Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The reliability of lung ultrasound in assessment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the severest form of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia, with a median survival time estimated at 2–5 years from the time of diagnosis. It occurs mainly in elderly adults, suggesting a strong link between the fibrosis process and aging. Although chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is currently the method of choice in IPF assessment, diagnostic imaging with typical usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) provides definitive results in only 55%, requiring an invasive surgical procedure such as lung biopsy or cryobiopsy for the final diagnostic analysis. Lung ultrasound (LUS) as a noninvasive, non-radiating examination is very sensitive to detect subtle changes in the subpleural space. The evidence of diffuse, multiple B-lines defined as vertical, hyperechoic artifacts is the hallmark of interstitial syndrome. A thick, irregular, fragmented pleura line is associated with subpleural fibrotic scars. The total numbers of B-lines are correlated with the extension of pulmonary fibrosis on HRCT, being an LUS marker of severity. The average distance between two adjacent B-lines is an indicator of a particular pattern on HRCT. It is used to appreciate a pure reticular fibrotic pattern as in IPF compared with a predominant ground glass pattern seen in fibrotic nonspecific interstitial pattern. The distribution of the LUS artifacts has a diagnostic value. An upper predominance of multiple B-lines associated with the thickening of pleura line is an LUS feature of an inconsistent UIP pattern, excluding the IPF diagnosis. LUS is a repeatable, totally radiation-free procedure, well tolerated by patients, very sensitive in detecting early changes of fibrotic lung, and therefore a useful imaging technique in monitoring disease progression in the natural course or after initiation of treatment.
Effects of hyper- and hypoosmolality on whole body protein and glucose kinetics in humans.

To investigate the effect of acute changes of extracellular osmolality on whole body protein and glucose metabolism, we studied 10 male subjects during three conditions: hyperosmolality was induced by fluid restriction and intravenous infusion of hypertonic NaCl [2-5%; (wt/vol)] during 17 h; hypoosmolality was produced by intravenous administration of desmopressin, liberal water drinking, and infusion of hypotonic saline (0.4%); and the isoosmolality study consisted of ad libitum oral water intake by the subjects. Leucine flux ([1-13C]leucine infusion technique), a parameter of whole body protein breakdown, decreased during the hypoosmolality study ( P < 0.02 vs. isoosmolality). The leucine oxidation rate decreased during the hypoosmolality study ( P < 0.005 vs. isoosmolality). Metabolic clearance rate of glucose during hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamping increased less during the hypoosmolality study than during the isoosmolality study ( P < 0.04). Plasma insulin decreased, and plasma nonesterified fatty acids, glycerol, and ketone body concentrations and lipid oxidation increased during the hypoosmolality study. It is concluded that acute alterations of plasma osmolality influence whole body protein, glucose, and lipid metabolism; hypoosmolality results in protein sparing associated with increased lipolysis and lipid oxidation and impaired insulin sensitivity.
Sex-related differences in methionine metabolism and plasma homocysteine concentrations.

BACKGROUND Elevated fasting homocysteine concentrations are considered a risk factor for vascular disease. Homocysteine, which is produced by the transmethylation of methionine, can be either remethylated back to methionine or metabolized via transsulfuration to cystathionine. It has been speculated that the lower risk of vascular disease among premenopausal women may be related to lower homocysteine concentrations in women than in men. OBJECTIVE This study was designed to determine whether sex-related differences exist in methionine cycle kinetics, which may account for the reportedly lower fasting homocysteine concentrations in premenopausal women. DESIGN Eleven healthy young men and 11 premenopausal women without cardiac risk factors were studied by using stable-isotope-labeled L-[methyl-(2)H(3),1-(13)C]methionine and L-[methyl- (2)H(3)]leucine. After 3 h of tracer infusion, 100 mg unlabeled L-methionine/kg body wt was ingested. Blood and breath samples were obtained at timed intervals. Fat-free mass was estimated by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and muscle mass by urinary creatinine excretion. RESULTS No significant sex-related differences were found in fasting homocysteine concentrations, responses to the oral methionine load, or rates of methionine flux based on carboxyl or methyl labels. However, women had significantly higher remethylation rates than did men (P < 0.005) and a tendency toward higher transmethylation (P < 0.10). Whereas adjustment of remethylation rates for fat-free mass tended to attenuate the sex-related effect (P = 0.08), adjustment for muscle mass did not (P < 0.04). In contrast, significant sex-related differences in leucine flux (P < 0.02) were eliminated after adjustment for either fat-free mass or muscle mass. CONCLUSION Reported differences between men and women in homocysteine concentrations may be partially explained by differences in rates of homocysteine remethylation.
Voltage-gated Ca2+ currents in rat gastric enterochromaffin-like cells.

