julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Drug coated stents for carotid intervention.
2005-06-01

Carotid endarterectomy has demonstrated its superiority over medical treatment of symptomatic as well as asymptomatic stenosis of the extracranial carotid artery. Although minimally invasive methods initially failed to produce similar results, stent implantation is becoming an alternative technique for stroke prophylaxis with technical advances, cerebral protection and careful patient selection. Even though restenosis does not seem to be a major limitation compared to coronary interventions, in-stent restenosis might occur more frequently with an increasing number of procedures performed and longer follow-up periods. Drug eluting stents have shown to attenuate this complication. Currently, no clinical data on drug eluting stents in carotid arteries are available. This article discusses the current literature on carotid artery stenting and the potential role of drug eluting stents in this field.
New blood vessel formation and expression of VEGF receptors after implantation of platelet growth factor-enriched biodegradable nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite
2005-06-01

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a key role for the interaction of osteoblasts and endothelial cells and, therefore, is an important factor for the osteointegration of bone substitutes. The aim of the current work was to study the effects of platelet growth factors (PLF) on new blood vessel formation and VEGF-receptors expression pattern in bone defects filled with nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (HA) paste in miniature-pigs. Conventional histology, RT-PCR for VEGF and receptors mRNA, Western blot analysis, immunohistochemical staining and quantitative assessment of newly formed vessels was performed. HA enriched with platelet growth factor (HA/PLF+) led to an up-regulation of VEGF-R1 synthesis, a slightly enhanced number of newly formed vessels with higher sprouting activity compared with HA without PLF (HA/PLF-) filling defects. These observation are most likely attributable to a stimulating effect of TGF-ss from the platelet factor on VEGF expression in osteoblasts.
Optical Limiting of Transition Metal-Phthalocyanine Complexes: A Photochromic Effect involving the Excited State of the Conjugated Molecule
2005-06-01

ABSTRACT The nonlinear optical effect of optical limiting which is produced upon high intensity irradiation in the visible spectrum of an optical system containing phthalocyanines is a photochromic event. The photoswitching process at the basis of the optical limiting effect in phthalocyanines is the increase of the optical absorption of the conjugated complex at the wavelength of irradiation following the formation of a highly absorbing excited electronic state of phthalocyanines. The intensity of the optical fields that provoke optical limiting effect in phthalocyanines can be as high as several megawatts per square centimeter. In the present contribution the optical limiting effect generated by phthalocyanines against nanosecond laser pulses in the visible range is reported and analyzed in terms of the structural features of the photoactive molecule. Phthalocyanines with varied structural elements, e.g., different ring-substituents, coordinating central atoms and axial ligands, could be prepared through various synthetic strategies. The analysis of the optical limiting properties of the various phthalocyanines has been carried out under conditions which could allow a meaningful comparison of their actual effectiveness. Keywords: optical limitingphotochromismphotoswitchingphthalocyaninepulsed laserreverse saturable absorption Acknowledgments Financial support from EU (contracts HPRN-CT-2000-00020 and HPRN-CT-2002-00323) is gratefully acknowledged. Dr. James Shirk from NRL (Washington, USA) and Dr. Guo Ying Yang from DSO (Singapore) are acknowledged for profitful discussions.
Clinical Relevance of Antiphospholipid Antibodies in Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
2005-06-01

