gebhart/patrepeval huggingface dataset:
In vitro differentiation of human dental follicle cells with dexamethasone and insulin (2005)

The dental follicle is an ectomesenchymally derived connective tissue harboring precursor cells for the tooth supporting apparatus. In this study, we examined gene expression of freshly isolated human dental follicle cells during osteogenic differentiation in vitro. These plastic adherent fibroblastic cells express Notch-1, nestin and vimentin. We differentiated dental follicle cells with dexamethasone or insulin-based protocols into membrane-like structures containing mineralizing foci. An analysis of mineralized tissue with atomic force microscopy illustrated a bone and cementum-like structure. A real-time RT-PCR analysis was developed to investigate expression of typical osteoblast or cementoblast related genes during differentiation. Gene expressions of osteocalcin (OCN), bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-2 and nestin were increased during the both differentiation approaches. Our work demonstrates differentiation of dental follicle cells with an insulin-based protocol for the first time.
Does the gonadotrophic axis play a role in the pathogenesis of Sertoli‐cell‐only syndrome? (1997)

Infertile men with Sertoli-cell-only syndrome (SCO) have highly elevated serum FSH immunoactivity related to the degree of histological damage. The activity that serum FSH exerts at the target site depends on its glycosylation pattern and FSH receptor (FSHR) function. Either could be impaired, leading to failure of spermatogenesis. The aim of the present investigation was to study bioactivity and the glycosylation pattern of serum FSH and the occurrence of mutations in the FSH receptor in infertile patients with SCO compared to normal men. Blood was taken from 19 patients with bilateral testicular focal or complete SCO and eight normozoospermic controls. FSH bioactivity in serum was measured using an in-vitro FSH bioassay based on recombinant rat FSHR. The glycosylation pattern of serum FSH was determined by concanavalin A chromatography. Inhibin B was determined in serum using a recently available assay. Genomic DNA extracted from blood lymphocytes was amplified by PCR using primers specific for the FSHR and screened by single-stranded conformation polymorphism gel electrophoresis. Men with SCO showed significantly higher FSH in-vitro bioactivity (34.9 +/- 5.0 IU/l) than controls (9.6 +/- 0.8 IU/l: p < 0.01), as well as significantly elevated FSH immunoactivity (14.9 +/- 1.7 IU/l) compared to controls (3.1 +/- 0.5; p < 0.01). Immunoactivity of serum FSH was correlated with in-vitro bioactivity (r = 0.9; p < 0.001) and was related to the degree of testicular damage (proportion of SCO-tubules) (ANOVA: p < 0.001) and total testicular volume (r = -0.76; p < 0.01). An inverse relationship between serum FSH and inhibin B levels (r = -0.93; p < 0.001) was found. In the serum of SCO patients a slight increase in less glycosylated FSH isoforms was found (6.7 +/- 0.6% versus 3.6 +/- 0.3%; p < 0.05). No mutations of the FSHR were observed in SCO patients. We conclude that the spermatogenic failure observed in infertile patients with SCO histology and elevated FSH serum levels can be explained neither by a change in FSH bioactivity nor by mutations in the FSHR. The slight change in the FSH glycosylation pattern is probably related to higher hormonal secretion rates in SCO patients. The inverse relationship between serum FSH and inhibin B points to an intact endocrine testicular-pituitary circuit responsible for the compensatory increase of FSH in SCO.
Butyrophilin Btn2a2 Inhibits TCR Activation and Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt Pathway Signaling and Induces Foxp3 Expression in T Lymphocytes (2013)

The butyrophilin-related protein Btn2a2 was upregulated on murine APC including CD19(+) B cells, CD11b(+)F4/80(+) peritoneal macrophages, and CD11c(+) bone marrow-derived dendritic cells after activation with LPS or Pam3CysK4, suggesting a role in modulation of T lymphocytes. Consistent with this, binding of mouse Btn2a2-Fc to CD3(+) primary mouse T cells stimulated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 reduced the number of proliferating cells and entry of cells into the cell cycle. Binding of Btn2a2-Fc to anti-CD3-stimulated T cells inhibited CD3ε, Zap70, and subsequent Erk1/2 activation. It also interfered with activation of the regulatory subunit of PI3K, p85, and activation of Akt in T cells stimulated with both anti-CD3 and anti-CD28. Inhibition of Akt activation by Btn2a2-Fc was, in contrast to inhibition by programmed death ligand-1-Fc, not overcome by anti-CD28 costimulation. Using Foxp3-GFP-transgenic, naive T cells, Btn2a2-Fc induced de novo expression of Foxp3 in a dose-dependent manner, and Btn2a2-Fc-induced CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) T cells had inhibitory properties. The data indicate an important physiological role for Btn2a2 in inhibiting T cell activation and inducing Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells.
Immunoglobulin peptide chain synthesis in the newborn rabbit. (1969)

