theoretical model that predicts the dependence of droplet size on the geometric parameters, which is in agreement with experimental measurements. The approach presented here can be applied in a wide range of standard applications, while simplifying the device operations. We demonstrate examples for single-droplet operations and high-throughput generation of emulsions, all of which are performed in simple and inexpensive devices.
Purification of Streptococcus group C bacteriophage lysin. (1981)

A simple procedure for the purification of Streptococcus group C phage lysin to apparent homogeneity is described. The electrophoretically pure, enzymatically stable polypeptide of 98,000 molecular weight converted Streptococcus (groups A, F, and H) cells into spheroplasts within 5 min at 0 degrees C or within less than a minute at 37 degrees C.
Use of Xenopus laevis frog egg extract in diagnosing human male unexplained infertility. (1992)

Approximately one in six married couples find themselves involuntarily infertile. This ratio translates to between two and four million U.S. couples. Although numerous tests are available for diagnosing infertility problems, 5-10 percent of all couples who seek medical treatment are diagnosed with unexplained infertility. Several tests are presently available for diagnosing male infertility; however, none of the present procedures test for activation of the sperm nucleus following entry into the fertilized egg, a series of events critical for the entry of the zygote into the developmental program. We have developed an in vitro human sperm activation assay, using Xenopus laevis frog egg extract. When normal human sperm is permeabilized and then mixed with frog egg extract, the sperm nuclei decondense, synthesize DNA, and recondense during a three-hour time course. We have tested this assay's utility in diagnosing previously unexplained infertility. We found that 20 percent of the male infertility patients produced sperm that responded abnormally in the assay (95 percent confidence interval, 4-48 percent; n = 15), while sperm samples from 15 fertile males showed no abnormal responses (p = 0.0112). These preliminary results indicate that the human sperm activation assay may be a useful tool for diagnosing some cases of human infertility.
Tcn1p/Crz1p, a calcineurin-dependent transcription factor that differentially regulates gene expression inSaccharomyces cerevisiae (1997)

Ca2+ signals regulate gene expression in animal and yeast cells through mechanisms involving calcineurin, a protein phosphatase activated by binding Ca2+ and calmodulin. Tcn1p, also named Crz1p, was identified as a transcription factor in yeast required for the calcineurin-dependent induction of PMC1, PMR1, PMR2A, and FKS2 which confer tolerance to high Ca2+, Mn2+, Na+, and cell wall damage, respectively. Tcn1p was not required for other calcineurin-dependent processes, such as inhibition of a vacuolar H+/Ca2+ exchanger and inhibition of a pheromone-stimulated Ca2+ uptake system, suggesting that Tcn1p functions downstream of calcineurin on a branch of the calcium signaling pathway leading to gene expression. Tcn1p contains three zinc finger motifs at its carboxyl terminus resembling the DNA-binding domains of Zif268, Swi5p, and other transcription factors. When fused to the transcription activation domain of Gal4p, the carboxy terminal domain of Tcn1p directed strong calcineurin-independent expression of PMC1-lacZ and other target genes. The amino-terminal domain of Tcn1p was found to function as a calcineurin-dependent transcription activation domain when fused to the DNA-binding domain of Gal4p. This amino-terminal domain also formed Ca2+-dependent and FK506-sensitive interactions with calcineurin in the yeast two-hybrid assay. These findings suggest that Tcn1p functions as a calcineurin-dependent transcription factor. Interestingly, induction of Tcn1p-dependent genes was found to be differentially controlled in response to physiological Ca2+ signals generated by treatment with mating pheromone and high salt. We propose that different promoters are sensitive to variations in the strength of Ca2+ signals generated by these stimuli and to effects of other signaling pathways.
Genetic Testing For Alzheimer’s Disease And Its Impact On Insurance Purchasing Behavior (2005)

New genetic tests for adult-onset diseases raise concerns about possible adverse selection in insurance markets. To test for this behavior, we followed 148 cognitively normal people participating in a randomized clinical trial of genetic testing for Alzheimer's disease for one year after risk assessment and Apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype disclosure. Although no significant differences were found in health, life, or disability insurance purchases, those who tested positive were 5.76 times more likely to have altered their long-term care insurance than those who did not receive APOE genotype disclosure. If genetic testing for Alzheimer's risk assessment becomes common, it could trigger adverse selection in long-term care insurance.
The Human Papilloma Virus-16 E7 Oncoprotein Is Able to Bind to the Retinoblastoma Gene Product (1989)

