Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Expression of the Immunoglobulin Superfamily Cell Adhesion Molecules in the Developing Spinal Cord and Dorsal Root Ganglion

Cell adhesion molecules belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) control synaptic specificity through hetero- or homophilic interactions in different regions of the nervous system. In the developing spinal cord, monosynaptic connections of exquisite specificity form between proprioceptive sensory neurons and motor neurons, however, it is not known whether IgSF molecules participate in regulating this process. To determine whether IgSF molecules influence the establishment of synaptic specificity in sensory-motor circuits, we examined the expression of 157 IgSF genes in the developing dorsal root ganglion (DRG) and spinal cord by in situ hybridization assays. We find that many IgSF genes are expressed by sensory and motor neurons in the mouse developing DRG and spinal cord. For instance, Alcam, Mcam, and Ocam are expressed by a subset of motor neurons in the ventral spinal cord. Further analyses show that Ocam is expressed by obturator but not quadriceps motor neurons, suggesting that Ocam may regulate sensory-motor specificity in these sensory-motor reflex arcs. Electrophysiological analysis shows no obvious defects in synaptic specificity of monosynaptic sensory-motor connections involving obturator and quadriceps motor neurons in Ocam mutant mice. Since a subset of Ocam+ motor neurons also express Alcam, Alcam or other functionally redundant IgSF molecules may compensate for Ocam in controlling sensory-motor specificity. Taken together, these results reveal that IgSF molecules are broadly expressed by sensory and motor neurons during development, and that Ocam and other IgSF molecules may have redundant functions in controlling the specificity of sensory-motor circuits.
Effect of chronic nicotine administration on trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid‐induced colitis

Background Smoking, probably due to nicotine, has a bivalent effect on inflammatory bowel disease, ameliorating disease activity in ulcerative colitis and with a deleterious effect on Crohn's disease. The effect of nicotine patches in ulcerative colitis is controversial. Aim To investigate the effect of chronic nicotine use in a rat model of colitis. Methods Colitis was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats by rectal administration of 30 mg trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid (TNBS) in 50% ethanol. Nicotine was dissolved in drinking water (2.5,12.5, 25 and 250 μg/ml), with rats drinking ad libitum. Nicotine administration started 10 days prior to damage induction and had no effect on weight gain or daily food intake of rats. Rats were sacrificed 1 and 5 days after TNBS administration, their colons resected, rinsed, weighed, damage assessed macroscopically (mm2) and microscopically and tissue processed for myeloperoxidase (MPO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activities, leukotriene B4 (LTB4), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) generation and interleukin-1 (IL-1) serum levels. Results Nicotine, by itself, caused no damage to the colon. Nicotine had a dose-dependent bivalent effect on colitis, significantly reducing macroscopic damage from 983 ± 10 mm2 on TNBS alone to 429 ± 118 mm2 on TNBS plus 12.5 μg/ml of nicotine, and escalating to 1086 ± 262 mm2 on 250 μg/ml of nicotine. Segmental weight declined significantly (from 2.4 ± 0.2 to 1.65 ± 0.20 g/10 cm), on 12.5 μg/ml nicotine, as did MPO activity (from 3.2 ± 0.4 to 0.7 ± 0.1 units/g). All these parameters returned to the levels of TNBS alone when the dose of nicotine was increased to 250 μg/ml. Nicotine had no effect on NOS activity, PGE2 generation and serum IL-1 levels, but increased LTB4 generation. Conclusions Nicotine has a dose-dependent bivalent effect on TNBS-induced colitis which is not due to reduction in IL-1 serum levels or PGE2 generation, and is not NOS-mediated.
Lower-Level Stimulus Features Strongly Influence Responses in the Fusiform Face Area

