Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Suppression of Plasma Renin Activity by Indomethacin in Man

The effect of indomethacin or placebo on aldosterone, plasma renin activity (PRA), sodium excretion, and urinary prostaglandin (PC) levels was investigated in five hypertensive subjects in 100 mEq sodium balance who had experienced malignant hypertension with a disturbance of their renin-aldosterooe relationship in the past. Indomethacin significantly lowered aldosterone levels by 43%, PRA by 58%, 24-hour sodium excretion by 49%, and urinary PC excretion, an indicator of renal PC synthesis, by 67%. Angiotensin infusion increased aldosterone to the same level before and after treatment with indomethacin. Similarly, in normal subjects in 150 mEq sodium balance, indomethacin lowered PRA by 47%; sodium excretion fell by 33%, and urinary prostaglandin E (PGE) excretion, by 55%. The acute elevation in PRA 10 minutes after intravenous furosemide was completely abolished by indomethacin. Five subjects with essential hypertension were classified as normal renin hypertensives according to their response to orally administered furosemide. Indomethacin pretreatment resulted in 60% reduction of PRA following furosemide, and three of these subjects now fell into the low renin category. Studies in vitro demonstrated that indomethacin has no effect on the renin-renin substrate interaction. Thus, indomethacin lowers PRA concomitantly with a reduction in renal PC synthetise activity. Whether indomethacin inhibits renin release by an intrarenal, PG-related mechanism or secondarily via sodium retention is discussed.
Eradication Therapy in Helicobacter pylori-Positive Patients with Halitosis: Long-Term Outcome

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and long-term outcome of halitosis before and after eradication therapy in patients with functional dyspepsia and Helicobacter pylori infection. Subjects and Methods: Halitosis and dyspepsia-related symptoms were investigated by way of a questionnaire. Only patients with functional dyspepsia, H. pylori infection and no histological evidence of atrophy were included in the study. A total of 18 patients fulfilled these criteria and completed the study. Four to six weeks after the end of eradication treatment, endoscopy or [13C] breath test was performed to check for H. pylori in the gastric mucosa. Halitosis and dyspeptic symptoms were re-evaluated during and at the end of follow-up. Results:H. pylori infection was eradicated in all patients, in the 14/18 patients (77.8%) with triple drug therapy, and the 4/18 patients (22.2%) with quadruple drug therapy. During the follow-up period (mean 55.8 ± 21.3 months (range 6–108 months)) resolution of halitosis was observed in 16/18 patients (88.9%), while 2 patients (11.1%) (p < 0.001) continued to present with halitosis. Also, eradication therapy resulted in statistically significant relief of all dyspeptic symptoms, except bloating. Conclusion: Eradication of H. pylori in patients with functional dyspepsia and halitosis results in sustained resolution of halitosis during long-term follow-up in the majority of cases. This finding supports the existence of a link between H. pylori infection and halitosis and suggests that H. pylori eradication might be considered in patients with halitosis.
Assessment of Risk Factors for Development of Type-II Diabetes Mellitus Among Working Women in Berhampur, Orissa

Objectives: 1) Assess general health condition and anthropological parameters of the working women. 2) Identify prevalence of Type-II Diabetes among them. 3) Assess risk factors associated with development of diabetes. 4) Educate them about Life Style Modifications. Materials and Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in six educational institutes. A total of 100 working women were selected as study population. During the two-month study period, Fasting Blood Sugar (FBS) was estimated to identify the diabetics and the Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT). Information from the study population was collected through pre-tested questionnaire using several anthropometric measurements. Results: Out of 100 women, 24 were having FBS compatible with IGT or diabetes. The incidence was highest in 46 to 55 yr age group. 75% of women with diabetes or IGT were in higher income group. Body Mass Index was more than 25 kg/m2 in maximum (75%) women having diabetes or IGT. 92% women with diabetes or IGT had their Waist Hip Ratio ≥0.85. Moreover, orientation towards healthy life style modification to control diabetes and its prevention was poor among the study population. Conclusion: Prevalence of diabetes and IGT was higher among urban working women and is increasing with increase in age. Obesity plays a major role in development of Type 2 diabetes. Several long- and short-term steps should be taken for promotion of healthy life style modifications to prevent diabetes and emergence of its complications.
Sub-Milliarcsecond Precision of Pulsar Motions: Using In-Beam Calibrators with the VLBA