Deletions or mutations of the retinoblastoma gene, RB1, are common features of many tumors and tumor cell lines. Recently, the RB1 gene product, p105-RB, has been shown to form stable protein/protein complexes with the oncoproteins of two DNA tumor viruses, the adenovirus E1A proteins and the simian virus 40 (SV40) large T antigen. Neither of these viruses is thought to be associated with human cancer, but they can cause tumors in rodents. Binding between the RB anti-oncoprotein and the adenovirus or SV40 oncoprotein can be recapitulated in vitro with coimmunoprecipitation mixing assays. These assays have been used to demonstrate that the E7 oncoprotein of the human papilloma virus type-16 can form similar complexes with p105-RB. Human papilloma virus-16 is found associated with approximately 50 percent of cervical carcinomas. These results suggest that these three DNA viruses may utilize similar mechanisms in transformation and implicate RB binding as a possible step in human papilloma virus-associated carcinogenesis.
Destabilization of ornithine decarboxylase by transfected antizyme gene expression in hepatoma tissue culture cells. (1992)

The degradation of ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is stimulated by polyamines in a protein synthesis-dependent manner. It has been suggested that antizyme, an ODC-inhibiting protein induced by polyamines, is involved in the process of polyamine-stimulated ODC decay. In this study, we investigated the direct effect of antizyme on ODC decay in hepatoma tissue culture (HTC) cells. A truncated rat antizyme cDNA, Z1, was inserted into an expression vector at a site under the control of a glucocorticoid-inducible promoter and transfected into HTC cells. In the transfected cells dexamethasone increased the amount of Z1 mRNA and induced active antizyme in the absence of exogenous polyamines. When dexamethasone was added to cells with a high level of ODC, rapid decays of ODC activity and protein were elicited after a lag time. Cycloheximide abolished the effect of dexamethasone. These effects of dexamethasone were not observed in control HTC cells transfected with the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene. This study indicated that, once induced, antizyme stimulated ODC degradation independently of polyamines and strongly supported our previous hypothesis that the ODC decay-accelerating action of polyamines is mediated by antizyme.
The effect of phospholipids on the activation of protein C by the human thrombin-thrombomodulin complex (1986)

Human thrombomodulin, an endothelial-cell-membrane glycoprotein, has been purified from placenta by Triton X-100 extraction and by affinity chromatography on concanavalin A-Sepharose and thrombin-Sepharose. It has been characterized by its ability to promote the activation of human protein C by human alpha-thrombin in the presence of Ca2+ and fulfilled the requirements of a cofactor. Reconstitution of thrombomodulin into phospholipid vesicles containing anionic phospholipids resulted in an increased rate of activation of protein C. Cardiolipin and vesicles containing phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine (1:1, w/w) were the most effective. The apparent Km of the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex for protein C was 2 microM. It was not changed in the presence of phospholipid, whereas the Vmax. could be apparently increased up to 3.2-fold depending on the phospholipid and on its concentration, the catalytic-centre activity reaching 15.7 mol of activated protein C formed/min per mol of thrombin. Above their optimal concentrations, phospholipids inhibited the amidolytic activity of activated protein C. Phospholipids had no effect on the activation of 4-carboxyglutamic acid-domainless protein C, a proteolytic derivative of protein C lacking the 4-carboxyglutamic acid residues. These results show that the positive effect of anionic phospholipids in the activation of protein C by the thrombin-thrombomodulin complex involves a Ca2+-dependent interaction between protein C and phospholipids. They suggest that the enhancement of thrombomodulin activity by such phospholipids may be of functional significance.
Influence of adjuvants on the antibody specificity to the Plasmodium falciparum major merozoite surface protein, gp195 (1991)

The effect of adjuvants on the specificity of immune responses to the Plasmodium falciparum gp195 protein was investigated using adjuvant formulations based on synthetic muramyl dipeptide and monophosphoryl lipid A derivatives, in parallel with CFA and alum. Although these immunomodulators were as effective as CFA in inducing an antibody response to gp195, there were distinct differences in the recognition of B cell epitopes by these antibody populations. We have also demonstrated that MHC control of antibody specificity can be related to the adjuvant used for immunization. In general, the potency of adjuvants, their ability to induce antibodies of a particular specificity, or their ability to overcome MHC control of immune responsiveness varied independently. These findings suggest a critical role of adjuvants in the determination of the specificity of the immune response to protein Ag. Thus, the influence of adjuvants should be a major consideration in studies on immunologic recognition, as well as in the design of modern subunit vaccines.
Luminescent Iridium(III)-Containing Block Copolymers: Self-Assembly into Biotin-Labeled Micelles for Biodetection Assays (2012)

