gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Spot Them in The Spot: Analysis of Abused Substances Using Dried Blood Spots (2014)

Dried blood spot (DBS) sampling and DBS analysis have increasingly received attention during recent years. Furthermore, a substantial number of DBS methods has recently become available in clinical, forensic and occupational toxicology. In this review, we provide an overview of the different DBS-based methods that have been developed for detecting (markers of) abused substances. These include both legal and illegal drugs belonging to different categories, including cannabinoids, cocaine and metabolites, opioids, benzodiazepines and Z-drugs, amphetamines and analogs, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, ketamine and novel psychoactive substances such as cathinones. Markers of ethanol consumption and tobacco use are also covered in this review. Since the majority of published methods has shown promising results overall, an interesting role for DBS analysis in diverse toxicological applications can be envisaged. For the distinct applications, we discuss the specific potential and benefits of DBS, the associated limitations and challenges, as well as recent developments and future perspectives.
Mutational analysis of the role of glycoprotein I in varicella-zoster virus replication and its effects on glycoprotein E conformation and trafficking (1997)

The contributions of the glycoproteins gI (ORF67) and gE (ORF68) to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) replication were investigated in deletion mutants made by using cosmids with VZV DNA derived from the Oka strain. Deletion of both gI and gE prevented virus replication. Complete deletion of gI or deletions of 60% of the N terminus or 40% of the C terminus of gI resulted in a small plaque phenotype as well as reduced yields of infectious virus. Melanoma cells infected with gI deletion mutants formed abnormal polykaryocytes with a disrupted organization of nuclei. In the absence of intact gI, gE became localized in patches on the cell membrane, as demonstrated by confocal microscopy. A truncated N-terminal form of gI was transported to the cell surface, but its expression did not restore plaque morphology or infectivity. The fusogenic function of gH did not compensate for gI deletion or the associated disruption of the gE-gI complex. These experiments demonstrated that gI was dispensable for VZV replication in vitro, whereas gE appeared to be required. Although VZV gI was dispensable, its deletion or mutation resulted in a significant decrease in infectious virus yields, disrupted syncytium formation, and altered the conformation and distribution of gE in infected cells. Normal cell-to-cell spread and replication kinetics were restored when gI was expressed from a nonnative locus in the VZV genome. The expression of intact gI, the ORF67 gene product, is required for efficient membrane fusion during VZV replication.
A robotic human masticatory system: kinematics simulations (2005)

A robotic device is proposed by means of which the mastication process could be reproduced in a mechanically controllable way whilst the masticatory efficiency and/or food dynamics are assessed quantitatively. A robotic model of the mastication system is developed according to biomechanical findings about the jaw structure and muscles of mastication, where each of the major muscles, temporalis, masseter and pterygoid, are responsible for the masticatory movements is represented in a linear actuator and muscle origin and insertion are modelled as a spherical joint placed between the mandible and the skull. This forms a robotic platform model with the mandible being a moving plate and the skull a ground plate. To validate the robotic model, extensive simulations of forward kinematics, i.e., producing the mandible movements with given muscular actuations, and inverse kinematics, i.e., generating the muscular actuations required for a given human chewing pattern have been conducted using the SolidWorks and COSMOS/Motion. Results are given and discussed in terms of trajectories of key reference points, such as incisor and time-history of actuations.
Intestinal absorption of serrapeptase (TSP) in rats (1994)

A sensitive sandwich enzyme immunoassay (e.i.a.) for serrapeptase (TSP), an orally available anti-inflammatory proteinase, was established using affinity-purified anti-TSP rabbit IgG and its Fab' fragment conjugated with horseradish peroxidase as the first and the second antibodies respectively. TSP in the plasma was determined by the e.i.a. after its oral administration (100 mg/kg) to rats. The peak concentration was observed between 30 min and 2 h after administration. TSP in the plasma samples was trapped on a microtitre plate coated with the affinity-purified anti-TSP rabbit IgG, and the hydrolysis of a synthetic fluorogenic substrate, butoxycarbonyl-Glu(benzyloxy)-Ala-Arg-4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide, by the trapped TSP was fluorometrically measured (proteinase assay). The values obtained by the e.i.a. and those obtained by the proteinase assay correlated well for various plasma samples. These results indicate that orally administered TSP was absorbed from the intestinal tract and transferred into the circulation in an enzymically active form.
Detection of Chlamydia in postmortal formalin‐fixed tissue (1989)

