Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Efficacy of ECT in Adults With Mental Retardation Experiencing Psychiatric Disorders

There is a paucity of empirical data establishing the efficacy of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with mental retardation and psychiatric disorders. This study examines the efficacy of ECT on specific symptoms and between psychiatric diagnoses in patients with mental retardation who are psychiatrically ill. A chart review was performed on 20 inpatients who had received ECT on a dedicated Mental Retardation-Dual Diagnosis Unit and were divided into 3 categories: mood disorders (n = 12), psychotic disorders (n = 6), and intermittent explosive disorder (n = 2). Ratings were performed 1 week before ECT treatment and 1-week after its termination using the Aberrant Behavior Checklist and the Clinical Global Impressions Severity Scale. A repeated-measures analysis of variance comparing Aberrant Behavior Checklist scale scores revealed a significant time-by-treatment interaction (F = 75.43, df = 1,9, P = 0.000, 2 t). The mood disorder and psychotic disorder groups had significantly lower irritability and hyperactivity scores after treatment compared with the intermittent explosive disorder group. The Clinical Global Impressions Severity Scale rating scores showed significant improvement in the mood disorders group (67%), in contrast to the intermittent explosive disorder group (0%). Our data suggests the utility of ECT for patients with mental retardation who also have treatment-resistant mood disorders and psychotic disorders, particularly with symptoms of hyperactivity and irritability. The data are sufficiently encouraging to justify prospective research of this question.
Gravity Research on Plants: Use of Single-Cell Experimental Models

Future space missions and implementation of permanent bases on Moon and Mars will greatly depend on the availability of ambient air and sustainable food supply. Therefore, understanding the effects of altered gravity conditions on plant metabolism and growth is vital for space missions and extra-terrestrial human existence. In this mini-review we summarize how plant cells are thought to perceive changes in magnitude and orientation of the gravity vector. The particular advantages of several single-celled model systems for gravity research are explored and an overview over recent advancements and potential use of these systems is provided.
Design of synthetic gene libraries encoding random sequence proteins with desired ensemble characteristics

Libraries of random sequence polypeptides are useful as sources of unevolved proteins, novel ligands, and potential lead compounds for the development of vaccines and therapeutics. The expression of small random peptides has been achieved previously using DNA synthesized with equimolar mixtures of nucleotides. For many potential uses of random polypeptide libraries, concerns such as avoiding termination codons and matching target amino acid compositions make more complex designs necessary. In this study, three mixtures of nucleotides, corresponding to the three positions in the codon, were designed such that semirandom DNA synthesized by repeated cycles of the three mixtures created an open reading frame encoding random sequence polypeptides with desired ensemble characteristics. Two methods were used to design the nucleotide mixtures: the manual use of a spreadsheet and a refining grid search algorithm. Using design targets of less than or equal to 1% stop codons and an amino acid composition based on the average ratios observed in natural, globular proteins, the search methods yielded similar nucleotide ratios. Semirandom DNA, synthesized with a designed, three‐residue repeat pattern, can encode libraries of very high diversity and represents an important tool for the construction of random polypeptide libraries.
A hybrid Hopfield network-simulated annealing approach for frequency assignment in satellite communications systems

A hybrid Hopfield network-simulated annealing algorithm (HopSA) is presented for the frequency assignment problem (FAP) in satellite communications. The goal of this NP-complete problem is minimizing the cochannel interference between satellite communication systems by rearranging the frequency assignment, for the systems can accommodate the increasing demands. The HopSA algorithm consists of a fast digital Hopfield neural network which manages the problem constraints hybridized with a simulated annealing which improves the quality of the solutions obtained. We analyze the problem and its formulation, describing and discussing the HopSA algorithm and solving a set of benchmark problems. The results obtained are compared with other existing approaches in order to show the performance of the HopSA approach.
EFFECTS OF HABITAT TYPE AND DISTANCE FROM EDGE ON ANT COMMUNITY COMPOSITION IN A DEGRADED NATURAL AREA

