Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute Damage to the Posterior Limb of the Internal Capsule on Diffusion Tensor Tractography as an Early Imaging Predictor of Motor Outcome after Stroke

Practical applications of diffusion tensor imaging are few, but this seems to be an interesting and a potentially important one: can it be used to predict motor outcome after stroke? Sixty patients within 12 hours of stroke were assessed with tractography at 5 different locations in the corticospinal tracts at admission, and at days 3 and 30. Patients with acute damage to the posterior limb of the internal capsule had the worst outcome and clinical severity at presentation. Conclusions: In the acute setting, tractography is promising for stroke mapping to predict motor outcome. Acute corticospinal tract damage at the level of the posterior limb of the internal capsule is a significant predictor of unfavorable motor outcome. BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Early prediction of motor outcome is of interest in stroke management. We aimed to determine whether lesion location at DTT is predictive of motor outcome after acute stroke and whether this information improves the predictive accuracy of the clinical scores. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated 60 consecutive patients within 12 hours of middle cerebral artery stroke onset. We used DTT to evaluate CST involvement in the motor cortex and premotor cortex, centrum semiovale, corona radiata, and PLIC and in combinations of these regions at admission, at day 3, and at day 30. Severity of limb weakness was assessed by using the motor subindex scores of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (5a, 5b, 6a, 6b). We calculated volumes of infarct and fractional anisotropy values in the CST of the pons. RESULTS: Acute damage to the PLIC was the best predictor associated with poor motor outcome, axonal damage, and clinical severity at admission (P < .001). There was no significant correlation between acute infarct volume and motor outcome at day 90 (P = .176, r = 0.485). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of acute CST involvement at the level of the PLIC for motor outcome at day 90 were 73.7%, 100%, 100%, and 89.1%, respectively. In the acute stage, DTT predicted motor outcome at day 90 better than the clinical scores (R2 = 75.50, F = 80.09, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: In the acute setting, DTT is promising for stroke mapping to predict motor outcome. Acute CST damage at the level of the PLIC is a significant predictor of unfavorable motor outcome.
Discharge properties of dorsal medullary inspiratory neurons: relation to pulmonary afferent and phrenic efferent discharge.

In decerebrate paralyzed cats ventilated with a cycle-triggered pump system that delivered inflation during the central inspiratory (I) phase (indicated by efferent phrenic discharge), activity of 90 neurons with inspiratory-modulated discharge was recorded in the region of the ventrolateral nucleus of tractus solitarius (vlNTS) in the medulla. Of these, 82 had centrally originating I patterns (69 augmenting, 13 decrementing), and 8 were "pump" neurons. The neurons were classified into functional types by the application of inflation tests, the main test being withholding of the inflation usually delivered during the central I phase. This maneuver eliminated phasic pulmonary afferent input and produced lengthening of the I phase. The neurons' responses were heterogeneous, and were classified as: excitation by inflation (inflation(+], no significant effect of inflation (inflation(0], and depression by inflation (inflation(-]. Application of inflation during the expiratory (E) phase only rarely produced excitation of central I neurons. The I neurons excited by inflation correspond to the "I-beta" neurons of earlier studies. On the basis of the multimodal distribution of their discharge onset times relative to phrenic onset, they were classified as early onset or late onset. In contrast, the inflation(0) and inflation(-) neurons, which correspond to the "I-alpha" neurons, almost exclusively had early onsets. The pump neurons could be distinguished from the inflation(+) I neurons by the effects of inflations delivered during E: the former were equally excited by inflations during E and during I, while the latter were not excited or were minimally excited by inflation during E. Thus, the pump neurons had lung afferent inputs but no inputs from the central I pattern generator, while the inflation(+) I neurons had both kinds of input. The neurons having decrementing discharge during I (early inspiratory and expiratory-inspiratory) were depressed by inflation. Cross-correlation histograms (CCH) of unit firing versus whole phrenic (contralateral and ipsilateral) activity on a short time scale (milliseconds) were computed; the majority of these had high-frequency oscillations, with mean period of 14.6 +/- 3.6 (SD) ms. The CCHs for the different groups of neurons were analyzed with respect to a) strength of correlation as a function of laterality and b) lag of the main correlation peak. Both the inflation(0) and inflation(+) neuronal groups had correlation properties suggesting that these neurons monosynaptically excite phrenic motoneurons. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Analysis of the Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Hearing Loss in Korean Adolescents

