Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bone Marrow Osteoblast Damage by Chemotherapeutic Agents

Hematopoietic reconstitution, following bone marrow or stem cell transplantation, requires a microenvironment niche capable of supporting both immature progenitors and stem cells with the capacity to differentiate and expand. Osteoblasts comprise one important component of this niche. We determined that treatment of human primary osteoblasts (HOB) with melphalan or VP-16 resulted in increased phospho-Smad2, consistent with increased TGF-β1 activity. This increase was coincident with reduced HOB capacity to support immature B lineage cell chemotaxis and adherence. The supportive deficit was not limited to committed progenitor cells, as human embryonic stem cells (hESC) or human CD34+ bone marrow cells co-cultured with HOB pre-exposed to melphalan, VP-16 or rTGF-β1 had profiles distinct from the same populations co-cultured with untreated HOB. Functional support deficits were downstream of changes in HOB gene expression profiles following chemotherapy exposure. Melphalan and VP-16 induced damage of HOB suggests vulnerability of this critical niche to therapeutic agents frequently utilized in pre-transplant regimens and suggests that dose escalated chemotherapy may contribute to post-transplantation hematopoietic deficits by damaging structural components of this supportive niche.
Periodontitis and systemic diseases: A literature review

Studies have revealed possible link between periodontitis and different systemic diseases. There is need to review this interesting subject. The aims are: to provide a comprehensive literature that can easily be consulted, on the subject; to draw the attention of health practitioners to the impact of oral health on the general well-being; and to emphasize the need for a deeper interaction between medical and dental training. The Medline database was searched for relevant literature by combining each of the following terms, “oral health,” “oral infection,” “periodontitis,” with “systemic diseases. ” Manual library search and review of bibliographies of published literature were also conducted. Periodontitis is a constant potential source of infection and has been considered as a separate risk factor for some cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine, musculoskeletal, and reproductive system related abnormalities. Oral health impacts on the general well-being, and if comprehensive health care is ever to be achieved, oral health should not be seen as a separate, distant, and less important area of health, which is totally unrelated to lifespan and its quality.
The global structure of periodic solutions to a suspension bridge mechanical model

We study two systems of nonlinearly coupled ordinary differential equations that govern the vertical and torsional motions of a cross-section of a suspension bridge. We observe numerically that the structure of the set of periodic solutions changes considerably when we smooth the nonlinear terms. The smoothed nonlinearities describe the force that we wish to model more realistically and the resulting periodic solutions more accurately replicate the phenomena observed at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge on the day of its collapse. The main conclusion is that purely vertical periodic forcing can result in subharmonic primarily torsional motion.
Developmental changes of neurotrophin mRNA expression in the layers of rat visual cortex

Neurotrophins are essential factors for the structural, neurochemical and functional maturation of the brain including developmental and adult plasticity. Northern blots and polymerase chain reaction revealed the expression of neurotrophin 4 (NT4), neurotrophin 3 (NT3), brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) in the cortex. The cellular producers of NT3 and BDNF have been characterized by anatomical methods as being mostly pyramidal, and the tyrosine kinase B (TrkB) receptor is expressed by many cortical neurons. However, these methods have so far failed to identify the cells producing NT4 and NGF mRNA. These factors are much lower in expression than, e.g. BDNF, and apparently remain below detection levels of in situ hybridization. Given their specific actions on cell types and afferent systems, knowledge about the producing cell types is highly desirable. To narrow down on the producing cell types, we quantified by reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) the developmental changes of BDNF, NT3, NT4, NGF and TrkB mRNA expression in total visual cortex lysates, and in the cortical layers dissected by tangential cryostat sectioning. We found dramatic changes in laminar expression of NT3 and NGF, mild changes of NT4, and no changes of BDNF and TrkB mRNA. For instance, NT3 is important early on for thalamocortical axons, and we found transient peaks of NT3 mRNA expression first in layer VI, then in layer IV. NT4 mRNA was in layers IV and VI, suggesting NT4 protein production in thalamorecipient layers, but peak expression gradually shifted to upper layers as did NGF expression. The layer‐specific developmental expression shifts of neurotrophin mRNAs correlate with morphogenetic processes.
Geometric-phase backaction in a mesoscopic qubit-oscillator system

