gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Purine and Pyrimidine Metabolism in Mollicutes Species (1988)

We studied the purine enzyme activities in dialyzed cytoplasmic extracts from the following eight species, representing four genera, of Mollicutes: Mycoplasma pneumoniae FHT (T = type strain) and M129, Mycoplasma bovigenitalium PG-11T, Mycoplasma hominis PG-21T and 1620, Mycoplasma genitalium G-37T, Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae JT, Ureaplasma urealyticum T960T, Spiroplasma citri Maroc-R8A2T, and Anaeroplasma intermedium 5LA. In an investigation of purine nucleoside kinase activity we also included M. hominis 13408, 10144, 13428, 1612, 1184, and Botte. All of these Mollicutes species except U. urealyticum had purine phosphoribosyltransferase activity for adenine, hypoxanthine, and guanine; U. urealyticum had only adenine phosphoribosyltransferase activity. All of the organisms had nucleoside phosphorylase activity which used either ribose 1-phosphate or deoxyribose 1-phosphate and adenine, hypoxanthine, or guanine for the synthesis of nucleosides and adenosine, deoxyadenosine, guanosine, deoxyguanosine, inosine, or deoxyinosine in the reverse direction. All had 5′-nucleotidase activity for adenosine monophosphate, deoxyadenosine monophosphate, inosine monophosphate, or guanosine monophosphate. Only M. hominis 1620, 13408, 10144, and 13428, A. intermedium, and S. citri had pyrophosphate-dependent nucleoside kinase activity. Only S. citri had nucleoside kinase activity with adenosine triphosphate and deoxyguanosine. We studied pyrimidine enzyme activities in all of the Mollicutes species except M. hominis and M. bovigenitalium. All of the Mollicutes species assayed had thymidine, thymidylate, and deoxycytidine kinase and thymidine and uridine phosphorylase activities. All of the Mycoplasma spp. had deoxycytotidine monophosphate and cytidine-deoxycytidine deaminase activities. All of the Mycoplasma spp. and U. urealyticum lacked deoxyuridine triphosphatase activity. U. urealyticum lacked deoxycytidine monophosphate deaminase activity, but otherwise it resembled all of the Mycoplasma spp. A. intermedium and S. citri differed from each other and from Mycoplasma spp. and U. urealyticum in the patterns of pyrimidine enzyme activities. Pyrophosphate-dependent nucleoside kinase activity was the most variably detected activity. None of the Mycoplasma spp. except four of eight strains of M. hominis had this kinase activity. Likewise, U. urealyticum did not have the pyrophosphate-dependent nucleoside kinase activity; however, A. intermedium and S. citri did have this enzyme activity. The absence of deoxyuridine triphosphatase activity in all Mycoplasma spp. may be related to their proposed rapid evolution and the relative lack of conserved sequences in their 5S ribosomal ribonucleic acids.
Flexible Energy‐Storage Devices: Design Consideration and Recent Progress (2014)

Flexible energy-storage devices are attracting increasing attention as they show unique promising advantages, such as flexibility, shape diversity, light weight, and so on; these properties enable applications in portable, flexible, and even wearable electronic devices, including soft electronic products, roll-up displays, and wearable devices. Consequently, considerable effort has been made in recent years to fulfill the requirements of future flexible energy-storage devices, and much progress has been witnessed. This review describes the most recent advances in flexible energy-storage devices, including flexible lithium-ion batteries and flexible supercapacitors. The latest successful examples in flexible lithium-ion batteries and their technological innovations and challenges are reviewed first. This is followed by a detailed overview of the recent progress in flexible supercapacitors based on carbon materials and a number of composites and flexible micro-supercapacitors. Some of the latest achievements regarding interesting integrated energy-storage systems are also reviewed. Further research direction is also proposed to surpass existing technological bottle-necks and realize idealized flexible energy-storage devices.
Auditory Neurons Make Stereotyped Wiring Decisions before Maturation of Their Targets (2007)

