Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Tear Supplementation on Ocular Surface Sensations during the Interblink Interval in Patients with Dry Eye

Purpose To investigate the characteristics of ocular surface sensations and corneal sensitivity during the interblink interval before and after tear supplementation in dry eye patients. Methods Twenty subjects (41.88±14.37 years) with dry eye symptoms were included in the dry eye group. Fourteen subjects (39.13±11.27 years) without any clinical signs and/or symptoms of dry eye were included in the control group. Tear film dynamics was assessed by non-invasive tear film breakup time (NI-BUT) in parallel with continuous recordings of ocular sensations during forced blinking. Corneal sensitivity to selective stimulation of corneal mechano-, cold and chemical receptors was assessed using a gas esthesiometer. All the measurements were made before and 5 min after saline and hydroxypropyl-guar (HP-guar) drops. Results In dry eye patients the intensity of irritation increased rapidly after the last blink during forced blinking, while in controls there was no alteration in the intensity during the first 10 sec followed by an exponential increase. Irritation scores were significantly higher in dry eye patients throughout the entire interblink interval compared to controls (p<0.004). NI-BUT significantly increased after HP-guar (p = 0.003) but not after saline drops (p = 0.14). In both groups, either after saline or HP-guar the shape of symptom intensity curves remained the same with significantly lower irritation scores (p<0.004), however after HP-guar the decrease was significantly more pronounced (p<0.004). Corneal sensitivity to selective mechanical, cold and chemical stimulation decreased significantly in both groups after HP-guar (p<0.05), but not after saline drops (p>0.05). Conclusion Ocular surface irritation responses due to tear film drying are considerably increased in dry eye patients compared to normal subjects. Although tear supplementation improves the protective tear film layer, and thus reduce unpleasant sensory responses, the rapid rise in discomfort is still maintained and might be responsible for the remaining complaints of dry eye patients despite the treatment.
Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor Superfamily, Member 1B Haplotypes Increase or Decrease the Risk of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases in a New Zealand Caucasian Population

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) comprising Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic inflammatory conditions with polygenic susceptibility. Interactions between TNF-alpha and TNF-alpha receptor play a fundamental role in inflammatory response. This study investigates the role that selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes in the TNF-alpha receptor (TNSFRSF1B) gene play in the risk of IBD in a New Zealand Caucasian population. DNA samples from 388 CD, 405 UC, 27 indeterminate colitis patients, and 293 randomly selected controls, from Canterbury, New Zealand were screened for 3 common SNPs in TNSFRSF1B: rs1061622 (c.676T > C), rs1061624 (c.*1663A > G), and rs3397 (c.*1690T > C), using TaqMan technologies. Carrying the rs1061624 variant decreased the risk of UC in the left colon (OR 0.73, 95% CI = 0.54–1.00) and of being a smoker at diagnosis (OR 0.62; 95% CI = 0.40–0.96). Carrying the rs3397 variant decreased the risk of penetrating CD (OR 0.62, 95% CI = 0.40–0.95). Three marker haplotype analyses revealed highly significant differences between CD patients and control subjects (χ 2 = 29.9, df = 7, P = .0001) and UC cases and controls (χ 2 = 46.3, df = 7, P < .0001). We conclude that carrying a 3-marker haplotype in the TNSFRSF1B gene may increase (e.g., haplotype of GGC was 2.9-fold more in the CD or UCpatients) or decrease (e.g., TGT was 0.47-fold less in UC patients) the risk of IBD in a New Zealand Caucasian population.
Self-perceived and observable self-direction in an online asynchronous programming course using peer learning forums

