gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
REDUCTION OF INTESTINAL GAS‐FORMING PROPERTIES OF LEGUMES BY TRADITIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL FOOD PROCESSING METHODS (1971)

ABSTRACT— The propensity of legumes to promote formation of intestinal gas was evaluated in healthy young men by measuring flatus passed from the rectum and the amount of bacterially formed gas in the exhaled breath. Previous experience has shown that flatulent test meals fed in the morning cause elevation of breath hydrogen concentration, flatus volume and flatus hydrogen and carbon dioxide content about 5–7 hr later. Test responses were measured against a baseline derived from feeding a bland, low‐residue formula diet. In the present study, mature, dry lima beans were found to be as high in flatulence‐inducing factor(s) (FF) as are California small white beans. Mung beans and soybeans caused the same excretion of hydrogen in the breath as did white beans, but only about 2/3 as much flatus. Peanuts were not gas‐forming. When the dosage of soybeans was doubled, so that the carbohydrate contribution from the two varieties was more nearly equalized, soybeans caused as much passage of flatus as did white beans. Several products processed by methods that might be expected to alter FF concentration or activity were evaluated in the same way. Soybean and mung bean sprouts appeared to retain most of the FF present in the whole bean. Soybean curd (tofu) had little residual FF but another high‐protein food, MPF, made from toasted soy grits, caused as much gas formation as an equal weight of soybean carbohydrate fed as whole beans. Enzymatic treatment of comminuted soybeans, designed to hydrolyze the constituent oligosaccharides, raffinose and stachyose, frequently cited as gas‐formers, had only negligible effect on production of intestinal gas. Tempeh, made from soybean grits by mold fermentation, did not increase gas production over baseline values and caused a significant delay in the time of gas formation, suggestive of temporary suppression of intestinal bacteria. Ethanolic extraction of whole white beans reduced but did not eliminate their gas‐forming quality.
Foot ulcers in the diabetic patient, prevention and treatment. (2007)

Lower extremity complications in persons with diabetes have become an increasingly significant public health concern in both the developed and developing world. These complications, beginning with neuropathy and subsequent diabetic foot wounds frequently lead to infection and lower extremity amputation even in the absence of critical limb ischemia. In order to diminish the detrimental consequences associated with diabetic foot ulcers, a common-sense-based treatment approach must be implemented. Many of the etiological factors contributing to the formation of diabetic foot ulceration may be identified using simple, inexpensive equipment in a clinical setting. Prevention of diabetic foot ulcers can be accomplished in a primary care setting with a brief history and screening for loss of protective sensation via the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament. Specialist clinics may quantify neuropathy, plantar foot pressure, and assess vascular status with Doppler ultrasound and ankle-brachial blood pressure indices. These measurements, in conjunction with other findings from the history and physical examination, may enable clinicians to stratify patients based on risk and help determine the type of intervention. Other effective clinical interventions may include patient education, optimizing glycemic control, smoking cessation, and diligent foot care. Recent technological advanced combined with better understanding of the wound healing process have resulted in a myriad of advanced wound healing modalities in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. However, it is imperative to remember the fundamental basics in the healing of diabetic foot ulcers: adequate perfusion, debridement, infection control, and pressure mitigation. Early recognition of the etiological factors along with prompt management of diabetic foot ulcers is essential for successful outcome.
Antibody C219 recognizes an α-helical epitope on P-glycoprotein (1999)

