gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Is 5-methyltetrahydrofolate an alternative to folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects? (2013)

Women have higher requirements for folate during pregnancy. An optimal folate status must be achieved before conception and in the first trimester when the neural tube closes. Low maternal folate status is causally related to neural tube defects (NTDs). Many NTDs can be prevented by increasing maternal folate intake in the preconceptional period. Dietary folate is protective, but recommending increasing folate intake is ineffective on a population level particularly during periods of high demands. This is because the recommendations are often not followed or because the bioavailability of food folate is variable. Supplemental folate [folic acid (FA) or 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (5-methylTHF)] can effectively increase folate concentrations to the level that is considered to be protective. FA is a synthetic compound that has no biological functions unless it is reduced to dihydrofolate and tetrahydrofolate. Unmetabolized FA appears in the circulation at doses of >200 μg. Individuals show wide variations in their ability to reduce FA. Carriers of certain polymorphisms in genes related to folate metabolism or absorption can better benefit from 5-methylTHF instead of FA. 5-MethylTHF [also known as (6S)-5-methylTHF] is the predominant natural form that is readily available for transport and metabolism. In contrast to FA, 5-methylTHF has no tolerable upper intake level and does not mask vitamin B12 deficiency. Supplementation of the natural form, 5-methylTHF, is a better alternative to supplementation of FA, especially in countries not applying a fortification program. Supplemental 5-methylTHF can effectively improve folate biomarkers in young women in early pregnancy in order to prevent NTDs.
Real-Time PCR with an Internal Control for Detection of All Known Human Adenovirus Serotypes (2008)

The "gold standard" for the diagnosis of adenovirus (AV) infection is virus culture, which is rather time-consuming. Especially for immunocompromised patients, in whom severe infections with AV have been described, rapid diagnosis is important. Therefore, an internally controlled AV real-time PCR assay detecting all known human AV serotypes was developed. Primers were chosen from the hexon region, which is the most conserved region, and in order to cover all known serotypes, degenerate primers were used. The internal control (IC) DNA contained the same primer binding sites as the AV DNA control but had a shuffled probe region compared to the conserved 24-nucleotide consensus AV hexon probe region (the target). The IC DNA was added to the clinical sample in order to monitor extraction and PCR efficiency. The sensitivity and the linearity of the AV PCR were determined. For testing the specificity of this PCR assay for human AVs, a selection of 51 AV prototype strains and 66 patient samples positive for other DNA viruses were tested. Moreover, a comparison of the AV PCR method described herein with culture and antigen (Ag) detection was performed with a selection of 151 clinical samples. All 51 AV serotypes were detected in the selection of AV prototype strains. Concordant results from culture or Ag detection and PCR were found for 139 (92.1%) of 151 samples. In 12 cases (7.9%), PCR was positive while the culture was negative. In conclusion, a sensitive, internally controlled nonnested AV real-time PCR assay which is able to detect all known AV serotypes with higher sensitivity than a culture or Ag detection method was developed.
Towards End-to-End Prosody Transfer for Expressive Speech Synthesis with Tacotron (2018)

We present an extension to the Tacotron speech synthesis architecture that learns a latent embedding space of prosody, derived from a reference acoustic representation containing the desired prosody. We show that conditioning Tacotron on this learned embedding space results in synthesized audio that matches the prosody of the reference signal with fine time detail even when the reference and synthesis speakers are different. Additionally, we show that a reference prosody embedding can be used to synthesize text that is different from that of the reference utterance. We define several quantitative and subjective metrics for evaluating prosody transfer, and report results with accompanying audio samples from single-speaker and 44-speaker Tacotron models on a prosody transfer task.
Secretory Pathways in Plant Immune Responses (2008)

Innate immune receptors in plants detect the presence of microbial pathogens and trigger defense responses to terminate or restrict pathogen growth. The molecular mechanisms of receptor-mediated nonself recognition and subsequent intracellular signaling pathways have received much attention in the
The essential oils of five Nepeta Species. A preliminary evaluation of their use in chemotaxonomy by cluster analysis (1988)