Enterochromaffin-like (ECL) cells are histamine-containing endocrine cells in the gastric mucosa that maintain a negative membrane potential of about -50 mV, largely due to voltage-gated K+ currents [D. F. Loo, G. Sachs, and C. Prinz. Am. J. Physiol.270 ( Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 33): G739-G745, 1996]. The current study investigated the presence of voltage-gated Ca2+channels in single ECL cells. ECL cells were isolated from rat fundic mucosa by elutriation, density gradient centrifugation, and primary culture to a purity >90%. Voltage-gated Ca2+ currents were measured in single ECL cells using the whole cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. Depolarization-activated currents were recorded in the presence of Na+ or K+ blocking solutions and addition of 20 mM extracellular Ca2+. ECL cells showed inward currents in response to voltage steps that were activated at a test potential of around -20 mV with maximal inward currents observed at +20 mV and 20 mM extracellular Ca2+. The inactivation rate of the current decreased with increasingly negative holding potentials and was totally abolished at a holding potential of -30 mV. Addition of extracellular 20 mM Ba2+ instead of 20 mM Ca2+ increased the depolarization-induced current and decreased the inactivation rate. The inward current was fully inhibited by the specific L-type Ca2+ channel inhibitor verapamil (0.2 mM) and was augmented by the L-type Ca2+ channel activator BAY K 8644 (0.07 mM). We conclude that depolarization activates high-voltage-activated Ca2+channels in ECL cells. Activation characteristics, Ba2+ effects, and pharmacological results imply the presence of L-type Ca2+ channels, whereas inactivation kinetics suggest the presence of additional N-type channels in rat gastric ECL cells.
Efficiency of utilization of wheat and milk protein in healthy adults and apparent lysine requirements determined by a single-meal [1-13C]leucine balance protocol.

BACKGROUND We recently reported better wheat-protein utilization and a higher apparent lysine requirement than would be predicted, because of adaptive mechanisms of lysine conservation. However, such findings may be subject to the feeding protocol of frequent small meals. OBJECTIVE We used a [1-13C]leucine balance, large single-meal protocol to estimate the utilization of wheat and the consequent lysine requirements. DESIGN Wheat and milk utilization were compared in 5 adults infused for 9 h with L-[1-13C]leucine, in the postabsorptive (0-3 h) and postprandial (3-9 h) states after ingestion of a single meal of either milk (30.4 kJ/kg; 32% of energy as protein) or a mixture of wheat gluten and whole wheat (29.2 kJ; 26.7% of energy as protein). Premeal nitrogen balance was predicted from [1-13C]leucine oxidation and postmeal balance predicted from cumulative increased leucine oxidation, enabling evaluation of the metabolic demand for protein, the efficiency of postprandial protein utilization (PPU), and the requirements for wheat protein and lysine. RESULTS Mean (+/-SD) PPU was 0.61 +/- 0.03 and 0.93 +/- 0.02 for wheat and milk (P < or = 0.001), respectively, and the estimated average wheat-protein requirement (0.6 g.kg(-1). d(-1)/PPU) was 0.98 +/- 0.05 g.kg(-1). d(-1), indicating a lysine requirement of 18.3 +/- 1.0 mg. kg(-1). d(-1). CONCLUSIONS Measured wheat utilization efficiency at 0.61 was considerably higher than the value predicted from wheat lysine intake and milk protein lysine deposition (ie, 0.222 +/- 0.004). These results confirm our previous finding that lysine conservation allows wheat protein to be utilized more efficiently than expected and is consistent with a lysine requirement in fully adapted individuals of 19 mg.kg(-1). d(-1), as indicated by recalculated nitrogen balance data.
A novel procedure for fabricating flexible screen-printed electrodes with improved electrochemical performance

