Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
What can isolated skeletal muscle experiments tell us about the effects of caffeine on exercise performance?

Caffeine is an increasingly popular nutritional supplement due to the legal, significant improvements in sporting performance that it has been documented to elicit, with minimal side effects. Therefore, the effects of caffeine on human performance continue to be a popular area of research as we strive to improve our understanding of this drug and make more precise recommendations for its use in sport. Although variations in exercise intensity seems to affect its ergogenic benefits, it is largely thought that caffeine can induce significant improvements in endurance, power and strength‐based activities. There are a number of limitations to testing caffeine‐induced effects on human performance that can be better controlled when investigating its effects on isolated muscles under in vitro conditions. The hydrophobic nature of caffeine results in a post‐digestion distribution to all tissues of the body making it difficult to accurately quantify its key mechanism of action. This review considers the contribution of evidence from isolated muscle studies to our understating of the direct effects of caffeine on muscle during human performance. The body of in vitro evidence presented suggests that caffeine can directly potentiate skeletal muscle force, work and power, which may be important contributors to the performance‐enhancing effects seen in humans.
Method for determination of cyclic AMP in plasma.

A simple procedure is described for measuring cyclic AMP (cAMP) in plasma, body fluids, and tissue extracts. A modification of the method of Brown et al. [ Biochem. J. 121, 561 (1971)], it is based on competitive binding of cAMP by a protein in crude adrenal extracts, and precipitation of the cAMP-protein complex by ammonium sulfate. cAMP concentrations in normal human plasma ranged from 8 to 16 nmol/liter, and in the plasma of dogs from 5 to 15 nmol/liter. The range of the method is 0.5-8 pmol per assay, and up to 0.4 ml of sample can be used. A cheap and easily prepared binding-protein is used and the procedure is suitable for clinical studies of cAMP concentrations in plasma.
Prolonged voluntary wheel‐running stimulates neural precursors in the hippocampus and forebrain of adult CD1 mice

Voluntary wheel‐running induces a rapid increase in proliferation and neurogenesis by neural precursors present in the adult rodent hippocampus. In contrast, the responses of hippocampal and other central nervous system neural precursors following longer periods of voluntary physical activity are unclear and are an issue of potential relevance to physical rehabilitation programs. We investigated the effects of a prolonged, 6‐week voluntary wheel‐running paradigm on neural precursors of the CD1 mouse hippocampus and forebrain. Examination of the hippocampus following 6 weeks of running revealed two to three times as many newly born neurons and 60% more proliferating cells when compared with standard‐housed control mice. Among running mice, the number of newly born neurons correlated with the total running distance. To establish the effects of wheel‐running on hippocampal precursors dividing during later stages of the prolonged running regime, BrdU was administered after 3 weeks of running and the BrdU‐retaining cells were analyzed 18 days later. Quantifications revealed that the effects of wheel‐running were maintained in late‐stage proliferating cells, as running mice had two to three times as many BrdU‐retaining cells within the hippocampal dentate gyrus, and these yielded greater proportions of both mature neurons and proliferative cells. The effects of prolonged wheel‐running were also detected beyond the hippocampus. Unlike short‐term wheel‐running, prolonged wheel‐running was associated with higher numbers of proliferating cells within the ventral forebrain subventricular region, a site of age‐associated decreases in neural precursor proliferation and neurogenesis. Collectively, these findings indicate that (i) prolonged voluntary wheel‐running maintains an increased level of hippocampal neurogenesis whose magnitude is linked to total running performance, and (ii) that it influences multiple neural precursor populations of the adult mouse brain. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in a Young Adult Presenting as Hepatitis and Acute Kidney Injury

