gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Mitogenic action of lysophosphatidic acid and phosphatidic acid on fibroblasts. Dependence on acyl-chain length and inhibition by suramin (1992)

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a naturally occurring phospholipid with growth-factor-like activities [van Corven, Groenink, Jalink, Eichholtz & Moolenaar (1989) Cell 45, 45-54]. We have examined various structural analogues of LPA for their ability to stimulate DNA synthesis in quiescent fibroblasts. When the acyl-chain length is varied, the rank order of mitogenic potency is: 1-oleoyl LPA congruent to 1-palmitoyl LPA greater than 1-myristoyl LPA greater than 1-lauroyl LPA greater than 1-decanoyl LPA; the last compound shows almost no activity over the concentration range tested (1-100 microM). An ether-linked LPA (1-O-hexadecylglycerol 3-phosphate) has much decreased mitogenic activity as compared with the ester-linked analogue at concentrations less than 25 microM, and becomes cytotoxic at higher concentrations. Hexadecylphosphate, which lacks a glycerol backbone, has negligible activity. On a molar basis, diacyl phosphatidic acid (PA) is about equally potent as the corresponding LPA analogue, showing similar acyl-chain-length dependence; the data argue against the possibility that the mitogenic action of PA is due to contaminating traces of LPA. Although the short-chain analogues of LPA and PA fail to antagonize the action of long-chain (L)PAs, the polyanionic drug suramin inhibits LPA- and PA-induced, DNA synthesis in a reversible and dose-dependent manner, at concentrations [IC50 (concn. giving 50% inhibition) approximately 70 microM] that do not affect epidermal-growth-factor-induced DNA synthesis. Suramin appears to act in the early G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle, blocking immediate responses to LPA such as phosphoinositide hydrolysis. We conclude that both LPA and PA can function as growth-promoting phospholipids, with the fatty acid chain length being a major determinant of mitogenic potency.
Effect of Hypothermia on Seizures Induced by Physical and Chemical Means (1958)

Succinylcholine-immobilized adult cats had EEG-recorded seizure activity induced by a 60 cycle current of 8 milliamperes for 3 seconds, intravenous Metrazol (12 mg/ cat) and intravenous strychnine (2 mg/kg). Stigmatic electrodes were made at normal and ice bath induced low body temperatures. At 26–28°C electrically induced seizure activity could not be elicited using the same stimulus which at normal temperatures produced a continuous cortical discharge lasting from 2 to 4 minutes. The duration of EEG-recorded effects of the intravenously administered analeptic agents, however was greatly potentiated at 26–28°C. Metrazol-induced cortical discharges lasted for 18–20 minutes (responses at normal temperatures were inconsistent but lasted no longer than 8 sec.), and those produced by strychnine 90–100 minutes (at normal temperatures seizures persisted for about 10 min.).
miR-381 Regulates Neural Stem Cell Proliferation and Differentiation via Regulating Hes1 Expression (2015)

Neural stem cells are self-renewing, multipotent and undifferentiated precursors that retain the capacity for differentiation into both glial (astrocytes and oligodendrocytes) and neuronal lineages. Neural stem cells offer cell-based therapies for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and spinal cord injuries. However, their cellular behavior is poorly understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs involved in cell development, proliferation and differentiation through regulating gene expression at post-transcriptional level. The role of miR-381 in the development of neural stem cells remains unknown. In this study, we showed that overexpression of miR-381 promoted neural stem cells proliferation. It induced the neural stem cells differentiation to neurons and inhibited their differentiation to astrocytes. Furthermore, we identified HES1 as a direct target of miR-381 in neural stem cells. Moreover, re-expression of HES1 impaired miR-381-induced promotion of neural stem cells proliferation and induce neural stem cells differentiation to neurons. In conclusion, miR-381 played important role in neural stem cells proliferation and differentiation.
Adding l-3-(2-Naphthyl)alanine to the Genetic Code of E. coli (2002)