Abstract The essential oils of Nepeta cataria L., N. x faassenii Bergm. ex Stearn, N. nepetella L., N. sibirica L. and N. nuda L., isolated by steam distillation, were analysed by GC and GC‐MS. The compositions of the oils were submitted to a cluster analysis by application of the CLUSTAN program, with a view to testing their use in chemotaxonomy.
Safety and Immunogenicity of a Dengue Virus Serotype-1 Purified-Inactivated Vaccine: Results of a Phase 1 Clinical Trial (2015)

We describe the results from a human clinical trial of a dengue virus serotype-1, purified-inactivated vaccine (DENV-1 PIV) adjuvanted with aluminum hydroxide. This first-in-man, Phase 1, open-label clinical trial consisted of two groups of flavivirus-naïve healthy adult volunteers that received two intramuscular vaccine doses of either 2.5 μg or 5 μg of DENV-1 PIV administered on days 0 and 28. Following vaccination, both vaccine doses exhibited an acceptable safety profile with minimal injection site and systemic reactions. By study day 42, 2 weeks following the second vaccine dose, all volunteers in both vaccine groups developed serum-neutralizing antibodies against DENV-1. Additional testing using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay demonstrated induction of a humoral immune response following both vaccine doses. The DENV-1 PIV was safe and immunogenic in a small number of volunteers supporting development and further testing of a tetravalent DENV PIV formulation.
Inhibition of smooth muscle cell proliferation and experimental angioplasty restenosis by beta-cyclodextrin tetradecasulfate. (1993)

Heparin inhibits smooth muscle cell proliferation in vitro, a property that makes it potentially useful in preventing restenosis after angioplasty. Its utility in this setting is limited by the inability to use high doses (secondary to anticoagulant effects) and the need for subcutaneous administration. We tested the ability of beta-cyclodextrin tetradecasulfate (CDT), a nonanticoagulant synthetic heparin mimic, to inhibit smooth muscle cell proliferation in vitro and tested its efficacy when orally administered for the prevention of angioplasty restenosis in a rabbit atherosclerosis model. Vascular smooth muscle cells were cultured from rabbit aortas by the explant technique. Passaged cells were plated at low density in microtiter plates in the presence or absence of varying concentrations of heparin or CDT in culture medium containing 10% fetal calf serum. Using both 3H-thymidine incorporation and total protein assays, both heparin and CDT caused a similar dose-dependent inhibition of proliferation. We next tested the effect of orally administered CDT in the prevention of restenosis in focal femoral artery arteriosclerotic lesions created in hypercholesterolemic New Zealand White rabbits by air-dessication endothelial injury and subsequent peripheral angioplasty. Animals were followed up for 1 month and were fed normal chow supplemented by tap water with or without CDT. In animals receiving the highest concentration of CDT (2 mg/mL drinking water), the percentage of arterial cross-sectional area with intimal hyperplasia decreased from 50.5 +/- 1.7% (control) to 26.9 +/- 2.2% (p < 0.001), with the intimal/medial ratio being decreased from 1.4 +/- 0.4 to 0.5 +/- 0.2 (p = 0.056).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Autistic phenotypes and genetic testing: state-of-the-art for the clinical geneticist (2008)

Autism spectrum disorders represent a group of developmental disorders with strong genetic underpinnings. Several cytogenetic abnormalities or de novo mutations able to cause autism have recently been uncovered. In this study, the literature was reviewed to highlight genotype-phenotype correlations between causal gene mutations or cytogenetic abnormalities and behavioural or morphological phenotypes. Based on this information, a set of practical guidelines is proposed to help clinical geneticists pursue targeted genetic testing for patients with autism whose clinical phenotype is suggestive of a specific genetic or genomic aetiology.
Trypanosoma brucei: Unexpected Azide Sensitivity of Bloodstream Forms (2004)

Bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei lack cytochromes and are, therefore, insensitive to cyanide. Azide is a toxic anion that bears chemical and biological properties in common with cyanide and may act in a similar way by inhibition of cytochrome c oxidase. It was, therefore, surprising to find that bloodstream forms of T. brucei are sensitive to azide; growth is reduced by 50% with 0.1 mM azide. So far, the only enzyme known in bloodstream forms of T. brucei to be sensitive to azide is the iron-containing superoxide dismutase. However, because the activity of the superoxide dismutase was not affected in parasites incubated for 16 hr with 0.5 mM azide (a concentration at which no cell proliferates), the toxic action of azide cannot be due to inhibition of this enzyme. These results indicate that the general toxicity of azide is different from that of cyanide.
Nomenclature and listing of celiac disease relevant gluten T-cell epitopes restricted by HLA-DQ molecules (2012)