We examined the effects of habitat type and distance from the edge on ant species richness and community composition and we assessed the ability of species to dominate experimental bait stations in degraded longleaf pine savanna and oak hammock in northern Florida. We were particularly interested in the relationships between nonindigenous species, including Solenopsis invicta, and the native ant community. Species richness per pitfall trap was significantly higher in the pine habitat, but distance from the edge had no effect in either habitat. Although NMDS ordination showed substantial separation in community composition between the two habitat types, it also did not show any effect of distance from edge. Non-indigenous ant species, of which S. invicta was the most common, were significantly more abundant in the pine habitat. There was no relationship between the number of introduced and native species, but in the pine habitat the presence of S. invicta was significantly associated with lower richness of native ant species at small spatial scales. A small subset of the species dominated the bait stations, led by S. invicta. The results of the baiting study suggest that at least some nonindigenous species may persist in diverse ant communities due to their ability to find and dominate food resources.
The efficacy and safety of aripiprazole as adjunctive therapy in major depressive disorder: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy and safety of aripiprazole versus placebo as adjunctive treatment to standard antidepressant therapy (ADT) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) who showed an incomplete response to 1 prospective and 1 to 3 historical courses of ADT within the current episode. METHOD The study comprised a 7- to 28-day screening phase, an 8-week prospective treatment phase, and a 6-week double-blind treatment phase. Patients with DSM-IV-TR-defined MDD were enrolled between June 16, 2004, and April 27, 2006. During prospective treatment, patients received ADT: escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine controlled-release, sertraline, or venlafaxine extended-release, each with single-blind, adjunctive placebo. Incomplete responders continued ADT and were randomly assigned to double-blind, adjunctive placebo or adjunctive aripiprazole (2-15 mg/day with fluoxetine or paroxetine; 2-20 mg/day with all others). The primary efficacy endpoint was the mean change from end of prospective treatment to end of double-blind treatment (week 14, last observation carried forward) in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score (analysis of covariance). RESULTS A total of 178 patients were randomly assigned to adjunctive placebo and 184 to adjunctive aripiprazole. Baseline demographics were similar between groups (mean MADRS total score of 26.0). Mean change in MADRS total score was significantly greater with adjunctive aripiprazole (-8.8) than adjunctive placebo (-5.8; p < .001). Adverse events (AEs) that occurred in > or = 10% of patients with adjunctive placebo or adjunctive aripiprazole were akathisia (4.5% vs. 23.1%), headache (10.8% vs. 6.0%), and restlessness (3.4% vs. 14.3%). Discontinuations due to AEs were low with adjunctive placebo (1.7%) and adjunctive aripiprazole (2.2%); only 1 adjunctive aripiprazole-treated patient discontinued due to akathisia. CONCLUSIONS In patients with MDD who showed an incomplete response to ADT, adjunctive aripiprazole was efficacious and well tolerated. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00095823.
Molecular Cloning of a Chondroitin Polymerizing Factor That Cooperates with Chondroitin Synthase for Chondroitin Polymerization*

We recently cloned human chondroitin synthase (ChSy) exhibiting the glucuronyltransferase-II (GlcATII) and N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase-II (GalNAcTII) activities responsible for the biosynthesis of repeating disaccharide units of chondroitin sulfate, but chondroitin polymerization was not demonstrated in vitro using the recombinant ChSy. We report here that the chondroitin polymerizing activity requires concomitant expression of a novel protein designated chondroitin polymerizing factor (ChPF) with ChSy. The human ChPF consists of 775 amino acids with a type II transmembrane protein topology. The amino acid sequence displayed 23% identity to that of human ChSy. The expression of a soluble recombinant form of the protein in COS-1 cells produced a protein with little GlcAT-II or GalNAcT-II activity. In contrast, coexpression of the ChPF and ChSy yielded markedly augmented glycosyltransferase activities, whereas simple mixing of the two separately expressed proteins did not. Moreover, using both UDP-glucuronic acid (GlcUA) and UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc) as sugar donors, chondroitin polymerization was demonstrated on the so-called glycosaminoglycan-protein linkage region tetrasaccharide sequence of α-thrombomodulin. These results suggested that the ChPF acts as a specific activating factor for ChSy in chondroitin polymerization. The coding region of the ChPF was divided into four discrete exons and localized to chromosome 2q35-q36. Northern blot analysis revealed that the ChPF gene exhibited a markedly different expression pattern among various human tissues, which was similar to that of ChSy. Thus, the ChPF is required for chondroitin polymerizing activity of mammalian ChSy.
Stronger Semantics for Low-Latency Geo-Replicated Storage

We present the first scalable, geo-replicated storage system that guarantees low latency, offers a rich data model, and provides "stronger" semantics. Namely, all client requests are satisfied in the local datacenter in which they arise; the system efficiently supports useful data model abstractions such as column families and counter columns; and clients can access data in a causally-consistent fashion with read-only and write-only transactional support, even for keys spread across many servers. The primary contributions of this work are enabling scalable causal consistency for the complex columnfamily data model, as well as novel, non-blocking algorithms for both read-only and write-only transactions. Our evaluation shows that our system, Eiger, achieves low latency (single-ms), has throughput competitive with eventually-consistent and non-transactional Cassandra (less than 7% overhead for one of Facebook's real-world workloads), and scales out to large clusters almost linearly (averaging 96% increases up to 128 server clusters).
Research on Spatial-Temporal Differentiation of CO2 Flux across Water-Air Interface in Xiquanyan Reservoir in Harbin, China

