Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Noninvasive Evaluation of Cellular Proliferative Activity in Brain Neurogenic Regions in Rats under Depression and Treatment by Enhanced [18F]FLT-PET Imaging

Neural stem cells in two neurogenic regions, the subventricular zone and the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus, can divide and produce new neurons throughout life. Hippocampal neurogenesis is related to emotions, including depression/anxiety, and the therapeutic effects of antidepressants, as well as learning and memory. The establishment of in vivo imaging for proliferative activity of neural stem cells in the SGZ might be used to diagnose depression and to monitor the therapeutic efficacy of antidepressants. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with 3′-deoxy-3′-[18F]fluoro-l-thymidine ([18F]FLT) has been studied to allow visualization of proliferative activity in two neurogenic regions of adult mammals; however, the PET imaging has not been widely used because of lower accumulation of [18F]FLT, which does not allow quantitative assessment of the decline in cellular proliferative activity in the SGZ under the condition of depression. We report the establishment of an enhanced PET imaging method with [18F]FLT combined with probenecid, an inhibitor of drug transporters at the blood–brain barrier, which can allow the quantitative visualization of neurogenic activity in rats. Enhanced PET imaging allowed us to evaluate reduced cell proliferation in the SGZ of rats with corticosterone-induced depression, and further the recovery of proliferative activity in rats under treatment with antidepressants. This enhanced [18F]FLT-PET imaging technique with probenecid can be used to assess the dynamic alteration of neurogenic activity in the adult mammalian brain and may also provide a means for objective diagnosis of depression and monitoring of the therapeutic effect of antidepressant treatment. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Adult hippocampal neurogenesis may play a role in major depression and antidepressant therapy. Establishment of in vivo imaging for hippocampal neurogenic activity may be useful to diagnose depression and monitor the therapeutic efficacy of antidepressants. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has been studied to allow visualization of neurogenic activity; however, PET imaging has not been widely used due to the lower accumulation of the PET tracer in the neurogenic regions. Here, we succeeded in establishing highly quantitative PET imaging for neurogenic activity in adult brain with an inhibitor for drug transporter. This enhanced PET imaging allowed evaluation of the decline of neurogenic activity in the hippocampus of rats with depression and the recovery of neurogenic activity by antidepressant treatment.
Comparative analysis of the spatial distribution and severity of cerebral microbleeds and old lacunes

Background: Cerebral microbleeds, which result from microangiopathic changes following chronic hypertension, may reflect bleeding-prone microangiopathy. However, the distribution of these lesions has not been compared with that of lacunes, which represent occlusive type microangiopathy. Objectives: To compare the cerebral distribution of microbleeds and lacunes and correlate their severity. Methods: The study population comprised 129 hypertensive patients who underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including gradient echo (GE) sequences. Cerebral microbleeds were counted using GE-MRI data, and lacunes were also counted by comparing T1 and T2 weighted MRI. To investigate the distributions, the number of patients with each type of lesion was compared, and the occurrence index (the total number of the specific lesions divided by the total number of patients) was examined statistically. Correlation analyses were done on the relations between the different grades of microbleeds, lacunes, and leukoaraiosis. Results: Cerebral microbleeds and lacunes were found at various foci in the brain, with a preference for the cortico-subcortical region and the deep grey matter. The occurrence index of microbleeds, but not of lacunes, was significantly higher in the cortico-subcortical region than in the deep grey matter. The severity of the microbleeds was positively correlated with the severity of lacunes, and both types of lesion were closely correlated with the degree of leukoaraiosis. Conclusions: These data suggest that microbleeds and lacunes tend to occur to a similar extent in long standing hypertension, but not necessarily in the same locations.
Molecular anatomy of the architectural NEAT1 noncoding RNA: The domains, interactors, and biogenesis pathway required to build phase‐separated nuclear paraspeckles

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are extremely diverse and have various significant physiological functions. lncRNAs generally associate with specific sets of RNA‐binding proteins (RBPs) to form functional ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes. NEAT1 is a highly abundant lncRNA in the mammalian cell nucleus that associates with specific RBPs to form NEAT1 RNPs. Intriguingly, cellular NEAT1 RNPs are extraordinarily large and can be detected using an optical microscope. These gigantic RNPs, so‐called paraspeckles, are a type of membraneless nuclear body. Paraspeckles contain approximately 50 NEAT1 RNA molecules together with characteristic RBPs possessing aggregation‐prone prion‐like domains. Paraspeckle formation proceeds on the nascent NEAT1 transcript in conjunction with NEAT1 biogenesis, which exhibits various features that differ from those exhibited by mRNA biogenesis, including a lack of introns, noncanonical 3′ end formation, and nuclear retention. These unique features may be required for the mechanism of paraspeckle formation. NEAT1 possesses three distinct RNA domains (A, B, and C), which function in stabilization (A), isoform switching (B), and paraspeckle assembly (C). In particular, the central C domain contains smaller subdomains that are high‐affinity binding sites for the essential paraspeckle proteins (NONO and SFPQ) that subsequently polymerize along NEAT1. Subsequent recruitment of additional essential PSPs (FUS and RBM14) induces liquid–liquid phase separation to build a massive paraspeckle structure. Thus, the molecular anatomy of the NEAT1 arcRNA provides an ideal model to understand how lncRNAs form the functional RNP machinery.
An Investigation of the Equivalent Wind Method for the Aggregation of DFIG Wind Turbines

