Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibodies and the brain: anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antibody and the clinical effects in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Purpose of review Neuropsychiatric manifestations are one of the fatal complications in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, the diagnosis and monitoring of that aspect of SLE is still challenging, as there are no reliable biomarkers linked to central nervous system (CNS) damage. This review emphasizes potential candidate autoantibodies that appear to be associated with development of behavioral and psychiatric manifestations in SLE patients. Recent findings Developments in the pathogenesis in SLE, not surprising for this immune disorder, point to specific, autoantibody toxicity. Namely, the discovery of an antibody which reacts with DNA and with the extracellular domain of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit GluN2A and 2B (anti-NMDA), an important receptor on neurons that is ubiquitous in the CNS, may lead to new insights into the behavioral and psychiatric manifestations in SLE. These anti-NMDA antibodies induce neuronal apoptosis and degeneration of surviving neurons in murine models. This functional antibody is also detected in SLE patients who have behavioral and psychiatric manifestations. The presence of anti-NMDA in cerebrospinal fluid but not in serum is associated significantly with overwhelming CNS abnormalities, suggesting importance of direct access of autoantibodies to brain dysfunction. Summary As anti-NMDA autoantibodies are present in patients who develop psychiatric manifestations in SLE, it is possible that novel therapeutic approaches will depend on altering the activity of these autoantibodies.
Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of Branched RRWQWR-Based Peptides as Antibacterial Agents Against Clinically Relevant Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Pathogens

Multidrug resistance of pathogenic bacteria has become a public health crisis that requires the urgent design of new antibacterial drugs such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). Seeking to obtain new, lactoferricin B (LfcinB)-based synthetic peptides as viable early-stage candidates for future development as AMPs against clinically relevant bacteria, we designed, synthesized and screened three new cationic peptides derived from bovine LfcinB. These peptides contain at least one RRWQWR motif and differ by the copy number (monomeric, dimeric or tetrameric) and structure (linear or branched) of this motif. They comprise a linear palindromic peptide (RWQWRWQWR), a dimeric peptide (RRWQWR)2KAhx and a tetrameric peptide (RRWQWR)4K2Ahx2C2. They were screened for antibacterial activity against Enterococcus faecalis (ATCC 29212 and ATCC 51575 strains), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 10145 and ATCC 27853 strains) and clinical isolates of two Gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecium and Staphylococcus aureus) and two Gram-negative bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). All three peptides exhibited greater activity than did the reference peptide, LfcinB (17–31), which contains a single linear RRWQWR motif. Against the ATCC reference strains, the three new peptides exhibited minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC50) values of 3.1–198.0 μM and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 25–200 μM, and against the clinical isolates, MIC50 values of 1.6–75.0 μM and MBC values of 12.5–100 μM. However, the tetrameric peptide was also found to be strongly hemolytic (49.1% at 100 μM). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) demonstrated that in the dimeric and tetrameric peptides, the RRWQWR motif is exposed to the pathogen surface. Our results may inform the design of new, RRWQWR-based AMPs.
Keep Up the Good Work! Age-Moderated Mediation Model on Intention to Retire

In European nations, the aging of the workforce is a major issue which is increasingly addressed both in national and organizational policies in order to sustain older workers' employability and to encourage longer working lives. Particularly older workers' employability can be viewed an important issue as this has the potential to motivate them for their work and change their intention to retire. Based on lifespan development theories and Van der Heijden's ‘employability enhancement model’, this paper develops and tests an age-moderated mediation model (which refers to the processes that we want to test in this model), linking older workers' (55 years old and over) perceptions of job support for learning (job-related factor) and perceptions of negative age stereotypes on productivity (organizational factor), on the one hand, and their intention to retire, on the other hand, via their participation in employability enhancing activities, being the mediator in our model. A total of 2,082 workers aged 55 years and above were included in the analyses. Results revealed that the two proposed relationships between the predictors and intention to retire were mediated by participation in employability enhancing activities, reflecting two mechanisms through which work context affects intention to retire (namely ‘a gain spiral and a loss spiral’). Multi-Group SEM analyses, distinguishing between two age groups (55–60 and 61–65 years old), revealed different paths for the two distinguished groups of older workers. Employability mediated the relationship between perceptions of job support for learning and intention to retire in both age groups, whereas it only mediated the relationship between perceptions of negative age stereotypes and intention to retire in the 55–60 group. From our empirical study, we may conclude that employability is an important factor in the light of older workers' intention to retire. In order to motivate this category of workers to participate in employability enhancing activities and to work longer, negative age stereotypes need to be combated. In addition, creating job support for learning over the lifespan is also an important HR practice to be implemented in nowadays' working life.
The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Specialty Medical Home: A New Model of Patient-centered Care

