Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oxidative stress markers in adults 2 years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass

Introduction Obesity is a chronic disease associated with oxidative stress. Bariatric surgery for the treatment of obesity may affect biomarkers of oxidative stress. Objectives The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) on blood markers of oxidative stress, such as vitamins C and E, &bgr;-carotene, reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS). Methods A prospective controlled clinical trial was carried out. The participants were distributed into two groups: a control group (n=35), which was evaluated once, and a bariatric group (n=35), which was evaluated at baseline as well as 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. Results After surgery, the BMI decreased from 47.05±1.46 to 30.53±1.14 kg/m2 (P<0.001), but 25.7% of the participants regained weight after 24 months. In relation to the baseline, postsurgery reductions were found in vitamin C (31.9±4.6%, P<0.001), &bgr;-carotene (360.7±368.3%, P<0.001), vitamin E (22.8±4.1%, P<0.001), GSH (6.6±5.2%, P=0.090), CAT (12.7±5.6%, P=0.029), and FRAP (1.2±3.8%, P=0.085) 2 years after RYGB. TBARS levels decreased after 12 months (71.6±2.9%, P<0.001) in relation to the baseline but increased by 195.0±28.2% between the 12th and the 24th month (P<0.001). Conclusion The present findings show that oxidative stress returned 2 years after RYGB. Concentrations of vitamin C, &bgr;-carotene, GSH, CAT, and FRAP were decreased, whereas the concentration of TBARS decreased in the first year but increased in the following year, which may be partly explained by the imbalance between antioxidants and pro-oxidants.
Measuring Accuracy of Discharge Diagnoses for a Region-Wide Surveillance of Hospitalized Strokes

Background and Purpose— Measuring the impact of stroke through population-based stroke registers is complex and costly. The aim of the present study is to assess the validity of hospital discharge diagnoses (all ages) and to estimate the total number of hospitalized stroke events in the Veneto region (Northeastern Italy, 4 500 000 inhabitants). Methods— All discharges covering a 1-year period (1999) from Veneto hospitals with International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes 342, 430 to 434, and 436 to 438 were identified. A stratified sample was extracted and submitted to retrospective clinical record review according to the World Health Organization MONItoring trends and determinants in CArdiovascular disease stroke project. Using the positive predictive value (PPV) for validated acute stroke of each code to adjust for inaccuracy of discharge diagnoses, an estimate of hospital strokes was obtained. Results— 4015 admissions were reviewed. Codes 430, 431, 434, and 436 as primary diagnoses had the highest PPV, which sharply decreased in the other diagnostic levels. Code 342 also showed a high PPV. The probability of suspected events meeting the stroke definition increased with age and was highest for patients admitted to neurological wards and for fatal events. Overall 9400 strokes (first-ever and recurrent) were estimated to be hospitalized in 1999, with an attack rate of 208 per 100 000. Conclusions— Our data indicate that once validation studies are undertaken on a sample of all hospitalized events, hospital discharge records can provide a valuable source of information on the actual burden of strokes on hospital services.
Dysfunction of the auditory thalamus in developmental dyslexia

Developmental dyslexia, a severe and persistent reading and spelling impairment, is characterized by difficulties in processing speech sounds (i.e., phonemes). Here, we test the hypothesis that these phonological difficulties are associated with a dysfunction of the auditory sensory thalamus, the medial geniculate body (MGB). By using functional MRI, we found that, in dyslexic adults, the MGB responded abnormally when the task required attending to phonemes compared with other speech features. No other structure in the auditory pathway showed distinct functional neural patterns between the two tasks for dyslexic and control participants. Furthermore, MGB activity correlated with dyslexia diagnostic scores, indicating that the task modulation of the MGB is critical for performance in dyslexics. These results suggest that deficits in dyslexia are associated with a failure of the neural mechanism that dynamically tunes MGB according to predictions from cortical areas to optimize speech processing. This view on task-related MGB dysfunction in dyslexics has the potential to reconcile influential theories of dyslexia within a predictive coding framework of brain function.
Timing of acquisition of deletion 13 in plasma cell dyscrasias is dependent on genetic context

Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering myeloma (SMM) are characterized by an expansion of monoclonal plasma cells and can progress to symptomatic multiple myeloma. This study assessed the incidence and the association of monosomy 13 with IgH translocations, ploidy status and deletions of 16q23 and TP53 in a large series of MGUS and SMM patients. Background Multiple myeloma, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and smoldering multiple myeloma harbor common chromosomal abnormalities but the prevalence and relative association of aberrations in these diagnostic groups remains controversial. We investigated these aspects in a large series of patients. Design and Methods Chromosome 13 deletion (Δ13), deletion of TP53, ploidy status and immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) translocations were evaluated by fluorescence in situ hybridization in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (n=189), smoldering multiple myeloma (n=127) and multiple myeloma (n=400). Results Overall, Δ13 (25%, 34% and 47%), 16q23 deletions (6%, 8% and 21%) and 17p13 deletions (3%, 1% and 10%) were less frequent in patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and smoldering multiple myeloma than in those with multiple myeloma. When distinct genetic groups were considered, no differences in the prevalence of Δ13 were found with t(4;14)(p16;q32) and t(14;16)(q32;q23) among the three diagnostic groups; in contrast Δ13 was rarer in t(11;14)(q13;q32) in patients with monoclonal gammopathy (1/28) and smoldering myeloma (2/13) than in those with multiple myeloma (40%). Similar results were seen for the few t(6;14)(p21;q32) cases: 0/3 patients with monoclonal gammopathy or smoldering myeloma had the Δ13, whereas 4/6 (67%) patients with multiple myeloma and this translocation also had the deletion. In multiple myeloma patients with both an IgH translocation and Δ13, the proportions of cells affected by the two abnormalities were similar, as was the case for t(4;14) and t(14;16) monoclonal gammopathy patients positive for Δ13. In contrast, in monoclonal gammopathy patients with t(14;20)(q32;q11), the translocation was present in almost all cells, while the Δ13 was present in only a sub-population. Conclusions These results indicate that the presence and time of occurrence of Δ13 depends on the presence of specific concurrent abnormalities. The observation that Δ13 was extremely rare in monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance and smoldering multiple myeloma with translocations directly involving cyclin D genes (CCND1 and CCND3) suggest a possible role of Δ13 in the progression of the disease specifically in these genetic sub-groups. (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: ISRCTN 68454111; UKCRN ID 1176).
The Early Cognitive Development of Children at High Risk of Developing an Eating Disorder

Diagnosis of an eating disorder (ED) has been associated with differences in cognition. Recent evidence suggests that differences may be present prior to onset. Children at familial high risk for ED show cognitive differences at ages 8–10 years. Research is required to investigate differences in cognitive development at various time points. This is the first study to investigate cognitive development in children at high risk at 18 months (Griffiths Mental Development Scale; n = 982) and 4 years old (Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence—Revised; n = 582), in comparison with children not at risk, using a general population sample, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Children of women with lifetime anorexia nervosa revealed difficulties in social understanding, visual-motor function, planning and abstract reasoning. Cognitive differences observed here have also been observed in clinical groups. This suggests difficulties may be present prior to onset, potentially affecting risk status for development of ED. Findings contribute to an understanding of aetiology, and design of prevention/intervention strategies.
Small Supernumerary Marker Chromosomes and Uniparental Disomy Have a Story to Tell

Small supernumerary maker chromosomes (sSMC) and uniparental disomy (UPD) are rare, and a combination of both is rarely encountered. Accordingly, only 46 sSMC cases UPD have been reported. Despite of its rareness, UPD has to be considered, especially in prenatal cases with sSMC. Here, the authors reviewed all sSMC cases with UPD (sSMCU+) and compared them to sSMC without UPD (sSMCU−), which resulted in the following correlations: 1) every sSMC, irrespective of its chromosomal origin, may be principally connected with UPD; 2) mixed hetero- and iso-UPD (hUPD/iUPD) can be observed most often in sSMCU+ cases followed by complete iUPD, complete hUPD, and segmental iUPD; 3) UPD of chromosomes 6, 7, 14, 15, 16, and 20 is most often reported in sSMCU+; 4) maternal UPD was approximately nine times more frequent than paternal UPD; 5) if mosaic with a normal cell line, acrocentric-derived sSMC had a three times higher chance of occurrence than the corresponding nonmosaic sSMC cases; 6) UPD in connection with a parentally inherited sSMC is, if existent at all, a rare event; and 7) the gender type and shape of sSMC had no effect on UPD formation. Overall, sSMCU+ cases may have a story to tell about chromosome number control mechanisms in early embryogenesis.
Different Transport Mechanisms in Plant and Human AMT/Rh-type Ammonium Transporters