The ABC transporter, P-glycoprotein, is an integral membrane protein that mediates the ATP-driven efflux of drugs from multidrug-resistant cancer and HIV-infected cells. Anti-P-glycoprotein antibody C219 binds to both of the ATP-binding regions of P-glycoprotein and has been shown to inhibit its ATPase activity and drug binding capacity. C219 has been widely used in a clinical setting as a tumor marker, but recent observations of cross-reactivity with other proteins, including the c-erbB2 protein in breast cancer cells, impose potential limitations in detecting P-glycoprotein. We have determined the crystal structure at a resolution of 2.4 A of the variable fragment of C219 in complex with an epitope peptide derived from the nucleotide binding domain of P-glycoprotein. The 14-residue peptide adopts an amphipathic alpha-helical conformation, a secondary structure not previously observed in structures of antibody-peptide complexes. Together with available biochemical data, the crystal structure of the C219-peptide complex indicates the molecular basis of the cross-reactivity of C219 with non-multidrug resistance-associated proteins. Alignment of the C219 epitope with the recent crystal structure of the ATP-binding subunit of histidine permease suggests a structural basis for the inhibition of the ATP and drug binding capacity of P-glycoprotein by C219. The results provide a rationale for the development of C219 mutants with improved specificity and affinity that could be useful in antibody-based P-glycoprotein detection and therapy in multidrug resistant cancers.
Laboratory molecular spectroscopy. (1982)

The precision required in making spectroscopic measurements is discussed. Remarks are directed specifically to vibration-rotation spectra rather than continuum absorptions. The ultimate precision that is required for line positions is related to the width of the lines which may be no narrower than the Doppler width. The spectroscopic methods considered are those which are of the most general value to the astronomers; those which acquire and can handle large volumes of spectra in digital form, or in a form which is compatible with computer analysis, and in a form which is at least internally consistent. The use of dye laser, grating instruments, and the most versatile instrument for laboratory spectroscopy, the Fourier transform spectrometer is discussed.
Effect of Proinflammatory Cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β) on Clinical Manifestations in Indian SLE Patients (2014)

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an inflammatory rheumatic disease characterized by production of autoantibodies and organ damage. Elevated levels of cytokines have been reported in SLE patients. In this study we have investigated the effect of proinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β) on clinical manifestations in 145 Indian SLE patients. One hundred and forty-five healthy controls of the same ethnicity served as a control group. Clinical disease activity was scored according to SLEDAI score. Accordingly, 110 patients had active disease and 35 patients had inactive disease. Mean levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β were found to be significantly higher in SLE patients than healthy controls (P < 0.001). Mean level of IL-6 for patients with active disease (70.45±68.32 pg/mL) was significantly higher (P = 0.0430) than those of inactive disease patients (43.85±63.36 pg/mL). Mean level of TNF-α was 44.76±68.32 pg/mL for patients with active disease while it was 25.97±22.03 pg/mL for those with inactive disease and this difference was statistically significant (P = 0.0161). Similar results were obtained for IL-1β (P = 0.0002). Correlation between IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β serum levels and SLEDAI score was observed (r = 0.20, r = 0.27, and r = 0.38, resp.). This study supports the role of these proinflammatory cytokines as inflammatory mediators in active stage of disease.
Chromatin changes on the GSTP1 promoter associated with its inactivation in prostate cancer (2007)

Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) are metabolic enzymes that help detoxify and eliminate harmful chemicals. In prostate tumors, expression of GST pi (encoded by GSTP1) is frequently lost because of promoter hypermethylation. Here we analyze the native GSTP1 promoter in cancerous and noncancerous human prostate cells to identify structural features associated with its cancer-related transcriptional silencing. We find that in noncancerous prostate cells (RWPE-1 and PWR-1E) GSTP1 is constitutively expressed, not methylated, highly accessible, bound by transcription factors and associated with histones with activating modifications (histone H3 methylated at lysine 4 and acetylated histones H3 and H4). In contrast, in cancerous prostate cells (LNCaP) GSTP1 is not expressed, extensively methylated, inaccessible, lacks bound transcription factors and is not associated with histones with activating modifications. We do not detect significant levels of histones with repressive modifications (histone H3 methylated at lysine 9 or 27) on GSTP1 in any cell line indicating that they are not associated with cancer-related GSTP1 silencing. Treatment of LNCaP cells with 5-azacytidine restores activating histone modifications on GSTP1 and reactivates transcription. We conclude that, in the process of prostate carcinogenesis, activating histone modifications on GSTP1 are lost and the DNA becomes methylated and inaccessible resulting in transcriptional silencing.
Heteroepitaxial growth dynamics of InP nanowires on silicon (2008)

