Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neutrophil function in pregnancy and rheumatoid arthritis

BACKGROUND Pregnancy exerts suppressive effects on rheumatoid arthritis (RA). An attenuation in neutrophil function in late pregnancy which may explain this amelioration has previously been reported. OBJECTIVE A longitudinal investigation of neutrophil activity in healthy pregnant women (n=9) and pregnant patients with RA (n=9), compared with age matched non-pregnant patients with RA (n=12) and healthy controls (n=22). METHODS Neutrophil activation was measured in response to the physiological receptor agonists, n-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (fMLP) and zymosan activated serum (ZAS). Superoxide anion production (respiratory burst) was determined by lucigenin enhanced chemiluminescence (LUCL); secondary granule lactoferrin release by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA); and CD11b, CD18, and CD62L expression by flow cytometric analysis. RESULTS Stimulated neutrophil LUCL was significantly reduced in both pregnant women with RA and healthy pregnant women in the second (fMLP 43% and 69%, ZAS 43% and 59%, respectively) and third trimesters (fMLP 24% and 44%, ZAS 32% and 38%, respectively). Responses returned to normal within eight weeks of delivery and unstimulated levels remained unchanged throughout pregnancy. Basal and stimulated CD11b, CD18, and CD62L expression showed no variations throughout gestation for both pregnancy groups. Likewise, stimulated lactoferrin release and plasma lactoferrin remained unchanged. Certain morphological differences in RA neutrophils were highlighted by the flow cytometric analysis. Moreover, resting neutrophils and stimulated cells from patients with RA, including pregnant subjects, showed a marked increase in LUCL, but a reduction in CD11b, CD18, and CD62L. Low dose prednisolone and methylprednisolone had no effect on neutrophil parameters over the period of treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. CONCLUSION The attenuation to neutrophil respiratory burst in both healthy and RA pregnancies may offer an explanation for the pregnancy induced remission of this inflammatory disorder.
Fast image reconstruction for Compton camera using stochastic origin ensemble approach.

PURPOSE Compton camera has been proposed as a potential imaging tool in astronomy, industry, homeland security, and medical diagnostics. Due to the inherent geometrical complexity of Compton camera data, image reconstruction of distributed sources can be ineffective and/or time-consuming when using standard techniques such as filtered backprojection or maximum likelihood-expectation maximization (ML-EM). In this article, the authors demonstrate a fast reconstruction of Compton camera data using a novel stochastic origin ensembles (SOE) approach based on Markov chains. METHODS During image reconstruction, the origins of the measured events are randomly assigned to locations on conical surfaces, which are the Compton camera analogs of lines-of-responses in PET. Therefore, the image is defined as an ensemble of origin locations of all possible event origins. During the course of reconstruction, the origins of events are stochastically moved and the acceptance of the new event origin is determined by the predefined acceptance probability, which is proportional to the change in event density. For example, if the event density at the new location is higher than in the previous location, the new position is always accepted. After several iterations, the reconstructed distribution of origins converges to a quasistationary state which can be voxelized and displayed. RESULTS Comparison with the list-mode ML-EM reveals that the postfiltered SOE algorithm has similar performance in terms of image quality while clearly outperforming ML-EM in relation to reconstruction time. CONCLUSIONS In this study, the authors have implemented and tested a new image reconstruction algorithm for the Compton camera based on the stochastic origin ensembles with Markov chains. The algorithm uses list-mode data, is parallelizable, and can be used for any Compton camera geometry. SOE algorithm clearly outperforms list-mode ML-EM for simple Compton camera geometry in terms of reconstruction time. The difference in computational time will be much larger when full Compton camera system model, including resolution recovery, is implemented and realistic Compton camera geometries are used. It was also shown in this article that while correctly reconstructing the relative distribution of the activity in the object, the SOE algorithm tends to underestimate the intensity values and increase variance in the images; improvements to the SOE reconstruction algorithm will be considered in future work.
Recognizing an Object from the Sum of Its Parts: An Intracranial Study on Alpha Rhythms