Cochlear ganglion neurons communicate sound information from cochlear hair cells to auditory brainstem neurons through precisely wired circuits. Understanding auditory circuit assembly is a significant challenge because of the small size of the otic vesicle and difficulties labeling and imaging embryonic neurons. We used genetic fate mapping in the mouse to visualize the morphologies of individual cochlear ganglion neurons throughout development, from their origin in the Neurogenin1-positive neurogenic domain in the otic vesicle to the formation of connections with targets in the cochlea and in the cochlear nucleus. We found that auditory neurons with different patterns of connectivity arise from discrete populations of Neurogenin1-positive precursors that make stereotyped wiring decisions depending on when and where they are born. Auditory precursors are segregated from vestibular precursors early in neurogenesis. Within this population, cochlear ganglion neurons with type I and type II morphologies are apparent before birth and develop within common pools of precursors. The peripheral projections are initially complex and branched and then become simple and straight after reaching the edge of the sensory epithelium. Subsequently, a small number of projections attain obvious type II morphologies, beginning at embryonic day 16.5 (E16.5), when hair cells begin to differentiate. Centrally, cochlear ganglion axons are topographically organized in the auditory brainstem as early as E15.5, when the cochlear nucleus is still immature. These findings suggest that Neurogenin1 precursors possess intrinsic programs of differentiation that direct early auditory circuit assembly events before the maturation of presynaptic and postsynaptic target cells.
Spontaneous production of anti-IFN- and anti-IL-12 autoantibodies by thymoma cells from myasthenia gravis patients suggests autoimmunization in the tumor (2003)

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is mediated by autoantibodies to the acetylcholine receptor (AChR), expressed in muscle and rare thymic myoid cells. Most early-onset cases show thymic lymph node-type infiltrates, including pre-activated plasma cells spontaneously producing anti-AChR antibodies. Since these are not evident in the associated thymomas found in another 10% of MG patients, AChR-specific B cells must be autosensitized elsewhere. Unexpectedly, at diagnosis, >70% of MG/thymoma patients also have high-titer neutralizing autoantibodies to IFN-alpha, and >50% to IL-12; moreover, titers increase strikingly if the thymomas recur, indicating a closer tumor relationship than for anti-AChR. To investigate this, we have measured autoantibody production by cells cultured from thymomas, any available thymic remnants and blood, with or without the B cell stimulant pokeweed mitogen (PWM). To check autoantibody specificity and clonal origins, we isolated Fabs from two combinatorial libraries from producer thymus/thymoma cells. Surprisingly, thymoma cells spontaneously produced antibodies to IFN-alpha and/or IL-12 in >40% of seropositive cases, showing typical plasma cell behavior, whereas they produced anti-AChR only after PWM stimulation. We isolated 15 combinatorial Fabs to IFN-alpha (versus only one to AChR). Their strong binding in radio-immunoprecipitation and Western blots implies high affinities. The four Fabs tested neutralized anti-viral actions of IFN-alpha. The diverse V genes clearly showed ongoing antigen-driven selection. These results imply pre-activation in situ by native IFN-alpha/IL-12 expressed within a 'dangerous' tumor microenvironment. With these molecules, it should be easier to identify provoking cell type(s) that may give novel additional clues to autoimmunization against T-cell epitopes from the more complex AChR.
High-efficiency green phosphorescence from spin-coated single-layer dendrimer light-emitting diodes (2002)

We demonstrate very high-efficiency green phosphorescence from a single-layer dendrimer organic light-emitting diode formed by spin-coating. A first generation fac-tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium cored dendrimer doped into a wide-gap 4,4′-bis(N-carbazole) biphenyl host displays a peak external quantum efficiency of 8.1% (28 Cd/A) at a brightness of 3450 Cd/m2 and a current density of 13.1 mA/cm2. A peak power efficiency of 6.9 lm/W was measured at 1475 Cd/m2 and 5 mA/cm2. We attribute this exceptionally high quantum efficiency for a single-layer device to the excellent film forming properties and high photoluminescence quantum yield of the dendrimer blend and efficient injection of charge into the emissive layer. These results suggest that dendrimers are an effective method for producing efficient phosphorescent devices by spin-coating.
Bioassay for trans-activation using purified human immunodeficiency virus tat-encoded protein: trans-activation requires mRNA synthesis. (1989)