Celiac disease is caused by an abnormal intestinal T-cell response to gluten proteins of wheat, barley and rye. Over the last few years, a number of gluten T-cell epitopes restricted by celiac disease associated HLA-DQ molecules have been characterized. In this work, we give an overview of these epitopes and suggest a comprehensive, new nomenclature.
Relevance of the Tumor Antigen in the Validation of Three Vaccination Strategies for Melanoma (2000)

Many preclinical studies of cancer immunotherapy are based on the testing of a single vaccination strategy in several tumor models. Moreover, most of those studies used xenogeneic Ags, which, owing to their high immunogenicity, may not represent realistic models for the validation of cancer immunotherapies. To address these issues, we compared the vaccination efficacy of three well established strategies (i.e., naked DNA; peptide-pulsed dendritic cells (DC), or a mixture of peptide and the Escherichia coli toxin LTR72) using the xenogeneic OVA or the naturally expressed tyrosinase-related protein 2 (TRP-2) tumor Ag in the B16 melanoma model. C57BL/6 mice received one to three s.c. injections of peptide-pulsed DC or DNA, or one to four mucosal administrations of peptide-toxin mixture. One to 2 wk later, the animals were challenged s.c. with B16 or B16 cells expressing OVA (B16-OVA). Vaccination of mice with OVA induced in all cases melanoma-specific CTL and protection against B16-OVA. When TRP-2 was used, all three vaccines elicited B16-specific CTL, but only DC pulsed with the immunodominant T cell epitope TRP-2181-188 allowed protection against B16. Even more importantly, a vaccination regimen with TRP-2-pulsed DC, started 24 h after the injection of a lethal number of B16 cells, caused a therapeutic effect in 60% of the challenged animals. Our results strongly emphasize the relevance of the tumor Ag in the definition of immunotherapeutic strategies for cancer, and support the use of peptide-pulsed DC as cancer vaccine in humans.
The Jak-Stat Pathway: Cytokine Signalling from the Receptor to the Nucleus (1999)

The Jak-STAT pathway was originally discovered through the study of interferon induced intracellular signal transduction. Meanwhile, a large number of cytokines, hormones and growth factors have been found to activate Jaks and STATs. Jaks (Janus Kinases) are a unique class of tyrosine kinases that associate with cytokine receptors. Upon ligand binding, they activate members of the Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STAT) family through phosphorylation on a single tyrosine. Activated STATs form dimers, translocate to the nucleus, bind to specific response elements in promotors of target genes, and transcriptionally activate these genes. Both positive and negative regulations of the Jak-STAT pathway have been identified. In a positive feedback loop, interferons transcriptionally activate the genes for components of the interferon stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3). A number of cytokines that activate the Jak-STAT pathway, e.g. IL-6, IL-4, LIF, G-CSF, have been shown to upregulate the expression of SOCS-JABs-SSIs, a recently discovered class of STAT inhibitors. Targeted disruption of genes for a number of Jaks and STATs in mice have revealed specific biological functions for many of them. Although most of the STATs are activated in cell culture by many different ligands, STAT knockout mice mostly show defects in a single or a few cytokine dependent processes. STAT1 knockout mice have an impaired interferon signalling, STAT4 knockouts impaired IL-12 signalling, STAT5a knockouts impaired prolactin signalling, STAT5b knockouts impaired growth hormone signalling, and STAT6 knockout impaired IL-4 and IL-13 signalling. Defects in the Jak-STAT pathway have already been identified in a number of human diseases. Prominent amongst them are leukaemias, lymphomas and inherited immunodeficiency syndromes. It can be expected that additional Jak-STAT related diseases will be identified over the next years. To date, specific STAT inhibitory drugs are not known, but a number of specific protein-protein interactions in the Jak-STAT pathway are potential targets for pharmaceutical interventions.
Synthesis and ROMP Chemistry of Decafluoroterphenoxide Molybdenum Imido Alkylidene and Ethylene Complexes (2013)

