Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The RNA-binding protein Sam68 modulates the alternative splicing of Bcl-x

The RNA-binding protein Sam68 is involved in apoptosis, but its cellular mRNA targets and its mechanism of action remain unknown. We demonstrate that Sam68 binds the mRNA for Bcl-x and affects its alternative splicing. Depletion of Sam68 by RNA interference caused accumulation of antiapoptotic Bcl-x(L), whereas its up-regulation increased the levels of proapoptotic Bcl-x(s). Tyrosine phosphorylation of Sam68 by Fyn inverted this effect and favored the Bcl-x(L) splice site selection. A point mutation in the RNA-binding domain of Sam68 influenced its splicing activity and subnuclear localization. Moreover, coexpression of ASF/SF2 with Sam68, or fusion with an RS domain, counteracted Sam68 splicing activity toward Bcl-x. Finally, Sam68 interacted with heterogenous nuclear RNP (hnRNP) A1, and depletion of hnRNP A1 or mutations that impair this interaction attenuated Bcl-x(s) splicing. Our results indicate that Sam68 plays a role in the regulation of Bcl-x alternative splicing and that tyrosine phosphorylation of Sam68 by Src-like kinases can switch its role from proapoptotic to antiapoptotic in live cells.
Thalamic label patterns suggest primary and ventral auditory fields are distinct core regions

A hierarchical scheme proposed by Kaas and colleagues suggests that primate auditory cortex can be divided into core and belt regions based on anatomic connections with thalamus and distinctions among response properties. According to their model, core auditory cortex receives predominantly unimodal sensory input from the ventral nucleus of the medial geniculate body (MGBv); whereas belt cortex receives predominantly cross‐modal sensory input from nuclei outside the MGBv. We previously characterized distinct response properties in rat primary (A1) versus ventral auditory field (VAF) cortex; however, it has been unclear whether VAF should be categorized as a core or belt auditory cortex. The current study employed high‐resolution functional imaging to map intrinsic metabolic responses to tones and to guide retrograde tracer injections into A1 and VAF. The size and density of retrogradely labeled somas in the medial geniculate body (MGB) were examined as a function of their position along the caudal‐to‐rostral axis, subdivision of origin, and cortical projection target. A1 and VAF projecting neurons were found in the same subdivisions of the MGB but in rostral and caudal parts, respectively. Less than 3% of the cells projected to both regions. VAF projecting neurons were smaller than A1 projecting neurons located in dorsal (MGBd) and suprageniculate (SG) nuclei. Thus, soma size varied with both caudal‐rostral position and cortical target. Finally, the majority (>70%) of A1 and VAF projecting neurons were located in MGBv. These MGB connection profiles suggest that rat auditory cortex, like primate auditory cortex, is made up of multiple distinct core regions. J. Comp. Neurol. 518:1630–1646, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Population-Based Epidemiology and Microbiology of Community-Onset Bloodstream Infections

SUMMARY Bloodstream infection (BSI) is a major cause of infectious disease morbidity and mortality worldwide. While a positive blood culture is mandatory for establishment of the presence of a BSI, there are a number of determinants that must be considered for establishment of this entity. Community-onset BSIs are those that occur in outpatients or are first identified <48 h after admission to hospital, and they may be subclassified further as health care associated, when they occur in patients with significant prior health care exposure, or community associated, in other cases. The most common causes of community-onset BSI include Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Antimicrobial-resistant organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and extended-spectrum β-lactamase/metallo-β-lactamase/carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, have emerged as important etiologies of community-onset BSI.
Post‐kala‐azar dermal leishmaniasis in the Sudan: clinical presentation and differential diagnosis