Background Hearing loss can lead to a number of disabilities, subsequently reducing the quality of life. In general, hearing thresholds of adolescents are better than adults and the elderly. However, occasionally, adolescents acquire hearing loss for a number of reasons. In this study, our goal was to estimate the prevalence of hearing loss in the Korean population and to investigate the factors related to hearing thresholds in adolescents. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) between 2010 and 2012. We enrolled a total of 1,658 participants, ages 13 to 18 years. We investigated the prevalence of hearing loss and the factors associated with hearing thresholds at various frequencies (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 KHz). Results Weighted prevalence of unilateral and bilateral hearing loss in Korean adolescents was 2.2% and 0.4%, respectively. Weighted prevalence of hearing thresholds ≥ 20 dB at speech and high frequencies were 3.1% and 5.0%, respectively, for unilateral hearing loss and 0.7% and 1.9%, respectively, for bilateral. Age group, tympanometric data, and household income were significantly related to unilateral or bilateral hearing thresholds ≥ 20 dB at speech frequencies. Earphone use in noisy places was associated with bilateral hearing thresholds ≥ 20 dB at high frequencies. Conclusions The prevalence of hearing loss in Korean adolescents was 2.6% using the general standard threshold associated with hearing loss. However, the prevalence of hearing thresholds ≥ 20 dB for speech and high frequencies was much higher. The results from this study provide an estimate of hearing loss in adolescents and suggest the need for early detection and hearing preservation programs among adolescents.
Stable Learning in Stochastic Network States

The mammalian cerebral cortex is characterized in vivo by irregular spontaneous activity, but how this ongoing dynamics affects signal processing and learning remains unknown. The associative plasticity rules demonstrated in vitro, mostly in silent networks, are based on the detection of correlations between presynaptic and postsynaptic activity and hence are sensitive to spontaneous activity and spurious correlations. Therefore, they cannot operate in realistic network states. Here, we present a new class of spike-timing-dependent plasticity learning rules with local floating plasticity thresholds, the slow dynamics of which account for metaplasticity. This novel algorithm is shown to both correctly predict homeostasis in synaptic weights and solve the problem of asymptotic stable learning in noisy states. It is shown to naturally encompass many other known types of learning rule, unifying them into a single coherent framework. The mixed presynaptic and postsynaptic dependency of the floating plasticity threshold is justified by a cascade of known molecular pathways, which leads to experimentally testable predictions.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs for the Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease: A Systematic Review

Objective: Alzheimer’s disease, the most prevalent dementia, is a prominent source of chronic illness in the elderly. Laboratory evidence suggests that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) might prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. Since the early 1990s, numerous observational epidemiological studies have also investigated this possibility. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to summarize and evaluate available evidence regarding exposure to nonaspirin NSAIDs and risk of Alzheimer’s disease using meta-analyses of published studies. Methods: A systematic search was conducted using Medline, Biological Abstracts, and the Cochrane Library for publications from 1960 onwards. All cross-sectional, retrospective, or prospective observational studies of Alzheimer’s disease in relation to NSAID exposure were included in the analysis. At least 2 of 4 independent reviewers characterized each study by source of data and design, including method of classifying exposure and outcome, and evaluated the studies for eligibility. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus of all 4 reviewers. Results: Of 38 publications, 11 met the qualitative criteria for inclusion in the meta-analysis. For the 3 case-control and 4 cross-sectional studies, the combined risk estimate for development of Alzheimer’s disease was 0.51 (95% CI = 0.40–0.66) for NSAID exposure. In the prospective studies, the estimate was 0.74 (95% CI = 0.62–0.89) for the 4 studies reporting lifetime NSAID exposure and it was 0.42 (95% CI = 0.26–0.66) for the 3 studies reporting a duration of use of 2 or more years. Conclusions: Based on analysis of prospective and nonprospective studies, NSAID exposure was associated with decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. An issue that requires further exploration in future trials or observational studies is the temporal relationship between NSAID exposure and protection against Alzheimer’s disease.
Effect of Ti4+ doping on magnetic properties of charge ordered Bi0.3Ca0.7MnO3