Little is known about the relation of alpha rhythms and object recognition. Alpha has been generally proposed to be associated with attention and memory and to be particularly important for the mediation of long-distance communication between neuronal populations. However, how these apply to object recognition is still unclear. This study aimed at describing the spatiotemporal dynamics of alpha rhythms while recognizing fragmented images of objects presented for the first time and presented again 24 hr later. Intracranial electroencephalography was performed in six epileptic patients undergoing presurgical evaluation. Time–frequency analysis revealed a strong alpha activity, mainly of the evoked type, propagating from posterior cerebral areas to anterior regions, which was similar whether the objects were recognized or not. Phase coherence analysis, however, showed clear phase synchronization specific for the moment of recognition. Twenty-four hr later, frontal regions displayed stronger alpha activity and more distributed phase synchronization than when images were presented for the first time. In conclusion, alpha amplitude seems to be related to nonspecific mechanism. Phase coherence analysis suggests a communicational role of alpha activity in object recognition, which may be important for the comparison between bottom–up representations and memory templates.
The neuroanatomical basis of empathy: Is empathy impaired following damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex?

Empathy plays a crucial role in our relationships with others and enhances personal well-being. The brain areas that are critical for the experience of on-line empathy and empathic behavior are not known. The current study investigated the neural substrates of empathy through the examination of whether the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPC) is critical for empathy. For the first time, on-line empathic experience and behavior were measured in patients with brain damage to the VMPC. Six patients with bilateral damage to the VMPC were case-matched on specific demographic and neuropsychological criteria to two comparison groups: a brain damage group and a healthy adult group. On-line empathy was induced in an ecologically-valid manner in which the participant experienced live the sorrow of another person. The participant thought they would be playing an economic game against two opponents. However, during the study the participant overheard their game opponent experience deep sadness, revealing that it was the anniversary of their son’s death (empathic induction.) A comparison neutral induction involved the participant overhearing their opponent converse with the research assistant about a neutral topic. On-line empathic experience was measured by a questionnaire completed before and after the inductions. Empathic behavior was measured implicitly through an economic game. It was defined as the degree of behavioral change on the game as a result of the empathic induction (after accounting for baseline behavior.) The economic game used to measure empathic behavior was the Repeated Fixed Opponent variant of the well-validated Ultimatum Game. This particular variant had not been studied in participants of a similar age range to the patient sample (younger and older adults). Furthermore, there is evidence for some
Neonatal sepsis following prolonged rupture of membranes in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi, Pakistan.

INTRODUCTION Prolonged rupture of membrane (PROM) is an important risk factor for early onset neonatal sepsis (EONS), which is associated with increased neonatal morbidity and mortality. We reported the incidence and associated risk factors of PROM for culture-proven EONS. METHODOLOGY The medical records of all neonates born at Aga Khan University, Karachi over a period of five years (2007-2011) with PROM (> 18 hours) were reviewed. Data about maternal and neonatal risk factors for EONS was collected and adjusted logistic regression (AOR) analysis was applied. RESULTS Incidence of PROM in this neonatal birth cohort was 27/1,000 live births. A total of 17 (4%) cases with blood-culture proven bacterial sepsis were identified within 72 hours of birth. Klebsiella pneumonia (n = 5; 29%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (n = 4; 24%) were the commonest isolates followed by group B Streptococcus (n = 3; 18%) and Escherichia coli (n = 2; 12%). Maternal fever (p = <0.001; AOR, 36.6), chorioamnionitis (p < 0.001; AOR, 4.1), PROM > 48 hr. (p < 0.001; AOR, 8.2), neonatal prematurity < 34 weeks (p < 0.001; AOR, 4.1) and low birth weight < 1,500 grams (p 0.001; AOR, 9.8) along with neonatal thrombocytopenia and raised CRP were found to be independent risk factors associated with culture-proven EONS in PROM. CONCLUSIONS Preventive measures should focus on recognition of these high-risk infants with prompt laboratory screening for sepsis and early institution of empirical antibiotic based on local data. Such approaches would be a safe and cost-effective strategy, especially in developing countries.
Why EI matters: the effects of emotional intelligence on psychological resilience, communication and adjustment in romantic relationships, and workplace functioning

