gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Is there an Alternative to Allograft and Autograft in Bone Tissue Engineering (2011)

The healing of challenging bone defects can be problematic and often requires the use of allograft or autograft. However, problems can exist with the transmission of disease and limited supply, which poses the question, is there a synthetic alternative? This study will investigate the use of a synthetic bone graft substitute for use in bone tissue engineering. The fibre forming process of electrospinning has been used to fabricate a 3D scaffold composed of Poly(ε-caprolactone)(PCL) and an active moiety believed to enhance bone formation. The fibrous nature of the scaffold resembles the collagen fibres found in the extracellular matrix of bone thus providing a biomimetic structure for cell attachment and proliferation. Materials and MethodsA 10% w/v polymer solution of PCL (Mn ≈ 80,000) in acetone was electrospun using an applied voltage of 20kV, flow rate of 0.05ml/min and a needle-collector distance of 15cm. Fibres were collected on a grounded collector plate, eliciting a randomly orientated morphology. PCL scaffolds were functionalised with the active moiety. Human osteoblast cells were cultured under standard conditions on the prepared samples for up to 21-days. Cell morphology on the surfaces was evaluated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Samples were stained using DAPI, phalloidin and collagen I. Results and DiscussionAfter 21 days, there was an overall increase in cell number on all substrates. Osteoblasts on the electrospun mats demonstrated superior spreading when compared to the control. DAPI/phalloidin staining of the cells demonstrated healthy cell structure with greater spreading of filopodia when compared to glass. The enhanced spreading of cells on the electrospun scaffolds can be owed to the microstructure of the scaffolds and the hydrophilicity. Electrospun mats mimic the natural extracellular matrix of bone. AcknowledgmentsThe authors would like to thank Dr Zakikhani for his expertise, and the BBSRC and NIHR i4i for funding this research.
Functionalized poly(arylene ethers) as toughness modifiers for bismaleimides (1990)

A family of novel, low molecular weight functionalized poly(arylene ether) resins has been investigated to ascertain its members' toughness-imparting contribution to neat bismaleimide (BMI) resin and BMI-matrix laminate composite properties. Attention is given to the contribution of the reactive poly(arylene ether)'s backbone chemistry to fracture toughness, as well as to the comparative influence of high and low molecular weight reactive poly(arylene ether) types on the modified BMI resin systems. The modified BMIs possess a polyphase morphology, with good adhesion between the thermoplastic nodules and the host thermoset systems.
Creation of nano eye-drops and effective drug delivery to the interior of the eye (2017)

Nano eye-drops are a new type of ophthalmic treatment with increased potency and reduced side effects. Compounds in conventional eye-drops barely penetrate into the eye because the cornea, located at the surface of eye, has a strong barrier function for preventing invasion of hydrophilic or large-sized materials from the outside. In this work, we describe the utility of nano eye-drops utilising brinzolamide, a commercially available glaucoma treatment drug, as a target compound. Fabrication of the nanoparticles of brinzolamide prodrug increases the eye penetration rate and results in high drug efficacy, compared with that of commercially available brinzolamide eye-drops formulated as micro-sized structures. In addition, the resulting nano eye-drops were not toxic to the corneal epithelium after repeated administration for 1 week. The nano eye-drops may have applications as a next-generation ophthalmic treatment.
Genomic features of the damselfly Calopteryx splendens representing a sister clade to most insect orders (2017)