Screen-printed electrodes (SPEs) with improved electrochemical performance were fabricated in this study. The SPEs on hydrophilic surface of polyethylene ethylene terephthalate (PET) film showed better electrochemical behaviour than that on hydrophobic surface. The optimal condition of pretreating fresh SPEs was that alternately dealt with chemical treatment (soaked in 3M NaOH solutions for 1h) and high temperature curing (heated at 120 °C for 15 min) for two times. After chemical treatment, the electrochemical performance of self-made SPEs was better than the commercial three electrodes system. By analyzing cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves, we found that the oxidation peak currents and peak to peak separation reached 407.65 μA and 111.16 mV, which mean the sensitivity and electron transfer rate improved 1.9 times and 3.8 times compared with fresh SPEs, and 2 times and 3 times compared with commercial DropSens (DS) electrodes. The obtained SPEs were stable, convenient and inexpensive, which could be extensively applied for developing novel electrochemical sensors.
Potassium channels modulate canine pulmonary vasoreactivity to protein kinase C activation.

The role of Ca2+-activated K+-channel, ATP-sensitive K+-channel, and delayed rectifier K+-channel modulation in the canine pulmonary vascular response to protein kinase C (PKC) activation was determined in the isolated blood-perfused dog lung. Pulmonary vascular resistances and compliances were measured with vascular occlusion techniques. The PKC activators phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA; 10-7 M) and thymeleatoxin (THX; 10-7 M) significantly increased pulmonary arterial and pulmonary venous resistances and pulmonary capillary pressure and decreased total vascular compliance by decreasing both microvascular and large-vessel compliances. The Ca2+-activated K+-channel blocker tetraethylammonium ions (1 mM), the ATP-sensitive K+-channel inhibitor glibenclamide (10-5 M), and the delayed rectifier K+-channel blocker 4-aminopyridine (10-4 M) potentiated the pressor response to both PMA and THX on the arterial and venous segments and also further decreased pulmonary vascular compliance. In contrast, the ATP-sensitive K+-channel opener cromakalim (10-5 M) attenuated the vasoconstrictor effect of PMA and THX on both the arterial and venous vessels. In addition, membrane depolarization by 30 mM KCl elicited an increase in the pressor response to PMA. These results indicate that pharmacological activation of PKC elicits pulmonary vasoconstriction. Closure of the Ca2+-activated K+ channels, ATP-sensitive K+ channels, and delayed rectifier K+ channels as well as direct membrane depolarization by KCl potentiated the response to PMA and THX, indicating that K+ channels modulate the canine pulmonary vasoconstrictor response to PKC activation.
Pre- and postjunctional effects of inflammatory mediators in horse airways.

In addition to their direct contractile effects, histamine (Hist), serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)], and leukotriene (LT) D4, in low concentrations, dramatically augment electrical field stimulation (EFS)-induced smooth muscle contractions in equine airways. To determine the mechanism of their action, we studied, in trachealis strips, the effect of these mediators on both cholinergically induced tension and the release of ACh from cholinergic nerves. All three mediators synergistically augmented the contraction of the trachealis that was due to release of endogenous ACh, i.e., EFS-induced contraction. These same mediators caused only a small but parallel shift of the ACh concentration-response curve. Comparison of the mediator effects on the responses to endogenous and exogenous ACh suggested a prejunctional effect. However, release of ACh was augmented only by Hist and 5-HT but not by LTD4. Hist-induced contraction of trachealis was abolished by pyrilamine (H1-receptor antagonist) but not by ranitidine (H2-receptor antagonist), whereas thioperamide (H3-receptor antagonist) shifted the Hist response curve to the left. The augmenting effect of Hist on EFS-induced contraction was abolished by pyrilamine and unaffected by ranitidine or thioperamide. We conclude that inflammatory mediators can increase endogenous cholinergic responses of equine airways via both prejunctional and postjunctional mechanisms. LTD4 acts solely on smooth muscle, whereas 5-HT and Hist additionally act on neuronal receptors to facilitate release of ACh. Excitatory effects of Hist, i.e., direct contractile effect, and augmentation of endogenous cholinergic response are both mediated via H1receptors, whereas the inhibitory H3 receptors partially oppose the direct contractile effect of this mediator.
Egocentric activity recognition using Histograms of Oriented Pairwise Relations