We illustrate a reverse Von Neumann measurement scheme in which a geometric phase induced on a quantum harmonic oscillator is measured using a microscopic qubit as a probe. We show how such a phase, generated by a cyclic evolution in the phase space of the harmonic oscillator, can be kicked back on the qubit, which plays the role of a quantum interferometer. We also extend our study to finite temperature dissipative Markovian dynamics and discuss potential implementations in micro and nano-mechanical devices coupled to an effective two-level system. PACS numbers:
Observation of a superfluid Hall effect

Measurement techniques based upon the Hall effect are invaluable tools in condensed-matter physics. When an electric current flows perpendicular to a magnetic field, a Hall voltage develops in the direction transverse to both the current and the field. In semiconductors, this behavior is routinely used to measure the density and charge of the current carriers (electrons in conduction bands or holes in valence bands)—internal properties of the system that are not accessible from measurements of the conventional resistance. For strongly interacting electron systems, whose behavior can be very different from the free electron gas, the Hall effect’s sensitivity to internal properties makes it a powerful tool; indeed, the quantum Hall effects are named after the tool by which they are most distinctly measured instead of the physics from which the phenomena originate. Here we report the first observation of a Hall effect in an ultracold gas of neutral atoms, revealed by measuring a Bose–Einstein condensate’s transport properties perpendicular to a synthetic magnetic field. Our observations in this vortex-free superfluid are in good agreement with hydrodynamic predictions, demonstrating that the system’s global irrotationality influences this superfluid Hall signal.
Levels of gemcitabine transport and metabolism proteins predict survival times of patients treated with gemcitabine for pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Patients who undergo surgery for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) frequently receive adjuvant gemcitabine chemotherapy. Key determinants of gemcitabine cytotoxicity include the activities of the human equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (hENT1), deoxycytidine kinase (dCK), and ribonucleotide reductase subunit 1 (RRM1). We investigated whether tumor levels of these proteins were associated with efficacy of gemcitabine therapy following surgery. METHODS Sequential samples of resected PDACs were retrospectively collected from 434 patients at 5 centers; 142 patients did not receive adjuvant treatment (33%), 243 received adjuvant gemcitabine-based regimens (56%), and 49 received nongemcitabine regimens (11%). We measured protein levels of hENT1, dCK, and RRM1 by semiquantitative immunohistochemistry with tissue microarrays and investigated their relationship with patients' overall survival time. RESULTS The median overall survival time of patients was 32.0 months. Among patients who did not receive adjuvant treatment, levels of hENT1, RRM1, and dCK were not associated with survival time. Among patients who received gemcitabine, high levels of hENT1 and dCK were significantly associated with longer survival time (hazard ratios of 0.34 [P < .0001] and 0.57 [P = .012], respectively). Interaction tests for gemcitabine administration and hENT1 and dCK status were statistically significant (P = .0007 and P = .016, respectively). On multivariate analysis of this population, hENT1 and dCK retained independent predictive values, and those patients with high levels of each protein had the longest survival times following adjuvant therapy with gemcitabine. CONCLUSIONS High levels of hENT1 and dCK in PDAC predict longer survival times in patients treated with adjuvant gemcitabine.
Transcutaneous Carbon Dioxide Induces Mitochondrial Apoptosis and Suppresses Metastasis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Vivo