A procedure to detect Chlamydia in postmortal formalin-fixed tissue is described. Monoclonal antibodies against a genus specific chlamydia epitope were used in immunofluorescence to detect chlamydia inclusions in formalin-fixed tissue sections. Lung sections from chlamydia-infected mice were examined and the effect of autolysis and tetracycline treatment was evaluated. Furthermore, lung tissue from two patients who died of ornithosis was examined. Inclusions detected in lung sections showed a bright apple-green fluorescence, and had a characteristic and easily recognizable morphology. Background and non-specific fluorescence were reduced by treating the tissue sections with trypsin, rabbit serum and Evans blue counterstain. Besides giving an exact diagnosis at autopsy, the method provides the possibility of determining the occurrence of chlamydia infections in various tissues, based on retrospective investigations in formalin-fixed tissues.
EnteroaggregativeEscherichia coliProduce Intestinal Inflammation and Growth Impairment and Cause Interleukin‐8 Release from Intestinal Epithelial Cells (1998)

Enteroaggregative E. coli (EAggEC) are emerging as an important cause of persistent diarrhea, especially in children in the developing world, yet the pathogenesis of EAggEC infection is poorly understood. In an ongoing prospective study of childhood diarrhea in an urban Brazilian slum, EAggEC are the leading cause of persistent diarrhea. Children from this study with EAggEC and persistent diarrhea had significant elevations in fecal lactoferrin, interleukin (IL)-8, and IL-1beta. Moreover, children with EAggEC without diarrhea had elevated fecal lactoferrin and IL-1beta concentrations. The children with EAggEC in their stool had significant growth impairment after their positive culture, regardless of the presence or absence of diarrhea. Finally, 2 EAggEC strains were shown to cause IL-8 release from Caco-2 cells, apparently via a novel heat-stable, high-molecular-weight protein. These findings suggest that EAggEC may contribute to childhood malnutrition, trigger intestinal inflammation in vivo, and induce IL-8 secretion in vitro.
Calcium-dependent current generating the afterhyperpolarization of hippocampal neurons (1986)

A single-electrode voltage-clamp technique was employed on in vitro hippocampal slices to examine the membrane current responsible for the slow afterhyperpolarization (AHP) in CA1 pyramidal cells. This was achieved by using conventional procedures to evoke an AHP in current clamp, followed rapidly by a switch into voltage clamp (hybrid clamp). The AHP current showed a dependence on extracellular K+, which was close to that predicted for a K+ current by the Nernst equation. The AHP current could be blocked by Cd2+ or norepinephrine. Although the AHP current showed a requirement for voltage-dependent Ca2+ entry, the current did not show any clear intrinsic voltage dependence. Once activated, AHP current is not turned off by hyperpolarizing the membrane potential. The effects of norepinephrine, Cd2+, and tetraethylammonium (TEA) were used to identify an AHP current component to the outward current evoked by depolarizing voltage commands from holding potentials that approximate to the resting potential for these cells. The AHP current can contribute significantly to the outward current during the depolarizing command. Upon repolarization it is evident as a slow outward tail current. This slow tail current had the same time constant as AHP currents evoked by hybrid clamp. Fast components to the tail currents were also observed. These were sensitive to Cd2+ and TEA. They probably represent a voltage-sensitive gKCa, sometimes termed C-current. The strong sensitivity to voltage and TEA displayed by the conventionally described gKCa (IC) are properties inconsistent with the AHP. It seems likely that the AHP current (IAHP) represents a Ca2+-activated K+ current separate from IC and that these two currents coexist in the same cell.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis function in premenopausal women with rheumatoid arthritis not treated with glucocorticoids. (1999)