This paper presents an approach for recognising activities using video from an egocentric (first-person view) setup. Our approach infers activity from the interactions of objects and hands. In contrast to previous approaches to activity recognition, we do not require to use an intermediate such as object detection, pose estimation, etc. Recently, it has been shown that modelling the spatial distribution of visual words corresponding to local features further improves the performance of activity recognition using the bag-of-visual words representation. Influenced and inspired by this philosophy, our method is based on global spatio-temporal relationships between visual words. We consider the interaction between visual words by encoding their spatial distances, orientations and alignments. These interactions are encoded using a histogram that we name the Histogram of Oriented Pairwise Relations (HOPR). The proposed approach is robust to occlusion and background variation and is evaluated on two challenging egocentric activity datasets consisting of manipulative task. We introduce a novel representation of activities based on interactions of local features and experimentally demonstrate its superior performance in comparison to standard activity representations such as bag-of-visual words.
Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced Maleic Anhydride-Modified Xylan-g-Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Hydrogel with Multifunctional Properties

Introducing multifunctional groups and inorganic material imparts xylan-based hydrogels with excellent properties, such as responsiveness to pH, temperature, light, and external magnetic field. In this work, a composite hydrogel was synthesized by introducing acid treated carbon nanotubes (AT-CNTs) into the maleic anhydride modified xylan grafted with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (MAX-g-PNIPAM) hydrogels network. It was found that the addition of AT-CNTs affected the MAX-g-PNIPAM hydrogel structure, the swelling ratio and mechanical properties, and imparted the hydrogel with new properties of electrical conductivity and near infrared region (NIR) photothermal conversion. AT-CNTs could reinforce the mechanical properties of MAX-g-PNIPAM hydrogels, being up to 83 kPa for the compressive strength when the amount was 11 wt %, which was eight times than that of PNIPAM hydrogel and four times than that of MAX-g-PNIPAM hydrogel. The electroconductibility was enhanced by the increase of AT-CNTs amounts. Meanwhile, the composite hydrogel also exhibited multiple shape memory and NIR photothermal conversion properties, and water temperature was increased from 26 °C to 56 °C within 8 min under the NIR irradiation. Thus, the AT-CNTs reinforced MAX-g-PNIPAM hydrogel possessed promising multifunctional properties, which offered many potential applications in the fields of biosensors, thermal-arrest technology, and drug-controlled release.
Owners and Veterinary Surgeons in the United Kingdom Disagree about What Should Happen during a Small Animal Vaccination Consultation

Dog and cat vaccination consultations are a common part of small animal practice in the United Kingdom. Few data are available describing what happens during those consultations or what participants think about their content. The aim of this novel study was to investigate the attitudes of dog and cat owners and veterinary surgeons towards the content of small animal vaccination consultations. Telephone interviews with veterinary surgeons and pet owners captured rich qualitative data. Thematic analysis was performed to identify key themes. This study reports the theme describing attitudes towards the content of the consultation. Diverse preferences exist for what should be prioritised during vaccination consultations, and mismatched expectations may lead to negative experiences. Vaccination consultations for puppies and kittens were described to have a relatively standardised structure with an educational and preventative healthcare focus. In contrast, adult pet vaccination consultations were described to focus on current physical health problems with only limited discussion of preventative healthcare topics. This first qualitative exploration of UK vaccination consultation expectations suggests that the content and consistency of adult pet vaccination consultations may not meet the needs or expectations of all participants. Redefining preventative healthcare to include all preventable conditions may benefit owners, pets and veterinary surgeons, and may help to provide a clearer structure for adult pet vaccination consultations. This study represents a significant advance our understanding of this consultation type.
Cholecystokinin satiety involves CCKA receptors perfused by the superior pancreaticoduodenal artery.