Abstract:New models of health care have emerged over the past decade. Accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes are designed to improve the patient experience, enhance health care quality, and decrease cost. These models have been developed in the primary care domain and have yet to be tested in specialty care. Certain chronic diseases require principal care by a specialist or health care team. The specialty medical home would provide patient-centered care for specific populations of patients whose health care derives from a single chronic disease. This article defines the parameters for a specialty medical home and provides a specific payer–provider experience for the comprehensive care of an inflammatory bowel disease population.
Association of financial and health literacy with cognitive health in old age

ABSTRACT We tested the hypothesis that higher financial and health literacy is associated with better cognitive health in 755 older persons who completed a literacy measure (M = 67.9, SD = 14.5) and then had annual clinical evaluations for a mean of 3.4 years. In proportional hazards models, higher literacy was associated with decreased risk of developing incident Alzheimer’s disease (n = 68) and results were similar for financial and health literacy subscales and after adjustment for potential confounders. In mixed-effects models, higher literacy was related to higher baseline level of cognition and reduced cognitive decline in multiple domains. Among the 602 persons without any cognitive impairment at baseline, higher literacy was associated with a reduced rate of cognitive decline and risk of developing incident mild cognitive impairment (n = 142). The results suggest that higher levels of financial and health literacy are associated with maintenance of cognitive health in old age.
Mimecan/osteoglycin-deficient mice have collagen fibril abnormalities.

PURPOSE To study the role of mimecan, a member of the small leucine-rich proteoglycans (SLRPs) gene family and one of the major components of the cornea and other connective tissues, mice that lack a functional mimecan gene were generated and characterized. METHODS Mimecan-deficient mice were generated by gene-targeting using standard techniques. Mice were genotyped by Southern blot analysis. The absence of mimecan transcripts was confirmed by Northern blot analysis. Corneal clarity was examined by slit lamp biomicroscopy. The strength of the skin was evaluated using a biomechanical skin fragility test. Collagen morphology in cornea and skin preparations from mimecan-null and control wild-type mice was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy. The diameter of collagen fibrils in these tissues was determined by morphometric analysis. RESULTS Mice lacking mimecan appear to develop normally, are viable and fertile. In a controlled laboratory environment they do not display an evident pathological phenotype compared to wild type mice. Examination of corneal clarity and measurements of corneal thickness show no significant changes in the cornea. However, a skin fragility test revealed a moderate reduction in the tensile strength of skin from mutant mice. Ultrastructural analyses show, on average, thicker collagen fibrils in both corneal and skin preparations from mimecan-null mice. Collagen fibrils from the cornea of mutant mice show an average diameter of 31.84+/-0.322 nm, versus 22.40+/-0.296 nm in their wild type litter-mates. The most pronounced increase in collagen fibril diameter was found in the skin of mimecan-null mice, who demonstrated an average diameter of 130.33+/-1.769 nm, versus 78.82+/-1.157 nm in the wild type mice. In addition, size variability and altered collagen morphology was detected in dorsal and tail skin preparations from the mutant mice. CONCLUSIONS The results of the present study demonstrate that mimecan, similar to other members of the SLRP gene family, has a role in regulating collagen fibrillogenesis in vivo. Further studies, such as functional challenges, an evaluation of potential compensation by other proteins (including members of the SLRP family), and generation of double-knockouts will be necessary to fully uncover physiological functions of mimecan in mice.
Performance Analysis of Large CDMA Random Access Systems with Retransmission Diversity over Fading Channels

The random access systems, with retransmission diversity (RD) employment, over large random spreading code division multiple access (CDMA) channel subject to fading is investigated, under the assumption of infinite number of users and infinite spreading gain with their ratio converging to a constant. The low bound of the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is shown to converge almost surely to a constant. The throughput, spectrum efficiency and energy efficiency in the dominating systems are obtained. The analytical results are confirmed by simulations. We find that in high traffic loads the throughput with fading is higher than that without. When the energy efficiency increases, the spectrum efficiency tends to two contrary values due to SNR increases or decreases. For the ordinary stable systems, the stability region is shown to shrink as the traffic increases and enlarge with RD employment.
Image Analysis of Air Voids in Air-Entrained Concrete