The conserved family of AMT/Rh proteins facilitates ammonium transport across animal, plant, and microbial membranes. A bacterial homologue, AmtB, forms a channel-like structure and appears to function as an NH3 gas channel. To evaluate the function of eukaryotic homologues, the human RhCG glycoprotein and the tomato plant ammonium transporter LeAMT1;2 were expressed and compared in Xenopus oocytes and yeast. RhCG mediated the electroneutral transport of methylammonium (MeA), which saturated with Km = 3.8 mM at pHo 7.5. Uptake was strongly favored by increasing the pHo and was inhibited by ammonium. Ammonium induced rapid cytosolic alkalinization in RhCG-expressing oocytes. Additionally, RhCG expression was associated with an alkali-cation conductance, which was not significantly permeable to NH4 + and was apparently uncoupled from the ammonium transport. In contrast, expression of the homologous LeAMT1;2 induced pHo-independent MeA+ uptake and specific NH4 + and MeA+ currents that were distinct from endogenous currents. The different mechanisms of transport, including the RhCG-associated alkali-cation conductance, were verified by heterologous expression in appropriate yeast strains. Thus, homologous AMT/Rh-type proteins function in a distinct manner; while LeAMT1;2 carries specifically NH4 +, or cotransports NH3/H+, RhCG mediates electroneutral NH3 transport.
The effect of pimecrolimus on expression of genes associated with skin barrier dysfunction in atopic dermatitis skin lesions

Abstract: The mechanism of action of pimecrolimus (PIM) on atopic lesions is still under consideration. Thus far, we have evidence of its anti‐inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity, and recent papers focus on its effect on epidermal barrier function. This study analysed changes in the expression of genes associated with skin barrier dysfunction in atopic dermatitis (AD) skin lesions after 2 weeks of exposure to PIM 1% cream. A real‐time quantitative PCR analysis of selected epidermal differentiation complex genes and three alternative pathway keratins was performed in skin biopsies from 11 individuals with AD before and after PIM exposure. The real‐time quantitative PCR analysis was compared to non‐lesional skin in the same patients. Involucrin, a small proline‐rich region (SPRR) 2C gene, and alternative pathway keratin 16 showed significant over‐expression in lesional skin followed by significant decrease after PIM therapy. The SPRR1A gene, S100A9, and keratin 6A were also increased; however, the decrease after PIM treatment was not significant. The changes in S100 A2, A7 and A8 followed a similar course with borderline significance. SPRR4 had a significant decrease in expression in lesional versus non‐lesional skin, which persisted after PIM treatment. No significant changes were detected in mRNA expression levels of filaggrin and loricrin. Our results suggest that PIM can be effective in restoring the epidermal barrier in patients with AD at least in part by its impact on expression of genes, which are important for the normal barrier function of skin.
The migration and spawning distribution of sockeye salmon within Lake Clark, Alaska

Recent declines in the number of sockeye salmon Onchorynchus nerka returning to Lake Clark, Alaska have caused economic hardship in the region and raised resource concerns among local subsistence users and Federal managers. A lack of information regarding the distribution of spawning habitats in the glacially turbid Lake Clark watershed instigated this research. Radio telemetry was used to 1) determine the in-lake movement patterns of adult sockeye salmon and 2) identify sockeye salmon spawning locations. Sockeye salmon were radio tagged at they entered Lake Clark and tracked to spawning locations. After entering Lake Clark, sockeye salmon usually migrated to a region of the lake that was within 15 km of their spawning location. Tagged fish migrated faster and more directly to spawning locations in tributary rivers and lakes than to Lake Clark beaches. Thirty three spawning locations were identified in the Lake Clark watershed including 18 new spawning locations compared to previous scientific research and ten compared to traditional local knowledge. Most radio tagged sockeye salmon (65%) returned to spawning locations in glacially turbid waters and most spawning locations (75%) were adjacent to privately owned lands. Proactive measures should be taken to conserve both migration corridors and spawning habitats.
Bilingüismo en Colombia

