gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Electrochemical Characterization of Poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) Based Conducting Hydrogel Networks (2000)

Poly(3,4‐ethylene dioxythiophene), a conjugated polymer, doped with excess of polystyrenesulfonate (PSS), has been assembled into a mesoscopic conducting network in the form of a hydrogel. When used as an electrode, the material shows fast electrochemical kinetics as evident from cyclic voltammetry, chronopotentiometry, and impedance measurements. Due to high ionic mobility in the material, the electrochemical process is not limited by ion diffusion in the electrode, as normally is the case for conducting polymers, but by the resistance in the electronically conducting network. This resistance is decreased by growing another conducting polymer, polypyrrole (PPy), inside the hydrogel. Homogeneous deposition of PPy is confirmed by atomic force microscopy. The composite hydrogel also shows larger capacitance, only slightly affecting the kinetics of the electrode. Since the material can be charged and discharged in a very short time, application of such electrodes in high power density supercapacitors has been envisaged. © 2000 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.
Mitochondrial control of apoptosis: an overview (1999)

The mitochondrial permeability transition (PT) pore, also called the mitochondrial megachannel, is a multiprotein complex formed at the contact site between the mitochondrial inner and outer membranes, exactly the same location at which Bax, Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL are particularly abundant. The PT pore participates in the regulation of matrix Ca2+, pH, transmembrane potential and volume, and functions as a Ca(2+)-, voltage-, pH- and redox-gated channel with several levels of conductance and little, if any, ion selectivity. We have obtained three independent lines of evidence implicating the mitochondrial PT pore in apoptosis. First, in intact cells, apoptosis is accompanied by an early dissipation of the mitochondrial transmembrane potential, delta psi m. In several models of apoptosis, specific agents inhibiting the mitochondrial PT pore abolish this dissipation of the delta psi m and simultaneously prevent activation of downstream caspases and endonucleases, indicating that PT pore opening can be a critical event of the apoptotic process. Secondly, mitochondria are rate-limiting for caspase and nuclease activation in several cell-free systems of apoptosis. Isolated mitochondria release apoptogenic factors capable of activating pro-caspases or endonucleases upon opening of the mitochondrial megachannel in vitro. Thirdly, opening of the purified PT pore complex reconstituted into liposomes is inhibited by recombinant Bcl-2 or Bcl-XL, two apoptosis-inhibitory proteins that also prevent PT pore opening in cells and isolated mitochondria. Altogether, our results suggest that PT pore opening is sufficient and (mostly) necessary for triggering apoptosis. The implications of these findings are examined in the light of pharmacological interventions in apoptosis.
Epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibody inhibits constitutive receptor phosphorylation, reduces autonomous growth, and sensitizes androgen-independent prostatic carcinoma cells to tumor necrosis factor alpha. (1992)

Results of recent studies indicate that cultured, androgen-independent prostatic carcinoma cells synthesize and secrete transforming growth factor alpha, which interacts with epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs) to promote autonomous growth. In the present study, we evaluated the expression and constitutive activation of EGFRs in normal prostatic epithelial cells and the androgen-independent prostatic carcinoma cell lines PC3 and DU145. Our studies showed that cultured normal epithelial cells and androgen-independent prostatic carcinoma cells actively synthesize and exhibit constitutive phosphorylation of the M(r) 170,000 EGFR. The addition of monoclonal anti-EGFR reduced receptor phosphorylation and significantly inhibited the proliferation of prostatic tumor cells. The observed reduction in EGFR phosphorylation could be partially attributed to an antibody-induced decrease in the expression of metabolically labeled EGFR. Results of further studies showed that anti-EGFR enhanced the sensitivity of PC3 cells to the cytotoxic and cytostatic effects of tumor necrosis factor alpha. These studies demonstrate that constitutive activation of EGFR in androgen-independent prostatic carcinoma plays a functional role in the regulation of cellular proliferation in vitro. In addition, the enhanced sensitivity of prostatic carcinoma cells to tumor necrosis factor alpha in the presence of anti-EGFR provides a rationale for the further investigation of combination therapy in the treatment of disseminated, androgen-independent disease.
Intelligent pervasive middleware for context-based and localized telematics services (2002)