We present Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) phase-referenced measurements of the parallax and proper motion of two pulsars, B0919+06 and B1857-26. Sub-milliarcsecond positional accuracy was obtained by simultaneously observing a weak calibrator source within the 40′ field of view of the VLBA at 1.5 GHz. We discuss the merits of using weak close calibrator sources for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations at low frequencies, and we outline a method of observation and data reduction for these type of measurements. For the pulsar B0919+06 we measure a parallax of 0.31 ± 0.14 mas. The accuracy of the proper motions is ≈0.5 mas yr-1, an order of magnitude improvement over most previous determinations.
Ecological resistance surfaces predict fine‐scale genetic differentiation in a terrestrial woodland salamander

Landscape genetics has seen tremendous advances since its introduction, but parameterization and optimization of resistance surfaces still poses significant challenges. Despite increased availability and resolution of spatial data, few studies have integrated empirical data to directly represent ecological processes as genetic resistance surfaces. In our study, we determine the landscape and ecological factors affecting gene flow in the western slimy salamander (Plethodon albagula). We used field data to derive resistance surfaces representing salamander abundance and rate of water loss through combinations of canopy cover, topographic wetness, topographic position, solar exposure and distance from ravine. These ecologically explicit composite surfaces directly represent an ecological process or physiological limitation of our organism. Using generalized linear mixed‐effects models, we optimized resistance surfaces using a nonlinear optimization algorithm to minimize model AIC. We found clear support for the resistance surface representing the rate of water loss experienced by adult salamanders in the summer. Resistance was lowest at intermediate levels of water loss and higher when the rate of water loss was predicted to be low or high. This pattern may arise from the compensatory movement behaviour of salamanders through suboptimal habitat, but also reflects the physiological limitations of salamanders and their sensitivity to extreme environmental conditions. Our study demonstrates that composite representations of ecologically explicit processes can provide novel insight and can better explain genetic differentiation than ecologically implicit landscape resistance surfaces. Additionally, our study underscores the fact that spatial estimates of habitat suitability or abundance may not serve as adequate proxies for describing gene flow, as predicted abundance was a poor predictor of genetic differentiation.
Sclerostin antibody enhances bone formation in a rat model of distraction osteogenesis

Neutralizing monoclonal sclerostin antibodies are effective in promoting bone formation at a systemic level and in orthopedic scenarios including closed fracture repair. In this study we examined the effects of sclerostin antibody (Scl‐Ab) treatment on regenerate volume, density, and strength in a rat model of distraction osteogenesis. Surgical osteotomy was performed on 179 Sprague Dawley rats. After 1 week, rats underwent distraction for 2 weeks, followed by 6 weeks for consolidation. Two treatment groups received biweekly subcutaneous Scl‐AbIII (a rodent form of Scl‐Ab; 25 mg/kg), either from the start of distraction onward or restricted to the consolidation phase. These groups were compared to controls receiving saline. Measurement modalities included longitudinal DXA, ex vivo QCT, and microCT, tissue histology, and biomechanical four‐point bending tests. Bone volume was increased in both Scl‐Ab treatments regimens by the end of consolidation (+26–38%, p < 0.05), as assessed by microCT. This was associated with increased mineral apposition. Importantly, Scl‐Ab led to increased strength in united bones, and this reached statistical significance in animals receiving Scl‐Ab during consolidation only (+177%, p < 0.01, maximum load to failure). These data demonstrate that Scl‐Ab treatment increases bone formation, leading to regenerates with higher bone volume and improved strength. Our data also suggest that the optimal effects of Scl‐Ab treatment are achieved in the latter stages of distraction osteogenesis. These findings support further investigation into the potential clinical application of sclerostin antibody to augment bone distraction, such as limb lengthening, particularly in the prevention of refracture. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 36:1106–1113, 2018.
CHARACTERISTICS OF CYSTOID SPACES IN TYPE 2 IDIOPATHIC MACULAR TELANGIECTASIA ON SPECTRAL DOMAIN OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY IMAGES

