gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Reactivity of Sulfenic Acid in Human Serum Albumin (2007)

Sulfenic acid is formed upon oxidation of thiols and is a central intermediate in the redox modulation of an increasing number of proteins. Methods for quantifying or even detecting sulfenic acid are scarce. Herein, the reagent 7-chloro-4-nitrobenz-2-oxa-1,3-diazole was determined not to be suitable as a chromophoric probe for sulfenic acid in human serum albumin (HSA-SOH) because of lack of specificity. Thionitrobenzoate (TNB) reacted with HSA exposed to hydrogen peroxide, but not control or thiol-blocked HSA. The reaction was biphasic. The first phase was approximately 20-fold faster than the second phase and first order in HSA-SOH and TNB (105 +/- 11 M-1 s-1, 25 degrees C, pH 7.4), allowing quantitative data on HSA-SOH formation and reactivity to be obtained. Exposure of reduced HSA (0.5 mM) to hydrogen peroxide (4 mM, 37 degrees C, 4 min) yielded 0.18 +/- 0.02 mol of HSA-SOH per mol of HSA. HSA-SH reacted with hydrogen peroxide at 2.7 +/- 0.7 M-1 s-1 (37 degrees C, pH 7.4), while HSA-SOH reacted at 0.4 +/- 0.2 M-1 s-1, yielding sulfinic acid (HSA-SO2H), as detected by mass spectrometry. The rate constants of HSA-SOH with targets of analytical interest such as dimedone and sodium arsenite were determined. HSA-SOH did not react appreciably with the plasma reductants ascorbate or urate, nor with free basic amino acids. In contrast, HSA-SOH reacted rapidly with the plasma thiols cysteine, glutathione, homocysteine, and cysteinylglycine at 21.6 +/- 0.2, 2.9 +/- 0.5, 9.3 +/- 0.9, and 55 +/- 3 M-1 s-1 (25 degrees C, pH 7.4), respectively, supporting a role for HSA-SOH in the formation of mixed disulfides.
Characterization of chimeric full-length molecular clones of Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (ADV): identification of a determinant governing replication of ADV in cell culture (1993)

The ADV-G strain of Aleutian mink disease parvovirus (ADV) is nonpathogenic for mink but replicates permissively in cell culture, whereas the ADV-Utah 1 strain is highly pathogenic for mink but replicates poorly in cell culture. In order to relate these phenotypic differences to primary genomic features, we constructed a series of chimeric plasmids between a full-length replication-competent molecular clone of ADV-G and subgenomic clones of ADV-Utah 1 representing map units (MU) 15 to 88. After transfection of the plasmids into cell culture and serial passage of cell lysates, we determined that substitution of several segments of the ADV-Utah 1 genome (MU 15 to 54 and 65 to 73) within an infectious ADV-G plasmid did not impair the ability of these constructs to yield infectious virus in vitro. Like ADV-G, the viruses derived from these replication-competent clones caused neither detectable viremia 10 days after inoculation nor any evidence of Aleutian disease in adult mink. On the other hand, other chimeric plasmids were incapable of yielding infectious virus and were therefore replication defective in vitro. The MU 54 to 65 EcoRI-EcoRV fragment of ADV-Utah 1 was the minimal segment capable of rendering ADV-G replication defective. Substitution of the ADV-G EcoRI-EcoRV fragment into a replication-defective clone restored replication competence, indicating that this 0.53-kb portion of the genome, wholly located within shared coding sequences for the capsid proteins VP1 and VP2, contained a determinant that governs replication in cell culture. When cultures of cells were studied 5 days after transfection with replication-defective clones, rescue of dimeric replicative form DNA and single-stranded progeny DNA could not be demonstrated. This defect could not be complemented by cotransfection with a replication-competent construction.
Elastic Environment of the Capillary Bed (1966)