An intriguing region of human visual cortex (the fusiform face area; FFA) responds selectively to faces as a general higher-order stimulus category. However, the potential role of lower-order stimulus properties in FFA remains incompletely understood. To clarify those lower-level influences, we measured FFA responses to independent variation in 4 lower-level stimulus dimensions using standardized face stimuli and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). These dimensions were size, position, contrast, and rotation in depth (viewpoint). We found that FFA responses were strongly influenced by variations in each of these image dimensions; that is, FFA responses were not “invariant” to any of them. Moreover, all FFA response functions were highly correlated with V1 responses (r = 0.95–0.99). As in V1, FFA responses could be accurately modeled as a combination of responses to 1) local contrast plus 2) the cortical magnification factor. In some measurements (e.g., face size or a combinations of multiple cues), the lower-level variations dominated the range of FFA responses. Manipulation of lower-level stimulus parameters could even change the category preference of FFA from “face selective” to “object selective. ” Altogether, these results emphasize that a significant portion of the FFA response reflects lower-level visual responses.
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy for the treatment of Achilles tendinopathies: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND Extracorporeal shockwave therapy has been shown to be effective in the treatment of chronic tendon pathology in the elbow, shoulder, and plantar fascia. This prospective study examines the efficacy of extracorporeal shockwave therapy in the treatment of chronic Achilles tendon disorders. METHODS Twenty-three patients (23 feet) were treated with extracorporeal shockwave therapy for Achilles tendinosis, insertional tendonitis, or both. Indications for treatment were a minimum of 6 months of conservative care, and a visual analog pain score >5. The mean follow-up was 20 months (range, 4-35 months). RESULTS Ninety-one percent (14 patients) were satisfied or very satisfied (23 patients) with treatment. Eighty-seven percent (20 patients) stated that extracorporeal shockwave therapy improved their condition, 13% (3 patients) said it did not affect the condition, and none stated that it made them worse. Eighty-seven percent (20 patients) stated they would have the procedure again if given the choice. Four months after extracorporeal shockwave therapy, the mean visual analog score for morning pain decreased from 7.0 to 2.3, and activity pain decreased from 8.1 to 3.1. CONCLUSION High-power extracorporeal shockwave therapy is safe, noninvasive, and effective, and it has a role in the treatment of chronic Achilles tendinopathy.
Elastic Wave Control Beyond Band-Gaps: Shaping the Flow of Waves in Plates and Half-Spaces with Subwavelength Resonant Rods

In metamaterial science local resonance and hybridization are key phenomena strongly influencing the dispersion properties; the metasurface discussed in this article created by a cluster of resonators, subwavelength rods, atop an elastic surface being an exemplar with these features. On this metasurface, band-gaps, slow or fast waves, negative refraction and dynamic anisotropy can all be observed by exploring frequencies and wavenumbers from the Floquet-Bloch problem and by using the Brillouin zone. These extreme characteristics, when appropriately engineered, can be used to design and control the propagation of elastic waves along the metasurface. For the exemplar we consider, two parameters are easily tuned: rod height and cluster periodicity. The height is directly related to the band-gap frequency, and hence to the slow and fast waves, while the periodicity is related to the appearance of dynamic anisotropy. Playing with these two parameters generates a gallery of metasurface designs to control the propagation of both flexural waves in plates and surface Rayleigh waves for half-spaces. Scalability with respect to the frequency and wavelength of the governing physical laws allows the application of these concepts in very different fields and over a wide range of lengthscales.
Effect of host diet on production of organic acids and methane by cockroach gut bacteria