An unnatural amino acid, L-3-(2-naphthyl)alanine, has been site-specifically incorporated into proteins in Escherichia coli. An orthogonal aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase was evolved that uniquely aminoacylates the unnatural amino acid onto an orthogonal amber suppressor tRNA, which delivers the acylated amino acid in response to an amber nonsense codon with translational fidelity greater than 99%. This result, together with the in vivo site-specific incorporation of O-methyl-L-tyrosine reported previously, demonstrate that this methodology may be applicable to a host of amino acids. The expansion of the genetic code to include amino acids beyond the common 20 would provide an opportunity to better understand and possibly enhance protein (and perhaps organismal) function.
Inhibition of lipid oxidation by carnosine (1990)

The antioxidant activity of carnosine, a β‐alanine‐histidine dipeptide found in skeletal muscle, was investigated. Carnosine (25 mM) inhibited the catalysis of lipid oxidation by iron, hemoglobin, lipoxidase and singlet oxygen from 35–96% suggesting that the antioxidant mechanism of carnosine is not solely due to metal chelation. Heating the carnosine at 100°C for 15 min had no effect on its ability to inhibit these lipid oxidation catalysts, and the activity of carnosine was not affected over the pH range of 5.1–7.1. Studies using tocopherol‐containing liposomes suggest that carnosine and tocopherol do not act synergistically to inhibit lipid oxidation. These data indicate that carnosine has excellent potential for use as a natural antioxidant in processed foods.
Highly reliable polysilicon oxide grown by electron cyclotron resonance nitrous oxide plasma (1997)

Highly reliable inter-polysilicon oxide (polyoxide) for nonvolatile memory applications has been achieved using electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) N/sub 2/O-plasma. It is demonstrated that the N/sub 2/O-plasma polyoxide grown on doped poly-Si has a low leakage current and high breakdown field due to a smooth polyoxide/poly-Si interface and nitrogen incorporation during oxidation. Moreover, the polyoxide has much less electron trapping and over one order larger charge-to-breakdown (Q/sub bd/) up to 10 C/cm/sup 2/ than thermal polyoxide. The N/sub 2/O-plasma polyoxide can be a good choice for the interpoly dielectric of nonvolatile memories.
An ABC Transporter Is Required for Secretion of Peptide Sex Pheromones in Enterococcus faecalis (2014)

Enterococcus faecalis ranks as one of the leading causes of hospital-associated infections. Strains possessing resistance to multiple antibiotics are becoming all too common in clinical settings. Pheromone-responsive plasmids play an important role in harboring and disseminating these antibiotic resistance genes. Here we have identified a novel ABC transporter that is responsible for the secretion of peptide pheromones, which enables communication between cells to mediate plasmid transfer. We have also shown that this transporter is important for biofilm formation, providing a strong rationale for its use as a viable therapeutic target which could be targeted to curb infection, as well as the spread of existing drug resistance.
Temperature mapping of frozen tissue using eddy current compensated half excitation RF pulses (2001)

Cryosurgery has been shown to be an effective therapy for prostate cancer. Temperature monitoring throughout the cryosurgical iceball could dramatically improve efficacy, since end temperatures of at least –40°C are required. The results of this study indicate that MR thermometry based on tissue R has the potential to provide this information. Frozen tissue appears as a complete signal void on conventional MRI. Ultrashort echo times (TEs), achievable with half pulse excitation and a short spiral readout, allow frozen tissue to be imaged and MR characteristics to be measured. However, half pulse excitation is highly sensitive to eddy current distortions of the slice-select gradient. In this work, the effects of eddy currents on the half pulse technique are characterized and methods to overcome these effects are developed. The methods include: 1) eddy current compensated slice-select gradients, and 2) a correction for the phase shift between the first and second half excitations at the center of the slice. The effectiveness of these methods is demonstrated in R maps calculated within the frozen region during cryoablation. Magn Reson Med 46:985–992, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Clinicopathologic and molecular significance of phospho-Akt expression in early invasive breast cancer (2010)