This study broadens the objectives of previous work (Boyer, N., Langevin, S., Gaspar, A. (2008). Self direction and constructivism in programming education. Proceedings of the ACM Special Interest Group in IT Education Conference, 16–18 October 2008, Cincinnati, OH) in which we used a survey-based instrument, the Personal Responsibility Orientation Self-Directed Learning Scale – PRO-SDLS (Stockdale, S.L., & Brockett, R.G. (2006). The continuing development of the PRO-SDLS: An instrument to measure self-direction in learning based on the personal responsibility orientation model. Paper presented at the 20th International Self-Directed Learning Symposium, Cocoa Beach, FL), as a new perspective to measure the impact of innovative approaches in the teaching of computer programming in online courses. The data have been collected during the offering of an undergraduate online asynchronous programming course delivered in 2008 at the University of South Florida Polytechnic. Our primary pedagogical intervention has been the use of peer learning forums which attempt to (1) leverage peer learning dynamics in an online course, (2) help students better structure their work on a weekly basis, and (3) help them learn to engage actively with the material (e.g., exercises, reading assignments). This article studies the impact of peer learning forums on these students through the lens of various instruments. Some, such as the PRO-SDLS, are well established in the self-directed learning literature. Others are introduced in this article to provide a more complete picture of both the students' self-perception of their self-direction and its more observable aspects. We also identified intrinsic characteristics of our student population, which we believe to have a significant impact on these instruments' measures. Finally, we relate these data to student feedback obtained through more open question surveys. These observations, made using diversified instruments, on a small and well-characterized learner population, represent the foundation of our case study. Our findings suggest that, after using the peer learning forums for an entire semester, the self-perception of our over-committed online adult learners' ability for self-directed learning has evolved to realign itself with more observable manifestations of their self-direction.
Quantifying Session Ratings of Perceived Exertion for Field-Based Speed Training Methods in Team Sport Athletes

Abstract Lockie, RG, Murphy, AJ, Scott, BR, and Janse de Jonge, XAK. Quantifying session ratings of perceived exertion for field-based speed training methods in team sport athletes. J Strength Cond Res 26(10): 2721–2728, 2012—Session ratings of perceived exertion (session RPE) are commonly used to assess global training intensity for team sports. However, there is little research quantifying the intensity of field-based training protocols for speed development. The study's aim was to determine the session RPE of popular training protocols (free sprint [FST], resisted sprint [RST], and plyometrics [PT]) designed to improve sprint acceleration over 10 m in team sport athletes. Twenty-seven men (age = 23.3 ± 4.7 years; mass = 84.5 ± 8.9 kg; height = 1.83 ± 0.07 m) were divided into 3 groups according to 10-m velocity. Training consisted of an incremental program featuring two 1-hour sessions per week for 6 weeks. Subjects recorded session RPE 30 minutes post training using the Borg category-ratio 10 scale. Repeated measures analysis of variance found significant (p < 0.05) changes in sprint velocity and session RPE over 6 weeks. All groups significantly increased 0- to 5-m velocity and 0- to 10-m velocity by 4–7%, with no differences between groups. There were no significant differences in session RPE between the groups, suggesting that protocols were matched for intensity. Session RPE significantly increased over the 6 weeks for all groups, ranging from 3.75 to 5.50. This equated to intensities of somewhat hard to hard. Post hoc testing revealed few significant weekly increases, suggesting that session RPE may not be sensitive to weekly load increases in sprint and plyometric training programs. Another explanation, however, could be that the weekly load increments used were not great enough to increase perceived exertion. Nonetheless, the progressive overload of each program was sufficient to improve 10-m sprint performance. The session RPE values from the present study could be used to assess workload for speed training periodization within a team sports conditioning program.
Groundwater amphipods alter aquifer sediment structure