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a cholestatic liver disease characterized by the presence of antimitochondrial autoantibodies (AMAs), but also with reactivities to other autoantigens. Recent studies showed that antibodies to phospholipids (APAs) represent an important group of autoantibodies identified in patients with PBC. In this study different types of APAs were identified in the sera of patients with PBC and autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) and control subjects. Sera from patients with PBC and AIH were tested for the presence of antibodies directed against cardiolipin (CL), phosphatidylserine (PS), and to beta(2)-glycoprotein I (beta(2)-GPI). Furthermore, an in-house test for antithromboplastin antibodies was performed. Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) and antimitochondrial antibodies (AMAs) were tested with standard tests. IgM anti-PS antibodies were found in 75% of the 51 PBC patients, but only in 4% of the 48 AIH patients (P < 0.0001). IgM anti-CL antibodies were more frequently detected in AIH than in PBC (75% vs. 89%; P = 0.045). IgM anti-beta(2)-GPI antibodies were observed more frequently in patients with AIH (83%) than with PBC (59%; P = 0.007). The APAs of the IgG type did not differ significantly between the groups of patients. Considering the clinical/laboratory parameters, the levels of alkaline phosphatase (P = 0.017), glutamate pyruvate transaminase (P = 0.035), and glutamate oxalacetate transaminase (P = 0.034) were significantly higher in PBC patients who were positive for IgM anti-PS antibodies than in the anti-PS antibody-negative patients. In conclusion, APAs are present in PBC patients with a higher level of the disease or more intense liver damage than in patients without APAs. Thus IgM anti-PS antibodies represent a new marker of activity in PBC patients.
Genetic and Functional Characterization of Isolated Stromal Cell Lines from the Aorta‐Gonado‐Mesonephros Region
2005-06-01

A bstract : The hematopoietic system interacts with a supportive stromal environment allowing maintenance and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). The aorta‐gonado‐mesonephros (AGM) region serves as a unique embryonic microenvironment, generating the first adult repopulating HSCs in the mouse embryo. To eludicate factors involved in hematopoietic support and induction of hematopoietic differentiation, we isolated more than 100 stromal cell clones derived from the AGM region of embryonic day (E) 10.5 mouse embryos for functional and genetic analysis. Selected isolated AGM stromal cell lines are highly efficient in supporting maintenance and expansion of mouse and human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. In addition, we can demonstrate for the first time that AGM stromal cell lines are also potent inducers of hematopoietic differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells. Stromal gene array analysis has identified genes that could play a role in hematopoietic support.
Decoherence of electron waves due to induced charges moving through a nearby resistive material
2005-06-01

An experiment in which decoherence, i.e. the transition from quantum to classical behaviour, can be studied in detail was proposed by Anglin and Zurek [1] and has now been realized. An electron beam in a biprism interferometer is split into two parts both of which travel over a plate made of a highly resistive material at the same, small height. The induced charges inside the plate move along with the beam electron, therefore a current results which encounters ohmic resistance. This process leads to a disturbance in the electron and phonon gas in the plate. As this disturbance is different for the two parts of the beam, entanglement between beam electron and plate is formed. The strength of decoherence, represented by the visibility of the interference fringes, varies as a function of two parameters, the height above the plate and the lateral separation of the beams. Allowing electrons of different height to reach the fluorescent screen successively, 'photos' of the quantum-classical border (continuous decrease of contrast with decreasing height above the plate) are built up.
Insensitivity of cardiovascular function to low power cm-/mm-microwaves
2005-06-01

A previous study failed to disclose an effect of short (15 min) exposure to low level energy microwaves (3 microW/cm2) emitted by a commercially available automobile radar system (77 GHz) for adaptive cruise control (ACC) on cardiovascular function. The present study explored whether a 15 min exposure to higher level energy microwaves of frequencies varying from 5.8 to 110 GHz influences cardiovascular function. To this end heart rate, skin temperature (thermocouple), skin conductance (Ag/AgCl electrodes), systolic and diastolic blood pressure (automatic cuff) were recorded in 50 test persons before, during and after a 15 min exposure to a sequential pattern of microwaves varying from 5.8 to 110 GHz (59.7 microW/cm2). After an equilibration period of 30 min the first group of test persons and after additional 30 min the second group of test persons were exposed. The study has been performed in a strict double blind design. While significant effects on the measured parameters were observed depending on time ("calming" effect), no significant difference was observed between exposure and sham exposure to microwaves. In view of the small scatter of the data the present study rules out physiologically relevant effects of moderate energy (59.7 microW/cm2) microwaves varying from 5.8 to 110 GHz on cardiovascular function.
Neural cell adhesion molecule-null mice are not deficient in prepulse inhibition of the startle response
2005-06-01