Using the static chamber method, CO 2 flux across the water-air interface of Xiquanyan reservoir was measured for 24 hours over a one-year cycle in Harbin, China. Gas ebullition and gas emission in winter was not considered in this study. CO 2 fluxes showed significant spatial-temporal differentiation. The order of CO 2 flux in each test point was: A> C> D> B. The changes of water level and hydro-fluctuation zone and the distribution of aquatic plants were the main factors affecting the spatial variation of CO 2 flux. In terms of time, carbon flux of daytime in Xiquanyan was significantly lower than the night. Overall, seasonal variations of CO 2 flux was: spring> autumn> summer.
Mouse Model of OPRM1 (A118G) Polymorphism Increases Sociability and Dominance and Confers Resilience to Social Defeat

A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the human μ-opioid receptor gene (OPRM1 A118G) has been widely studied for its association in drug addiction, pain sensitivity, and, more recently, social behavior. The endogenous opioid system has been shown to regulate social distress and reward in a variety of animal models. However, mechanisms underlying the associations between the OPRM1 A118G SNP and these behaviors have not been clarified. We used a mouse model possessing the human equivalent nucleotide/amino acid substitution to study social affiliation and social defeat behaviors. In mice with the Oprm1 A112G SNP, we demonstrate that the G allele is associated with an increase in home-cage dominance and increased motivation for nonaggressive social interactions, similar to what is reported in human populations. When challenged by a resident aggressor, G-allele carriers expressed less submissive behavior and exhibited resilience to social defeat, demonstrated by a lack of subsequent social avoidance and reductions in anhedonia as measured by intracranial self-stimulation. Protection from social defeat in G-allele carriers was associated with a greater induction of c-fos in a resilience circuit comprising the nucleus accumbens and periaqueductal gray. These findings led us to test the role of endogenous opioids in the A112G mice. We demonstrate that the increase in social affiliation in G carriers is blocked by pretreatment with naloxone. Together, these data suggest a mechanism involving altered hedonic state and neural activation as well as altered endogenous opioid tone in the differential response to aversive and rewarding social stimuli in G-allele carriers.
Dopaminergic Induced Changes in Mauthner-cell Excitability Disrupts Prepulse Inhibition

Dopaminergic induced changes in Mauthner-cell excitability disrupts prepulse inhibition 1 in the startle circuit of goldfish. 2 3 Violeta Medan and Thomas Preuss 4 5 Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York 6 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065 7 8 Running head: dopaminergic disruption of prepulse inhibition 9 10 Corresponding author: Thomas Preuss, tpreuss@hunter.cuny. edu. Department of Psychology, 11 Hunter College, City University of New York. 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10065 12 13 Articles in PresS. J Neurophysiol (September 28, 2011). doi:10.1152/jn.00644. 2011
Joint effects of polymorphisms in the HTRA1, LOC387715/ARMS2, and CFH genes on AMD in a Caucasian population

Purpose To estimate the joint effects of single nucleotide polymorphysms (SNPs) in the genes complement factor H (CFH), HtrA serine peptidase 1 (HTRA1), and age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 (LOC387715/ARMS2) in a Caucasian age related macular degeneration (AMD) case-control cohort. Methods We genotyped three SNPs, rs1061170 (exon 9, CFH), rs11200638 (HTRA1 promoter, −512 bp), and rs10490924 (6.6 kb upstream of HTRA1 in LOC387715/ARMS2) in 333 cases with advanced AMD (choroidal neovascularization [CNV] and geographic atrophy) and 171 age-matched examined controls. Association tests were performed for individual SNPs and jointly with the CFH SNP Y402H. Analyses for interaction were also performed. Results The linkage disequilibrium measure for two SNPs on 10q26, rs10490924 and rs11200638, is D'=0.8 and all four possible haplotypes of the two SNPs were detected in the samples. The allelic association test for rs11200638 on the promoter of HTRA1 yielded p-values less than 10−10 for geographic atrophy, less than 10−16 for neovascularization, and less than 10−19 for the pooled phenotypes (with an odds ration [OR] of 3.973; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.928, 5.390). Disease risk is conferred in a dosage-dependent fashion. Similar figures were observed for the LOC387715/ARMS2 SNP. No interaction was detected between either between the 10q26 SNPs or the CFH SNP. Conclusions This is the first analysis to show that the two 10q26 SNPs are not in complete linkage disequilibrium. Our studies however show that both the HTRA1 and LOC387715/ARMS2 SNP appear to contribute equally to disease risk (both geographic atrophy and choroidal neovascularization) with no evidence of interaction with CFH.
Regulation of expression of human RNA polymerase II-transcribed snRNA genes

In addition to protein-coding genes, RNA polymerase II (pol II) transcribes numerous genes for non-coding RNAs, including the small-nuclear (sn)RNA genes. snRNAs are an important class of non-coding RNAs, several of which are involved in pre-mRNA splicing. The molecular mechanisms underlying expression of human pol II-transcribed snRNA genes are less well characterized than for protein-coding genes and there are important differences in expression of these two gene types. Here, we review the DNA features and proteins required for efficient transcription of snRNA genes and co-transcriptional 3′ end formation of the transcripts.
Effect of thunderstorms and airborne grass pollen on the incidence of acute asthma in England, 1990-94.

