Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in the Response Properties of Inferior Colliculus Neurons Relating to Tinnitus

Tinnitus is often identified in animal models by using the gap prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle. Impaired gap detection following acoustic over-exposure (AOE) is thought to be caused by tinnitus “filling in” the gap, thus, reducing its salience. This presumably involves altered perception, and could conceivably be caused by changes at the level of the neocortex, i.e., cortical reorganization. Alternatively, reduced gap detection ability might reflect poorer temporal processing in the brainstem, caused by AOE; in which case, impaired gap detection would not be a reliable indicator of tinnitus. We tested the latter hypothesis by examining gap detection in inferior colliculus (IC) neurons following AOE. Seven of nine unilaterally noise-exposed guinea pigs exhibited behavioral evidence of tinnitus. In these tinnitus animals, neural gap detection thresholds (GDTs) in the IC significantly increased in response to broadband noise stimuli, but not to pure tones or narrow-band noise. In addition, when IC neurons were sub-divided according to temporal response profile (onset vs. sustained firing patterns), we found a significant increase in the proportion of onset-type responses after AOE. Importantly, however, GDTs were still considerably shorter than gap durations commonly used in objective behavioral tests for tinnitus. These data indicate that the neural changes observed in the IC are insufficient to explain deficits in behavioral gap detection that are commonly attributed to tinnitus. The subtle changes in IC neuron response profiles following AOE warrant further investigation.
Role of L3T4+ and 38+ T-cell subsets in resistance against infection with Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue in hamsters

The protective immunity conferred by T-cell subsets against infection with Treponema pallidum subsp. pertenue was studied. We demonstrated that hamster T cells can be separated into two subsets by monoclonal antibody (MAb) GK 1.5 (anti-L3T4) and MAb 38. Eighty-five percent of hamster thymocytes were L3T4+ and 87% were 38+ cells; 84% were dual positive for MAbs anti-L3T4 and 38. In the peripheral lymph nodes, however, the L3T4+ and 38+ T cells were mutually exclusive according to two-color immunofluorescence analysis. The two T-cell subsets were found to be functionally distinct according to their secretion of interleukin 2 (IL-2) when stimulated with concanavalin A. The L3T4+ cells secreted IL-2 and had characteristics of T helper cells, while the 38+ cells did not secrete IL-2 and appeared to be T cytotoxic-suppressor cells. Transfer of 4 x 10(6) helper or cytotoxic-suppressor T lymphocytes from T. pallidum subsp. pertenue-immune hamsters protected irradiated naive hamsters against challenge with this subspecies. IL-2 production could still be detected in the irradiated recipients 12 days after irradiation of naive recipients, although at a low level. This suggests that the remaining lymph node cells could support the survival and expansion of the infused cytotoxic-suppressor T cells. No accumulation of macrophages was observed in regional lymph nodes of immune T-cell recipients within 10 days of infection. Instead, there was an influx of polymorphonuclear neutrophils in all animals injected with T. pallidum subsp. pertenue. This report demonstrates that hamster T cells can be separated into two phenotypically and functionally distinct subsets and that both T-cell subsets confer protection against challenge with T. pallidum subsp. pertenue.
TRAIL/Apo2L Mediates the Release of Procoagulant Endothelial Microparticles Induced by Thrombin In Vitro: A Potential Mechanism Linking Inflammation and Coagulation