El objetivo de este estudio consiste en examinar el nivel de ingles de los estudiantes y docentes colombianos, observando su desempeno en pruebas estandarizadas que miden algunas de las competencias basicas en el manejo del idioma. Los resultados se analizan con el marco evaluativo adoptado por el Ministerio de Educacion Nacional, lo que permite no solo presentar un panorama asociado con la situacion del ingles en Colombia, sino evaluar la factibilidad de las metas propuestas por el gobierno nacional.
Neuron-Enriched Second Trimester Human Cultures: Growth Factor Response and in Vivo Graft Survival

Grafts of first trimester fetal tissue show limited survival and integration in the adult CNS. Alternative grafting strategies have been sought for treatment of neurodegenerative disease. We have developed cultures of human second trimester fetal tissues to study neuronal differentiation. Grafted into the SCID mouse striatum, aggregates of these cultures formed neuron-rich xenografts for at least 8 months. We examined the influence of various neurotrophic factors, including basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1), and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), on the growth and differentiation of neuronal and glial cell populations. BDNF promoted the survival and differentiation of second trimester neurons whereas bFGF exhibited a strong proliferative effect on precursors and the astroglial population. Our data suggest that second trimester human fetal cultures contain neuroprogenitor cells that can be directed to the neuronal lineage. This process may be amplified by treatment with BDNF, which we hypothesize could improve the long-term in vivo survival of neuron-enriched grafts.
Impact of land-cover change between 1990 and 2000 on the regional climate of Paraguay: a first overview

Land-use change poses a major threat over much of the La Plata River Basin in South America. Paraguay, with one of the highest deforestation rates in the region, has experienced rapid loss of its natural forests. Such landscape transformation implies changes in vegetation traits that affect exchange of momentum, heat, and moisture between the surface and atmosphere. To understand how the regional climate of Paraguay could be affected by the deforestation that occurred between 1990 and 2000, we ran 1-month long simulations for each November during the 2006–2012 period for a control scenario and a past vegetation scenario. Climate responses to land-cover change differed with location and vegetation. In eastern Paraguay, replacement of forest with farmland increased albedo, leading to an overall lower latent heat and both lower and higher sensible heat fluxes. In western Paraguay, replacement of grassland with farmland slightly increased albedo, reducing the sensible heat and increasing evapotranspiration owing to greater surface soil wetness. Effects of land-use change on precipitation are more likely to change local patterns of precipitation than they are the country’s total monthly precipitation.
A dynamic spectrum leasing (DSL) framework for spectrum sharing in cognitive radio networks

We propose dynamic spectrum leasing (DSL) as a new paradigm for dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) in (cognitive) radio networks to improve spectrum utilization. In contrast to exiting hierarchical dynamic spectrum access (DSA), spectrum owners in proposed DSL networks are expected to dynamically adjust the amount of secondary interference they are willing to tolerate in response to the demand from secondary transmitters [1]. The secondary transmitters in turn attempt to achieve maximum possible throughput opportunistically while not violating the interference limit set by the primary system. In this paper, we first develop a formal signal model for DSL coexistence of primary and secondary systems, and then model their interactions as a non-cooperative DSL-game. We propose a class of utility functions for the two types of users based on demand and value, establish and analyze the equilibrium performance of a proposed DSL-based network and show how a practical implementation can be justified with minimal interaction between the two systems.
Sub-Poissonian photocurrent statistics: Theory and undergraduate experiment

We present the results of an experiment in which we observe a sub-Poissonian photocurrent. This photocurrent is generated by detecting the light emitted from a high-quantum-efficiency light-emitting diode driven by a high-impedance current source. We also present classical, semi-classical and quantum mechanical theories of photoelectric detection. The observed sub-Poissonian statistics are in agreement with quantum mechanical predictions, but are unexplainable using the classical and semi-classical theories. The experiment uses only equipment already found in most undergraduate laboratories, making this a nice experiment to demonstrate a purely quantum mechanical effect.
Lithium and rotation on the subgiant branch II. Theoretical analysis of observations