To determine the degree to which the capillary blood vessels in vivo are supported by the elasticity of the surrounding tissue, a study was made of the elastic properties of the mesentery of the rabbit. A torsion test was made on a circular membrane of the avascular region of the mesentery, by applying a graded static torque and measuring the resulting deformation. The mesentery was found to have a modulus of rigidity in the same category as that of larger arteries and veins. It has a nonlinear stress-strain relationship with a tendency to harden at larger strains. In torsion experiments, the shear modulus G can be reduced to the following form G = µ+c 2 |τ| Where c 2 is a constant and |τ| is the absolute value of the shear stress. The constant µ depends on the initial tension in the membrane. For the mesentery specimens, µ ranges from 215 to 1900 gm/cm 2 , whereas the nondimensional constant c 2 has an average value of 8.23 with a standard deviation of 2.1. The hypothesis is advanced that the medium in which the capillaries of the mesentery are embedded is a gel and the capillary in effect is a tunnel in this gel. Such a hypothesis could explain the apparent rigidity of the blood capillaries.
AMPA receptor downscaling at the onset of Alzheimer’s disease pathology in double knockin mice (2006)

It is widely thought that Alzheimer's disease (AD) begins as a malfunction of synapses, eventually leading to cognitive impairment and dementia. Homeostatic synaptic scaling is a mechanism that could be crucial at the onset of AD but has not been examined experimentally. In this process, the synaptic strength of a neuron is modified so that the overall excitability of the cell is maintained. Here, we investigate whether synaptic scaling mediated by l-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptors (AMPARs) contributes to pathology in double knockin (2 x KI) mice carrying human mutations in the genes for amyloid precursor protein and presenilin-1. By using whole-cell recordings, we show that 2 x KI mice exhibit age-related downscaling of AMPAR-mediated evoked currents and spontaneous, miniature currents. Electron microscopic analysis further corroborates the synaptic AMPAR decrease. Additionally, 2 x KI mice show age-related deficits in bidirectional plasticity (long-term potentiation and long-term depression) and memory flexibility. These results suggest that AMPARs are important synaptic targets for AD and provide evidence that cognitive impairment may involve downscaling of postsynaptic AMPAR function.
A New 18F-Labeled Myocardial PET Tracer: Myocardial Uptake After Permanent and Transient Coronary Occlusion in Rats (2008)

Coronary occlusion yielded distinct myocardial (18)F-BMS-747158-02 uptake defects in the area of ischemia, which demonstrated normalization of activity after reperfusion and reinjection. These promising kinetic parameters may allow for assessment of flow using exercise-rest protocols similar to those used in combination with exercise and rest perfusion SPECT.
Fetal liver hematopoietic stem cells as a target for in utero retroviral gene transfer (1991)

Retroviral-mediated gene transfer into hematopoietic precursors often results in only short-term gene transduction in vivo. Loss of the transduced genetic material over time may be caused by the limited ability of retroviral infection to transduce genes into early, pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells. Because fetal liver contains actively proliferating multipotential stem cells that should be more susceptible to retroviral-mediated gene transfer than quiescent cells derived from adult bone marrow, these cells may be an ideal target for gene transduction. Furthermore, physiologic expansion of these cells during development obviates the need for marrow ablation during gene therapy in vivo. We performed in utero gene transfer by injecting high titer replication-defective retrovirus in vivo into the livers of 11, 14, 16, and 18 day gestation rats. After birth, the rats were analyzed for the presence of proviral integration and gene expression. The efficiency of gene transfer into bone marrow cells was greatest in rats infected at day 14 to 16 of gestation. In rats killed at 1 to 26 weeks of age, gene transfer was detected by Southern analysis in 48% and by polymerase chain reaction in 86% of bone marrow samples. The provirus was also detected in white blood cells, the granulocyte-macrophage colony-forming unit, thymus, spleen, liver, and lung. The presence of the transgene in bone marrow and other hematopoietic tissues at 26 weeks of age suggests that early hematopoietic precursors present in the fetal liver are susceptible targets for gene transfer and that these cells become resident in the bone marrow of the adult animal. This model is a new technique for gene transduction into proliferating hematopoietic cells in vivo that avoids bone marrow transplantation and has potential application in the correction of genetic defects in utero.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide is released from sympathetic nerve terminals via a botulinum neurotoxin A-mediated mechanism in canine mesenteric artery (2005)