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in adults is a relatively rare malignancy. The typical presentation includes signs and symptoms associated with bone marrow failure, including fevers, infections, fatigue, and excessive bruising. In this article, we report an unusual systemic presentation of ALL in a previously healthy 18-year-old man. He initially presented with several-day history of nausea and vomiting, 10-pound weight loss, and right upper quadrant abdominal pain with evidence of acute hepatocellular liver injury (elevations in aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase) and elevation in serum creatinine. Further history revealed that he just joined the Marine Corp; in preparation, he had been lifting weights and taking protein and creatine supplements. A complete serological evaluation for liver disease was negative and creatine phosphokinase was normal. His aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase declined, and he was discharged with expected improvement. However, he returned one week later with continued symptoms and greater elevation of aminotransferases. Liver biopsy was nondiagnostic, revealing scattered portal and lobular inflammatory cells (primarily lymphocytes) felt to be consistent with drug-induced liver injury or viral hepatitis. Given his elevated creatinine, unresponsive to aggressive volume expansion, a kidney biopsy was performed, revealing normal histology. He subsequently developed an extensive left lower extremity deep venous thrombosis. Given his deep venous thrombosis, his peripheral blood was sent for flow cytometry, which revealed lymphoblasts. Bone marrow biopsy revealed 78% blasts with markers consistent with acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia. This report emphasizes that right upper quadrant abdominal pain with liver test abnormalities may be the initial presentation of a systemic illness such as ALL.
Genistein and Glyceollin Effects on ABCC2 (MRP2) and ABCG2 (BCRP) in Caco-2 Cells

The goal of the present study was to determine the effects of glyceollins on intestinal ABCC2 (ATP Binding Cassette C2, multidrug resistance protein 2, MRP2) and ABCG2 (ATP Binding Cassette G2, breast cancer resistance protein, BCRP) function using the Caco-2 cell intestinal epithelial cell model. Glyceollins are soy-derived phytoestrogens that demonstrate anti-proliferative activity in several sources of cancer cells. 5 (and 6)-carboxy-2′,7′-dichloroflourescein (CDF) was used as a prototypical MRP2 substrate; whereas BODIPY-prazosin provided an indication of BCRP function. Comparison studies were conducted with genistein. Glyceollins were shown to inhibit MRP2-mediated CDF transport, with activity similar to the MRP2 inhibitor, MK-571. They also demonstrated concentration-dependent inhibition BCRP-mediated efflux of BODIPY-prazosin, with a potency similar to that of the recognized BCRP inhibitor, Ko143. In contrast, genistein did not appear to alter MRP2 activity and even provided a modest increase in BCRP efflux of BODIPY-prazosin. In particular, glyceollin inhibition of these two important intestinal efflux transporters suggests the potential for glyceollin to alter the absorption of other phytochemicals with which it might be co-administered as a dietary supplement, as well as alteration of the absorption of pharmaceuticals that may be administered concomitantly.
Bite force and dental implant treatment: a short review

Dental implants are placed endosseously, and the bone is the ultimate bearer of the occlusal load. Patients are not uniform in the maximum bite force they can generate. The occlusal biting load in the posterior jaw is usually about three times of that found in the anterior. It is possible for supporting implants to be overloaded by the patients’ biting force, resulting in bone loss and failure of the fixture. Bite force measurement may be an important parameter when planning dental implant treatment. Some patients can generate extreme biting loads that may cause a luxation of the fixture and subsequent loss of osseointegration. A patient with low biting force may be able to have a successful long-term outcome even with poor anatomical bone qualities. Patients with a high bite force capability may have an increased risk for late component fracture or implant failure. There is no correlation of any bite force value that would indicate any overload of a given implant in a given osseous site. Nonetheless, after bite force measurement, a qualitative judgement may be made by the clinician for the selection of an implant diameter and length and prosthetic design.
Giant cluster arcs as a constraint on the scattering cross-section of dark matter