Expression of the human immunodeficiency virus tat-encoded protein (Tat) is required for virus replication. A genetic approach was used to facilitate the purification of biologically active Tat. A recombinant Tat protein containing a stretch of six histidine residues and a protease cleavage site was engineered and purified to greater than 95% homogeneity in a single step by immobilized metal-ion chromatography with a special affinity resin that has selectivity for proteins with neighboring histidine residues. A modified scrape loading method for introduction of protein into cell monolayers was used to demonstrate that the purified Tat retained biological activity. Tat function was completely blocked in the presence of transcription inhibitors, which demonstrates the requirement of ongoing mRNA synthesis for trans-activation. These studies indicate that the mechanism of trans-activation is unlikely to involve a direct action of Tat on mRNA stability, transport, or translation and provides the basis for a rapid assay that can be used to identify inhibitors of trans-activation. The methods described herein should be useful for the functional analysis of other proteins that do not confer activity through a receptor-mediated pathway.
Cloning of an SNF2/SWI2-related Protein That Binds Specifically to the SPH Motifs of the SV40 Enhancer and to the HIV-1 Promoter (1995)

We have isolated a human cDNA clone encoding HIP116, a protein that binds to the SPH repeats of the SV40 enhancer and to the TATA/inhibitor region of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 promoter. The predicted HIP116 protein is related to the yeast SNF2/SWI2 transcription factor and to other members of this extended family and contains seven domains similar to those found in the vaccinia NTP1 ATPase. Interestingly, HIP116 also contains a C3HC4 zinc-binding motif (RING finger) interspersed between the ATPase motifs in an arrangement similar to that found in the yeast RAD5 and RAD16 proteins. The HIP116 amino terminus is unique among the members of this family, and houses a specific DNA-binding domain. Antiserum raised against HIP116 recognizes a 116-kDa nuclear protein in Western blots and specifically supershifts SV40 and HIV-1 protein-DNA complexes in gel shift experiments. The binding site for HIP116 on the SV40 enhancer directly overlaps the site for TEF-1, and like TEF-1, binding of HIP116 to the SV40 enhancer is destroyed by mutations that inhibit SPH enhancer activity in vivo. Purified fractions of HIP116 display strong ATPase activity that is preferentially stimulated by SPH DNA and can be inhibited specifically by antibodies to HIP116. These findings suggest that HIP116 might affect transcription, directly or indirectly, by acting as a DNA binding site-specific ATPase.
Silver-Mediated Trifluoromethylation of Aryldiazonium Salts: Conversion of Amino Group into Trifluoromethyl Group (2013)

A novel strategy for aromatic trifluoromethylation by converting aromatic amino group into CF3 group is reported herein. This method, which can be considered as trifluoromethylation variation of the classic Sandmeyer reaction, uses readily available aromatic amines as starting materials and is performed under mild conditions.
[N‐methyl‐11C]MeAIB, a tracer for system A amino acid transport: preparation from [11C]methyl triflate and HPLC metabolite analysis of plasma samples after intravenous administration in man (2000)

MeAIB, α-methylamino-isobutyric acid, is an achiral synthetic amino acid which is a highly selective substrate for the A-type, or alanine-preferring, amino acid transport system. [N-methyl-11C]MeAIB ([11C]MeAIB) was prepared by reaction of [11C]methyl triflate with AIB methyl ester, generated in situ from its corresponding hydrochloride, followed by hydrolysis of the ester function with aqueous NaOH. After HPLC-purification, the product was obtained in a 60–70% decay corrected yield counted from [11C]methyl triflate. The total synthesis time was 32–37 min and the radiochemical purity of the product higher than 98%. HPLC analysis of plasma samples taken 5–30 min after the administration of [11C]MeAIB to man showed that more than 95% of the total radioactivity in the plasma consisted of unchanged [11C]MeAIB. The simple preparation and the high metabolic stability of [11C]MeAIB makes this novel tracer a potential candidate for positron emission tomography investigations for the system A amino acid transport system in vivo. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Image Processing for a High-Resolution Optoelectronic Retinal Prosthesis (2007)

