gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
Fibrinogen assembly, secretion, and deposition into extracellular matrix by MCF-7 human breast carcinoma cells. (2000)

A hallmark of breast carcinoma is the deposition of fibrinogen (FBG) without subsequent conversion to fibrin in the tumor stroma. In this study, the ability of the MCF-7 human breast cancer epithelial cell line to synthesize, secrete, and deposit FBG into the extracellular matrix (ECM) was examined. Whereas MCF-7 cells produced low levels of intact FBG, abundant levels of FBG intermediate complexes or degraded Aalpha, Bbeta, and gamma chain polypeptides were observed. Most of the Bbeta chain was degraded and missing an NH2-terminal peptide fragment. Reverse transcription-PCR analysis indicated that only gamma chain mRNA was present in detectable steady-state levels, although Southern hybridization revealed that the FBG Aalpha, Bbeta, and gamma chain genes were intact in MCF-7 cells. Immunostaining showed that extracellular FBG was bound to the surface of MCF-7 cells in a punctate pattern, reminiscent of receptor binding, rather than a fibrillar pattern characteristic of mature ECM. A similar punctate pattern of staining was observed when MCF-7 FBG was added to fibroblasts that normally assemble exogenous FBG into an extensive, fibrillar ECM, suggesting that MCF-7 cells are defective in assembly of a fibrillar ECM. The loss of FBG Bbeta chain NH2-terminal peptides may contribute to the lack of intact FBG assembly in MCF-7 cells, which may further affect its ability to assemble FBG into a fibrillar ECM. Taken together, the data suggest that endogenous synthesis and secretion of FBG is, at least in part, the source of FBG deposition in the ECM of breast cell carcinomas.
Giardia duodenalis in Ugandan Children Aged 9–36 Months in Kampala, Uganda: Prevalence and Associated Factors (2023)

Giardia duodenalis is a common gastrointestinal pathogen globally that has been associated with growth failure in children. Most of the studies have been done in school-age children, and there is a paucity of data in pre-school children. We determined the prevalence and factors associated with G. duodenalis infection in children aged 9-36 months presenting to Mulago Hospital with diarrhea or cough. Demographic and socio-economic characteristics, animal ownership, medical history, and physical examination findings were recorded. Stool was tested for G. duodenalis using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), and additional tests included stool microscopy and qPCR for Cryptosporidium. The overall prevalence of G. duodenalis infection was 6.7% (214/3,173). In children with diarrhea the prevalence was 6.9% (133/1,923), whereas it was 6.5% (81/1,250) in those with cough as the main symptom. Of 214 children with G. duodenalis infection, 19 (8.9%) were co-infected with Cryptosporidium. Older children (25-36 months) were more likely to have G. duodenalis infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.93, 95% CI: 1.93-4.43). Use of an unimproved toilet (aOR: 1.38, 95% CI: 1.04-1.83) and the wet season (aOR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.00-1.77) were associated with increased infection. Other factors associated with infection were recurrent diarrhea (aOR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.64-3.70) and passing of mucoid stool (aOR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.08-4.66). Having a ruminant at the homestead was also associated with infection (aOR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.20-2.79). Giardia duodenalis infection occurred in 1 of 15 children aged 9-36 months with diarrhea or cough in Kampala, Uganda. Further studies are needed to clarify the zoonotic significance of G. duodenalis infection in this setting.
Minimum Cost Mirror Sites Using Network Coding: Replication versus Coding at the Source Nodes (2011)

Content distribution over networks is often achieved by using mirror sites that hold copies of files or portions thereof to avoid congestion and delay issues arising from excessive demands to a single location. Accordingly, there are distributed storage solutions that divide the file into pieces and place copies of the pieces (replication) or coded versions of the pieces (coding) at multiple source nodes. We consider a network which uses network coding for multicasting the file. There is a set of source nodes that contains either subsets or coded versions of the pieces of the file. The cost of a given storage solution is defined as the sum of the storage cost and the cost of the flows required to support the multicast. Our interest is in finding the storage capacities and flows at minimum combined cost. We formulate the corresponding optimization problems by using the theory of information measures. In particular, we show that when there are two source nodes, there is no loss in considering subset sources. For three source nodes, we derive a tight upper bound on the cost gap between the coded and uncoded cases. We also present algorithms for determining the content of the source nodes.
Improvement of cardiac and systemic function in old mice by agonist of growth hormone‐releasing hormone (2021)