Mice constitutively deficient in the neural cell adhesion molecule have morphological changes in the brain, which are hallmarks of schizophrenia. Schizophrenic patients are impaired in sensorimotor processing indicated by a deficit in prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response. Here we tested whether prepulse inhibition and prepulse facilitation are changed in neural cell adhesion molecule-deficient mice compared with their wild-type littermates. Neither prepulse inhibition nor prepulse facilitation (which occurred only at the lowest prepulse intensity used and was weak) was altered. This result is discussed in the light of the 'two-hit' hypothesis of schizophrenia, suggesting that in neural cell adhesion molecule-deficient mice, a prepulse inhibition deficit may become apparent only after treatment with a 'second hit' (such as increased stress).
Multiplexing Schemes for Generic SNP Genotyping Assays
2005-06-01

Association studies in populations relate genomic variation among individuals with medical condition. Key to these studies is the development of efficient and affordable genotyping techniques. Generic genotyping assays are independent of the target SNPs and offer great flexibility in the genotyping process. Efficient use of such assays calls for identifying sets of SNPs that can be interrogated in parallel under constraints imposed by the genotyping technology. In this paper, we study problems arising in the design of genotyping experiments using generic assays. Our problem formulation deals with two main factors that affect the genotyping cost: the number of assays used and the number of PCR reactions required for sample preparation. We prove that the resulting computational problems are hard, but provide approximate and heuristic solutions to these problems. Our algorithmic approach is based on recasting the multiplexing problems as partitioning and packing problems on a bipartite graph. We tested our algorithmic approaches on an extensive collection of synthetic data and on data that was simulated using real SNP sequences. Our results show that the algorithms achieve near-optimal designs in many cases and demonstrate the applicability of generic assays to SNP genotyping.
Superconducting Quantum Interference Filters Consisting of Josephson Junctions With Unconventional Current-Phase Relation
2005-06-01

Superconducting quantum interference filters (SQIFs) are parallel or serial Josephson junction arrays with a unique DC voltage output around vanishing magnetic field B = 0. Certain features of the voltage output also depend on the current-phase relation of the individual junctions in the array. Taking into account the first two harmonics I/sub c1/ and I/sub c2/ of the supercurrent we investigate the DC voltage output <V xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> of the array. In particular we describe a characteristic magnetic field asymmetry of the voltage output. Applications of the theory include the design of SQIFs with novel flux to voltage transfer functions using high-T/sub c/ superconductors on bi- or tri-crystal substrates.</V>
Enhanced vascular cGMP/cGK I signaling and hypotonia in cysteine-rich-protein 2-deficient mice
2005-06-01

The NO/cGMP signaling pathway plays an important role in vasorelaxation and blood pressure regulation. The predominant effector of cGMP in vascular smooth muscle is cGMP kinase I (cGK I). Established substrates of cGK I in vascular smooth muscle are the large-conductance voltageand Ca2+-activated (BK) potassium channel, the IP3receptor-associated cGMP kinase substrate (IRAG) and the myosin phophatase 1 M. Previously, we identified the cysteine-rich protein 2 (CRP2) in blood vessels as a new substrate of cGK I which is specifically phosphorylated by cGK I in vivo. However, the physiological role of CRP2 and its involvement in regulation of vascular tone as an effector of cGMP/cGK I signaling was not known. To elucidate the functional role of CRP2 in vascular smooth muscle, we generated CRP2-deficient (CRP2-/-) mice. The myogenic tone of CRP2-/tibial small arteries towards stepwise pressure changes revealed no differences when compared to wild type (wt). Unexpectedly, cGMP-mediated relaxation was enhanced in CRP2-/tibial small arteries and A. saphena. In contrast to cGMP, the cAMP-mediated relaxation was not affected in these vessels. Long-term radiotelemetric recordings revealed a significantly decreased mean arterial pressure (MAP) and an enhanced NO/ cGMP signaling in CRP2-/mice compared to wt. In-depth analysis revealed increased protein levels of cGK I, whereas the expression of cGK I targets such as BK channel and IRAG was not altered in CRP2-/vessels compared to wt. Interactor screens with CRP2 as a bait revealed a specific interaction with a translation initiation factor. These findings suggest that CRP2 is a specific effector of the vascular NO/cGMP/cGK I signaling in vivo. CRP2 seems to be involved in the regulation of the NO/cGMP/cGK I signaling pathway by modulating cGK I expression. In addition, the CRP2-/mouse line may serve as an animal model for hypotonia. from 2nd International Conference of cGMP Generators, Effectors and Therapeutic Implications Potsdam, Germany, 10–12 June, 2005
The role of cGMP and PKG-I in spinal nociceptive processing
2005-06-01