Post‐kala‐azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) is a common complication following kala‐azar (visceral leishmaniasis). In a prospective study in a village in the endemic area for kala‐azar in the Sudan, 105 of 183 (57%) kala‐azar patients developed PKDL. There was a significantly higher PKDL rate (69%) in those who received inadequate and irregular treatment of kala‐azar than in those who were treated with stibogluconate 20 mg kg−1 daily for 15 days (35%). The group of patients who developed PKDL did not differ from those who did not develop PKDL with regard to age and sex distribution, reduction in spleen size, and conversion in the leishmanin skin test (LST). In a clinical study, 416 PKDL patients were analysed and divided according to grade of severity. Severe PKDL was more frequent in younger age groups (P < 0·001); there was an inverse correlation between grade and conversion in the LST (P < 0·01). In 16% of patients tested, parasites were demonstrated in inguinal lymph node or bone marrow aspirates, indicating still visceral disease (para‐kala‐azar dermal leishmaniasis); there was no correlation between the presence of parasites and grade of severity. Conversion rates in the LST were lower than in those who did not have demonstrable parasites (11% and 37%, respectively; P < 0·01). In the absence of reliable and practical diagnostic tests, PKDL may be diagnosed on clinical grounds and differentiated from other conditions, of which miliaria rubra was the most common. Differentiation from leprosy was most difficult.
Optoacoustic imaging of oral cancer: feasibility studies in hamster model of squamous cell carcinoma

An otoacoustic transducer capable of detecting wide-band ultrasonic profiles at the site of pulsed laser irradiation was developed and applied in imaging various stages of squamous cell carcinoma produced in a hamster cheek pouch model. Imaging was performed using 12-nanosecond Nd:YAG laser pulses (FWHM) at the wavelength of 532 nm, which provided sufficient depth of monitoring (2 mm), significant tissue contrast and 15-? m in depth resolution. The opto-acoustic images depict distinct tissue layers in control (normal) animals and heterogeneous structureless tissue in pre-cancer and cancer stages. Pronounced changes in subsurface tissue structures that occur in the course of cancer development were not detected upon gross examination. Optoacoustic images of later stages in cancer development presented exophytic or irregular profiles on the surfaces, possibly associated with enhanced microvascularization. The changes associated with benign inflammation yielded optoacoustic images different from those depicting cancer progression. The experimental results suggest that the optoacoustic images displaying layered tissue structure on the basis of variations in optical absorption and scattering may be utilized for early detection and staging of superficial mucosa cancer.
Acute Inhibition of PI3K-PDK1-Akt Pathway Potentiates Insulin Secretion through Upregulation of Newcomer Granule Fusions in Pancreatic β-Cells

In glucose-induced insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells, a population of insulin granules fuses with the plasma membrane without the typical docking process (newcomer granule fusions), however, its mechanism is unclear. In this study, we investigated the PI3K signaling pathways involved in the upregulation of newcomer granule fusions. Acute treatment with the class IA-selective PI3K inhibitors, PIK-75 and PI-103, enhanced the glucose-induced insulin secretion. Total internal reflection fluorescent microscopy revealed that the PI3K inhibitors increased the fusion events from newcomer granules. We developed a new system for transfection into pancreatic islets and demonstrated the usefulness of this system in order for evaluating the effect of transfected genes on the glucose-induced secretion in primary cultured pancreatic islets. Using this transfection system together with a series of constitutive active mutants, we showed that the PI3K-3-phosphoinositide dependent kinase-1 (PDK1)-Akt pathway mediated the potentiation of insulin secretion. The Akt inhibitor also enhanced the glucose-induced insulin secretion in parallel with the upregulation of newcomer granule fusions, probably via increased motility of intracellular insulin granules. These data suggest that the PI3K-PDK1-Akt pathway plays a significant role in newcomer granule fusions, probably through an alteration of the dynamics of the intracellular insulin granules.
The Effects of Within- and Between-Group Competition on Trust and Trustworthiness among Acquaintances