Age-related diseases such as cardiovascular diseases portend disability, increase health expenditures, and cause late-life mortality. Synthetic agonists of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) exhibit several favorable effects on heart function and remodeling. Here we assessed whether GHRH agonist MR409 can modulate heart function and systemic parameters in old mice. Starting at the age of 15 months, mice were injected subcutaneously with MR409 (10 µg/day, n = 8) or vehicle (n = 7) daily for 6 months. Mice treated with MR409 showed improvements in exercise activity, cardiac function, survival rate, immune function, and hair growth in comparison with the controls. More stem cell colonies were grown out of the bone marrow recovered from the MR409-treated mice. Mitochondrial functions of cardiomyocytes (CMs) from the MR409-treated mice were also significantly improved with more mitochondrial fusion. Fewer β-gal positive cells were observed in endothelial cells after 10 passages with MR409. In Doxorubicin-treated H9C2 cardiomyocytes, cell senescence marker p21 and reactive oxygen species were significantly reduced after cultured with MR409. MR409 also improved cellular ATP production and oxygen consumption rate in Doxorubicin-treated H9C2 cells. Mitochondrial protein OPA1 long isoform was significantly increased after treatment with MR409. The effects of MR409 were mediated by GHRH receptor and protein kinase A (PKA). In short, GHRH agonist MR409 reversed the aging-associated changes with respect of heart function, mobility, hair growth, cellular energy production, and senescence biomarkers. The improvement of heart function may be related to a better mitochondrial functions through GHRH receptor/cAMP/PKA/OPA1 signaling pathway and relieved cardiac inflammation.
Amphiphilic Spruce Galactoglucomannan Derivatives Based on Naturally-Occurring Fatty Acids (2013)

A class of nonionic polysaccharides-based surfactants were synthesised from O-acetyl galactoglucomannan (GGM), water-soluble hemicelluloses from spruce, using naturally-occurring saturated fatty acids, CH3(CH2)nCOOH (n = 7, 12, and 16). Hemicelluloses can be recovered from waste-streams of papermaking and agricultural processes or isolated by hot water extraction of plant tissues integrated into a biorefinery process. Fatty acids can be recovered as byproducts of the agricultural and food industries. Different synthesis routes were applied to yield amphiphilic derivatives with either a grafted or block structure. Fatty acids activated with 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) were grafted to the backbone of GGM molecules on their hydroxyl groups. Alternatively, synthesised amino-activated fatty acids using ethylenediamine were reacted with the reducing end of GGM. By adjusting the reagent ratios, GGM-based surfactants with different hydrophilic to hydrophobic ratios were prepared. Their surface activity was assessed by measuring the surface tension in water. This study presents an approach to design carbohydrate-based surfactants using naturally-occurring fatty acids that may find potential applications in such areas as food, cosmetic, and paint formulations.
On Managing Intelligent Satellite Networks - an Evolutionary Approachin Policy Based Distributed Management (2006)

Early satellite based communication systems for voice and data consisted of bent pipe communications and could be managed through a traditional TT&C system. Newer systems are emerging where satellite payloads are now doing more than just repeating a signal, they are interpreting the information received and making intelligent decisions on how to process the data. Satellite payloads exist and new ones are being designed to operate like network nodes in the Internet. Capacity is also allocated by these latest generation payloads dynamically, in response to changing user needs and environments. Managing these systems with a COTS network management system is not a viable solution. The advent of intelligent payloads requires network management systems that provide more than just hardware status. Instead, higher layer functions such as capacity management, dynamic bandwidth allocation, quality of service in a packet switched environment, and packet routing must be planned and managed. Policy based network management and supporting standards based management protocols serve as the building blocks for distributed, intelligent management. These satellite network management topics are surveyed in this paper.
Crystal polymorphism in 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium halides: supporting ionic liquid formation by inhibition of crystallizationElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: packing diagrams for I and II; table of closest contacts for I, I-Br and II. See http://www.rsc.org/suppdata/cc/b3/b304543a/ (2003)