Recently wind energy has developed at a fast pace, and it is necessary to develop equivalent models to represent dynamic behaviors of wind farms on power system. The equivalent wind method has been investigated for the aggregation of DFIG wind turbines. The detailed procedure for the calculation of equivalent wind has been analyzed. The necessity of classifying incoming winds has been shown. In order to improve the performance of the equivalent wind method, this paper proposes to classify incoming winds according to the characteristics of wind power curves. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy has been verified through simulations in MATLAB/SIMULINK.
Modulation of secreted proteins of mouse mammary epithelial cells by the collagenous substrata

It has been shown previously that cultures of mouse mammary epithelial cells retain their characteristic morphology and their ability to produce gamma-casein, a member of the casein gene family, only if they are maintained on floating collagen gels (Emerman, J.T., and D.R. Pitelka, 1977, In Vitro, 13:316-328). In this paper we show: (a) Cells on floating collagen gels secrete not only gamma-casein but also alpha 1-, alpha 2-, and beta-caseins. These are not secreted by cells on plastic and are secreted to only a very limited extent by cells on attached collagen gels. (b) The floating collagen gel regulates at the level of synthesis and/or stabilization of the caseins rather than at the level of secretion alone. Contraction of the floating gel is important in that cells cultured on floating glutaraldehyde cross- linked gels do not secrete any of the caseins. (c) The secretion of an 80,000-mol-wt protein, most probably transferrin, and a 67,000-mol-wt protein, probably butyrophilin, a major protein of the milk fat globule membrane are partially modulated by substrata. However, in contrast to the caseins, these are always detectable in media from cells cultured on plastic and attached gels. (d) Whey acidic protein, a major whey protein, is actively secreted by freshly isolated cells but is secreted in extremely limited quantities in cultured cells regardless of the nature of the substratum used. alpha-Lactalbumin secretion is also decreased significantly in cultured cells. (e) A previously unreported set of proteins, which may be minor milk proteins, are prominently secreted by the mammary cells on all substrata tested. We conclude that while the substratum profoundly influences the secretion of the caseins, it does not regulate the expression of every milk-specific protein in the same way. The mechanistic implications of these findings are discussed.
Clinical efficacy of carvedilol treatment for dilated cardiomyopathy

Background: Clinical trials examining the therapeutic benefit of carvedilol on patients with dilated cardiomyopathy have reported inconsistent results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy of carvedilol on patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, web of science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and Chinese Scientific and Technological Journal (VIP) databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) before March 2018. Weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the effects of carvedilol on patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Results: Twenty one studies including 1146 participants were included. There were significant improvements on heart rate (HR) (WMD = –14.18, 95% CI: –17.72 to –10.63, P < .001), LVEF (WMD = 7.28, 95% CI: 6.53–8.03, P < .001), SBP (WMD = –10.74, 95% CI: –12.78 to –8.70, P < .001), DBP (WMD = –4.61, 95% CI: –7.32 to –1.90, P = .001), LVEDD (WMD = –2.76, 95% CI: −4.89 to −0.62, P = .011), LVESD (WMD = –3.63, 95% CI: –6.55 to –0.71, P = .015), LVEDV (WMD = –9.30, 95% CI: –11.89 to –6.71, P < .001), LVESV (WMD = –12.28, 95% CI: –14.86 to –9.70, P < .001) under carvedilol treatment compared with control. Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrates that carvedilol significantly improves cardiac function on patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Further large scale, high-quality and multicenter RCTs are still required to confirm the impacts of carvedilol on patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
A review of mechanical and synaptic processes in otolith transduction of sound and vibration for clinical VEMP testing.

