gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Quantitation of hepatitis G and C viruses in the liver: evidence that hepatitis G virus is not hepatotropic (1998)

Hepatitis G virus (HGV) is prevalent in patients with chronic liver disease and has been previously detected in liver specimens. However, it is unknown whether the virus is replicating in the liver or is simply a contaminant from serum. We sought to determine whether HGV was hepatotropic and to determine whether coinfection with HGV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) influenced the level of either virus. Virus was quantitated using branched DNA (bDNA) assay for both HGV and HCV in the liver explants and pretransplant serum samples from 30 transplant recipients: Group I, HGV/HCV coinfection (n = 10); group II, HCV infection alone, (n = 8); group III, HGV alone (n = 12). In patients with coinfection HCV (RNA) titers in liver were consistently higher than those for HGV RNA (median 1.13 x 10(8) and 360,000 Eq/g respectively, P < .01). The ratio of liver/serum viral RNA was significantly higher for HCV than for HGV (median 129 and 0.3 respectively, P < .01). Levels of HCV RNA were similar in patients with HCV infection alone versus those with HGV/HCV coinfection (median; liver = 1.15 x 10(7) vs. 1.13 x 10(8) Eq/g, serum = 500,000 vs. 200,000 Eq/mL) and levels of HGV RNA in liver and serum were similar in patients with HGV infection alone compared to those with HGV/HCV coinfection (median; liver = 1.2 x 10(6) vs. 4.0 x 10(5) Eq/g, serum = 4.5 x 106 vs. 2.6 x 10(6) Eq/mL). Levels of either virus appeared unaffected by the presence of an additional virus. The high ratio of HCV RNA levels in liver compared to serum is consistent with its known hepatotropism, but this pattern was not observed for HGV. The median liver/serum ratio of HGV RNA was less than unity, a finding consistent with serum contamination of liver tissue. Thus we conclude that the liver is not the main site of HGV replication.
Measurements of charged precipitation in a New Mexico thunderstorm: lower positive charge centers (1982)

We designed an instrument to measure the charge and vertical velocity of individual precipitation particles inside thunderclouds. A balloon carried the particle charge instrument, an electric field meter, and a standard meteorological radiosonde upward into thunderclouds over Langmuir Laboratory in central New Mexico. During one balloon flight the instruments encountered two regions of positive charge below the main negative charge center. We identify these positive regions with the lower positive charge centers that have been described in the literature for many years. We find the following points: (1) One region had an estimated total charge of 0.4 C. The other had 2 C. (2) The charge resided on precipitation particles. The particles' charges typically ranged between 10 and 200 pC, but a few particles had charges up to 400 pC. Their diameters lay between an estimated 1–3 mm. The charges were too large to be explained by the polarization induction mechanism. We favor the hypothesis that lightning provided the positive charge in the lower positive charge centers. (3) The motion of the lower positive charge centers enhanced the electrical energy of the storm, but their contribution to the overall electrical budget was small. (4) The field excursions (at the ground) associated with precipitation (FEAWPs) described by C. B. Moore and B. Vonnegut are probably caused by lower positive charge centers descending on precipitation. The larger (2 C) lower positive charge center caused a FEAWP. Negatively charged precipitation particles passed through our instrument near the top of its trajectory just before the balloon was struck by lightning. The charge density on precipitation particles was substantial, but we do not have enough information to comment on the role the particles may have had in generating the main region of negative charge.
Stimulation of Healing of Chronic Wounds by Epidermal Growth Factor (1991)