Crystallization of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride from mixed ionic liquid or ionic liquid–aromatic solution, and from the melt yields different crystalline polymorphs, the first direct evidence for inhibition of crystallization in ionic liquids by polymorphism.
Dynamic full-field optical coherence tomography allows live imaging of retinal pigment epithelium stress model (2022)

Retinal degenerative diseases lead to the blindness of millions of people around the world. In case of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the atrophy of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) precedes neural dystrophy. But as crucial as understanding both healthy and pathological RPE cell physiology is for those diseases, no current technique allows subcellular in vivo or in vitro live observation of this critical cell layer. To fill this gap, we propose dynamic full-field OCT (D-FFOCT) as a candidate for live observation of in vitro RPE phenotype. In this way, we monitored primary porcine and human stem cell-derived RPE cells in stress model conditions by performing scratch assays. In this study, we quantified wound healing parameters on the stressed RPE, and observed different cell phenotypes, displayed by the D-FFOCT signal. In order to decipher the subcellular contributions to these dynamic profiles, we performed immunohistochemistry to identify which organelles generate the signal and found mitochondria to be the main contributor to D-FFOCT contrast. Altogether, D-FFOCT appears to be an innovative method to follow degenerative disease evolution and could be an appreciated method in the future for live patient diagnostics and to direct treatment choice.
(18)F-FDG-PET/CT evaluation of response to treatment in lymphoma: when is the optimal time for the first re-evaluation scan? (2009)

Assessing the response to treatment as soon after treatment initiation is one of the key reasons for imaging lymphoma patients. The optimal time after initiating treatment for assessing response to treatment has yet to be determined. Therefore, we were prompted to review our experience with serial (18)F-FDG PET/CT in patients undergoing treatment for Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). This is a retrospective study (Feb 2003 - Oct 2004) of 20 patients, 11 men and 9 women, with age range of 7-75 years with diagnosis of HD (10) and NHL (10), who had PET/CT at our institution prior, during and at the completion of therapy. Restaging PET/CT was done after 2 cycles of chemotherapy in 10 patients (group A) and after 4 cycles of chemotherapy in 10 pts (group B). A total of 60 scans were reviewed. The DeltaSUV from baseline to first PET/CT was on average 67.6% in group A and 75.1% in group B. This had no statistical significance (P value: 0.31). The DeltaSUV from baseline to post-therapy PET/CT was on average 72.9% in group A and 79.8% in group B. This difference also had no statistical significance (P value: 0.24). The correlation coefficient was 0.98 in group A and 0.80 in group B. Results of PET/CT after 2 cycles of chemotherapy did not statistically differ from the results of PET/CT after 4 cycles of chemotherapy. These results need to be confirmed in larger, prospective, randomized trials.
Comparison of arsenazo III optical signals in intact and cut frog twitch fibers. (1987)