This thesis investigated the relative importance of six emotional intelligence (EI) abilities comprising the Swinburne University Emotional Intelligence Test (SUEIT) in the prediction of (1) psychological resilience to negative life events, (2) romantic relationship adjustment and communication behaviour, and (3) employability skills. In Study 1, the strength of relationship between negative life events and distress varied across three latent classes, reflecting vulnerable, average, and resilient profiles. Graduated EI scores, in terms of emotional self-awareness, ability to express, and self-manage emotions, predicted membership to each class. Across the 414 survey respondents, these three EI abilities appeared to augment psychological resilience in the aftermath of negative life events. In Study 2, all six EI abilities were found to be weakly associated with dyadic adjustment, and moderately associated with eight relationship enhancing communication behaviours. The eight behaviours were themselves moderately to very strongly associated with adjustment. Mediation analyses revealed that each EI ability influenced dyadic adjustment through the communication behaviours it best predicted. Across the 116 romantic partners surveyed, those better able to express and self-manage emotion communicated in the most relationship enhancing ways. In Study 3, four of the six EI abilities were found to be differentially important in the prediction of seven Adaptive Performance dimensions, five Conflict Management strategies, three forms of Organizational Commitment, and seven Achievement Motivations. The abilities to think clearly under pressure, identify others’ emotions, self-manage emotions, and manage others’ emotions made valuable contributions, while emotional self-awareness, and the ability to express emotion, did
Wavelet-Based Energy Features for Glaucomatous Image Classification

Texture features within images are actively pursued for accurate and efficient glaucoma classification. Energy distribution over wavelet subbands is applied to find these important texture features. In this paper, we investigate the discriminatory potential of wavelet features obtained from the daubechies (db3), symlets (sym3), and biorthogonal (bio3.3, bio3.5, and bio3.7) wavelet filters. We propose a novel technique to extract energy signatures obtained using 2-D discrete wavelet transform, and subject these signatures to different feature ranking and feature selection strategies. We have gauged the effectiveness of the resultant ranked and selected subsets of features using a support vector machine, sequential minimal optimization, random forest, and naïve Bayes classification strategies. We observed an accuracy of around 93% using tenfold cross validations to demonstrate the effectiveness of these methods.
The origin of fulton's condition factor : Setting the record straight

understanding fundamental principles about fish growth. Fulton’s condition factor is most often attributed with the citation Fulton (1911) The Sovereignty of the Sea. This citation is incorrect as it has no reference to “condition” in fish; rather, it is a history of how parts of maritime law came in to being, including the 3-mile zones around each country’s shore line. If authors over the years had included the full title of the book (The Sovereignty of the Sea: An Historical Account of the Claims of England to the Dominion of the British Seas and of the Evolution of the Territorial Waters, with Special Reference to the Rights of Fishing and the Naval
Fundamental Constraints on Uncertainty Evolution in Hamiltonian Systems

A realization of Gromov's nonsqueezing theorem and its applications to uncertainty analysis in Hamiltonian systems are studied in this note. Gromov's nonsqueezing theorem describes a fundamental property of symplectic manifolds, however, this theorem is usually started in terms of topology and its physical meaning is vague. In this note we introduce a physical interpretation of the linear symplectic width, which is the lower bound in the nonsqueezing theorem, in terms of the eigenstructure of a positive-definite, symmetric matrix. Since uncertainty is often represented in terms of a positive definite, symmetric matrix in control theory, our study can be applied to uncertainty analysis by applying the nonsqueezing theorem to the uncertainty ellipsoid. We find a fundamental inequality for the evolving uncertainty in a linear dynamical system and provide some numerical examples
Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Antagonism Improves Vasodilation During Hyperinsulinemia in Metabolic Syndrome