We evaluated the effect of topical epidermal growth factor treatment on healing of chronic wounds in a prospective, open-label, crossover trial. Five males and four females who ranged in age from 40 to 72 years (average 57 +/- 9 years) were enrolled. Four patients had adult-onset diabetes mellitus, two had rheumatoid arthritis, two had old burn scars, and one had a failed abdominal incision. The average duration of the ulcers prior to treatment with epidermal growth factor was 12 +/- 5 months (range 1 to 48 months). Following failure of the wounds to heal with conventional therapies, including debridement, skin graphs, and vascular reconstruction, wounds were treated twice daily with Silvadene alone for periods ranging from 3 weeks to 6 months. No evidence of healing was observed in any of the patients' wounds during Silvadene treatment, and patients were crossed over to twice a day treatment with Silvadene containing 10 micrograms epidermal growth factor per gram. Wounds of eight patients healed completely with epidermal growth factor-Silvadene treatment in an average of 34 +/- 26 days (mean +/- SD, range 12 to 92 days) and did not reoccur for periods ranging from 1 to 4 years. One patient failed therapy. These results suggest that topical treatment of chronic wounds with epidermal growth factor may stimulate healing.
Structures of the Asparagine-Linked Sugar Chains of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin<xref ref-type="fn" rid="fn1"><sup>1</sup></xref> (1979)

Journal Article Structures of the Asparagine-Linked Sugar Chains of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Get access Yoshinori ENDO, Yoshinori ENDO Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Katsuko YAMASHITA, Katsuko YAMASHITA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Yoko TACHIBANA, Yoko TACHIBANA Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Shimpei TOJO, Shimpei TOJO *Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Kobe University School of MedicineIkuta-ku, Kobe Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Akira KOBATA Akira KOBATA 2 2To whom correspondence should be addressed Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar The Journal of Biochemistry, Volume 85, Issue 3, March 1979, Pages 669–679, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jbchem.a132379 Published: 01 March 1979 Article history Received: 30 September 1978 Published: 01 March 1979
Theory of fiber-optic, evanescent-wave spectroscopy and sensors (1996)

A general theory for fiber-optic, evanescent-wave spectroscopy and sensors is presented for straight, uncladded, step-index, multimode fibers. A three-dimensional model is formulated within the framework of geometric optics. The model includes various launching conditions, input and output end-face Fresnel transmission losses, multiple Fresnel reflections, bulk absorption, and evanescent-wave absorption. An evanescent-wave sensor response is analyzed as a function of externally controlled parameters such as coupling angle, f number, fiber length, and diameter. Conclusions are drawn for several experimental apparatuses.
Continuous Energy Minimization for Multitarget Tracking (2013)

Many recent advances in multiple target tracking aim at finding a (nearly) optimal set of trajectories within a temporal window. To handle the large space of possible trajectory hypotheses, it is typically reduced to a finite set by some form of data-driven or regular discretization. In this work, we propose an alternative formulation of multitarget tracking as minimization of a continuous energy. Contrary to recent approaches, we focus on designing an energy that corresponds to a more complete representation of the problem, rather than one that is amenable to global optimization. Besides the image evidence, the energy function takes into account physical constraints, such as target dynamics, mutual exclusion, and track persistence. In addition, partial image evidence is handled with explicit occlusion reasoning, and different targets are disambiguated with an appearance model. To nevertheless find strong local minima of the proposed nonconvex energy, we construct a suitable optimization scheme that alternates between continuous conjugate gradient descent and discrete transdimensional jump moves. These moves, which are executed such that they always reduce the energy, allow the search to escape weak minima and explore a much larger portion of the search space of varying dimensionality. We demonstrate the validity of our approach with an extensive quantitative evaluation on several public data sets.
Monoclonal antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis: antibody specificities and antigen characterization. (1982)

Nineteen independent hybrid cell lines that produce monoclonal antibodies to Chlamydia trachomatis surface antigens were prepared by the fusion of mouse myeloma cells with lymphocytes of mice that were immunized with C. trachomatis immunotypes B, C, and L2. Seven serologically distinct reaction patterns were detected by microimmunofluorescence (micro-IF) of elementary body (EB) preparations when culture fluids were tested against a panel of 18 chlamydial serotyping reference strains. These reaction patterns demonstrated genus-, species-, subspecies-, and type-specific distributions. Additionally, these antibodies were tested in parallel against reticulate body (RB) preparations of several chlamydial strains. Monoclonal antibodies that reacted with genus-specific antigens reacted preferentially with RB, whereas antibodies that reacted to species-, subspecies-, or type-specific antigens reacted equivalently to both RB and EB. Physiochemical characterization of antigens recognized by the different monoclonal antibodies was assessed by heat treatment, pronase digestion, periodate oxidation, and immuno-blot techniques. The genus-specific antigen was a heat-stable, pronase-resistant, and relatively periodate-sensitive component of less than 10,000 m.w. The species-, subspecies-, and type-specific antigens were heat stable, pronase sensitive, and periodate resistant. The antibodies that detected species- and subspecies-specific antigens predominantly reacted in immuno-blots with the 40,000 m.w. major outer membrane protein. These monoclonal antibodies now provide a new approach for the precise serologic classification and detection of different C. trachomatis strains.
Subunits of immunoglobulins and their relationship to antibody specificity (1966)