Lithium abundances and rotation, determined for 120 subgiant stars in Lebre et al. (1999) are analyzed. To this purpose, the evolutionary status of the sample as well as the individual masses have been determined using the HIPPARCOS trigonometric parallax measurements to locate very precisely our sample stars in the HR diagram. We look at the distributions of A(Li) and Vsini with mass when stars evolve from the main sequence to the subgiant branch. For most of the stars in our sample we find good agreement with the dilution predictions. However, the more massive cool stars with upper limits of Li abundances show a significant discrepancy with the theoretical predictions, even if the Non-LTE effects are taken into account. For the rotation behaviour, our analysis confirms that low mass stars leave the main sequence with a low rotational rate, while more massive stars are slowed down only when reaching the subgiant branch. We also checked the connection between the observed rotation behaviour and the magnetic braking due to the deepening of the convective envelope. Our results shed new light on the lithium and rotation discontinuities in the evolved phase.
Regulation of Laccase Gene Transcription in Trametes versicolor

The expression of laccase in the white rot fungus Trametes versicolor is regulated at the level of gene transcription by copper and nitrogen. We used reverse transcription-PCR to demonstrate that as the concentration of copper or nitrogen in fungal cultures was increased, an increase in laccase activity, corresponding to increased laccase gene transcription levels, was observed. In addition, we demonstrated that the amounts of laccase mRNA and laccase activity in 10-day-old cultures were a direct function of the concentration of either 1-hydroxybenzotriazole, a previously described laccase substrate, or 2,5-xylidine, a well-known laccase inducer, in the medium. No induction was observed after the addition of two aromatic acids, ferulic acid and veratric acid, which have been shown to induce laccase production in other white rot fungi. When either copper, 2,5-xylidine, or both compounds were added to cultures grown in the absence of copper, increased laccase transcript levels were detected within 15 min. Corresponding increases in laccase activity were observed after 24-h incubation only when copper was present.
Ethnicity modifies the effect of obesity on insulin resistance in pregnancy: a comparison of Asian, South Asian, and Caucasian women.

CONTEXT Women of Asian and South Asian descent are at increased risk of developing gestational diabetes mellitus compared with Caucasians, despite lower body mass index (BMI). Nevertheless, there has been limited study of insulin action during pregnancy in these ethnic groups. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to compare insulin sensitivity in pregnancy in Asian, South Asian, and Caucasian subjects and to determine whether the impact of obesity on insulin action is modified by ethnicity. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS A cross-sectional study was performed in outpatients undergoing oral glucose tolerance testing in late pregnancy. Participants were stratified into three groups: 1) Caucasian (n = 116); 2) South Asian (n = 31); and 3) Asian (n = 28). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Insulin sensitivity was measured using the oral glucose tolerance test (IS(OGTT)) index of M. Matsuda and R. DeFronzo, previously validated in pregnancy. RESULTS There were no significant ethnic differences in insulin sensitivity despite variation in prepregnancy BMI (Caucasians, 25.2 kg/m(2); South Asians, 23.3 kg/m(2); Asians, 21.4 kg/m(2); overall P = 0.0001). On multiple linear regression analysis, the strongest independent determinants of IS(OGTT) were gestational diabetes mellitus (t = -5.71; P < 0.0001) and BMI (t = -5.43; P < 0.0001). Importantly, both Asian (t = -2.87; P = 0.0047) and South Asian (t = -2.46; P = 0.015) ethnicity also emerged as negative, independent determinants of IS(OGTT). Furthermore, Asian ethnicity significantly modified the association of prepregnancy BMI with IS(OGTT) (interaction term, t = -2.29; P = 0.0231). CONCLUSIONS Asian and South Asian ethnicity are both independently associated with increased insulin resistance in late pregnancy. Prepregnancy BMI has a much greater effect on insulin resistance in pregnancy in Asian women than in Caucasians. Ethnicity thus emerges as a factor that modulates the effect of obesity on insulin resistance in pregnancy.