Highly lattice mismatched InP/Si nanowire heterostructures were synthesized using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) process at 450 ºC. The InP nanowire diameter as high as 500 nm is much thicker than the critical diameter (~24 nm for InP/Si) predicted by a recent theoretical work on the coherent growth of nanowire heterostructures. We investigated possible factors that lead to the unusually large diameters in a highly lattice mismatched material system. Dislocations formed at the interfacial plane of the heterostructure due to high lattice mismatch were found to contribute to the growth of nanowires with very large diameters. An extra pair of dislocation lines at the interfacial plane was found to support an increase in nanowire diameter by ~12 nm.
Characterization of circulating erythroid progenitor cells in human newborn blood. (1981)

The pattern of in vitro growth of erythroid progenitors in cord blood was assayed by the methyl cellulose culture system. The erythroid nature of colonies in culture was determined by Soret band examination for hemoglobin and by immunofluorescence for specific membrane protein spectrin, as well as by conventional techniques. In contrast to adult blood cultures, we found small but definite erythroid colony growth in the cultures of cord blood progenitors in the absence of added Ep (endogenous erythroid colonies). In addition, in the presence of Ep increased numbers of progenitors were found in cord blood compared with adult blood. Comparison of cultures from newborns, normal adults, anemic adults, and adults with PV and myelofibrosis showed that endogenous erythroid colonies are also found in cultures of patients with PV and myelofibrosis but not in cultures of normal cells and cells from anemic subjects. The physiologic relevance of these endogenous colony-forming cells in newborn blood is unknown; however, we speculate that they may be related to residual extramedullary erythropoiesis at birth.
THE CHICK CHORIOALLANTOIC MEMBRANE AS A MODEL TISSUE FOR SURGICAL RETINAL RESEARCH AND SIMULATION (2004)

While CAM has been used extensively in the past for ocular angiogenesis studies, we describe the tissue as a useful tool for a variety of other applications, including (1) testing of novel surgical tools and techniques for cutting and coagulating retina and its vasculature, (2) testing vessel cannulation and injection techniques, (3) angiographic studies, and (4) endoscopic surgery.
Blood Conservation During Pediatric Cardiac Surgery (1993)

After separation of pediatric patients from cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the authors salvaged red blood cells (RBCs) from the extracorporeal circuit by ultrafiltration and reinfused them to the patients. The purposes of this study were to determine 1) the effects of infusion of hemoconcentrated RBCs on hemoglobin, plasma free hemoglobin, and activated clotting time, and 2) the incidence of perioperative homologous RBC transfusion. Data were collected prospectively from 200 consecutive infants and children undergoing CPB during correction of congenital heart defects. The patients' hemoglobin, plasma free hemoglobin, and activated clotting time were measured both before and after infusion of 10 mL/kg of hemoconcentrate. Guidelines for intraoperative and postoperative transfusion of homologous RBCs were followed, and such transfusions were recorded. Significant increases in hemoglobin concentrations occurred when the hemoconcentrate was infused, as did statistically significant, but clinically manageable, increases in plasma free hemoglobin and activated clotting time. Perioperative homologous RBC transfusion was performed in 67% of patients (56% received intraoperative transfusion). Intraoperative transfusion was more frequent in small infants who were more hemodiluted by the clear CPB priming solution. Postoperative transfusion was more frequent in patients who had operation for cyanotic heart disease. Hemoconcentration by ultrafiltration after CPB is an effective and safe means of salvaging RBCs and reducing homologous RBC transfusion.
Ocular Permeability of FITC-Dextran with Absorption Promoter for Ocular Delivery of Peptide Drug (1995)