Subunits of immunoglobulins have been prepared by two methods, both of which have contributed to our knowledge of the structural basis of antibody specificity. The first method is enzymic hydrolysis with either papain or pepsin and leads to the unequivocal conclusion that each combining site is contained in a fragment (Fab) of about 45,000 molecular weight and formed from the light chain and the N-terminal half of the heavy chain, the Fd fragment. The second method of preparing subunits is to reduce the interchain disulfide bonds and to isolate the chains. This should decide whether the combining site is in the Fd fragment, the light chain, or is formed jointly by both. In fact, considerable loss of affinity for the antigen follows, whatever technique is used to dissociate the peptide chains and, although many papers have been published on this subject, no definite answer has yet been obtained. Although the majority opinion probably favors the view that both chains are concerned in the formation of the combining site, our tentative conclusion is that the site is placed entirely in the heavy chain and that the light chain has only a semispecific role in facilitating the reformation of the native configuration of the heavy chain after its disruption under the conditions necessary for dissociation of the two chains.
Dirhodium Tetraprolinate-Catalyzed Asymmetric Cyclopropanations with High Turnover Numbers (2003)

The bridged dirhodium tetraprolinate Rh(2)(S-biTISP)(2) (2) catalyzes the asymmetric cyclopropanation reaction between methyl phenyldiazoacetate and styrene at room temperature with high turnover number (92 000) and turnover frequency (4000 per h). [reaction: see text]
Acetylation of woody lignocellulose: significance and regulation (2013)

Non-cellulosic cell wall polysaccharides constitute approximately one quarter of usable biomass for human exploitation. In contrast to cellulose, these components are usually substituted by O-acetyl groups, which affect their properties and interactions with other polymers, thus affecting their solubility and extractability. However, details of these interactions are still largely obscure. Moreover, polysaccharide hydrolysis to constituent monosaccharides is hampered by the presence of O-acetyl groups, necessitating either enzymatic (esterase) or chemical de-acetylation, increasing the costs and chemical consumption. Reduction of polysaccharide acetyl content in planta is a way to modify lignocellulose toward improved saccharification. In this review we: (1) summarize literature on lignocellulose acetylation in different tree species, (2) present data and current hypotheses concerning the role of O-acetylation in determining woody lignocellulose properties, (3) describe plant proteins involved in lignocellulose O-acetylation, (4) give examples of microbial enzymes capable to de-acetylate lignocellulose, and (5) discuss prospects for exploiting these enzymes in planta to modify xylan acetylation.
Chemical synthesis, purification, and characterization of two inflammatory proteins, neutrophil activating peptide 1 (interleukin-8) and neutrophil activating peptide 2 (1991)

Two recently identified pro-inflammatory proteins, namely, neutrophil activating peptide 1 (NAP-1) [also termed interleukin-8 (IL-8)] and NAP-2, were chemically synthesized, purified, and characterized. The fully protected NAP-1/IL-8 (72 residues) and NAP-2 (70 residues) peptide chains were assembled by automated solid-phase methods with average stepwise yields of 99.5 and 99.3%, resulting in overall chain assembly yields of 70 and 62%, respectively. Deprotection resulted in crude products, which were allowed to fold by air oxidation, and were purified by two cycles of reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography, yielding 27 mg of NAP-1/IL-8 and 22 mg of NAP-2. Purity was established by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography and isoelectric focusing, and the primary structures of the purified products were verified by using mass spectrometry and Edman sequencing methods. Synthetic and recombinant NAP-1/IL-8 were equally active on human neutrophil granulocytes as determined by measuring the induction of cytosolic free calcium, elastase release, and chemotaxis. Synthetic NAP-2 was equivalent to purified natural NAP-2 in the elastase release and calcium mobilization assays, but it was consistently less potent (3-5-fold) as a stimulus of chemotaxis, perhaps indicative of additional chemotactic components in the natural preparation. The results indicate that by chemical synthesis these cytokines can be obtained in purity and quantities suitable for further structural analysis, as well as functional studies both in vivo and in vitro.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Association of organic solvent tolerance and fluoroquinolone resistance in clinical isolates of Escherichia coli (1998)