OBJECTIVE—Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation due to overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. We assessed the effects of TNF-α neutralization by infliximab on vascular reactivity during hyperinsulinemia in obesity-related metabolic syndrome. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Vascular responses to intra-arterial infusion of acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were assessed in patients with metabolic syndrome, before and after administration of infliximab. RESULTS—Patients had blunted vasodilator responses to ACh and SNP during hyperinsulinemia compared with control subjects; a potentiation of the responsiveness to both ACh and SNP, however, was observed in patients following infliximab. The antioxidant vitamin C improved the vasodilator response to ACh in patients with metabolic syndrome, but its effect was not further enhanced by concurrent administration of infliximab. CONCLUSIONS—TNF-α neutralization ameliorates vascular reactivity in metabolic syndrome during hyperinsulinemia, likely in relation to decreased oxidative stress, thereby suggesting an involvement of inflammatory cytokines in vascular dysfunction of these patients.
Maternal transfer of inorganic mercury and methylmercury in aquatic and terrestrial arthropods

The transfer of mercury from females to their offspring plays an important role in mercury accumulation and toxicity during early development. To quantify the transfer of inorganic mercury and methylmercury from female arthropods to their eggs, the authors collected and analyzed brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana), wolf spiders (Alopecosa spp.), and their attached eggs from aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems at the Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA. Essentially all of the mercury in both the female brine shrimp and their eggs was methylmercury (94 ± 17% and 90 ± 21%, respectively). The brine shrimp eggs had methylmercury concentrations that were 84 ± 2% lower than in the females, reflecting the fact that females transferred 45 ± 4% of their total body mass but only 11 ± 3% of their methylmercury burden to their eggs. As a result of this sequestration, the concentration of methylmercury in the female brine shrimp increased by 62 ± 8% during egg formation. The percentage of the total mercury that was methylmercury in female wolf spiders (77 ± 21%) was similar to that in their egg masses (81 ± 19%), indicating similar maternal transfer efficiencies for inorganic mercury and methylmercury in these invertebrates. The concentration of inorganic mercury and methylmercury in the female spiders was the same as in their eggs. These arachnids transferred 48 ± 9% of their total body mass, 55 ± 13% of their inorganic mercury, and 50 ± 9% of their methylmercury to their egg masses. Thus, female wolf spiders do not have the ability to reduce the transfer of methylmercury to their eggs, nor does this process represent an important pathway for the depuration of mercury. The present study demonstrates that although some arthropods have mechanisms to minimize the transfer of methylmercury to their eggs and reduce the potential for mercury toxicity during early development, other arthropods do not. Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:2630–2636. © 2013 SETAC
Fluorescence localization of monoamines in crab neurosecretory structures.

1. The pericardial organs and anterior ramifications (both neurohaemal structures) of six species of crabs have been examined as whole mounts by the histochemical method for monoamines based on formaldehyde-induced fluorescence. 2. A small number of specifically fluorescing axons (not more than six green and six yellow) innervate the pericardial organ; one of the green-fluorescent and one yellow-fluorescent axon branches and also innervates the anterior ramification. 3. All of the fluorescing axons enter via segmental nerves 1, 2 and 3 from the ventral ganglion. 4. One large, brilliant green-fluorescing axon, and the small green-fluorescing axon which branches to the AR, have been traced in Carcinus to cell bodies in the circumoesophageal connective ganglion. These cells may give rise to the entire population of green-fluorescing axons and terminals in the neurohaemal organs. 5. Each axon, throughout its course in the pericardial organ, supplies a dense array of varicosities (blebs) at surfaces which are directly exposed to the haemolymph. The anterior ramifications are also supplied with blebs. 6. Lack of fluorescence in controls not exposed to paraformaldehyde, reversible quenching of fluorescence by treatment with sodium borohydride, and depletion of the fluorescence by reserpinization of the crabs, all confirm that the fluorescence is specific and represents the intracellular localization of monoamines. 7. With the aid of data available elsewhere we conclude that there are distributed, in parallel with peptide-secreting axons and terminals in the pericardial organs and anterior ramifications, a group of dopamine-containing and a group of 5-hydroxytryptamine-containing axons and terminals.
Changes in the mechanisms involved in uterine contractions during pregnancy in guinea‐pigs