The effect of high-fiber diets on microbial populations and processes in cockroach guts was investigated by feeding American cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) milled cereal leaves, milled corn cob, or commercial bran-type breakfast cereal in place of the commonly used laboratory diet of dog chow. The activities and numbers of specific gut bacteria varied significantly with the insect's diet and developmental stage. Acetate and lactate were the principal organic acids present in the gut fluid of adult cockroaches and occurred at concentrations of up to 17 and 8 mM, respectively. These acids were most abundant in the gut fluid of dog chow-fed insects, and the greatest amounts were generally found in the foregut and midgut regions. Foreguts of dog chow-fed cockroaches contained an abundant population of lactic acid bacteria that formed acetate and lactate from endogenous hexoses present in the foregut. When adult cockroaches were fed dog chow amended with antibacterial drugs, (i) the concentrations of acetate, lactate, and total hexoses in gut fluid decreased significantly, (ii) the numbers of lactic acid bacteria in the foregut also decreased significantly, and (iii) the production of acetate and lactate by foregut homogenates was suppressed. It was estimated that acetate and lactate produced by bacteria in the foregut of dog chow-fed adult P. americana could support up to 14% of the insect's respiratory requirement if taken up and used by the animal. When insects were fed high-fiber diets of bran cereal, cereal leaves, or corn cob, bacterial production of acetate and lactate in the foregut diminished. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Modulation of K channels in dialyzed squid axons. ATP-mediated phosphorylation

In squid axons, internally applied ATP potentiates the magnitude of the potassium conductance and slows down its activation kinetics. This effect was characterized using internally dialyzed axons under voltage- clamp conditions. Both amplitude potentiation and kinetic slow-down effects are very selective towards ATP, other nucleotides like GTP and ITP are ineffective in millimolar concentrations. The current potentiation Km for ATP is near 10 microM with no further effects for concentrations greater than 100 microM. ATP effect is most likely produced via a phosphorylative reaction because Mg ion is an obligatory requirement and nonhydrolyzable ATP analogues are without effect. In the presence of ATP, the K current presents more delay, resembling a Cole-Moore effect due to local hyperpolarization of the channel. ATP effect induces a 10-20 mV shift in both activation and inactivation parameters towards more depolarized potentials. As a consequence of this shift, conductance-voltage curves with and without ATP cross at approximately -40 mV. This result is consistent with the hyperpolarization observed with ATP depletion, which is reversed by ATP addition. At potentials around the resting value, addition of ATP removes almost completely K current slow inactivation. It is suggested that a change in the amount of the slow inactivation is responsible for the differences in current amplitude with and without ATP, possibly as a consequence of the additional negative charge carried by the phosphate group. However, a modification of the local potential is not enough to explain completely the differences under the two conditions.
Preserved spatial coding in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells during reversible suppression of CA3c output: evidence for pattern completion in hippocampus

Medial septal modulation of hippocampal single-unit activity was examined by assessing the behavioral and physiological consequences of reversibly inactivating the medial septum via microinjection of a local anesthetic (tetracaine) in freely behaving rats trained to solve a working memory problem on a radial maze. Reversible septal inactivation resulted in a dramatic, but temporary (15–20 min), impairment in choice accuracy. In addition, movement-induced theta (theta) modulation of the hippocampal EEG was eliminated. Septal injection of tetracaine also produced a significant reduction in location-specific firing by hilar/CA3c complex-spike cells (about 50%), with no significant change in the place-specific firing properties of CA1 complex-spike units. The mean spontaneous rates of stratum granulosum and CA1 theta cells were temporarily reduced by about 50% following septal injection of tetracaine. Although there was a significant reduction in the activities of inhibitory interneurons (theta cells) in CA1, there was no loss of spatial selectivity in the CA1 pyramidal cell discharge patterns. We interpret these results as support for the proposal originally put forth by Marr (1969, 1971) that hippocampal circuits perform pattern completion on fragmentary input information as a result of a normalization operation carried out by inhibitory interneurons. A second major finding in this study was that location specific firing of CA1 cells can be maintained in the virtual absence of the hippocampal theta-rhythm.
Comparative study of surface-plasma enhanced-grating coupled detectors

Gold and silver Schottky diodes were fabricated on a structured surface of an n-type GaAs substrate. The structures surface, consisting of a square-wave grating with a period of 450 nm and a depth of 15 nm, was fabricated using the techniques of holography and wet chemical etching. Measurements of the reflected intensity and photocurrent were made at the HeNe wavelength of 633 nm over a range of incident angels. It was observed that the grating coupler enhanced the photodetection for p-polarized light through surface plasmon coupling at the resonant angle. A comparative study of similarly fabricated Au and Ag Schottky diodes were made, along with a comparison to flat, non- structured devices from the same substrate. Fabrication induced shift in the angular position of the resonant angle is also demonstrated.
Combining TGF-beta inhibition and angiotensin II blockade results in enhanced antifibrotic effect.