Several studies have indicated that between-group competition is a key stimulator of trust and trustworthiness. Another important but neglected type of competition may also affect trust and trustworthiness: within-group competition, especially competition among acquaintances. The present study investigated the effects of both within- and between-group competition on trust and trustworthiness, which were measured using an investment game played by acquaintances. We found that, compared to the participants' performance in the non-competition condition, when individuals were motivated to compete with their in-group members or the other groups for financial rewards, they demonstrated more trust. When individuals were motivated to compete with their in-group members, they exhibited lower trustworthiness than in non-competition and between-group competition. In addition, within-group competition decreased the trustor's payoff while both within- and between- group competition increased the trustee's payoff. Finally, we found that males trusted their group members more than females.
Understanding the Fascial Supporting Network of the Breast: Key Ligamentous Structures in Breast Augmentation and a Proposed System of Nomenclature

Background: The fascial system of the breast has, to date, only been described in general terms. This anatomical study has developed two distinct methods for better defining existing breast structures such as the inframammary fold, as well as defining previously unnamed ligamentous structures. Methods: The authors harvested and examined 40 frozen, entire chest wall cadavers. Initially, 15 embalmed cadavers were studied with a combination of blunt and sharp dissection, which proved to be inaccurate. A further 20 fresh and five embalmed chest walls were harvested, frozen, and then sectioned with a bandsaw (3-cm slices) and knife (1.5- to 4-cm slices) depending on the area studied. Sagittal, horizontal, and oblique sections along the length of the ribs were created and then dissolved using either sodium hydroxide or alcohol dehydration followed by xylene immersion. Constant fascial connections between the breast parenchyma, superficial fascia, pectoralis muscle (deep) fascia, and bone were observed. Results: Specimens clearly demonstrated internal structures responsible for the surface landmarks of the breast. The precise configuration of the infra mammary fold was clearly visible, and new ligamentous structures were identified and named. Conclusions: Knowing the location and interrelationship of these structures is particularly important in breast augmentation. Reappraisal of the anatomy in this area has enabled precise identification of ligamentous structures in the breast. Correlation of the findings in this article to specific clinical conditions or modes of treatment can be proven only by a clinical series that scientifically addresses the necessity and efficacy of preserving, releasing, or repositioning any of these structures.
Lookup-Table-Based Gradient Field Reconstruction

In computer vision, there are many applications, where it is advantageous to process an image in the gradient domain and then reintegrate the gradient field: important examples include shadow removal, lightness calculation, and data fusion. A serious problem with this approach is that the reconstruction step often introduces artefacts-commonly, smoothed and smeared edges-to the recovered image. This is a result of the inherent ill-posedness of reintegrating a nonintegrable field. Artefacts can be diminished but not removed, by using complex to highly complex reintegration techniques. Here, we present a remarkably simple (and on the face of it naive) algorithm for reconstructing gradient fields. Suppose we start with a multichannel original, and from it derive a (possibly one of many) 1-D gradient field; for many applications, the derived gradient field will be nonintegrable. Here, we propose a lookup-table-based map relating the multichannel original to a reconstructed scalar output image, whose gradient best matches the target gradient field. The idea, at base, is that if we learn how to map the gradients of the multichannel original onto the desired output gradient, and then using the lookup table (LUT) constraint, we effectively derive the mapping from the multichannel input to the desired, reintegrated, image output. While this map could take a variety of forms, here we derive the best map from the multichannel gradient as a (nonlinear) function of the input to each of the target scalar gradients. In this framework, reconstruction is a simple equation-solving exercise of low dimensionality. One obvious application of our method is to the image-fusion problem, e.g., the problem of converting a color or higher-D image into grayscale. We will show, through extensive experiments and complementary theoretical arguments, that our straightforward method preserves the target contrast as well as do complex previous reintegration methods, but without artefacts, and with a substantially cheaper computational cost. Finally, we demonstrate the generality of the method by applying it to gradient field reconstruction in an additional area, the shading recovery problem.
The Swedish knee arthroplasty register. A nation-wide study of 30,003 knees 1976-1992.

