tbuckley/cabot-search huggingface dataset:
Chemical composition and swelling of normal and osteoarthrotic femoral head cartilage. I. Chemical composition.
Authors: M Venn, A Maroudas
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (1977)

Radiochemical and biochemical methods were used to characterize post-mortem and osteoarthrotic femoral head cartilage. Fixed charge density measurements were correlated with glycosaminoglycan content as estimated by uronic acid and hexosamine analyses. In post-mortem cartilage water content decreased from a maximum at the surface to a minimum in the deep zones. In the osteoarthrotic specimens water content was greatest in the middle zones. Glycosaminoglycan content increased with depth and in the osteoarthrotic specimens was reduced throughout the depth of the cartilage. With increasing degeneration there was an increase in water content and decrease in glycosaminoglycan content. The difference in the water content profile in osteoarthrotic cartilage was explained in terms of damage to the collagen network. In osteoarthrosis the latter is no longer capable of restraining the swelling pressure produced by the glycosaminoglycans and swelling is greatest in the midzones, where glycosaminoglycan content is highest.
Predicting Gene Expression Level from Codon Usage Bias
Authors: Ian Henry, Paul M. Sharp
Journal: Molecular Biology and Evolution (2006)

The "expression measure" of a gene, E(g), is a statistic devised to predict the level of gene expression from codon usage bias. E(g) has been used extensively to analyze prokaryotic genome sequences. We discuss 2 problems with this approach. First, the formulation of E(g) is such that genes with the strongest selected codon usage bias are not likely to have the highest predicted expression levels; indeed the correlation between E(g) and expression level is weak among moderate to highly expressed genes. Second, in some species, highly expressed genes do not have unusual codon usage, and so codon usage cannot be used to predict expression levels. We outline a simple approach, first to check whether a genome shows evidence of selected codon usage bias and then to assess the strength of bias in genes as a guide to their likely expression level; we illustrate this with an analysis of Shewanella oneidensis.
Concerned About HPV-Related Cancer Rise, Researchers Advocate Boosting HPV Vaccination Rates
Authors: A. Azvolinsky
Journal: JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute (2013)

Deaths from the major cancers— lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate—continue to decline, a trend that started in the early 1990s. Cancer incidence is also declining, if slightly, for both sexes. That’s the good news from the annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, a joint research effort by the American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute, and the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (J Natl. Cancer Inst. 2013;105:175–201). But the study also shows an uptick in rates of anal and oropharyngeal cancer, a type of head and neck cancer related to infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), in the 10-year period ending in 2009. Cancer of the oropharynx increased among white men and women (3.9% and 1.7%, respectively). Anal cancer also increased in both sexes, with the greatest increase among black men (5.6%) and white women (3.7%). Rates of vulvar cancer, another HPV-related cancer, also increased among women despite continued lower rates of cervical cancer. Researchers attribute this rise in HPVrelated cancers to more HPV infections. “We think that increases in oral–genital sexual practices and increasing number of sexual partners that occurred some 30 years ago as part of the sexual revolution may be implicated in part of the increase in cancer rates we are seeing today,” said Edgar P. Simard, Ph.D., M.P.H., senior epidemiologist of surveillance research. Although rates of HPV infection from three decades ago were not available in the joint report, a trend exists of men and women now in their 50s and 60s having the highest rates of both oropharyngeal and anal cancers. To directly relate HPV infection with cancer development later in life, epidemiologists are attempting to understand how HPV, the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S., is spread and which populations are most at risk. HPV infection of the cervix increases with number of sexual partners and younger age of first sexual experience. Studies now show similar trends for oral HPV infection rates, which can lead to oropharyngeal cancer. More than 100 strains of the virus are passed through skin contact. Most cause benign warts on the genitals, hands, or face, but about 15 strains can cause cancer of the cervix, vagina, vulva, penis, anus, and oropharynx (tonsils, back of the throat, and base of the tongue). Most people with HPV clear the infection, but those with persistent infection for many years or decades are at risk for these cancers, depending on the site of viral infection.
Genesis of renal cysts is associated with clusterin expression in experimental cystic disease.
Authors: M E Rosenberg, J C Manivel, F A Carone, Y S Kanwar
Journal: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (1995)