Telematics is arguably the next-wave in mobile computing: with most cars already equipped with multiple embedded computing platforms, we shall witness the development of a variety of mobile services and applications with significant commercial potential. Telematics will only become a commercial reality when the underlying architecture is able to address significant concerns related to the security and privacy of telematics data, and is able to provide context information from and to a large number of mobile data sources in a scalable and device-independent manner. A telematics platform should utilize existing Internet components and technologies but cannot rely exclusively on these, especially since mobile commerce applications in the telematics environment impose specific requirements on the relationships between various services and data providers. In this paper we describe how we are developing an open standards telematics platform based on the ts-PWLAN wireless service environment and the Telematics Resource Manager middleware. Our design employs existing web service interfaces coupled with novel technology for connecting to these through a wireless gateway. Our middleware acts as a common substrate for building and deploying a wide range of telematics applications. We describe how several of these applications are currently being built on our infrastructure.
Regeneration of Nitric Oxide Synthase-Containing Nerves After Cavernous Nerve Neurotomy in the Rat (1995)

In patients who recover erectile function after radical prostatectomy (with preservation of at least 1 neurovascular bundle), a recovery time of 6 to 18 months is not uncommon. As this is also the usual time required for regeneration of spinal nerves, we believe that regeneration of cavernous nerves, partially damaged inadvertently, may be responsible. In a rat model, we examined the long-term effect of unilateral and bilateral cavernous nerve transection on the nonadrenergic/noncholinergic (NANC) nervous system and erectile function. In 31 rats, nitric oxide synthase (NOS), the enzyme that catalyzes nitric oxide production, was identified in penile nerve fibers from a mid-shaft segment with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) diaphorase staining and antibody to neuronal NOS. Animals were divided into three groups: 5 rats underwent pelvic exploration without transection of cavernous nerves (sham group); 13 rats underwent unilateral neurotomy of a 5-mm. segment of the cavernous nerve; and 13 rats underwent bilateral neurotomy. After bilateral ablation, the NOS-positive nerve fibers were significantly decreased at 3 weeks and remained so at 6 months; no erectile response could be elicited by pelvic nerve stimulation. After unilateral ablation, the NOS-positive nerve fibers were similarly decreased on the side of the neurotomy at 3 weeks, but by 6 months the number had increased significantly and approximated the level on the contralateral side. Furthermore, electrostimulation of the intact side induced a greater intracavernous pressure response at 6 months than at 3 weeks (N.B. the rat has an incomplete septum). Fibers positive for NOS were also identified in the dorsal nerve. The staining pattern diminished as rapidly and significantly on the side of neurotomy as in tissue from the corpus cavernosum. However, regeneration was not seen. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of regeneration of NOS-containing nerves after cavernous nerve neurotomy. Our findings support the reports by others that unilateral nerve-sparing is sufficient to preserve erectile function.
Alterations in immune responses by attenuated Venezuelan equine encephalitis vaccine. I. Adjuvant effect of VEE virus infection in guinea pigs. (1969)

Summary Attenuated Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus vaccine infection enhanced the immune response in Hartley strain guinea pigs. Accelerated immune clearance of 1 or 20 mg 125 I-bovine γ globulin injected 24 or 48 hr before or 24 hr after VEE vaccine was demonstrated. Elevated hemagglutinating titers to BGG were obtained on days 8, 12, 21, 28 and 35 when the VEE vaccine preceded BGG by 24 hr and on days 8 and 12 when VEE followed BGG by 24 or 48 hr. Increased titers were demonstrated only at 8 days in guinea pigs infected 5 to 30 min or 48 hr before BGG. All the HA antibody activity in the sera collected on the 4th day was 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) reducible. A significant portion of the HA antibody at 8 and 12 days was 2-ME resistant. Noninfective formalin-killed attenuated VEE virus did not produce an increase in the HA titers.
Characterization of TMPRSS2 -ETS Gene Aberrations in Androgen-Independent Metastatic Prostate Cancer (2008)