1976 through 1992, 30,003 primary knee arthroplasties and their revisions have been recorded in a nation-wide Swedish study. We report on the structure of the register, demographic data and survivorship. We found that operations for osteoarthrosis (OA) counted for the increase in number of arthroplasties in contrast to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), where the number had slightly declined. For primary operations, the total knee prostheses have practically eliminated other types in RA and are steadily gaining popularity in OA at the expense of the unicompartmental prostheses. Total knee replacements showed gradually improving survival even in unchanged designs while the unicompartmental prostheses don't, partly because of newly introduced inferior designs. We also found that failed unicompartmental prostheses were best replaced with a tricompartmental prosthesis and that a total revision was to be preferred when a tricompartmental tibial component failed. The risk of the most devastating complications, e.g., infection, leading to extraction of the prosthesis or arthrodesis has decreased considerably also in the last years.
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Identifying Psychosocial Variables That Predict Safer Sex Intentions in Adolescents and

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Combatting cyanobacteria with hydrogen peroxide: a laboratory study on the consequences for phytoplankton community and diversity

Experiments with different phytoplankton densities in lake samples showed that a high biomass increases the rate of hydrogen peroxide (HP) degradation and decreases the effectiveness of HP in the selective suppression of dominant cyanobacteria. However, selective application of HP requires usage of low doses only, accordingly this defines the limits for use in lake mitigation. To acquire insight into the impact of HP on other phytoplankton species, we have followed the succession of three phytoplankton groups in lake samples that were treated with different concentrations of HP using a taxa-specific fluorescence emission test. This fast assay reports relatively well on coarse changes in the phytoplankton community; the measured data and the counts from microscopical analysis of the phytoplankton matched quite well. The test was used to pursue HP application in a Planktothrix agardhii-dominated lake sample and displayed a promising shift in the phytoplankton community in only a few weeks. From a low-diversity community, a change to a status with a significantly higher diversity and increased abundance of eukaryotic phytoplankton species was established. Experiments in which treated samples were re-inoculated with original P. agardhii-rich lake water demonstrated prolonged suppression of cyanobacteria, and displayed a remarkable stability of the newly developed post-HP treatment state of the phytoplankton community.
Systematic review of cost effectiveness studies of telemedicine interventions

Abstract Objectives: To systematically review cost benefit studies of telemedicine. Design: Systematic review of English language, peer reviewed journal articles. Data sources: Searches of Medline, Embase, ISI citation indexes, and database of Telemedicine Information Exchange. Studies selected: 55 of 612 identified articles that presented actual cost benefit data. Main outcome measures: Scientific quality of reports assessed by use of an established instrument for adjudicating on the quality of economic analyses. Results: 557 articles without cost data categorised by topic. 55 articles with data initially categorised by cost variables employed in the study and conclusions. Only 24/55 (44%) studies met quality criteria justifying inclusion in a quality review. 20/24 (83%) restricted to simple cost comparisons. No study used cost utility analysis, the conventional means of establishing the “value for money” that a therapeutic intervention represents. Only 7/24 (29%) studies attempted to explore the level of utilisation that would be needed for telemedicine services to compare favourably with traditionally organised health care. None addressed this question in sufficient detail to adequately answer it. 15/24 (62.5%) of articles reviewed here provided no details of sensitivity analysis, a method all economic analyses should incorporate. Conclusion: There is no good evidence that telemedicine is a cost effective means of delivering health care.
Performance and emissions characteristics of a diesel engine with various injection pressures using biodiesel