First paragraph (this article has no abstract) Persistent stimulation of nociceptors results in sensitization of nociceptive sensory neurons, which is associated with hyperalgesia and allodynia. The release of NO and subsequent synthesis of cGMP in the spinal cord are involved in this process. cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (PKG-I) has been suggested to act as a downstream target of cGMP, but its exact role in nociception hadn't been characterized yet. To further evaluate the NO/cGMP/PKG-I pathway in nociception we assessed the effects of PKG-I inhibiton and activaton in the rat formalin assay and analyzed the nociceptive behavior of PKG-I-/- mice. Open access article.
HER2 expression in disseminated tumor cells (DTC) and corresponding primary tumors of breast cancer patients
2005-06-01

9580 Background: The presence of disseminated tumor cells (DTC) in bone marrow (BM) of breast cancer patients is associated with poor prognosis. Several studies have indicated that these patients may benefit from secondary adjuvant immunotherapy. HER2 protein is suggested as one of the promising targets. The phenotype of the primary tumor is the current gold standard to make antibody based treatment decisions. However, the antigenic profile of primary tumors and DTC may be different. The aims of this study were (1) to determine the HER2 status of DTC in BM of breast cancer patients (2) and to compare the HER2 status of DTC and corresponding primary tumors. Method: Cytospins from bone marrow aspirates of 124 primary breast cancer patients (stage I-III) were analyzed for this study. A double labeling procedure was used for the identification of cytokeratin-positive (CK+)/HER2 positive cells. Slides were incubated with the pan-anti-cytokeratin antibody C11 conjugated to FITC and the polyclonal rabbit antibody CB11 against the HER2 protein. CB11 was detected by a secondary antibody labeled with Texas Red. HER2 status of the primary tumor was immunohistochemically assessed by the HERCEP-test (Dako Co., CA). Results: Disseminated tumor cells (DTC) were detected in the bone marrow of 47 patients. The number of DTC ranged from 1 to 70 per slide. 24 of these patients had HER2 positive DTC. HER2 positivity (score: 2+/3+) could be demonstrated in 12 of 46 primary tumors. Concordance rate between primary tumor and DTC was 63%. In three patients with HER2 positive tumors HER2 negative DTC were detected. In contrast, 14 patients with HER2 negative tumors (score: 0/1+) had HER2 positive DTC. The HER2 expression in DTC was heterogeneous in 8 of 20 patients with more than one CK-positive cell. Conclusions: (1) HER2 positive DTC can be detected in patients with HER2 negative primary tumors. Therefore, the antigenic profile of DTC should be included in the treatment decision for antibody based strategies. (2) The DTC are heterogeneous with regard to HER2 positivity. The effect of heterogeneity on the patient’s response is yet to be determined. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
Induction of clinical and immunological responses in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma after vaccinations with peptide pulsed dendritic cells
2005-06-01