We carry out ray tracing through five high resolution simulat ions of a galaxy cluster to study how its ability to produce giant gravitationally lens ed arcs is influenced by the collision cross-section of its dark matter. In three cases typical dar k matter particles in the cluster core undergo between 1 and 100 collisions per Hubble time; two more explore the long (“collisionless”) and short (“fluid”) mean free path limits. We stud y the size and shape distributions of arcs and compute the cross-section for producing “extreme” arcs of various sizes. Even a few collisions per particle modify the core structure enou gh to destroy the cluster’s ability to produce long, thin arcs. For larger collision frequencie s the cluster must be scaled up to unrealistically large masses before it regains the ability to produce giant arcs. None of our models with self-interacting dark matter (except the “fluid ” limit) is able to produce radial arcs; even the case with the smallest scattering cross-sect ion must be scaled to the upper limit of observed cluster masses before it produces radial a rcs. Apparently the elastic collision cross-section of dark matter in clusters must be very small, below 0.1 cm 2 g −1 , to be compatible with the observed ability of clusters to produce both radial arcs and giant arcs.
Persistent neuromuscular and corticomotor quadriceps asymmetry after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction.

CONTEXT Return to activity in the presence of quadriceps dysfunction may predispose individuals with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) to long-term joint degeneration. Asymmetry may manifest during movement and result in altered knee-joint-loading patterns; however, the underlying neurophysiologic mechanisms remain unclear. OBJECTIVE To compare limb symmetry of quadriceps neuromuscular function between participants with ACLR and participants serving as healthy controls. DESIGN Descriptive laboratory study. SETTING Research laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS A total of 22 individuals with ACLR (12 men, 10 women) and 24 individuals serving as healthy controls (12 men, 12 women). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Normalized knee-extension maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) torque (Nm/kg), quadriceps central activation ratio (CAR) (%), quadriceps motor-neuron-pool excitability (Hoffmann reflex to motor wave ratio), and quadriceps active motor threshold (AMT) (% 2.0 T) were measured bilaterally and used to calculate limb symmetry indices for comparison between groups. We used analyses of variance to compare quadriceps Hoffmann reflex to motor wave ratio, normalized knee-extension MVIC torque, quadriceps CAR, and quadriceps AMT between groups and limbs. RESULTS The ACLR group exhibited greater asymmetry in knee-extension MVIC torque (ACLR group = 0.85 ± 0.21, healthy group = 0.97 ± 0.14; t44 = 2.26, P = .03), quadriceps CAR (ACLR group = 0.94 ± 0.11, healthy group = 1.00 ± 0.08; t44 = 2.22, P = .04), and quadriceps AMT (ACLR group = 1.13 ± 0.18, healthy group = 1.02 ± 0.11; t34 = -2.46, P = .04) than the healthy control group. CONCLUSIONS Asymmetries in measures of quadriceps function and cortical excitability were present in patients with ACLR. Asymmetry in quadriceps strength, activation, and cortical excitability persisted in individuals with ACLR beyond return to recreational activity. Measuring the magnitude of asymmetry after ACLR represents an important step in understanding long-term reductions in self-reported function and increased rate of subsequent joint injury in otherwise healthy, active individuals after ACLR.
Tri-Ponderal Mass Index vs Body Mass Index in Estimating Body Fat During Adolescence