Recurrent gene fusions between the androgen-regulated gene TMPRSS2 and the ETS transcription factor family members ERG, ETV1, and ETV4 have been identified as a critical event in prostate cancer development. In this study, we characterized the prevalence and diversity of these rearrangements in hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer. We used a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) split probe strategy to comprehensively evaluate TMPRSS2-ETS aberrations across 97 nonosseous metastatic sites of prostate cancer from 30 rapid autopsies of men who died of androgen-independent disease. Tissue microarrays were constructed representing multiple metastatic sites from each patient, and split signal FISH probes for TMPRSS2, ERG, ETV1, and ETV4 were used to assess for TMPRSS2-ETS rearrangements. In patients exhibiting these aberrations, multiple sites from an individual case harbored the same gene fusion molecular subtype suggesting clonal expansion of disease. The most common prostate cancer gene fusion, TMPRSS2-ERG, can be generated by the mechanism of interstitial deletion (Edel) about 39% to 60% of the time in clinically localized disease. Interestingly, we observed that all of the androgen-independent metastatic prostate cancer sites harboring TMPRSS2-ERG were associated with Edel. These findings suggest that TMPRSS2-ERG with Edel is an aggressive and, in this study, uniformly lethal molecular subtype of prostate cancer associated with androgen-independent disease.
Parasutterella excrementihominis gen. nov., sp. nov., a member of the family Alcaligenaceae isolated from human faeces (2009)

A novel, strictly anaerobic, non-spore-forming, Gram-negative coccobacillus (strain YIT 11859(T)) was isolated from human faeces. Biochemically, this strain was largely unreactive and was asaccharolytic. Growth of strain YIT 11859(T) in peptone-yeast extract broth produced no visible turbidity, and a trace amount of propionate was detected as an end product of metabolism. 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis showed that strain YIT 11859(T) was related most closely to the type strains of Sutterella species, with 90.8-88.0 % sequence similarity. Phylogenetic analysis of these and other related sequences confirmed that strain YIT 11859(T) was phylogenetically most closely associated with Sutterella species, but formed a separate cluster, indicating that strain YIT 11859(T) represents a novel member of the family Alcaligenaceae. Fatty acid analysis demonstrated the presence of a high concentration of C(18 : 1)omega9c (75 % of the total). The main respiratory quinones were menaquinone (MK-6) and methylated menaquinone (MMK-6). The G+C content of the DNA was 49.8 mol%. These results suggest that strain YIT 11859(T) represents a novel species of a new genus, for which the name Parasutterella excrementihominis gen. nov., sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain of Parasutterella excrementihominis is YIT 11859(T) (=DSM 21040(T) =JCM 15078(T)).
Effect of ketone infusions on amino acid and nitrogen metabolism in man. (1975)

To evaluate the role of hyperketonemia in the hypoalaninemia and decreased protein catabolism of prolonged starvation, Na dl-beta-hydroxybutyrate was administered as a primed continuous 3-6-h infusion in nonobese subjects and in obese subjects in the postabsorptive state and after 3 days and 3-5 1/2 wk of starvation. An additional obese group received 12-h ketone infusions on 2 consecutive days after 5-10 wk of fasting. The ketone infusion in nonobese and obese subjects studied in the postabsorptive state resulted in total blood ketone acid levels of 1.1-1.2 mM, a 5-15 mg/100 ml decrease in plasma glucose, and unchanged levels of insulin, glucagon, lactate, and pyruvate. Plasma alanine fell by 21% (P smaller than 0.001) in 3 h. In contrast, other amino acids were stable or varied by less than 10%. Infusions lasting 6 h reduced plasma alanine by 37%, reaching levels comparable to those observed in prolonged starvation. Equimolar infusions of NaC1 and/or administration of NaHCO3 failed to alter plasma alanine levels. During prolonged fasting, plasma alanine, which had fallen by 40% below prefast levels, fell an additional 30% in response to the ketone infusion. In association with repeated prolonged (12 h) infusions in subjects fasted 5-10 wk, urinary nitrogen excretion fell by 30%, returning to base line after cessation of theinfusions and paralleling the changes in plasma alanine. Ketone infusins resulted in two- to fourfold greater increments in blood ketone acids in fasted as compared to postabsorptive subjects. It is concluded that increased blood ketone acid levels induced by infusions of Na DL-beta-hydroxybutyrate result in hypoalaninemia and in nitrogen conservation in starvation. These data suggest that hyperketonemia may be a contributory factor in the decreased availability or circulating alanine and reduction in protein catabolism characteristic of prolonged fastings9
Interfacial Control Toward Efficient and Low‐Voltage Perovskite Light‐Emitting Diodes (2015)