The abnormal androgen concentrations observed during testing in patients with RA might support the implication of adrenal androgens in the immune/inflammatory cytokine mediated mechanisms involved in the pathophysiology and clinical aspects of RA.
Radioprotective Effects of 2-Imino-3-[(chromone-2-yl)carbonyl] thiazolidines against γ-Irradiation in Mice (2002)

A series of 2-imino-3-[(chromone-2-yl) carbonyl]thiazolidines substituted at the C-5 and/or C-7 positions of a chromone ring were synthesized. The in vivo toxicity and radioprotective efficacy of these agents were evaluated in male NMRI mice against cobalt-60 gamma-rays. The LD50 values as determined by a Probit analysis, were 659, 1216 and 790 mg/kg for compounds, 2, 3 and 4, respectively. For studying radioprotective effects, one half of the toxic LD50 values were used, namely 330, 605 and 395 mg/kg for compounds 2, 3 and 4, respectively. The dose reduced factor (DRF) was determined by dividing the LD50/30 values obtained from the radiation survival curve in the presence of a radioprotective agent by the LD50/30 value obtained from a control radiation survival curve. A compound with a hydroxyl group substituent at the C-5 position afforded better radioprotective activity than those without this substituent. The radioprotective effect of chromone having a hydroxyl group at only the C-7 position was similar to that of the unsubstituted chromone. The most active compound has hydroxyl groups at the C-5 and C-7 positions of the chromone ring; it had a DRF of 1.48.
Scalable Production of Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes (2003)

Cardiomyocyte transplantation could offer a new approach to replace scarred, nonfunctional myocardium in a diseased heart. Clinical application of this approach would require the ability to generate large numbers of donor cells. The purpose of this study was to develop a scalable, robust, and reproducible process to derive purified cardiomyocytes from genetically engineered embryonic stem (ES) cells. ES cells transfected with a fusion gene consisting of the alpha-cardiac myosin heavy chain (MHC) promoter driving the aminoglycoside phosphotransferase (neomycin resistance) gene were used for cardiomyocyte enrichment. The transfected cells were aggregated into embyroid bodies (EBs), inoculated into stirred suspension cultures, and differentiated for 9 days before selection of cardiomyocytes by the addition of G418 with or without retinoic acid (RA). Throughout the culture period, EB and viable cell numbers were measured. In addition, flow cytometric analysis was performed to monitor sarcomeric myosin (a marker for cardiomyocytes) and Oct-4 (a marker for undifferentiated ES cells) expression. Enrichment of cardiomyocytes was achieved in cultures treated with either G418 and retinoic acid (RA) or with G418 alone. Eighteen days after differentiation, G418-selected flasks treated with RA contained approximately twice as many cells as the nontreated flasks, as well as undetectable levels of Oct-4 expression, suggesting that RA may promote cardiac differentiation and/or survival. Immunohistological and electron microscopic analysis showed that the harvested cardiomyocytes displayed many features characteristic of native cardiomyocytes. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of large-scale production of viable, ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes for tissue engineering and/or implantation, an approach that should be transferable to other ES cell derived lineages, as well as to adult stem cells with in vitro cardiomyogenic activity.
Monoclonal antibodies in neuro-oncology (2011)

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are used with increasing success against many tumors but, for brain tumors, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a special concern. The BBB prevents antibody entry to the normal brain; however, its role in brain tumor therapy is more complex. The BBB is closest to normal at micro-tumor sites; its properties and importance change as the tumor grows. In this review, evolving insight into the role of the BBB is balanced against other factors that affect efficacy or interpretation when mAbs are used against brain tumor targets. As specific examples, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) and blood-borne metastases from breast cancer are discussed in the context of treatment, respectively, with the mAbs bevacizumab, rituximab, and trastuzumab, each of which is already widely used against tumor outside the brain. It is suggested that success against brain tumors will require getting past the BBB in two senses: physically, to better attack brain tumor targets and conceptually, to give equal attention to problems that are shared with other tumor sites.
[Radiation and apoptosis]. (1994)