Insects comprise the most diverse and successful animal group with over one million described species that are found in almost every terrestrial and limnic habitat, with many being used as important models in genetics, ecology, and evolutionary research. Genome sequencing projects have greatly expanded the sampling of species from many insect orders, but genomic resources for species of certain insect lineages have remained relatively limited to date. To address this paucity, we sequenced the genome of the banded demoiselle, Calopteryx splendens, a damselfly (Odonata: Zygoptera) belonging to Palaeoptera, the clade containing the first winged insects. The 1.6 Gbp C. splendens draft genome assembly is one of the largest insect genomes sequenced to date and encodes a predicted set of 22,523 protein-coding genes. Comparative genomic analyses with other sequenced insects identified a relatively small repertoire of C. splendens detoxification genes, which could explain its previously noted sensitivity to habitat pollution. Intriguingly, this repertoire includes a cytochrome P450 gene not previously described in any insect genome. The C. splendens immune gene repertoire appears relatively complete and features several genes encoding novel multi-domain peptidoglycan recognition proteins. Analysis of chemosensory genes revealed the presence of both gustatory and ionotropic receptors, as well as the insect odorant receptor coreceptor gene (OrCo) and at least four partner odorant receptors (ORs). This represents the oldest known instance of a complete OrCo/OR system in insects, and provides the molecular underpinning for odonate olfaction. The C. splendens genome improves the sampling of insect lineages that diverged before the radiation of Holometabola and offers new opportunities for molecular-level evolutionary, ecological, and behavioral studies.
Phase I clinical and pharmacokinetic study of PNU166945, a novel water-soluble polymer-conjugated prodrug of paclitaxel (2001)

Intravenous administration of paclitaxel is hindered by poor water solubility of the drug. Currently, paclitaxel is dissolved in a mixture of ethanol and Cremophor EL; however, this formulation (Taxol) is associated with significant side effects, which are considered to be related to the pharmaceutical vehicle. A new polymer-conjugated derivative of paclitaxel, PNU166945, was investigated in a dose-finding phase I study to document toxicity and pharmacokinetics. A clinical phase I study was initiated in patients with refractory solid tumors. PNU16645 was administered as a 1-h infusion every 3 weeks at a starting dose of 80 mg/m(2), as paclitaxel equivalents. Pharmacokinetics of polymer-bound and released paclitaxel were determined during the first course. Twelve patients in total were enrolled in the study. The highest dose level was 196 mg/m(2), at which we did not observe any dose-limiting toxicities. Hematologic toxicity of PNU166945 was mild and dose independent. One patient developed a grade 3 neurotoxicity. A partial response was observed in one patient with advanced breast cancer. PNU166945 displayed a linear pharmacokinetic behavior for the bound fraction as well as for released paclitaxel. The study was discontinued prematurely due to severe neurotoxicity observed in additional rat studies. The presented phase I study with PNU166945, a water-soluble polymeric drug conjugate of paclitaxel, shows an alteration in pharmacokinetic behavior when paclitaxel is administered as a polymer-bound drug. Consequently, the safety profile may differ significantly from standard paclitaxel.
Emergency management of dental trauma: knowledge of Hong Kong primary and secondary school teachers. (2012)

OBJECTIVES. To investigate the level of knowledge about emergency management of dental trauma among Hong Kong primary and secondary school teachers. DESIGN. Questionnaire survey. SETTING. A teachers' union that unites 90% of teachers in Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS. Randomly selected primary and secondary school teachers. RESULTS. Only 32.8% of respondents correctly stated that a person sustaining dental trauma should go to dentists directly. In all, 73.1% of teachers correctly stated that a dental trauma patient should go for treatment immediately. Only 32.5% knew that a fractured tooth should be put in liquid. Even fewer (23.2%) realised that the displaced tooth should be repositioned back to the original position. Relatively more respondents (74.7%) understood that an avulsed baby tooth should not be put back. Disappointingly, only 16.3% of teachers knew that an avulsed permanent tooth should be replanted. Furthermore, only 29.6% of teachers thought that they were able to distinguish between deciduous teeth and permanent teeth, whilst 20.4% correctly identified at least one of the appropriate mediums: milk, physiological saline or saliva, for storing an avulsed tooth. Teachers who previously received first-aid training with dental content or acquired dental injury information from other sources, scored significantly higher than teachers without such training or acquired information. CONCLUSION. The knowledge on emergency management of dental trauma among primary and secondary school teachers in Hong Kong is insufficient, particularly on the handling of permanent tooth avulsion and the appropriate storage medium for avulsed teeth. Receipt of first-aid training with dental contents and acquisition of dental injury information from other sources were positively correlated with knowledge in managing dental trauma.
Correction: Caffeine Prevents Transcription Inhibition and P-TEFb/7SK Dissociation Following UV-Induced DNA Damage (2013)