Luminescent polymers containing Ir(ppy)<sub>2</sub>(bpy) PF<sub>6</sub> complexes, biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains, and biotin moieties were synthesized via ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP). Their self-assembly in water into micelles resulted in an increased quantum yield compared to open polymer chains in acetonitrile, which is likely due to core rigidity and desolvation. Streptavidin coated magnetic beads were employed to analyze the binding ability of these micelles. The positioning of the molecular recognition moiety biotin within the polymer chain had a very significant effect on the availability of biotin on the micelle surface and the ability of the micelles to bind to streptavidin. Simply attaching biotin to the end of the ROMP polymer yielded micelles in which the biotin units were shielded by the PEG chains, whereas the synthesis of a new ROMP monomer containing biotin at the end of the PEG chains resulted in improved surface availability of the biotin group. Preliminary experiments in which streptavidin was microcontact-printed onto functionalized glass coverslips also indicated specific binding between the micelles and streptavidin and further demonstrated the potential of these micelle systems to function as luminescent probes in solid-phase biodetection assays.
Inhibitory Effect of Gamma Interferon on BK Virus Gene Expression and Replication (2006)

BK virus (BKV) is widely accepted to be the causative agent of polyomavirus nephropathy. In immunocompromised individuals, especially kidney transplant recipients, BKV can replicate in kidney epithelial cells, causing loss of renal function and eventual destruction of the graft. Advances in immunosuppressive therapies may be partially responsible for the increasing incidence of polyomavirus nephropathy among transplant recipients by more effectively eliminating components of the immune system, such as gamma interferon (IFN-gamma)-producing lymphocytes, that keep BKV infections at a subclinical level. In this study, we investigated the role of IFN-gamma in regulating lytic infection by BKV. Treatment with IFN-gamma inhibited the expression of the viral early protein large tumor antigen (TAg) and the late protein VP1 in a dose-dependent manner. We detected 1.6- and 12-fold reductions in TAg transcripts at 48 and 96 h postinfection, respectively, with 250 U/ml IFN-gamma, suggesting that IFN-gamma-mediated inhibition occurs at the level of transcription. Furthermore, IFN-gamma inhibited the level of viral progeny production as much as 50-fold at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 0.5 and 80-fold at an MOI of 0.1. The inhibitory effects of IFN-gamma were similar for three different strains of BKV examined. These results indicate an important role for IFN-gamma in regulating BKV lytic infection.
Optical interconnections for VLSI systems (1984)

The combination of decreasing feature sizes and increasing chip sizes is leading to a communication crisis in the area of VLSI circuits and systems. It is anticipated that the speeds of MOS circuits will soon be limited by interconnection delays, rather than gate delays. This paper investigates the possibility of applying optical and electrooptical technologies to such interconnection problems. The origins of the communication crisis are discussed. Those aspects of electrooptic technology that are applicable to the generation, routing, and detection of light at the level of chips and boards are reviewed. Algorithmic implications of interconnections are discussed, with emphasis on the definition of a hierarchy of interconnection problems from the signal-processing area having an increasing level of complexity. One potential application of optical interconnections is to the problem of clock distribution, for which a single signal must be routed to many parts of a chip or board. More complex is the problem of supplying data interconnections via optical technology. Areas in need of future research are identified.
Acid Degradation of Amino-monosaccharides and Amino-polysaccharides (1988)

Acid Degradation of Amino-monosaccharides and Amino-polysaccharides Get access Futoshi Yamaoka, Futoshi Yamaoka Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Tottori University, Tottori 680, Japan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Kenji Nagamura, Kenji Nagamura Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Tottori University, Tottori 680, Japan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Yûji Kagei, Yûji Kagei Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Tottori University, Tottori 680, Japan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Atsushi Yamashita, Atsushi Yamashita Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Tottori University, Tottori 680, Japan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Yôtaro Kondo, Yôtaro Kondo Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Tottori University, Tottori 680, Japan To whom correspondence should be addressed. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Shigehiro Hirano Shigehiro Hirano Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Tottori University, Tottori 680, Japan Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Agricultural and Biological Chemistry, Volume 52, Issue 8, 1 August 1988, Pages 2113–2114, https://doi.org/10.1080/00021369.1988.10868958 Published: 01 August 1988 Article history Received: 25 February 1988 Published: 01 August 1988