The purpose of this study is to characterize an ocular permeability of FITC-dextran, as a model of peptide drug, and to evaluate the effects of absorption promoters on the ocular permeability of FITC-dextran. The in vitro penetrations of FITC-dextrans (average molecular weight 4400 and 9400: FD-4 and FD-10) were measured across the isolated corneal and conjunctival membranes of albino rabbits using a two-chamber glass diffusion cell. The corneal permeabilities of FD-4 and FD-10 were much lower than the conjunctival permeabilities. Scraping of corneal epithelium extremely increased the corneal permeabilities. The penetration parameters were estimated according to Fick's equation. Absorption promoters such as EDTA, taurocholic acid, benzalkonium chloride and saponin significantly increased corneal permeabilities of FD-4 and FD-10. Saponin showed the highest promoting activity. Conjunctival permeabilities of FD-4 and FD-10 were also enhanced by absorption promoters although the improvements of conjunctival permeabilities by absorption promoters were smaller than those of corneal permeabilities. Ratios of corneal to conjunctival permeabilities were enhanced by absorption promoters. These results indicate that an ocular delivery of instilled hydrophilic macromolecule is markedly low and a selective use of absorption promoter can improve the extent and pathway of its ocular absorption.
Viral-mediated oncolysis is the most critical factor in the late-phase of the tumor regression process upon vaccinia virus infection (2011)

Taken together, these results indicate that VACV-mediated oncolysis is the primary mechanism of tumor shrinkage in the late regression phase. Neither the destruction of the tumor vasculature nor the massive VACV-mediated intratumoral inflammation was a prerequisite for tumor regression. We propose that approaches to enhance viral replication and spread within the tumor microenvironment should improve therapeutical outcome.
Charged polymer membrane translocation (2002)

We study the process of charged polymer translocation, driven by an external electric potential, through a narrow pore in a membrane. We assume that the number of polymer segments, m, having passed the entrance pore mouth, is a slow variable governing the translocation process. Outside the pore the probability that there is an end segment at the entrance pore mouth, is taken as the relevant parameter. In particular we derive an expression for the free energy as a function of m, F(m). F(m) is used in the Smoluchowski equation in order to obtain the flux of polymers through the pore. In the low voltage regime we find a thresholdlike behavior and exponential dependence on voltage. Above this regime the flux depends linearly on the applied voltage. At very high voltages the process is diffusion limited and the flux saturates to a constant value. The model accounts for all features of the recent experiments by Henrickson et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 3057 (2000)] for the flux of DNA molecules through an α-hemolysin pore as a function of applied voltage.
Determining Volatile Extractives from Microwave Susceptor Food Packaging (1991)

Under the auspices of a coalition of The National Food Processors Association members and members of the Society of Plastic Industries a method for the determination of volatile extractives from microwave susceptor containing food packaging was developed. The method consists of a headspace sampling technique followed by Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionization or Mass Spectroscopy detection. A portion of the package containing the microwave susceptor is subjected to microwave cooking under simulated use conditions. An aliquot of the headspace gases are then introduced into a gas chromatograph for the determination and identification of individual compounds. 4-Heptanone was used as an internal standard. Susceptor packages representing a popcorn bag and a Pizza package were fortified with eight compounds representing a range of polarities. Recoveries of these compounds ranged from 22 to 98 percent with coefficients of variation of 3 to 24 percent. Compounds identified by Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectroscopy in Microwave Susceptor Packaging representative of the packaging found in the marketplace ranged in molecular weight from 32 to 200. The boiling points of these compounds ranged from 21 to 216°C.
RETRACTED: Probing the MicroRNA and Small Interfering RNA Pathways with Virus-Encoded Suppressors of RNA Silencing (2004)