Phenol II is a cystogenic chemical that rapidly induces renal cysts, which regress after drug withdrawal. Cyst formation in this model parallels changes in the tubular basement membrane. Clusterin is a potent cohesive factor induced in states of tissue remodeling. The purpose of this study was to determine if renal clusterin was increased in the Phenol II model and to define the time course and distribution of its induction. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were given, by daily gavage, Phenol II (1.2 mg/kg per day) or vehicle (control). The kidneys were harvested after 1, 2, or 4 days of Phenol II treatment or 3 or 7 days after drug withdrawal. An increase in immunoreactive clusterin was seen in the kidneys of Phenol II-treated rats but not in controls. The appearance of clusterin followed a time course similar to that for cyst formation, with expression confined to the epithelial lining and intratubular casts of dilated or cystic tubules. After Phenol II withdrawal, renal cysts regressed and clusterin staining disappeared. The development of cysts was associated with an increase in clusterin mRNA that decreased after drug withdrawal. In conclusion, a marked, yet reversible induction of clusterin occurred in chemically induced polycystic kidney disease. The function of clusterin in this setting remains enigmatic.
Lymphopoiesis and lymphocyte recirculation in the sheep fetus.
Authors: L D Pearson, M W Simpson-Morgan, B Morris
Journal: The Journal of Experimental Medicine (1976)

The production and the circulation of lymphocytes has been examined in the sheep fetus where neither foreign antigen nor immunoglobulins occur. It was found that as the lymphoid organs increased in size during fetal life, the numbers and the output of lymphocytes in the thoracic duct lymph increased. The recirculating pool of lymphocytes was estimated to be 5.5 +/- 1.5 X 10(8) cells in fetal lambs 95-100 days of age, 5.7 +/- 1.2 X 10(9) cells in fetuses 130-135 days of age, and 1.2 +/0 9.3 X 10(10) cells in fetuses near to term. The rate of addition of lymphocytes to the recirculating pool was 3.2 +/- 1.9 X 10(6) cells/h in fetuses of 100 days and 3.4 +/- 0.9 X 10(7) cells/h in fetuses of 130 days of age. Lymphocytes recirculated from blood to lymph in fetuses; labeled cells injected into the blood stream reappeared in the thoracic duct lymph promptly and reached maximum levels around 12-18 h after they were injected. Labeled lymphocytes were detected subsequently in greatest numbers in the lymph nodes, particularly in the mesenteric lymph nodes and in the interfollicular areas of the Peyer's patches. Chronic drainage of thoracic duct lymph from fetuses in utero for periods of up to 36 days had no obvious effects on the growth or development of the fetus and only minimal effects on the content of lymphocytes in the various lymphoid tissues even though the number of cells in the blood and lymph were reduced to between 20-30% of normal levels. Thymectomy done in fetuses about 2 mo befor cannulation of the thoracic duct reduced the output of cells in the thoracic duct to about 25% of normal levels and caused a significant reduction in the content of lymphocytes in the various lymphoid tissues. Thymectomized fetal lambs subjected to thoracic duct drainage for periods up to 2 wk in utero had a similar complement of lymphocytes in their lymphoid tissues to intact thymectomized fetal lambs. Lymphocytes obtained from the thoracic duct lymph of lambs thymectomized 2 mo previously recirculated from blood to lymph when they were injected intravenously, although they did this at a significantly slower rate than did lymphocytes from normal lambs.
Activin A Is a Potent Activator of Renal Interstitial Fibroblasts
Authors: Shin Yamashita, Akito Maeshima, Itaru Kojima, Yoshihisa Nojima
Journal: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (2004)