Older studies of mammalian otolith physiology have focused mainly on sustained responses to low-frequency (<50Hz) or maintained linear acceleration. So the otoliths have been regarded as accelerometers. Thus evidence of otolithic activation and high precision phase locking to high-frequency sound and vibration appears to be very unusual. However those results are exactly in accord with a substantial body of knowledge of otolith function in fish and frogs. It is likely that phase locking of otolith afferents to vibration is a general property of all vertebrates. This review examines the literature about the activation and phase locking of single otolithic neurons to air-conducted sound (ACS) and bone-conducted vibration (BCV), in particular the high precision of phase locking shown by mammalian irregular afferents which synapse on striolar type I hair cells by calyx endings. Potassium in the synaptic cleft between the type I hair cell receptor and the calyx afferent ending may be responsible for the tight phase locking of these afferents even at very high discharge rates. Since frogs and fish do not possess full calyx endings, it is unlikely that they show phase locking with such high precision and to such high frequencies as has been found in mammals. The high-frequency responses have been modelled as the otoliths operating in a seismometer mode rather than an accelerometer mode. These high-frequency otolithic responses constitute the neural basis for clinical vestibular-evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) tests of otolith function.
Prevalence of Rape Myths and Sexual Double Standards Among University Students in Pakistan

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of rape myths and sexual double standards among Pakistani university students. The sample size was 500 university students. The results indicated that 76.8 % students had more belief in rape myths, while 23.2 % had less belief on rape myths. In total, 71.4% had less sexual double standards, while 28.6 % had more sexual double standards. Furthermore, results showed that men believed more in rape myths as compared with women. Young adults of age ranging from 17 to 24 years had high sexual double standards as compared with adults of the age range of 25 to 32 years. Moreover, findings of focus group discussions (FGDs) highlighted that rape myths and sexual double standards are highly prevalent. The study revealed that Pakistani students are gender biased, as power and authority are associated with men. They also shared that rape victims in Pakistan do not get any support from family; rather, in most cases, the rape victims are killed in the name of so-called honor to maintain the reputation of family in society.
“A freak that no one can love”: difficult knowledge in testimonials on school bullying

ABSTRACT This study adopts a testimonial approach to bullying victimisation, and aims to create a deeper understanding of the experiences and effects of being a bullying target. Four written narratives about being subjected to school bullying were analysed according to interpretative phenomenological analysis. From the analysis, four themes were constructed, which represented different elements of victimhood: (1) Self-blame in which victims view themselves as the cause of the bullying, (2) Abandonment in which victims describe feelings of standing alone in their exposed situation, (3) Turning points in which the victims recount a variety of restorative events, and (4) Continued victimhood in which the victims relate how the feeling of victimhood and vulnerability continues even though the bullying has ended. In conclusion, school bullying is something that continues to affect the individual adversely long after it has stopped, although stable friendship relations might have a mitigating influence. Through such relations, victimhood can be neutralised and a more positive self-image develop. Moreover, as numerous other kinds of victims emphasise, an essential part of the rehabilitation process is to finally be able to tell one’s story, to lay bare one’s difficult knowledge to a wider audience.
TET 1 is controlled by pluripotency-associated factors in ESCs and downmodulated by PRC 2 in differentiated cells and tissues

Ten-eleven translocation (Tet) genes encode for a family of hydroxymethylase enzymes involved in regulating DNA methylation dynamics. Tet1 is highly expressed in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) where it plays a critical role the pluripotency maintenance. Tet1 is also involved in cell reprogramming events and in cancer progression. Although the functional role of Tet1 has been largely studied, its regulation is poorly understood. Here we show that Tet1 gene is regulated, both in mouse and human ESCs, by the stemness specific factors Oct3/4, Nanog and by Myc. Thus Tet1 is integrated in the pluripotency transcriptional network of ESCs. We found that Tet1 is switched off by cell proliferation in adult cells and tissues with a consequent genome-wide reduction of 5hmC, which is more evident in hypermethylated regions and promoters. Tet1 downmodulation is mediated by the Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) through H3K27me3 histone mark deposition. This study expands the knowledge about Tet1 involvement in stemness circuits in ESCs and provides evidence for a transcriptional relationship between Tet1 and PRC2 in adult proliferating cells improving our understanding of the crosstalk between the epigenetic events mediated by these factors.
Club Cell Protein, CC10, Attenuates Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Induced by Smoke Inhalation.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the dose effects of Recombinant human Club cell 10-kDa protein (rhCC10) on lung function in a well-characterized ovine model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) induced by smoke inhalation injury (SII). Specifically, the potential of rhCC10 protein to control the inflammatory response and protect pulmonary tissue and function following SII. DESIGN Randomized, controlled, prospective, and large animal translational studies. SETTING University large animal ICU. SUBJECTS Thirty-six adult female sheep were surgically prepared and allocated into 5 groups (Sham (no SII), n = 6; 1 mg/kg/d CC10, n = 8; 3 mg/kg/d CC10, n = 7; 10 mg/kg/d CC10, n = 8; Control SII, n = 7). INTERVENTIONS All groups except the sham group were subjected to SII with cooled cotton smoke. Then, the animals were placed on a ventilator, treated with 1, 3 and 10 mg/kg/day of intravenous rhCC10 or vehicle, divided evenly into two administrations per day every 12 hours, fluid resuscitated, and monitored for 48 hours in a conscious state. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The group treated with 10 mg/kg/d rhCC10 attenuated changes in the following variables: PaO2/FiO2 ratio, oxygenation index and peak inspiratory pressure; neutrophil content in the airway and MPO levels; obstruction of the large and small airways; systemic leakage of fluid and proteins, and pulmonary edema. CONCLUSIONS In this study, high dose rhCC10 significantly attenuated ARDS progression and lung dysfunction and significantly reduced systemic extravasation of fluid and proteins, normalizing fluid balance. Based on these results, rhCC10 may be considered as a novel therapeutic option for the treatment of SII-induced ARDS.
Dignity and its influencing factors in patients with cancer in North China: a cross-sectional study.