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is the main histological type of oral cancer. Its growth rate and incidence of metastasis to regional lymph nodes is influenced by various factors, including hypoxic conditions. We have previously reported that transcutaneous CO2 induces mitochondrial apoptosis and decreases lung metastasis by reoxygenating sarcoma cells. However, previous studies have not determined the sequential mechanism by which transcutaneous CO2 suppresses growth of epithelial tumors, including SCCs. Moreover, there is no report that transcutaneous CO2 suppresses lymphogenous metastasis using human cell lines xenografts. In this study, we examined the effects of transcutaneous CO2 on cancer apoptosis and lymphogenous metastasis using human SCC xenografts. Our results showed that transcutaneous CO2 affects expressions of PGC-1α and TFAM and protein levels of cleavage products of caspase-3, caspase-9 and PARP, which relatives mitochondrial apoptosis. They also showed that transcutaneous CO2 significantly inhibits SCC tumor growth and affects expressions of HIF-1α, VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9, which play essential roles in tumor angiogenesis, invasion and metastasis. In conclusion, transcutaneous CO2 suppressed tumor growth, increased mitochondrial apoptosis and decreased the number of lymph node metastasis in human SCC by decreasing intra-tumoral hypoxia and suppressing metastatic potential with no observable effect in vivo. Our findings indicate that transcutaneous CO2 could be a novel therapeutic tool for treating human SCC.
The Role of the VEGF-C/VEGFRs Axis in Tumor Progression and Therapy

Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) has been identified as a multifaceted factor participating in the regulation of tumor angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. VEGF-C is not only expressed in endothelial cells, but also in tumor cells. VEGF-C signaling is important for progression of various cancer types through both VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) and VEGF receptor-3 (VEGFR-3). Likewise, both receptors are expressed mainly on endothelial cells, but also expressed in tumor cells. The dimeric VEGF-C undergoes a series of proteolytic cleavage steps that increase the protein binding affinity to VEGFR-3; however, only complete processing, removing both the N- and C-terminal propeptides, yields mature VEGF-C that can bind to VEGFR-2. The processed VEGF-C can bind and activate VEGFR-3 homodimers and VEGFR-2/VEGFR-3 heterodimers to elicit biological responses. High levels of VEGF-C expression and VEGF-C/VEGFRs signaling correlate significantly with poorer prognosis in a variety of malignancies. Therefore, the development of new drugs that selectively target the VEGF-C/VEGFRs axis seems to be an effective means to potentiate anti-tumor therapies in the future.
Sildenafil versus Nitric Oxide for Acute Vasodilator Testing in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Vasoreactivity testing with inhaled NO is recommended for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) because of its therapeutic and prognostic value. Sildenafil has acute pulmonary vasodilating properties, but its diagnostic and prognostic impact in PAH is unknown. Our objective was to compare acute vasodilating responses to sildenafil and those to NO during right heart catheterization and also their prognostic values in patients with PAH. Ninety-nine patients with idiopathic PAH and 99 with associated PAH underwent vasoreactivity testing with NO and sildenafil. Only mild adverse effects of sildenafil, in the form of hypotension, were observed, at a rate of 4.5%. The acute responder rate was 8.1% for NO and 11.6% for sildenafil. The NO-induced response in mean pulmonary arterial pressure and cardiac output correlated with the response to sildenafil. Thirteen patients were long-term responders to calcium channel blockers (CCBs), and 3 of them were correctly identified by acute vasoreactivity test with both drugs. The specificity of the vasoreactivity test for identifying long-term CCB responders was 88.9% for NO and 85.1% for sildenafil testing. A trend toward better survival was found in sildenafil and NO responders, compared with nonresponders. Use of sildenafil for vasoreactivity testing is safe. Sildenafil may be useful as alternative vasoreactivity-testing agent, identifying the same number of long-term CCB responders as NO. However, NO seems to be a more ideal testing drug because of its pharmacologic properties. Moreover, sildenafil vasoreactivity testing might contribute to an improved estimate of prognosis among patients with PAH.
SOCIOCULTURAL ASPECTS OF CERVICAL CYTOLOGY IN ALAMEDA COUNTY, CALIF.