Aquifers contain the majority of the non‐glacial freshwater on the planet and are critical to meeting society's water needs. Aquifers are also unique subterranean ecosystems, which support a diversity of organisms, from viruses and bacteria to larger invertebrates and occasionally fish (Humphreys, 2006). Obligate groundwater invertebrates (stygobites) are adapted to the oligotrophic, dark groundwater environment. As a group, stygobites are predominantly crustaceans but also include nematodes, molluscs, rotifers, annelids, and others. These animals have important direct and indirect functions in the groundwater ecosystem (Boulton, Fenwick, Hancock, & Harvey, 2008; Griebler & Avramov, 2015). Groundwater invertebrates are widely distributed and may be present in aquifers where the sediments provide sufficient pore spaces (Humphreys, 2006, 2009). Their distribution is strongly influenced by water quality and aquifer properties (Hahn & Fuchs, 2009; Korbel & Hose, 2015) at various scales (Maurice & Bloomfield, 2012). The abundance of stygofauna is typically greatest in shallow aquifers and closer to the groundwater table and decreases with depth and distance along groundwater flow paths as nutrient and oxygen concentrations also decrease (Datry, Malard, & Gibert, 2005). To date, little is known about how these organisms move through aquifers. Recently, Asmyhr, Hose, Graham, and Stow (2014) inferred, through population turnover, that syncarids may migrate over 100 m through a coarse alluvial aquifer over a period of at least 6 months. Otherwise, there are few data from which to determine the mobility of stygobites within aquifers. The common understanding is that they move actively (e.g., swimming or crawling) or passively (i.e., drift with water flow) through the established pore system of alluvial aquifers, mainly within larger pores, or through channels or fractures of karst or fractured aquifers. However, it has been speculated that some of these organisms can actively dig through sediment of alluvial aquifers (Boulton et al., 2008). Digging and burrowing (bioturbation) by fauna in soils and surface sediments is an important ecosystem process (Mathers, Millett, Robertson, Stubbington, &
Oral Hyposensitization to Nickel Induces Clinical Improvement and a Decrease in TH1 and TH2 Cytokines in Patients with Systemic Nickel Allergy Syndrome

Some patients with nickel (Ni) allergic contact dermatitis suffer from systemic (intestinal or cutaneous) symptoms after ingestion of Ni-rich foods and experience symptoms reduction with low-Ni diet, a condition termed “systemic Ni allergy syndrome” (SNAS). We aimed at evaluating whether oral administration of low nickel doses improved clinical conditions and modulated immunological aspects of SNAS, without significant side effects. Thirty-six SNAS patients were enrolled. Treatment started after 1-month of low-Ni diet and consisted in an incremental oral NiOH dose phase (0.3ng to 1.5 μg/week) followed by a 12-months maintenance phase (1.5 μg/week). Randomly, twenty-four patients added Ni therapy to low-Ni diet and 12 remained with diet alone. All patients were allowed rescue medications (antihistamines and topical steroids). After 4 months, Ni-rich foods were gradually reintroduced. In vitro allergen-driven IL13, IL5 and IFNγ release by peripheral blood mononuclear cells was evaluated before and after treatment. Twenty-three patients receiving NiOH and the 12 control patients completed the study. Evaluation of SNAS clinical severity (by VAS and drug consumption) showed a significant difference in favor of NiOH-treated patients compared to controls. Twenty of 23 patients in the NiOH group and none in the control group tolerated Ni-rich food reintroduction. Release of all studied cytokines in culture supernatants was significantly lower after NiOH treatment. In conclusion NiOH is effective in reducing symptoms and drug consumption in SNAS and is able to modulate inflammatory parameters.
Fetal acetylcholine receptor inactivation syndrome

Background: Transient neonatal myasthenia gravis (TNMG) affects a proportion of infants born to mothers with myasthenia gravis (MG). Symptoms usually resolve completely within the first few months of life, but persistent myopathic features have been reported in a few isolated cases. Methods: Here we report 8 patients from 4 families born to mothers with clinically manifest MG or mothers who were asymptomatic but had elevated acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody levels. Results: Clinical features in affected infants ranged from a mild predominantly facial and bulbar myopathy to arthrogryposis multiplex congenita. Additional clinical findings included hearing impairment, pyloric stenosis, and mild CNS involvement. In all cases, antibodies against the AChR were markedly elevated, although not always specific for the fetal AChR γ subunit. There was a correlation between maternal symptoms; the timing, intensity, and frequency of maternal treatment; and neonatal outcome. Conclusions: These findings suggest that persistent myopathic features following TNMG may be more common than currently recognized. Fetal AChR inactivation syndrome should be considered in the differential diagnosis of infants presenting with unexplained myopathic features, in particular marked dysarthria and velopharyngeal incompetence. Correct diagnosis requires a high degree of suspicion if the mother is asymptomatic but is crucial considering the high recurrence risk for future pregnancies and the potentially treatable nature of this condition. Infants with a history of TNMG should be followed up for subtle myopathic signs and associated complications.
Fruit and vegetable consumption – the influence of aspects associated with trust in food and safety and quality of food