This paper presents the suitability of Pongamia methyl ester oil as a source of renewable fuel substituting petrodiesel in CI engine. The properties of esterified Pongamia oil are closer to diesel properties. In the present work, experiment is conducted in a single cylinder direct injection diesel engine fuelled with diesel and 100% Pongamia methyl ester as fuel at different injection pressure at varying loads. The injection pressures are varying from 180 bar to 220 bar. The performance parameters like brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC), brake thermal efficiency (BTE), and exhaust emissions (CO, HC, NOx and smoke) were measured and analyzed. The results indicated that the brake thermal efficiency is increased about 1.5% for 100% PME at 220 bar injection pressure. The BSFC, CO and Smoke were decreased about 7%,33% and 25% respectively for 100% PME at 220 bar compared to 180 bar injection pressure. The nitrogen oxide emission (NO) was increased about 10% for 100% PME with 220 bar injection pressure. However pure Pongamia methyl ester (by volume) can be used at higher injection pressure safely in a conventional CI engine without any engine modification that could help in controlling air pollution.
Via hexagons to squares in ferrofluids: experiments on hysteretic surface transformations under variation of the normal magnetic field

We report on different surface patterns on magnetic liquids following the Rosensweig instability. We compare the bifurcation from the flat surface to a hexagonal array of spikes with the transition to squares at higher fields. From a radioscopic mapping of the surface topography we extract amplitudes and wavelengths. For the hexagon–square transition, which is complex because of coexisting domains, we tailor a set of order parameters like peak-to-peak distance, circularity, angular correlation function and pattern specific amplitudes from Fourier space. These measures enable us to quantify the smooth hysteretic transition. Voronoi diagrams indicate a pinning of the domains. Thus the smoothness of the transition is roughness on a small scale.
Increased incidence of chronic rejection in adult patients transplanted for autoimmune hepatitis: assessment of risk factors.

BACKGROUND/AIM It remains uncertain whether autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), as an original indication for orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTX), predisposes to the development of chronic rejection (CR) after surgery and published reports on heterogeneous groups of patients provided conflicting data. In this work we analyzed the incidence and risk factors for CR in a large cohort of adult patients transplanted for AIH in our unit. RESULTS A total of 1190 adult patients received OLTX in our center between 1982 and 1998. A total of 77 patients (6.5%) were transplanted for AIH and 12 (15.6%) patients from this group developed clinical and histological features of CR within a median time of 3.5 months after OLTX. Patients with AIH who developed CR were younger than other AIH patients at OLTX (32 vs. 44.2 ys; P=0.015) and more often had histological features of moderate or severe acute rejection (83 vs. 34%; P=0.002) on early post-OLTX biopsies. The incidence of CR in AIH patients was significantly higher than in subjects transplanted for other indications such as primary biliary cirrhosis (8.2%; P<0.05), primary sclerosing cholangitis (5.2%; P<0.05) or alcoholic cirrhosis (2.0%; P<0.001). Also, we observed a tendency to decreased incidence of CR with time in all transplanted subjects. CONCLUSIONS Apart from younger age at OLTX and higher incidence of severe acute rejection, patients with AIH who developed CR did not differ from other subjects transplanted for this indication. Unlike other studies, not stratified by diagnosis, recipient CMV negative status, young donor age, and HLA DR matching were not identified as risk factors for CR in AIH.
Interventions to improve teamwork and communications among healthcare staff

Concern over the frequency of unintended harm to patients has focused attention on the importance of teamwork and communication in avoiding errors. This has led to experiments with teamwork training programmes for clinical staff, mostly based on aviation models. These are widely assumed to be effective in improving patient safety, but the extent to which this assumption is justified by evidence remains unclear.
Cardiac contractility modulation in the treatment of heart failure: initial results and unanswered questions

Despite advances in our understanding of the pathology of heart failure modern conventional pharmacological therapies have proved insufficient. The application of electrical impulses during the refractory period of the cardiac contractile cycle, so‐called cardiac contractility modulation (CCM), presents a new therapeutic approach with promising results demonstrated in clinical trials to date. The mechanism by which CCM exerts its effects remains inconclusive with conflicting reports. This article provides a concise review of the experimental and clinical CCM studies conducted to date with particular focus on areas of controversy and unexplored avenues of interest with this novel electrical therapy.