Purpose: To investigate the morphologic and topographic characteristics of intraretinal cystoid spaces in eyes with Type 2 idiopathic macular telangiectasia (MacTel 2). Methods: Using B-scan and en face images of eyes with MacTel 2 taken from a spectral domain optical coherence tomography database, the circularities and mean gray values of the cystoid spaces were measured to determine their boundaries and reflectivity. The characteristics of cystoid spaces in MacTel 2 eyes were compared with those in eyes with Type 1 idiopathic macular telangiectasia (MacTel 1), retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic macular edema, which are caused by vascular leakage. The cystoid spaces of en face optical coherence tomography images were matched with fluorescein angiographic images. Results: The circularity of the cystoid spaces in B-scan and en face optical coherence tomography images of 16 eyes with MacTel 2 was lower than that of eyes with MacTel 1 (P = 0.004 and P = 0.003, respectively), retinal vein occlusion (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively), and diabetic macular edema (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). The mean gray value ratio of the cystoid spaces of eyes with MacTel 2 was lower than that of eyes with MacTel 1 (P = 0.002) and diabetic macular edema (P < 0.001). In eyes with MacTel 2, the cystoid spaces were located in the foveal center or parafoveal area. Conclusion: Characteristics of cystoid spaces of eyes with MacTel 2 were different from those in eyes with MacTel 1, retinal vein occlusion, and diabetic macular edema. The irregular boundaries and low reflectivity of the cystoid spaces in MacTel 2 may represent the degenerative origin of the disease.
AN OVERVIEW OF SOLID PROPELLANT COMBUSTION MODELING

An overview of theoretical and experimental work concerning the burning process in rocket propellant is presented. The current study has emphasized Ammonium Perchlorate (AP) / Hydroxyl Terminated Poly-Butadiance, (HTPB) composites rocket propellant. These propellants are widely used in a variety of rocket systems ranging from small tactical missiles to the large boosters that propel the space shuttle into orbit. A detailed review for the chemical kinetics, numerical and experimental models for the burning of the monomodal, bimodal, and multimodal propellants is introduced. Effects of propellant compositions, time-dependent pressure fluctuations, temperature, fuel-binder types, on the burning rate are reviewed and discussed. The result of the current study shows the effect of pressure and the AP particle sizes on the burning rate, the complex flame structure, and the morphology of the combustion surface.
Metabolic Complications of Childhood Obesity

The growing number of obese children and adolescents across the world creates a diagnostic challenge to caregivers. The early clinical manifestations of abnormalities related to childhood obesity, attributed to obesity-driven insulin resistance, are impaired glucose metabolism and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Both have no symptoms and demand a high index of suspicion and the proper choice of tests for establishing the diagnosis. The clinician should gather information derived from thoroughly taken history and a focused physical examination to stratify patients by their risk. Focused lifestyle modification–aimed interventions are showing promising results in improving the metabolic profile of obese children. Early diagnosis may help allocate resources for intensive interventions that may benefit individuals at greatest risk for early obesity-related morbidity.
Nanoparticle‐mediated photothermal therapy: A comparative study of heating for different particle types