Abstract Objective To profile adults who eat less than the recommended servings of fruit and vegetables per day. Design Australia-wide population telephone survey on a random sample of the Australian population, with results analysed by univariate and multivariate models. Setting Australia. Subjects One thousand one hundred and eight interviews, respondents’ (49·3 % males) mean age was 45·12 (sd 17·63) years. Results Overall 54·8 % and 10·7 % were eating the recommended number of servings of fruit and vegetables. Variables included in the multivariate model indicating low fruit consumption included gender, age, employment, education and those who were less likely to consider the safety and quality of food as important. In regard to low vegetable consumption, people who were more likely to do the food shopping only ‘some of the time’ and have a high level of trust in groups of people such as immediate family, neighbours, doctors and different levels of government were included in the final model. They were also less likely to neither consider the safety and quality of food as important nor trust organisations/institutions such as the press, television and politicians. In the final model depicting both low fruit and low vegetable servings, sex, age and a low level of importance with regard to safety and quality of food were included. Conclusion To increase fruit and vegetable consumption, research into a broad range of determinants associated with behaviours should be coupled with a deeper understanding of the process associated with changing behaviours. While levels of trust are related to behaviour change, knowledge and attitudes about aspects associated with safety and quality of food are also of importance.
Both Hepatic and Extrahepatic ABCA1 Have Discrete and Essential Functions in the Maintenance of Plasma High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels In Vivo

Background— Extrahepatic tissues have long been considered critical contributors of cholesterol to nascent HDL particles in the reverse cholesterol transport pathway, in which ABCA1 plays the crucial role. Recent studies, however, including both overexpression and deletion of ABCA1 selectively in the liver, have highlighted the primary role of the liver in the maintenance of HDL levels in vivo. Methods and Results— The availability of mice with complete deletion of ABCA1 (total knockout [TKO]) and with liver-specific deletion of ABCA1 (LSKO) has enabled us to dissect the discrete roles of hepatic relative to extrahepatic ABCA1 in HDL biogenesis. Delivery of adenoviral ABCA1 resulted in selective expression of physiological levels of ABCA1 in the livers of both LSKO and TKO mice, resulting in increased HDL cholesterol (HDL-C). Expression of ABCA1 in the liver of LSKO mice resulted in plasma HDL-C levels that were similar to those in wild-type mice and significantly above those seen in similarly treated TKO mice. HDL particles from ABCA1-expressing LSKO mice were larger and contained significantly increased cholesterol compared with TKO mice. Infusion of human apolipoprotein A-I/phospholipid reconstituted HDL particles normalized plasma HDL-C levels in LSKO mice but had no effect on HDL-C levels in TKO mice. Conclusions— Although hepatic ABCA1 appears crucial for phospholipid transport, extrahepatic tissues play an important role in cholesterol transfer to nascent HDL particles. These data highlight the discrete and specific roles of both liver and extrahepatic ABCA1 in HDL biogenesis in vivo and indicate that ABCA1 shows lipid cargo selectivity depending on its site of expression.
Proximate, Mineral, Sensory Evaluations and Shelf Stability of Chinchin Enriched with Ugu and Indian Spinach Vegetables