Using high-performance liquid chromatography techniques with fluorescence and electrochemical detection, we found that beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (beta-NAD) is released in response to electrical field stimulation (4-16 Hz, 0.3 ms, 15 V, 120 s) along with ATP and norepinephrine (NE) in the canine isolated mesenteric arteries. The release of beta-NAD increases with number of pulses/stimulation frequencies. Immunohistochemistry analysis showed dense distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase-like immunoreactivity (TH-LI) and sparse distribution of TH-LI-negative nerve processes, suggesting that these blood vessels are primarily under sympathetic nervous system control with some contribution of other (e.g., sensory) neurons. Exogenous NE (3 micromol/l), alpha,beta-methylene ATP (1 micromol/l), neuropeptide Y (NPY, 0.1 micromol/l), CGRP (0.1 micromol/l), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP, 0.1 micromol/l), and substance P (SP, 0.1 micromol/l) had no effect on the basal release of beta-NAD, suggesting that the overflow of beta-NAD is evoked by neither the sympathetic neurotransmitters NE, ATP, and NPY, nor the neuropeptides CGRP, VIP, and SP. Botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNTA, 0.1 micromol/l) abolished the evoked release of NE, ATP, and beta-NAD at 4 Hz, suggesting that at low levels of neural activity, release of these neurotransmitters results from N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor/synaptosomal-associated protein of 25 kDa-mediated exocytosis. At 16 Hz, however, the evoked release of NE, ATP, and beta-NAD was reduced by BoNTA by approximately 90, 60, and 80%, respectively, suggesting that at higher levels of neural activity, beta-NAD is likely to be released from different populations of synaptic vesicles or different populations of nerve terminals (i.e., sympathetic and sensory terminals).
Protein kinase C activity as marker for colorectal cancer (1991)

Protein kinase C (PKC) activity was measured in normal-appearing colonic mucosa from patients undergoing colonic resection. Comparisons were made between cases with and without colorectal cancers. PKC activity in cytosolic and particulate fractions was significantly reduced in patients with colorectal cancer: 40 +/- 9 and 114 +/- 29 (pmol/min/mg) respectively, compared with patients without cancer; 129 +/- 11 and 250 +/- 38 (pmol/min/mg) (p less than 0.05). Normal-appearing colonic mucosa in patients with cancer showed significantly decreased total PKC activities in the cytosolic and particulate fractions compared with those in patients without cancer (10 +/- 1 and 20 +/- 3 vs. 30 +/- 2 and 33 +/- 6) (pmol/min/g tissue) (p less than 0.05). The cellular distribution (% particulate fraction) of PKC activity in normal-appearing mucosa in patients with cancer (64%) was higher than in patients without cancer (49%) (p less than 0.05). OUr data suggest that PKC activity may be used as a biological marker of risk of developing colorectal cancer or risk of bearing an asymptomatic tumor.
Protein Glycosylation:  New Challenges and Opportunities (2005)

Protein glycosylation is the most complex post-translational modification process. More than 50% of proteins in humans are glycosylated, while bacteria such as E. coli does not have this modification machinery. Many small-molecule natural products also require glycosylation in order to express their function. Development of effective synthetic tools for use in understanding the effect of glycosylation on the structure and function of biomolecules will lead to the development of new strategies to tackle major problems associated with carbohydrate-mediated biological recognitions.
The impact of divorce on retirement fund benefits : retirement planning (2012)

The clean break principle in respect of divorce was introduced into our law on 13 September 2007, and basically means that on divorce a non-member spouse is now entitled to claim their share in the member spouse's pension interest as soon as the parties are divorced.
Discovery of simian virus 40 (SV40) and its relationship to poliomyelitis virus vaccines. (1998)