Near‐infrared (NIR) absorbing plasmonic nanoparticles enhance photothermal therapy of tumors. In this procedure, systemically delivered gold nanoparticles preferentially accumulate at the tumor site and when irradiated using laser light, produce localized heat sufficient to damage tumor cells. Gold nanoshells and nanorods have been widely studied for this purpose, and while both exhibit strong NIR absorption, their overall absorption and scattering properties differ widely due to their geometry. In this paper, we compared the photothermal response of both nanoparticle types including the heat generation and photothermal efficiency.
Antihypertensive Treatment and Change in Blood Pressure Are Associated With the Progression of White Matter Lesion Volumes: The Three-City (3C)–Dijon Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Background— Blood pressure (BP) is recognized as a major risk factor for white matter lesions (WMLs), but longitudinal data are scarce, and there is insufficient evidence for the benefit of antihypertensive therapy on WML progression. We studied the relationship between BP change and WML volume progression over time in a sample of 1319 elderly individuals who had 2 cerebral magnetic resonance imaging examinations 4 years apart. We also examined the impact of antihypertensive treatment on WML progression. Methods and Results— Subjects were participants from the Three-City (3C)–Dijon Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study, a prospective population-based cohort of elderly ≥65 years of age. WML volumes and their progression were estimated with the use of a fully automatic procedure. We performed ANCOVA models first to assess the association between BP change and WML progression and second to estimate the relation between antihypertensive treatment and WML load progression. Baseline and change in BP were significant predictors of higher WML progression over time after controlling for potential confounders. Among subjects with high SBP (≥160 mm Hg) at baseline not treated by antihypertensive medication, antihypertensive treatment started within 2 years was related to a smaller increase in WML volume at a 4-year follow-up (0.24 cm3; SE=0.44 cm3) than no hypertensive treatment (1.60 cm3; SE=0.26 cm3; P=0.0008) on multivariable modeling. Conclusions— Our findings reinforce the hypothesis that hypertension is a strong predictor of WML and that adequate treatment may reduce the course of WML progression. Because WMLs are linked to both dementia and stroke risks, these results could have implications for future preventive trials.
Synthesis and Antileishmanial Activity of Lipidic Amino Alcohols

In this work, a number of lipidic amino alcohols wereas synthesized and evaluated in vitro on cultures of Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania chagasi. Nine amino alcohols showed inhibition of L. chagasi growth, and seven of them showed inhibition of L. amazonensis with IC50 below 10 μm. Compound 11f was more active than the reference drug amphotericin B against L. chagasi promastigote forms.
Prospects for gene therapy in cystic fibrosis

Since the discovery of the gene encoding cystic fibrosis (CF), there has been much excitement about the possibility of gene therapy, which has now reached the stage of phase I clinical trials in adults. The baby born with CF has normal lungs at birth, but evidence of inflammation and lung changes are present as early as 4 weeks of age. Ideally, future novel treatments such as gene therapy should begin before the onset of airway damage. We review the pathophysiology of CF, including current molecular understanding, and set out the issues involved in gene therapy for children with CF. CF is the commonest lethal inherited disease in white people in the UK, with an incidence of ∼ 1/2000 live births. The median estimated life expectancy of children born in the 1990s is 40 years, which represents a doubling in the past 20 years. It is estimated that in the next millennium half of all patients will be adults. In 1989, the gene responsible for CF was localised to the long arm of chromosome 7. This gene encodes a protein called the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), which is situated in the apical membrane of epithelial cells and functions as a chloride channel regulated by a cAMP dependent protein kinase. It also modulates the activity of other ion channels including the downregulation of the amiloride sensitive sodium channel. More than 800 mutations of the gene have been identified and they are categorised into five classes on the basis of CFTR protein alterations. Class I mutations result in either unstable mRNA or an abnormal protein that is rapidly degraded. Class II mutations result in faulty processing of the protein and failure of the protein to traffic to the apical membrane. This class includes the ΔF508 mutation, which is a codon deletion resulting in …
Reviving Campbell’s Paradigm for Attitude Research