The bisDFTO alkylidene complexes of molybdenum Mo(NR)(CHCMe2Ph)(DFTO)2 (R = 2,6-i-Pr2C6H3, 2,6-Me2C6H3, C6F5, 1-adamantyl; DFTO = 2,6-(C6F5)2C6H3O) and monoaryloxide monopyrrolide (MAP) complexes Mo(NR)(CHCMe2Ph)(Me2Pyr)(OAr) (Me2Pyr = 2,5-dimethylpyrrolide; R = C6F5, OAr = DFTO, 2,6-dimesitylphenoxide (HMTO); R = 2,6-Me2C6H3, OAr = DFTO) have been prepared in good yields. Addition of dicarbomethoxynorbornadiene (DCMNBD) to bisDFTO complexes yielded polymers that have a cis,isotactic structure. Polymerization of DCMNBD by Mo(NC6F5)(CHCMe2Ph)(Me2Pyr)(HMTO) gives a polymer that contains the expected cis,syndiotactic structure, but polymerization of DCMNBD by Mo(NR)(CHCMe2Ph)(Me2Pyr)(DFTO) (R = C6F5, 2,6-Me2C6H3) generates a polymer that has a cis,isotactic structure, the first observation of a cis,isotactic polymer prepared employing a MAP initiator. Norbornene is polymerized to give what is proposed to be highly tactic cis-polyNBE. Addition of ethylene to Mo(NC6F5)(CHCMe2Ph)(DFTO)2 leads to formation of Mo(NC6F5)(CH2CH2)(DFTO)2, which also behaves as an initiator for polymerization of DCMNBD to cis,isotactic-polyDCMNBD and norbornene to cis highly tactic polyNBE. Mo(NC6F5)(CH2CH2)(DFTO)2 reacts with 3-methyl-3-phenylcyclopropene (MPCP) to give Mo(NC6F5)(CHCHCMePh)(DFTO)2 in ∼50% yield.
Molecular analysis of hemophilia B in Brazilian patients. (1993)

1. The molecular basis of hemophilia B was investigated in 19 Brazilian patients from 14 unrelated families. 2. Southern blotting of TaqI-digested DNA samples was employed for the screening of gene lesions followed by polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing for the characterization of mutations. 3. Three different gene mutations were characterized: a nonsense mutation at nucleotide 30875 (codon 252, CGA-->TGA), a partial deletion comprising exons 1-3 (at least 7.4 kb of extension), and a complete deletion (at least 42 kb of extension). These patients are now referred to as Ribeirão Preto 1, Ribeirão Preto 2 and Ribeirão Preto 3, respectively. 4. The factor IX haplotype (composed of 7 polymorphic sites) associated with each mutation was determined. Comparisons with previous studies confirmed an independent origin for the nonsense mutation. 5. This study represents the first survey of gene lesions associated with hemophilia B in South America. The results indicate the presence of heterogeneous mutations, as observed in other populations. These results also contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms involved in the mutations affecting the FIX gene.
Notes - Iodinated Benzamidotetrazoles (1957)

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTNotes - Iodinated BenzamidotetrazolesBill ElpernBill ElpernMore by Bill Elpern and Mary WilsonMary WilsonMore by Mary WilsonCite this: J. Org. Chem. 1957, 22, 12, 1686Publication Date (Print):December 1, 1957Publication History Published online1 May 2002Published inissue 1 December 1957https://doi.org/10.1021/jo01363a043RIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views46Altmetric-Citations1LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (133 KB) Get e-Alertsclose Get e-Alerts
Universal High-Frequency-Link Characterization and Practical Fundamental-Optimal Strategy for Dual-Active-Bridge DC-DC Converter Under PWM Plus Phase-Shift Control (2015)