Three experiments compared the potency of the type A cholecystokinin (CCKA)-receptor antagonist devazepide for increasing intake of 30% sucrose when injected into the superior pancreaticoduodenal (SPD) artery (SPD group) or jugular vein (IV group). In experiment 1, 15 min of sucrose intake in adult, male Sprague-Dawley rats after 6 h of food deprivation was increased by devazepide (20 μg/kg) administered into the SPD artery whether given alone or in conjunction with cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8, 2 μg/kg ip). Devazepide had no effect in the IV group. In experiment 2, injection of 8, 20, and 50 μg/kg of devazepide into the SPD artery increased sucrose intake of nondeprived rats. Only the highest dose was effective in the IV group. On subsequent tests, administration of 1 μg/kg of CCK-8 significantly suppressed intake only in the SPD group. In experiment 3, nondeprived rats with SPD artery and jugular vein catheters were tested in a within-subjects design. Devazepide (20 μg/kg) increased sucrose intake after injection into the SPD artery, but not into the jugular vein. In experiment 4, intraduodenal devazepide (8, 20, and 50 μg/kg) had no effect. These results indicate that CCKA receptors within the SPD arterial bed mediate the satiating action of CCK, consistent with local action of duodenal CCK.
Medullary lateral tegmental field: an important synaptic relay in the baroreceptor reflex pathway of the cat.

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the medullary lateral tegmental field (LTF) is an important synaptic relay in the baroreceptor reflex pathway controlling sympathetic nerve discharge (SND) of urethan-anesthetized cats. We determined the effects of blockade of excitatory amino acid-mediated neurotransmission in the LTF on three indexes of baroreceptor reflex function: cardiac-related power in SND, strength of linear correlation (coherence value) of SND to the arterial pulse (AP), and inhibition of SND during increased arterial pressure produced by abrupt obstruction of the abdominal aorta. Bilateral microinjection ofd-(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonopentanoic acid, an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, abolished cardiac-related power and coherence of SND to the AP, and it prevented inhibition of SND during aortic obstruction. These data support the view that NMDA receptor-mediated neurotransmission in the LTF is critical for baroreceptor reflex control of SND. Bilateral microinjection of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6-nitro-2,3-dioxobenzo-[ f]-quinoxaline-7-sulfonamide, a non-NMDA receptor antagonist, decreased cardiac-related power and total power in the 0- to 6-Hz band of SND; however, the AP-SND coherence value remained high, and inhibition of SND during aortic obstruction was preserved. These data imply that non-NMDA receptor-mediated neurotransmission in the LTF is involved in setting the level of excitatory drive to sympathetic nerves.
Increasing Biocompatibility by Chemical Modification of Titanium Surfaces

Titanium is the most frequently used material for dental implants and its uses for orthopedic prostheses are continuously increasing. This extensive use is based on the properties of the material, including a combination of corrosion resistance and biocompatibility with satisfactory mechanical performance. Mechanical qualities including fracture resistance or resistance to permanent deformation under long-term dynamic stress are essential. These qualities combined with an elastic modulus that facilitates stress transfer to the bone tissue surrounding the implant material make the biomechanical properties of titanium suitable for use as a load-bearing biomaterial. Successful long-term stability of the biomaterial in bone tissue relies on several factors; among them is the important surface connection between
Structured Attention Guided Convolutional Neural Fields for Monocular Depth Estimation

Recent works have shown the benefit of integrating Conditional Random Fields (CRFs) models into deep architectures for improving pixel-level prediction tasks. Following this line of research, in this paper we introduce a novel approach for monocular depth estimation. Similarly to previous works, our method employs a continuous CRF to fuse multi-scale information derived from different layers of a front-end Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). Differently from past works, our approach benefits from a structured attention model which automatically regulates the amount of information transferred between corresponding features at different scales. Importantly, the proposed attention model is seamlessly integrated into the CRF, allowing end-to-end training of the entire architecture. Our extensive experimental evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method which is competitive with previous methods on the KITTI benchmark and outperforms the state of the art on the NYU Depth V2 dataset.