ABSTRACT. The present study was conducted to examine the involvement of the activin-follistatin system in the fibrotic process of the kidney. Immunoreactive activin A was upregulated in tubular cells in the kidneys with unilateral ureteral obstruction but not in normal and contralateral kidneys. Activin A promoted cell proliferation, enhanced the expression of type I collagen mRNA, and induced the production of α-smooth muscle actin in a rat kidney fibroblast cell line (NRK-49F cells) as well as in primary cultured renal interstitial fibroblasts. In contrast, activin A did not affect the expressions of α-smooth muscle actin and type I collagen in renal epithelial tubular cell lines LLC-PK1, and MDCK. Follistatin, an antagonist of activin A, significantly inhibited cell proliferation in NRK-49F cells. Blockade of activin signaling by overexpression of truncated type II activin receptor, which lacked the intracellular kinase domain, decreased cell proliferation and reduced the expression level of type I collagen mRNA in NRK-49F cells. The expression of activin A was induced by TGF-β1 or activin A itself. Induction of type I collagen expression by TGF-β1 was reduced by follistatin or by overexpression of truncated type II activin receptor. These results suggest that activin A produced by tubular cells acts as a paracrine factor that activates renal interstitial fibroblasts during the fibrotic processes of the kidney. E-mail: [email protected]
Combined Evaluation of Expressions of Cyclin E and p53 Proteins as Prognostic Factors for Patients with Gastric Cancer
Authors: Kamal E. Bani-Hani, Nidal M. Almasri, Yousef S. Khader, Fawzi M. Sheyab, Hanan N. Karam
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2005)

Abstract Background: There is a lack of consistency regarding the prognostic value of cyclin E overexpression in gastric cancer (gastric cancer). Our aim was to report on this overexpression and to analyze its correlations with the clinicopathologic variables. Another aim was to examine if aberrant expression of both cyclin E and p53 might increase the malignant potential of gastric cancer. Methods: Specimens from 89 patients with gastric cancer treated with “curative” intent were evaluated for cyclin E and p53 expressions using immunohistochemical method. The correlations between cyclin E overexpression alone or in combination with p53 expression and the patient's clinicopathologic variables were analyzed. Results: Cyclin E overexpression and p53 expression were shown in 35 (39.3%) and 46 (51.7%) tumors, respectively. The incidence of cyclin E overexpression was significantly higher in deeply invasive cancers (P &amp;lt; 0.0001), in cancers with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.003), and in cancers with advanced stages (P &amp;lt; 0.0001). There were no significant correlations with other clinicopathologic variables. Patients in whom their tumors showed cyclin E overexpression alone or in combination with p53 survived less than patients with negative cyclin E tumors. Multivariate analysis revealed that combined cyclin E overexpression and p53 expression was significantly associated with poor survival after adjusting for other variables (hazard ratio, 3.12; P = 0.009). Conclusions: Cyclin E overexpression is a common event in gastric cancer. Gastric cancer with cyclin E overexpression exhibit increased aggressiveness in the presence of aberrant p53. The combination of cyclin E overexpression with the p53 expression in gastric cancer further distinguished a subgroup of patients with poor prognosis.
Additive effect of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies and rheumatoid factor on bone erosions in patients with RA
Authors: Carolin Hecht, Matthias Englbrecht, Jürgen Rech, Sarah Schmidt, Elizabeth Araujo, Klaus Engelke, Stephanie Finzel, Georg Schett
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2014)

Objective To determine whether there is an additive effect of anticitrullinated protein antibodies (ACPA) and rheumatoid factor (RF) on the number and size of bone erosions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Methods 242 patients with RA received high-resolution peripheral quantitative CT (HR-pQCT) scans of the metacarpophalangeal joints. Demographic and disease-specific parameters including ACPA and RF levels were recorded from all patients. Erosion numbers and their size were assessed in 238 patients at 714 individual joints (MCP 2, 3 and 4) and 5712 sites (each 4 quadrants in metacarpal heads and phalangeal bases). The volume of erosions was calculated by a semiellipsoid formula. Results Of the 238 patients, 112 patients showed RF and ACPAs (ACPAs+RF+), 28 only RF (RF+), 29 only ACPAs (ACPA+) and 69 were antibody negative (NEG). Erosion number and size were highest in RF+ACPAs+ patient group with significant differences compared with NEG patients with respect to erosion number (p=0.001) and to ACPA-negative patients with respect to erosion size (p&lt;0.001). Results maintained significance in a linear mixed model showing ACPAs+RF+ status and disease duration being associated with higher number (p=0.017 and p=0.005, respectively), and larger size (p=0.014 and p=0.013, respectively) of bone erosions. Furthermore, erosion size was influenced by the presence and titre of RF only in ACPA-positive patients with RA but not in ACPA-negative patients. Conclusions ACPAs and RF show an additive effect on erosion number and erosion size. Concomitant presence of ACPAs and RF is associated with higher erosive disease burden in patients with RA. Furthermore, RF influences erosion size only in ACPA-positive but not in ACPA-negative patients.
Evaluation of the Development of Athero-Arteriosclerosis in Autogenous Venous Grafts Inserted into the Peripheral Arterial System
Authors: ISRAEL PENN, ERIC SCHENK, CHARLES ROB, JAMES DEWEESE, SEYMOUR I. SCHWARTZ
Journal: Circulation (1965)