BACKGROUND: Thunderstorms and prior grass pollen counts were investigated as predictors of daily hospital admissions for asthma in England. This study was motivated by reports in the literature of spectacular asthma epidemics associated with thunderstorms, particularly in the grass pollen season. METHODS: Asthma admissions for two age groups (0-14 years and 15 and over) were measured using the Hospital Episodes System (HES) in the 14 regional health authorities (RHAs) in England. Thunderstorms were measured daily in each RHA using densities of sferics (lightning flashes). Relative asthma excesses for moderate positive and exceptionally high sferic densities, with or without previous high grass pollen counts, were measured using log linear autoregression--allowing for weekly, seasonal, and longer term background variation--and pooled over RHAs by calculating geometric means. RESULTS: Relative risks from all RHAs were pooled to form geometric means. Exceptional sferic densities were associated with a relative excess risk of around 25% in both age groups. Moderate sferic densities were associated with a smaller excess, statistically significant in the two age groups taken together. In five RHAs in which grass pollen counts were available, high pollen counts for the previous five days were associated with an amplification of the excess associated with thunderstorms. CONCLUSION: Very large sferic densities are associated with moderate rises in hospital admissions for acute asthma. However, typical thunderstorm days are not associated with spectacular asthma epidemics of the scale previously reported in the literature. Thunderstorm-associated excesses are amplified after a run of high pollen counts.
Sensitization of Women Fish Processors on the Benefits of Birth Control Measures in the Coastal Areas of Lagos State, Nigeria

In Nigeria, there has been increasing advocacy for birth control measures (BCMs) to checkmate the ever-rising population which has led to youth unemployment, unrest, kidnappings and killings in every part of the country; in many cases, women and children are worst hit by these problems. But, women in the rural areas particularly those in the coastal areas are often not reached by this sensitization programme due to their remote locations. Thus, this study looked at sensitization of women fish processors on the benefits of birth control measures in the Coastal Areas of Lagos State, Nigeria with the aim of identifying the lapses and proffer possible way forward. Three hundred and sixty women fish processors were selected from twelve fishing communities in the study area. Data were collected and analyzed with descriptive statistics and chi-square. Results showed that majority (66.7%) were in child-bearing age (20-40 years), 84% were married, and 81% had basic education. About 74.7% and 86.7% were aware of traditional and modern BCMs respectively. Sensitization on benefits of BCMs was through friends, Health Care Providers, radio and television. Chi-square results indicated that sources of information had influence on level of sensitization of birth control measures at p<0.05 level of significant. The study hereby recommends that tempo of sensitization on the benefits of BCMs should be continuous in the coastal areas of Lagos State.
Phase IV open-label study of the efficacy and safety of deferasirox after allogeneic stem cell transplantation

This is the first prospective study of deferasirox in adult allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients with transfusional iron overload in hematologic malignancies. Patients at least six months post transplant were treated with deferasirox at a starting dose of 10 mg/kg/day for 52 weeks or until serum ferritin was less than 400 ng/mL on two consecutive occasions. Thirty patients were enrolled and 22 completed the study. A significant reduction from baseline in median serum ferritin and in liver iron concentration at 52 weeks was observed in the overall population: from 1440 to 755.5 ng/mL (P=0.002) and from 14.5 to 4.6 mg Fe/g dw (P=0.0007), respectively. Reduction in serum ferritin in patients who did not discontinue deferasirox therapy was significantly greater than that found in those who prematurely discontinued the treatment (from 1541 to 581 ng/mL vs. from 1416 to 1486 ng/mL; P=0.008). Drug-related adverse events, reported in 17 patients (56.7%), were mostly mild to moderate in severity. There were no drug-related serious adverse events. Twelve patients (40.0%) showed an increase of over 33% in serum creatinine compared to baseline and greater than the upper limit of normal on two consecutive visits. Two patients (6.7%) with active graft-versus-host disease showed an increase in alanine aminotransferase exceeding 10 times upper limit of normal; both resolved. In this prospective study, deferasirox provided a significant reduction in serum ferritin and liver iron concentration over one year of treatment in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients with iron overload. In addition, the majority of adverse events related to deferasirox were mild or moderate in severity. (clinicaltrials.gov identifier:01335035).