The mechanisms by which DNA damage triggers suppression of transcription of a large number of genes are poorly understood. DNA damage rapidly induces a release of the positive transcription elongation factor b (P-TEFb) from the large inactive multisubunit 7SK snRNP complex. P-TEFb is required for transcription of most class II genes through stimulation of RNA polymerase II elongation and cotranscriptional pre-mRNA processing.
MANUAL OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY (1966)

THE NEW EDITION INCLUDES CHAPTERS CONCERNED WITH NEW SUBJECTS SCARELY MENTIONED IN THE 1952 EDITION, AS WELL AS ENTIRELY NEW TREATMENTS OF THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY. IN THIS NEW ERA OF EXPANSION IN INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY, IT IS IMPORTANT TO BE AWARE OF NEW KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNIQUES, AND TO CONSTANTLY RE-EXAMINE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE SCIENCE. THE MANUAL IS A CONSOLIDATION OF GAINS AND AN ORGANIZATION OF NEW KNOWLEDGE IN THE FIELD OF PHOTOGRAMMETRY. IT IS PRESENTED IN CONCISE FORM FOR CONVENIENT REFERENCE. /AUTHOR/
Continuing professional development by practitioner integrated learning (2007)

To prevent skilled professionals from being phased out or forced into professions for which they are not talented, organized forms of lifelong learning are needed. Continuing professional development is an approach supporting lifelong learning. This approach is however criticized for being expensive and not providing the necessary knowledge. In response to this, we have executed a study in order to understand how universities can effectively support continuous professional development. By involving industry professionals as participants in university courses using problem based learning, we have designed what we call Practitioner Integrated Learning (PIL). This learning approach has shown positive effects in terms of level of learning, realism, knowledge diffusion, study load and costs. We present a 15-months action research project integrating 16 industry managers and 16 university students in a continuing professional development effort. Based on this study, we argue that PIL is a learning approach that effectively supports continuing professional development.
Modeling the Electro-chemical Properties of Microbial Opsin ChrimsonR for Application to Optogenetics-based Vision Restoration (2018)

Abstract Optogenetic activation of neurons [1] have greatly contributed to our understanding of how neural circuits operate, and holds huge promise in the field of neural prosthetics, particularly in sensory restoration. The discovery of new channelrhodopsins, Chrimson — which is 45 nm more red-shifted than any previously discovered or engineered channelrhodopsin — and its mutant ChrimsonR with faster kinetics [2] made this technology available for medical applications. However, a detailed model that would be able to accurately reproduce the membrane potential dynamics in cells transfected with ChrimsonR under light stimulation is missing. We address this issue by developing the first model for the electrochemical behavior of ChrimsonR that predicts its conductance in response to arbitrary light stimulation. Our model captures ON and OFF dynamics of the protein for stimuli with frequencies up to 100 Hz and their relationship with the brightness, as well as its activation curve, the steady-state amplitude of the response as a function of light intensity. Additionally, we capture a slow adaptation mechanism at a timescale at the order of minutes. Our model holds for light intensities covering the whole dynamic range of the channel (from response onset to saturation) and for timescales in the order of up to several minutes. This model is a new step towards modeling the spiking activity of ChrimsonR-expressing neurons, required for the precise control of information transmission in optogenetics-based Brain-Computer Interfaces, and will inform future applications of ChrimsonR based optogenetics.
The minimum distance of the [137,69] binary quadratic residue code (1999)

We find that the minimum distance of the binary [137,69] quadratic residue code is 21.
Common phase error due to phase noise in OFDM-estimation and suppression (2005)