BACKGROUND Although angiotensin II (Ang II) blockade is rapidly becoming standard antifibrotic therapy in renal diseases, current data suggest that Ang II blockade alone cannot stop fibrotic disease. New therapies, such as antibodies to transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta), or drug combinations will be required to further slow or halt disease progression. Here, using the anti-Thy1 model of glomerulonephritis, the maximally therapeutic dose of the TGF-beta neutralizing mouse monoclonal antibody (1D11) was determined and compared with the maximally effective dose of enalapril. Then, the effect of combining both treatments at maximal doses was determined. METHODS After disease induction with the anti-Thy1 antibody, OX-7, increasing doses of 1D11 were given intraperitoneally (IP) on days 1, 3, and 5. Enalapril was administered in drinking water from day 1. The fibrotic response was assessed at day 6. RESULTS 1D11 dose-dependently reduced fibrosis, with the 0.5 and 5 mg/kg doses showing maximal therapeutic effects, reducing period-acid Schiff (PAS) staining by 56% and 45%, respectively. Fibronectin and collagen I staining was reduced by 32% to 36%, respectively. Glomerular mRNA and production of fibronectin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), TGF-beta1, and p-Smad2 protein were also reduced. The maximal therapeutic effects of 1D11 and enalapril alone were very similar. However, combination therapy led to further reduction in disease. Notably, matrix deposition was reduced by 80%. CONCLUSION While 1D11 or enalapril at maximal doses reduce fibrosis equally, simultaneous blockade of Ang II and TGF-beta reduces fibrotic disease considerably more, offering hope that such drug combinations may confer a therapeutic advantage over angiotensin blockade alone.
Health Care for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System

Youth in the juvenile correctional system are a high-risk population who, in many cases, have unmet physical, developmental, and mental health needs. Multiple studies have found that some of these health issues occur at higher rates than in the general adolescent population. Although some youth in the juvenile justice system have interfaced with health care providers in their community on a regular basis, others have had inconsistent or nonexistent care. The health needs of these youth are commonly identified when they are admitted to a juvenile custodial facility. Pediatricians and other health care providers play an important role in the care of these youth, and continuity between the community and the correctional facility is crucial. This policy statement provides an overview of the health needs of youth in the juvenile correctional system, including existing resources and standards for care, financing of health care within correctional facilities, and evidence-based interventions. Recommendations are provided for the provision of health care services to youth in the juvenile correctional system as well as specific areas for advocacy efforts.
Centering and the meaning of conditionals

The centering inference - p & q, therefore if p then q - is important in reasoning research because it is logically valid for some accounts of conditionals (e. g. the material and the probability conditionals), but not for others (e. g. the inferential conditional, according to which a conditional is true if and only if there is an inferential connection between p and q). We tested participants' acceptance of centering compared to valid and invalid inferences not containing conditionals, varying the presence of an inferential connection and of a common topic of discourse between p and q. Participants' acceptance of centering was more similar to valid inferences than to invalid inferences, and there was no reliable effect of a connection between p and q. Acceptance rates were higher when there was a common topic of discourse, independently of the type of inference. The findings support the probability conditional account.
Tin oxide stability effects—their identification, dependence on processing and impacts on CdTe/CdS solar cell performance