The effect of Ti doping in Bi0.3Ca0. 7Mn1−xTixO3 (where x = 0.0, 0.015, 0.03, 0.05, 0.08, 0.12 and 0.16) on structural, magnetic and transport properties have been studied. The charge-ordering temperature (TCO) decreases gradually with increasing Ti doping content, and finally disappears completely for x = 0.12. The Neel temperature (TN) also decreases with increasing Ti doping content. A transition to a cluster glass like state is observed at T ⩽ TN. The zero field cooled/field cooled (ZFC/FC) magnetization decreases at high temperature (T > 200 K) with increasing Ti content, whereas an opposite trend is observed at low temperature (T < 200 K). Small exchange bias effect is also observed for x = 0.08 at 10 K. The resistivity increases with increasing Ti doping content. The disorder induced by Ti doping on the Mn site plays a key role in explaining the observed magnetic and electrical properties.
On-chip synthesis of CuO nanowires for direct gas sensor integration

We report on the direct integration of CuO nanowires into a functional gas sensing device using a simple, cheap and scalable fabrication technology. Our approach relies on thermal oxidation of evaporated copper microstructures for the synthesis of suspended CuO nanowires with very small diameters between 10nm and 30nm at well-defined locations. We operate the devices as conductometric gas sensors and show their sensitivity during exposure to small concentrations of the toxic gases CO (down to 5ppm) and H2S (down to 10ppb). Due to the promising sensing results and the CMOS backend compatibility of the fabrication process steps, the presented technology may be used for the realization of fully integrated gas sensing devices.
Long term outcome of infective endocarditis in patients who were not drug addicts: a 10 year study

OBJECTIVE To determine the clinical features and long term prognosis of infective endocarditis in patients who were not drug addicts. DESIGN Prospective case series. SETTING A university hospital that is both a referral and a primary care centre. PATIENTS 138 consecutive cases of infective endocarditis diagnosed and treated from January 1987 to March 1997. RESULTS Mean patient age was 44 (20) years old. 95 patients (69%) had native valve endocarditis and 43 (31%) had prosthetic valve endocarditis. Staphylococci were the causal microorganisms in 34% of cases and streptococci in 33%. Severe complications occurred in 83% of patients and 51% of patients underwent surgery during the active phase (22% was emergency surgery). Inpatient mortality was 21%. During a follow up of 56 (44) months, 10 patients (9%) needed late cardiac surgery and seven (5% of the whole series) died. Overall 10 year survival was 71%. There were no significant differences in survival depending on the type of treatment received during the hospital stay (medical or combined medical–surgical). CONCLUSIONS A high early surgery rate is related to good long term results and does not increase in-hospital mortality. Medical treatment, however, also offers favourable long term results in cases of responsive infective endocarditis where poor prognostic factors are absent.
A ± 3 ppm/°C Single-Trim Switched Capacitor Bandgap Reference for Battery Monitoring Applications

A precision bandgap reference has been developed in a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$0.18~\mu \text {m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> BiCMOS process that achieves ±3 ppm/°C temperature drift at ±3 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma $ </tex-math></inline-formula> from −40 °C to 110 °C. The reference is designed to utilize single temperature trim and standard components. A 3.65 V switched capacitor reference voltage is provided to a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2^{{\textrm {nd}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> order delta-sigma modulator ADC to digitize a battery cell voltage. The switched capacitor reference utilizes fully differential sampling which reduces the errors from channel charge injection and clock feedthrough introduced by pseudo-differential sampling. A new technique for sampling a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text {V}_{{\textrm {be}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> voltage directly onto the output of the reference’s differential amplifier has been developed that removes the error that would be introduced from differentially sampling the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text {V}_{{\textrm {be}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta \text {V}_{{\textrm {be}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> voltage terms independently. The bandgap reference and ADC combination have an input referred noise spectral density of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4.7~\mu \text {V}/\surd $ </tex-math></inline-formula>Hz from 0.1 to 162 Hz yielding 15 stable output bits.
Bone Metastasis Inhibition of Cell Adhesion by a Cadherin-11 Antibody Thwarts