Because people often say one thing and do another, social psychologists have abandoned the idea of a simple or axiomatic connection between attitude and behavior. Nearly 50 years ago, however, Donald Campbell proposed that the root of the seeming inconsistency between attitude and behavior lies in disregard of behavioral costs. According to Campbell, attitude— behavior gaps are empirical chimeras. Verbal claims and other overt behaviors regarding an attitude object all arise from one “behavioral disposition. ” In this article, the authors present the constituents of and evidence for a paradigm for attitude research that describes individual behavior as a function of a person’s attitude level and the costs of the specific behavior involved. In the authors’ version of Campbell’s paradigm, they propose a formal and thus axiomatic rather than causal relationship between an attitude and its corresponding performances. The authors draw implications of their proposal for mainstream attitude theory, empirical research, and applications concerning attitudes.
Occupational Activity and Cognitive Aging: A Case-Control Study Based on the Maastricht Aging Study

Background/Study Context: Occupational activity is associated with cognitive functioning in older age. The mental exercise hypothesis attributes this association to differences in mental exercise at work. Methods: A case-control design was used to test the mental exercise hypothesis. Primary and secondary school teachers (aged between 25.29 and 79.01 years) and non-teacher controls were matched for level of occupation, educational level, age, and gender. Regression analyses were used to analyze the data. Possible confounders (such as precareer intelligence and depressive status) were taken into account. Results: Teachers had superior verbal fluency and working memory scanning abilities. Conclusion: The results are in line with the mental exercise hypothesis.
Supplementary information for “ Substrate Coupling Suppresses Size Dependence of Thermal Conductivity in Supported Graphene ”

Jie Chen,1, ∗ Gang Zhang,2, † and Baowen Li1, 3, ‡ 1Department of Physics, Centre for Computational Science and Engineering, and Graphene Research Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542, Singapore 2Key Laboratory for the Physics and Chemistry of Nanodevices and Department of Electronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People’s Republic of China 3NUS-Tongji Center for Phononics and Thermal Energy Science and Department of Physics, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, People’s Republic of China
Gamma-Band Activity in Human Prefrontal Cortex Codes for the Number of Relevant Items Maintained in Working Memory

Previous studies in electrophysiology have provided consistent evidence for a relationship between neural oscillations in different frequency bands and the maintenance of information in working memory (WM). While the amplitude and cross-frequency coupling of neural oscillations have been shown to be modulated by the number of items retained during WM, interareal phase synchronization has been associated with the integration of distributed activity during WM maintenance. Together, these findings provided important insights into the oscillatory dynamics of cortical networks during WM. However, little is known about the cortical regions and frequencies that underlie the specific maintenance of behaviorally relevant information in WM. In the current study, we addressed this question with magnetoencephalography and a delayed match-to-sample task involving distractors in 25 human participants. Using spectral analysis and beamforming, we found a WM load-related increase in the gamma band (60–80 Hz) that was localized to the right intraparietal lobule and left Brodmann area 9 (BA9). WM-load related changes were also detected at alpha frequencies (10–14 Hz) in Brodmann area 6, but did not covary with the number of relevant WM-items. Finally, we decoded gamma-band source activity with a linear discriminant analysis and found that gamma-band activity in left BA9 predicted the number of target items maintained in WM. While the present data show that WM maintenance involves activity in the alpha and gamma band, our results highlight the specific contribution of gamma band delay activity in prefrontal cortex for the maintenance of behaviorally relevant items.
Fast and lock-free concurrent priority queues for multi-thread systems

We present an efficient and practical lock-free implementation of a concurrent priority queue that is suitable for both fully concurrent (large multi-processor) systems as well as pre-emptive (multi-process) systems. Many algorithms for concurrent priority queues are based on mutual exclusion. However, mutual exclusion causes blocking which has several drawbacks and degrades the system's overall performance. Non-blocking algorithms avoid blocking, and are either lock-free or wait-free. Previously known non-blocking algorithms of priority queues did not perform well in practice because of their complexity, and they are often based on non-available atomic synchronization primitives. Our algorithm is based on the randomized sequential list structure called Skiplist, and a real-time extension of our algorithm is also described. In our performance evaluation we compare our algorithm with some of the most efficient implementations of priority queues known. The experimental results clearly show that our lock-free implementation outperforms the other lock-based implementations in all cases for 3 threads and more, both on fully concurrent as well as on pre-emptive systems.