In an effort to restore visual perception in retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa, a design was recently presented for a high-resolution optoelectronic retinal prosthesis having thousands of electrodes. This system requires real-time image processing fast enough to convert a video stream of images into electrical stimulus patterns that can be properly interpreted by the brain. Here, we present image-processing and tracking algorithms for a subretinal implant designed to stimulate the second neuron in the visual pathway, bypassing the degenerated first synaptic layer. For this task, we have developed and implemented: 1) A tracking algorithm that determines the implant's position in each frame. 2) Image cropping outside of the implant boundaries. 3) A geometrical transformation that distorts the image appropriate to the geometry of the fovea. 4) Spatio-temporal image filtering to reproduce the visual processing normally occurring in photoceptors and at the photoreceptor-bipolar cell synapse. 5) Conversion of the filtered visual information into a pattern of electrical current. Methods to accelerate real-time transformations include the exploitation of data redundancy in the time domain, and the use of precomputed lookup tables that are adjustable to retinal physiology and allow flexible control of stimulation parameters. A software implementation of these algorithms processes natural visual scenes with sufficient speed for real-time operation. This computationally efficient algorithm resembles, in some aspects, biological strategies of efficient coding in the retina and could provide a refresh rate higher than fifty frames per second on our system.
E-cadherin engagement stimulates proliferation via Rac1 (2006)

E-cadherin has been linked to the suppression of tumor growth and the inhibition of cell proliferation in culture. We observed that progressively decreasing the seeding density of normal rat kidney-52E (NRK-52E) or MCF-10A epithelial cells from confluence, indeed, released cells from growth arrest. Unexpectedly, a further decrease in seeding density so that cells were isolated from neighboring cells decreased proliferation. Experiments using microengineered substrates showed that E-cadherin engagement stimulated the peak in proliferation at intermediate seeding densities, and that the proliferation arrest at high densities did not involve E-cadherin, but rather resulted from a crowding-dependent decrease in cell spreading against the underlying substrate. Rac1 activity, which was induced by E-cadherin engagement specifically at intermediate seeding densities, was required for the cadherin-stimulated proliferation, and the control of Rac1 activation by E-cadherin was mediated by p120-catenin. Together, these findings demonstrate a stimulatory role for E-cadherin in proliferative regulation, and identify a simple mechanism by which cell-cell contact may trigger or inhibit epithelial cell proliferation in different settings.
Endothelin B Receptor, a New Target in Cancer Immune Therapy (2009)

The endothelins and their G protein-coupled receptors A and B have been implicated in numerous diseases and have recently emerged as pivotal players in a variety of malignancies. Tumors overexpress the endothelin 1 (ET-1) ligand and the endothelin-A-receptor (ET(A)R). Their interaction induces tumor growth and metastasis by promoting tumor cell survival and proliferation, angiogenesis, and tissue remodeling. On the basis of results from xenograft models, drug development efforts have focused on antagonizing the autocrine-paracrine effects mediated by ET-1/ET(A)R. In this review, we discuss a novel role of the endothelin-B-receptor (ET(B)R) in tumorigenesis and the effect of its blockade during cancer immune therapy. We highlight key characteristics of the B receptor such as its specific overexpression in the tumor compartment; and specifically, in the tumor endothelium, where its activation by ET-1 suppresses T-cell adhesion and homing to tumors. We also review our recent findings on the effects of ET(B)R-specific blockade in increasing T-cell homing to tumors and enhancing the efficacy of otherwise ineffective immunotherapy.
Hydrolysis of Epoxides (2003)

Abstract For Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.
Cerebrospinal fluid pharmacokinetics of intraventricular and intravenous aziridinylbenzoquinone. (1984)

The cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pharmacokinetics of aziridinylbenzoquinone (AZQ) was studied following i.v. and intraventricular drug administration. Initial studies were performed in six rhesus monkeys with chronic indwelling Ommaya reservoirs. Following intraventricular administration of 0.2 mg of AZQ, elimination was monoexponential with half-lives of 32 and 39 min in ventricular and lumbar CSF, respectively. AZQ clearance (0.2 ml/min) was 5-fold greater than estimated CSF bulk flow, indicating that transcapillary passage and/or metabolism may be important clearance mechanisms for this drug. In spite of its rapid clearance from ventricular CSF, a substantial peak AZQ concentration was achieved in lumbar CSF (12 microM), which was 7 times higher than the peak ventricular CSF level (1.7 microM) achieved following i.v. AZQ administration (16 mg/sq m). Moreover, the mean area under the CSF concentration-time curve in ventricular CSF was 20-fold greater following intraventricular versus i.v. AZQ dosing, despite an 80-fold-lower dose. AZQ was not detectable in plasma (less than 0.06 microM) following intraventricular administration. No animals demonstrated clinical evidence of acute neurotoxicity. Subsequently, intraventricular AZQ was administered to a patient with refractory meningeal leukemia. Intraventricular AZQ (0.5 mg) resulted in a peak ventricular (56 microM) CSF level which was 80-fold higher than ventricular CSF levels achieved following systemic AZQ administration of a dose of 24 mg/sq m in humans. Moreover, intraventricular AZQ yielded substantial CSF levels without detectable plasma concentrations. These data suggest that intraventricular administration of AZQ is feasible and may have pharmacological advantages over systemic administration for the treatment of meningeal neoplasia.
The Neurofibromatosis Type I Messenger RNA Undergoes Base-Modification RNA Editing (1996)