WHILE investigating the methodology of data collection for epidemiologic studies in Alameda County, Calif. , during the spring of 1962, information was assembled on the use of cervical cytology by women residents of the county. The methodological findings will be reported elsewhere. The extent to which Ala¬ meda County women know about and use the cytologic test for cancer is analyzed here. Par¬ ticular attention is given to ethnic and social class factors in use of the test, the influences to which women attribute their having had the test, and the effect of various arrangements for obtaining medical care on the extent of cervical cytology. In view of the generally acknowledged importance of cervical cytology in preventing deaths from cancer of the cervix, it seems desirable to consider such elements in order to focus further efforts on the use of cytology where they can be most effective. Alameda County, on the east side of San Francisco Bay, is mainly an urban and suburban community. The 1960 population was 908,209, about 23 percent greater than the pop¬ ulation in 1950. Its age, racial, and social composition, as well as its generally high standard of medical care, is much like that of California
A Concurrent Model for Imperative Languages with Improved Atomicity

We propose a new concurrent model for imperative languages where concurrency occurs at a subprogram level. This model introduces a new {\it block sequential} statement of the form $#(G_1,\ldots,G_n)$ where each $G_i$ is a statement. This statement tells the machine to execute $G_1,\ldots,G_n$ sequentially and atomically (\ie, without interleaving). It therefore enhances atomicity and predictability in concurrent programming. We illustrate our idea via $C^{\|}$, an extension of the core concurrent C with the new block sequential statement.
PREDICTION OF CUTTING FORCES IN MACHINING WITH RESTRICTED CONTACT TOOLS

Abstract A semi-empirical method is described for predicting cutting forces in orthogonal machining with restricted contact tools. The method uses a well-established machining theory to predict cutting forces and tool-chip contact length for the corresponding plane face tool, i.e., a tool having the same cutting-edge geometry but no restricted contact. These predicted parameters and a set of empirical relations are then used to calculate the cutting forces for the restricted contact tool. A comparison between predicted and experimental results for two plain carbon steel work materials and a range of tool geometries and cutting conditions shows good agreement.
Meiosis in Sciara coprophila: structure of the spindle and chromosome behavior during the first meiotic division

Light microscope descriptions of meiosis I in males of the fungus gnat Sciara coprophila suggested the presence of a monopolar spindle in which maternal and limited chromosomes move poleward while paternal chromosomes "back away" from the pole. The ultrastructural analysis reported here, based upon serial sections of cells in different stages of meiosis I, shows that the spindle is indeed monopolar with a distinctive differentiation, the polar complex, at one pole. This complex is the focus of a conical radiation of spindle microtubules. Kinetochores of paternal chromosomes face the complex and microtubules associated with these kinetochores run toward the complex. No kinetochore microtubules were discovered on maternal or limited chromosomes. When the position of paternal, maternal, and limited chromosomes is compared at various stages, it is found that limited chromosomes always remain near the polar complex, paternal chromosomes remain far from it and only maternal chromosomes move closer to the pole. Apparently, chromosome segregation does not depend on paternal chromosomes "backing away" from the pole, and the required movement of maternal chromosomes take place in the absence of kinetochore microtubules. In the prophase nucleus, limited and maternal chromosomes are already spatially separate from paternal chromosomes before the spindle forms. Thus, the monopolar spindle functions only to increase the distance between already segregated sets of chromosomes. An extensive system of microtubule-associated membranes outlines the spindle; the possibility that maternal chromosome movement is somehow related to the presence of this membrane is discussed.
Millimeter Wave Ad Hoc Networks: Noise-Limited or Interference-Limited?

In millimeter wave (mmWave) communication systems, narrow beam operations overcome severe channel attenuations, reduce multiuser interference, and thus introduce the new concept of noise-limited mmWave wireless networks. The regime of the network, whether noise-limited or interference- limited, heavily reflects on the medium access control (MAC) layer throughput and on proper resource allocation and interference management strategies. Yet, alternating presence of these regimes and, more importantly, their dependence on the mmWave design parameters are ignored in the current approaches to mmWave MAC layer design, with the potential disastrous consequences on the throughput/delay performance. In this paper, tractable closed-form expressions for collision probability and MAC layer throughput of mmWave networks, operating under slotted ALOHA and TDMA, are derived. The new analysis reveals that mmWave networks may exhibit a non-negligible transitional behavior from a noise-limited regime to an interference-limited regime, depending on the density of the transmitters, density and size of obstacles, transmission probability, beamwidth, and transmit power. It is concluded that a new framework of adaptive hybrid resource allocation procedure, containing a proactive contention-based phase followed by a reactive contention-free one with dynamic phase duration, is necessary to cope with such transitional behavior.
Bupivacaine‐induced cellular entry of QX‐314 and its contribution to differential nerve block