Importance Body mass index (BMI) is used to diagnose obesity in adolescents worldwide, despite evidence that weight does not scale with height squared in adolescents. To account for this, health care providers diagnose obesity using BMI percentiles for each age (BMI z scores), but this does not ensure that BMI is accurate in adolescents. Objective To compare the accuracy of BMI vs other body fat indices of the form body mass divided by heightn in estimating body fat levels in adolescents. Design, Setting, and Participants Cross-sectional data from the 1999 to 2006 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analyzed between September 2015 and December 2016. Main Outcomes and Measures Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and anthropometric data were used to determine changes in body fat levels, body proportions, and the scaling relationships among body mass, height, and percent body fat. To assess the merits of each adiposity index, 3 criteria were used: stability with age, accuracy in estimating percent body fat, and accuracy in classifying adolescents as overweight vs normal weight. Results Participants included 2285 non-Hispanic white participants aged 8 to 29 years. Percent body fat varied with both age and height during adolescence, invalidating the standard weight-to-height regression as the way of finding the optimal body fat index. Because the correct regression model (percent body fat is proportional to mass divided by heightn) suggested that percent body fat scales to height with an exponent closer to 3, we therefore focused on the tri-ponderal mass index (TMI; mass divided by height cubed) as an alternative to BMI z scores. For ages 8 to 17 years, TMI yielded greater stability with age and estimated percent body fat better than BMI (R2 = 0.64 vs 0.38 in boys and R2 = 0.72 vs 0.66 in girls). Moreover, TMI misclassified adolescents as overweight vs normal weight less often than BMI z scores (TMI, 8.4%; 95% CI, 7.3%-9.5% vs BMI, 19.4%; 95% CI, 17.8%-20.0%; P < .001) and performed equally as well as updated BMI percentiles derived from the same data set (TMI, 8.4%; 95% CI, 7.3%-9.5% vs BMI, 8.0%; 95% CI, 6.9%-9.1%; P = .62). Conclusions and Relevance The tri-ponderal mass index estimates body fat levels more accurately than BMI in non-Hispanic white adolescents aged 8 to 17 years. Moreover, TMI diagnoses adolescents as overweight more accurately than BMI z scores and equally as well as updated BMI percentiles but is much simpler to use than either because it does not involve complicated percentiles. Taken together, it is worth considering replacing BMI z scores with TMI to estimate body fat levels in adolescents.
Design and Analysis of Globoidal Cam Index Drive

In Globoidal cam mechanism, index motion is smooth and they are specially designed to minimise vibrations. A globoidal cam with cylindrical rollers radially mounted at its turret is one of the mechanisms employed for angular indexing motion control. As operating speed is high, there should be finite and low value of jerk. Present paper focuses the different motion curves. After studying the two different cases regarding the same input values of input parameters, peak output torque and jerk are determined. The results were discussed after comparing with the graphs obtained from the centesimal scales. Finally appropriate motion curves are suggested for the given applications.
Small chronic hemorrhages and ischemic lesions in association with spontaneous intracerebral hematomas.

To the Editor: Holloway and colleagues’ review of cost-effectiveness studies in stroke evaluation and treatment 1 may have inadvertently introduced major biases by the selection criteria used for inclusion of studies. They decided to include only studies that used quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) as the indicator of health effect. The justification for this criterion is not given. By doing this, cost-effectiveness studies that used indicators such as lives saved or strokes avoided are excluded, and the authors do not provide information on study exclusions to allow the reader to assess the potential bias created. The review is biased in two ways. First, the use of QALYs is inappropriate in many areas of stroke evaluation and management where measures of diagnostic accuracy, patient satisfaction, or reduction in symptoms are of relevance. It is noteworthy that the review excluded consideration of the most effective intervention for stroke management—organized stroke care and rehabilitation—for which reviews of cost-effectiveness studies have been performed. 2,3 Thus, the review is biased in describing the range of cost-effectiveness studies in stroke. Second, the review provides biased estimates of costeffectiveness. To illustrate this bias, consider the use of anticoagulation for patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. The cost-effectiveness studies they present show that warfarin dominates among highand medium-risk patients but in low-risk patients has a very high cost per QALY. The authors concluded that anticoagulation was the preferred option for all but the low-risk patients. A cost-effectiveness study comparing anticoagulation only, anticoagulation or aspirin, or aspirin only that reported cost per stroke prevented was excluded but comes to remarkably different conclusions. 4 In this study, the cost per stroke prevented (which may arguably be a more relevant outcome than a QALY to most patients and doctors) was substantially lower for the aspirin-only regimen at US$1300 (Table). The most effective treatment is anticoagulation for those who can tolerate it and aspirin for the remainder, as this prevents 1300 strokes a year if complications are low, and even in complications are high still prevents more strokes than simply giving everyone aspirin— but this approach ignores the higher costs involved in anticoagulation. If complications of anticoagulation are high, which tends to be the case in older patients, the aspirin only policy is the most cost-effective option. I hope the authors of this review will consider updating it by using more appropriate inclusion criteria and thereby arriving at more relevant decisions to aid clinicians and policy makers.
Room-temperature preparation of ZnO nanosheets grown on Si substrates by a seed-layer assisted solution route