Abstract— Microparticles are small vesicles playing a crucial role in cell communication by promoting prothrombotic and proinflammatory responses. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying their release are still elusive. We previously established that thrombin promoted the generation of endothelial microparticles (EMPs). In the present study, gene profiling identified TRAIL/Apo2L, a cytokine belonging to the tumor necrosis factor-&agr; superfamily, as a target of thrombin. Thrombin increased the expression of cell-associated and soluble forms of TRAIL (sTRAIL) in HMEC-1 cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Blocking TRAIL by specific antibodies or by small interfering RNA reduced both the number and the procoagulant activity of EMPs released by thrombin. Consistent with an involvement of sTRAIL in thrombin-induced EMP release, we showed that (1) exogenously added sTRAIL generated procoagulant EMPs; (2) supernatants from thrombin-stimulated endothelial cells induced EMP release by HMEC-1 cells and HUVECs, whereas those recovered from TRAIL knockdown endothelial cells displayed no effect. TRAIL/TRAIL-R2 complex mediated EMP release by initiating the recruitment of adaptor proteins and the activation of nuclear factor &kgr;B. Moreover, sTRAIL modulated intercellular adhesion molecule-1 and interleukin-8 expression induced by thrombin by a downstream pathway involving nuclear factor &kgr;B activation. Our data reveal a novel mechanism controlling EMP release and identify TRAIL as a key partner in the pathway linking coagulation and inflammation elicited by thrombin.
Local control and results of Leksell Gamma Knife therapy for the treatment of uveal melanoma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of Leksell Gamma Knife stereotactic radio-surgery (Elekta, Stockholm, Sweden) with respect to local tumor control, visual acuity, and radiation side effects for uveal melanoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS Retrospective, non-comparative case series of 23 patients with uveal melanoma treated with Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery at Tufts Medical Center from 2000 to 2012. Patients received single-fraction stereotactic radiation therapy of 20-25 gray (Gy) (mean: 21.7 Gy), primarily at the 50% isodose line. Follow-up was 4 to 121 months (median: 41.5 months). Main outcome measures included local tumor control, metastasis, visual acuity, and complications of therapy. RESULTS In 21 of 23 patients (91%), local control was achieved with a single session of Gamma Knife therapy. Both patients who did not have local control, as well as a third patient (three of 23, 13%) developed liver metastases. Visual acuity was 20/200 or better in eight of 23 patients (35%) at last follow-up. Radiation side effects severe enough to cause vision loss were present in 14 of 23 patients (61%). CONCLUSION Gamma Knife therapy may be an effective alternative to enucleation in patients with uveal melanoma who are deemed less satisfactory candidates for brachytherapy or wish to avoid surgery.
HGF and NRG1 protein expression are not poor prognostic markers in surgically resected lung adenocarcinoma

Purpose Although over-expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and neuregulin-1 (NRG1) are important mechanisms involved in acquired drug-resistance in many cancers, few reports have evaluated their clinicopathologic features and prognostic significance. The aim of our study was to investigate protein expressions of HGF and NRG1 in lung adenocarcinomas and their association with clinicopathologic parameters, oncogenic mutations, and the prognosis. Methods HGF and NRG1 protein tumor/stroma expressions were evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 115 surgically resected lung adenocarcinomas and were correlated with clinicopathologic and molecular variables including tumor size, tumor node metastasis stage, differentiation, oncogenic mutations (EGFR, KRAS, HER2, BRAF) and ALK fusions, relapse-free survival, and overall survival. Results Positive IHC HGF tumor and stroma staining were found in 49 (42.61%) and 12 (10.43%) cases, respectively, while positive IHC NRG1 tumor and stroma staining were found in 56 (48.70%) and eleven (9.57%) cases, respectively. Dual positive IHC HGF and NRG1 tumor staining was 12.17%. EML4-ALK fusion more significantly existed in HGF-tumor positive samples (P=0.03), positive NRG1 protein stroma expression was significantly associated with male sex (P=0.04), while HGF and NRG1 dual tumor-positive mainly existed in the tumor size >3 cm group (P=0.0231). No significant clinically prognostic difference was found between patients with HGF/NRG1-positive expression and those with HGF/NRG1-negative expression. Conclusion This study represents the first comprehensive analysis of HGF and NRG1 tumor and stroma expressions in patients with surgically resected lung adenocarcinomas. Our molecular data, in conjunction with clinical and pathological features, as well as their effects on survival indicated to us that patients with HGF- and NRG1-negative expression tended to have better survival, but these results probably did not warrant these markers to be indicators of poor prognosis.
Laccase Gene Expression and Vinasse Biodegradation by Trametes hirsuta Strain Bm-2