Athero-arteriosclerosis was produced in dogs by performing a total thyroidectomy and supplementing the diet with a high-cholesterol intake and large amounts of vitamin D. Segments of the femoral and carotid arteries were excised and replaced with autogenous venous grafts. Well-marked athero-arteriosclerotic lesions developed in the arterial system, but none developed in the venous grafts, which showed a marked tendency to develop mural thrombi. These results indicate that autogenous venous grafts, when inserted into the arterial system, are relatively resistant to the development of athero-arteriosclerosis.
Neonatal Mortality Levels for 193 Countries in 2009 with Trends since 1990: A Systematic Analysis of Progress, Projections, and Priorities
Authors: Mikkel Zahle Oestergaard, Mie Inoue, Sachiyo Yoshida, Wahyu Retno Mahanani, Fiona M. Gore, Simon Cousens, Joy E. Lawn, Colin Douglas Mathers
Journal: PLoS Medicine (2011)

Historically, the main focus of studies of childhood mortality has been the infant and under-five mortality rates. Neonatal mortality (deaths <28 days of age) has received limited attention, although such deaths account for about 41% of all child deaths. To better assess progress, we developed annual estimates for neonatal mortality rates (NMRs) and neonatal deaths for 193 countries for the period 1990-2009 with forecasts into the future.We compiled a database of mortality in neonates and children (<5 years) comprising 3,551 country-years of information. Reliable civil registration data from 1990 to 2009 were available for 38 countries. A statistical model was developed to estimate NMRs for the remaining 155 countries, 17 of which had no national data. Country consultation was undertaken to identify data inputs and review estimates. In 2009, an estimated 3.3 million babies died in the first month of life-compared with 4.6 million neonatal deaths in 1990-and more than half of all neonatal deaths occurred in five countries of the world (44% of global livebirths): India 27.8% (19.6% of global livebirths), Nigeria 7.2% (4.5%), Pakistan 6.9% (4.0%), China 6.4% (13.4%), and Democratic Republic of the Congo 4.6% (2.1%). Between 1990 and 2009, the global NMR declined by 28% from 33.2 deaths per 1,000 livebirths to 23.9. The proportion of child deaths that are in the neonatal period increased in all regions of the world, and globally is now 41%. While NMRs were halved in some regions of the world, Africa's NMR only dropped 17.6% (43.6 to 35.9).Neonatal mortality has declined in all world regions. Progress has been slowest in the regions with high NMRs. Global health programs need to address neonatal deaths more effectively if Millennium Development Goal 4 (two-thirds reduction in child mortality) is to be achieved.
Detection of antibodies after immune complex splitting in serum of patients with bullous pemphigoid and systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: K. HERRMANN, I. LOHRISCH, H.-J. BOHME, U.-F. HAUSTEIN
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology (1978)

No free anti-basement membrane antibodies were found in the sera of four patients with bullous pemphigoid, and no free anti-DNA antibodies in the sera of two patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The sera treated with 3 mol/l urea and by gel chromatography to separate these antibodies from any circulating complexes, and antibodies to basement membrane were detected by immunofluorescence and to DNA by the Farr technique. The appropriate antibodies were found in all the sera, indicating that failure to detect antibodies by routine procedures may be due to binding of the antibodies to soluble antigens forming complexes in the sera.
The Integrin, α6β1, Is Necessary for the Matrix–Dependent Activation of Fak and Map Kinase and the Migration of Human Hepatocarcinoma Cells
Authors: Vinicio Carloni, Antonio Mazzocca, Pietro Pantaleo, Claudia Cordella, Giacomo Laffi, Paolo Gentilini
Journal: Hepatology (2001)