Apoptosis is a kind of programmed cell death, that is, intrinsically programmed "cell suicide process". Mammalian thymic lymphocytes, thymocytes, show a typical apoptosis immediately after a low dose irradiation. Apoptosis appears also during radiotherapy of tumor, especially of thymoma. Tumor suppressor gene such as p53 and oncogene such as bcl-2 are found to be closely related to apoptotic processes in a cell. Possible mechanisms underlying interrelationship between expression of these genes, apoptosis and carcinogenesis were discussed.
An unusual form of transcriptional silencing in yeast ribosomal DNA. (1997)

Generalized transcriptional repression of large chromosomal regions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae occurs at the silent mating loci and at telomeres and is mediated by the silent information regulator (SIR) genes. We have identified a novel form of transcriptional silencing in S. cerevisiae in the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) tandem array. Ty1 retrotransposons marked with a weakened URA3 gene (Ty1-mURA3) efficiently integrated into rDNA. The mURA3 marker in rDNA was transcriptionally silenced in a SIR2-dependent manner. MET15 and LEU2 were also partially silenced, indicating that rDNA silencing may be quite general. Deletion of SIR4 enhanced mURA3 and MET15 silencing, but deletion of SIR1 or SIR3 did not affect silencing, indicating that the mechanism of silencing differs from that at telomeres and silent mating loci. Deletion of SIR2 resulted in increased psoralen cross-linking of the rDNA in vivo, suggesting that a specific chromatin structure in rDNA down-regulates polymerase II promoters.
Temporal and Compositional Characteristics of Salivary Protein Adsorption to Hydroxyapatite (1996)

Salivary proteins bind to enamel surfaces and hydroxyapatite in a highly selective manner. Numerous studies have identified these proteins as primarily proline-rich proteins, cystatins, statherin, and histatins. Previously, the hydroxyapatite-binding potential of these proteins had been characterized in systems consisting of singly purified protein and adsorbent. The purpose of this study was to investigate the adsorption of each protein in the presence of complete salivary secretion. Proteins, shown to adsorb to hydroxyapatite, were purified, biotinylated, and added back to the remaining proteins to form a series of reconstituted secretions. The adsorption of each biotinylated protein in the reconstituted secretion to hydroxyapatite was then measured as a function of time. Results indicated that three different adsorption patterns occur. A simple hyperbolic pattern is characteristic of amylase, glycosylated proline-rich protein (PRG), and cystatin. A faster adsorption process is observed for PRP-3, PRP-4, PIF-f, and statherin. A more complex pattern, exhibiting a rapid phase followed by a slower phase, is characteristic of PRP-1, PRP-2, PIF-s, and histatins. These results suggest that there are different adsorption processes involved in the binding of salivary proteins to hydroxyapatite. Two possible mechanisms are direct adsorption of protein to hydroxyapatite and indirect adsorption of protein by interacting with other proteins already bound to hydroxyapatite.
In vitro release of two anti-muscarinic drugs from soft contact lenses (2017)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the release of the anti-myopia drugs atropine sulfate and pirenzepine dihydrochloride from commercially available soft contact lenses. Standard ultraviolet (UV) absorbance-concentration curves were generated for atropine and pirenzepine. Ten commercially available contact lenses, including four multifocal lenses, were loaded by soaking in atropine or pirenzepine solutions at two different concentrations (10 mg/mL and 1 mg/mL). The release of the drugs into phosphate-buffered saline was determined over the course of 24 hours at 34°C using UV absorbance. Materials with surface charge released the greatest amount of atropine when loaded with either concentration when compared to the other lens types (<i>p</i><0.05), releasing upward of 1.026±0.035 mg/lens and 0.979±0.024 mg/lens from etafilcon A and ocufilcon A, respectively. There were no significant differences in the amount of atropine or pirenzepine released from the multifocal and non-multifocal lenses made from the same lens materials. Narafilcon A material demonstrated prolonged release of up to 8 hours when loaded with pirenzepine, although the overall dose delivered from the lens into the solution was among the lowest of the materials investigated. The rest of the lenses reached a plateau within 2 hours of release, suggesting that they were unable to sustain drug release into the solution for long periods of time. Given that no single method of myopia control has yet shown itself to be completely effective in preventing myopia progression, a combination of optical and pharmaceutical devices comprising a drug delivering contact lens presents a novel solution that warrants further investigation.
Efficient computation of multiple group by queries (2005)