2507 Background: Pulsing of dendritic cells (DC) with tumor antigens and their applications in immunotherapy of malignant diseases has been shown effective. We analyzed the clinical and immunological responses in patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) using autologous mature monocyte derived DC. Methods: DC were pulsed with two HLA-A2 binding peptides deduced from MUC1. For the recruiting and activation of CD4+ T cells DC were further incubated with the PAN-DR binding peptide PADRE. Vaccinations were performed sc every two weeks four times and repeated monthly until tumor progression. After the fifth DC injection patients additionally received 3 injections/week of low dose IL-2 (1Mio IE/m2) sc. The enhancement of T cell precursor was monitored using IFN-γ ELISPOT and 51Cr-release assays. Furthermore, we tested the ability of PBMC to produce cytokines in response to challenge with vaccine-related epitopes by quantitative real-time PCR. Results: 20 patients were included in this study. In 6 patients regression of metastases was induced with 4 objective responses (OR) (1 CR, 3 PR) and 2 mixed responses. 4 patients had a stabilization of the disease. MUC1 peptide specific T cell responses in vivo were detected in the PBMC of all patients with OR. These in vivo induced T cells were able to recognize target cells pulsed with the cognate peptide or matched allogeneic tumor cells (A498) constitutively expressing MUC1 in an antigen and HLA restricted manner after in vitro restimulation. Interestingly, in patients responding to the treatment, T cell responses to antigens not used for vaccinations like adipophilin, telomerase or OFA could be detected indicating that epitope spreading might occur. Proliferative responses to the PADRE peptide were detectable in 11 out of 16 analyzed patients, in some patients already after the first 2 vaccinations. The treatment was well tolerated with no severe side effects. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that peptide pulsed DC can be effective in the treatment of metastatic RCC. Furthermore, analysis of epitope spreading in vaccinated patients might be a usefull parameter to correlate clinical and immunological responses. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
A label-free detection method of biochemical interactions with low-cost plastic and other transparent transducers
2005-06-03

This article is presenting results of label-free detections of biochemical interactions with a simple optical reflectometric concept. While other label-free detection methods need special dimensioned transducers and a high device-related effort, this new principle is working with only one optimal wavelength and is getting qualitatively good results which are absolutely comparable to already established detection methods. We show among other things that it is possible to detect antigene-antibody binding as well as DNA-DNA hybridizations on low cost plastic transducers with this simple 1&#955;-reflectometry concept.
Patterns of red muscle strain/activation and body kinematics during steady swimming in a lamnid shark, the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus)
2005-06-06

SUMMARY The dynamics of steady swimming were examined in the shortfin mako(Isurus oxyrinchus), a member of the cartilaginous fish family Lamnidae, a family known for their morphological adaptations for high-performance locomotion and their similarity in hydromechanical design to tunas. Patterns of red muscle (RM) strain (i.e. relative length change) and activation were quantified at two axial positions (∼0.4 and 0.6L,where L is total body length), using sonomicrometry and electromyography (EMG), and correlated with simultaneous measurements of dorsal midline kinematics during steady swimming (∼0.5–1 Ls–1). RM strain varied longitudinally with strain amplitudes ranging from 5.5±1.1% (s.e.m.) in the anterior to 8.7±0.9% in the posterior. We found no significant longitudinal variation in patterns of RM activation, with mean onset of activation occurring at 83–84° (90° is peak length) and offset at 200–210° at both body positions. Likewise, duty cycles were similar:35.5±1.0% in the anterior and 32.2±1.6% in the posterior. Comparison of the timing of waves of dorsal midline curvature and predicted strain relative to measured RM strain revealed a phase shift between RM shortening and local body bending. Furthermore, when the body is bent passively, RM shortens synchronously with the surrounding white muscle (WM)and skin, as expected. During active swimming, peaks in RM strain were delayed relative to peaks in WM strain by a mean of ∼10% of the tailbeat cycle,with one individual as high as ∼17% in the anterior and nearly 50% in the posterior. The longitudinal consistency in the EMG/strain phase relationship in the mako is similar to that in the leopard shark, suggesting a consistent trend among sharks using different locomotor modes. However, unlike in the leopard shark, RM shortening in the mako is physically uncoupled from deformation of the surrounding body during steady swimming, a characteristic shared between the mako and tunas.
Local density of states at polygonal boundaries ofd-wave superconductors
2005-06-06

Besides the well-known existence of Andreev bound states, the zero-energy local density of states at the boundary of a d-wave superconductor strongly depends on the boundary geometry itself. In this work, we examine the influence of both a simple wedge-shaped boundary geometry and a more complicated polygonal or faceted boundary structure on the local density of states. For a wedge-shaped boundary geometry, we find oscillations of the zero-energy density of states in the corner of the wedge, depending on the opening angle of the wedge. Furthermore, we study the influence of a single Abrikosov vortex situated near a boundary, which is of either macroscopic or microscopic roughness.