Akt/PKB serine/threonine kinase is a leading signalling modulator for several cellular processes including metabolism, growth, proliferation and survival. However, complexity and diversity in the upstream/downstream arms of Akt pathway, as recent genetic studies reported, challenge considerably the evolvement of effective targeted therapies. The aim was to study the expression of phospho-Akt1 (pAkt) in breast cancer (BC), with respect to different component proteins upstream/downstream of Akt pathway activation, clinicopathologic parameters and patients' outcome. pAkt (Ser473) was evaluated by immunohistochemistry, on tissue microarrays containing 1,202 early invasive BC with long-term clinical follow-up. Seventy-six percent of the studied tumours overexpressed pAkt, where it was associated with expression of oestrogen and androgen receptors, PIK3CA, cytokeratin (CK)18, CK19 and PTEN. Loss of pAkt was correlated with high grade, CK5/6, p53 and high Ki67 labelling index. Higher proportions of luminal tumours were pAkt positive relative to triple negative/basal subtypes. However, pAkt overexpression was not associated with breast cancer specific (BCSS) or metastasis-free survival (MFS). Four tumour phenotypes were identified based on PIK3CA and pAkt expression, with substantial proportions being PIK3CA⁻/pAkt⁺ or PIK3CA⁺/pAkt⁻. These four combinatorial phenotypes were significantly associated with BCSS (p = 0.001) and MFS (p = 0.002). Although pAKT is an oncogene correlated with poor prognostic variables, it was not a prognostic marker. Combinatorial phenotypic groups of PIK3CA/pAkt denoted functional complexity, at translational level, within the upstream and downstream arms of Akt activation with significant impact on patients' outcome. These findings may help development more adequate therapeutic regimens for specific subgroups of this key cancer pathway.
Angiogenesis: What Makes Blood Vessels Grow? (1986)

The study of angiogenesis began almost two decades ago in an attempt to understand the role of vascularization in tumor growth. It is now a major field that includes the growth and regression of capillaries in embryological development, physiological functions, and pathological states. Both angiogenic peptides and angiostatic steroids serve in an elaborate control system of capillary growth, which in turn governs both growth and involution of tissues.
In-Situ Upgrading of Heavy Oils and Bitumen by Propane Deasphalting: The Vapex Process (1993)

Abstract Many of the Lloydminster-type heavy oil reservoirs are unsuitable for thermal recovery by steam injection because they are relatively thin and the heat losses to the under- and overburden are excessive. To overcome this difficulty, a new approach has been proposed which utilizes the injection of saturated hydrocarbon vapours at approximately reservoir temperature. There are several modifications of the basic principle under development in which the amount of extraneous heat injected varies from none to moderate, and the vapour chamber is maintained at reservoir temperature to 30°C above it. This flexibility allows the approach to be followed for the recovery of both conventional heavy oils and for bitumen. The method, termed "Vapex", utilizes two horizontal wells and is closely related to the SAGD process but with the steam chamber replaced by a chamber containing hydrocarbon vapour near its dew point. The quality of bitumen or heavy oil can be improved substantially by in situ deasphalting with propane vapour. The removal of asphaltenes reduces the viscosity of the produced oil and creates an oil that is more easily refined. In this paper we present new experimental results obtained in a scaled physical laboratory model and discuss the effect of factors such as injected G/O ratio, different saturation pressures and vapour chamber temperatures on the rate of oil production, the extent of in situ deasphalting and the quality of the recovered oil.
Salinas, comercio y devaluacion de la moneda mexicana (1995)

Desde hace mas de un ano habian estado circulando en Mexico y en el extranjero ru­mores de que el peso mexi­cano estaba sobrevaluado. Por ello resulto sorprendente su devaluacion tres semanas despues de la toma de pose­sion del nuevo presidente, el primero de diciembre; sin em­bargo, al ver de cerca las es­tadisticas de comercio, la medida resulta comprensi­ble.En una vision retrospecti­va, el primer elemento sor­prendente se encuentra en el hecho de que a pesar de la falta de un grado de inversion considerable de Moody’s and Standard and Poor’s,los in­versionistas norteamerica­nos aportaron alrededor de 35 mil millones de dolares en acciones y obligaciones du­rante el periodo presidencial de Salinas.
KIAA1199, a deafness gene of unknown function, is a new hyaluronan binding protein involved in hyaluronan depolymerization (2013)