Vinasse is the dark-colored wastewater that is generated by bioethanol distilleries from feedstock molasses. The vinasse that is generated from molasses contains high amounts of pollutants, including phenolic compounds and melanoindin. The goal of this work was to study the expression of laccase genes in the Trametes hirsuta strain Bm-2, isolated in Yucatan, Mexico, in the presence of phenolic compounds, as well as its effectiveness in removing colorants from vinasse. In the presence of all phenolic compounds tested (guaiacol, ferulic acid, and vanillic acid), increased levels of laccase-encoding mRNA were observed. Transcript levels in the presence of guaiacol were 40 times higher than those in the control. The lcc1 and lcc2 genes of T. hirsuta were differentially expressed; guaiacol and vanillin induced the expression of both genes, whereas ferulic acid only induced the expression of lcc2. The discoloration of vinasse was concomitant with the increase in laccase activity. The highest value of enzyme activity (2543.7 U/mL) was obtained in 10% (v/v) vinasse, which corresponded to a 69.2% increase in discoloration. This study demonstrates the potential of the Bm-2 strain of T. hirsuta for the biodegradation of vinasse.
Gestural Query Specification

Direct, ad-hoc interaction with databases has typically been performed over console-oriented conversational interfaces using query languages such as SQL. With the rise in popularity of gestural user interfaces and computing devices that use gestures as their exclusive modes of interaction, database query interfaces require a fundamental rethinking to work without keyboards. We present a novel query specification system that allows the user to query databases using a series of gestures. We present a novel gesture recognition system that uses both the interaction and the state of the database to classify gestural input into relational database queries. We conduct exhaustive systems performance tests and user studies to demonstrate that our system is not only performant and capable of interactive latencies, but it is also more usable, faster to use and more intuitive than existing systems.
The stigmata and discrimination experienced, in southern India, by cases of lymphatic filariasis

Abstract Between November 2006 and November 2009, the stigmata and discrimination experienced by 201 cases of lymphatic filariasis (LF) living in three areas of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu (the Pondicherry urban agglomeration and two, endemic, rural villages in Villupuram district) were investigated in interviews. The narratives of nine of the interviewees are reported here in detail, to bring to light the various domains of life in which LF cases are stigmatized and discriminated against. Lymphatic filariasis can, and often does, adversely affect each case's livelihood, marital prospects, and social and marital life and can also diminish the marital prospects of a case's children. The deformity caused by the disease and the incapacitation resulting from the often-frequent attacks of adenolymphangitis appeared to be the main reasons for the stigmatization and discrimination. Although morbidity control is one of the 'twin pillars' of the Global Programme for Elimination of Filariasis, the stigmata and discrimination associated with such morbidity also need to be addressed.
A cross-linguistic quantitative study of homophony*

Abstract Homophony is ubiquitous across languages. It is an important source of ambiguity which is a distinctive feature of human language. There have, however, been few quantitative investigations on questions such as “Do languages have similar degrees of homophony? ”, “Can the degree of homophony in a language be predictable? ” We report a preliminary attempt to answer these questions. We measure the degree of homophony of two sets of languages, one including twenty Chinese dialects and the other including three Germanic languages. It is found that there exists a strong correlation between the degree of homophony and the number of occurring syllable types (which can be taken as an estimation of the size of the phonological resource of a language), or the number of monosyllabic words in the lexicon. Furthermore, the distributional properties of homophony reflect some self-organization characteristics of language as a system, as illustrated by two pieces of evidence: the first is the correlation between the degree of homophony and the degree of disyllabification in Chinese dialects, and the second is the observation from some languages that pairs of words tend to exist in different grammatical classes, suggesting that language self-organizes in a way to decrease the chances of ambiguity.
An FPT algorithm for Tree Deletion Set

We give a 5 k n O(1) fixed-parameter algorithm for determining whether a given undirected graph on n vertices has a subset of at most k vertices whose deletion results in a tree. Such a subset is a restricted form of a feedback vertex set. While parameterized complexity of feedback vertex set problem and several of its variations have been well studied, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first fixed-parameter algorithm for this version of feedback vertex set.
Risky use and misuse of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes detected by screening questionnaires in a clinical psychosis unit