Fluoroquinolone resistance in Escherichia coli is principally caused by two kinds of mutation: those affecting the target proteins of the drugs, i.e. DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, and those affecting regulatory genes such as marA, soxS or robA. Recently, overexpression of the latter genes was linked to increased organic solvent tolerance in E. coli. Among 138 clinical fluoroquinolone-resistant and -susceptible clinical isolates of E. coli we found a high association between fluoroquinolone resistance and organic solvent tolerance. This finding suggests that E. coli may undergo an adaptive response to extrinsic substances other than quinolones while mutating to fluoroquinolone resistance.
The Hexose‐Proton Symport System of Chlorella vulgaris (1974)

The specificity of the hexose transport system of Chlorella for sugars is the same as the specificity of sugar‐induced proton uptake. The K m ‐values of various sugars for the rate of proton uptake agree well with the respective K m ‐values for the rate of uptake of these sugars. Under anaerobic conditions in the dark, when the rate of sugar uptake is very low, sugar‐stimulated proton uptake is also hardly observable. Under the same conditions in the light [712 nm; O 2 evolution is inhibited by 3‐(3,4‐dichlorophenyl)‐1,1‐dimethylurea] sugar again stimulates proton uptake. The uncoupler carbonylcyanide‐ p ‐trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone, which inhibits sugar uptake, also prevents sugar induced proton uptake. The Stoichiometry for 6‐deoxyglucose and for glucose under various energetic conditions is one proton taken up per sugar molecule. For other glucose analogues the Stoichiometry has been found to be larger than one. Potassium and sodium ions cannot replace protons in the hexoseproton symport system.
Dietary supplementation with 2-deoxy-d-glucose improves cardiovascular and neuroendocrine stress adaptation in rats (2004)

Dietary restriction and physical exercise can enhance stress resistance and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. We investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with 2-deoxy-d-glucose (2-DG), a glucose analog that limits glucose availability at the cellular level, on cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses to stress in rats. Young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with telemetry probes to monitor blood pressure (BP), heart rate, body temperature, and body movements. These variables were measured at designated times during a 6-mo period in rats fed control and 2-DG-supplemented (0.4% 2-DG, fed ad libitum on a schedule of 2 days on the diet and 1 day off the diet) diets during unperturbed conditions and during and after immobilization stress or cold-water swim stress. Rats fed the 2-DG diet exhibited significant reductions in resting BP, attenuated BP responses during stress, and accelerated recovery to baseline after stress. Plasma concentrations of ACTH and corticosterone were elevated under nonstress conditions in rats fed the 2-DG diet and exhibited differential responses to single (enhanced response) and multiple (reduced response) stress sessions compared with rats fed control rat chow ad libitum. The 2-DG diet improved glucose metabolism, as indicated by decreased concentrations of blood glucose and insulin under nonstress conditions, but glucose and insulin responses to stress were maintained. We conclude that improvements in some cardiovascular risk factors and stress adaptation in rats maintained on a 2-DG-supplemented diet are associated with reduced neuroendocrine responses to the stressors.
Engineering tropane biosynthetic pathway in Hyoscyamus niger hairy root cultures (2004)