Lymphoid tissue from newborn rabbits was examined using fluorochrome conjugated goat antisera to rabbit γ, μ and α heavy chain and mixed light chain. Unimmunized newborn rabbits examined at intervals up to 20 days of age revealed a very low background of approximately one in 105 cells which stained with either the anti-μ, anti-γ or anti-L chain reagents. Newborn rabbits, immunized intraperitoneally on the day of birth with S. paratyphi B (4, 5, 12:b), showed a 1000-fold increase in the number of stained cells; μ heavy chain containing cells were found 16 hours after immunization, and γ heavy chain containing cells were found 20 hours after immunization in the rabbit spleen tissue. The numbers of μ containing cells and γ containing cells were approximately equal at 5 days of age in the immunized groups. No α heavy chain containing cells were found in any of the rabbits studied. All cells which stained with the anti-μ or γ heavy chain reagent were also stained with the anti-light chain reagent.

The cellular response of the immunized newborn rabbits could be inhibited by passive antibody to S. paratyphi B, either given at the time of immunization, or passively acquired from the doe. Specificity of inhibition was indicated by the failure of sheep red blood cells (SRBC) stroma to be inhibited in animals so suppressed.

The range of cellular morphology of the γ chain containing and the μ chain containing cells was indistinguishable. The earliest cell to be stained with either anti-γ or anti-μ was a large blast-like cell with a thin rim of cytoplasm and a large nucleus. A full range of forms between this and typical plasma cells appeared later in each case.

These findings present a paradox since γG antibody to this antigen does not appear in the serum of such animals following γM class in the usual sequence characteristic of adult animals. Possible explanations of this paradox are explored.
End‐functionalization of polystyrene by malto‐oligosaccharide generating aggregation‐tunable polymeric reverse micelle (2006)

Abstract This article describes that glucose, maltose, maltotriose, maltotetraose, maltopentaose, and maltohexaose ( a , b , c , d , e , and f , respectively) were introduced into the initiating chain‐end of polystyrene (PSt) through the 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl (TEMPO)‐mediated radical polymerization. A series of glycoconjuaged TEMPO‐adducts, 1a–f , was synthesized and used as the initiators for the polymerization of styrene (St) for 6 h at 120 °C to afford the end‐functionalized PSt's with the acetyl saccharides, 2a–f , in the yields of 37–43%. For 2a–f obtained by the polymerizations using the [St]/[ 1 ] of 125, 250, and 500, the number‐average molecular weights determined by size exclusion chromatography (SEC), M n,SEC 's, were 4800–6300, 8800–10,600, and 18,400–25,200, respectively, which fairly agreed with the predicted values. The end‐functionalized PSt's with saccharides, 3a–f , which were obtained from the deacetylation of 2a–f using sodium methoxide in dry THF, formed the polymeric reverse micelles consisting of a saccharide‐core and a PSt‐shell in chloroform and toluene. The static laser light scattering (SLS) measurements provided the average molar mass of the aggregates in toluene, M w,SLS 's, which ranged from 7.50 × 10 4 to 1.77 × 10 5 for 3a , from 1.90 × 10 5 to 4.93 × 10 5 for 3b , from 4.41 × 10 5 to 7.21 × 10 5 for 3c , from 5.85 × 10 5 to 8.51 × 10 5 for 3d , from 7.55 × 10 5 to 8.53 × 10 5 for 3e , and from 8.54 × 10 5 to 9.26 × 10 5 for 3f . The aggregation numbers, N agg 's, which were calculated from the M w,SLS 's, were from 7 to 24 for 3a , from 20 to 37 for 3b , from 34 to 89 for 3c , from 39 to 116 for 3d , from 41 to 145 for 3e , and from 31 to 146 for 3f . It was confirmed that the aggregation property, such as the M w,SLS or N agg values, was strongly related to the polymerization degrees of St (DP's) or the number of the glucose residues ( n 's) for 3a–f . © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 4864–4879, 2006
Architecting Self-Aware Software Systems (2014)