High efficiency polycrystalline thin film CdTe solar cells involve the growth of CdTe films on CdS/SnO2/glass substrates. The CdS layer in such a structure is commonly reported to benefit from a brief hydrogen anneal prior to the deposition of the CdTe film. In this paper, we show that the SnO2 layer can be susceptible to reduction in H2 and that the degree of susceptibility is dependent on the type of SnO2 used. Chemical vapor deposited (CVD) SnO2/glass substrates (Solarex Corp.) show the most resistance to reduction while room-temperature sputtered SnO2 films show the least resistance. When annealed under reducing conditions, Sn from the SnO2 reacts with S-containing impurities and oxygen in as-grown chemical bath deposited (CBD) CdS films to form SnS. Cd-containing impurities are more volatile resulting in a loss of Cd relative to S in films annealed in H2. These films appear dark due to the presence of SnS, a grayish-black impurity, in the CdS and possibly SnO in the SnO2. In normal CSS CdTe depositio.
High antitumor activity of RLI, an interleukin-15 (IL-15)–IL-15 receptor α fusion protein, in metastatic melanoma and colorectal cancer

Interleukin (IL)-15 has an important role in tumor immunosurveillance and has a contemplated use in tumor immunotherapy. We have previously engineered the fusion protein RLI, composed of the NH2-terminal (amino acids 1–77, sushi+) domain of IL-15 receptor α coupled via a linker to IL-15, and shown that it displayed far better efficacy than IL-15 in vitro. In this report, we investigated in vivo whether RLI would be a better alternative than IL-15 and IL-2 for cancer treatment using two distinct animal models. B16F10 mouse melanoma cells were injected in C57BL/6 mice either i.v. or intrasplenically for lung or liver metastasis, respectively. HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cells were injected in the cecum of nude mice. We show that RLI has a higher efficiency than IL-15 or IL-2 to reduce lung and liver metastasis and enhance survival in the mouse B16F10 melanoma model, a result that was associated with a higher half-life in vivo. We also found that the antitumoral effect of RLI was completely abolished by in vivo depletion of natural killer cells using anti-asialoGM1 antibody. Moreover, RLI was also efficient to reduce by 50% tumor growth and the progression of metastasis of human colon carcinoma cells in an orthotopic nude mouse model. The fusion protein RLI has revealed strong anticancer effect in two different cancer models overcoming the limited effect of IL-15 by increasing its bioavailability and efficiency. These findings hold significant importance for the use of RLI as a potential adjuvant/therapeutic. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(9):2736–45]
Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Atrial Fibrillation in Korean Adults Older than 40 Years

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia that is a potent independent risk factor for stroke. The incidence of AF increase with age and most affected people have underlying cardiac disease. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of and risk factors for AF in Korean. In this study, 14,540 adults (male 6,573/female 7,967) ≥40 yr old received screening test for general health between April 2000 and December 2000. Participants answered questionnaires and underwent examinations that included blood pressure, electrocardiogram (ECG), total cholesterol, and fasting glucose. Data analysis was done by SPSS 10.0 for Windows. The prevalence of AF was 0.7% in people older than 40 yr and 2.1% in those older than 65 yr. The prevalence in men was 1.2% and women was 0.4% in people older than 40 yr. The prevalence in men was 3.3% and women was 1.1% in people older than 65 yr. Approximately 56.6% of individuals with AF are older than 65 yr. The prevalence of AF was higher at all age group in men than in women. Also, the prevalence of AF was highest in people older than 80 yr. In univariate analysis, male sex, old age (≥65 yr), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, left ventricular hypertrophy in ECG, stroke, and cardiac disease were associated with an increased risk of AF. In multivariate analysis, however, risk factors of AF were male (odds ratio, OR 4.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] : 2.6 to 6.5; p=0.000), old age (OR 5.3; 95% CI:3.5 to 7.9; p=0.000), and cardiac disease (OR 19.8; 95% CI:12.3 to 31.8; p=0.000). In this study, the most potent risk factors of AF was cardiac disease.