In plants, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) are effectors of RNA silencing, a process involved in defense through RNA interference (RNAi) and in development. Plant viruses are natural targets of RNA silencing, and as a counterdefensive strategy, they have evolved highly diverse silencing suppressor proteins. Although viral suppressors are usually thought to act at distinct steps of the silencing machinery, there had been no consensus system so far that allowed a strict side-by-side analysis of those factors. We have set up such a system in Arabidopsis thaliana and used it to compare the effects of five unrelated viral silencing suppressors on the siRNA and miRNA pathways. Although all the suppressors inhibited RNAi, only three of them induced developmental defects, indicating that the two pathways are only partially overlapping. These developmental defects were remarkably similar, and their penetrance correlated with inhibition of miRNA-guided cleavage of endogenous transcripts and not with altered miRNA accumulation per se. Among the suppressors investigated, the tombusviral P19 protein coimmunoprecipitated with siRNA duplexes and miRNA duplexes corresponding to the primary cleavage products of miRNA precursors. Thus, it is likely that P19 prevents RNA silencing by sequestering both classes of small RNAs. Moreover, the finding here that P19 binds siRNAs and suppresses RNAi in Hela cells also suggests that this factor may be useful to dissect the RNA silencing pathways in animals. Finally, the differential effects of the silencing suppressors tested here upon other types of Arabidopsis silencing-related small RNAs revealed a surprising variety of biosynthetic and, presumably, functional pathways for those molecules. Therefore, silencing suppressors are valuable probes of the complexity of RNA silencing.
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)-Mediated Transient Gene Expression in a Red Alga, Cyanidioschyzon merolae 10D (2007)

DNA introduction into cells is an essential technique for molecular genetic analysis. Here, we show that DNA is easily introduced into cells of the unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae by a polyethylene glycol (PEG)-mediated protocol. In this study, the beta-tubulin gene of C. merolae was cloned on a plasmid and a hemagglutinin (HA) tag then added at the C-terminus. This plasmid was then introduced into C. merolae cells by a PEG-mediated transformation protocol. At 24 h after PEG-mediated transformation, intracellular localization of the tagged protein was detected by anti-HA immunocytochemistry, indicating the utility of this transient expression system for molecular genetic analyses.
Intermittent claudication and endothelial dysfunction (2002)

The endothelium regulates homeostasis in healthy blood vessels. When affected by injurious stimuli it becomes dysfunctional, thus eliciting changes that predispose to atherosclerosis. Patients with intermittent claudication show a systemic endothelial dysfunction that may result from a variety of factors. In particular, inflammation could play a key role because, in claudicants, endothelial dysfunction negatively correlates with plasma levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, an acute-phase reactant. Future studies will clarify whether interventions that improve endothelial function will improve t he clinical outcome of patients with peripheral arterial disease by reducing their cardiovascular risk.
Deformable boundary finding in medical images by integrating gradient and region information (1996)

Accurately segmenting and quantifying structures is a key issue in biomedical image analysis. The two conventional methods of image segmentation, region-based segmentation, and boundary finding, often suffer from a variety of limitations. Here the authors propose a method which endeavors to integrate the two approaches in an effort to form a unified approach that is robust to noise and poor initialization. The authors' approach uses Green's theorem to derive the boundary of a homogeneous region-classified area in the image and integrates this with a gray level gradient-based boundary finder. This combines the perceptual notions of edge/shape information with gray level homogeneity. A number of experiments were performed both on synthetic and real medical images of the brain and heart to evaluate the new approach, and it is shown that the integrated method typically performs better when compared to conventional gradient-based deformable boundary finding. Further, this method yields these improvements with little increase in computational overhead, an advantage derived from the application of the Green's theorem.
The second extracellular loop of CXCR4 is involved in CD4-independent entry of human immunodeficiency virus type 2. (1998)

Human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2) strains that infect cells in the absence of cellular CD4 emerge spontaneously in vitro after culture in CD4+ T-cell lines. The HIV-2ROD/B strain can use the CXCR4 chemokine receptor for efficient entry into CD4+ cells. Here we have shown that the rat homologue of CXCR4, in the absence of CD4, failed to mediate CD4-independent entry by ROD/B. Furthermore, using rat-human chimeric CXCR4 receptors we have demonstrated that the second extracellular loop (E2) of human CXCR4 is critical for HIV-2 infection of CD4+ cells. E2 is also important for HIV-1 infection of CD4+ cells. Our results therefore indicate that the role of E2 in HIV entry is conserved for HIV-1 and HIV-2 and for infection in the presence or absence of CD4.