Contemporary software systems are becoming increasingly large, heterogeneous, and decentralised. They operate in dynamic environments and their architectures exhibit complex trade-offs across dimensions of goals, time, and interaction, which emerges internally from the systems and externally from their environment. This gives rise to the vision of self-aware architecture, where design decisions and execution strategies for these concerns are dynamically analysed and seamlessly managed at run-time. Drawing on the concept of self-awareness from psychology, this paper extends the foundation of software architecture styles for self-adaptive systems to arrive at a new principled approach for architecting self-aware systems. We demonstrate the added value and applicability of the approach in the context of service provisioning to cloud-reliant service-based applications.
Comparison of Three Phloem-Specific Promoters in Transgenic Tobacco Plants (2002)

Expression patterns and a tivities of three phloem-specific promoters (BP, CP and SP) gus chimeric genes were studied in transgenic tobacco plants with the chimeric CaMV 35SP-luc gene as internal control. Three plant expression vectors (pBL3BG, pBL3CG and pBL3BG) were constructed by linking the promoters - gus and 35S - luc in a plant expression vector and their transgenic tobacco plants were obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, respectively. Histochemical localization of GUS activity showed that all three promoters were phloem tissue-specific in leaves, petioles and stems of transgenic plants, but BP and SP were constitutive while CP was still phloem tissue-specific in roots. The fact that GUS activities are higher in veins than in leaves further proved that the three promoters are phloem-specific. The level of GUS expression was closely related to that of LUC in transgenic plants, therefore the expression level of LUC provided an internal control to normalize each value from promoter-gus expression. Comparasion of standarded GUS activity among plants transformed with the three promoter-GUS constructs revealed that the relative activity of BP was similar to CP and SP is 84% of CP. These results indicated that both BP and SP were strong phloem tissue-specific promoters.
Abstract 834: The microtubule-disrupting drug BNC105 is a potent inducer of acute apoptosis in CLL (2014)

Abstract The cytotoxicity of microtubule-disrupting drugs such as the vinca alkaloids has generally been considered to occur during mitosis. However, we have reported that vinca alkaloids can induce apoptosis rapidly (&lt;6 h) from all phases of the cell cycle, and even in post-mitotic quiescent cells such as peripheral chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Microtubule disruption still appears to be required as acute apoptosis also occurs with combretastatin A4 (CA4) which targets the colchicine-binding site on tubulin, but not with paclitaxel which stabilizes microtubules. The mechanism of this rapid apoptosis is associated with two different pathways: induction of the pro-apoptotic BCL2 family member NOXA and activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK). A proof-of-concept clinical trial revealed that vincristine activated JNK in peripheral lymphocytes of patients with CLL, but failed to induce NOXA or apoptosis, suggesting that this might not be the best microtubule disruptor to use clinically. Further investigation revealed that the vascular disrupting agent BNC105 (provided by Bionomics Ltd), which also targets the colchicine-binding site on tubulin, is a much more potent activator of JNK and inducer of NOXA in various leukemia cell lines and freshly isolated CLL cells. BNC105 induced ATF3, phospho-ATF2 and NOXA proteins and activated JNK at low nM concentrations. As a single agent, BNC105 induced JNK-dependent apoptosis in CLL cells ex vivo at clinically achievable concentrations, and much more potently than either vinblastine or CA4. The combination of BNC105 with the BCL2 inhibitor ABT-199 increased apoptosis levels in CLL cells and various leukemia cell lines. Furthermore, the addition of BNC105 partially overcame stroma-mediated resistance to ABT-199 in CLL cells suggesting potential efficacy of this combination in the lymph node microenvironment. Survival of normal lymphocytes was not affected by BNC alone or in combination, even though JNK was activated. These results suggest BNC105 is an excellent candidate for clinical trials to induce acute apoptosis in hematopoietic malignancies. Citation Format: Darcy J.P. Bates, Edmundo J. Feris, Alexey V. Danilov, Alan Eastman. The microtubule-disrupting drug BNC105 is a potent inducer of acute apoptosis in CLL. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 834. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-834
A new soy flour-polyepoxide adhesive system for making interior plywood (2011)