Cadherin-11 (CDH11) is a member of the cadherin superfamily mainly expressed in osteoblasts but not in epithelial cells. However, prostate cancer cells with a propensity for bone metastasis express high levels of cadherin11 and reduced levels of E-cadherin. Downregulation of cadherin-11 inhibits interaction of prostate cancer cells with osteoblasts in vitro and homing of prostate cancer cells to bone in an animalmodel ofmetastasis. These findings indicate that targeting cadherin-11may prevent prostate cancer bonemetastasis. To explore this possibility, a panel of 21 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) was generated against the extracellular (EC) domain of cadherin-11. Two antibodies, mAbs 2C7 and 1A5, inhibited cadherin-11–mediated cell–cell aggregation in vitro using L-cells transfected with cadherin-11. Both antibodies demonstrated specificity to cadherin-11, and neither antibody recognized E-cadherin or N-cadherin on C4-2B or PC3 cells, respectively. Furthermore, mAb 2C7 inhibited cadherin-11–mediated aggregation between the highly metastatic PC3-mm2 cells and MC3T3-E1 osteoblasts. Mechanistically, a series of deletion mutants revealed a unique motif, aa 343-348, in the cadherin-11 EC3 domain that is recognized by mAb 2C7 and that this motif coordinated cell–cell adhesion. Importantly, administration of mAb 2C7 in a prophylactic setting effectively prevented metastasis of PC3-mm2 cells to bone in an in vivomouse model. These results show that targeting the extracellular domain of cadherin-11 can limit cellular adhesion and metastatic dissemination of prostate cancer cells. Implications: Monotherapy using a cadherin-11 antibody is a suitable option for the prevention of bone metastases. Mol Cancer Res; 11(11); 1401–11. 2013 AACR.
How tree roots respond to drought

The ongoing climate change is characterized by increased temperatures and altered precipitation patterns. In addition, there has been an increase in both the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events such as drought. Episodes of drought induce a series of interconnected effects, all of which have the potential to alter the carbon balance of forest ecosystems profoundly at different scales of plant organization and ecosystem functioning. During recent years, considerable progress has been made in the understanding of how aboveground parts of trees respond to drought and how these responses affect carbon assimilation. In contrast, processes of belowground parts are relatively underrepresented in research on climate change. In this review, we describe current knowledge about responses of tree roots to drought. Tree roots are capable of responding to drought through a variety of strategies that enable them to avoid and tolerate stress. Responses include root biomass adjustments, anatomical alterations, and physiological acclimations. The molecular mechanisms underlying these responses are characterized to some extent, and involve stress signaling and the induction of numerous genes, leading to the activation of tolerance pathways. In addition, mycorrhizas seem to play important protective roles. The current knowledge compiled in this review supports the view that tree roots are well equipped to withstand drought situations and maintain morphological and physiological functions as long as possible. Further, the reviewed literature demonstrates the important role of tree roots in the functioning of forest ecosystems and highlights the need for more research in this emerging field.
Scintigraphic evaluation of gallbladder motor functions in H pylori positive and negative patients in the stomach with dyspepsia.