High-performance perovskite light-emitting diodes are achieved by an interfacial engineering approach, leading to the most efficient near-infrared devices produced using solution-processed emitters and efficient green devices at high brightness conditions.
Anisotropic Thermal Diffusivity Characterization of Aligned Carbon Nanotube-Polymer Composites (2007)

The anisotropic thermal diffusivity of aligned carbon nanotube-polymer composites was determined using a photothermoelectric technique. The composites were obtained by infiltrating poly-dimethyl siloxane (PDMS) in aligned multiwall CNT arrays grown by chemical vapor deposition on silicon substrates. The thermal diffusivities are insensitive to temperature in the range of 180 K-300 K. The thermal diffusivity values across the alignment direction are approximately 2-4 times smaller than along the alignment direction and larger than effective media theory predictions using reported values for the thermal diffusivity of millimeter thick aligned multiwall carbon nanotube arrays. The effective room temperature thermal conductivity of the composite along the carbon nanotube alignment direction is at least 6X larger than the thermal conductivity of the polymer matrix and is in good agreement with the effective media predictions. This work indicates that infiltration of long and aligned carbon nanotube arrays is currently the most efficient method to obtain high thermal conductivity polymer composites.
A cell-surface molecule selectively expressed on murine natural interferon–producing cells that blocks secretion of interferon-alpha (2003)

Natural interferon (IFN)-producing cells (IPCs) recognize certain viruses and DNA containing deoxycytidylate-phosphatedeoxyguanylate (CpG) motifs through the toll-like receptor (TLR) 9, resulting in secretion of IFN-alpha, interleukin 12 (IL-12), and proinflammatory chemokines. Human IPCs are found mainly in inflamed lymph nodes, where they are presumably recruited from the blood to activate both innate and adaptive responses to microbial infections. Demonstrating IPC recruitment and function in murine infection models has been difficult because multiple antibodies are required to distinguish IPCs from other immune cells and very few IPCs can be recovered from lymph nodes. Here we describe a monoclonal antibody (mAb) that exclusively detects murine IPCs in all lymphoid organs under both normal and inflammatory conditions. Using this antibody, we demonstrate that IPCs are normally present in the T-cell zone of lymph nodes and spleen and that inoculation of peripheral tissues with inflammatory stimuli triggers recruitment of IPC into sentinel lymph nodes, whether the stimuli are able to directly stimulate IPCs through TLR or not. Remarkably, we show that incubation of IPCs with the antibody in vitro or administration of the antibody in vivo dramatically reduce secretion of IFN-alpha in response to CpG DNA without causing IPC depletion. Thus, the antibody identifies an IPC-specific surface molecule that, when engaged, inhibits IFN-alpha secretion.
Cutaneous Hand and Foot Toxicity Associated With Cancer Chemotherapy (2003)

From The Cancer Center of Boston in Boston, Plymouth and Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S.A. Supported in part by The Cancer Center Research Foundation. Reprints: Dr. Jake Lokich, The Cancer Center of Boston, 125 Parker Hill Avenue, Boston, MA 02120, U.S.A.
Bone marrow transplant options and preferences in a sickle cell anemia cohort on chronic transfusions (2011)

Most families of children with SCA on chronic transfusions choose to proceed with HLA typing. However, when a matched sibling was identified, most families declined to proceed with matched-sibling transplantation. Discussing BMT as a treatment option, offering HLA typing and identifying barriers may improve acceptance of this treatment modality.
Mechanisms of Membrane-Receptor Regulation (1984)

Mechanisms of Disease from The New England Journal of Medicine — Mechanisms of Membrane-Receptor Regulation — Biochemical, Physiological, and Clinical Insights Derived from Studies of the Adrenergic Receptors
Effect of Exacerbation on Quality of Life in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (1998)