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has already become a very attractive modulation scheme for many applications. Unfortunately OFDM is very sensitive to synchronization errors, one of them being phase noise, which is of great importance in modern WLAN systems which target high data rates and tend to use higher frequency bands because of the spectrum availability. In this paper we propose a linear Kalman filter as a means for tracking phase noise and its suppression. The algorithm is pilot based. The performance of the proposed method is investigated and compared with the performance of other known algorithms.
cAMP-PKA Signaling Regulates Multiple Steps of Fungal Infection Cooperatively with Cmk1 MAP Kinase in Colletotrichum lagenarium (2004)

In Colletotrichum lagenarium, RPK1 encoding the regulatory subunit of PKA is required for pathogenicity. From the rpkl mutant that forms small colonies, we isolated three growth-suppressor mutants. All rpk1-suppressor mutants are nonpathogenic and contain amino acid changes in the PKA catalytic subunit Cpkl. To assess the roles of cyclic AMP (cAMP) signaling in detail, we generated knockout mutants of CPK1 and the adenylate cyclase gene CAC1. The cpk1 and cac1 mutants are nonpathogenic on cucumber. Interestingly, both of the mutants germinated poorly, suggesting involvement of cAMP signaling in germination. Germination defect in the cpk1 and cac1 mutants is partially rescued by incubation of the conidia at lower concentrations. Germinating conidia of the cpk1 and cac1 mutants can form appressoria, but the appressoria formed by them are nonfunctional, like those of the rpk1 mutant. Cytological analysis indicates that the appressoria of the cpk1 mutant contain larger numbers of lipid bodies compared with the wild type, whereas lipid levels in the rpk1 mutants are lower, suggesting cAMP-mediated regulation of lipid metabolism for appressorium functionality. Furthermore, the cpk1 and cacl mutants have a defect in infectious growth in plant. In C. lagenarium, Cmkl mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) regulates germination, appressorium formation, and infectious growth. These results suggest that cAMP signaling controls multiple steps of fungal infection in cooperative regulation with Cmkl MAPK in C. lagenarium.
T cell-dependent mediator and B-cell clones. (1975)

Supernatants were collected from keyhole limpet haemocyanin (KLH) primed spleen cells which had been incubated in tissue culture medium with their priming antigen KLH. These non-specific factor (NSF) containing supernatants were then tested in a microculture system for their ability to facilitate an anti-SRBC response of nu/nu or AT times BM spleen cells. It was concluded that:(a) NSF was able to engage a large number of the available pool of sheep erythrocyte (SRBC) specific B cells into an antibody response (b) this response was characterized by the development of clones expressing plaque-forming cells (PFC), the number of PFC produced within a clone being dependent upon the amount of NSF available in that culture; (c) NSF probably acted directly on B cells, and not via other accessory cell types.
Modulation of Cellulose Nanocrystals Amphiphilic Properties to Stabilize Oil/Water Interface (2011)

Neutral cellulose nanocrystals dispersed in water were shown in a previous work to stabilize oil/water interfaces and produce Pickering emulsions with outstanding stability, whereas sulfated nanocrystals obtained from cotton did not show interfacial properties. To develop a better understanding of the stabilization mechanism, amphiphilic properties of the nanocrystals were modulated by tuning the surface charge density to investigate emulsifying capability on two sources of cellulose: cotton linters (CCN) and bacterial cellulose (BCN). This charge adjustment made it possible to determine the conditions where a low surface charge density, below 0.03 e/nm(2), remains compatible with emulsification, as well as when assisted by charge screening regardless of the source. This study discusses this ability to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions for cellulose nanocrystals varying in crystalline allomorph, morphology, and hydrolysis processes related to the amphiphilic character of nonhydrophobized cellulose nanocrystal.
Therapeutic Human Monoclonal Antibodies in Inflammatory Diseases (2013)