The Ca indicator arsenazo III was introduced into cut frog twitch fibers by diffusion from end-pool segments rendered permeable by saponin. After 2-3 h, the arsenazo III concentration at the optical recording site in the center of a fiber reached two to three times that in the end-pool solutions. Thus, arsenazo III was bound to or taken up by intracellular constituents. The time course of indicator appearance was fitted by equations for diffusion plus linear reversible binding; on average, 0.73 of the indicator was bound and the free diffusion constant was 0.86 x 10(-6) cm2/s at 18 degrees C. When the indicator was removed from the end pools, it failed to diffuse away from the optical site as rapidly as it had diffused in. The wavelength dependence of resting arsenazo III absorbance was the same in cut fibers and injected intact fibers. After action potential stimulation, the active Ca and dichroic signals were similar in the two preparations, which indicates that arsenazo III undergoes the same changes in absorbance and orientation in both cut and intact fibers. Ca transients in freshly prepared cut fibers appeared to be similar to those in intact fibers. As a cut fiber experiment progressed, however, the Ca signal changed. With action potential stimulation, the half-width of the signal gradually increased, regardless of whether the indicator concentration was increasing or decreasing. This increase was usually not accompanied by any change in the amplitude of the Ca signal at a given indicator concentration or by any obvious deterioration in the electrical condition of the fiber. In voltage-clamp experiments near threshold, the relation between peak [Ca] and voltage usually became less steep with time and shifted to more negative potentials. All these changes were also observed in cut fibers containing antipyrylazo III (Maylie, J., M. Irving, N. L. Sizto, and W. K. Chandler. 1987. Journal of General Physiology. 89:83-143). They are considered to represent a progressive change in the physiological state of a cut fiber during the time course of an experiment.
Paxlovid-like nirmatrelvir/ritonavir fails to block SARS-CoV-2 transmission in ferrets (2022)

Despite the continued spread of SARS-CoV-2 and emergence of variants of concern (VOC) that are capable of escaping preexisting immunity, therapeutic options are underutilized. In addition to preventing severe disease in high-risk patients, antivirals may contribute to interrupting transmission chains. The FDA has granted emergency use authorizations for two oral drugs, molnupiravir and paxlovid. Initial clinical trials suggested an efficacy advantage of paxlovid, giving it a standard-of-care-like status in the United States. However, recent retrospective clinical studies suggested a more comparable efficacy of both drugs in preventing complicated disease and case-fatalities in older adults. For a direct efficacy comparison under controlled conditions, we assessed potency of both drugs against SARS-CoV-2 in two relevant animal models; the Roborovski dwarf hamster model for severe COVID-19 in high-risk patients and the ferret model of upper respiratory tract disease and transmission. After infection of dwarf hamsters with VOC omicron, paxlovid and molnupiravir were efficacious in mitigating severe disease and preventing death. However, a pharmacokinetics-confirmed human equivalent dose of paxlovid did not significantly reduce shed SARS-CoV-2 titers in ferrets and failed to block virus transmission to untreated direct-contact ferrets, whereas transmission was fully suppressed in a group of animals treated with a human-equivalent dose of molnupiravir. Prophylactic administration of molnupiravir to uninfected ferrets in direct contact with infected animals blocked productive SARS-CoV-2 transmission, whereas all contacts treated with prophylactic paxlovid became infected. These data confirm retrospective reports of similar therapeutic benefit of both drugs for older adults, and reveal that treatment with molnupiravir, but not paxlovid, may be suitable to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
Effects of Zinc Nitrate and HMTA on the Formation Mechanisms of ZnO Nanowires on Au Seed Layers (2023)

The ability to form ZnO nanowire arrays with dedicated morphological properties is crucial for the development of efficient piezoelectric devices such as piezoelectric nanogenerators and sensors. However, their integration typically requires the use of metallic seed layers for their synthesis by chemical bath deposition, from which their morphological control is still very limited. In this context, the formation mechanisms of ZnO nanowires from Au seed layers are carefully investigated for different precursor (i.e., zinc nitrate and hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA)) concentrations in the range of 1–100 mM, where drastic variations of the morphological properties are observed. By coupling in situ pH measurements and thermodynamic computations, we perform an in-depth analysis of the thermodynamic properties of the chemical bath, where the predominant role of the NO3– ions in the evolution of the pH of the chemical bath is revealed. An original approach is further developed to carefully determine the hydrolysis ratio of HMTA molecules, which is found to vary in the range of 20–45% with the precursor concentration, and to directly impact the supersaturation ratio of Zn(II) species. From these results, we identify the presence of three different growth regimes depending on the precursor concentrations, each of them giving rise to ZnO nanowire arrays with specific morphological properties. These results highlight the critical importance of the thermodynamic properties of the chemical bath in the formation process of ZnO nanowires from Au seed layers and provide key elements of understanding to efficiently optimize their morphology for their integration into piezoelectric devices.
ChemInform Abstract: Stereoselective Rh2(S‐IBAZ)4‐Catalyzed Cyclopropanation of Alkenes, Alkynes, and Allenes: Asymmetric Synthesis of Diacceptor Cyclopropylphosphonates and Alkylidenecyclopropanes. (2013)