The utilization of Indian spinach and ugu vegetables in the enrichment of chinchin was investigated with a view to providing information on the nutritional value of enriched chinchin. The vegetables (dried and crushed) were incorporated into wheat flour at 1.5%, 3% and 5% levels to produce enriched chinchin fried in canola oil at 170°C for 6 min. The enriched chinchin were evaluated for proximate and mineral composition, shelf stability as well as sensory characteristics. The result showed that ash, fibre, protein and fat increased from 0.92 to 1.72% and 1.76%, 1.80 to 2.17% and 2.12%, 10.51 to 12.37% and 14.58%, 11.67 to 17.34% and 13.91% while the moisture and carbohydrate decreased from 5.30 to 4.17% and 4.78%, 69.67 to 62.23% and 62.79% for chinchin enriched with ugu and Indian spinach vegetables, respectively. Potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc in the enriched chinchin increased from; 261.30 to 425 mg/100 g, 76.18 to 176.23 mg/100 g, 643.91 to 1684.27 mg/100g, 34.54 to 49.69 mg/100 g and 11.07 to 17.93 mg/100 g, respectively. Peroxide value (PV) of stored chinchin showed that PV of enriched chinchin increased from 28.26 to 32.19% during 4 weeks of storage at ambient temperature. The level of rancidity was within acceptable literature level for human consumption. Consumer acceptability of enriched sample was influenced by its color and taste which was impacted by the green color of the vegetables added. In conclusion, the addition of vegetables to chinchin enhanced its nutritional value of the chinchin.
Metabolic Effects of Insulin and IGFs on Gilthead Sea Bream (Sparus aurata) Muscle Cells

Primary cultures of gilthead sea bream myocytes were performed in order to examine the relative metabolic function of insulin compared with IGF-I and IGF-II (insulin-like growth factors, IGFs) at different stages in the cell culture. In these cells, the in vitro effects of insulin and IGFs on 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) and l-alanine uptake were studied in both myocytes (day 4) and small myotubes (day 9). 2-DG uptake in gilthead sea bream muscle cells was increased in the presence of insulin and IGFs in a time dependent manner and along with muscle cell differentiation. On the contrary, l-alanine uptake was also stimulated by insulin and IGFs but showed an inverse pattern, being the uptake higher in small myocytes than in large myotubes. The results of preincubation with inhibitors (PD-98059, wortmannin, and cytochalasin B) on 2-DG uptake indicated that insulin and IGFs stimulate glucose uptake through the same mechanisms, and evidenced that mitogenesis activator protein kinase (MAPK) and PI3K–Akt transduction pathways mediate the metabolic function of these peptides. In the same way, we observed that GLUT4 protein synthesis was stimulated in the presence of insulin and IGFs in gilthead sea bream muscle cells in a different manner at days 4 or 9 of the culture. In summary we describe here, for the first time, the effects of insulin and IGFs on 2-DG and l-alanine uptake in primary culture of gilthead sea bream muscle cells. We show that both MAPK and PI3K–Akt transduction pathways are needed in order to control insulin and IGFs actions in these cells. Moreover, changes in glucose uptake can be explained by the action of the GLUT4 transporter, which is stimulated in the presence of insulin and IGFs throughout the cell culture.
Mesenchymal cell targeting by TNF as a common pathogenic principle in chronic inflammatory joint and intestinal diseases

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is key to the pathogenesis of various arthritic diseases and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Anti-TNF therapies have proved successful in the clinical treatment of these diseases, but a mechanistic understanding of TNF function is still lacking. We have investigated early cellular mechanisms of TNF function in these diseases using an established TNF transgenic model, which develops a spondyloarthritis-like disease characterized by peripheral joint arthritis, sacroiliitis, enthesitis, and Crohn's-like IBD. Bone marrow grafting experiments demonstrated that development of arthritis requires TNF receptor I (TNFRI) expression in the radiation-resistant compartment, which is also known to be a sufficient target of TNF in the development of Crohn's-like IBD in the same model. Early activation of synovial fibroblasts and intestinal myofibroblasts could also be demonstrated by perturbed expression of matrix metalloproteases and their inhibitors. Notably, selective Cre/loxP-mediated TNFRI expression in mesenchymal cells resulted in a fully arthritic–spondyloarthritic and intestinal phenotype, indicating that mesenchymal cells are primary and sufficient targets of TNF in these pathologies. Our results offer a novel mechanistic perspective for TNF function in gut and joint pathologies and indicate early common cellular pathways that may also explain the often observed synovial–gut axis in human disease.