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are antibodies of a single antigen specificity produced by identical immune cells, i.e., clones of a common germ cell. They offer unprecedented opportunities to drug development because of their ability to target almost any cell surface or secreted molecule with remarkable efficacy and safety. In this chapter, the application of human mAbs in the treatment of inflammatory diseases is reviewed. We discuss in detail several mAb-based drugs such as anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF), anti-interleukin-1 (anti-IL-1) receptor, anti-IL-6 receptor, anti-α4 integrin subunit, and anti-CD20 agents, all of which have been documented by clinical trials to be efficacious and have been approved for the therapy of several inflammatory and immune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, spondyloarthropathies, juvenile arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and others. These novel drugs can be used either as a monotherapy or in combination with other conventional therapeutic modalities, particularly if the disease under treatment is refractory to therapy using solely conventional techniques. As a large variety of mAb-based agents targeting a plethora of cytokines, chemokines, adhesion and co-stimulatory molecules, receptors, as well as diverse cell types, are presently under investigation, the therapeutic armamentarium of the clinician is expected to greatly broaden in the near future, providing improved patient care for a wide range of devastating diseases of our times.
Expanding Biomaterial Surface Topographical Design Space through Natural Surface Reproduction (2021)

Surface topography is a tool to endow biomaterials with bioactive properties. However, the large number of possible designs makes it challenging to find the optimal surface structure to induce a specific cell response. The TopoChip platform is currently the largest collection of topographies with 2176 in silico designed microtopographies. Still, it is exploring only a small part of the design space due to design algorithm limitations and the surface engineering strategy. Inspired by the diversity of natural surfaces, it is assessed as to what extent the topographical design space and consequently the resulting cellular responses can be expanded using natural surfaces. To this end, 26 plant and insect surfaces are replicated in polystyrene and their surface properties are quantified using white light interferometry. Through machine-learning algorithms, it is demonstrated that natural surfaces extend the design space of the TopoChip, which coincides with distinct morphological and focal adhesion profiles in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonization. Furthermore, differentiation experiments reveal the strong potential of the holy lotus to improve osteogenesis in MSCs. In the future, the design algorithms will be trained with the results obtained by natural surface imprint experiments to explore the bioactive properties of novel surface topographies.
A single-blind, randomized, crossover study on the efficacy of icatibant for sweating-induced dermal pain (icatibant for sweating-induced dermal pain) (2023)

The effectiveness of icatibant against sweating-induced dermal pain would provide clear evidence for the involvement of the bradykinin-bradykinin B2 receptor pathway in the pathogenesis of this condition. This finding may contribute to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of dermal pain associated with sweating stimuli and has the potential to improve patients' quality of life by suggesting potential treatment options, specifically, using drugs that inhibit bradykinin or suppress its production.
Failure to confirm genetic association of the CHI3L1 gene with schizophrenia in Japanese and Chinese populations (2008)

Recently, three common polymorphisms in the promoter region of the Chitinase 3-Like 1 (CHI3L1) gene, rs6691378, rs10399805 and rs4950928, have been identified as schizophrenia predisposing single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the Han Chinese population. The at-risk haplotype comprising these SNPs was also related to decreased expression of CHI3L1 in peripheral blood cells. In contrast, two independent postmortem brain studies have reported elevated expression of the transcript in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, from schizophrenic patients. The gene encodes a secreted glycoprotein (HC-gp39 or YKL40), which is deemed to be involved in the inflammatory process. These pieces of evidence signify the potential importance of CHI3L1 in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In this study, we aimed to replicate the prior genetic association findings using two sample sets, one set of Chinese samples (293 pedigrees consisting of 1,163 subjects) that are ethnically identical to those used in the original report and a second set from the relatively close Japanese population (570 schizophrenic patients and 570 matched controls). We analyzed the same five SNPs as in the original study, including the three promoter SNPs. None of these SNPs showed association signals with schizophrenia (P values >0.108) in our sample sets. These results suggest that the genetic contribution of CHI3L1 to schizophrenia is variable, even though it is mechanistically involved in the disease process.