Abstract In this study, triglycidylamine (TGA) was synthesized and evaluated as a crosslinking agent for soy flour (SF) for making five-ply plywood from yellow poplar. Glycerol polyglycidyl ether (GPE) and trimethylolpropane triglycidyl ether (TTE) were also investigated as crosslinking agents for SF as adhesive for plywood. The plywood panels bonded with SF-TGA and SF-GPE adhesives did meet and those with SF-TTE adhesive did not meet the water-resistance requirement for interior application. The former two adhesives are formaldehyde-free, environmentally friendly, easy to use and readily available. They can be derived completely from renewable materials. The adhesion mechanisms are discussed in detail.
Supercritical CO<sub>2</sub>Fractionation of Bio-oil Produced from Mixed Biomass of Wheat and Wood Sawdust (2009)

Interest in the biomass as a source of fuel, chemicals, and materials is growing fast. The bio-oil derived from biomass is attractive due to its renewability and the fact that it is CO2 balanced and sulfur free. The physical and chemical characteristics of biomass (i.e. wheat−wood sawdust) were estimated using proximate analysis, calorific value, crystallinity, devolatalization behavior, and ultimate analysis. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) of ash, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), and composition of water-soluble sugars of mixed biomass (wheat−wood sawdust) were also carried out. For commercial purposes, the same biomass was used for conversion to bio-oil by fast pyrolysis process. In order to investigate its properties, bio-oil was systematically characterized using different measurements such as proximate analysis and calorific value, whereas the chemical composition of bio-oil was estimated using CHNS, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), gas chromatography flame ionization detection (GC-FID), and GC/MS. The bio-oil obtained was a mixture of hydrocarbons, pyranoids, furanoids, benzenoids, and fatty acids/alcohols along with 45% of water. The high amount of water present in bio-oil forms an azeotrope with organic polar compounds. The organic fraction of the bio-oil was isolated by supercritical carbon dioxide (SC−CO2), and it was observed that the first fraction of SC−CO2 extraction collected at 25 MPa was enriched with furanoids (9.9%), pyranoids (9.0%), and bezenoids (44.8%). The organic fraction present in the bio-oil was extracted by organic solvents, and the yields and chemical compositions of products were compared with those obtained from SC−CO2 fractions.
Review of ACR hematologic criteria in systemic lupus erythematosus (2004)

We have conducted a thorough literature review to evaluate the relative value of the hematologic criterion in making a diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), its clinical relevance, and its prognostic significance. In the updated 1982 ACR criteria, the presence of one or more of the four elements: 1) hemolytic anemia (with reticulocytosis); 2) leukopenia (<4000/microL on two or more occasions); 3) lymphopenia (< 1500/microL on two or more occasions); or 4) thrombocytopenia (< 100,000/microL in the absence of offending drugs) is now considered as a single hematologic disorder. The sensitivity and specificity of the individual elements of the hematologic criterion range from 18 to 46% and 89 to 99%, respectively. The accuracy of the hematologic criterion requires proper interpretation. For example, many studies reported the presence of anemia that was not clearly defined and likely included anemia from etiologies other than hemolytic anemia, thereby causing an overestimation of the prevalence. In addition, medications such as corticosteroids and cytotoxic agents, and viral infections, can also contribute to a reduction in lymphocyte count. Despite these limitations, the SLICC committee recommends no change in the elements of the hematologic criterion when this criterion is properly interpreted and other causes of cytopenia are excluded.
ChemInform Abstract: Conducting Forms of Carbon: Fullerenes, Onions, Nanotubes (2000)

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.
Chronic Administration of the Metastin/Kisspeptin Analog KISS1-305 or the Investigational Agent TAK-448 Suppresses Hypothalamic Pituitary Gonadal Function and Depletes Plasma Testosterone in Adult Male Rats (2012)