A functional mooring sequence, known to be required for apolipoprotein B (apoB) mRNA editing, exists in the mRNA encoding the neurofibromatosis type I (NF1) tumor suppressor. Editing of NF1 mRNA modifies cytidine in an arginine codon (CGA) at nucleotide 2914 to a uridine (UGA), creating an in frame translation stop codon. NF1 editing occurs in normal tissue but was several-fold higher in tumors. In vitro editing and transfection assays demonstrated that apoB and NF1 RNA editing will take place in both neural tumor and hepatoma cells. Unlike apoB, NF1 editing did not demonstrate dependence on rate-limiting quantities of APOBEC-1 (the apoB editing catalytic subunit) suggesting that different trans-acting factors may be involved in the two editing processes.
The nitrate contamination of private well water in Iowa. (1993)

The State-Wide Rural Well-Water Survey was conducted between April 1988 and June 1989. About 18% of Iowa's private, rural drinking-water wells contain nitrate above the recommended health advisory level (levels of NO3-N greater than 10 mg/L); 37% of the wells have levels greater than 3 mg/L, typically considered indicative of anthropogenic pollution. Thirty-five percent of wells less than 15 m deep exceed the health advisory level, and the mean concentration of nitrate-nitrogen for these wells exceeds 10 mg/L. Depth of well is the best predictor of well-water contamination. Individually, NO3-N levels of more than 10 mg/L occurred alone in about 4% of the private wells statewide; pesticides were present alone in about 5%. Total coliform positives occurred alone at 27% of the sites. In a cumulative sense, these three contaminants were detected in nearly 55% of rural private water supplies.
Bronchopulmonary Disposition of Intravenous Voriconazole and Anidulafungin Given in Combination to Healthy Adults (2009)

Voriconazole and anidulafungin in combination are being investigated for use for the treatment of pulmonary aspergillosis. We determined the pulmonary disposition of these agents. Twenty healthy participants received intravenous voriconazole (at 6 mg/kg of body weight every 12 h [q12h] on day 1 and then at 4 mg/kg q12h) and anidulafungin (200 mg on day 1 and then 100 mg every 24 h) for 3 days. Five participants each were randomized for collection of bronchoalveolar lavage samples at times of 4, 8, 12, and 24 h. Drug penetration was determined by the ratio of the total drug area under the concentration-time curve during the dosing interval (AUC(0-tau)) for epithelial lining fluid (ELF) and alveolar macrophages (AM) to the total drug AUC(0-tau) in plasma. The mean (standard deviation) half-life and AUC(0-tau) were 6.9 (2.1) h and 39.5 (19.8) microg h/ml, respectively, for voriconazole and 20.8 (3.1) h and 101 (21.8) microg h/ml, respectively, for anidulafungin. The AUC(0-tau) values for ELF and AM were 282 and 178 microg h/ml, respectively, for voriconazole, and 21.9 and 1,430 microg h/ml, respectively, for anidulafungin. This resulted in penetration ratios into ELF and AM of 7.1 and 4.5, respectively, for voriconazole and 0.22 and 14.2, respectively, for anidulafungin. The mean total concentrations of both drugs in ELF and AM at 4, 8, 12, and 24 h remained above the MIC(90)/90% minimum effective concentration for most Aspergillus species. In healthy adult volunteers, voriconazole achieved high levels of exposure in both ELF and AM, while anidulafungin predominantly concentrated in AM.