The use of screening instruments has been proposed to facilitate identification of risky substance use and misuse. This study aims to investigate the use of a screening procedure to identify hazardous or harmful use of alcohol, drug-related problems and riskful use of cigarettes in a clinical psychosis setting. The use of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes was examined by three self-reporting instruments: Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) and Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). Two hundred and forty-one out of 374 patients (64%) took part in the investigation. Eighteen per cent had a hazardous or harmful alcohol use, 9% drug-related problems and 49% were smokers. Multivariate analyses showed that women, as well as smokers had an increasing risk of having drug-related problems. The use of screening questionnaires increases the awareness that risky use of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes is common among persons with psychosis. Many persons with psychosis used alcohol, drugs and cigarettes in a risky way. It is important to identify these problems to make proper interventions due to the negative medical and social consequences of this use. Such identification may be facilitated by use of screening instruments.
Post‐junctional interactions between neuromuscular blocking agents and ethanol at the mouse neuromuscular junction

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Ethanol is known to have both pre‐synaptic and post‐synaptic effects at a range of loci in the mammalian nervous system, including the neuromuscular junction. However, the effects of ethanol on evoked synaptic transmission have not been previously studied at the mouse neuromuscular junction. Here, we report on the effects of ethanol on evoked neuromuscular transmission and the interaction of ethanol with non‐depolarizing blocking drugs.
Neuropsychology 3.0: Evidence-Based Science and Practice

Abstract Neuropsychology is poised for transformations of its concepts and methods, leveraging advances in neuroimaging, the human genome project, psychometric theory, and information technologies. It is argued that a paradigm shift toward evidence-based science and practice can be enabled by innovations, including (1) formal definition of neuropsychological concepts and tasks in cognitive ontologies; (2) creation of collaborative neuropsychological knowledgebases; and (3) design of Web-based assessment methods that permit free development, large-sample implementation, and dynamic refinement of neuropsychological tests and the constructs these aim to assess. This article considers these opportunities, highlights selected obstacles, and offers suggestions for stepwise progress toward these goals. (JINS, 2011, 17, 000–000)
Genetic and bioinformatics analysis of four novel GCK missense variants detected in Caucasian families with GCK‐MODY phenotype

Heterozygous loss‐of‐function mutations in the glucokinase (GCK) gene cause maturity‐onset diabetes of the young (MODY) subtype GCK (GCK‐MODY/MODY2). GCK sequencing revealed 16 distinct mutations (13 missense, 1 nonsense, 1 splice site, and 1 frameshift‐deletion) co‐segregating with hyperglycaemia in 23 GCK‐MODY families. Four missense substitutions (c.718A>G/p.Asn240Asp, c.757G>T/p.Val253Phe, c.872A>C/p.Lys291Thr, and c.1151C>T/p.Ala384Val) were novel and a founder effect for the nonsense mutation (c.76C>T/p.Gln26*) was supposed. We tested whether an accurate bioinformatics approach could strengthen family‐genetic evidence for missense variant pathogenicity in routine diagnostics, where wet‐lab functional assays are generally unviable. In silico analyses of the novel missense variants, including orthologous sequence conservation, amino acid substitution (AAS)‐pathogenicity predictors, structural modeling and splicing predictors, suggested that the AASs and/or the underlying nucleotide changes are likely to be pathogenic. This study shows how a careful bioinformatics analysis could provide effective suggestions to help molecular‐genetic diagnosis in absence of wet‐lab validations.
Meta-analysis of frusemide to prevent or treat acute renal failure