This letter first develops a universal steady-state model to simply and accurately describe the analytical expressions for the high-frequency-link (HFL) electrical quantities of isolated dual-active-bridge (DAB) dc-dc converter under PWM plus phase-shift control. Second, a universal reactive power interaction among the HFL electrical quantities is present; using this interaction, the circulating current characteristic of DAB can be described accurately by HFL power factor. On this basis, a practical HFL fundamental-optimal strategy is proposed to decrease the circulating current and increase the efficiency. At last, experimental results verify the correctness of the universal model and the effectiveness of the fundamental-optimal strategy.
Establishment of a new murine model of liver abscess induced by Fusobacterium necrophorum injected into the caudal vein (2013)

Anaerobic bacterial infection is often accompanied by abscess formation; however, few in vivo studies have been published with descriptive data specifically evaluating antimicrobial activity in the presence of abscesses. The aim of this study was to establish a murine model of anaerobic infection with abscess formation and to verify the utility of this model for evaluating the in vivo efficacy of an antimicrobial agent. A clinical isolate of Fusobacterium necrophorum was inoculated into the caudal vein of immunocompetent BALB/c mice at 10(8) c.f.u. per mouse. Changes in body weight, bacterial load and histopathology of key organs were evaluated. After inoculation, bacterial counts in the liver increased from 10(4) to 10(8) c.f.u. after 1-3 days, and liver abscess formation was observed on the day following infection. Abscess formation and bacterial growth were not observed in other organs. In this model, 3 days of treatment with 5 mg metronidazole kg(-1) eradicated F. necrophorum in the liver; however, a reduction in bacterial load was not observed with 0.05 mg metronidazole kg(-1). In this study, we established a novel murine model of F. necrophorum liver abscess via haematogenous infection that may be useful for investigating in vivo antimicrobial activity against anaerobic abscesses and understanding the pathogenesis of F. necrophorum infection.
Interaction of LDL receptor‐related protein 4 (LRP4) with postsynaptic scaffold proteins via its C‐terminal PDZ domain‐binding motif, and its regulation by Ca2+/calmodulin‐dependent protein kinase II (2006)

We cloned here a full-length cDNA of Dem26[Tian et al. (1999)Mol. Brain Res., 72, 147-157], a member of the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor gene family from the rat brain. We originally named the corresponding protein synaptic LDL receptor-related protein (synLRP) [Tian et al. (2002) Soc. Neurosci. Abstr., 28, 405] and have renamed it LRP4 to accord it systematic nomenclature (GenBank(TM) accession no. AB073317). LRP4 protein interacted with postsynaptic scaffold proteins such as postsynaptic density (PSD)-95 via its C-terminal tail sequence, and associated with N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptor subunit. The mRNA of LRP4 was localized to dendrites, as well as somas, of neuronal cells, and the full-length protein of 250 kDa was highly concentrated in the brain and localized to various subcellular compartments in the brain, including synaptic fractions. Immunocytochemical study using cultured cortical neurons suggested surface localization in the neuronal cells both in somas and dendrites. Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) phosphorylated the C-terminal cytoplasmic region of LRP4 at Ser1887 and Ser1900, and the phosphorylation at the latter site suppressed the interaction of the protein with PSD-95 and synapse-associated protein 97 (SAP97). These findings suggest a postsynaptic role for LRP4, a putative endocytic multiligand receptor, and a mechanism in which CaMKII regulates PDZ-dependent protein-protein interactions and receptor dynamics.
Hydrogel: Preparation, characterization, and applications: A review (2013)

Hydrogel products constitute a group of polymeric materials, the hydrophilic structure of which renders them capable of holding large amounts of water in their three-dimensional networks. Extensive employment of these products in a number of industrial and environmental areas of application is considered to be of prime importance. As expected, natural hydrogels were gradually replaced by synthetic types due to their higher water absorption capacity, long service life, and wide varieties of raw chemical resources. Literature on this subject was found to be expanding, especially in the scientific areas of research. However, a number of publications and technical reports dealing with hydrogel products from the engineering points of view were examined to overview technological aspects covering this growing multidisciplinary field of research. The primary objective of this article is to review the literature concerning classification of hydrogels on different bases, physical and chemical characteristics of these products, and technical feasibility of their utilization. It also involved technologies adopted for hydrogel production together with process design implications, block diagrams, and optimized conditions of the preparation process. An innovated category of recent generations of hydrogel materials was also presented in some details.