Simian Virus 40 (SV40) was discovered in 1959 as a covert contaminant of poliovirus vaccines prepared using Macacus monkey renal cell cultures. This inapparent polyoma virus of monkeys was detected using Cercopithecus renal cell cultures and was eliminated from poliovaccines. There has been no evidence to implicate SV40 virus of vaccine origin in long- or short-term consequences in human subjects. Of importance, SV40 virus provided a new model for basic studies of viral pathogenesis and for cell transformation and neoplasia. Neoplastic transformation is fixed on the promiscuous binding of SV40 large T antigen to anti-oncogene cellular protein elements. SV40 also served as a valuable model for defining the immunology of virus-induced cancer and in its prevention and cure. Further, it has been a prime tool for elucidating the molecular details of eukaryotic cell processes. Numerous techniques now used in molecular biology were pioneered in the SV40 system. The SV40 promoter is commonly used in vector expression constructs and it has continued to be a model to develop new tools for site-specific mutagenesis. The virus has been critically important to studies in modern genetics and in molecular biology.
Retinoids and chemoprevention: Clinical and basic studies (1995)

Retinoids, which include natural vitamin A (retinol) and its esters and synthetic analogues, are the best-studied class of agents in chemoprevention. There are more than 4,000 different retinoids which have a wide spectrum of preclinical activities, structures, pharmacological profiles, tissue distributions, receptor specificities, and toxicities. A number of retinoids have significant activity in many in vivo experimental systems including skin, bladder, lung, breast and oral carcinogenesis. In clinical trials, several retinoids have achieved significant activity in the reversal of head and neck, skin, and cervical premalignancy, and in the prevention of second primary tumors associated with head and neck, skin, and non-small cell lung cancer. Since 1984, our group has conducted a series of clinical trials to explore the chemopreventive potential of 13-cis-retinoic acid (13cRA) in the aerodigestive tract. We have conducted two consecutive randomized studies in subjects with premalignant lesions of the oral cavity. These studies showed that high-dose 13cRA alone can achieve significant short-term reversal of oral premalignancy, and that high-dose followed by low-dose 13cRA can maintain suppression of oral carcinogenesis. Three other randomized trials have confirmed significant retinoid activity in this human carcinogenic system. We also developed a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of adjuvant high-dose 13cRA in patients with head and neck cancer. Second primary tumor development was significantly decreased in the 13cRA group, but 13cRA had no impact on primary disease recurrence or survival. This presentation will update the current status of clinical trials and correlative laboratory studies of potential intermediate endpoint biomarkers in retinoid chemoprevention of aerodigestive tract carcinogenesis.
Articulation Testing Methods (1929)

This paper is chiefly concerned with the technique of making articulation tests. The construction of a syllabic testing list, the selection of a testing crew, the methods of comparing articulation data for various crews, and the significance of the test as a measure of the speech capabilities of a system are discussed. Various types of lists for different uses are also discussed.
Anti‐tumour strategies aiming to target tumour‐associated macrophages (2012)

Tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs) represent a predominant population of inflammatory cells that present in solid tumours. TAMs are mostly characterized as alternatively activated M2-like macrophages and are known to orchestrate nearly all stages of tumour progression. Experimental investigations indicate that TAMs contribute to drug-resistance and radio-protective effects, and clinical evidence shows that an elevated number of TAMs and their M2 profile are correlated with therapy failure and poor prognosis in cancer patients. Recently, many studies on TAM-targeted strategies have made significant progress and some pilot works have achieved encouraging results. Among these, connections between some anti-tumour drugs and their influence on TAMs have been suggested. In this review, we will summarize recent advances in TAM-targeted strategies for tumour therapy. Based on the proposed mechanisms, those strategies are grouped into four categories: (i) inhibiting macrophage recruitment; (ii) suppressing TAM survival; (iii) enhancing M1-like tumoricidal activity of TAMs; (iv) blocking M2-like tumour-promoting activity of TAMs. It is desired that further attention be drawn to this research field and more effort be made to promote TAM-targeted tumour therapy.
[Chromobacterium violaceum, opportunist pathogenic bacteria in tropical and subtropical regions]. (1993)

Chromobacterium violaceum is isolated from soil and waters in tropical and subtropical areas. This Gram negative bacillus is considered as a saprophyte, but occasionally it can act as an opportunistic pathogen for animals and man, and cause fatal septicaemia from skin lesion with many liver and lung abscesses. Classification, nomenclature, media used to isolation, characters useful to identification (morphology, cultural and biochemical traits, violacein pigmentation), differentiation from related violet-pigmented species and from Vibrionaceae (when C. violaceum cultures are not pigmented), antibiotics resistance and susceptibility, experimental and natural pathogenicity are emphasized.
Autonomous on-orbit calibration of a star tracker camera (2011)