Exacerbations occur commonly in patients with moderate or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but factors affecting their severity and frequency or effects on quality of life are unknown. We measured daily peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) and daily respiratory symptoms for 1 yr in 70 COPD patients (52 male, 18 female, mean age [+/- SD] 67.5 +/- 8.3 yr, FEV1 1.06 +/- 0.45 L, FVC 2.48 +/- 0.82 L, FEV1/FVC 44 +/- 15%, FEV1 reversibility 6.7 +/- 9.1%, PaO2 8.8 +/- 1.1 kPa). Quality of life was measured by the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ). Exacerbations (E) were assessed at acute visit (reported exacerbation) or from diary card data each month (unreported exacerbation). In 61 (87%) patients there were 190 exacerbations (median 3; range, 1 to 8) of which 93 (51%) were reported. There were no differences in major symptoms (increase in dyspnea, sputum volume, or purulence) or physiological parameters between reported and unreported exacerbations. At exacerbation, median peak flow fell by an average of 6.6 L/min (p = 0.0003). Using the median number of exacerbations as the cutoff point, patients were classified as infrequent exacerbators (E = 0 to 2) or frequent exacerbators (E = 3 to 8). The SGRQ Total and component scores were significantly worse in the group that had frequent exacerbations: SGRQ Total score (mean difference = 14.8, p < 0.001), Symptoms (23.1, p < 0.001), Activities (12.2, p = 0.003), Impacts (13.9, p = 0.002). However there was no difference between frequent and infrequent exacerbators in the fall in peak flow at exacerbation. Factors predictive of frequent exacerbations were daily cough (p = 0.018), daily wheeze (p = 0.011), and daily cough and sputum (p = 0.009) and frequent exacerbations in the previous year (p = 0.001). These findings suggest that patient quality of life is related to COPD exacerbation frequency.
Inhibition of estrogen-stimulated growth of uterine leiomyomas by selective estrogen receptor modulators (1996)

Uterine leiomyoma is the most frequent gynecologic neoplasm in women. By using a panel of cell lines derived from spontaneous Eker rat leiomyomas, we examined the estrogen-responsive phenotype of these tumor cells. Leiomyoma-derived ELT cell lines proliferated in response to estrogen, and estrogen-induced cell proliferation could be inhibited by the estrogen antagonist ICI 182780 and the selective estrogen-receptor modulators (SERMs) raloxifene and tamoxifen. In addition to inhibiting cell growth, these antagonists also inhibited estrogen-induced increases in progesterone-receptor expression. These data indicate that SERMs such as raloxifene and tamoxifen act as estrogen antagonists in uterine myometrial cells and suggest that this class of compounds may be effective for treatment of this important gynecologic neoplasm.
Synthetic DNA knots and catenanes (1993)

The double helical structure of DNA can be used as the basis for the synthesis of specific single-stranded catenanes and knots. It is possible to construct DNA stick figures, such as a cube, from branched DNA components. The edges of these molecules are double helical DNA, and the individual strands combine to form complex DNA catenanes. The sequences of these molecules are selected by minimizing the sequence symmetry of the component strands, and they are ligated together by techniques used routinely in biotechnology. Precise catenation is controlled by the use of topological protecting groups, to prevent braiding that is not wanted in the target molecule. Solid-support based assembly techniques have been developed to facilitate the construction of these objects
Genetically selected cardiomyocytes from differentiating embronic stem cells form stable intracardiac grafts. (1996)

This study describes a simple approach to generate relatively pure cultures of cardiomyocytes from differentiating murine embryonic stem (ES) cells. A fusion gene consisting of the alpha-cardiac myosin heavy chain promoter and a cDNA encoding aminoglycoside phosphotransferase was stably transfected into pluripotent ES cells. The resulting cell lines were differentiated in vitro and subjected to G418 selection. Immunocytological and ultrastructural analyses demonstrated that the selected cardiomyocyte cultures (> 99% pure) were highly differentiated. G418 selected cardiomyocytes were tested for their ability to form grafts in the hearts of adult dystrophic mice. The fate of the engrafted cells was monitored by antidystrophin immunohistology, as well as by PCR analysis with primers specific for the myosin heavy chain-aminoglycoside phosphotransferase transgene. Both analyses revealed the presence of ES-derived cardiomyocyte grafts for as long as 7 wk after implantation, the latest time point analyzed. These studies indicate that a simple genetic manipulation can be used to select essentially pure cultures of cardiomyocytes from differentiating ES cells. Moreover, the resulting cardiomyocytes are suitable for the formation of intracardiac grafts. This selection approach should be applicable to all ES-derived cell lineages.