AIM To evaluate the relationship between gallbladder (GB) motor function and H pylori infection in the stomach. METHODS All cases (86) underwent the 14C urea breath test (UBT). 14C-UBT was found as positive in 58 and negative in 28 dyspeptic patients. 14C-UBT was accepted as a gold standard test. Clo test and histopathologic examination were compared with the results of 14C-UBT in cases who tolerated upper gastrointestinal endoscopy procedure. Cholescintigraphy with 99mTc-mebrofenin was used to determine the parameters of GB motor function (GB filling and emptying time, half of the emptying time, ejection fraction at 30th and 60th min) in all patients. RESULTS We found the sensitivity and specificity as 88% and 86% for Clo test and as 89% and 80% for histologic evaluation, respectively. The parameters of GB function were not significantly different in H pylori positive and negative patients. The GB emptying was normal in both groups. Minimum GB filling time was 30 min in 34 of 86 cases (39.5%), filling was not observed in 2 cases. The GB ultrasonography (USG) results were normal for all cases and bile composition abnormality was not determined. CONCLUSION Our study showed that 14C-UBT is highly reliable method to detect the presence of H pylori. The presence of H pylori infection does ot directly affect the GB function.
Effect of Educational Level on Oral Health in Peritoneal and Hemodialysis Patients

Background. In previous studies, the oral and dental health statuses were compared in hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients without taking into account the effect of educational levels on oral health. Hence we aimed to make a comparison of these parameters based upon the subjects educational levels. Patients and Methods. 76 PD (33 males, 43 females-mean age: 44 ± 12 years) and 100 HD (56 males, 44 females-mean age: 46 ± 14 years) patients were included. The number of decayed, missing and filled teeth were detected, DMFT index was calculated and plaque index (PI) values were assessed. Results. Significantly higher numbers of filled teeth (P < .001) and lower PI values (P < .01) in the PD group were detected with higher educational levels, whereas no significance was detected in the HD group. Higher DMFT index values were assessed in the lower educated and high school levels in PD than HD patients (P < .05). Higher numbers of filled teeth (P < .05) were detected in the secondary school level in PD patients. This difference was even more significant in the high school level (P < .001). Conclusion. We assume that PD patients, who were found to be in a higher educational level, are more caring for their oral health as compared to HD patients.
Detection of Photosynthetic Performance of Stipa bungeana Seedlings under Climatic Change using Chlorophyll Fluorescence Imaging

In this study, the impact of future climate change on photosynthetic efficiency as well as energy partitioning in the Stipa bungeana was investigated by using chlorophyll fluorescence imaging (CFI) technique. Two thermal regimes (room temperature, T0: 23.0/17.0°C; High temperature, T6: 29.0/23.0°C) and three water conditions (Control, W0; Water deficit, W−30; excess precipitation, W+30) were set up in artificial control chambers. The results showed that excess precipitation had no significant effect on chlorophyll fluorescence parameters, while water deficit decreased the maximal quantum yield of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry for the dark-adapted state (Fv/Fm) by 16.7%, with no large change in maximal quantum yield of PSII photochemistry for the light-adapted state (FV′/FM′) and coefficient of the photochemical quenching (qP) at T0 condition. Under T6 condition, high temperature offset the negative effect of water deficit on Fv/Fm and enhanced the positive effect of excess precipitation on Fv/Fm, Fv′/Fm′, and qP, the values of which all increased. This indicates that the temperature higher by 6°C will be beneficial to the photosynthetic performance of S. bungeana. Spatial changes of photosynthetic performance were monitored in three areas of interest (AOIs) located on the bottom, middle and upper position of leaf. Chlorophyll fluorescence images (Fv/Fm, actual quantum yield of PSII photochemistry for the light-adapted state (ΦPSII), quantum yield of non-regulated energy dissipation for the light-adapted state (ΦNO) at T0 condition, and ΦPSII at T6 condition) showed a large spatial variation, with greater value of ΦNO and lower values of Fv/Fm and ΦPSII in the upper position of leaves. Moreover, there was a closer relationship between ΦPSII and ΦNO, suggesting that the energy dissipation by non-regulated quenching mechanisms played a dominant role in the yield of PSII photochemistry. It was also found that, among all measured fluorescence parameters, the Fv/Fm ratio was most sensitive to precipitation change at T0, while ΦPSII was the most sensitive indicator at T6.