We have developed a calibration approach for a star tracker camera. A modified version of the least-squares iteration algorithm combining Kalman filter is put forward, which allows for autonomous on-orbit calibration of the star tracker camera even with nonlinear camera distortions. In the calibration approach, the optimal principal point and focal length are achieved at first via the modified algorithm, and then the high-order focal-plane distortions are estimated using the solution of the first step. To validate this proposed calibration approach, the real star catalog and synthetic attitude data are adopted to test its performance. The test results have demonstrated the proposed approach performs well in terms of accuracy, robustness, and performance. It can satisfy the autonomous on-orbit calibration of the star tracker camera.
MyD88 Intrinsically Regulates CD4 T-Cell Responses (2008)

Myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is an essential adaptor protein in the Toll-like receptor-mediated innate signaling pathway, as well as in interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) and IL-18R signaling. The importance of MyD88 in the regulation of innate immunity to microbial pathogens has been well demonstrated. However, its role in regulating acquired immunity to viral pathogens and neuropathogenesis is not entirely clear. In the present study, we examine the role of MyD88 in the CD4(+) T-cell response following lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection. We demonstrate that wild-type (WT) mice developed a CD4(+) T-cell-mediated wasting disease after intracranial infection with LCMV. In contrast, MyD88 knockout (KO) mice did not develop wasting disease in response to the same infection. This effect was not the result of MyD88 regulation of IL-1 or IL-18 responses since IL-1R1 KO and IL-18R KO mice were not protected from weight loss. In the absence of MyD88, naïve CD4(+) T cells failed to differentiate to LCMV-specific CD4 T cells. We demonstrated that MyD88 KO antigen-presenting cells are capable of activating WT CD4(+) T cells. Importantly, when MyD88 KO CD4(+) T cells were reconstituted with an MyD88-expressing lentivirus, the rescued CD4(+) T cells were able to respond to LCMV infection and support IgG2a antibody production. Overall, these studies reveal a previously unknown role of MyD88-dependent signaling in CD4(+) T cells in the regulation of the virus-specific CD4(+) T-cell response and in viral infection-induced immunopathology in the central nervous system.
[Dorsolumbar arachnoid cysts. A case report]. (1990)

The authors discuss a case of thoracic-lumbar arachnoidal cyst, which was not diagnosed for a long period, despite an obvious presentation with back pain and sphincteral problems. The importance of new diagnostic techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is underlined.
Full Text LINK - cough (2004)

Chronic cough, defined by some authors as lasting longer than eight weeks,1 is a problem frequently seen by primary care providers as well as specialists.2 Although elucidating the cause of a chronic cough can be difficult and frustrating—both for the patient and for the physician—systematic examination leads to successful diagnosis and treatment in nearly 100% of cases.1 In an estimated 95% of patients with a chronic cough and negative results of chest x-ray examination, the cough is caused by postnasal drip, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux, cigarette smoking, chronic bronchitis, eosinophilic bronchitis, or use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor.1 More than one of these diagnoses is responsible for cough in 18% to 93% of cases.1
Identification of the fourth member of the mammalian endoprotease family homologous to the yeast Kex2 protease. Its testis-specific expression. (1992)

We used the polymerase chain reaction to identify a mouse testis cDNA that represented another member of a growing class of mammalian endoproteases involved in the processing of precursor proteins. This cDNA encoded a 655-residue protein, designated PC4, containing a bacterial subtilisin-like catalytic domain closely related to those of the recently characterized precursor-processing endoproteases, furin, PC1/PC3, PC2, and Kex2. Within this domain, the amino acid sequence of PC4 was 70, 58, 55, and 45% identical with those of mouse furin, mouse PC1/PC3, mouse PC2, and yeast Kex2, respectively. Northern blot analysis indicated that the PC4 mRNA was detectable only in the testes after the 20th day of postnatal development. Moreover, this message was mainly expressed in the round spermatids. These data suggest that PC4 represents a prime candidate for a precursor-processing endoprotease in the testicular germ cells and that its gene expression is regulated during spermatogenesis.