Hyaluronan (HA) has an extraordinarily high turnover in physiological tissues, and HA degradation is accelerated in inflammatory and neoplastic diseases. CD44 (a cell surface receptor) and two hyaluronidases (HYAL1 and HYAL2) are thought to be responsible for HA binding and degradation; however, the role of these molecules in HA catabolism remains controversial. Here we show that KIAA1199, a deafness gene of unknown function, plays a central role in HA binding and depolymerization that is independent of CD44 and HYAL enzymes. The specific binding of KIAA1199 to HA was demonstrated in glycosaminoglycan-binding assays. We found that knockdown of KIAA1199 abolished HA degradation by human skin fibroblasts and that transfection of KIAA1199 cDNA into cells conferred the ability to catabolize HA in an endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase-dependent manner via the clathrin-coated pit pathway. Enhanced degradation of HA in synovial fibroblasts from patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis was correlated with increased levels of KIAA1199 expression and was abrogated by knockdown of KIAA1199. The level of KIAA1199 expression in uninflamed synovium was less than in osteoarthritic or rheumatoid synovium. These data suggest that KIAA1199 is a unique hyaladherin with a key role in HA catabolism in the dermis of the skin and arthritic synovium.
Chromogenic Assay Method of Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) for Evaluating Bacterial Standing Crop in Seawater (1979)

A chromogenic method, based on amoebocyte lysate of horseshoe crab and amino acids‐ para ‐nitroanilide substrate was employed to quantify lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as a measure of the bacterial standing crop in seawater. The range over which LPS could be reliably determined by this method was from 0.2 to 10 ng/ml of sample, and the method reported here could have several advantages compared with the turbidity determination method. Vertical distributions of total and particulate LPS were parallel in seawater column. Particulate LPS was not shown to be related to the biomass of total bacteria in some cases, but correlated with the numbers of large bacterial cells whose size was greater than 1 fan in length. In most of the profiles investigated in the shallow sea there was no parallel relationship between LPS and chlorophyll‐a whereas in some cases the profiles were similar. In growing cultures of Vibrio anguillarum the content of cellular LPS as a percentage of the total cellular carbon during the 3 d growth ranged from 6–15% (w/w).
Extension of the image model to arbitrary polyhedra (1984)

In this paper, the image model is extended to arbitrary polyhedra with any number of sides. This generalization makes it possible to model real concert halls much more accurately. The image positions computed by the method can be reduced to the directional impulse response in order to create audible simulations of the concert hall. Also, the image model can provide insight into the fundamental acoustical properties of different concert hall geometries. For example, the extended image model demonstrates that rectangular halls have an advantage over fan-shaped halls with regard to spatial impression. We also show why the image model has fundamental advantages over another popular modeling technique, ray tracing.
Partial Purification and Characterization of the Gibberellin A20 3β-Hydroxylase from Seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris (1990)

The GA(20) 3beta-hydroxylase present in immature seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris has been partially purified and characterized. The physical characteristics of the enzyme are similar to those of the GA 2beta-hydroxylases present in mature and immature seeds of Pisum sativum. It is acid-labile, hydrophobic, and of M(r) 45,000. The enzyme catalyzes the synthesis of GA(1), GA(5), and GA(29) from GA(20). Activity is dependent upon the presence of Fe(2+), ascorbate, 2-oxoglutarate, and oxygen. 2-Oxoglutarate does not function as a cosubstrate; in the presence of the enzyme, succinate is not a reaction product.
Behavioral Assessment of Alzheimer's Transgenic Mice Following Long-Term A β Vaccination: Task Specificity and Correlations between A β Deposition and Spatial Memory (2001)