A facile route to prepare two-dimensional ZnO nanosheet structures on Si substrates was developed through the adoption of a ZnO seed-layer and suitable growth medium in this work. The characterization results showed that ZnO nanosheets could be grown on Si substrates with a pre-formed ZnO seed-layer at room temperature. The ZnO nanosheets, with thickness of 20–25 nm, were interwoven into networks to form a continuous nanosheet film. Room-temperature measurements of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra and water wettability for the resulting ZnO nanosheet structures showed high intensity ratio of the UV emission to the defect emissions and good hydrophilic property without UV illumination. The present work demonstrates that the adoption of a ZnO seed-layer is an effective approach for room-temperature growth of ZnO nanosheets grown on substrates.
Delayed Facial Palsy after Microvascular Decompression: Report of Two Cases

ABSTRACT Microvascular decompression (MVD) is a novel surgical procedure predominantly performed for treating trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and hemifacial spasm (HS). Multiple studies have proven the long-term success of MVD for both these conditions. The most common complications of MVD reported include chemical meningitis, facial hypesthesia, cerebrospinal fluid leak, facial paresis, and hearing loss. Delayed facial palsy (DFP) is an uncommon complication mostly noted in MVD for HS and after the removal of acoustic tumors. We report two cases of DFP occurring after performing MVD, one each for HS and TN. This is also the first case of DFP to be reported after MVD for TN. Both were young females who developed DFP 2 weeks after surgery. They were managed with oral steroids and acyclovir for 2–3 weeks and achieved excellent outcome at an average of 4.5 weeks from the onset. We conclude that although majority of the cases improve spontaneously, steroids and acyclovir might assist in faster recovery.
PKC-dependent phosphorylation of p27 at T198 contributes to p27 stabilization and cell cycle arrest

In this manuscript, we present experimental evidence that PKCs phosphorylate p27 at T198 in vitro and in vivo, resulting in p27 stabilization and cell cycle arrest in MCF-7 and HeLa cells. Our findings indicate that (1) recombinant PKCα, βII, δ, η and θ isoforms phosphorylate, in in vitro kinase assays, wild-type recombinant p27 protein expressed in E. coli and wild-type p27 protein immunoprecpitated from transfected HEK-293 cells but not the T198A mutant, (2) adoptive expressed PKCα and δ phosphorylate both transfected and endogenous p27 at T198 in HEK-293 cells, (3) T198 phosphorylation of transfected and endogenous p27 is increased by PKC activators [Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)] and suppressed by PKC inhibitors (Rottlerin A, G06976, Calphostin C), (4) in parallel with increased T198 phosphorylation, PMA induces stabilization of p27 protein in HeLa cells, whereas PKC inhibitors induce a decrease in p27 stability and, finally, (5) PMA-induced p27 upregulation is necessary for growth arrest of HeLa and MCF-7 cells induced by PKC activation by PMA. Overall, these results suggest that PKC-dependent upregulation of p27 induced by its phosphorylation at T198 represents a mechanism that mediates growth arrest promoted by PMA and provide novel insights on the ability of different PKC isoforms to play a role in controlling cell cycle progression.
The influence of fiber migration on the mechanical properties of yarns with hierarchical helical structures

An analytical method is presented for studying the influence of fiber migration on the mechanical properties of a yarn with two-level helical structures. The theory of ideal migration is applied to the seven-ply yarn, which results in the exchange of the interior structure of the yarn. A bottom-up method for analyzing the internal forces and stresses of the yarn under axial tension and torsion is developed. The influence of fiber migration is demonstrated by making contrast between the mechanical responses of carbon nanotube yarns with and without fiber migration. The numerical results show that there is a periodical non-monotonic variation in both the internal forces and the stresses with the length of yarn. A stress concentration is revealed around the half-cycle migration point and the one-cycle migration point. It is shown that the chirality, initial helix angle, and the fiber migration pattern can be used to control the mechanical performance of yarns.