Selective nociceptor fibre block is achieved by introducing the cell membrane impermeant sodium channel blocker lidocaine N‐ethyl bromide (QX‐314) through transient receptor potential V1 (TRPV1) channels into nociceptors. We screened local anaesthetics for their capacity to activate TRP channels, and characterized the nerve block obtained by combination with QX‐314.
Agentic and Communal Traits and Health

The authors examined whether agentic and communal traits are associated with relationship and health outcomes among adolescents with and without diabetes. They interviewed 263 teens (average age 12; 132 Type 1 diabetes; 131 healthy) on an annual basis for 5 years. The authors measured agency, communion, unmitigated agency, and unmitigated communion as well as parent and peer relationship quality, psychological distress, and diabetes health. In concurrent and lagged multilevel models, unmitigated communion and unmitigated agency were associated with poor relationship outcomes and greater psychological distress for those with and without diabetes. In lagged analyses, unmitigated communion predicted deterioration in diabetes health. Communion and agency were associated with positive relationship and health outcomes, with the former being stronger than the latter. These results underscore the need to focus on unmitigated agency and unmitigated communion when studying the implications of personality for health during adolescence.
Admittance Correction Effects of a Single Overhead Line

The admittance correction terms for ground effects of a single conductor overhead transmission line are computed and discussed. Propagation constants are evaluated and compared with those by other methods. They show how accurate the analyses with the admittance correction are. Step responses and attenuation constants of a single conductor are also shown in order to observe the behavior of the admittance correction term. According to the results, admittance correction should be taken into consideration in analyses of surges, power line carrier, and other characteristics of transmission lines over very lossy ground
Long-term health effects of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption: a prospective cohort study in 2010 and 2013

Objectives To examine the long-term development of physical and mental health following exposure to a volcanic eruption. Design Population-based prospective cohort study. Setting In spring 2010, the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted. Data were collected at 2 time points: in 2010 and 2013. Participants Adult residents in areas close to the Eyjafjallajökull volcano (N=1096), divided according to exposure levels, and a non-exposed sample (n=475), with 80% participation rate in 2013. Main outcome measures Physical symptoms in the previous year (chronic) and previous month (recent), and psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire-12-item version, GHQ-12), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale, PSS-4) and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms (Primary Care PTSD, PC-PTSD). Results In the exposed group, certain symptoms were higher in 2013 than in 2010, for example, morning phlegm during winter (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.49 to 3.06), skin rash/eczema (OR 2.86; 95% CI 1.76 to 4.65), back pain (OR 1.45; 95% CI 1.03 to 2.05) and insomnia (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.01 to 2.30), in addition to a higher prevalence of regular use of certain medications (eg, for asthma (OR 2.80; 95% CI 1.01 to 7.77)). PTSD symptoms decreased between 2010 and 2013 (OR 0.33; 95% CI 0.17 to 0.61), while the prevalence of psychological distress and perceived stress remained similar. In 2013, the exposed group showed a higher prevalence of various respiratory symptoms than did the non-exposed group, such as wheezing without a cold (high exposure OR 2.35; 95% CI 1.27 to 4.47) and phlegm (high exposure OR 2.81; 95% CI 1.48 to 5.55), some symptoms reflecting the degree of exposure (eg, nocturnal chest tightness (medium exposed OR 3.09; 95% CI 1.21 to 10.46; high exposed OR 3.42; 95% CI 1.30 to 11.79)). Conclusions The findings indicate that people exposed to a volcanic eruption, especially those most exposed, exhibit increased risk of certain symptoms 3–4 years after the eruption.