Long-term vaccinations with human beta-amyloid peptide 1-42 (Abeta1-42) have recently been shown to prevent or markedly reduce Abeta deposition in the PDAPP transgenic model of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Using a similar protocol to vaccinate 7.5-month-old APP (Tg2576) and APP+PS1 transgenic mice over an 8-month period, we previously reported modest reductions in brain Abeta deposition at 16 months. In these same mice, Abeta vaccinations had no deleterious behavioral effects and, in fact, benefited the mice by providing partial protection from age-related deficits in spatial working memory in the radial arm water maze task (RAWM) at 15.5 months. By contrast, control-vaccinated transgenic mice exhibited impaired performance throughout the entire RAWM test period at 15.5 months. The present study expands on our initial report by presenting additional behavioral results following long-term Abeta vaccination, as well as correlational analyses between cognitive performance and Abeta deposition in vaccinated animals. We report that 8 months of Abeta vaccinations did not reverse an early-onset balance beam impairment in transgenic mice. Additionally, in Y-maze testing at 16 months, all mice showed comparable spontaneous alternation irrespective of genotype or vaccination status. Strong correlations were nonetheless present between RAWM performance and extent of "compact" Abeta deposition in both the hippocampus and the frontal cortex of vaccinated APP+PS1 mice. Our results suggest that the behavioral protection of long-term Abeta vaccinations is task specific, with preservation of hippocampal-associated working memory tasks most likely to occur. In view of the early short-term memory deficits exhibited by AD patients, Abeta vaccination of presymptomatic AD patients could be an effective therapeutic to protect against such cognitive impairments.
Stabilization of apoglobin by low temperature increases yield of soluble recombinant hemoglobin in Escherichia coli (1997)

Accumulation of soluble recombinant hemoglobin (rHb1.1) in Escherichia coli requires proper protein folding, prosthetic group (heme) addition, and subunit assembly. This served as a new model system for the study of the effects of temperature, protein synthesis rates, and protein accumulation rates on protein solubility in E. coli. Fermentation expression of rHb1.1 at 30 degrees C from cultures containing a medium or high globin gene dosage (pBR-based or pUC-based plasmids with rHb1.1 genes under the control of the tac promoter) was compared. A medium gene dosage resulted in rHb1.1 accumulating to approximately 7% of the soluble cell protein, of which 78% was soluble. A high globin gene dosage resulted in a > or = 3-fold increase in total globin to 23 to 24% of the soluble cell protein, but 70% was insoluble. Accumulation of insoluble rHb1.1 began immediately upon induction. The proportion of rHb1.1 from the high globin gene dosage that accumulated as insoluble globin was affected by reducing (i) the inducer concentration and (ii) the temperature. Reducing the inducer concentration reduced globin synthesis up to eightfold but increased the proportion of soluble rHb1.1 to 93%. In contrast, total globin protein synthesis was barely affected by reducing the temperature from 30 to 26 degrees C, while soluble globin accumulation increased > 2-fold to approximately 15% of the soluble cell protein. The contrast between the effects of reducing rates of protein synthesis and accumulation and those of reducing temperature suggests that lower temperature stabilizes one or more folding intermediates. We propose a simplified physical model which integrates protein synthesis, folding, and heme association. This model shows that temperature-dependent apoglobin stability is the most critical factor in soluble rHb1.1 accumulation.
Novel Receptor Partners and Function of Receptor Activity-modifying Proteins (2003)

The receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) comprise a family of three accessory proteins that heterodimerize with the calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CL receptor) or with the calcitonin receptor (CTR) to generate different receptor phenotypes. However, RAMPs are more widely distributed across cell and tissue types than the CTR and CL receptor, suggesting additional roles for RAMPs in cellular processes. We have investigated the potential for RAMP interaction with a number of Class II G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) in addition to the CL receptor and the CTR. Using immunofluorescence confocal microscopy, we demonstrate, for the first time, that RAMPs interact with at least four additional receptors, the VPAC1 vasoactive intestinal polypeptide/pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide receptor with all three RAMPs; the glucagon and PTH1 parathyroid hormone receptors with RAMP2; and the PTH2 receptor with RAMP3. Unlike the interaction of RAMPs with the CL receptor or the CTR, VPAC1R-RAMP complexes do not show altered phenotypic behavior compared with the VPAC1R alone, as determined using radioligand binding in COS-7 cells. However, the VPAC1R-RAMP2 heterodimer displays a significant enhancement of agonist-mediated phosphoinositide hydrolysis with no change in cAMP stimulation compared with the VPAC1R alone. Our findings identify a new functional consequence of RAMP-receptor interaction, suggesting that RAMPs play a more general role in modulating cell signaling through other GPCRs than is currently appreciated.