Expression of the integrin, alpha6beta1, a receptor for laminins, is associated with the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The approach to investigating the alpha6beta1 integrin signaling in HCC cells was to express a deletion mutant of the beta4 integrin cytoplasmic domain (beta4-Deltacyt) in 2 HCC cell lines, HepG2 and Huh7. Expression of this mutant prevents formation of the alpha6beta1 heterodimer. As expected, adhesion of both the HepG2/beta4-Deltacyt and Huh7/beta4-Deltacyt transfectants to laminin, but not to collagen, was reduced compared with the mock transfectants. However, migration of the beta4-Deltacyt transfectants toward both collagen and laminin was inhibited, suggesting a role for alpha6beta1 in the signaling of migration. Migration of HCC cells requires mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. The adhesion of the beta4-Deltacyt transfectants to collagen resulted in a substantial reduction in MAP kinase activation in comparison with the mock transfectants, although their ability to activate MAP kinase in response to epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation was not impaired. In addition, matrix adhesion of the beta4-Deltacyt transfectants did not stimulate the tyrosine phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), and this defect correlated with reduced binding of adaptor protein Grb2 to FAK. These results suggest that FAK tyrosine phosphorylation is dependent on alpha6beta1 expression, and that FAK-Grb2 association plays a central role in alpha6beta1-mediated activation of MAP kinase. Moreover, the expression of alpha6beta1 in HCC cells is necessary for FAK/MAP kinase-dependent migration.
Strength training induced adaptations in neuromuscular function of premenopausal women with fibromyalgia: comparison with healthy women
Authors: A Hakkinen
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2001)

<h3>OBJECTIVE</h3> To investigate the effects of 21 weeks9 progressive strength training on neuromuscular function and subjectively perceived symptoms in premenopausal women with fibromyalgia (FM). <h3>METHODS</h3> Twenty one women with FM were randomly assigned to experimental (FM<sub>T</sub>) or control (FM<sub>C</sub>) groups. Twelve healthy women served as training controls (H<sub>T</sub>). The FM<sub>T</sub> and H<sub>T</sub> groups carried out progressive strength training twice a week for 21 weeks. The major outcome measures were muscle strength and electromyographic (EMG) recordings. Secondary outcome measures were pain, sleep, fatigue, physical function capacity (Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire), and mood (short version of Beck9s depression index). <h3>RESULTS</h3> Female FM<sub>T</sub> subjects increased their maximal and explosive strength and EMG activity to the same extent as the H<sub>T</sub> group. Moreover, the progressive strength training showed immediate benefits on subjectively perceived fatigue, depression, and neck pain of training patients with FM. <h3>CONCLUSIONS</h3> The strength training data indicate comparable trainability of the neuromuscular system of women with FM and healthy women. Progressive strength training can safely be used in the treatment of FM to decrease the impact of the syndrome on the neuromuscular system, perceived symptoms, and functional capacity. These results confirm the opinion that FM syndrome has a central rather than a peripheral or muscular basis.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Gene Polymorphisms Are Associated with Prognosis in Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Lukas A. Hefler, Alexander Mustea, Dominique Könsgen, Nicole Concin, Berno Tanner, Reiner Strick, Georg Heinze, Christoph Grimm, Eva Schuster, Clemens Tempfer, Alexander Reinthaller, Robert Zeillinger
Journal: Clinical Cancer Research (2007)

Abstract Purpose: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), an important regulator of angiogenesis and vascular permeability, is involved in various steps of ovarian carcinogenesis. Gene polymorphisms within the gene encoding VEGF were shown to be independently associated with an adverse outcome in various malignancies. No data are available for ovarian cancer. Experimental Design: In the present multicenter study, we examined three common polymorphisms within the VEGF gene (−634G/C, −1154G/A, and −2578C/A) known to be associated with an increased VEGF production in 563 Caucasian patients with ovarian cancer from Austria and Germany using pyrosequencing. Results were correlated with clinical data. Results: The three investigated polymorphisms did not correlate with any of the investigated clinicopathologic variables. In univariate and multivariate models, no significant correlations between any polymorphism and patients' overall survival were ascertained. Simultaneous carriage of the three homozygous genotypes (i.e., VEGF −634C/C, VEGF −1154G/G, VEGF −2578C/C) known to be associated with increased VEGF expression in an individual patient, however, was independently associated with a shortened overall survival (hazard ratio, 2.1; 95% confidence interval, 1.1-3.9; P = 0.02). Conclusions: We present the first data on VEGF gene polymorphisms in ovarian cancer. Simultaneous carriage of the three investigated homozygous genotypes was shown to be an independent adverse prognosticator of overall survival.