1 The mechanisms involved in contraction in guinea‐pig myometrium were compared at mid‐ and late pregnancy. Tension was recorded simultaneously with either membrane potential or cytoplasmic calcium ([Ca2+]i) in strips exposed briefly to prostaglandin F2α (PGF). 2 PGF‐induced increases in tension were underpinned by action potentials followed by sustained depolarization and biphasic increases in [Ca2+]i at mid‐ (peak, 879 ± 199 nM; sustained, 298 ± 35 nM, n= 11) and late pregnancy (peak, 989 ± 302 nM; sustained 178 ± 33 nM, n= 8). 3 At mid‐ and late pregnancy, nifedipine (10−6 M) reduced (a) the PGF‐induced increase in tension to 84 and 35 %, (b) the level attained during the depolarization by 2 and 12 mV and (c) the peak rise in [Ca2+]i to 42 and 17 %. The sustained rises in [Ca2+]i were resistant to nifedipine. 4 In Ca2+‐free solution (containing 1 mM EGTA), PGF elicited an increase in tension that was 26 % of that in 2·5 mM Ca2+ and an increase in [Ca2+]i (24 % of the sustained level) at mid‐pregnancy but no increase in tension or [Ca2+]i at term. 5 At both stages of pregnancy, PGF decreased the level of [Ca2+]i required to elicit increases in tension comparable to those evoked by high K+o. The slope of the tension‐[Ca2+]i curves were steeper in mid‐ than in late pregnancy. 6 In conclusion, at mid‐pregnancy, the contractile response of the guinea‐pig myometrium to PGF involves Ca2+ influx through L‐type voltage‐operated Ca2+ channels (VOCCs) and by receptor‐operated mechanisms, release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores, and an increase in the sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to Ca2+. At term the situation is different: a modest increase in the sensitivity of the contractile apparatus to Ca2+ persists and there is a major reliance on Ca2+ influx through VOCCs.
Metformin versus Placebo in Obese Pregnant Women without Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND Obesity is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. Lifestyle-intervention studies have not shown improved outcomes. Metformin improves insulin sensitivity and in pregnant patients with gestational diabetes it leads to less weight gain than occurs in those who do not take metformin. METHODS In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned pregnant women without diabetes who had a body-mass index (BMI; the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) of more than 35 to receive metformin, at a dose of 3.0 g per day, or placebo (225 women in each group) from 12 to 18 weeks of gestation until delivery. The BMI was calculated at the time of study entry (12 to 18 weeks of gestation). The primary outcome was a reduction in the median neonatal birth-weight z score by 0.3 SD (equivalent to a 50% reduction, from 20% to 10%, in the incidence of large-for-gestational-age neonates). Secondary outcomes included maternal gestational weight gain and the incidence of gestational diabetes and of preeclampsia, as well as the incidence of adverse neonatal outcomes. Randomization was performed with the use of computer-generated random numbers. The analysis was performed according to the intention-to-treat principle. RESULTS A total of 50 women withdrew consent during the trial, which left 202 women in the metformin group and 198 in the placebo group. There was no significant between-group difference in the median neonatal birth-weight z score (0.05 in the metformin group [interquartile range, -0.71 to 0.92] and 0.17 in the placebo group [interquartile range, -0.62 to 0.89], P=0.66). The median maternal gestational weight gain was lower in the metformin group than in the placebo group (4.6 kg [interquartile range, 1.3 to 7.2] vs. 6.3 kg [interquartile range, 2.9 to 9.2], P<0.001), as was the incidence of preeclampsia (3.0% vs. 11.3%; odds ratio, 0.24; 95% confidence interval, 0.10 to 0.61; P=0.001). The incidence of side effects was higher in the metformin group than in the placebo group. There were no significant between-group differences in the incidence of gestational diabetes, large-for-gestational-age neonates, or adverse neonatal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Among women without diabetes who had a BMI of more than 35, the antenatal administration of metformin reduced maternal weight gain but not neonatal birth weight. (Funded by the Fetal Medicine Foundation; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01273584; EudraCT number, 2008-005892-83.).