Scopolamine is a pharmaceutically important tropane alkaloid extensively used as an anticholinergic agent. Here, we report the simultaneous introduction and overexpression of genes encoding the rate-limiting upstream enzyme putrescine N-methyltransferase (PMT) and the downstream enzyme hyoscyamine 6 beta-hydroxylase (H6H) of scopolamine biosynthesis in transgenic henbane (Hyoscyamus niger) hairy root cultures. Transgenic hairy root lines expressing both pmt and h6h produced significantly higher (P < 0.05) levels of scopolamine compared with the wild-type and transgenic lines harboring a single gene (pmt or h6h). The best line (T(3)) produced 411 mg/liter scopolamine, which was over nine times more than that in the wild type (43 mg/liter) and more than twice the amount in the highest scopolamine-producing h6h single-gene transgenic line H(11) (184 mg/liter). To our knowledge, this is the highest scopolamine content achieved through genetic engineering of a plant. We conclude that transgenic plants harboring both pmt and h6h possessed an increased flux in the tropane alkaloid biosynthetic pathway that enhanced scopolamine yield, which was more efficient than plants harboring only one of the two genes. It seems that the pulling force of the downstream enzyme (the faucet enzyme) H6H plays a more important role in stimulating scopolamine accumulation in H. niger whereas the functioning of the upstream enzyme PMT is increased proportionally. This study provides an effective approach for large-scale commercial production of scopolamine by using hairy root culture systems as bioreactors.
Claude-Gilbert Dubois : Le Maniérisme (1979)

Weber Henri. Claude-Gilbert Dubois : Le Maniérisme. In: Bulletin de l'Association d'étude sur l'humanisme, la réforme et la renaissance, n°9, 1979. pp. 78-79.
A mast cell-ILC2-Th9 pathway promotes lung inflammation in cystic fibrosis (2017)

T helper 9 (Th9) cells contribute to lung inflammation and allergy as sources of interleukin-9 (IL-9). However, the mechanisms by which IL-9/Th9 mediate immunopathology in the lung are unknown. Here we report an IL-9-driven positive feedback loop that reinforces allergic inflammation. We show that IL-9 increases IL-2 production by mast cells, which leads to expansion of CD25<sup>+</sup> type 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) and subsequent activation of Th9 cells. Blocking IL-9 or inhibiting CD117 (c-Kit) signalling counteracts the pathogenic effect of the described IL-9-mast cell-IL-2 signalling axis. Overproduction of IL-9 is observed in expectorates from cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, and a sex-specific variant of IL-9 is predictive of allergic reactions in female patients. Our results suggest that blocking IL-9 may be a therapeutic strategy to ameliorate inflammation associated with microbial colonization in the lung, and offers a plausible explanation for gender differences in clinical outcomes of patients with CF.
Nerve growth factor effects on human and mouse melanoma cell invasion and heparanase production (1993)

The role of growth factor networks in regulating the progression of human melanocytes towards tumorigenicity and ultimately the malignant phenotype is poorly understood. In particular, the autocrine and paracrine influences that modulate cellular invasion and extracellular matrix degradative enzymes of melanoma cells remain undefined at the molecular level. We report here that nerve growth factor (NGF) can modify some metastasis-associated cellular properties of human and mouse melanoma cells. Treatment of early-passage human metastatic melanoma cells (MeWo) or their variants (3S5, 70W) with biologically active 2.5S NGF resulted in (a) delayed density-dependent inhibition of melanoma cell growth; (b) increased in vitro invasion through a reconstituted basement membrane; and (c) time- and dose-dependent induction of heparanase, a heparan-sulfate-specific endo-beta-D-glucuronidase associated with human melanoma metastasis. These effects of NGF were most marked in the 70W brain-colonizing cells (70W > MeWo > 3S5). The NGF enhancement of heparanase secretion was not species-specific, since it was also observed in murine B16 melanoma cells; the highest NGF stimulation of heparanase was found in brain-colonizing murine B16-B15b variant (B16-B15b > B16-BL6, B16-F10, B16-F1). NGF also increased the invasive capacity of the human 70W and murine B16-B15b sublines in a chemoinvasion assay performed with filters coated with purified heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG). The enhancement of chemotactic response and heparanase production was detected at NGF concentrations sufficient to fully saturate both low- and high-affinity NGF receptors (NGFR), the neurotrophin receptor (p75) and the trkA gene product, respectively. The results suggest that, in addition to the effects of NGF on cellular development and differentiation within the peripheral and central nervous systems, NGF can exert changes in the invasive properties of neuroectoderm-derived melanoma cells.