Abstract This is the first catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanation of allenes with diacceptor diazo compounds.
Intranasal Treatment with a Recombinant Hypoallergenic Derivative of the Major Birch Pollen Allergen Bet v 1 Prevents Allergic Sensitization and Airway Inflammation in Mice (2001)

We conclude that mucosal tolerance induction with recombinant allergens and genetically engineered hypoallergenic derivatives thereof could provide a convenient and safe intervention strategy against type I allergy.
Awareness: potential toxicities of carbon nanotubes (2019)

Carbon nanotubes belong to a class of tiny tubular structures composed of carbon atoms. These carbon atoms are arranged in a honeycomb-type (nano)tube and their structure and the strength of the bonds between the atoms provide exceptional physicochemical properties. Carbon nanotubes consist of either single graphene cylinders [single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT)] with an outer diameter of 1–3 nm, or multiple graphene cylinders arranged in concentric layers [multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT)] with diameters ranging from 10 to 200 nm and a length from a few hundreds of nano-meters to several tens of micro-meters. The unique physicochemical, mechanical (strength/stiffness), electrical, and thermal properties of carbon nanotubes have contributed to an increased use of these materials in the electronics, aerospace, computer, and pharmaceutical industries.
Faculty Opinions recommendation of AMPK and PPARdelta agonists are exercise mimetics. (2008)

The benefits of endurance exercise on general health make it desirable to identify orally active agents that would mimic or potentiate the effects of exercise to treat metabolic diseases. Although certain natural compounds, such as reseveratrol, have endurance-enhancing activities, their exact metabolic targets remain elusive. We therefore tested the effect of pathway-specific drugs on endurance capacities of mice in a treadmill running test. We found that PPAR/ agonist and exercise training synergistically increase oxidative myofibers and running endurance in adult mice. Because training activates AMPK and PGC1, we then tested whether the orally active AMPK agonist AICAR might be sufficient to overcome the exercise requirement. Unexpectedly, even in sedentary mice, 4 weeks of AICAR treatment alone induced metabolic genes and enhanced running endurance by 44%. These results demonstrate that AMPK-PPAR pathway can be targeted by orally active drugs to enhance training adaptation or even to increase endurance without exercise.
Homing with stereovision (2015)

SUMMARY Visual Homing is a navigation method based on comparing a stored image of a goal location to the current image to determine how to navigate to the goal location. It is theorized that insects such as ants and bees employ visual homing techniques to return to their nest or hive, and inspired by this, several researchers have developed elegant robot visual homing algorithms. Depth information, from visual scale, or other modality such as laser ranging, can improve the quality of homing. While insects are not well equipped for stereovision, stereovision is an effective robot sensor. We describe the challenges involved in using stereovision derived depth in visual homing and our proposed solutions. Our algorithm, Homing with Stereovision (HSV), utilizes a stereo camera mounted on a pan-tilt unit to build composite wide-field stereo images and estimate distance and orientation from the robot to the goal location. HSV is evaluated in a set of 200 indoor trials using two Pioneer 3-AT robots showing it effectively leverages stereo depth information when compared to a depth from scale approach.
ChemInform Abstract: Julia—Colonna Asymmetric Epoxidation of Furyl Styryl Ketone as a Route to Intermediates to Naturally‐Occurring Styryl Lactones. (1999)

Abstract ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 100 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract of an article which was published elsewhere, please select a “Full Text” option. The original article is trackable via the “References” option.