Data analysts need to understand the quality of data in the warehouse. This is often done by issuing many Group By queries on the sets of columns of interest. Since the volume of data in these warehouses can be large, and tables in a data warehouse often contain many columns, this analysis typically requires executing a large number of Group By queries, which can be expensive. We show that the performance of today's database systems for such data analysis is inadequate. We also show that the problem is computationally hard, and develop efficient techniques for solving it. We demonstrate significant speedup over existing approaches on today's commercial database systems.
Prevention of Small Bowel Contamination by Ileocecal Valve (1971)

This experimental study indicates that absorptive difficulties following removal of the ileocecat valve are the result of bacterial contamination of the small bowel above the level of the valve.
Elargissement de la bande passante d'une antenne microruban par imbrication (1998)

International audience
Interfacing the neural system to restore deficient functions: From theoretical studies to neuroprothesis design (2011)

Electrical stimulation is a valuable technical solution to treat severe deficiencies related to nervous system. It is particularly interesting when no medical treatment exists as for cardiac deficiencies, deafness, blindness or complete paralysis. However, activating excitable cells such as neurons or muscle fibers to recover functions remains a difficult scientific and technological challenge. Indeed, both the function to restore and the way to activate selectively the desired target are not fully understood. The article describes how both theoretical studies based on experiments, and technological developments based on electrophysiology knowledge may help in the development of highly effective solutions. Existing systems such as pacemakers and cochlear implants proved that the recovered functions are of great quality leading to increase of quality of life and autonomy of the patients. However, the challenge for movement restoration is still in front of researchers, developers and clinical teams. The described method is the way we choose to face fundamental and tremendous scientific questions in order to provide disabled people with extended autonomy.
HBV-derived promoters direct liver-specific expression of an adenovirally transduced LDL receptor gene. (1996)

In vivo approaches to liver gene therapy will require restriction of transgene expression to hepatocytes. Since targeting of viral vectors exclusively to the liver is not easy to achieve, use of liver-specific promoters for driving expression of therapeutic genes is an interesting alternative. We have shown previously that regulatory elements of the hepatotrophic hepatitis B virus (HBV) are strong and liver-specific in vitro and therefore might be useful in hepatic gene therapy. Here we describe recombinant adenoviruses in which the human LDL receptor gene is under the transcriptional control of the HBV core promoter, the core promoter linked directly to HBV enhancer I, or a HBV-CMV hybrid promoter, respectively. These viruses allowed for a moderate to strong expression of the LDL receptor gene in vitro in a hepatocyte-specific manner when compared with the CMV immediate-early promoter. In vivo experiments demonstrated that the promoter gave rise to an expression level comparable to that from the CMV promoter in mouse liver, but was very weak in lung and skeletal muscle. Thus, the HBV-CMV hybrid promoter is strong and hepatocyte specific both in vitro and in vivo even in the adenoviral context and would be a good choice for driving a therapeutic gene in liver gene therapy.
Genetic Programming: An Introduction (1997)

 Four appendices summarize valuable resources available for the reader: Appendix A contains printed and recorded resources, Appendix B suggests web-related resources, Appendix C discusses GP software tools, including Discipulus, the GP software developed by the authors, and Appendix D mentions events most closely related to the field of genetic programming. URLs can be found online at http://mkp.com/GPIntro.