The application of image analysis techniques to characterize the air-void system in hardened concrete is demonstrated. Both lineal and areal feature analyses are investigated. Feature size distributions and total air contents are obtained using s both types of analysis. The areal analyses also include the measurement of individual feature perimeters for use in comparing void shapes. A two phase standard specimen ip developed to insure the consistency of measurements and repeatability of results. Correction methods, based on geometric probability, are developed to remove the distortions in the image analysis data resulting from frame edge effects. Separate r:nethods are presented for lineal and areal analyses. Using discrete class sizes, both correction procedures are expressed in a matrix format. The corrected areal feature distributions are used to obtain volume distributions of spherical air voids using standard stereological procedures. The procedures are applied to ten concrete specimens, at magnifications of 12x and 30x. The specimens represent concretes made using three different airentraining admixtures, as well as non-air entrained concrete. Air-void parameters calculated from corrected image analysis results for the ten specimens are compared to results obtained using the modified point count method and to freeze-thaw results obtained from surface scaling tests of companion specimens. The differences in the air-void systems created by the various air-entraining agents are studied by comparing different characteristics including: the Powers spacing factor, the Philleo factor, profile shape, average feature size, numerical density of features, and the cumulative percent of total air versus feature size.
Effects of dietary thiouracil on thyroid activity, egg production, and eggshell quality in commercial layers.

The effects of thyroid suppression induced during the rearing period by providing various dietary thiouracil (TU) regimens on plasma thyroxine (T4) concentrations, growth, and subsequent egg production (EP) and eggshell quality were determined in Single Comb White Leghorn chickens. Thiouracil was provided in the feed at levels of 0, . 1, and . 2% from 0 to 6 wk of age in Experiment 1, and at levels of 0, . 05, and . 1% from 6 to 16 wk of age in Experiment 2. In both experiments, T4 concentrations were reduced during TU treatment. However, T4 later became elevated at 12 and 20 wk in both dosage level groups in Experiment 1. Additionally, BW and egg weights were suppressed by both TU treatments, and EP was reduced up to Week 23 in the . 1% TU-treated birds and through Week 25 in the . 2% TU-treated birds. No effects on EP were noted in Experiment 2, but feed consumption (FC) was reduced during Week 6 in birds fed . 05% TU and during Weeks 6, 10, and 19 in birds fed . 1% TU. Both liver and thyroid weights were increased in . 1% TU-treated birds relative to controls at Week 16. Eggshell quality was affected only in Experiment 2, in which birds given . 05% TU had a higher relative conductance, or maximum rate of water loss, at Week 38 than 0 and . 1% TU dosage levels, and . 1% TU-treated birds had a higher breaking strength than 0 and . 05% TU-treated birds at Week 22. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Nutritional Care Program ( NUTRICARE ) to reduce malnutrition in institutionalised dysphagic older people : A quasi-experimental study

Milko Zanini PhD, MSN, MSoc | Annamaria Bagnasco PhD, Assistant Professor | Gianluca Catania PhD, MSN, RN | Giuseppe Aleo PhD, MA | Marina Sartini BSC, PhD, Public Health | Maria Luisa Cristina MSc, MNatSc, Associate Professor | Stefania Ripamonti MSBiol, Clinical Nutrition Expert | Fiammetta Monacelli PhD, MD, Academic Researcher | Patrizio Odetti MD, Professor of Gerontology and Geriatrics | Loredana Sasso MSN, FAAN, Associate Professor of Nursing
The effects of energy and amino acid levels on performance and carcass quality of male and female broilers grown separately.

Studies were conducted to evaluate the response of male and female broiler chickens to diets containing different levels of energy and amino acids. Two energy series were compared: 3,080, 3,135, and 3,190 kcal of ME/kg ("low") and 3,190, 3,245, and 3,300 kcal of ME/kg ("high") in pelleted starter, grower, and finisher diets. Diets provided a minimum of 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, and 110% of suggested amino acid recommendations for the broiler male except for Met and TSAA, which were kept at 105%. Modifications were made in feeding periods, recognizing the differences in rate of gain and marketing ages of the two sexes. Feeding periods were 0 to 21, 21 to 42, and 42 to 56 days for males and 0 to 18, 18 to 35, and 35 to 49 days for females. Four floor pen trials utilizing 9,600 male and 9,600 female broilers were conducted. Birds were processed to determine dressing percentage and abdominal fat pad weights. Energy content of the diets had no significant (P greater than .05) effect on body weight or feed efficiency for male or female broilers. Carcass dressing percentage of females, but not males, was significantly (P less than .05) increased on the high energy series. Abdominal fat pad was not influenced by energy for either sex. For both sexes, increasing dietary amino acid levels resulted in significant (P less than or equal to .05) linear improvements in live weights and feed utilization and a reduction in abdominal fat pad weight. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Peptidic inhibitors of insulin-degrading enzyme with potential for dermatological applications discovered via phage display

Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) is an atypical zinc-metalloendopeptidase that hydrolyzes insulin and other intermediate-sized peptide hormones, many of which are implicated in skin health and wound healing. Pharmacological inhibitors of IDE administered internally have been shown to slow the breakdown of insulin and thereby potentiate insulin action. Given the importance of insulin and other IDE substrates for a variety of dermatological processes, pharmacological inhibitors of IDE suitable for topical applications would be expected to hold significant therapeutic and cosmetic potential. Existing IDE inhibitors, however, are prohibitively expensive, difficult to synthesize and of undetermined toxicity. Here we used phage display to discover novel peptidic inhibitors of IDE, which were subsequently characterized in vitro and in cell culture assays. Among several peptide sequences tested, a cyclic dodecapeptide dubbed P12-3A was found to potently inhibit the degradation of insulin (Ki = 2.5 ± 0.31 μM) and other substrates by IDE, while also being resistant to degradation, stable in biological milieu, and highly selective for IDE. In cell culture, P12-3A was shown to potentiate several insulin-induced processes, including the transcription, translation and secretion of alpha-1 type I collagen in primary murine skin fibroblasts, and the migration of keratinocytes in a scratch wound migration assay. By virtue of its potency, stability, specificity for IDE, low cost of synthesis, and demonstrated ability to potentiate insulin-induced processes involved in wound healing and skin health, P12-3A holds significant therapeutic and cosmetic potential for topical applications.
Minimum-Entropy-Based Autofocus Algorithm for SAR Data Using Chebyshev Approximation and Method of Series Reversion, and Its Implementation in a Data Processor

A novel autofocus method for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) image is studied. Based on a quadratic model for the phase error within each sub-area (narrow strip × sub-aperture) after a wide range swath is subdivided into narrow range strips and long azimuth aperture into sub-apertures, an objective function for estimation of the error is derived through the principle of minimum entropy. There is only one unknown variable in the function. With the Chebyshev approximation, the function is approximated as a polynomial, and the unknown is then solved using the method of series reversion. Curve-fitting methods are applied to estimate phase error for an entire scene of the full-swath by full-aperture. Through simulations, the proposed method is applied to restore the defocused SAR imagery that is well focused. The restored and original images are almost identical qualitatively and quantitatively. Next, the method is implemented into an existing SAR data processor. Two sets of SAR raw data at X- and Ku-bands are processed and two images are formed. Well-focused and high-resolution images from plain and rugged terrain are obtained even without the use of ancillary attitude data of the airborne SAR platform. Thus, the studied method is verified.
Effects of Styrene-Acrylic Sizing on the Mechanical Properties of Carbon Fiber Thermoplastic Towpregs and Their Composites

Thermoplastic towpregs are convenient and scalable raw materials for the fabrication of continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic matrix composites. In this paper, the potential to employ epoxy and styrene-acrylic sizing agents was evaluated for the making of carbon fiber thermoplastic towpregs via a powder-coating method. The protective effects and thermal stability of these sizing agents were investigated by single fiber tensile test and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) measurement. The results indicate that the epoxy sizing agent provides better protection to carbon fibers, but it cannot be used for thermoplastic towpreg processing due to its poor chemical stability at high temperature. The bending rigidity of the tows and towpregs with two styrene-acrylic sizing agents was measured by cantilever and Kawabata methods. The styrene-acrylic sized towpregs show low torque values, and are suitable for further processing, such as weaving, preforming, and winding. Finally, composite panels were fabricated directly from the towpregs by hot compression molding. Both of the composite panels show superior flexural strength (>400 MPa), flexural modulus (>63 GPa), and interlaminar shear strength (>27 MPa), indicating the applicability of these two styrene-acrylic sizing agents for carbon fiber thermoplastic towpregs.
Diagnostic Accuracy of CT-Guided Transthoracic Needle Biopsy for Solitary Pulmonary Nodules

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of computed tomography (CT)-guided percutaneous lung biopsy for solitary pulmonary nodules. Three hundred and eleven patients (211 males and 100 females), with a mean age of 59.6 years (range, 19–87 years), who were diagnosed with solitary pulmonary nodules and underwent CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy between January 2008 and January 2014 were reviewed. All patients were confirmed by surgery or the clinical course. The overall diagnostic accuracy and incidence of complications were calculated, and the factors influencing these were statistically evaluated and compared. Specimens were successfully obtained from all 311 patients. A total of 217 and 94 cases were found to be malignant and benign lesions, respectively, by biopsy. Two hundred and twenty-five (72.3%) carcinomas, 78 (25.1%) benign lesions, and 8 (2.6%) inconclusive lesions were confirmed by surgery and the clinical course. The diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of CT-guided percutaneous transthoracic needle biopsy were 92.9%, 95.3%, and 95.7%, respectively. The incidences of pneumothorax and self-limiting bleeding were 17.7% and 11.6%, respectively. Taking account of all evidence, CT-guided percutaneous lung biopsy for solitary pulmonary nodules is an efficient, and safe diagnostic method associated with few complications.