Background Patients with cancer experience various levels of loss of dignity. Exploring levels of loss of dignity and the factors that influence such losses for patients with cancer is rare, but important in palliative care in China. Methods Participants were cancer patients with early and advanced cancer recruited from a tertiary cancer hospital in North China. Patients were surveyed to assess their level of loss of dignity and potentially relevant factors. Data were collected using the Patient Dignity Inventory, the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Chinese, the distress thermometer, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the 30-question core Quality of Life Questionnaire from the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer, and were analyzed using quantitative methods. Results The study included 202 cancer patients, 143 of whom experienced mild loss of dignity (71%); 37, moderate loss of dignity (18%); and 10, severe loss of dignity (5%). The problems with dignity were slightly different in patients with early-stage disease than in those with advanced-stage disease. Loss of dignity in the patients was significantly correlated with psychological distress, symptom burden, and quality of life (p < 0.05). Logistic regression showed that age, Karnofsky performance status, anxiety, and symptom burden were significant predictors of loss of dignity. Conclusions Most patients with early and advanced cancer experienced some level of loss of dignity. Loss of dignity was more likely for patients of younger age, high Karnofsky performance status, high symptom burden, and anxiety. Understanding the dignity of cancer patients and potentially relevant factors is of great value for implementing comprehensive palliative care in China.
Chromosome 1q31.2q32.1 deletion in an adult male with intellectual disability, dysmorphic features and obesity.

Intermediate interstitial deletions of the long arm of chromosome 1 are typically associated with developmental delay and dysmorphic features. We describe the case of a 31-year-old male with intellectual disability, obesity and dysmorphic features, in whom array-comparative genomic hybridization identified a de novo 9.55 Mb deletion at 1q31.2q32. 1. We discuss the genes encompassed within the deleted region; in particular, the implications of the deleted cancer-predisposing gene, CDC-73, and compare our clinical findings to other cases with similar deletions. The absence of microcephaly and growth retardation appears to differentiate more proximal interstitial 1q deletions from intermediate 1q deletions, and the presence of obesity is a newly reported phenotype within the 1q deletion spectrum. It is imperative that surveillance for CDC-73 related disorders, including parathyroid carcinoma, is considered in the management of interstitial intermediate 1q deletions.
Prenatal Exposure to Air Toxics and Malignant Germ Cell Tumors in Young Children.

OBJECTIVE To assess prenatal air toxics exposure and risk for childhood germ cell tumors (GCTs) by histological subtype (yolk sac tumor and teratoma). METHODS In this case-control study, GCT cases less than 6 years (n = 243) identified from California Cancer Registry records were matched by birth year to cancer-free population controls (n = 147,100), 1984 to 2013. Routinely monitored air toxic exposures were linked to subjects' birth address. Logistic regression estimated GCT risks per interquartile range increase in exposure. RESULTS Prenatal exposure to various highly-correlated, traffic-related air toxics during the second trimester increased GCT risk, particularly 1,3-butadiene (odds ratio [OR] = 1.51; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01, 2.26) and meta/para-xylene (OR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.10, 2.21). Analyses by subtype indicated elevated ORs for yolk sac tumors but not teratomas. CONCLUSION Our estimated ORs are consistent with positive associations between some prenatal traffic-related air toxics and GCT risk, notably yolk sac tumors.
A Review of Food Service Selection Factors Important to the Consumer

A literature review was carried out to identify the important factors perceived by consumers when choosing a food service. The review was carried out in Scopus, Scielo and the Web of Science. The price, at mosphere, food quality and location were the attributes most investigated by the researchers.The food quality and taste were perceived as essential by consumers for all types of restaurants. On choosing fast-food restaurants the price and speed of service were the most important factors.On selecting other types of restaurants, the mostrelevant factors were the food quality and taste, followed by attributes related toservice. Price was shown to be important for the student population, lo wer-inco me populations and individuals who eat out less frequently.With respect to gender, wo men perceived the preferences of their families and the safety of food as more important than men. Differences in the degree of importance given to the selection factors were observed according to the meal context. This review showed that further research,applyingaccurate methods, is needed to broadly understand the choices of differing establishments by consumers.