Abstract Objective To investigate the potential beneficial and adverse effects of frusemide to prevent or treat acute renal failure in adults. Design Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Data sources Cochrane controlled trials register (2005 issue 4), Embase, and Medline (1966 to 1 February 2006), without language restrictions. Review methods Two reviewers checked the quality of the studies and independently extracted data. Results Nine randomised controlled trials totalling 849 patients with or at risk of acute renal failure were included. Outcome measures not significantly different after frusemide treatment were in-hospital mortality (relative risk 1.11, 95% confidence interval 0.92 to 1.33), risk for requiring renal replacement therapy or dialysis (0.99, 0.80 to 1.22), number of dialysis sessions required (weight mean difference - 0.48 sessions, - 1.45 to 0.50), and proportion of patients with persistent oliguria (urine output < 500 ml/day: 0.54, 0.18 to 1.61). Stratifying studies that used frusemide to prevent or treat acute renal failure did not change the results on mortality (relative risk ratio 2.10, 95% confidence interval 0.67 to 6.63) and the risk for requiring dialysis (4.12, 0.46 to 37.2). Evidence suggested an increased risk of temporary deafness and tinnitus in patients treated with high doses of frusemide (relative risk 3.97, 95% confidence interval 1.00 to 15.78). Conclusions Frusemide is not associated with any significant clinical benefits in the prevention and treatment of acute renal failure in adults. High doses may be associated with an increased risk of ototoxicity.
Course of Pregnancy and Family History in Children with Malformations of the Urinary Tract1

Catamnestic investigations were performed in 291 children with malformations of the urinary tract. In renal and vesical malformations both sexes were equally affected, whereas girls were more affected (1.5 :1) than boys with malformations of the renal pelvis and the ureter. Malformations of the urethra included only boys. Parental age was not different from the average parental age at time of delivery in any group. Genetic influences could be assumed in 8.8%. The incidence of malformations of both the urinary and other organ systems in relatives was 8-times higher than in the average population (P less than 0.005). Malformations of the urinary system and unspecified renal diseases were observed in relatives of 22.5% of our children. Nothing conspicuous could be found in the menstrual cycle, abortion rate, haemorrhage during pregnancy and smoking behaviour during pregnancy in the women of the study; 35.1% of them took drugs and 8.2 underwent X-ray investigations during pregnancy.
The applicability of organomodified nanoclays as new fillers for mechanical reinforcement of dental composites

Objectives This study reports the evaluation of changes in crosslink structure and mechanical properties of dental microhybrid composite reinforced with clays when compared to silica nanofillers, which are already extensively used for this application. Materials and methods A standardized resin matrix with a glycerolate dimethacrylate, triethylene glycol dimethacrylate, and urethane dimethacrylate copolymers associated with a camphorquinone photoinitiator system was blended with 75 wt% filler content. As fillers, two organically modified clays (hydrophilic silica and organomodified silica) and a boron-aluminum-silicate glass with 4 µm were used to obtain nanohybrid nanocomposites. The samples were prepared by light curing and were evaluated by measuring flexural strength, elasticity modulus, hardness, tensile resistance, and crosslinking. Results The mechanical test results indicated that the system with 2.5% clay was better dispersed in the system, while the highest concentrations caused agglomeration of these clays. On the other hand, the silicas showed gradual gain in properties. The increase in concentration of all nanofillers reduced the crosslinking ability of the systems. This behavior can be explained because the clay’s presence makes the reaction medium more viscous or because the fillers act as points of light absorption and scattering.
Theoretical mass sensitivity of Love wave and layer guided acoustic plate mode sensors

A model for the mass sensitivity of Love wave and layer guided shear horizontal acoustic plate mode (SH–APM) sensors is developed by considering the propagation of shear horizontally polarized acoustic waves in a three layer system. A dispersion equation is derived for this three layer system and this is shown to contain the dispersion equation for the two layer system of the substrate and the guiding layer plus a term involving the third layer, which is regarded as a perturbing mass layer. This equation is valid for an arbitrary thickness perturbing mass layer. The perturbation, Δν, of the wave speed for the two-layer system by a thin third layer of density, ρp and thickness Δh is shown to be equal to the mass per unit area multiplied by a function dependent only on the properties of the substrate and the guiding layer, and the operating frequency of the sensor. The independence of the function from the properties of the third layer means that the mass sensitivity of the bare, two-layer, sensor operated .