Metastin/kisspeptin, a hypothalamic peptide, plays a pivotal role in controlling GnRH neurons. Here we studied the effect of chronic sc administration of two kisspeptin analogs, KISS1-305 and TAK-448, on hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal function in male rats in comparison with a GnRH analogue leuprolide or bilateral orchiectomy (ORX). The prototype polypeptide, KISS1-305 (1-4 nmol/h), caused substantial elevations of plasma LH and testosterone, followed by abrupt reductions of both hormone levels. Notably, testosterone levels were reduced to castrate levels within 3 d and remained depleted throughout the 4-wk dosing period, an effect that was faster and more pronounced than leuprolide (1 nmol/h) dosing. KISS1-305 also reduced genital organ weight more profoundly than leuprolide. In mechanistic studies, chronic KISS1-305 administration only transiently induced c-Fos expression in GnRH neurons, suggesting that GnRH-neural response was attenuated over time. Hypothalamic GnRH content was reduced to 10-20% of control at 3 wk without any changes in Gnrh mRNA expression. Dosing with the investigational peptide TAK-448 was also studied to extend our understanding of hypothalamic-pituitary functions. Similar to ORX, TAK-448 (0.1 nmol/h) depleted testosterone and decreased GnRH content by 4 wk. However, in contrast to ORX, TAK-448 decreased gonadotropin levels in pituitary and plasma samples, implying the suppression of GnRH pulses. These results suggest that chronic administration of kisspeptin analogs disrupts endogenous kisspeptin signals to suppress intrinsic GnRH pulses, perhaps by attenuating GnRH-neural response and inducing continuous GnRH leakage from the hypothalamus. The potential utility of kisspeptin analogs as novel agents to treat hormone-related diseases, including prostate cancer, is discussed.
Arteriogenesis in Hypoperfused Rat Brain (2003)

Experimental and clinical studies have provided evidence for spontaneous and therapeutically induced arteriogenesis after occlusion of major peripheral or cardiac vessels. Such evidence is lacking for the cerebrovascular system. In halothane-anesthetized rats, different degrees of brain hypoperfusion were induced by one- to four-vessel occlusion, that is, one or both common carotid arteries in combination with or without bilateral vertebral artery occlusion. The flow decline was monitored by laser Doppler flowmetry, the residual hemodynamic reserve by testing flow reactivity to ventilation with 6% CO(2) and arteriogenesis by intravascular latex infusion and immunohistochemistry of vascular proliferation and monocyte adhesion. The optimum condition for induction of arteriogenesis was three-vessel (one carotid plus both vertebral arteries) occlusion, which led to reduction of blood flow to about 50% and complete suppression of CO(2) reactivity, but no histologic injury. One week after three-vessel occlusion, the ipsilateral posterior cerebral artery significantly enlarged by 39%, and after 3 weeks by 72%, paralleled by the partial return of CO(2) reactivity and the appearance of immunohistochemical markers of arteriogenesis. Three-vessel occlusion is a reliable model for the induction of arteriogenesis in the adult brain and is a new approach for exploring the potentials of arteriogenesis for the prevention of progressing brain ischemia.
ChemInform Abstract: Asymmetric Synthesis of β‐Lactams by Chiral Ester Enolate‐Imine Condensation. (1991)

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.
The STRING database in 2011: functional interaction networks of proteins, globally integrated and scored (2010)

An essential prerequisite for any systems-level understanding of cellular functions is to correctly uncover and annotate all functional interactions among proteins in the cell. Toward this goal, remarkable progress has been made in recent years, both in terms of experimental measurements and computational prediction techniques. However, public efforts to collect and present protein interaction information have struggled to keep up with the pace of interaction discovery, partly because protein-protein interaction information can be error-prone and require considerable effort to annotate. Here, we present an update on the online database resource Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING); it provides uniquely comprehensive coverage and ease of access to both experimental as well as predicted interaction information. Interactions in STRING are provided with a confidence score, and accessory information such as protein domains and 3D structures is made available, all within a stable and consistent identifier space. New features in STRING include an interactive network viewer that can cluster networks on demand, updated on-screen previews of structural information including homology models, extensive data updates and strongly improved connectivity and integration with third-party resources. Version 9.0 of STRING covers more than 1100 completely sequenced organisms; the resource can be reached at http://string-db.org.